2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E WAGON ESP

233 Controls in detail
Driving systems
iCanada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the road, weather and traffic conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.
Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.
Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

235 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic menu in the control system
In the Distronic menu you can read the cur-
rent settings for Distronic. What appears in
the display depends on whether Distronic
and the distance warning function are
turned on or off.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see one of the following dis-
plays.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the
DTR warning lampl in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if the Distronic system
calculates that the distance to the vehicle
ahead and your vehicle’s current speed indi-
cate that Distronic will not be capable of
slowing the vehicle sufficiently to maintain
the preset following distance, which creates
a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase
the distance to the vehicle in front of you.
The warning sound is intended as a final cau-
tion that you have not interceded with your
own braking inputs to avoid a potentially
dangerous situation. Do not wait for the op-
eration of the warning signal to intercede
with your own braking, as that will result in
potentially dangerous emergency braking
which will not always result in an impact be-
ing avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
Distronic brakes your vehicle with a maxi-
mum deceleration of 6.5 ft / s
2 (2 m / s
2).
This corresponds to about 20% of the maxi-
mum deceleration ability of your vehicle.
Distronic brakes the vehicle in an effort to
restore the preset distance or to maintain
the speed. The brake pedal is automatically
applied as this happens which results in the
brake pedal moving.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the Distronic system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.

237 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Activating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if:

you are driving between 25 mph
(40km/h) and 110mph (180km/h)


the ESP is activated (
page 89)
If Distronic has not been activated after
pressing the cruise control lever you will
see the message
---
in the multifunction
display.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


Up to two minutes after starting the en-
gine


When you brake


If you have set the parking brake


If the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R or N


If the ESP is switched offSetting the current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift or depress the cruise control
lever.
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1 (
page 236) to
increase vehicle speed in increments
of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km / h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 236), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on in the speedometer
(
page 234).
iIf you do not take your foot off the
accelerator completely, the following
message will appear in the multifunc-
tion display: Distronic override
. The distance to a
slower moving vehicles in front of you
will not be set. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accel-
erator pedal position.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate Distronic. After brief ac-
celeration (e.g. for passing), cruise con-
trol will resume the last speed set.

239 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 236).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored in memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km / h)


the ESP is active (
page 89) or you de-
activate the ESP


you move the transmission selector le-
ver into positionN
A signal will sound. The
Distronic off

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
Distronic off
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approximately
25 mph (40 km / h) by operation of the sys-
tem. At that time the driver must apply the
brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed fur-
ther or bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

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.

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.

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).

250 Controls in detailLoading
Fold the seat backrest forward
(page 247).
Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage / cargo should not ex-
ceed the load limit or vehicle capacity
weight indicated on the corresponding
placard which can be found on the driver’s
door B-pillar.The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
Always place items being carried against
front or rear seat backrests, and fasten
them as securely as possible.
The heaviest portion of the cargo should al-
ways be kept as low as possible since it in-
fluences the handling characteristics of
the vehicle.
!Leave the seat cushion hinge in this po-
sition. The upholstery could be dam-
aged if you fold the hinge back.