S5504maticowner

I know i'm not as knowledgable as some of the S550 owners on this forum, but I wanted to know if it makes sense to buy a 4matic if you live in DC or Maryland.

And are there any other tradeoffs in buying a 4matic besides the extra weight? I say this because its so tempting to skip on a 4matic for a similarly equipped car which costs way less.

skrontz

The main tradeoff is no ABC. For winter driving, I would just buy an SUV.

sosh

Nothing is a must. However if you do drive in the snow and ice its a great thing to have from both a convienience and a safety standpoint.

i_am_amused

I drove my 2004 S55 through the past winter as my daily driver. If that car can handle the winter we just had, surely a non-4matic S550 can. Just get good all-season tires. I have Continental ExtremeContact DWS, and they were so great people here are probably sick if seeing me say how great they are.

Jan AMG

It is not a must.. get ABC instead if you don't go to mountains often or you don't have really harsh and long winters. However, it is nice to have traction at all times

MBZFAN55

4matic may not be a must in the Northeast US but S550's without 4matic are the exception rather than the rule in dealer inventories. MBUSA seems to be making 4matic more a part of S550 standard equipment in the northern part of the US. As a point of reference only the S550 4matic is offered in Canada.

To more answer your question, the 4matic in the S550 is quite unobtrusive and most drivers would not notice any driveabilty issues. The additional weight is relatively minimal when compared to traditional mechanical all wheel drive setups. I am sure there are days when you wish you had 4matic but I am not sure it's a needed option.

carsnob

Last yr. DC had more snow than places in Canada. 4 wheel drive with 4 snows is the best way to go. Plus in the rain the 4 wheel is also an added measure of safety. I just wished they had the S 600 in a 4wd.

Nira_Lim

ABS +1