2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E WAGON brake

188 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionStopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.

Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop longer with the engine
idling and/or on a hill:

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:

Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.

Accelerate gently.

Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Working on the vehicle
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic shift
programC orS (
page 189), you can
select a gear range for the automatic
transmission to operate within:
Gear selector lever (page 190):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the gear selector lever to the left (D-), and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the gear selector lever to the right (D+).
Steering wheel gearshift control
(E 55 AMG only) (
page 191):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the respective downshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control, and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the respective upshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control.
The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display (page 184). If you
press on the accelerator when the engine
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could
roll away.

196 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel (
page 192).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 194) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the multifunction
display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual program modeM is not
stored.Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iWhen you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

239 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


Airmatic DC* adjusts the vehicle sus-
pension characteristics automatically
and controls the vehicle level
For information on BAS, ABS, electrohy-
draulic brake system and ESP
® driving sys-
tems, see “Driving safety systems”
(
page 91).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 22).
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must remain at
all times responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
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.

240 Controls in detailDriving systems1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at last set speedSetting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately
5 seconds, and the corresponding speed-
ometer segments from the selected speed
to the vehicle maximum speed are illumi-
nated.
Warning!
G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded.
Keep in mind that the cruise control is a
convenience system designed to assist the
driver during vehicle operation. The driver is
and must remain at all times responsible for
the vehicle speed and for safe brake
operation.
iOn uphill or downhill grades, the cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control
maintains the set speed with active
braking action.
In addition, on longer downhill grades
the automatic transmission will auto-
matically downshift.

241 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3 (
page 240).
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.
iThe cruise control switches off auto-
matically if

you step on the brake pedal.


you depress the parking brake
pedal.
In this case the segments in the
multifunction display (
page 245)
go out and no warning sounds.


the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h).


the ESP
® is in operation or
switched off with the ESP
® switch
(
page 96).


you move the gear selector lever to
position N while driving.
The segments in the multifunction dis-
play (page 245) go out, and an
acoustic warning sounds.
!Moving gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
the cruise control. However, the gear
selector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate the cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing), the
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.

242 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a higher speed
Lift cruise control lever in direction of
arrow1 (
page 240) and hold it up
until the desired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 240) and
hold it down until the desired speed is
reached.

Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow1 (
page 240).
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 240).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly pull the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 240).
The cruise control resumes the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately
5 seconds, and the corresponding speed-
ometer segments from the selected speed
to the vehicle maximum speed are illumi-
nated.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the brake system will au-
tomatically brake the vehicle if the en-
gine’s braking power does not brake
the vehicle sufficiently.
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 the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.

243 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic*
When activated, the Distronic adaptive
cruise control system increases driving
convenience afforded by the cruise control
during travel on expressways and other
major roads.

If the Distronic distance sensor detects
a slower moving vehicle directly ahead,
your vehicle speed will be reduced so
that you follow that vehicle at a preset
distance.


If there is no vehicle directly ahead of
you, Distronic will function in the same
way as cruise control (
page 248).
Warning!
G
Distronic adaptive cruise control is no sub-
stitute for active driving involvement. It does
not react to stationary objects, nor recog-
nize or predict the curvature and lane layout
or the movement of vehicles ahead.
Distronic can only apply a maximum of 20%
of the vehicle’s braking power.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to road, traffic and weather con-
ditions and to provide the steering, braking
and other driving inputs necessary to retain
control of the vehicle.Warning!
G
Distronic is a convenience system, its speed
adjustment reduction capability is intended
to make cruise control more effective and
usable when traffic speeds vary. It is not
however, intended to, nor does it, replace
the need for extreme care. The responsibili-
ty for the vehicle speed and the distance to
the vehicle ahead, including most impor-
tantly brake operation to assure safe stop-
ping distance, always rests with the driver.
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account.
Warning!
G
Distronic requires familiarity with its opera-
tional characteristics. We strongly recom-
mend that you review the following
information carefully before operating the
system.iUSA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.

246 Controls in detailDriving systems1Segments
If Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments (representing the
difference) from the speed of the vehicle
ahead to the set speed come on.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision:

The distance warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on red.


An intermittent warning sounds.

Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red distance warning
lampl goes out when the neces-
sary distance to the vehicle ahead is
again established.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the
distance warning lampl in the instru-
ment cluster is illuminated if the Distronic
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current
speed indicate that Distronic will not be ca-
pable 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.