2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E WAGON Owner's Manual

240 Controls in detailDriving systems1Distance warning function on / off
switch
2Control lamp
3Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a greater following
distance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel3 towards¯.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a shorter following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel3 towards®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing a stationary obstacle or a slower
vehicle moving in the vehicle’s path and
the danger of a collision exists:


The distance warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on.


An intermittent warning sounds.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.
When pressing the brake pedal, the warn-
ing sound stops. The warning sound also
stops when the distance to the vehicle ahead is sufficient again without applying
the brake pedal. In this case the distance
warning lamp also extinguishes.
Warning!
G
If the DTR warning lampl in the instru-
ment cluster comes on while driving and / or
an intermittent warning sounds, immediate
attention on the part of the driver is re-
quired. As required by the traffic situation,
apply the brakes and navigate around a pos-
sible obstacle. However, do not drive by re-
lying on the distance warning function, as
this will result in an emergency braking ap-
plication. Especially depending on road sur-
face conditions and driver reaction, this will
not always enable you to avoid a collision.iComplex driving situations are not al-
ways fully recognized by Distronic. This
could result in wrong or missing dis-
tance warnings.

241 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Activating
Press button1.
Indicator lamp 2 on the button comes
on. A loudspeaker symbol appears in
the multifunction display (
page 236).
Deactivating

Press button1.
Indicator lamp 2 on the button goes
out. No loudspeaker symbol appears in
the multifunction display.Driving with Distronic
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations. This will
deactivate the Distronic system.
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it, then your vehicle could accelerate
to the previously selected speed.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:

A stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


A disabled vehicle


An oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.

242 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grille), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case,
Distronic will switch off, and the message Currently unavailable See Operator’s
Manual
appears in the multifunction
display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (
page 347).Turns and bends
In turns or bends, Distronic may not detect
a moving vehicle in front, or it may detect
one too soon. This may cause your vehicle
to brake late or unexpectedly.
iIf the message
Currently unavailable
See Operator’s Manual
disappears
during driving and the last speed stored
flashes for approximately five seconds,
the dirt (e.g. slush) has dissolved;
Distronic works again.

243 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Offset driving
A vehicle traveling in your lane but offset
from your direct line of travel may not be
detected by Distronic. There will be insuffi-
cient distance to the vehicle ahead.Lane changing
Distronic has not yet detected the vehicle
changing lanes. There will be insufficient
distance to the lane-changing vehicle.Narrow vehicles
Because of its narrow profile, the vehicle
traveling near the edge of the roadway has
not yet been detected by Distronic. There
will be insufficient distance to the vehicle
ahead.

244 Controls in detailDriving systemsAirmatic DC (Dual Control)*
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. The Airmatic consists of two
components:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Vehicle level control
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either sporty or comfort.Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty I”, “sporty II” or “comfortable”,
which you select using the damping
button.
The following suspension styles are
available:

Comfortable
Both indicator lamps2 are off.


Sporty I
One indicator lamp2 is on.


Sporty II
Both indicator lamps2 are on.1Damping button
2Indicator lamps

Start the engine.

Press the damping button1 until the
desired suspension style is set.iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.iIn the sporty suspension style the vehi-
cle is lowered up to 0.6 in (15 mm).

245 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Vehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to

reduce fuel consumption


increase vehicle safety
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected:


Normal


RaisedThe vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


At a speed approximately above
68 mph (110 km / h) and the sporty
suspension style selected
(page 244), ride height is reduced
automatically by up to approximately
0.6in (15mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the “Normal” level.Select the “Raised” level only when re-
quired by current driving conditions. Oth-
erwise


fuel consumption may increase


handling may be impaired
iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.

246 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary and
the engine is running:
The button is located in the lower section
of the center console.
1Vehicle level control button
2Indicator lamp

Briefly press button1 to change from
“Normal” level to “Raised” level. When
vehicle is at “Raised” level, pressing
the switch will return the vehicle to
“Normal” level.
Vehicle level when
stationary
Use for
Ride height increase
over normal
Automatic lowering
Indicator lamp (
page 246)
Normal
Normal operation
None
Max. approx. 0.6 in (15 mm)
Lamp off
Raised
Driving with snow
chains or very
rough road sur-
face conditions
Approx. 0.8 in (20 mm)
Max. approx. 1.4 in (35 mm)
Lamp on
iAt a speed of approximately above
75 mph (120 km / h) or if the speed
amounts to between 50 mph
(80 km / h) and 75 mph (120 km / h)
for approximately five minutes, the set-
ting “Raised” is canceled. The message Leveling cancelled
appears in the
multifunction display.
If you do not drive in this speed range,
the “Raised” level remains stored even
if the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch.

247 Controls in detail
Loading
Loading
Split rear bench seat
To expand the cargo compartment, you
can fold down the left and right rear seat
backrests.
The two sections can be folded down sep-
arately to enlarge the cargo compartment.Folding the backrest forward
1Release catch
2Seat cushion

Pull release catch1 and use it to pull
seat cushion2 up.1Release catch
2Seat backrest

Pull release catch1 up.
The seat backrest is released and the
head restraints fold back.

Fold the seat backrest2 forward.
Warning!
G
When expanding the cargo compartment, al-
ways fold the seat cushions fully forward.
Unless you are transporting cargo, the back-
rests must remain properly locked in the up-
right position.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
Always use the cargo tie down rings
(page 251).
!You must always release the seat cush-
ion and fold it up before folding the seat
backrests forward. The upholstery on
the backrest may otherwise be dam-
aged.
iIf tall persons have occupied the
driver’s and front passenger seats, it
may be necessary to move these seats
forward slightly in order to fold the rear
seat backrests forward.