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4Matic (stylized as 4MATIC'') ''is the marketing name of an
all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
system developed by
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
. It is designed to increase traction in slippery conditions. With the introduction of the 2017 E 63 S sedan,
Mercedes-AMG Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is the high-performance subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG. AMG independently hires engineers and contracts with manufacturers to customize Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles. The company has its headquarters in A ...
announced a performance-oriented variant of the system called AMG Performance 4MATIC+.''


Description

The four-wheel-drive system was developed in conjunction with Steyr-Daimler-Puch (currently
Magna Steyr Magna Steyr AG & Co KG is an automobile manufacturer based in Graz, Austria, where its primary manufacturing plant is also located. It is a subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International and was previously part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch cong ...
), who manufactured the Mercedes-Benz G-Class in Austria. Nearly all Mercedes-Benz vehicles that feature this system are paired with an
automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
as the default transmission. The first design of 4Matic system was introduced in 1987 on the
W124 The Mercedes-Benz W124 is a range of mid-size cars made by Daimler-Benz from 1984 to 1997. The range included numerous body configurations, and though collectively referred to as the W-124, official internal chassis designations varied by body st ...
series (E Class) saloons (four-door) and estate (station wagon) cars. It was available with the 2.6 L and 3.0 L 6-cylinder petrol (gasoline) and diesel engines.


First Generation

The first generation 4Matic system was originally a complex electronically controlled system with automatically engaging
four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...
(4WD), the system employing locking central and rear differentials to provide additional traction in slippery conditions. The centre differential, also known as the transfer case, contains two clutches. Each hydraulically enabled clutch is controlled separately to allow for three modes of operation: 2WD (mode 0) where 100% of available torque is available to the rear axle while the front axle is disconnected, and two 4WD modes which allow for 35/65 front/rear axle torque split (mode 1) or 50/50 front/rear axle torque split (mode 2). The rear differential lock, previously known as ASD on Mercedes-Benz models, can also be locked (mode 3) if rear wheel slip is still present when the transfer case 50/50 4WD mode 2 is engaged. Due to safety and stability concerns there is no front differential lock. The 4Matic system uses inputs from the three channel ABS system and a steering wheel angle sensor to decide when to intervene. 4WD is disengaged automatically if the ABS service brakes are applied. Engine throttle control is not inherent in the W124 system. Two W124 variants of the 4Matic system were produced: the first system (1986–1991) used a mechanical pressure test lever to disable the system hydraulically while the second system variant (1992/1993) used an electrical test switch to break power to the system. The later system variant when in test mode allows for continued operation of the rear shock self-levelling system (SLS) when installed. Initially plagued with reliability factors, the multi-plate clutch central differentials were subject to failure; it was discontinued in 1993.


Second Generation

The second generation of 4Matic was reintroduced on the W210 series in 1998/1999. Available only with
left hand drive Left-hand traffic (LHT) and right-hand traffic (RHT) are the practices, in bidirectional traffic, of keeping to the left side or to the right side of the road, respectively. They are fundamental to traffic flow, and are sometimes referred to ...
, the cars were again manufactured at the Magna-Steyr plant in Austria. The second generation of 4Matic utilized a full-time 4-wheel drive system with three open differentials front, centre and rear. Traction control is achieved using ETS (Electronic Traction System). This employs the ABS system with additional valves to monitor and then partially brake any wheel which loses traction. This much simpler system is also featured in the
Mercedes-Benz M-Class Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
SUV and c280 sedan


Third Generation

Since 2008, some versions of 4Matic have provided true AWD where the system is permanently active."Mercedes launches all-wheel-drive CL 500 4Matic" Left Lane. 27 February 2008, 9:40 A

/ref> Sophisticated engine management and ABS systems control the amount of torque transferred to each wheel, allowing the system to be effective at any speed.


Fourth Generation

In 2016, Mercedes introduced a new 4WD system called 4Matic+. This system can send 100 percent of the available engine
torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
to either the front or rear
axles An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearin ...
. In the fifth-generation E-Class an additional setting was introduced in the E63 S AMG model that disconnects the front axle from the powertrain, effectively turning it into a
rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...
automobile. This has become known as "Drift Mode", riding the wave of attention drawn by the eponymous setting first deployed in the third-generation
Ford Focus RS The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company since 1998. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worldwide. The ...
.


Availability

The second and third generation 4MATIC systems are currently available on the A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, E-Class, G-Class, S-Class sedan, S-Class coupé (formerly CL), GLA, GLB, GLC (formerly GLK), GLE (formerly ML), GLS (formerly GL), GT CLA, CLS, Vito and Viano (North American name; Metris), and Sprinter 4x4 although certain right-hand-drive models are not available due to the position of the steering column. These later systems include engine and automatic stability controls.


See also

* 4motion -
Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...
-branded four-wheel-drive system *
BMW xDrive BMW xDrive is the marketing name for the all-wheel drive system found on various BMW models since 2003. The system uses an electronically-actuated clutch-pack differential to vary the torque between the front and rear axles. Models with the DPC t ...
- BMW's AWD system * Locking differential - provides additional information on differentials * quattro (four-wheel-drive system) - the four-wheel-drive system from
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...
* S-AWC - a torque-vectoring four-wheel-drive system from
Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Symmetrical All Wheel Drive - the four wheel drive system from Subaru *
Mercedes-Benz W124 The Mercedes-Benz W124 is a range of mid-size cars made by Daimler-Benz from 1984 to 1997. The range included numerous body configurations, and though collectively referred to as the W-124, official internal chassis designations varied by body st ...
Mercedes-Benz E Class (1985–1995)


References


External links


Details of 4MATIC system on Daimler's PR site

4MATIC system on Mercedes' USA site
{{DEFAULTSORT:4Matic Mercedes-Benz Four-wheel-drive system tradenames