Mercedes-Benz USA is standardising 4Matic all wheel drive on 2005 S430 and S500 luxury sedans. Introduced in November 2002, 4Matic equipped models accounted for over 30% of MY2004 sales.

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Mercedes said the upgrade was made “in response to the overwhelming acceptance of all-wheel-drive in the S-Class family of vehicles”.


4Matic is a full-time all-wheel-drive system that uses a 40/60 front/rear torque split through a planetary centre differential and requires no driver intervention. Advanced four-wheel electronic traction control is used to vary torque distribution to individual wheels under slippery conditions.


Both S430 and S500 also have air suspension with adaptive damping, DVD-based GPS navigation, telematics system, premium leather upholstery with heated front seats, 12-speaker Bose sound system with digital surround sound, ESP stability programme and a sunroof.

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