2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S55AMG Owner's Manual

224 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a higher speed
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1 (
page 222) 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 222), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on the speedometer
(
page 220).
Setting a lower speed

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2 (
page 222) to
decrease 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 222), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on the speedometer
(
page 220).
Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 222).Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 222).
Distronic is set to the last stored
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate Distronic. After brief ac-
celeration (e.g. for passing), the cruise
control resumes the last speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the brakes will be ap-
plied to support deceleration.
In addition, the transmission will auto-
matically downshift on long downhill
grades.
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.

225 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 222).
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
® engages (
page 81) or you
switch off the ESP
®.


You move the gear selector lever 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.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:DISTRONIC OFFThe 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 systemsThe distance warning function on/off but-
ton and thumbwheel for setting distance
are located on the lower part of the front
center console.
1Distance warning function on/off but-
ton
2Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting causes Dis-
tronic to maintain a greater following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel2 towards¯.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting causes
Distronic to maintain a shorter following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel2 towards®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing 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 lampl also extinguishes.
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.

227 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Activating
Press button1.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. A loudspeaker symbol ap-
pears in the multifunction display
(page 222).
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
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.

228 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, Dis-
tronic will switch off, and the message:DISTRONIC
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
SEE OPERATORS MANUALappears in the multifunction display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (
page 335).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.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.
iIf the message:DISTRONIC
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
SEE OPERATORS MANUALdisappears during driving and the last
speed stored flashes for approximately
five seconds, the dirt (e.g. slush) has
dissolved; Distronic is again operation-
al.

229 Controls in detail
Driving systems
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 their narrow profile, the vehi-
cles traveling near the outer edge of the
lane have not yet been detected by Dis-
tronic. There will be insufficient distance to
the vehicles ahead.
Airmatic
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. Airmatic consists of two com-
ponents:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Level control system
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 regular.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
“Comfort”, “Sports 1” or “Sports 2”,
which you select using the damping
button.

230 Controls in detailDriving systems1Indicator lamps
2Damping button
Start the engine.

Press the damping button2 until the
desired suspension style is set.

If both indicator lamps are out, you
have chosen the automatic mode
for soft damping. The message:AIRMATIC
CONVENIENCEfor Comfort suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.


If one indicator lamp is on, the con-
trol system supports a primarily dy-
namic style of driving. The
message:AIRMATIC
SPORTS 1for Sporty 1 suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.


If both indicator lamps are on, the
system is set for a dynamic style of
driving. The message:AIRMATIC
SPORTS 2for Sporty 2 suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.Vehicle 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 0.8 in
(20 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.
iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.
iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.

231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
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 impaired.The switch with the indicator lamps is lo-
cated on the upper part of the front center
console.
1Indicator lamp
2Vehicle level control switch

Start the engine.

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.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.
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.