2008 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK brake

Driving sys
tems 115Driving systems
Overview of driving systems
The vehicle's driving systems are described
on the following pages:
R Cruise control* and Speedtronic*, which
are used to control the speed of the vehicle
R Parktronic * and active parking assist*,
which can help you to find a parking space,
to manoeuvre and park
R ECO Start-Stop function*, helps you to
save fuel
The ABS, BAS, adaptive brake lights, ESP ®
and STEER CONTROL driving safety systems
are described in the "Driving safety systems"
section ( Ypage 55). Cruise control*
Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. You must select a low gear in
good time on long and steep downhill gradi-
ents, especially if the vehicle is laden or tow-
ing a trailer. By doing so you will make use of
the braking effect of the engine, which
relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and
wearing too quickly. G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continu-
ously while the vehicle is in motion, e.g.
never cause the brakes to rub by applying
constant slight pedal pressure. This causes
the brake system to overheat, increases
the braking distance and can lead to the
brakes failing completely. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This
could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
Risk of accident
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time. G
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do
not allow you to maintain a constant
speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding
roads). You could otherwise cause an
accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerat-
ing could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to
fog, heavy rain or snow
Cruise control lever You can operate cruise control and variable
Speedtronic with the cruise control lever. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 117
Setting a speed X
Press the cruise control lever up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
i Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking.
i Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*:
When you decelerate the vehicle using the
cruise control lever, AUTOTRONIC changes
down if deceleration is insufficient.
Making fine adjustments in
1 km/hincrements X
Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for a
lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced. Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if,
for example:
R aquaplaning is detected
R you press the clutch pedal for more than
four seconds on vehicles with a manual
transmission
R you move the selector lever to Nwhile driv-
ing in vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Speedtronic*
Speedtronic is used to make sure that you do
not exceed a stored speed. You must select
a low gear in good time on long and steep
downhill gradients, especially if the vehicle is
laden or towing a trailer. By doing so you will
make use of the braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system
and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continu-
ously while the vehicle is in motion, e.g.
never cause the brakes to rub by applying
constant slight pedal pressure. This causes
the brake system to overheat, increases
the braking distance and can lead to the
brakes failing completely. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This
could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 119
Storing the current speed You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 4.
The current speed is stored. Speedtronic
rounds up or down to the nearest ten. You
will see the message "Limit"and the
stored speed in the upper multi-function
display for approximately five seconds. The
yellow LIM indicator lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster.
i On downhill gradients, the speed can be
exceeded despite Speedtronic. In this
case, you will hear a warning tone and the
Limit exceeded message will appear in
the multi-function display. If necessary,
apply the brakes yourself.
Calling up the last speed stored G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for
the current driving and traffic situation.
Otherwise, sudden braking could endanger
you or others. X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
Making adjustments in 10 km/hincre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for a
lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is set. Press the cruise
control lever, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
Making fine adjustments in
1 km/hincrements X
For a higher speed: briefly pull the cruise
control lever towards you 3.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pulled
towards you 3until the desired speed is
set. Deactivating variable Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate variable
Speedtronic:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable Speedtronic is
deactivated.
Cruise control is selected.
Variable Speedtronic is deactivated automat-
ically when you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown), but
only if your current speed does not differ by
more than 20 km/h from the stored speed. G
Risk of accident
It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 120
Permanent Speedtronic* You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h (e.g. for driving with winter tyres)
and the maximum speed.
Just before the stored speed is reached, it
appears in the multi-function display.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown).
Setting permanent Speedtronic
X Press èor· to select the Set-
tings menu (Y page 106).
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press jto select Speed limit
(tyres). X
Press the æorç button to select the
desired setting.
The following settings can be selected:
R Off
Permanent Speedtronic is deactivated.
R A limit speed between 230 km/hand
160 km/h in increments of 10 km/h
X To select a different display, press the
j, èorÿ button. Parktronic*
G
Risk of accident
Parktronic is only an aid and may not detect
all obstacles. It is not a substitute for atten-
tive driving.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your
immediate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endan-
ger yourself and others. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that no persons or animals are
in the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
Parktronic is an electronic parking aid using
ultrasound. It indicates visually and audibly
the distance between your vehicle and an
object.
Parktronic is automatically activated when
you switch on the ignition and release the
handbrake.
Parktronic is deactivated at speeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds.
Parktronic monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 1211
Example: sensors in the front bumper,
left-hand side
Range of the sensors The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush, otherwise they may not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(Y
page 196). Side view Top view
Front sensors
Centre Approximately 100 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
Rear sensors
Centre Approximately 120 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer towbars. Parktronic
does not detect such objects when they are
in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. You
could damage the vehicle or the objects. Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumatic drill could cause Parktronic
to malfunction.
Minimum distance Centre Approximately 20 cm
Corners Approximately 20 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, all
warning displays light up and a tone sounds.
If the distance falls below the minimum clear-
ance, it may no longer be shown.
Warning displays
The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and the obstacle. The
warning display for the front area is located
on the dashboard above the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is loca-
ted on the roof lining in the rear compart-
ment. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 125Example: Parking space detected
1
Detected parking space on the left
2 Parking symbol
3 Detected parking space on the right
Active parking assist will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel.
R that are at least 1.5 m wide.
R that are at least 1.3 m longer than your
vehicle.
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx. 15 m
away from it. Parking G
Risk of accident
Parktronic and Active parking assist are
merely parking aids and may not detect all
obstacles. They do not relieve you of the
responsibility of paying attention.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your
immediate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endan-
ger yourself and others.
X Stop the vehicle when the parking space
symbol shows the desired parking space in
the instrument cluster.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: Shift to
reverse gear.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*: move the
selector lever to position R.
On the multi-function display, the message:
Park Assist Activate? Check vehi-
cle surroundings Yes: No: appearsX
To cancel the procedure: press the k
button on the multi-function steering wheel
or pull away.
or
X To park using active parking assist: press
the j button on the multi-function
steering wheel.
On the multi-function display, the message:
Park Assist active Please acceler-
ate and brake the vehicle yourself
appears G
Risk of accident
When parking, you need to make sure that
no obstacles are located in the vicinity of
the vehicle during the entire operation.
Active parking assist does not relieve you
of the responsibility of paying attention. It
merely aids you by intervening actively in
the steering.
To stop the vehicle or avoid an accident you
need to apply the brakes yourself.
X Let go of the multi-function steering wheel.
X Reverse the car, being ready to brake at all
times. When reversing, do not exceed a
speed of approx.10 km/h, otherwise active
parking assist will be deactivated. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 126
i
In tight parking spaces, you will achieve
the best parking results by reversing as far
as possible. When doing so, also observe
the Parktronic messages.
X Stop as soon as Parktronic sounds the con-
tinuous warning tone, if not before.
Manoeuvring may be required in tight park-
ing spaces.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the mes-
sage Park Assist active Please shift
to a forward gear appears in the multi-
function display.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*: the message
Park Assist active Please shift to
D appears in the multi-function display.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: When
the car is stationary, shift to first gear.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*: When the car
is stationary, set the selector lever to posi-
tion R.
Active parking assist immediately steers in
the other direction.
On the multi-function display, the message:
Park Assist active Please acceler- ate and brake the vehicle yourself
appears.
i You will achieve the best parking results
by waiting for the steering procedure to
complete before moving forwards.
X Drive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
X Stop as soon as Parktronic sounds the con-
tinuous warning tone, if not before.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the mes-
sage Park Assist active Please shift
into reverse gear appears in the multi-
function display.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*, the message
Park Assist active Please shift to
R appears in the multi-function display.
X Further gear changes* may be necessary.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the message Parking assistance
finished Please take over appears.
Active parking assist is now deactivated.
Parktronic is still available.
X Manoeuvre if necessary.
X Always observe the warning messages dis-
played by Parktronic (Y page 121).Cancelling active parking assist You can cancel active parking assist at any
time.
X
Stop the movement of the multi-function
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Active parking assist will be cancelled at
once. The multi-function display shows the
message: Park Assist cancelled.
or
X Press the Parktronic button on the centre
console (Y page 122).
Parktronic is switched off and active park-
ing assist is immediately cancelled. The
multi-function display shows the message:
Park Assist cancelled.
Active parking assist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R a gear is changed* too early
R parking using active parking assist is no
longer possible
R you are driving faster than 10 km/h
R a wheel spins, ESP ®
is activated or fails. In
such cases the vwarning lamp lights
up in the instrument cluster. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 127
A warning tone sounds. the multi-function
display shows the message:
Park Assist
cancelled.
When active parking assist is cancelled, you
must steer again yourself.
Trailer towing* For vehicles with a trailer coupling, the mini-
mum length for parking spaces is slightly
increased.
If you have attached a trailer to your vehicle,
you should not use active parking assist.
Once the electrical connection is established
between your vehicle and the trailer, active
parking assist is no longer available. Park-
tronic is deactivated for the rear area. ECO start/stop function*
The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches off the engine as soon as you stop
the vehicle and restarts the engine as soon as
you prepare to pull away again. Each time the
engine is started using the key, the ECO
start/stop function is activated.
Conditions for the automatic engine
switch-off The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches off the engine if all of the following
conditions are met:
R you have shifted to neutral
R the clutch pedal is not depressed
R the brake pedal is depressed
R the vehicle speed is very low
R the engine has reached its operating tem-
perature
R the indicator lamp in the ECO button is lit
green
R the bonnet is closed
R the outside temperature is within the com-
fort range R
the battery is sufficiently charged
R the brake vacuum is stable
Conditions for the automatic engine
start The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches on the engine if one of the following
conditions is met:
R
the brake pedal is released
R the clutch pedal is depressed
R the vehicle speed exceeds a certain thresh-
old
R the ECO button is pressed
R the brake vacuum has decreased
R the battery charge has dropped
R the demister function of Thermotronic *is
selected Controls
* optional
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