Four-wheel Drive
Four-wheel drive (4MATIC) is optional on models with 4-cylinder diesel engines. In normal operation the system transfers driving power in a 35:65 split between the front and rear axles. The 4MATIC system does not have mechanical differential locks, but an electronic traction system (4ETS). If one or more wheels loses traction on a slippery surface, the system applies brief pulses of brake pressure to the spinning wheels thus increasing torque to wheels with good grip.
Vehicles with four-wheel drive have a higher ride height, which increases approach, departure and breakover angles (20°/28°/19° respectively, versus 14°/22°/14° in conventional rear-wheel-drive models). The all-wheel drive adds 80 kg to the total weight of the vehicle.
Read more about this topic: Mercedes-Benz Viano
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