Weight categories
Seat positions ↓ Group II: 15 to 25 kg; Group III: 22 to 36 kg;
Front-passenger seat (front-
passenger airbag is not disa-
bled) UF
10, 11, 12 UF
10, 11, 12 Front-passenger seat (front-
passenger airbag is disa-
bled* 13
) U
11, 12, 14 U
11, 12, 14 Rear bench seat, left and
right U
12, 14 U
12, 14 Rear centre seat, vehicles
with and without through-
loading facility
U
12, 14 U
12, 14 "Universal" category child restraint systems
can be recognised by their orange approval
label. Example of an approval label on the child restraint
system
10 UF: suitable for forward-facing child seat securing systems that belong to the Universal category and are
approved for use in this weight category.
11 Adjust the front-passenger seat to the rearmost position and adjust the belt outlet height to the lowest
position.
12 As recommended, see the following table "Recommended child restraint systems".
13 Vehicles with automatic child seat recognition* on the front-passenger seat: the child restraint system fitted
must belong to the category with automatic child seat recognition. The 4PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
warning lamp must be continuously lit.
14 U: suitable for forward-facing child seat securing systems that belong to the Universal category and are
approved for use in this weight category. Occupant safety
45Safety
* optional
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effect achieved in the process reduces the
stopping distance on off-road terrain. This
limits steering capability. BAS (Brake Assist)
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. G
Risk of accident
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect. However, braking force is not auto-
matically increased in emergency braking sit-
uations and the stopping distance may
increase. Adaptive brake lamps
i Adaptive brake lamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS,
the brake lamps flash rapidly. In this way,
traffic travelling behind you is warned in an
even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 70 km/ht o a standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically. If the
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
light up continuously. The hazard warning
lamps switch off automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h. You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (Y page 76). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between tyres and
the road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. If necessary, the engine output is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
When ESP ®
intervenes, the dwarning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. G
Risk of accident
If the d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into a skid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
! If:
R the vehicle is being towed with the front
or rear axle raised,
R the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer,
the ignition must be switched off (key in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock). Other-
wise, application of the brakes by ESP ®
could destroy the brake system on the front
or rear axle.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC* may not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised. 52 Driving safety systemsSafety
* optional
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i
Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation If your trailer begins to lurch, you can only
stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP
®
assists you and detects
if the trailer begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the
vehicle down by braking and limiting the
engine output until the vehicle/trailer com-
bination has stabilised.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 65 km/h. G
Risk of accident
If road and weather conditions are bad, trailer
stabilisation will not be able to prevent the
trailer from swerving and thereby reduce the
risk of accident. Trailers with a high centre of
gravity can tip over before ESP ®
can detect
this.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of a mal-
function.
ETS (Electronic Traction Support) Traction control is part of ESP
®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example, if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active when you
deactivate ESP ®
. G
Risk of accident
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. Traction control
cannot override the laws of physics.
i If heavy demands are made on the brakes,
traction control switches off automatically
for a brief period so that the brakes do not heat up even further. If traction control
does not intervene for this reason, the
d
warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter lights up. In addition the multi-function
display shows one of the following mes-
sages: ESP inoperative (vehicles with 4-
button multi-function steering wheel) or
ESP currently unavail. See Owner's
Manual (vehicles with 12-button luxury
multi-function steering wheel)*.
Activating/deactivating ESP ® ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle
if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts
to spin.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. Spinning of the
wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
i If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the dwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. In such
situations, ESP ®
will not stabilise the vehi-
cle. Driving safety systems
53Safety
* optional
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X
To deactivate: press button:.
The d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster light up. G
Risk of accident
If the d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster is continuously lit when the engine is
running, ESP ®
is deactivated or not available
due to a malfunction. There is an increased
risk of your vehicle skidding in certain situa-
tions.
You should always adapt your driving style to
suit prevailing road and weather conditions.
X To activate: press button :.
The d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Off-road ESP ®
*(Vehicles with off-road
engineering package*) An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road drive program (Y page 107)is activated.
It intervenes with a delay if there is oversteer-
ing or understeering, thus improving traction. EBV (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
EBV monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability during braking. G
Risk of accident
If EBV is malfunctioning, the brake system is
still available with full brake boosting effect.
However, the rear wheels can still lock, e.g.
under full braking. This could cause you to
lose control of your vehicle and cause an acci-
dent. You should therefore adapt your driving
style to the different handling characteristics. Anti-theft systems
Immobiliser
The immobiliser prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct key.
X To activate: remove the key from the igni-
tion lock.
X To deactivate: turn the key to position 2
in the ignition lock. ATA* (anti-theft alarm system)
A visual and audible alarm is triggered when
the alarm system is primed and you open:
R a door
R a door using the emergency key element
R the tailgate
R the bonnet
The alarm is not switched off even if you close
a door again. 54 Anti-theft systemsSafety
* optional
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Fastening the belt
X
Adjust the seat and move the backrest to
an almost vertical position (Y page 62).
X Pull the belt smoothly through belt sash
guide :.
X Route the belt over the centre of the shoul-
der without twisting it.
X Engage belt tongue ;in buckle =.
X If necessary, adjust the belt to the appro-
priate height (Y page 72).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the belt to tighten the belt across
your body.
Wearing the rear centre seat belt If the right-hand rear seat backrest is folded
down and back up again, the rear centre seat
belt may lock. Then, the seat belt cannot be
pulled out.
X To release the rear centre seat belt: pull
out the seat belt at the belt outlet on the
rear seat backrest approximately 20 mm
and release it again.
The seat belt is retracted and released.
Unfastening the belt X
Press release button ?and guide belt
tongue ;back towards belt sash
guide :. Belt warning for driver and front
passenger
The 7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster reminds you that all occupants
should fasten their seat belts. It is either lit
continuously or flashes. Additionally, there
may be a warning tone.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases as soon as the driver
and front passenger have fastened their seat
belts. For certain countries only: regardless of
whether the driver or the front passenger
already have their seat belt fastened, the
7
seat belt warning lamp lights up for six
seconds after the engine has been started. It
then goes out if both the driver and the front
passenger have fastened their seat belt.
i Further information about the 7seat
belt warning lamp . Belt height adjustment
You can adjust the seat belt height on the
driver's seat and front-passenger seat.
Adjust the belt to a height that allows it to be
routed across the middle of your shoulder. X
To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: press and hold release but-
ton :.
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Release release button :and make sure
that the belt sash guide has engaged. Rear seat belt status indicator
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator tells you if any of the rear passengers
do not have their seat belt fastened. The sta-
tus indicator also tells you how many of the
belt tongues are inserted into the seat belt
buckles. 72 Seat beltsCont
rols
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X
Pull the light switch out to the second stop.
Yellow indicator lamp Rnext to the light
switch lights up.
X To switch off: press the light switch in as
far as it will go.
The R yellow indicator lamp next to the
light switch goes out. Combination switch (turn signals,
main-beam headlamps and headlamp
flasher) Turn signal lamp
X
To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow ;or?.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp ! or# in the instrument clus-
ter flashes.
i If you only wish to indicate a minor change
of direction, press the combination switch
briefly in the appropriate direction. The cor-
responding turn signal flashes three times.
Main-beam headlamps X
Turn the ignition key to position 2in the
ignition lock or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to Lorc 20
. X
To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow :.
The K indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
X To deactivate: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The K indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Headlamp flasher X
To switch on: briefly pull the combination
switch in the direction of arrow =. Hazard warning lamps
The hazard warning lamps still operate if the
ignition is switched off. They switch on auto-
matically if an airbag is deployed or if you
brake sharply and bring the vehicle to a halt
from a speed of more than 70 km/h.
X
To switch on: press button:.
All turn signals flash. If you now switch on
a turn signal using the combination switch
(Y page 76), only the turn signal lamp on
the corresponding side of the vehicle will
flash.
X To switch off: press button:.
20 in the cposition, the main-beam headlamps are only switched on when it is dark. 76 LightsControls
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Not active:
if you are driving at speeds above
100 km/h or you switch off the rear foglamp. Interior lighting
Front overhead control panel
:
u Switches the rear interior lighting
on/off
; | Switches the automatic interior
lighting control on/off
= p Switches the right-hand reading
lamp on/off
? c Switches the front interior lighting
on/off
A p Switches the left-hand reading lamp
on/off Rear-compartment overhead control panel
:
p Switches the right-hand reading
lamp* on/off
; p Switches the left-hand reading
lamp* on/off Automatic interior lighting control X
To switch on/off: press the|button.
The | button pops up or goes down.
The interior lighting switches on automati-
cally in darkness, when you unlock the vehi-
cle, open a door or remove the key from the
ignition lock.
The interior lighting switches off after a delay.
You can set the delayed switch-off using the
on-board computer (Y page 103). If the door
is left open, the interior lighting goes out after
approximately five minutes.
Emergency accident lighting If the interior lighting is set to automatic, the
interior lighting is activated automatically if
the vehicle is involved in an accident.
X
To switch off: press the hazard warning
lamp button (Y page 76).
or
X Lock and then unlock the vehicle using the
key. Windscreen wipers
Switching the windscreen wipers on/
off
Combination switch
1
$ Windscreen wipers off
2 Ä Intermittent wipe, low 21
3 Å Intermittent wipe, high 22
21 Rain sensor* set to low sensitivity. Windscreen
wipers
79Controls
* optional
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i
The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time.
You can also deactivate the automatic lock-
ing feature (Y page 104).
i It is only possible to move the selector
lever to the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the selector
lever lock released.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Move the selector lever to position Dor R.
X Release the parking brake (Y page 84).
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly.
Hill start assist Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
on uphill gradients. It holds the vehicle for a
short time after you have removed your foot
from the brake pedal. This gives you enough
time to move your foot from the brake pedal
to the accelerator pedal and depress it before
the vehicle begins to roll. G
Risk of accident
Never leave the vehicle when it is held by hill
start assist. After approximately one second,
hill start assist will no longer brake your vehi-
cle and it could roll away.
X Take your foot off the brake pedal.
i Once you have taken your foot off the
brake pedal, the vehicle is held for around
one second.
X Pull away. Hill start assist does not function if:
R
you are pulling away on a level road or a
downhill gradient.
R the selector lever is in position N.
R the vehicle is secured with the parking
brake.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning. Parking
G
Risk of accident
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary, as you cannot
steer the vehicle with the key removed.
Never leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle. They could release the parking brake. This
could lead to a serious or fatal accident. G
Risk of fire
Make sure that the exhaust system does not
under any circumstances come into contact
with easily ignitable material such as dry grass
or petrol. The material could otherwise ignite
and set the vehicle on fire.
Parking brake X
To apply: depress parking brake ;.
The J warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up if the engine is running.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the kerb. 84 Driving and parkingControls
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