2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 display

414 Controls in detail
Driving systems
DISTRONIC Plus displays in multifunc-
tion display
1Speed of the vehicle ahead
2Set speed
3Distance warning lamp
If DISTRONIC Plus is activated, the
marker2 indicates the set speed.When DISTRONIC Plus detects a vehicle
driving ahead of you, the ring on the speed-
ometer dial comes on between the speed
of the vehicle ahead of you and set
speed2.
If DISTRONIC Plus calculates that there is
a danger of collision:

The distance warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on.

An intermittent warning sounds.
Immediately apply the brake 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 distance warning lampl
goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again
established.
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 interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device will
void any warranties, and is not permitted. Do not
tamper with, alter, or use in any non-approved
way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
iThe vehicle speed displayed on the speed-
ometer can briefly vary from the speed setting
on the DISTRONIC Plus system.

416 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Displaying the distance graphic
In the “Assistance” menu under “Distance
display” you see the current settings for
DISTRONIC Plus. The information shown in
the multifunction display depends on
whether DISTRONIC Plus is activated or
deactivated.
Press ( or & to select the
“Assistance” menu.
Press % or $ to select the
“Distance display” function.
Press #.
The DISTRONIC Plus distance graphic
appears and you will see one of the fol-
lowing displays on the multifunction
display.DISTRONIC Plus activated
When you turn DISTRONIC Plus on, you will
see the set speed in the multifunction dis-
play for about 5 seconds. You then see the
following display in the multifunction dis-
play.
1DISTRONIC Plus activated
2Your vehicle
3Preset distance threshold to the
preceding vehicle
4Preceding vehicle, if detectedDISTRONIC Plus deactivated
If DISTRONIC Plus is deactivated, the stan-
dard display of DISTRONIC Plus appears in
the multifunction display.
1Preceding vehicle, if detected
2Actual distance to the preceding
vehicle
3Preset distance threshold to the
preceding vehicle
4Your vehicle
DISTRONIC Plus lever
The DISTRONIC Plus system is operated by
means of the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
iFor activating or deactivating the
DISTRONIC Plus system, see “Activating
DISTRONIC Plus” (
page 417) or “Deactivating
DISTRONIC Plus” (
page 423).
iThe menu overview can be found on
(
page 258).

417 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Setting current or higher speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to
the resistance point) or 5 mph
increments (past the resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
2Setting current or lower speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to
the resistance point) or 5 mph
increments (past the resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
3Canceling DISTRONIC Plus
4Activating DISTRONIC Plus or resum-
ing to last set speed
5Setting target distanceActivating DISTRONIC PlusYou can activate DISTRONIC Plus when:

you are driving slower than 20 mph
(30 km/h) and DISTRONIC Plus has
detected a vehicle ahead of you

you are driving above 20 mph
(30 km/h)
If DISTRONIC Plus has not been activated
after pressing the DISTRONIC Plus lever,
you will see the message: “DISTRONIC
PLUS- - -” in the multifunction display.
Warning!G
When DISTRONIC Plus is braking, the brake
pedal is retracted (i.e. depressed automati-
cally). The pedals’ range of motion must not
be impeded by any obstacles:

Do not place any objects in the footwell.

Make sure that the floor mats and car-
pets are securely in place.

Do not rest your foot underneath the
brake pedal, as it could otherwise be
trapped.
You could otherwise cause an accident and
injure yourself and others.
Warning!G
When DISTRONIC Plus is switched on, the
vehicle can be braked. You should therefore
switch off DISTRONIC Plus if the vehicle
must be towed.
iThe maximum speed you can set is 120 mph
(Canada: 200 km/h).

418 Controls in detail
Driving systems
In the following cases you cannot activate
DISTRONIC Plus:

up to 2 minutes after starting the en-
gine

if the engine is switched off

if you step on the brake pedal while
driving

the vehicle is secured with the elec-
tronic parking brake

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

if ESP® is switched off

if the hood is open

if the driver’s door is open and the driv-
er has not fastened his or her seat belt

if the radar sensors are switched off
(
page 272).Switching on while driving
Tap DISTRONIC Plus lever up1 or
down2 until desired speed is set.
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
or
Pull DISTRONIC Plus lever briefly in di-
rection of arrow4 to call up speed
last set (
page 423).
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
Take your foot off the accelerator ped-
al.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to the ve-
hicle ahead, observing the set speed as
a maximum value.
iUnder 20 mph (30 km/h), you can only
switch on DISTRONIC Plus if the vehicle ahead of
you has been detected and is shown on the mul-
tifunction display. If you no longer see the vehi-
cle in front of you on the multifunction display
and if it is no longer detected because it has
changed lanes, for example, DISTRONIC Plus
switches off and you will hear a signal.
iIf you do not completely lift your foot off the
accelerator pedal, the message
“DISTRONIC PLUS override” appears on the mul-
tifunction display. The distance to a slower-driv-
ing vehicle will not be set. You will drive at the
speed you dictate by pressing the accelerator
pedal.

419 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching on when approaching a
stationary vehicle
If the vehicle in front of you is stationary,
you can only switch on DISTRONIC Plus if
your vehicle is also at a standstill.
Tap DISTRONIC Plus lever up1 or
down2 until desired speed is set.
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
or
Pull DISTRONIC Plus lever briefly in di-
rection of arrow4 to call up speed
last set (
page 423).
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.Starting off
When the vehicle in front of you starts off:
Remove your foot from the brake
pedal.
Pull DISTRONIC Plus lever briefly in di-
rection of arrow4.
or
Briefly step on the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle starts off and adapts its speed
to the vehicle in front of you.Driving
If no vehicle is driving ahead of you,
DISTRONIC Plus functions like the cruise
control (
page 405).
When DISTRONIC Plus detects that the ve-
hicle in front of you is driving more slowly,
it brakes the vehicle in order to keep the
distance specified by you.
When DISTRONIC Plus detects that the ve-
hicle in front of you is driving faster, the ve-
hicle accelerates up to the set speed.
iIt is helpful to switch on the DISTRONIC Plus
display in the instrument cluster (
page 416)
since you can only switch on DISTRONIC Plus un-
d e r a s p e e d o f 2 0 m p h ( 3 0 k m / h ) w h e n a v e h i c l e
has been detected in front of you.
iYou can adjust the set speed using the
DISTRONIC Plus lever and the target distance
using the distance setting switch on the
DISTRONIC Plus lever (
page 425).
iIf DISTRONIC Plus is switched off,
PRE-SAFE® Brake* (page 73) will warn of an
impending collision if this function has been
activated with the instrument cluster control
system (
page 268).
Warning!G
When you step on the brake pedal, you
switch off DISTRONIC Plus except when the
vehicle is at a standstill. DISTRONIC Plus will
no longer brake your vehicle. You are always
responsible for maintaining a distance from
other vehicles, observing road speeds and
braking well in advance.

421 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting the current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.
Briefly lift the DISTRONIC Plus lever in
the direction of arrow1 or depress in
the direction of arrow2.
DISTRONIC Plus is activated and the
current speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed
You can increase the set speed in two
ways.Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments
Briefly lift the DISTRONIC Plus lever up
to the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 416).
Release the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).
iIf you do not take your foot off of the accel-
erator completely, the following message
“DISTRONIC PLUS override” will appear in the
multifunction display.
The distance to a slower moving vehicle in front
of you will not be set. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accelerator ped-
al position.
Warning!G
If you increase the set speed, keep in mind
that it may take a brief moment until the ve-
hicle has reached the set speed.
Increase the set speed to a value that the
prevailing road conditions and legal speed
limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and unex-
pected acceleration of the vehicle could
cause an accident and/or serious injury to
you and others.
iThe set speed value is increased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you lift
the DISTRONIC Plus lever up to the resistance
point.

424 Controls in detail
Driving systems
DISTRONIC Plus deactivates automatically
when:

the vehicle is secured with the elec-
tronic parking brake

the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h) and no preceding vehicle is
detected

the ESP® is in operation or switched off
with the ESP® switch (page 71)

you set the automatic transmission
toP, R, or N while driving

the radar sensors are switched off
(
page 272)

the vehicle rolls backward
The segments in the multifunction display
go out, an acoustic signal sounds, and the
message “DISTRONIC PLUS Off” appears in
the multifunction display for approximately
5 seconds.If the vehicle has been stopped by
DISTRONIC Plus and a malfunction occurs
in the system, the message “Brake immedi-
ately” will appear on the multifunction dis-
play. Step on the brake immediately to
prevent the vehicle from rolling.
DISTRONIC Plus is then switched off and
the message disappears.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus switches off and releases
the brakes when the vehicle decelerates be-
low the minimum speed of 20 mph
(30 km/h) by operation of the system un-
less DISTRONIC Plus detects a vehicle di-
rectly ahead of you. At that time the driver
must apply the brakes in order to reduce ve-
hicle speed further or bring it to a stop.
!Setting the automatic transmission toN
while driving cancels the DISTRONIC Plus. How-
ever, the automatic transmission should not be
set toN while driving except to coast when the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy
roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate DISTRONIC Plus. After brief accelera-
tion (e.g. for passing), DISTRONIC Plus will re-
sume to the last set speed.

425 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting the following distance in
DISTRONIC Plus
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for DISTRONIC Plus by varying the
time setting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds.
Using this time setting and the current
speed of your vehicle, DISTRONIC Plus cal-
culates and sets the required following dis-
tance to the preceding vehicle. The set
distance will be shown in the multifunction
display.The distance setting switch for the target
distance is located on the DISTRONIC Plus
lever.
1Distance setting switch for target dis-
tance
2To increase target distance
3To decrease target distanceIncreasing distance
Increasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a greater fol-
lowing distance to the preceding vehicle.
Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 2.
Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a shorter fol-
lowing distance to the preceding vehicle.
Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 3.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.