2005 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 display

222 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if:

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


the ESP is activated (
page 82)
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 the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow1 or depress in direc-
tion of arrow2.
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 di-
rection of arrow1 (
page 221) to in-
crease 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 221), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on the speedometer
(
page 219).
iIf you do not take your foot off of the
accelerator completely, the following
message will appear in the multifunc-
tion display: DISTRONIC OVERRIDEDistronic will not work to maintain the
distance to a slower moving vehicles in
front of you. 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), the cruise
control resumes the last speed set.

223 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a lower speed
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 221) to de-
crease 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 221), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on the speedometer
(
page 219).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 221).Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 221).
Distronic is set to the last stored
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the rate of de-
celeration is too low.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could cause an accident and/or seri-
ous injury you and others.

224 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow3 (
page 221).
or

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


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 22 mph
(35 km/h)


the ESP is active (
page 82) or you de-
activate the ESP


you move the gear selector lever into
positionN
A si gnal wi ll s ound. T he
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.
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
22 mph (35 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.

226 Controls in detailDriving systems
Activating
Press button1.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. A loudspeaker symbol ap-
pears in the multifunction display
(page 221).
Deactivating

Press button1.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.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 which will
deactivate the Distronic system.
Warning!
G
If the Distronic warning lampl in the in-
strument cluster comes on while driving
and/or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required.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.
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.

227 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The 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, Dis-
tronic will switch off, and the message DISTRONIC CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE SEE
OPERATORS MANUAL
appears in the multi-
function display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (
page 333).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.
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.
iIf the message
DISTRONIC CURRENTLY
UNAVAILABLE SEE OPERATORS MANUAL
disappears during driving and the last
speed stored flashes for approximately
five seconds, the dirt (e.g. slush) has
dissolved; Distronic is again operation-
al.

230 Controls in detailDriving systemsVehicle level control with Airmatic
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:

reduce fuel consumption


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


With increasing speed, ride height is re-
duced by up to approximately ¾ in
(20 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
Select the “Raised” level setting only when
required by current driving conditions.
Otherwise:


Fuel consumption may increase


Handling may be impairedThe switch with the indicator lamps is lo-
cated on the upper part of the front center
console.
1Indicator lamp
2Vehicle level control switch

Briefly press switch2 to change from
one level setting to the other.
The message:AIRMATIC
VEHICLE RISING! appears in the multifunction display
when changing from normal level to
raised level.
iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.
LevelNormal
For driving on normal roads.
The indicator lamp is off.
Raised
For driving on rough roads or
with snow chains.The indica-
tor lamp is on.
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.

231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The indicator lamp is then lit. The dis-
play switches off when the vehicle is
raised.

Press switch2 again to lower the ve-
hicle. The indicator lamp is off.
The selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is
turned off and restarted except when you


exceed a speed of 75 mph (120 km/h)
or


maintain a speed of between 50 mph
(80 km/h) and 75 mph (120 km/h) for
more than 5 minutes
The vehicle then lowers to regular level.
The message:
AIRMATIC
LEVELING CANCELLEDappears in the multifunction display and
the indicator lamp is off. The display
switches off when the vehicle is raised.
Active Body Control (ABC)*
The ABC system automatically selects the
optimum suspension tuning and ride
height for your vehicle.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

Your driving style


Road surface conditions


The vehicle loading


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty” or “regular”, which you select
using the ABC button
The selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.The ABC button with the indicator lamps is
located on the upper part of the front cen-
ter console.
1Indicator lamp
2ABC button

Start the engine.

233 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
The button with the indicator lamps is lo-
cated on the upper part of the front center
console.
1Indicator lamps
2Vehicle level control button

Briefly press button2 to change from
one level setting to the next. When ve-
hicle is at level 2, pressing the button
will return the vehicle to normal level.
The message:ACTIVE BODY CONTROL
VEHICLE RISING! appears in the multifunction display.
The display switches off when the vehi-
cle is raised.
Vehicle level
when stationary
Use for
Ride height increase
over normal
Automatic lowering
Indicator lamps
Normal
Normal operation
None
Max. approx. 0.6 in (15 mm)
Both lamps off
Raised level1
Driving with snow chains
(page 327)
Max. 0.4 in (10 mm)
1
1Dependent on load
Max. approx. 1.0 in (25 mm)
One lamp lit
Raised level 2
Very rough road surface
conditions
Max. 0.8 in (20 mm)
1
Max. approx. 1.4 in (35 mm)
Both lamps lit