2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class warning

447 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the dis-
tance warning lampl in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if the DISTRONIC Plus
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current
speed indicate that DISTRONIC Plus will not
be capable of slowing the vehicle sufficiently
to maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase
your distance to the preceding vehicle. The
warning sound is intended as a final caution
that you have not interceded with your own
braking inputs to avoid a potentially danger-
ous situation. Do not wait for the operation
of the warning signal to intercede with your
own braking. This will result in potentially
dangerous emergency braking which will
not always result in an impact being avoid-
ed.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus brakes your vehicle with a
maximum of 13 ft/s
2. This corresponds to
about 40% of the maximum deceleration of
your vehicle.
You must also apply the brakes yourself to
avoid a collision. DISTRONIC Plus brakes
the vehicle in an effort to restore the preset
distance or to maintain the set speed. The
brake pedal is automatically applied as this
happens which results in the brake pedal
moving.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the DISTRONIC Plus
system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.
Warning!
G
If you do not receive visual or acoustic warn-
ing signals during a critical traffic situation,
DISTRONIC Plus has either not recognized
the collision risk, has been deactivated, or is
malfunctioning.
Remember, whether or not DISTRONIC Plus
is operating, it is ultimately always the driv-
ers responsibility to apply the brakes in or-
der to control the vehicle and avoid a
collision.

449 Controls in detail
Driving systems
DISTRONIC Plus lever
The DISTRONIC Plus system is operated by
means of the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
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 speed5Setting target distance
Activating DISTRONIC Plus
You 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 - - - mph” (Canada: “DISTRONIC PLUS
- - - kmh”) 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.i
The maximum speed you can set is 120 mph
(Canada: 200 km/h).

451 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 455).
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 437).
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.
i
It is helpful to switch on the DISTRONIC Plus
display in the instrument cluster (
page 448)
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.
i
You 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 457).
i
If DISTRONIC Plus is switched off,
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (
page 75) will warn of an
impending collision if this function has been
activated with the instrument cluster control
system (
page 298).
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.

452 Controls in detailDriving systemsStoppingWhen DISTRONIC Plus detects that the ve-
hicle in front of you is stopping, the vehicle
brakes until it also stops.
Once DISTRONIC Plus has stopped your
vehicle and it is at a standstill, it remains
stationary; the brake pedal does not need
to be depressed.Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus’s braking effect is canceled
and the vehicle can start to roll if

DISTRONIC Plus is switched off using
the DISTRONIC Plus lever


you accelerate


the system or the power supply is mal-
functioning, e.g. due to battery failure


the electrical components in the engine
compartment or the fuses have been
manipulated


the battery is disconnected
Warning!
G
Never get out of the vehicle while
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on!
DISTRONIC Plus must never be operated or
switched off by passengers or from outside
the vehicle.
DISTRONIC Plus is not a substitute for the
electronic parking brake and may not be
used for parking.
When you get out of the vehicle or switch off
the engine, deactivate DISTRONIC Plus and
secure the vehicle from rolling away by en-
gaging the electronic parking brake.
i
After a short while, your vehicle is secured in
place by the electronic parking brake so that the
operating brake can be relieved of load.
i
Depending on the following distance set us-
ing the distance setting switch on the DISTRON-
IC Plus lever, your vehicle will stop
approximately 13.1 ft away from the vehicle in
front of you.

453 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 449).

Release the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).
i
If 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.
i
The 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.

454 Controls in detailDriving systemsAdjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments

Briefly lift the DISTRONIC Plus lever up
past the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 449).

Release the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).Setting a lower speed
You can reduce the speed in two ways.
Warning!
G
You can increase the vehicle speed in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments. When using
this feature, keep in mind that it may take a
brief moment until the vehicle has reached
the set speed.
Increase the vehicle speed to a value that
the prevailing road conditions permit. Other-
wise, sudden and unexpected acceleration
of the vehicle could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.
i
The set speed value is increased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you
lift the DISTRONIC Plus lever up past the resis-
tance point.
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will ac-
celerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.
Warning!
G
If you decrease the set speed, keep in mind
that it may take a brief moment until the ve-
hicle has reached the set speed.
Decelerate the set speed to a value that the
prevailing road conditions and legal speed
limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and unex-
pected deceleration of the vehicle could
cause an accident and/or serious injury to
you and others.i
When you use the DISTRONIC Plus lever to
decelerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.

455 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments
Briefly press the DISTRONIC Plus lever
down to the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 449).

Release the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments

Briefly press the DISTRONIC Plus lever
down past the resistance point in
direction of arrow2 (
page 449).

Release the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)

Briefly pull the DISTRONIC Plus lever in
direction of arrow4 (
page 449).
The DISTRONIC Plus resumes to the
last set speed, or if no speed is stored,
it will set and store the current speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
i
The set speed value is decreased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you
press the DISTRONIC Plus lever down to the re-
sistance point.
i
The set speed value is decreased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you
press the DISTRONIC Plus lever down past the
resistance point.
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will de-
celerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.
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.i
Upon switching off the engine, the last
stored speed is deleted.

456 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating DISTRONIC Plus
There are several ways to deactivate the
DISTRONIC Plus system:
Briefly tip the DISTRONIC Plus lever in
the direction of arrow3 (
page 449).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
DISTRONIC Plus will be deactivated.
The last speed set will be stored into
memory.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 72)


you set the automatic transmission to
park positionP, reverse gearR, or neu-
ral positionN while driving


the radar sensors are switched off
(page 302)


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.
i
The last stored set speed is deleted when
the engine is turned off.
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.