In the automotive world, safety is not just a slogan: it is an invisible architecture built on engineering, training and real-world experience. And when that experience is combined with a passion for snow, the discourse takes on a whole new dimension.
Javier Esperón has been with Mercedes-Benz Spain for nearly two decades. A technical instructor at the training academy for more than 16 years and recently responsible for the technical aspects of electric vehicles—both cars and vans—he has in-depth knowledge of how automotive technology is evolving and how this translates into real safety for drivers. But he is also a skier. And that changes the conversation.
Because anyone who drives in the mountains knows that winter does not forgive improvisation: compact snow, ice patches, sudden changes in temperature, steep slopes and low-grip access roads are all part of the journey. In this context, systems such as intelligent all-wheel drive, electronic stability assistants, advanced torque management in electric vehicles, and specific aids for slippery surfaces cease to be technical concepts and become essential allies.
In this interview, we discuss with Javier how current Mercedes-Benz technologies are designed to anticipate risk, assist the driver and ensure maximum control in demanding winter conditions. A technical but also practical conversation, designed for those who understand that arriving safely at the resort is the first step to fully enjoying the mountains.
From Mercedes-Benz’s point of view, what defines safe and efficient driving on snow and low-grip surfaces today?
When it comes to safe driving on snow or low-grip surfaces, the first thing I would say—although it may seem very basic—is that you have to listen to the authorities. We are not professional drivers. If there is a severe storm and it is not advisable to drive, the sensible thing to do is not to drive. However, it is true that winter can sometimes take you by surprise, because the weather in the mountains is very changeable.
When you’re already on a slippery surface, for me the key word is calm. Keep your cool. Everything is amplified in snow: accelerating, braking suddenly or swerving have a much greater impact than in normal driving conditions. That’s why you have to drive smoothly, anticipate, avoid aggressive movements and understand that grip is limited and, moreover, variable.
“In snow or low grip conditions, the key is to stay calm: keep your cool, drive smoothly and avoid any aggressive manoeuvres.”
Then there is the preparation of the car. And here there is no debate: tyres are absolutely crucial. Many people think that winter tyres are only “for snow”, but that’s not the case. They’re for cold weather. At low temperatures, even if there’s no snow, performance changes radically, especially when braking. In cities like Madrid, it’s normal to experience these temperatures during the winter, even if you don’t go skiing every weekend. And that’s where you notice the difference.
They perform spectacularly well in snow, but the message I always try to convey is that winter tyres are not a one-off solution: they are a solution for the whole winter. Then, of course, the vehicle’s systems, traction, electronics, driver assistance features, etc. come into play, and there are significant differences between cars depending on the technology they incorporate. But the basics are always the same: drive carefully, use smooth controls and make sure your car is ready, starting with the tyres. Everything else is a bonus, but that’s the foundation.
What does the vehicle’s traction and control system (4MATIC) offer in real mountain conditions: icy ramps, access to stations or ports with compacted snow?
4MATIC, our all-wheel drive system, has evolved considerably. Although we have been working with it for more than 15 or 20 years, today’s 4MATIC is nothing like it was a decade ago. The technology has changed radically.
At Mercedes-Benz, we differentiate between two approaches. There are models with permanent four-wheel drive, meaning that torque is constantly distributed between both axles. Then there are other, more recent models in which the system acts intelligently: they normally operate as front- or rear-wheel drive, and only send torque to the other axle when they detect a loss of traction. It is both a predictive and reactive system.
What does this mean on slippery surfaces? The difference is enormous. On snow, all-wheel drive marks a turning point. I have been in difficult situations in the mountains where, even without winter tyres — which, I insist, are essential — the simple fact of having all-wheel drive allowed me to climb a mountain pass while front- or rear-wheel drive vehicles got stuck.
Why does this happen? Because when a wheel loses traction, the engine torque tends to go to the wheel with the least grip. It’s pure physics. Modern systems correct this by braking the wheel that is skidding to send torque to the one that does have traction. But if you only have one drive axle and that axle loses all traction, the margin is very limited. With four-wheel drive, the system can distribute torque between both axles. To become truly immobilised, you would have to lose traction on all four wheels at the same time. It can happen, of course, but it is not common.
“The driver operates a single pedal; 4MATIC acts on each wheel in milliseconds. That is the real difference.”
What’s more, 4MATIC isn’t just about distributing torque: it also includes individual wheel management via the braking system. In off-road tests, we have simulated situations in which three wheels lose traction and the vehicle is able to move forward with only one wheel providing traction. That gives you an idea of the level of electronic control behind it.
When we talk about how traction and stability systems interact, that is where the real key lies. The driver, with a single brake or accelerator pedal, acts in a “global” way. But the car acts individually on each wheel. If, when braking, it detects that one wheel is starting to lock before another, it reduces pressure on that wheel and redistributes it in milliseconds. That is impossible to do manually.
Each wheel has sensors that measure its speed. When driving in a straight line, all wheels should turn at exactly the same speed. If one wheel turns differently, the system interprets this as skidding and acts immediately: it brakes that wheel, redistributes the torque and maintains the trajectory. Everything happens in milliseconds and constantly. The system is constantly correcting small losses of traction before the driver even notices them. And that makes a huge difference in snow or ice.
That’s why, in slippery conditions, 4MATIC is essential for me. It doesn’t work miracles – if you drive onto an extremely icy ramp without the right tyres, no system can save you – but in real-world mountain use, it provides a level of control and traction that completely changes the experience.
How does Mercedes-Benz’s all-wheel drive and electronic control differ from more conventional solutions on the market?
If you ask me how we differ from other solutions on the market, it’s true that this is the moment to ‘show off’, but always with respect. There are many all-wheel drive systems that work very well, and you’ll never hear me say otherwise. The general market has come a long way.
The difference is not whether it works or not. The difference is in the precision and speed of reaction. To be clear: a current Mercedes vehicle processes tens of gigabytes of information per second. It is literally a supercomputer on wheels. And that has a direct impact on how the system responds when it detects a loss of traction.
“A Mercedes doesn’t just have all-wheel drive: it has a supercomputer deciding, in real time, what to do with each wheel.”
If you want a sensor to be able to detect in milliseconds that one wheel is turning just a little faster than another—a minimal but decisive difference—you need extremely high-precision sensors. And if you want that information to be processed and translated into an almost instantaneous intervention, you need a control unit with enormous computing power.
That’s where the real difference lies: processing power, sensor quality and response speed. It’s not just about having four-wheel drive; it’s how that traction is managed. Logically, all of this comes at a cost. You can’t build a system with that kind of computing power and surgical precision without a significant investment in development, both in hardware and software. At the end of the day, cutting-edge technology comes at a price.
A clear example is the G-Class, our icon in the world of off-road vehicles. There is a very demanding international test carried out in Graz, Austria, where any manufacturer who wants to demonstrate the true capabilities of their vehicle can submit it for measurement. It is voluntary, but if you want to position yourself as a benchmark, you have to go through it. And currently, the G-Class holds the record in that test.
Does that mean the others aren’t any good? Not at all. There are excellent vehicles on the market. But to achieve certain levels of precision, robustness and traction capacity, you need a long history of engineering, a great deal of investment and a strong commitment to technological development.
Ultimately, it’s like any high-end product: they all work, but not all of them do so with the same level of precision, materials and engineering behind them.
What key settings are activated when selecting specific modes such as Slippery or Offroad, and what benefits does the driver directly perceive in snow?
That’s a very good question, because it’s quite technical and, honestly, I think that often customers aren’t given enough explanation about what happens when they press those buttons. Many drivers use modes such as Slippery or Offroad and don’t know exactly what they are changing in the car.
The reality is that, in many situations, the vehicle could react on its own. But when you select one of these modes, what you are doing is telling the system in advance the type of surface you are going to be driving on. You are saying: “I am going to be driving in a low-grip environment”. And that changes the electronic strategy.
When you activate Slippery or Offroad, you are not deactivating systems: you are telling the car what terrain it will be working on.
For example, in snow – which is common in Europe – something curious happens: when you brake, in certain circumstances it is not entirely negative for the wheel to lock momentarily. This slight locking can cause snow to accumulate in front of the tyre, which helps to improve braking. However, traditional ABS is designed precisely to prevent any locking. Therefore, if the system acts too strictly on snow or mud, it can lengthen the braking distance.
When you activate Slippery or Offroad mode, the car recalibrates these parameters. It allows a certain controlled margin of slippage before intervening. It does not let you lose control, but it does extend the range in which the system tolerates small losses of grip to improve traction or braking on soft surfaces. In other words, it does not disable safety; it adapts it to the terrain.
And then there’s DSR, descent control, which is a spectacular tool in the mountains. On a steep descent with accumulated snow, instead of constantly playing with the brake—with the risk of locking up or oversteering—you activate the system and choose your descent speed. It can be 6, 8, 12 or 15 km/h. The car takes care of the rest.
The DSR intervenes wheel by wheel, taking into account speed, turn, and yaw. That is what maintains the trajectory on the descent.
What the system does is intervene individually in each wheel, taking into account the steering wheel angle, the speed of each wheel and the yaw sensor, which measures the vehicle’s rotation on its own axis. If the car starts to show signs of oversteering on a downhill slope, it automatically corrects itself before the driver even notices.
This is essential on steep slopes, where excessive locking of the rear axle can cause the rear to try to overtake the front. With DSR, this does not happen, because the system constantly modulates braking to maintain the trajectory.
And there is something very important that I always explain: if you turn the steering wheel in the snow and the car does not turn, there is no point in turning it further. This is a very common human error. If it does not respond at a certain angle, it will respond even less at a greater angle. In this case, the correct thing to do is to straighten the steering wheel, reduce speed and try again. The same applies to the brakes: if they lock up, do not brake any more; release them and modulate again. Snow requires patience and technique, but these systems are there to help you maintain control within physical limits.
In recent years, what technological advances would you highlight as particularly relevant to winter driving? What role do ADAS systems play in this context?
When we talk about ADAS—all those advanced driver assistance systems—we are talking about the road to autonomous driving. Technically, we are very advanced; often the limitation is not technological, but legal: the question of responsibility when the car makes decisions on its own.
However, if we focus on pure mountain driving—climbing or descending a snowy pass—I sincerely believe that ADAS are not the determining factor. Here we are talking more about basic physics, suitable tyres, traction and classic electronic control. A well-calibrated car from decades ago, with good traction and good tyres, could already perform very well in snow.
ADAS are more geared towards other types of situations: driver inattention, distractions, unintentional lane departures, automatic braking when encountering an obstacle, etc. In other words, systems designed to minimise or prevent accidents on conventional roads. They are not so much intended for off-road situations or deep snow, where speeds are usually low and the driver is highly focused.
“ADAS are designed for driving on roads; in the mountains, the key is still managing grip.”
Where there is an interesting nuance, which ties in with what we were talking about earlier regarding driving modes, is in the electronic management of the accelerator. Today, the pedal is not physically connected to a cable as it used to be; it is an electronic system. The car interprets what you ask of it. Normally, if it detects a loss of grip, it limits the engine torque to protect traction. This is very useful on wet tarmac or in normal driving conditions. But on a ramp covered in snow or mud, sometimes you need just a little extra torque to generate that ‘shear’ effect, so that the tyre digs in, clears the surface and finds grip.
If the system limits torque too much, you may find yourself unable to drive away. That’s why Slippery or Offroad modes also modify throttle response, allowing more leeway when the terrain demands it. And here’s where something important comes in: user knowledge. You often hear that “old cars handled snow better than modern ones”. It’s not that they were better; it’s that they didn’t have electronics getting in the way. Modern cars can do the same or better, but you have to know how to configure the system correctly.
At Mercedes, we try to simplify this with clear and accessible methods. What’s more, we go one step further in the customer experience. Mercedes Benz dealerships have Product Experts, people who don’t sell cars, but are dedicated exclusively to teaching customers how to use them. You can come back whenever you want, sit in your own vehicle and ask questions with no time limit.
Because it’s true: on the day you take delivery of your car, you retain some of the information, but the real questions arise when you start using it. And today, the multimedia system itself includes video tutorials and even artificial intelligence capable of answering specific questions about the vehicle’s functions. Technology is there to help, but understanding it makes all the difference.
In the case of electrified models, what advantages do torque management and the response of the electrical system offer in snowy conditions?
Electric vehicles are my area of expertise. Not only because it’s my technical field at Mercedes-Benz, but also because I’ve been using them for four years and I’m passionate about snow. I’m not just talking from a PowerPoint presentation; I’ve experienced it first-hand. I travelled to ski resorts in an electric car when Spain wasn’t yet ready for it. Back then, there was tension: if one charging point failed, there wasn’t another one for 200 kilometres. That’s all in the past now. Today, you can go to large resorts such as Baqueira Beret, ski resorts in the French Pyrenees or even the Alps without any problems. The charging network has changed radically in both Spain and Europe.
It is true that we must differentiate. There are electric vehicles designed for urban use, which are perfect for everyday use but may be less comfortable on long journeys due to their range. And then there are mid- to high-end electric vehicles, which already offer ranges that are perfectly adequate for normal travel.
Today, you can drive 500 kilometres on the motorway at normal speed and, with a short 15-minute stop, add more than 200 additional kilometres. That completely changes the perception of the journey. It is no longer ‘electric’ driving; it is normal driving.
In an electric 4MATIC, you don’t brake wheels to correct; you manage torque with pinpoint precision.
The cold obviously affects the battery. That’s a fact. But we need to put it into context. If you leave your car unplugged for several days at sub-zero temperatures, there may be a slight loss of charge, but it’s not very significant.
Furthermore, current energy management is extremely accurate. The navigator calculates gradients, temperature, traffic, route profile… If the car tells you that you will arrive with a certain percentage remaining, it is usually surprisingly accurate, provided you drive within normal parameters.
And there is something important to note about mountains: you often climb with high consumption, but descend regenerating energy. During a week of skiing, the car can be parked without any issues, with sufficient range and no need to charge it every day.
“The only real argument against electric vehicles was their range; today, that debate is practically over.”
Then there are the practical advantages in winter. In an electric car, you can heat the interior from your mobile phone without starting anything. You can programme it so that at 4:30 p.m., when you finish skiing, the car is at 20 degrees and completely defrosted. That’s not as immediate or efficient in a combustion engine vehicle.
From a technical point of view, torque management in an electric vehicle is even more refined than in a combustion engine. In an electric 4MATIC, for example, there is a motor on each axle. If you lose traction at the front, you simply reduce the torque at the front and send it to the rear. You don’t rely so much on braking the wheels to redistribute the torque. It’s a much more precise and efficient management system. In terms of space, the battery is integrated into the vehicle floor, so it does not compromise the boot space. In fact, by eliminating elements such as the central tunnel, the passenger compartment can even be more spacious.
And regarding skis in the car, it is important to note that in the event of an accident, they can become projectiles, which is why it is prohibited to carry skis inside the car. That is why Mercedes-Benz offers approved solutions such as special ski bags, designed and tested for safety.
With regard to batteries, we are seeing a shift towards chemistries such as lithium iron phosphate (LFP), which eliminate the use of cobalt. This has advantages in terms of thermal safety and sustainability, although with slightly lower energy density. The technology is evolving very rapidly.
And there is one point that is sometimes overlooked: comfort. The quietness of the engine completely changes the experience. The absence of vibrations, the smoothness of the torque delivery… this is not at odds with sportiness; on the contrary, the instant torque is impressive.
Often, the only argument left against electric cars is their range. But if you analyse how many long journeys you actually make each year, the impact is minimal. And, in the meantime, you save yourself trips to the petrol station and enjoy a much more refined experience. Honestly, after experiencing it, going back to combustion engines would be a step backwards for me.
Finally, what would you say is the real added value of Mercedes-Benz when driving on snow, and what recommendations would you give to someone travelling to the mountains in winter?
If I had to summarise Mercedes’ unique selling point when it comes to driving on snow, I would say that it starts with experience. This is not a marketing ploy, it is a historical fact: the first car in history was the Mercedes-Benz Patent-Motorwagen, developed by Karl Benz at the end of the 19th century. And it was his wife, Bertha Benz, who made the first long-distance journey behind the wheel. In fact, during that journey, she had to stop at pharmacies to refuel with ligroin, the fuel of the time.
And we have it right here with us as we speak. The real car. The first one. Not a replica, the genuine article. That’s what sometimes impresses you when you see it: you realise that we’re not talking about a brand that started four years ago. Innovation is not something new for us; it’s at the very origin of the car.
Germany and snow have always gone hand in hand. Our engineering has been developed in environments where winter is not an exception, but a normal condition. That is why many of our traction and stability systems are not accessories designed for extreme cases, but natural developments from decades of technical evolution. There is a lot of investment behind it, yes. But the real difference is not just how much is invested, but how that translates into something simple for the user. Most drivers don’t want to manage 27 different settings; they want safety and clarity. And that’s the key: press a button and the car does the right thing.
Today, 4MATIC is efficiency when you don’t need it and traction when you do.
As for practical recommendations for those who frequently drive in the mountains, I am clear on this: all-wheel drive if you do so regularly. The current 4MATIC no longer penalises fuel consumption as it did before, because it works intelligently. When it is not needed, it disengages; when it detects a loss of traction, it engages automatically. It is efficient when you don’t need it and provides traction when you do.
And above all: winter tyres. This is not exclusive to the brand; it is a matter of physics. A good winter tyre transforms the car’s performance in cold weather, not just in snow. The limitations in summer are becoming fewer and fewer, and the safety margin they provide in cold months is enormous.
If history has taught us anything—from that first car refuelling at pharmacies to today’s supercomputer-managed traction systems—it is that real innovation is not about adding complexity, but about making driving easier. The mountain will continue to be challenging. The difference lies in how you prepare to face it.
