Distronic displays in the speedometer
When Distronic is activated, triangle
;
shows the stored speed.
i For design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for Distronic.
If Distronic detects a vehicle in front, the
speedometer dial lights up between speed of
the vehicle in front :and stored speed ;.
Distronic displays in the multi-function
display You can use the
Assistancemenu
(Y page 223) in the on-board computer to
select the distance display and to switch the
Distronic distance warning function off or on.
Display when Distronic is deactivated
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 223).
When Distronic is deactivated, you will see
the following in the multi-function display: :
Symbol for activated distance warning
function
; Vehicle in front, if detected
= Distance indicator, displaying current dis-
tance to the vehicle in front
? Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
A Own vehicle
Display when Distronic is activated
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 223).
You will see the stored speed for about five
seconds when you activate Distronic. When
Distronic is activated, you will see the follow-
ing in the multi-function display: :
Distronic activated
; Own vehicle
= Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
? Vehicle in front, if detected Driving sys
tems
233Controls
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Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate Dis-
tronic:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i Distronic is not deactivated if you depress
the accelerator pedal. If you accelerate
briefly to overtake, Distronic adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored
after you have finished overtaking.
Distronic is automatically deactivated if:
R you engage the electric parking brake
R you are driving at less than 25 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R you shift the automatic transmission to N
while the vehicle is in motion
If Distronic is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the DISTRONIC
off message in the multi-function display for
approximately five seconds. Tips for driving with Distronic The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. Distronic is then deacti-
vated.
Cornering, entering and exiting a bend
The ability of Distronic to detect vehicles
when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or too late.
Vehicles travelling on a different line
Distronic may not detect vehicles travelling
on a different line. The distance to the vehicle
in front will be too short.234
Driving syste
msControls
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G
Risk of accident
Distronic Plus cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions. If Distronic does not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate Distronic or, if it is
already active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R before corners
R in filter lanes
R when changing to a lane with faster moving
traffic
R in complex driving situations or where the
lanes are diverted, e.g. at roadworks on a
motorway
Otherwise, Distronic Plus maintains the cur-
rent speed or accelerates up to the set speed.
Distronic Plus cannot take account of weather
conditions. Deactivate, or do not activate,
Distronic Plus:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip when
braking or accelerating. The vehicle could
start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor vis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic Plus is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, could cause an accident and injure your-
self and others.
! You must deactivate the radar sensor sys-
tem in certain countries and near radio
telescope facilities. Further information
can be found in the index under "Radar
sensor system".
Vehicles with COMAND and navigation sys-
tem*: you must deactivate the radar sensor
system near radio telescope facilities
(Y page 411). If you want Distronic Plus to assist you, the
radar sensor system must be activated and
operational.
If no car is driving in front of you, Distronic
Plus works like cruise control in the speed
range between 30 km/h and 200 km/h. If a
vehicle is driving in front of you, Distronic Plus
works in the speed range between 0 km/h
and 200 km/h.
Do not use Distronic Plus while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
G
Risk of accident
Distronic Plus brakes your vehicle at a maxi-
mum of 4m/s2
depending on its speed. This
corresponds to approximately 40% of your
vehicle's maximum brake force. You must
also apply the brakes yourself if this braking
power is not sufficient.
If Distronic Plus detects a risk of collision with
a vehicle in front, an intermittent warning tone
sounds. In addition, the ·distance warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
Brake to avoid a collision.
Cruise control lever With the cruise control lever you can operate
Distronic Plus and variable Speedtronic.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Distronic Plus is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. 236
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* optional
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Distronic Plus displays in the speedom-
eter When you switch on Distronic Plus, trian-
gle ;shows the stored speed.
i For design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for Distronic Plus.
If Distronic Plus detects a vehicle in front, the
speedometer dial lights up between speed of
the vehicle in front :and stored speed ;.
Distronic Plus displays in the multi-
function display In the
Assistance menu (Ypage 223) of the
on-board computer, you can select the dis-
tance display and activate or deactivate PRE-
SAFE ®
Brake*.
Display when Distronic Plus is switched
off
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 223).
When Distronic Plus is deactivated, you will
see the following in the multi-function display: :
Symbol for activated PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
; Vehicle in front, if detected
= Distance indicator, displaying current dis-
tance to the vehicle in front
? Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
A Own vehicle
Display when Distronic Plus is switched
on
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 223).
You will see the stored speed for about five
seconds when you activate Distronic Plus.
When Distronic Plus is activated, you will see
the following in the multi-function display: :
Distronic Plus activated
; Own vehicle
= Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
? Vehicle in front, if detected 240
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Deactivating Distronic Plus
There are several ways to deactivate Dis-
tronic Plus:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i Distronic Plus is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel-
erate briefly to overtake, Distronic Plus
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Distronic Plus is automatically deactivated if:
R you engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake
R you are driving slower than 25 km/h and
there is no vehicle in front, or the vehicle in
front is no longer detected
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®R
you shift the automatic transmission to N,
P or R
R the vehicle is near a radio telescope facility:
only vehicles with COMAND and a naviga-
tion system* (Y page 411).
If Distronic Plus is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You will see the DISTRONIC
PLUS off message in the multi-function dis-
play for approximately five seconds
Tips for driving with Distronic Plus The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. Distronic Plus is then
deactivated.
Cornering, entering and exiting a bend The ability of Distronic Plus to detect vehicles
when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or too late.
Vehicles travelling on a different line Driving syste
ms
241Controls
* option al
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Distronic Plus may not detect vehicles trav-
elling on a different line. The distance to the
vehicle in front will be too short.
Other vehicles changing lane Distronic Plus has not detected the vehicle
cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle will
be too short.
Narrow vehicles Distronic Plus does not detect the vehicle in
front on the edge of the carriageway, because
of its narrow width. The distance to the vehi-
cle in front will be too short. Obstructions and stationary vehicles Distronic Plus does not brake for obstacles or
stationary vehicles. For example, if the detec-
ted vehicle turns a corner and reveals an
obstacle or stationary vehicle, Distronic Plus
will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles Distronic Plus may detect vehicles that are
crossing your lane by mistake. Activating Dis-
tronic Plus at traffic lights with crossing traf-
fic, for example, could cause your vehicle to
pull away unintentionally.
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, 2or 3in good time. 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. If you need addi- 242
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tional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously.
G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continuously
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 245) 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 or Distronic*/Distronic Plus*
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*/Distronic
Plus* 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. :
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store the current speed or to call up
the last stored speed
? To store the current speed or a lower
speed
A To switch between cruise control or Dis-
tronic*/Distronic Plus* and variable
Speedtronic
B To deactivate variable Speedtronic
Selecting variable Speedtronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp ;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 A.
LIM indicator lamp ;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 Speedtronic when you do not have
to accelerate suddenly to a speed higher than
the stored limit speed allows. You could, oth-
erwise, cause an accident. Driving systems
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You can only exceed the limit speed stored if
you deactivate variable Speedtronic:
R using the cruise control lever
R by depressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown)
It is not possible to deactivate variable Speed-
tronic by braking. G
Risk of injury
Variable Speedtronic brakes automatically in
order to avoid exceeding the set speed. As it
does so, the brake pedal is depressed. Do not
place your foot under the brake pedal as it
could become trapped.
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 : or down ?to the pressure point.
The current speed is stored and shown in
the multi-function display.
The speedometer dial lights up between
the start of the scale and the stored speed.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed 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. Other-
wise, sudden braking could endanger you or
others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =. Making adjustments in 1 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever to the
pressure point, up :for a higher speed or
down ?for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed to the
pressure point until the desired speed is
set. Press the cruise control lever, up :
for a higher speed or down ?for a lower
speed.
Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
beyond the pressure point, up :for a
higher speed or down ?for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
beyond the pressure point until the desired
speed is set. Press the cruise control lever,
up : for a higher speed or down ?for a
lower speed.
Deactivating variable Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate variable
Speedtronic:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable Speedtronic is
deactivated.
Cruise control or Distronic*/Distronic
Plus* 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 244
Driving systemsControls
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