2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS COUPE Owners Manual

Driving systems
142 Speedtronic
Speedtronic brakes automatically so that you
do not exceed the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden, you must select shift range
1, 2 or 3 in good time. In this way 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. If you need addi-
tional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously. 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. You can set a variable or permanent limit
speed:
R
Variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R Permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. for driving on winter tyres
(Y page 144) G
Risk of accident
Speedtronic is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time.
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed
stored.
Variable Speedtronic With the cruise control lever you can operate
cruise control, Distronic* and variable
Speedtronic.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off: Cruise control or Distronic* is selected
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
variable Speedtronic is selected
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running. 1
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To call up the current or last stored speed
or to make fine adjustments in 1 km/h
increments
4 To store the current speed or a lower
speed
5 To switch between cruise control, Dis-
tronic* and variable Speedtronic
6 To deactivate variable Speedtronic Controls
* optional
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Driving systems
143
Selecting variable Speedtronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2 is on.
If it is on, variable Speedtronic is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2 in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable Speedtronic is
selected. G
Risk of accident
If there is a change of drivers, advise the
new driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use variable Speedtronic if you are
sure that you will not have to accelerate
suddenly to a speed above that stored as
the

limit speed, otherwise you could cause
an accident.
You can only exceed the limit speed stored
if you deactivate variable Speedtronic:
R using the cruise control lever
R if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown)
It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking. 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. The stored
speed,

e.g. LIM km/h , appears in the multi-
function display.
The segments in the speedometer from the
start of the scale up to the stored speed
light up.
Selecting the current or last stored
speed X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
Adjustment in 10 km/h increments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 for a higher speed or down 4 for a
lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is set. Press the cruise control lever, up 1 for a higher speed or
down 4 for a lower speed.
Making fine adjustments in 1 km/h
increments X
For a higher speed: briefly pull the cruise
control lever towards you 3.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pulled
towards you 3 until 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 2 in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable Speedtronic is
deactivated.
Cruise control or Distronic* is selected. Controls
* optional
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Driving systems
144
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.
You will hear a warning tone if this is the case.
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.
Permanent Speedtronic i
Permanent Speedtronic is only available
for certain countries.
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.
Shortly before the stored speed is reached, it
is shown 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 è or · to select the Set-
tings... menu (Y page 121).
X Press the j button to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press æ or ç to select the Vehicle
submenu.
X Press j to select Speed limit (win-
ter tyres). X
Press the æ orç button to select the
desired setting.
The following settings can be selected:
R Off
Permanent Speedtronic is deactivated.
R A limit speed between 240 km/h and
160 km/h in increments of 10 km/h.
X To select a different display, press j,
è or ÿ. HOLD
HOLD relieves the strain on the driver:
R when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and HOLD
deactivated when you depress the accelera-
tor pedal to pull away.
Activation conditions You can activate HOLD if:
R
the vehicle is stationary
R the engine is running
R the driver's door is closed
R the parking brake is not applied
R the bonnet is closed
R the selector lever is in position D, R or N Controls
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Driving systems
145
Activating HOLD X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake.
X Depress the brake again quickly until
HOLD appears in the display.
HOLD is activated. You can release the
brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate HOLD, wait briefly
and then try again. G
Risk of accident
The vehicle's brakes are applied when
HOLD is activated. For this reason, deacti-
vate HOLD if the vehicle is to be set in
motion by other means (e.g. in a car wash
or by towing).
Deactivating HOLD HOLD is deactivated if:
R
you
accelerate when the selector lever is in
position D or R
R you move the selector lever to position P
R you release the brakes completely and
apply them again with a certain amount of pressure until the
HOLD message in the
multi-function display goes out G
Risk of accident
Never get out of the vehicle when HOLD is
activated.
HOLD

must never be operated or deactiva-
ted by a passenger or from outside the
vehicle.
HOLD does not replace the parking brake
and must not be used for parking.
The HOLD braking effect is cancelled and
the vehicle can start moving if:
R HOLD is deactivated by depressing the
accelerator pedal or the brake pedal
R there is a malfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g. bat-
tery failure
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are
tampered with
R the battery is disconnected G
Risk of accident
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it,
deactivate HOLD and secure the vehicle
against rolling away. You will see a warning message in the multi-
function display if HOLD is activated and:
R
the

driver's door is opened and you release
the seat belt
R the ignition is switched off
R the bonnet is opened
Selector lever in park position
X Move the selector lever to P
to prevent the
vehicle from rolling away.
HOLD is deactivated. The warning message
in the multi-function display goes out.
A horn will also sound at regular intervals if
HOLD is activated and you:
R stop

the engine and open the driver's door
R open the bonnet
The horn draws your attention to the fact that
the vehicle has been parked while HOLD is
still activated. The sound becomes louder if
you attempt to lock the vehicle. The vehicle
is not locked until HOLD is deactivated.
i If the ignition has been switched off, the
engine cannot be restarted until HOLD is
deactivated.
If there is a fault in the system or power supply
while HOLD is activated, the Brake immedi-
ately message appears in the multi-function Controls
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Driving systems
146
display. Immediately depress the brake firmly
until the warning message disappears from
the multi-function display or move the selec-
tor lever to
P. This deactivates HOLD. AIRMATIC DC*
Vehicle level Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to reduce petrol consumption and
improve driving safety.
The following vehicle levels are possible:
R
Normal
R Raised
R Lowered
The "Normal" and "Raised" vehicle levels can
be set manually.
The "Lowered" vehicle level is set automati-
cally:
R at speeds above 140 km/h
R if you have selected "Sports tuning I or
II" ( Y page 147)
R if you have selected "Comfort tun-
ing" (Y page 147) and then lock the vehicle within 60 seconds of the engine being
switched off G
Risk of injury
If you have selected “Comfort tuning”, the
vehicle will be lowered if you lock it within
60 seconds of the engine being switched
off. Make sure, therefore, that nobody is in
the vicinity of the wheel housing or under
the vehicle when you lock the vehicle. Oth-
erwise, limbs could become trapped.
! If you have selected “Comfort tuning”,
the vehicle will be lowered if you lock it
within 60 seconds of the engine being
switched off. Make sure when parking that
you stop your vehicle so that it does not
make contact with the kerb as it descends.
Your vehicle could otherwise be damaged.
Setting the vehicle level manually
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road
surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow
chains or on particularly poor road surfaces. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of
the wheel housing or under the vehicle
while lowering the vehicle when it is sta- tionary. Otherwise, limbs could become
trapped.
1
To set the vehicle level
2 Indicator lamp
Setting the raised level
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp 2 is not lit:
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2 lights up. The vehicle is
adjusted to the raised level.
The Vehicle rising message appears in
the multi-function display Controls
* optional
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Driving systems
147
Setting the normal level
X
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp 2 is lit:
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2 goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to the normal level.
i The "Raised level" setting is cancelled at
vehicle speeds above 120 km/h or if the
speed has been between 80 km/h and
120 km/h for more than approximately
5 minutes. If you do not drive within this
speed range, the raised level remains
stored, even when the key is removed from
the ignition lock.
Comfort or sports tuning AIRMATIC DC (dual control) comprises two
components: the Adaptive Damping System
(ADS) and spring stiffness adjustment.
ADS automatically regulates the suspension
as appropriate to particular driving condi-
tions. Parallel to this, the spring stiffness
switches between "comfort" and "sports" lev-
els. The damping/spring stiffness settings are
dependent on:
R
your driving style
R the road surface conditions
R your individual selection
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. 1
To select the damping program
2 Indicator lamps
X Start the engine.
Sports tuning I
X Press button 1 once.
One indicator lamp 2 lights up.
The vehicle level is lowered by 10 mm. Sports tuning II
X
Press button 1 twice.
Two indicator lamps 2 light up.
The vehicle level is lowered by 15 mm.
Comfort tuning
X Press button 1 repeatedly until indicator
lamps 2 go out.
Multi-function display
A message appears in the multi-function dis-
play for approximately five seconds once you
have selected a damping program, for exam-
ple: Controls
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Driving systems
148 Parktronic*
G
Risk of accident
Parktronic is only an aid and may not detect
all obstacles. It does not relieve you of the
responsibility to pay 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. 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. It indi-
cates visually and audibly the distance
between your vehicle and an object.
Parktronic is automatically activated when
you switch on the ignition and release the
parking brake.
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.1 Sensors in the front bumper
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.
Side view
Top view
Controls
* optional
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Driving systems
149
Front sensors Centre Approximately 100 cm
Corners Approximately 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre Approximately 120 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
!
Pay particular attention to objects above
or below the sensors when parking, 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 15 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 in the
roof trim at the rear.
Front area warning display
1
Left-hand side of the vehicle
2 Right-hand side of the vehicle
3 Indicator segments The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into five yellow and two red
segments. Parktronic is operational if yellow
indicator segments
3 light up.
The selector lever position determines which
warning display is active: Selector lever at Warning display
D Front area activated
R or N Rear and front areas
activated
P No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R
sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for approxi-
mately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. You have reached the minimum dis-
tance. Controls
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