I have a set of Michelin Arctic Alpin's for the winter on my 99' E300. There is no way I could get through the snow in IL/WI without them. I just drove on my frozen lake in northern wisconsin without much trouble. I would say a front wheel drive with snow tires is better though.

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Ed
-1984 Mercedes 190D 2.2 5-speed gray market(bought@30,000 miles) (Sold back to original owner@170,000 miles)
-1999 Mercedes E300DT (245,000 miles)
-1999 Mercedes S500 Grand Edition (80,000 miles)