S_W222

I found a 2020 S560 with ALL options and exact colors I personally need (HUD, 3D Burmester, Exclusive Nappa Porcelain & Black, etc).

Only thing I noticed is that it is a RWD. Is that really a problem or does it really not big of a difference?
Yes, that's what I meant (it is NA market). I thought you hinted that my VIN leads to a European spec's marked. Some prefer the RWD anyway, but curious to hear from others. Should I pull the trigger?

For the record, I live in Idaho "now" and we get snow obviously. BUT!, I've have been searching really for ANY S-class (Sedan or coupe) for the past 6-months, and finally found the one with the right packages. Can I get a way with RWD!? I had RWD W222 in the past (profile pic) in Chicago, did just fine, but you know now that I am in the process of getting my car for the next 4-6 years, thought I'd ask...

Trading in an X7 M50i Fully Loaded All good, I just miss driving the boat!

chassis

Only you can decide if RWD is a "problem" vs 4MATIC. AWD makes a difference. You must make a decision whether the difference is sufficient for you to wait or pay a higher price for a 4MATIC unit.

If I lived north of I-20 east of NM or north of I-40 west of TX, I would not own a vehicle without AWD.

cfmistry

I think you answered your own question! If I lived somewhere without snow, I’d prefer a RWD model. But given that I have to drive in inclement weather, 4Matic is the way to go.

S_W222

What makes the RWD unique (in case snow is not an issue or not that present)? I am trying to see if I get any benefits anyway during summer or if we move to another state later? Does RWD make the ride more soft of comfortable? or what does it else offer at least?

superswiss

RWD does not affect the ride. The main benefits of RWD or generally speaking 2WD over AWD are:

• Less weight. The AWD components add weight to the car.
• Better fuel economy. AWD has greater drivetrain losses and is heavier (see point 1)
• Better driving dynamics. RWD cars corner more dynamically. AWD tends to understeer

For some, the disadvantages outweigh the traction advantage of AWD, because AWD really only mostly helps to get off the ground in slippery conditions. Once you are moving, AWD is more of a disadvantage due to the above points. Also, keep in mind AWD doesn't help you stop or steer in slippery conditions. You still need proper winter tires or you better don't drive the car at all.

There was once a study done that concluded that AWD is only a benefit about 1% of the time. 99% of the time it's a disadvantage. In other words for every 100 miles driven, AWD only comes into action for 1 mile. Some people are ok with that as a piece of mind for the rare occasion they might find themselves in a blizzard, but others are not willing to have worse fuel economy and worse driving dynamics 99% of the time.

Manufacturers have responded to this with more modern AWD systems in newer models that can decouple one of the axles when AWD is not needed. For example Audi has quattro ultra which decouples the rear axle for normal driving. MB has 4Matic+, which is primarily RWD, but it's only available on AMG models mainly for the better driving dynamics. Some AMGs with 4Matic+ even have a drift mode where the driver can manually decouple the front axle for a complete RWD experience. The 4Matic w/o the Plus, though is still a permanent AWD system driving all wheels at all times.

S_W222

@superswiss oh man, I actually always thought that 4Matic on the benz is just like what I have on my current two BMWs (5-series and X7) which is called xDrive system. If MBenz 4matic is 4WD 100% of the time I think I will not enjoy it as much as am used to feel in my current BMW wherein I can feel that most of the time the xDrive (selective AWD) favors to push the car from the RWD wheel. I guess this is why my former Lincoln Navigator 4WD felt weird compared to my X7 xDrive system in terms of grip and acceleration on curves.

Well I think am sold on the RWD (or maybe am just trying to make myself happy with the only available option to me now!!). But I will still have my 5-series with xDrive in case am super worried about deep snow conditions or getting stuck one day!.

superswiss

4Matic does slightly favor the rear wheels. It has a rear biased torque split, but it's not fully variable like BMW's xDrive and AMG's 4Matic+ which can both force 100% to the rear. 4Matic depending on the model ranges somewhere from 45:55 to around 40:60 front to rear. It's not quite the same as 4WD, though. 4WD is generally a 50:50 split.

Tom in Austin

Does 4MATIC have more/additional service requirements vs. RWD? I see a lot of 4MATIC cars here in Austin, TX and really wonder if the owners bought their cars here and, if so, why they opted for 4MATIC. Same for S. California, South Florida, etc etc

I grew up (in the midwest) when 4WD was a crude system in heavy-duty vehicles and got around in snow and ice without it.

SW20S

The X Drive on the BMW is AWD all the time too. The systems are very similar, it’s 60/40 rear/front or 70/30 rear/front.

I had two LS460s, one AWD and one RWD. Given the choice I would choose RWD, and my RWD one was actually surprisingly okay in the snow. Traction and skid control has come a long way.

With that said my 4Matic S560 is not as good in the snow as my AWD LS460 was, I think it’s the wide rear tires. So, a RWD S560 may not be as okay in the snow.

You can always get winter tires if snow driving is a concern.

superswiss

Generally 4Matic doesn't have higher maintenance requirements. One exception is tires. With AWD, tire wear between individual tires needs to stay within certain tolerances. I don't know what the tolerance is for 4Matic, but generally for AWD systems it's between 2/32" to 4/32" to avoid strains on the drivetrain components and potential damage. This means that you generally need to replace all 4 tires at once. That can be particularly painful if you damage one tire and end up having to replace all four. There is a way around that. Some tire places such as Tire rack offer tire shaving services. Upon request they'll shave a new tire to match the tread wear of your remaining tires.

S_W222

snow is never a concern for me as I live few 100s feet away from a 50mph road that get cleaned first and immediately. Slippery icy roads are the ones that i face a lot in my area

superswiss

AWD won't help you much if anything if icy. On the contrary it could make it worse as when the front tires spin you can't even steer anymore. As I said above, AWD also doesn't help you stop or steer, so it all comes down to proper tires. Ice is pretty unforgiving and short of studs there isn't much that can conquer it.

S_W222

Not sure about "BMW AWD", but my newer two BMWs have what's called BMW xDrive. According to info from the manual of my 5-series and X7, "Under normal circumstances, xDRIVE distributes drive power between the front and rear axles in a 40:60 ratio. When road conditions change, xDRIVE can change this distribution to provide the most power to the axles with traction, even allocating up to 100% of its power to one axle". From personal experience with these two, I can say that this truly feels like the case in some scenarios. My 5-series handles 10 times better than my former gigantic 2019 Lincoln Navigator as well as former GL 550, and same true for X7, both "BMW 5-series and X7" are snow and ice road killers like nothing I drove before. I don't need my next vehicle "MB 560 RWD" to be as good, but at least drivable on slippery/icy road "snow is fine for my case".

S_W222

Thanks. That's the feedback I was looking for. Despite me being a decent driver, lol, but I grew and lived most of my life in a dry/warm city (and cities), so I am new to cold/snow/slippery roads (2-years of experience only to date). Am hopping RWD vs AWD makes no difference for icy road, which is the main issue in my current state. My BMWs did awesome on icy roads, perhaps they can send 100% of power to rear when needed or the opposite (really superior steering by xDrive even on an icy circle!!), whereas Mbenz 4matic won't be able to do that I guess. I feel more comfortable with the RWD find for my next S560 based on current feedback from everyone thus far. I appreciate it everyone.

superpop

I live in WA state where there is a lot of rain. 4Matic does make a difference and I would not buy a non 4Matic car in the PNW. It does great in the snow but where it really shines is on wet roads. I would drive both if possible in the rain before purchasing a RWD example.

S_W222

After literally 6 months of searching pre-owned ones with some of the rare spec's I must have, this is the only one that showed up now so I don't think I will ever have the pleasure to (test and try two options). I still have to drive 9 hours to get this one (if I decide to get it) and do a trade in. I have to either take it or pass on it and wait if 4Matic is that must have.

Greg B.

I live in Utah, so same weather. I have owned both 4matic and RWD Mercedes. I have an S560 Cabriolet so no 4matic option. You are better off with the car you want with RWD only since you don't need 4matic very often. I solved my problem by buying a "winter/rainy day" car. (2022 4WD Suburban) I don't like driving the S in bad weather anyway, then it needs washed etc. I would rather have an S with the options I want over 4matic.

S_W222

For the record, I also swing back and forth all the time from Idaho to Utah and so on (that's basically my current home...). So your experience with Utah words is very relevant to mine, including Idaho wherein the weather in Winter is close to Utah conditions too. I see you said you have a winter/rainy day car, but any issues with RWD in general with Utah winter weather?

Quenthel

If the car has everything else you want, loss of AWD is minimal. If it has MBC, it might be even better as a daily driver, even with its higher maintenace costs with the notorious MBC/ABC pumps.

For my 2 cents, as an engineer, I tend to like being prepared and I would generally look for an S that has AWD, just for the 1% of cases where I might need it. Having said taht, if I were in your position facing your dilemma, I would probably cave in and get the car anyway. I would still have dedicated wheels with winter tyres, same as I do now with my AWD car, and I would carry snowchains like I do now if the weather got tricky.

Just have some common sense when driving in more difficult situations and you'll be fine. Enjoy your new S!

Greg B.

​​​​​​​I have been stuck pulling into my driveway in my RWD E550. 4matic would have helped in that situation im sure. Generally roads get plowed in a reasonable time and RWD is fine. In the past I have been caught in actively snowing conditions in RWD and of course had to drive cautiously and avoid inclines. In those cases 4matic would be better for sure, but that was maybe 5 days a year. A RWD S still does better in snow than all the RWD cars I grew up driving...

Greg B.

FYI I drove my RWD E550 Cabriolet for 7 years with no other winter/rainy day car in Utah and was just fine.

SW20S

Its exactly the same thing, xDrive is what they call their AWD system. Theres a 40:60 ratio front:back under normal circumstances and it will allocate all the power to one axle if it needs to to gain traction. 4Matic has the same design as does Lexus' AWD system used in sedans and coupes. Works extremely well on all 3 makes.

But, tires make a difference. My RWD LS460L was on 235 width tires all around, the 275s in the rear of my S560 definitely reduce its snow traction.

This is the big benefit of AWD, its having to power through say snow from a plow to turn onto a side road or into your driveway. Modern traction and skid systems make RWD cars less hilarious to drive, but they can't make up for that. My LS400 and LS430s were hilariously bad in the snow. My LS460L which was RWD was dramatically better.

S_W222

I had an LS430 in the past (side note: best car I ever owned to date despite the story, in it's time), and I remember being stuck in half an inch snow/ice trying to go reverse to pull out from my parking spot with no luck for 30 min, lol. Had all-season bad tires and thread is close to minimum specs. I ended up using our "welcome home" door mat/carpet underneath the rear wheels to get it to move .... Good days!

superswiss

When it comes to AWD there are two distinct characteristics that need to be distinguished. They apply under different conditions. One is torque split and the other one is torque apportion. Torque split applies under normal conditions. It describes how much of the torque is actively forced to each axle when all 4 wheels have about the same amount of traction. Systems like 4Matic+ can vary the torque split from 50:50 to 0:100 and most of the time are close to 0:100. Torque split determines the handling characteristics of the car. The more torque is forced to the rear axle during cornering the more RWD it feels. I thought xDrive was also capable of 0:100 torque split, but perhaps that's only with the M xDrive in the full M models. I don't have much interest in the regular BMW and Mercedes models, so I'm not as familiar with their technical details.

Torque apportion on the other hand applies in slippery conditions and describes how the torque flows to the axle with traction. This is somewhat irrelevant to talk about, because all AWD systems are fundamentally designed for up to 100% of the torque to flow to the axle with traction in the extreme case when only one axle has traction. But manufacturers like to advertise this. It's really the least exciting part of AWD. Doesn't matter if xDrive, 4Matic, 4WD or whatever, the spinning wheels cannot put torque to the ground so naturally all the torque flows to the wheels that can. In some systems better than others depending on whether the AWD also has locking differentials on each axle and in the center, or just open differentials. 4Matic+ in the AMG models is paired with an electronic locking differential in the rear just like the AMG RWD models have, same for M xDrive, but the regular BMWs and MBs all have open differentials, which ultimately makes them less capable.

SW20S

That sounds about right haha! They were great cars, but man they were bad in the snow!