2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 ESP

428 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Displaying the distance graphic
In the “Assistance” menu under “Distance
display” you see the current settings for
DISTRONIC Plus. The information shown in
the multifunction display depends on
whether DISTRONIC Plus is activated or
deactivated.
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 your vehicle to increase
the distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front of you. The warning sound is
intended as a final caution that you have not
interceded with your own braking inputs to
avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Do
not wait for the operation of the warning sig-
nal to intercede with your own braking, as
that will result in potentially dangerous
emergency braking which will not always re-
sult in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus brakes your vehicle with a
maximum of 13 ft/s2. This corresponds to
about 40% of the maximum deceleration
ability 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 speed. The brake
pedal is automatically applied as this hap-
pens which results in the brake pedal mov-
ing.
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 sys-
tem.
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.
iFor activating or deactivating the
DISTRONIC Plus system, see “Activating
DISTRONIC Plus” (
page 430) or “Deactivating
DISTRONIC Plus” (
page 435).


431 Controls in detail
Driving systems

if ESP® is switched off

if the hood is open

if the driver’s door is open and the driv-
er has not fastened his or her seat belt

if the radar sensors are switched off
(
page 282).
Switching on while driving
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 435).
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
Take your foot off the accelerator ped-
al.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to the ve-
hicle ahead, observing the set speed as
a maximum value.Switching on when approaching a sta-
tionary 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 435).
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
iUnder 20 mph, you can only switch on
DISTRONIC Plus if the vehicle ahead of you has
been detected and is shown on the multifunction
display. If you no longer see the vehicle in front
of you on the multifunction display and if it is no
longer detected because it has changed lanes,
for example, DISTRONIC Plus switches off and
you will hear a signal.
iIf you do not completely lift your foot off the
accelerator pedal, the message“DISTRONIC
PLUS override” appears on the multifunction dis-
play. The distance to a slower-driving vehicle will
not be set. You will drive at the speed you dictate
by pressing the accelerator pedal.
iIt is helpful to switch on the DISTRONIC Plus
display in the instrument cluster (
page 428)
since you can only switch on DISTRONIC Plus un-
der a speed of 20 mph when a vehicle has been
detected in front of you.
iYou 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 436).

432 Controls in detail
Driving systems
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 419).
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.Stopping
iIf DISTRONIC Plus is switched off,
PRE-SAFE® Brake* (page 76) will warn of an
impending collision if this function has been ac-
tivated with the instrument cluster control sys-
tem (
page 279).
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.
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


435 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Briefly press the DISTRONIC Plus lever
down past the resistance point in
direction of arrow2 (
page 430).
Release the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 5 mph.Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)
Briefly pull the DISTRONIC Plus lever in
the direction of arrow4 (
page 430).
DISTRONIC Plus is set to the last
stored speed.
DISTRONIC Plus resumes 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.Deactivating DISTRONIC Plus
There are several ways to deactivate the
DISTRONIC Plus system:
Briefly tip the DISTRONIC Plus lever in
the direction of arrow3 (
page 430).
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 and
no preceding vehicle is detected

the ESP® is in operation or switched off
with the ESP® switch (page 73)

you set the automatic transmission
toP, R, or N while driving
iThe set value is decreased in 5 mph incre-
ments each time you press the DISTRONIC Plus
lever down past the resistance point.
iThe 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.
iUpon switching off the engine, the last
stored speed is deleted.
iThe last stored speed is deleted when you
turn off the engine.

438 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grille), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case,
DISTRONIC Plus will switch off, and the
message:
“DISTRONIC PLUS
currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual”
appears in the multifunction display.
For cleaning and care of the
DISTRONIC Plus sensor, see “Cleaning the
DISTRONIC Plus*/ PRE-SAFE
® Brake*
system sensors (USA only)” (
page 589).Another cause might be that the radar sen-
sors have been manually switched off in
the instrument cluster control system.
Please verify that the radar sensors are
switched on (
page 282).Turns and bends
In turns or bends, DISTRONIC Plus may not
detect a moving vehicle in front, or it may
detect one too soon. This may cause your
vehicle to brake late or unexpectedly.
iIf the message:
“DISTRONIC PLUS
currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual”
disappears during driving and the last speed
stored flashes for approximately 5 seconds, the
dirt (e.g. slush) has dissolved; DISTRONIC Plus is
again available.

440 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Obstacles and stationary vehicles
DISTRONIC Plus does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example,
the vehicle detected in front of you chang-
es lanes to bypass an obstacle or station-
ary vehicle in front of it, DISTRONIC Plus
will not brake for the obstacle or stationary
vehicle.Cross-traffic
DISTRONIC Plus may inadvertently detect
crossing vehicles. If you switch on DIS-
TRONIC Plus, for example, at a traffic light
with cross-traffic, the vehicle may sudden-
ly start to drive off.Airmatic (S 550 only)
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle.
Airmatic consists of two components:

Level control system

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driv-
ing conditions. At the same time the
suspension is set to either sporty or
comfort.

442 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Press switch1 again to lower the ve-
hicle. The indicator lamp2 is off.Suspension tuning
The Adaptive Damping System (ADS) auto-
matically tunes shock absorbers and
springs.
The suspension tuning is set according to:

your driving style

road surface conditions

the vehicle loading

your choice of suspension style
The program mode selector switch (C/S)
(
page 409) is used to adjust the suspen-
sion tuning:
Start the engine.
Select the desired driving program.
Active Body Control (ABC)*
The ABC system is an active, comput-
er-controlled system that hydraulically ad-
justs the suspension at all four wheels in
response to various driving situations. It
automatically selects the optimum suspen-
sion tuning and ride height for your vehicle.
iThe selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is turned off
and restarted except when you

exceed a speed of 75 mph (120 km/h)
or

maintain a speed of between 50 mph
(80 km/h) and 75 mph (120 km/h) for more
than 3 minutes
The vehicle then lowers to regular level.
Driving programSuspension tuning
CComfortcomfortable
(default setting)
SSportsporty
for dynamic driving
Warning!G
S63AMG and S65AMG only:
When you switch off the engine, the entire
vehicle is lowered. You should therefore
make sure that no one is near the wheel
housing or under the vehicle when you
switch off the engine. Otherwise, parts of
the individuals body could be trapped.
!S63AMG and S65AMG only:
When you switch off the engine, the entire vehi-
cle is lowered. When parking, position your vehi-
cle in such a way that it will not scrape against a
curb, for example, when it is lowered. Your vehi-
cle could otherwise be damaged.


444 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Selecting a normal level
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp2 is on:
Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The vehicle
is adjusted to a normal level.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

your driving style

road surface conditions

the vehicle loading

your choice of suspension styleThe program mode selector switch (C/S)
(
page 409) or (S/C/M) (page 413) is
used to adjust the suspension tuning:
Start the engine.
Select the desired driving program.
Parktronic system*
Driving programSuspension tuning
CComfortcomfortable
(default setting)
SSport
MManualsporty
for dynamic driving
Warning!G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always remains with the driver.
Warning!G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.
!Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes (e.g.
trailer couplings, painted posts, elevated cross-
bars or road curbs). Such objects may not be de-
tected by the system and can damage the
vehicle.