dwpc

Salesman is telling me that the C300 RWD traction control is excellent in snow and I don't need 4matic AWD. I say its dealer hype to move the in-house inventory. Opinions? I live N AZ, not a heavy snow area, but we do get snow & ice a few times every year, and its nice to have AWD for trips to the nearby mtns.

Rainers

I had a C Class with RWD, I could not believe I got stuck on a slight icy incline. Even in light snow I was driving too slow in fear of sliding around. I went with 4Matic in my E Class and with my ML and never looked back. I can also tell you driving performance is better with 4Matic. When driving down the road on city roads, on/off ramps, curved roads both the rear wheels push you and the front wheels pull you making a great driving experience.

test drive and you'll notice the difference between the two

richysh

In my opinion, 4matic or even any AWD systems are helpful in any road conditions, whether that would be dry, wet, or snow but especially in rain and snow. You get better traction no matter what the road condition is. I live in NC and we get a light snow storm once or twice a year but I have a peace of mind any time I drive because of the 4matic.

alyshehata

I have a 4MATIC, and I have to say even though I like the rock solid traction, I almost always prefer the RWD loaners I get. They feel more fun to drive and the car feels like it has more power. On curvy roads, it's not as "comfortable" to drive as a 4MATIC, but feeling the rear of the car pull to the side a little when you press on the gas gets me a little thrilled.

Of course, practically speaking, 4MATIC gives you the peace of mind when driving in heavy rain, snow, etc... Hence the extra $$$ you have to pay for it. However, if you are looking for something more peppy and don't have to deal with snow often, I would say go for RWD.

fabbrisd1

If your concern is maximum traction/control regardless of weather/road condition - YES - consider 4matic.

As one poster mentioned - with front wheels pulling thru curves - can make the "feel" sportier/nimble as well.

As another poster mentioned - with RWD you feel the "push" thru the backbone of the car - which can be for some more "thrilling" - where with 4matic with front-pulling/rear-pushing you are more "carried" to speed.

If your concerned about traction/control is adverse conditions - then by all means consider 4matic and don't look back.

For me - I changed out the Extended Mobility tires 1st thing - I am not a fan of their cold-weather traction.

guhvies

It depends on how the driver can adapt to the conditions. I drove my C203 in Baltimore MD with summer tyres in the snow with no problems at all. If you feel the 4matic or 4WD is best for you then get that. If you also feel that summer/all weather tyres won't cut it, get winter tyres. The more comfortable you are driving the car, the better.

Louis300

I had Mercedes Benz C class Coupe with RWD. I is terrible no traction on light snow. Heavy snow undrivable. 4matic is 100% better. Great traction
In all snow and Ice conditions.

parkwood

My first mercedes was a s211 e class estate rwd. It was useless in the light wet snow we get in my region and when it snowed we did not bother after awhile trying to get it out of our drive. It coped a bit better in the austrian alps when we got caught after a heavy but very cold snow storm. It was running on summer tyres. We sold the car to friends who took it out in a local snow fall and said never again it was just too light on the back and they felt very unsafe on our roads which are rural usually narrow and with deep ditches - not a lot of room to slide without finding yourself needing to be pulled out by the local farmer.
I changed to a 4matic GLK and stuck with 4matic in my current c class. I am considering an e class estate next poss the all terrain. I do run winter tyres as well. I suspect a rwd with winter tyres will perform better than my eclass but part of the problem was it was simply putting too much power down so the wheels spun very quickly.
As other members have said the 4matic is good in wet weather and again if you get pushed onto wet muddy verges here on the narrow roads having at least 2 wheels able to pull you off is often useful. It feels very planted on the road and as such I feel it gives good driving pleasure to those of us perhaps a bit more timid than others

StanNH

No rear or front wheel drive vehicle can perform as well on snow as an AWD vehicle .... assuming they are using comparable tires. I have owned and driven all in snow and ice over the years, and there is simply no comparison.

Understand, that even an AWD vehicle with all season tires may not do as well as an RWD or FWD with dedicated winter tires. Your contact patch is always the rubber, so no car is a really good snow and ice car without true winter tires on both axles.

carguy92

The suspension between C300 RWD and 4MATIC is also a big difference.

The RWD C300 gets a totally unique suspension setup that is lower and thus a bit spotier than the 4MATIC. All 4MATICs are built with the 'Comfort' suspension. You can definitely tell driving them back-to-back and when they're parked next to each other.

If you find a C300 RWD Luxury Package, it gets the 4MATIC's Comfort Suspension.

The exception is cars with Sport Package/AMG Line - they both receive the same sport suspension and steering system.

Another note for traction, the tires are more important than drive configuration. All 17" and 18" C300 wheels are on all-season tires, but the 19" option always gets summer tires. There are a lot more RWD 19" cars rolling around, which is why many may say RWD is bad in snow.

C3Duece

Although my C class is a much older model it does have loads of power and is rear wheel drive. I run blizzaks in the winter and with a full tank of gas the car is unstoppable in the deepest midwest snow storms.