What Is 4MATIC From Mercedes-Benz?

What Is 4MATIC From Mercedes-Benz?

When looking through the specs of certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, you will often come across the term 鈥?MATIC鈥?and have been left wondering what that actually means. Simply put, it is a type of four-wheel drive system that was created and is used by Mercedes-Benz. They are used in AWD vehicles as a means to minimize traction loss. If you need a 4MATIC part or a whole system, visit our parts quote page and request a custom quote. 4Matic (stylized as 4MATIC) is the marketing name of an AWD four-wheel drive system developed by Mercedes-Benz. It is designed to increase traction in slippery conditions. The four-wheel-drive system was developed in conjunction with Steyr-Daimler-Puch (currently Magna Steyr), who manufactured the Mercedes-Benz G-Class in Austria. Nearly all Mercedes-Benz vehicles that feature this system are paired with an automatic transmission as the default transmission. The first design of 4Matic system was introduced in 1987 on the W124 series (E Class) saloons (four-door) and estate (station wagon) cars. It was available with the 2.6 L and 3.0 L 6-cylinder petrol (gasoline) and diesel engines.

From September 1986 the closed-loop catalytic converter was standard equipment on all Mercedes-Benz passenger car models with gasoline engines; the retrofit versions were available until August 1989 - with a corresponding price discount. With the introduction of the new model range, the diesel model - which was still reserved exclusively for US export - was replaced by a modified variant. The new 300 SDL was presented with the additional space of the long version and featured an entirely new design of en-gine. This was based on the familiar 3.0-liter six-cylinder unit from the mid-range W 124 series, although this too was equipped with a turbo-charger. The six-cylinder turbodiesel now delivered 110 kW (150 hp) - 44 kW (60 hp) more than the basic version without supercharger and almost 22 kW (30 hp) more than the five-cylinder engine of the prede-cessor model. As was expected, the running gear of the facelifted models displayed no fundamental modifications.

Nevertheless, the rear axle design was modified in a few details in order to improve ride comfort and reduce engine noise. In addition, all models in the W 126 series were now fitted with 15-inch wheels and larger brakes to match. The design of the optional light-alloy wheels - these were only standard equipment on the 560 SEL and 560 SEC - was updated to match those of the compact-class and mid-range model series. The other stylistic modifications carried out on the improved models of the W 126 series not only served to update the design, but were also integrated for specific technical reasons. By lowering the aprons it was possible to further reduce front axle lift forces and improve airflow at the rear. This also had the effect of further enhancing directional sta-bility and road adhesion when moving at speed, an aspect of consider-able importance with respect to the performance of the new top-of-the-range 560 SEL. The lateral protective strips were now smooth in design rather than grooved, and like the bumper system they reached down lower and in-cluded additional trim on the frame side members.

As the 5.6-liter models came with wider 215/65 VR 15 tires as standard, unlike their lower-powered sister models, front apron and fender beading were modified in shape in order to create the necessary lateral clearance for the front wheels. In September 1987, when the S-Class encountered an unusually chilly easterly wind in the form of the BMW 750 i, higher-performance vari-ants of all V8 engines were introduced. Compression ratios in all cases were increased to 10:1, and additional measures were taken to im-prove performance by between six and ten percent depending on the model. The effect was even clearer in the case of the variants with catalytic converters: By optimizing the emission control equipment the designers succeeded in significantly reducing power loss due to the catalytic converter. The ECE version of the 5.6-liter V8 was discontin-ued without a replacement, since as a result of the treatment to in-crease output the catalytic converter retrofit version was now also ca-pable of developing 221 kW (300 hp). At the Paris Motor Show in September 1988, the model range was ex-panded to include the 560 SE from the W 126 series, thus making the 5.6-liter engine available in a sedan with conventional wheelbase.

From June 1989 a new variant with diesel engine was produced, al-though this too was only available in the USA. Production of the previ-ous 300 SDL had already come to an end in September 1987. The 350 SDL model had a new 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine that had been developed by increasing the bore and stroke of the tried-and-tested 3.0-liter unit. The new turbodiesel was designed more for torque than output and, with exhaust gas recirculation and oxidation catalyst, gen-erated 10 kW (14 hp) less than its predecessor in spite of the larger displacement. But the 350 SDL鈥檚 100 kW (136 hp) was more than adequate, especially given the speed limits that applied throughout the USA. Maximum torque was increased by almost 15 percent and was reached at just 2000/min. In June 1990 the 350 SD with a conven-tional wheelbase was introduced to go alongside the 350 SDL. As was the case with the predecessor series W 116, the eight-cylinder W 126 models were also available as armored variants.