The German based automaker Mercedes-Benz is celebrating
105 years since the company has offered, for the first time, the
all-wheel drive technology.
“This year marks the 105th anniversary of the very first
commercially available four wheel drive vehicle – created in 1907
by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG). The ‘Dernburg-Wagen’
featured not only four-wheel drive but was also equipped with
four-wheel steering to aid manoeuvrability”, as Mercedes Benz says
in its official press release.
According to the car manufacturer, the first all-wheel drive
made by Mercedes-Benz was being offered in an era of dirt roads and
the Dernburg-Wagen was the world’s first vehicle to get all-wheel
drive. The model was coming with a ground clearance of 32 cm (12.6
inches) and it has a 6.8 liter four-cylinder engine, producing a
total output of 35 horsepower (35 PS / 26 kW), along with
four-wheel steering.
Mercedes introduced its ultimate four-wheel drive vehicle, the
Unimog, in 1947. Unimog stands for Universalmotorgerat in German,
which means universal vehicle. It has always featured four-wheel
drive with front and rear differential locks and high ride
height.
Today, Mercedes has four SUVs, the Unimog and all-wheel drive
versions of some of its cars.
In 1972, Mercedes introduced the G-Class or Geländewagen,
which means off-road car. It was intended only for commercial
purposes, but like the Jeep it became so popular that it was
offered to the public in 1979. Like the Unimog, it is still in
production today but with significant upgrades.
Mercedes introduced its 4Matic branded all-wheel system in
1985 on the E-Class. The earliest systems forced drivers to decide
on the torque split. There were three options: all power to the
rear, 65% to the rear and 50% to the rear. The system was not able
to react on its own if it sensed a loss of traction. A new
generation of 4Matic came in 1998 that could sense wheel slippage
and intervene automatically.
Since the introduction of the Derburg-Wagen in 1907, all-wheel
drive has become increasingly normal. Audi popularized the idea of
performance all-wheel drive in the 80s, and since then all-wheel
drive has become available on increasingly smaller cars. Mercedes
plans to give the new A45 AMG all-wheel drive when it is released
next year.
One hundred and five years later and the company is still
offering the all-wheel drive system but, over the years, a lot of
things have changed, including the technology for the 4WD and the
engines, but Mercedes-Benz is still offering the AWD system on
models like the G-Class, and not only. Thank you, Mercedes, and see
you in another 105 years with AWD and new technology.
