what it is, the principle of operation and improvement

You can often come across the opinion that with all-wheel drive, a car can automatically be considered an SUV. This, of course, is not entirely true, but nevertheless, the load distributed to all wheels undoubtedly improves the final cross-country ability by several times.

If we literally decipher the abbreviation 4matic, we get the definition of 4 Wheel Drive and Automatic. Speaking in Russian, it means that the car has four-wheel drive. Almost always there is a joint installation with automatic transmission. On our machines, the 4X4 marking means about the same.

It is a rather complex system that affects most of the vehicle components (both axles, transfer case, differentials, axle shafts, drive shaft joints). This whole design is combined with an automatic transmission (mechanics simply can not cope).

Thanks to long-term testing, the necessary parameters for transferring the load to the wheels for different classes of vehicles were clarified.

The modern 4matic system provides the most optimal options:

Cars. For this class, the main load (65%) goes to the rear pair of wheels, and the remaining 35% is distributed to the front;
SUV or SUV. In these categories, the torque is distributed absolutely evenly (50% each);
luxury models. Here, the spread between the front and rear wheels is minimal (55% goes to the rear, and 45% to the front).

At the moment, the development of the Mercedes-Benz concern has undergone a number of improvements and upgrades:

1st generation. It was presented in Frankfurt in 1985. A year later, the system was already actively installed on W124 cars. Moreover, the joint layout with the machine gun is a tradition, starting from the first models. At that time, the drive was not permanent. A variant called pluggable was used. As a result of blocking differentials (rear and center), all wheels were connected. The control of a pair of hydraulic clutches was carried out using electronics. The advantages of this system were that the system could only work from the rear axle, which led to savings not only in fuel, but also in overall performance. Also, the couplings were made of extremely durable materials that are resistant to abrasion. Of the minuses, it can be noted that the plug-in drive does not make the car an SUV (much weaker than the full one). The Vodi.su portal assures that the repair of such a system cost a very round sum;
2st generation. Since 1997, an updated version has been introduced, installed on the W210. The differences were amazing. It was already all-wheel drive in the full sense. Differential locking was not used, in addition, the 4ETS system was installed, which excluded this possibility and controlled traction. This variation of 4matic took root, and it was from that moment on that the system remained all-wheel drive forever. Although this led to an increase in fuel consumption, it was much cheaper to repair, given that the cars were more confident on the road;
3st generation. Introduced since 2002, and installed on several classes of cars at once (C, E, S). Of the improvements, it can be noted that the system has become smarter. An ESP system has been added to the 4ETS traction control. If any of the wheels starts to slip, then this system stops it, increasing the load on the rest. This led to an improvement in patency up to 40%;
4st generation. Since 2006, the control of the system has become completely electronic. Otherwise, it was a 2002 variant;
5st generation. Introduced in 2013, it is an improvement on previous versions. Electronics literally in a matter of minutes is able to completely transfer the load from the front wheels to the rear and vice versa. This made the car even more manageable in difficult situations. Also, the total weight of the system has decreased, but the efficiency has increased markedly. At the moment, the developers of the concern promise to abandon the usual lever of the box, and transfer all control to the buttons.