Driving in the snow is a fact of life for car owners in New England, but many don’t acknowledge how dangerous it can be. A study by the Federal Highway Administration showed that on average, 43 percent of all weather-related car crashes on U.S. roads are caused by conditions involving snow, sleet, ice, and slush. Winter weather also results in roughly 150,000 injuries and 2,000 deaths each year. With this in mind, Boston drivers should equip their cars as best they can to stay safe. What does that actually mean though? As Consumer Reports points out, many drivers are ill informed as to which features keep them safest on messy roads. When it comes down to it, some things matter more than others. All-wheel drive is better than two-wheel drive for accelerating on slick surfaces. AWD, used in some cars and SUVs, is way better than two-wheel drive at giving your car traction when driving on slippery surfaces or trying to get up a steep hill. Good for “seamless acceleration,” AWD operates continuously, automatically varying power delivery to the front and rear wheels as needed without driver engagement.

If you’re unfamiliar with four-wheel drive, it refers to the “heavy-duty” driving components found in pickup trucks and truck-based SUVs. Unlike AWD, 4WD is not on all the time, and sends power to the rear wheels while the driver engages four-wheel drive with a dashboard knob or button that sends power to the front and rear axles. 4WD is good for hauling things, but doesn’t improve braking or cornering performance in the snow. While Digital Trends reports that AWD isn’t as robust as 4WD at getting traction at low speeds, AWD is better for most drivers because it responds instantly without the driver having to mess with any switches. Cars with AWD also generally have better traction due to better weight distribution than 4WD vehicles. But when it comes to braking, winter tires matter most. AWD is great for getting your car to move from a dead stop, but has nothing to do with braking or steering. So when the weather turns icy or slushy, Consumer Reports found that having winter tires generally mattered more in most situations.

After test-track observations, reviewers reported: “Using snow tires provides the best grip and assurance for going, stopping, and cornering no matter what you drive: all-wheel drive, front-drive, or rear-drive.” White Wall Tyres VespaAnother bonus of snow tires? Honda Atv Tires WalmartThey typically cost a couple hundred dollars per tire, far less than the thousands drivers spend getting AWD.Believe T Shirts Gonzaga Not all AWD systems are created equal. If you do get AWD, know that some systems are better than others. When Consumer Reports tested a few SUVs against each other, they found that some did markedly better at hill climbing and acceleration in the snow. “The [Subaru] Forester’s drive system allows a certain amount of wheel slip while climbing, which helped the SUV maintain momentum in a pinch,” CR said.

“The [Honda] CR-V and [Toyota] RAV4 feel less responsive to a foot on the gas pedal.” Knowing how differently the AWD systems of three top SUVs handle inclement weather means drivers should do their homework before purchasing a car, especially if they live in New England. Regardless of snow, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has picked out some of the safest cars of 2015, equipped with front crash prevention systems that include features like electronic stability control, antilock brakes, and even rollover sensors. Check out IIHS Top safety picks for 2015: Last year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety raised the bar for the agency’s two highest honors, Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+. But despite a higher safety standard, more automakers were able to meet IIHS’s challenge with the number of Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ winners jumping to 71 from 39 last year. Small car: Lexus CT 200h Small car: Mazda Mazda 3 Small car: Subaru Impreza

Small car: Subaru XV Crosstrek Small car: Toyota Prius Midsize moderately priced car: Chrysler 200 Midsize moderately priced car: Mazda Mazda 6 Midsize moderately priced car: Subaru Legacy Midsize moderately priced car: Subaru Outback Midsize moderately priced car: Toyota Camry Midsize moderately priced car: Toyota Prius V Midsize luxury car: Acura TLX Midsize luxury car: Audi A3 Midsize luxury car: BMW 2 Series Midsize luxury car: Infiniti Q50 Midsize luxury car: Volvo S60 Midsize luxury car: Volvo V60 Large luxury car: Acura RLX Large luxury car: Hyundai Genesis Large luxury car: Infiniti Q70 Large luxury car: Lexus RC Large luxury cary: Mercedes-Benz E-Class Large luxury car: Volvo S80 Small SUV: Honda CR-V Small SUV: Mazda CX-5 Small SUV: Mitsubishi Outlander Small SUV: Subaru Forester Midsize SUV: Toyota Highlander Midsize Luxury SUV: Acura MDX Midsize Luxury SUV: Lexus NX

Midsize Luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz M-Class Midsize Luxury SUV: Volvo XC60I’m stuck in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The rest of the country might have had a reprieve from winter this year, but not here. The snow is coming down so thick the runway can’t be cleared and I’m debating heading back to the hotel. Despite several inches of accumulation, getting there shouldn’t be hard. After all, the reason I’m here in the first place is for a deep dive into the Mercedes 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. 1. All Mercedes-Benz passenger car lines bar the SL, SLK and SLS are now available with 4MATIC. 2. On the S-Class, 4MATIC is standard on the S350 BlueTEC and optional on the S550. 3. On the fourth-generation 4MATIC system, ESP, ASR and 4ETS braking assist have been calibrated to engage at the last minute, enabling a maximum amount of engine torque available for maintaining forward momentum. Although we usually cover single vehicle reviews here at AutoGuide, this time out, we’ve taken a slightly different approach, instead focusing on a system, in this case Mercedes’ fourth generation 4MATIC all-wheel drive.

Mercedes is eager to get the word out about its all-wheel drive equipped models and raise awareness of the system’s benefits. Mercedes-Benz has been offering a system that powers all four wheels in passenger vehicles since 1987 in Europe and 1989 in the US. That first recipient was the W124 mid-size sedan, the forerunner of today’s E-Class. Compared to modern AWD systems, that first 4MATIC was decidedly primitive, being a part-time setup that used electro-hydraulic locking differentials to transmit power to the front tires only when needed. As technology evolved, 4MATIC moved with it, morphing from a part-time system to a permanent all-wheel drive setup that utilized a mechanical center differential to transmit power from the transmission to both the front and rear tires while front and rear diffs provided traction to the left and right tires on each axle. Mercedes’ fourth generation 4MATIC system, which debuted on the S350 BlueTEC sedan and CLS550 four-door coupe last summer (it’ll be available on the C350 and E350 coupes by April 2012), features some notable improvements over previous versions.

For starters, it’s the first 4MATIC system that’s been designed and developed exclusively in-house. This has enabled engineers to produce a setup that adds minimal weight penalty (99 to 154 lbs) over rear-drive Mercedes-Benz models and one that also offers no compromise when it comes to turning radius. The 4MATIC system as installed in 2012 Mercedes passenger cars, sports a planetary type center differential that’s integrated with the transmission casing. A multi-plate breakaway clutch, which essentially functions like a limited slip differential allows the front wheels to rotate faster than the rears as the car enters a corner, promoting better turn in to optimize handling. All Mercedes 4MATIC passenger cars incorporate a 45:55 front/rear torque split, though as much as a 30:70 bias toward the back tires is possible, depending on road conditions. The idea is to promote sporty, yet predictable handling under all kinds of road conditions, while allowing the driver to control throttle input to stimulate the vehicle’s directional path in much the same way as a traditional RWD car.

Having the opportunity to test the system in four different vehicles of varying size and weight, in essentially similar conditions yielded some rather interesting results. Our first test victim was the $44,370 2012 Mercedes C350 Coupe, which in 4MATIC form will be available through US dealers on April 1. Powered by Mercedes’ 3.5-liter V6 rated at 302 hp and 276 lb-ft of torque, coupled with a seven-speed automatic and weighing in at 3,792 lbs, is, along with the E350, the lightest and most agile of our samplers. On dry-ish pavement, the car feels much like a rear-wheel drive, V6 powered C-Class; in some vehicles, agility and turning is compromised due to the added weight and complexity of the AWD system, though we simply didn’t notice that here. When the surface becomes slippery, quick stabs of the throttle reveal strong levels of grip. Even at low speed, maintaining momentum on uphill, snow-covered sections isn’t a problem. In most RWD cars, maintaining enough momentum to prevent sliding backward in many respects is a fine art.

With the 4MATIC it’s simply a case of just punch and go. What is interesting, is that although the car has a slight tendency to understeer as you enter a corner on a slippery road, the 4MATIC system noticeably reduces the power to the outside front tire (and quickly), applying traction to the inside wheel. This means, that the car’s tendency to run wide is minimized and the inside wheel does its utmost to get you through and out of the corner as fast and efficiently as possible. Add a bit of throttle mid way through the corner, and you can feel the torque transfer rearward, which allows skilled drivers to essentially throttle steer through the turn, resulting in a car that feels safe and predictable. From driving the C350 4MATIC it’s evident Mercedes has spent a lot of time developing and refining its AWD system and although it wasn’t primarily conceived for fast lapping, it nevertheless provides a sporty driving experience, doing an admirable job at harnessing the grunt of a torquey engine under virtually all road conditions.

The $53,675 E350 4MATIC coupe, perhaps because of its identical drivetrain and similar weight (3,759 lbs), drives much like it’s slightly smaller C350 brother while on the heavier cars we tested, the $74,675 4.6-liter V8 powered CLS550 four-door coupe (4,268 lbs) and $93,425 3.0-liter clean diesel S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC sedan (4,784 lbs), the added weight makes the system work harder, though the result in each case is a machine that feels far more nimble than its size and girth would suggest. The CLS and S-Class BlueTEC, despite their much torquier engines (443 and 445 lb-ft respectively); feel far more confident tackling snowy conditions than their 2WD counterparts. Considering that these cars each weigh over 4,200 lbs, this level of surefootedness is greatly appreciated. While you can’t defy the laws of physics and understeer is still very much present during cornering maneuvers, the combination of the 4MATIC system, steering and suspension tuning, provides the sensation of greater directional control than is usually the case on machines of this size and stature.

Normally on big cars, once at the edge on slippery surfaces, it’s very easy for them to become steerless toboggans, simply sliding in a single direction until something halts their progress, such as a ditch, or worse, a tree. And while the advent of stability and traction control systems has gone a long way to reducing the tendency of the rear coming around too quickly when more aggressive throttle is applied, the harmony achieved between the center and rear differential on Mercedes’s fourth-generation 4MATIC system, ensures that most motorists simply won’t have a problem maintaining the desired direction of travel. And when you’ve got some 440 plus lb-ft at just 1600 rpm under the command of you right foot, that is no mean feat. Given that in relative terms, the 4MATIC system adds a fairly small amount to the sticker price on three of these cars ($1,125 on the C350, $3,000 on the E350, $2,500 on the CLS550 and standard on the S-Class diesel), along with the increase in weight, is it worth it?

That probably depends on where you live and the kind of driving conditions you encounter. If you live in Jackson Hole, then it’s a no brainer. That said, Mercedes-Benz has gone to great lengths to make the integration of its latest 4MATIC system as seamless as possible. Even in terms of fuel mileage, 4MATIC fuel economy figures are virtually on par to the regular C350 and E350 coupes (19 mpg city, 28 mpg highway). Even the heavier CLS550 4MATIC doesn’t suffer much of a penalty, delivering some 16 mpg city and 25 mpg highway (the RWD version is rated at 17/26). As for the S350 BlueTEC, despite a weigh-in at close to 5,000 lbs, gas mileage is quite respectable, all things considered, this car delivering approximately 20 mpg in town and 31 on the open road. As of 2012, Mercedes-Benz offers some 21 individual models with 4MATIC in its US lineup. And with sales in some segments approaching 50 percent of total volume, it does seem the appeal of a Mercedes-Benz that’s able to perform optimally under all weather conditions has never been greater, aided be the fact that today, such security comes with minimal penalties in cost and not that much in weight.