mikemargolis

Are you happy you got the Diesel and no 4Matic?

Or do you wish you'd gone with 4Matic and no Diesel?

Unfortunately, we know both is not an option, at least in the USA.

ImInPA

I was not very happy with the standard run flats last winter. In all fairness I never got stuck, but, handling was squirrely at best. This year I purchased some Michelin X-Ice snow tires mounted on a set of alloy rims and am quite impressed with the improvement. Last year, any amount of pressure on the accelerator triggered the traction control. With the snow tires, I can easily modulate the torque to the traction and can get around quite easily with very little tire spin or drama. Now, I am not talking feet of snow I am talking 4-6 inches unploughed. The car is very stable on ploughed roads.

listerone

I've only owned one car with AWD and that was only for less than two years.Basically I keep my speeds down and am extra alert while driving in snow/sleet/ice.But then I've *always* done that.And no....I'm am now a devoted diesel fan.Only an "explosive" change in the economics of diesel (a huge rise in fuel prices vs gasoline,for example) could make me rethink my devotion.

skris

To answer your question about handling in snow:
With the same tires - BT vs 4matic - there will be a difference in how the car handles during acceleration and 4matic will be better than BT.

With all-season tires - 4 matic might make a difference if you have to make an uphill drive in slippery conditions after complete stop.

But if you know what you are doing then both cars are equally safe in majority of the situations.

And if you have winter tires on BT it will be rock solid. It is all in the tires. Simple put BT with winter tires will be way better than 4matic with all season tires.

Again the tire makes all the difference. Put the winter tires on any car. There is a night and day difference. (I have a BMW M3 daily driver - once the clearence is not an issue - I feel the M3 with snow tires handles better in slippery conditionsthan ML350 4matic with all season tires)


4Matic vs BT as a wholesome package:
I was in the same situation. I leased a MB350 BT. However the perceived better mpg was not the clinching factor (this has been discussed in other threads elsewhere - I am in the group that believes there is no big difference in the economics between the diesel and the gas versions especially with the 2012 gas version which has a much improved fuel efficiency)

Simple reason why I chose BT - there was a huge difference in the lease payments between the gas and diesel versions. The only downsides were - RWD issues in winter - which in turn was not a big issue for me based on the reasoning above (purely personal) and the engine noise in low speed and may be slower acceleration. These are all minor issues for me. But if both versions were offered for same lease payments, I will lease the 4matic.

YYZ-E55

2011 GL 350 diesel and 2012 E 350 4MATIC here. Would have gone with the diesel E in a heartbeat if it was 4MATIC. Alas, the trade-off isn't worth it when you're in the snowbelt but outside a metro area.