2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 BLUETEC instrument cluster

97 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


Adaptive Brake


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


EBP (E
lectronic B
rake P
roportioning)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


4MATIC (Four Wheel Electronic
Traction System)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on when you switch on the
ignition. It goes out when the engine is run-
ning.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of
accidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP
®, Adaptive Brake, and
4MATIC cannot reduce this risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
i
In winter operation, the maximum
effectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, the EBP, the
ESP®, and 4MATIC is only achieved with winter
tires (page 364), or snow chains as required.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

100 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems

After driving on wet or snow-covered
roads, you should apply your brakes
firmly before parking your vehicle. This
produces heat which serves to dry the
brake disks and help prevent corro-
sion.


On long and steep grades, shift to a
lower gear (gear range 1, 2, or 3) to
prevent the brakes from overheating
and to reduce brake wear.


After hard braking, it is advisable to
drive on for some time so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes fast-
er.


Only Mercedes-Benz approved compo-
nents (e.g. brake pads) should be in-
stalled on your vehicle. Brake pads not
approved by Mercedes-Benz may im-
pair the safety of your vehicle.
EBP
The Electronic Brake Proportioning (EBP)
enhances braking effectiveness by allow-
ing the rear brakes to supply a greater pro-
portion of the braking effort in straight line
breaking without a loss of vehicle stability.
ESP
®
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP
®) is
operational as soon as the engine is run-
ning and monitors the vehicle’s traction
(force of adhesive friction between the
tires and the road surface) and handling.
The ESP
® recognizes when a wheel is spin-
ning or if the vehicle starts to skid. By ap-
plying the brakes to the appropriate wheel
and by limiting engine output, the ESP
®
works to stabilize the vehicle. The ESP® is
especially useful while driving off and on
wet or slippery road surfaces. The ESP®
also stabilizes the vehicle during braking
and steering maneuvers.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster flashes when the ESP
®
is engaged.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster comes on when you
switch on the ignition. It goes out when the
engine is running.
Warning!
G
When the EBP is malfunctioning, the ABS,
BAS, and ESP
® are also switched off.
If the EBP is malfunctioning, the brake sys-
tem will still function with full brake boost.
However, the rear wheels could lock up dur-
ing emergency braking situations, for exam-
ple. You could lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident. Adapt your driving style
to the changed driving characteristics.

102 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsSwitching off the ESP
®
Switching off the ESP
®
(except E 63 AMG)
To improve the vehicle’s traction, switch
off the ESP
® in driving situations where it
would be advantageous to have drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:


when driving with snow chains


in deep snow


in sand or gravelWhen you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip


the traction control will still apply the
brakes to a spinning wheel


the ESP
® continues to operate when
you are braking


you cannot activate the cruise control
or the Distronic*


the cruise control or Distronic* switch
off if currently activatedThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP
® switch

With the engine running, press ESP
®
switch1 until the ESP
® warning
lampv in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in driving
maneuvers.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a spare
wheel is mounted.
Warning!
G
Switch on the ESP
® immediately if the afore-
mentioned circumstances do not apply any-
more. Otherwise the ESP
® will not stabilize
the vehicle when it is starting to skid or a
wheel is spinning.
i
When the ESP
® is switched off and one or
more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP
® warn-
ing lamp v in the instrument cluster flashes.
However, the ESP
® will then not stabilize the ve-
hicle.

103 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Switching off the ESP
® (E 63 AMG only)When you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin


the traction control will still apply the
brakes to a spinning wheel


the ESP
® operates while you are brak-
ing


you cannot activate the cruise control
or the Distronic*


the cruise control or Distronic* switch
off if currently activated
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lamp v is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off or is not operational due to a
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard
driving maneuvers is reduced.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving. Disabling of the system will
result in the following:


no restriction to engine torque


loss of system supported traction
control
“ESP® O F F ” i s d e s i g n e d f or driving on closed
tracks when the vehicle’s natural oversteer
and understeer characteristics are desired
and requires a highly skilled and experi-
enced driver able to handle these critical
driving situations.
You could lose control of your vehicle and
cause an accident.
Please be aware of these limits when you
switch off the ESP
®.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a spare
wheel is mounted.
i
When the ESP
® is switched off and one or
more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP
® warn-
ing lamp v in the instrument cluster flashes.
However, the ESP
® will then not stabilize the ve-
hicle.

104 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP
® switch

With the engine running, press ESP
®
switch1 until the ESP
® warning
lampv in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.Switching on the ESP
®

Press ESP
® switch1 until the ESP
®
warning lamp v in the instrument
cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode with the ESP
® switched on.
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lamp v is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off or is not operational due to a
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard
driving maneuvers is reduced.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

105 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves the vehicle’s ability
to use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under slippery road
conditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.Warning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv
flashing in the instrument cluster, proceed
as follows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
!
Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!
Performance testing must only be conduct-
ed on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically,
the engine and the ignition must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0 or 1 or
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position0
or1) when the parking brake is being tested on a
brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
Operational tests with the engine running can
only be conducted on a two-axle dynamometer.

109 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Dual-zone automatic climate
control
4-zone automatic climate control
Power windows
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features

142 Controls in detailLightingHigh beam
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB (
page 137).

Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 to switch on the high
beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 26).

Pull the combination switch in direction
of arrow2 to its original position to
switch off the high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
goes out.
High beam flasher

Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2.
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps im-
prove illumination of the area in the direc-
tion into which you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 137)
or


the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 137)
or


the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 139).Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Switch on the left or right turn signal
(page 57), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the area in the direc-
tion into which you are turning.
or

Turn steering wheel in desired direc-
tion.
The front fog lamp on the side of your
steering direction comes on.
i
With the automatic headlamp mode activat-
ed: The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting conditions.
i
If you are driving faster than 25 mph
(40 km/h), the corner-illuminating function is
not available.
i
If you have switched on the turn signal for
one side but turn the steering wheel in the oppo-
site direction, the corner-illuminating front fog
lamp comes on for the side indicated by the turn
signal.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamp remains lit
for a maximum of 3 minutes. Afterward, it goes
out even if the turn signal is still switched on.