4MATIC is Mercedes-Benz's own all-wheel-drive system, first fitted to the E-Class saloon in 1987 and now available across almost every corner of the current range. The original system grew directly out of Mercedes-Benz's anti-lock braking work from 1978, using many of the same sensors to catch wheel slip early.
What began as a way to improve traction in poor weather has grown into something far more versatile, doing everything from reassuring family SUV buyers on slippery roads to sharpening the handling of the brand's most focused performance cars.
Ten models make up this list, chosen to illustrate the ways 4MATIC makes a difference in each case.
- Mercedes-Benz GLC
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Mercedes-Benz GLS
- Mercedes-Benz G-Class
- Mercedes-Benz CLA
- Mercedes-AMG GT Coupé
- Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé
- Mercedes-Benz SL
Mercedes-Benz GLC
The GLC is Mercedes-Benz's most popular SUV, and for many drivers, this is where 4MATIC is first encountered and best understood. It is a spacious family car, and the cabin is neatly finished throughout. Due to its comfort and refinement, long motorway journeys feel noticeably less tiring than in most rivals this size.
4MATIC now spans the full range of GLC power sources, from petrol and hybrid versions to a fully electric model. The AMG GLC 63 S E Performance takes that same all-wheel-drive system and turns it into something considerably sharper, one of the quickest routes into a performance SUV that Mercedes-Benz currently builds.
The GLC sits at the centre of a shift in what a family car now means for many buyers, with 4MATIC playing a key role in building its credibility. This model set a global sales record for Mercedes-Benz in 2018, a milestone it has quietly built on ever since.
Search New Mercedes-Benz GLC Search Used Mercedes-Benz GLCMercedes-Benz C-Class
The C-Class has anchored the Mercedes-Benz line-up since 1993, and it remains the car that best represents the brand for most people. All-wheel drive across the range highlights that 4MATIC is not only an SUV feature. Saloon and Estate versions suit company car drivers and families equally well, and the agile handling compares favourably with sportier rivals.
The flexibility of the C-Class now extends to power source as well as body style. The newly launched C400 4MATIC brings a fully electric option to the range for the first time, alongside efficient petrol and plug-in hybrid engines. The C 43 and C 63 S E Performance sit above these, sporting the AMG badge and considerably sharper reflexes, all with 4MATIC's underlying grip.
4MATIC has been offered on the C-Class since 2002, more than a decade before all-wheel drive became common on cars of this size.
Search New Mercedes-Benz C-Class Search Used Mercedes-Benz C-ClassMercedes-Benz E-Class
The E-Class is Mercedes-Benz's best-selling model of all time, with more than sixteen million sold. Older E-Class saloons have long been a familiar sight in taxi fleets around the world, prized for a kind of durability that rarely gets a mention in the brochures. It sits above the C-Class as the brand's executive model, valued for motorway comfort and refinement.
Saloon and Estate body styles cover both traditional buyers and those who need proper load-carrying capability. The cabin is engineered to keep road and wind noise at a level most rivals struggle to match.
The very first 4MATIC system arrived in 1987, fitted to the E-Class decades before it spread across the rest of the range. If the spirited performance of the standard E-Class is not enough, 4MATIC is also available on the range-topping AMG variants.
Search New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Search Used Mercedes-Benz E-ClassMercedes-Benz S-Class
The S-Class demonstrates what Mercedes-Benz can do when cost is not a priority, and 4MATIC here is less about extra traction and more about removing uncertainty from every part of the drive. The S-Class was the world's first production car to offer anti-lock brakes, back in 1978, a technology now considered so basic it is easy to forget who invented it.
Available as a saloon with a choice of wheelbases, this model prioritises rear-seat comfort as much as the driving experience up front.
Rear passengers benefit from their own climate controls and reclining seats, and on the longer wheelbase version, they get enough legroom that the car feels designed with them in mind. 4MATIC sits quietly beneath all of this, closer to standard-fit reassurance than an optional extra, in keeping with a car built to eliminate surprises.
The Mercedes-AMG S 63 sits at the top of the range. It adds considerably more pace without losing that same all-weather confidence found throughout the line-up.
Search New Mercedes-Benz S-Class Search Used Mercedes-Benz S-ClassMercedes-Benz GLS
The GLS is Mercedes-Benz's flagship SUV, positioned above the GLE with S-Class levels of space and refinement in a true seven-seat package. The GLE offers a third row as an option; in the GLS, all three rows are standard and built to be used every day.
4MATIC underpins the effortless, long-distance composure this car is known for. It works alongside air suspension to smooth out the kind of journeys that would unsettle a smaller SUV. Towing capability tends to matter more here than in the GLC and GLE, and the range is engineered with that firmly in mind.
Performance reaches its peak in the AMG GLS 63. It adds noticeably sharper handling to a car of this size, and none of the seven-seat practicality is lost along the way.
Search New Mercedes-Benz GLS Search Used Mercedes-Benz GLSMercedes-Benz G-Class
The earliest G-Class buyers in the late 1970s chose it as a functional military and utility vehicle, decades before it became a status symbol among city drivers.
4MATIC here means something different from anywhere else on this list. Boxy proportions and exposed door hinges have become part of this model's appeal rather than something to be styled away. Permanent all-wheel drive remains central to the car's purpose.
Solid axles front and rear are a defining engineering choice long after most rivals switched to independent suspension, prioritising durability over on-road polish. Underneath the unchanged silhouette, the car has moved on, with petrol and fully electric versions now both available.
The AMG G 63 pairs the same off-road hardware with a V8 engine and surprising on-road pace, showing exactly how far that capability can be pushed.
Search New Mercedes-Benz G-Class Search Used Mercedes-Benz G-ClassMercedes-Benz CLA
The CLA is Mercedes-Benz's most style-conscious compact model. It is built on a dedicated platform that supports both efficient combustion engines and fully electric power within the same design. The four-door coupé silhouette gives it a distinctly different character from a conventional hatchback or saloon, at a size and price below models further up the range.
4MATIC adds a useful safety net for winter driving. Aerodynamics have been a particular focus in development, with efficiency gains feeding directly into the figures quoted across the line-up. The CLA's drag coefficient of 0.21 is among the lowest of any current Mercedes-Benz, a detail the brand's engineers say meaningfully improves real-world range and fuel economy.
For many drivers, the CLA is where a relationship with the three-pointed star begins. Featuring it here shows that 4MATIC is not reserved for the largest or most expensive cars in the range.
Search New Mercedes-Benz CLA Search Used Mercedes-Benz CLAMercedes-AMG GT Coupé
The Mercedes-AMG GT Coupé is a two-door sports car built for outright driving thrills. A V8 engine sends power through 4MATIC+, the performance-oriented version of the system, which can direct almost all available torque to either axle depending on what the moment demands.
Fewer than fifty technicians currently hold the qualification needed to hand-assemble these AMG V8 engines, each one signing a plaque fitted to the finished unit before it leaves the factory.
This is a considerably lower-volume proposition than most of the range, delivering a proper sports car experience rather than a fast SUV or saloon in disguise. Everyday usability has never been the point, and single-mindedness is precisely what its buyers are paying for.
4MATIC+ makes a significant difference here. Rather than simply adding grip, it allows the car to behave like a rear-wheel-drive sports car when conditions permit. The moment they change, it intervenes without the driver needing to give it a moment's thought.
Search New Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Search Used Mercedes-Benz AMG GTMercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé
The four-door AMG GT effectively gave Mercedes-AMG two performance flagships at once, one built purely for outright pace and one built to take a family along for the ride. The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is firmly aimed at those who need room for rear passengers.
4MATIC+ plays an even more central role here, given the added weight and practicality of this body style. It keeps the car planted and composed in everyday driving, then it sharpens up the moment the driver demands more.
Buyers comparing this model with a traditional performance saloon often find the added ride height and space change surprisingly little about how the car actually drives, which is exactly as intended.
Search New Mercedes-Benz GT 4-Door Coupé Search Used Mercedes-Benz GT 4-Door CoupéMercedes-Benz SL
The Mercedes-Benz SL closes this list on a slightly unexpected note. A roadster is not the obvious home for all-wheel drive, but 4MATIC+ adds real all-weather usability. The ‘Sport Leicht’ name looks almost ironic today. Loaded with technology and a folding fabric roof, the current SL weighs considerably more than the two-seater that was introduced in 1954.
Built on the same platform as the current Mercedes-AMG GT, the SL provides V8 power with a cabin that borrows heavily from elsewhere in the AMG range. Few roadsters manage to feel this composed in poor weather, and 4MATIC+ is a large part of the explanation.
The SL has always stood for something slightly different from the rest of the range, a car built around occasion rather than necessity. 4MATIC+ has simply made that occasion available on more days of the year than before.
Search New Mercedes-Benz SL Search Used Mercedes-Benz SLFrequently asked questions
4MATIC is Mercedes-Benz's own all-wheel-drive system, first introduced in 1987 on the E-Class. It distributes power between the front and rear wheels to improve traction and stability. Today it is available across almost every model in the current range, regardless of engine type.
4MATIC+ is a more performance-focused version of the system, introduced in 2016 for Mercedes-AMG models. Unlike standard 4MATIC, it can send close to all available torque to either axle, allowing a sportier, more rear-biased driving experience when conditions permit.
Yes. On electric models, 4MATIC uses a dual-motor setup rather than a mechanical transfer case, with one motor driving each axle. This gives the same all-weather traction benefits as the system found on petrol, diesel and hybrid Mercedes-Benz models.
4MATIC is optional on most Mercedes-Benz models, though it comes as standard or near-standard on flagship cars like the S-Class and G-Class. The C-Class and E-Class are among the models where it remains an option alongside rear-wheel drive.
Find Your Perfect 4MATIC Mercedes-Benz at Stratstone
4MATIC spans everything from compact coupés to full-size SUVs and a two-seat roadster, a spread few rival all-wheel-drive systems can match.
Stratstone's specialists can talk you through availability, options and finance across the full current Mercedes-Benz range, and help narrow down which body style, engine and specification suits you best. Browse online, or visit your nearest Stratstone Mercedes-Benz retailer to arrange a test drive and find the 4MATIC model that fits the way you drive.
