to avoi
dexceeding the se tspeed. On long and
steep downhil lgradients ,especially if the
vehicl eisladen or towing atrailer, yo umust
shift to alower gear in good tim eorselect
shift range 1,2or 3on vehicles with auto-
matic transmission* .Bydoing so ,you will
make us eofthe braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system
and prevents the brakes fro moverheating
and wearing too quickly. G
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Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslipper yroads urface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their gri pand
the vehicl ecould skid.
Use cruis econtrol onl yifroada nd traffi ccon-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
stead yspeed foraprolonge dperiod. Youc an
store any roa dspeed above 30 km/h. G
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Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffi cconditions.
Alway spayattentio ntotrafficconditions
eve nw henc ruis econtrol is activated.
Cruise control is onl yanaiddesigne dtoassist
driving. Yo uareresponsibl efor the vehicle's
spee dand for braking in good time. G
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Do not us ecruis econtrol:
R in roa dand traffi cconditions which do not
allo wyouto maintain aconstant spee d(e.g.
heav ytraffi corw inding roads). Yo ucould
otherwis ecause an accident.
R on slippery roads .Braking or accelerating
could cause the drive wheels to lose trac-
tio na nd the vehicl ecould the nskid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g .due to fog,
heav yrainors now
Cruis econtro llever Yo
uc an operate cruis econtrol and variable
Speedtroni cwitht he cruis econtrol lever. Th
eL IM indicator lamp on the cruis econtrol
lever indicates which syste myouhave selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off:
Cruise control is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtroni ciss elect ed. 0046
To store the current spee dorahigher
speed
0047 LIM indicator lamp
008A To store the current spee dortocallup
the last stored speed
0088 To store the current spee doralower
speed
0086 To switch between cruis econtrol and var-
iabl eSpeedtronic
0087 To deactivate cruis econtrol
When cruis econtrol is activated ,the stored
spee disd isplayed in the multi-functio ndis-
play for five seconds. In the multi-function
display, the segments between the stored
spee dand the maximum spee dlight up.
Selecting cruis econtrol X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 0047is off.
If it is off ,cruis econtrol is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruis econtrol lever in
the directio nofarrow 0086.
LIM indicator lamp 0047in the cruis econtrol
lever goes off .Cruise control is selected. Driving systems
123Controls
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X
Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 0086.
Variabl eSpeedtroni cisselected .LIM indi-
cator lamp 0047in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automaticall ydeactivated if:
R yo ud epress the parking brake.
R yo ud rive at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or yo udeactivate ESP ®
R yo uc hange into neutral in avehicle with
manual transmission while driving or if the
clutch is depressed for longer than 6sec-
onds
R on vehicle swithm anual transmission, you
shift to ahigher gea rand as aresult the
engine speed is too low
R yo um ove the selector lever to Non vehi-
cle sw itha utomatic transmission* while
driving
If cruise control is deactivated, yo uwillh ear
aw arning tone. You see the Cruise con‐
trol off messageinthe multi-function dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed store disclearedwheny ou
switch off the engine. DISTRONI
CPLUS*
i Distronic Plu sisnot available in al lcoun-
tries.
Distronic Plu sregulates the speed and auto-
matically maintains the distance to the vehi-
cle in front. It brakes automaticall yinorder
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
stee pdownhil lgradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in goo dtime .By
doing so, yo uwillm ake us eofthe braking
effect of the engine, which relieves the load
on the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. G
Risk of accident
Do not change dow nfor additiona lengine
braking on aslippery roa dsurface .Thisc ould
cause the drive wheel stoloset hei rgripa nd
the vehicle could skid. G
Risk of accident
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an ai ddesigne dto
assist driving .The driver is fully responsible
for the vehicle's distance from othe rvehicles,
the vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time.
DISTRONIC PLUS doe snot react to:
R pedestrians
R stationar yobstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narro wvehi-
cle sdriving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cle sd riving on adifferent line. Therefore,
always pa yattention to traffi cconditions even
whe nDISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Other-
wise, yo umay fai ltorecognise dangers in
time ,cause an accident and injure yourself
and others.
If as lower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic Plu scauses your vehicle to brake
and maintai napreset distance to the vehicle
in front. G
Risk of accident
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of road
and traffi cconditions .IfDISTRONIC doe snot
recognise or no longer recognise sthe vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
already active, deactivate it. Thi sisespecially
the case:
R before corners
R in filter lanes Drivin
gsystems
125Controls
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Distroni
cPlusm aydetect vehicles tha tare
crossing your lane by mistake. Activating Dis-
troni cPlusatt rafficlight swithc rossing traf-
fic ,for example, could cause your vehicl eto
pull away unintentionally. SPEEDTRONIC
Speedtroni cbrakes automaticall ysothatyou
do not exceed the se tspeed. On long and
steep downhil lgradients ,especially if the
vehicl eisladen or towing atrailer, yo umust
shift to alower gear in good tim eorselect
shift range 1,2or 3on vehicles with auto-
matic transmission* .Bydoing so, yo uwill
make us eofthe braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system
and prevents the brakes fro moverheating
and wearing too quickly. If yo uneeda ddi-
tional braking ,depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rathe rtha nc ontinuously. G
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Never depress the brake peda lcontinuously
whil ethe vehicl eisinmotion, e.g .neve rcause
the brakes to ru bbyapplyingconstant slight
peda lpressure. This cause sthe brake system
to overheat, increase sthe braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely. G
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kofa ccident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslipper yroads urface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their gri pand
the vehicl ecould skid.
Yo uc an se tavariable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speedlimit s, e.g .inbuilt-up
areas
R permanent for long-term spee drestric-
tions, e.g .for driving on winter tyres
(Y page 135) G
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Speedtroni ciso nlyana iddesigne dtoassist
driving. Yo uareresponsibl efor the vehicle's
spee dand for braking in good time.
i Thes peed indicated in the speedometer
ma ydiffe rs ligh tlyf romt he limi tspeed
stored.
Variabl eSpeedtronic With the cruis
econtro llev er,y ou can operate
cruis econtrol, Distroni cPlus* and variable
Speedtronic.
Th eL IM indicator lamp on the cruis econtrol
lever indicates which syste myouhave selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off:
Cruise contro lorDistroni cPlus* is selec-
ted.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtroni ciss elect ed.
Yo uc an us ethe cruis econtro llev er to limit
the spee dtoany spee dabove 30 km/h while
the engine is running. 0046
To stor ethe current spee dorahigher
speed
0047 LIM indicator lamp
008A To stor ethe current spee dortocallup
the last stored speed
0088 To stor ethe current spee doralower
speed Driving systems
133Controls
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Brakes
G
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Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslipper yroads urface. Thi scould
cause the drive wheels to lose thei rgripa nd
the vehicl ecould skid. G
Ris
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Make sure tha tothe rroa du sers are not
endangere dbyyourb raking.
Downhil lgradients On long and stee
pdownhil lstretches ,espe-
ciall yift he vehicl eisladen or towing atrailer,
yo um usts hift to alower gearing oodtime or,
on vehicles with automatic transmission*,
select shift range 1,2or 3.
i Thisalsoa pplies if youhavea ctivated
cruis econtrol, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS*.
Thi sw illu se the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed .Thisr elieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. If yo uneed
additional braking ,depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather tha ncontinuously.
Heavy and light loads If the brakes have been subjected to
aheavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicl eimmediately, but
drive on for ashort while. Thi sallow sthe air-
flo wtoc oolthe brakes more quickly. G
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Never depress the brake peda lcontinuously
whil ethe vehicl eisinmotion, e.g .neve rcause
the brakes to ru bbyapplyingconstant slight
peda lpressure. Thi scauses the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been used onl ymoderately,
yo us houl doccasionall ytest thei reffective-
ness .Todot his, brake more firmly from a highe
rspeed .Thisi mprove sthe gri pofthe
brakes.
Wet roads If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time withou tbraking ,ther em aybe a
delaye dreactio nfrom the brakes when brak-
ing for the first time .Thism ayalso occu rafter
the vehicl ehasbeen washed.
Yo uh avetod epress the brake peda lmore
firmly .Maintain agreate rdistance from the
vehicl einfront.
After driving on awetroa dorh aving the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly whil epayin gatten-
tio ntot he traffic conditions. Thi swaythe
brake discs will become warm, drying more
quickly, which will protect them against cor-
rosion.
Limite dbraking performanc eonsalt
treate droads G
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The laye rofsaltont he brake discs and the
brake pads/lining smaycause adelay in the
braking effect, resulting in asignificantly lon-
ger braking distance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid thi sdanger ,you should:
R occasionall ybrake carefully, withou tput-
ting othe rroa du sers at risk, when yo uare
driving on salte droads. Thi shelps to
remove any salt tha tmayhave started to
buil dupont he brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain agreate rdistance to the vehicle
ahea dand drive with particula rcare.
R carefull yapply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediatel yaftercommencing a
new trip ,sothats altr esidue sare removed
from the brake discs. Driving tips
191Operation
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Coupling up
atrailer G
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Do no tdisconnect atrailer wit hanengaged
overrun brake. Otherwise, your han dcould
become trapped between th ebumpe rand
trailer drawbar.
! Do no tdisconnect atrailer wit han
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by th erebound-
ing of th eoverrun brake.
X Positio nthe trailer leve lbehin dthe vehicle.
X Couple up th etrailer.
X Establish th eelectrical connection
between th evehicle and th etrailer.
Driving tips G
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If the Check traile rhitch locking
mechanism message appear sinthemulti-
function display while th evehicle is in motion,
pull ove rimmediately and check whether the
ball couplin giscorrectly engaged.
i Observ ethe note sonE SP®
trailer stabi-
lisation (Y page 55).
In Germany, th emaximum permissible speed
for vehicle/trailer combinations depends on
th et ype of trailer and is either 80 km/h or
10 0k m/ h. In som ecountries ,higher maxi-
mum speeds are permissible for vehicle/
trailer combinations .Before beginnin gthe
journey, check th etrailer' sdocuments to see
what th emaximum permitted spee dis.
For certain Mercedes-Ben zvehicles, th emax-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. Refer to th e"Technical
data" sectio ntofindo ut whether this applies
to your vehicle .Ifyou utilise any of th eadded
maximum rear axle load when towing atrailer,
th ev ehicle/trailer combinatio nmay not
excee damaximum spee dof100km/h for
reason sconcernin gthe operatin gpermit. This also applies in countries in whic
hthe
permissible maximum spee dfor vehicle/
trailer combinations is abov e100 km/h. G
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Always observ ethe maximum spee dpermit-
te dinG ermany for vehicle/traile rcombina-
tions ,eveninc ountries wher ehigher speeds
are permitted. This lower sthe riskofana cci-
dent.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristic swill be different in comparison
to when driving without atrailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleratio nand gradi-
ent-climbin gcapability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected mor ebystron gc rosswinds
R demands mor esensitive steering
R consumes mor efuel
On lon gand steep downhill gradients ,you
must selec talower gear in good time, or on
vehicle switha utomatic transmission*, select
shif trange 1,2or 3.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONI CorDIS-
TRONIC PLUS*.
This will use th ebraking effect of th eengine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
th es peed. This relieves th eload on th ebrake
system and prevents th ebrakes from over-
heating and wearin gtoo quickly. If you need
additional braking ,depress th ebrak epedal
repeatedly rather than continuously. G
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Never depress th ebrak epedal continuously
while th evehicle is in motion ,e.g.n ever cause
th eb rakes to rub by applyin gconstant slight
pedal pressure .This causes th ebrak esystem
to overheat, increases th ebraking distance
and can lead to th ebrakes failin gcompletely. Trailer towing*
195Operation
*o
ptional
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