I have a few 4Matic questions for you guys:

For those of you who have driven the same model E with and without 4Matic, were you able to feel the difference in terms of handling and weight?

How much does this option throw off the front/rear weight distribution?

How much more gas would a 4Matic eat?

 

You can't really feel it and it does not use a significant amount of gas over the 2WD model. The steering may be a tad heavier, that's about it. //DS

 

I don't know how much the weight distribution changes with the 4 Matic. But I bet that it is less than 1% heavier in the front end. This is a very small price to pay for the extra safety and performance it offers.

I have driven W124 RWD and 4 Matics. On that generation car the 4 Matic really slowed the car down in spite of the fact that, under normal traction situations, the car was in RWD mode. On the 1998 and newer W210s there was no real negative performance difference that was noticeable. This was in spite of the system always being in AWD.

On the W211s, I have driven the CDI, 320 and 500 in RWD and, as expected, the car can break the inside rear tire loose if you accelerate quickly out of a turn. If the traction is not ideal, like wet pavement or snow, the RWD models turn on the warning triangle all the time. Even the weaker E320 gasoline model can break the rear loose on turns. This is quite aggravating to me since it activates the Trac. control and then you loose acceleration immediately.

With the 4 Matic, even on the E500 I tested, you will have a real tough time getting the traction control to turn on dry pavement. You can really give it aggressive amounts of throttle (not flooring it, but close) as you make the turn the car just takes off as if it on rails. The 4 -Matic gives the car a totally different feel. It transfers the power to the ground much better. However, it is hard to tell the difference under normal driving conditions and style.

The steering is a bit heavier than on a RWD model, but compared to my old W124, it is still much lighter. There is never any hint or torque-steer and you can always notice that the front end pulls itself out of the way for the back end to push hard when you are accelerating and turning. I think that an E500 or the CDI in RWD have a lot of power to be sent just to the rear wheels. This might explain why so many people are having their rear wheels wear out before the front!

I would be willing to bet that an E320 4 matic will beat an E500 RWD in acceleration and overall maneuverability if they both have the same tires and you are driving them on either 1-2 inches of snow or pavement with compromised traction. There is just no comparison between a 4 Matic and a RWD Mercedes, or any other RWD car for that matter. The best combination for performance of course would be the E500 4 Matic, but the E320 still kicks some when it comes to traction in not so favorable conditions.

As for the MPG difference, I don't think that it is more than 1 MPG lower, if that much.

Steve

 

Thanks for the great info!

 

I currently have a C 4Matic loaner and in all honesty I can’t tell the difference between the 4Matic and RWD.

03 E is in for AGW swap to 05 AGW thanks to Mike;
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/29746-harmon-kardon-logic-7-problem.html

 

Under normal driving it is very hard to tell the difference. The system only lets you know it is working when you push the car around or there is compromised traction due to bad road conditions.

Pull the car over (where it is safe to do so of course) and leave two of the tires on one side on loose dirt or something slippery. Then floor the car and you will notice a difference. The car pulls just as strong as if you were with all 4 wheels on dry pavement and it will drive in the direction you steer it. That would be hard to do on a RWD car.

Have fun with the car! Loaners are the best!

Steve

 

We're expecting considerable rain in the next couple of days. When the attendant brought the loaner up I noticed the badge and commented to my advisor, too bad we don’t have snow. He seriously suggested that I take it up north – Flagstaff, etc. and have fun.