I test drove an E550 4MATIC and really enjoyed it. They didn't have a two wheel drive to drive so I didn't get to try out the 7 speed auto. Is there much of a difference between these two?

 

Yes. IMHO there is a big difference.

2WD - Has the 7 speed Automatic, so it will get better gas mileage and will drive more like a traditional car. Most people will order this type of car.

AWD - Has the 5 Speed Automatic, so it operates about 1 MPG less than the 2WD. IMHO it corners way better (especially if you accelerate through the turn), and absolutely rocks when it is snowing / raining.

I’ll give you an example of how great the traction is... I live in Chicago and about a month ago we had a big snow storm that left 4-5 inches on the ground. I was driving to work and there was an idiot driving this Ford F150 weaving in and out of traffic on this city street that hadn’t be plowed yet. (Suffice it to say he was annoying the crap out of me. ) We are both at a light, it turns green and I floor it. I was already 200~300 yards down the street before he knew what the heck was happening.


Now if live in an area which doesn't get much snow / rain, I would skip the 4 matic. You really don't need it.

 

Is there much of a performance difference between the two? And thank you for your response.

 

Other than the initial launch (all wheel drive obviously has the advantage), the performance should be the same. The 4matic has a 5-speed, but it also has numerically higher gearing, so that should balance out.

 

Yeah I was wondering if the 7 speed would run better because of the gear ratios.

 

The overall performance at lower speeds (from a roll) should be the same. The 7 speed would make the car feel a bit more rev happy and consistent between shifts, while the 5 speed would have more of a rpm drop between gears. I'd guess the 7 speed would really shine at the higher speeds though because it won't have a chance to fall out of the powerband.

It all depends what type of weather you will be driving the car.

 

The 7-speed would give you better gas mileage, but I don't think that there is such a huge difference between the two to make it your only differentiator. Choose the 4-matic is you live in an inclement area.


Believe me some of the mercs can feel like a death trap when it’s snowing. (i.e. CLK, CLS, and all AMGs) No traction at all.

 

I was also torn between the 4matic 5 sp and the RWD 7 sp. I ended up with the RWD 7 speed tranny, and I love it. Perfectly smooth seamless shifts. I'm very happy with my decision, though I'm pretty sure I would have been quite happy with the 5 speed as well.

My final decision was based on whether I would ever need the 4matic. If there was a chance I would ever really need the added traction & stability in inclement weather, I would have chosen 4matic in a heatbeat. However, I never plan to drive my 550 in foul weather conditions. My wife's ML500 & my daily driver 4x4 pickup get us around when weather is nasty. I believe the 7 speed would give a bit better dry road performance, but being as how I own this setup, my opinion is obviously biased. I'm sure you will find either option to be a great ride.

 

Does anyone know how much slower from 0 to 60 an E550 4matic is versus the same car with rear wheel drive?

 

Slower? I don't really think that there is any real difference between the two. Some could even argue that the 4matic is faster off the line because of the increased traction. (especially when there is rain or snow. )

 

Your point about the increased traction of 4matic is a good one, but the 0-60spec is usually based on a dry road. I was assuming that 7 versus 5 speed would make for faster acceleration for several reasons:

1) lower first gear ratio

2) not only will the engine achieve maximum horsepower quicker due to #1 above, the engine speed will remain closer to maximum horsepower throughout the acceleration process because the RPM drop with each shift won't be as large (I'm assuming the 7 speeds ratios are closer than the 5 speed).

3) The extra weight of the 4matic system (I seem to recall that it's 200-300 lbs.)

I own an SLK55 with the 7 speed, and I would say our forum (please visit us!) is pretty much in agreement that part of the reason the SLK55 has such fierce acceleration (Road & Track clocked the 0-60 at 4.3 seconds) is because of the 7 speed.

But I come back to your point about traction again. If you simply floor the throttle in the SLK55 you won't get the best 0-60 time...the car is so light it loses traction and the traction control cuts in much too early. The best 0-60 times in the SLK55 are acheived by turning off the stability (traction) control and letting the rear tires slightly lose traction by modulating the wheelspin with the throttle....so much for the lifespan of the rear tires :-)

But the E class is a much heavier car. Does an E550 without 4matic have full throttle/ dry road traction issues similar to the SLK55?

The bottom line for me is that I wish MB offered the 7 speed with 4matic as I need 4matic for winter driving anyway. I'm not an expert, but I'm reasonably certain a 7 speed 4matic would accelerate quicker than a 5 speed 4matic for reasons #1 and 2 above. I wonder why they don't offer it. Perhaps the 4matic transfer case won't fit with the 7 speed transmission? But all 4 M class models (including the ML63AMG) come with both the 7 speed and 4matic.

 

I think that you are dead on with your observations. I heard that the 7-speed automatic is too big to fit along side the 4-Matic transfer case in the sedans. At least for now it is. I also was told at the same time that the BLUETEC system also interferes with where the 4-Matic components would go, so there is no BLUETEC 4-Matic either.

My ideal car would be a BLUETEC, 4-Matic with a 7-speed.

Steve

 

The RWD may be a couple tenths quicker, but that's not perceptible from behind the wheel.