2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON ESP

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 motorway/road-
way construction sites
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, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others.
The radar sensor system is automatically
deactivated near radio telescope facilities
(Y page 362).
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. :
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; To adjust the specified distance
= LIM indicator lamp
? To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
A To store the current speed or a lower
speed Driving systems
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B
To switch between Distronic Plus and var-
iable Speedtronic
C To deactivate Distronic Plus
Selecting Distronic Plus X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp =is off.
If it is off, Distronic Plus is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow B.
LIM indicator lamp =in the cruise control
lever goes off. Distronic Plus is selected.
Switching on Distronic, storing the cur-
rent speed and maintaining it G
Risk of accident
The vehicle can be braked when Distronic Plus
is activated. For this reason, deactivate Dis-
tronic Plus if the vehicle is to be set in motion
by other means (e.g. in a car wash or by tow-
ing).
You can activate Distronic Plus in the follow-
ing circumstances:
R after the engine has been running for about
two minutes
R if the parking brake is not applied
R if ESP ®
is activated
R if the automatic transmission* is in position
D
R if the bonnet is closed
R if the driver's door is closed and you switch
from Pto Dor your seat belt is fastened.
R if the front-passenger door and the rear
doors are closed
Activating while driving
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you
can only activate Distronic Plus if the vehicle
in front has been detected and is shown in the
multi-function display. If the vehicle in front is
not shown in the multi-function display and is
no longer being detected, because it has changed lanes, for example, Distronic Plus is
deactivated and a tone sounds.
X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?or press it up :or down Ato the
pressure point.
Distronic Plus is selected.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
up : or down Auntil the desired speed
is set.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the stored
speed.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS suspended
message appears in the multi-function dis-
play. The set distance to a slower-moving
vehicle in front will then not be maintained.
You will be driving at the speed you deter-
mine by the position of the accelerator
pedal.
Activating when driving towards a sta-
tionary vehicle
If the vehicle in front of you is stationary, you
can only activate Distronic Plus once your
vehicle is stationary as well.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
Distronic Plus is selected.
i Distronic Plus can only be activated at
under 30 km/hi f a vehicle in front has been
detected. Therefore, the Distronic Plus dis-
tance display in the instrument cluster
should be activated.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
up : or down Auntil the desired speed
is set.
i You can use the cruise control lever to set
the stored speed and the thumbwheel on
the cruise control lever to set the specified
minimum distance (Y page 145).142
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Pulling away
X
If the vehicle in front pulls away: remove
your foot from the brake pedal.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
or
X Accelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its
speed to that of the vehicle in front.
Driving
If there is no vehicle in front, Distronic Plus
operates in the same way as cruise control.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic Plus causes your vehicle to brake
and maintain a preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If Distronic Plus detects a faster-moving vehi-
cle in front, it increases the driving speed, but
only up to the stored speed. G
Risk of accident
If you depress the brake, Distronic Plus is
deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
Distronic Plus then no longer brakes your
vehicle. The driver is fully responsible for the
vehicle's distance from other vehicles, its
speed and for braking in good time.
Stopping G
Risk of accident
The Distronic Plus braking effect is cancelled
and the vehicle can start moving if:
R Distronic Plus is deactivated using the
cruise control lever
R you accelerate
R the system or the power supply is disrup-
ted, e.g. due to battery failure
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment or the fuses have been tampered
with
R the battery is disconnected G
Risk of accident
Never get out of the vehicle when Distronic
Plus is activated.
Distronic Plus must never be operated or
deactivated by a passenger or from outside
the vehicle.
Distronic Plus does not replace the parking
brake and must not be used for parking.
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it,
deactivate Distronic Plus and secure the vehi-
cle against rolling away.
If Distronic Plus detects that the vehicle in
front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until
it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
i Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill
at a sufficient distance behind the vehicle
in front. The specified minimum distance is
set using the thumbwheel on the cruise-
control lever.
Vehicles with automatic transmission
with selector lever
When Distronic Plus is activated and the vehi-
cle is at a standstill, a warning message
appears in the multi-function display if:
R the driver's door is opened and you release
the seat belt.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO Start/
Stop function.
R the bonnet is opened.
Select Park (P)
X Move the selector lever to Pto prevent the
vehicle from rolling away.
Distronic Plus is deactivated. The warning
message in the multi-function display dis-
appears. Driving systems
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:
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 130).
You will see the stored speed for about five
seconds when you activate Distronic Plus.
After this time you will see the following in the
multi-function display while Distronic Plus is
activated: :
Distronic Plus activated
; Own vehicle
= Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
? Vehicle in front, if detected 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 depress the 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, Por R. 146
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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 or towing a trailer, you must
shift to a lower gear in good time or select
shift range 1,2or 3on vehicles with auto- matic transmission*. 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-
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 150) 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 Plus* and variable
Speedtronic.148
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X
Press the :or9 button to set per-
manent Speedtronic in increments of ten
(240 km/h to 160 km/h). Permanent
Speedtronic is deactivated with the Off
setting.
X Press ato save the entry. HOLD function
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
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 the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R
the vehicle is stationary.
R the engine is running or was automatically
switched off by the ECO Start/Stop func-
tion.
R the driver's door is closed or your seat belt
is fastened.
R the parking brake is not applied.
R the bonnet is closed.
R on vehicles with automatic transmission*,
D, Ror Nis selected.
R Distronic Plus* is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake. Vehicles with automatic transmission* with a
selector lever (example)
X
With increased force depress the brake
pedal further until HOLD:appears in the
multi-function display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again. G
Risk of accident
The vehicle's brakes are applied when the
HOLD function is activated. For this reason,
deactivate the HOLD function if the vehicle is
to be set in motion by other means (e.g. in a
car wash or by towing).
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R
you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission*, this occurs only if Dor Ris
selected.
R on vehicles with automatic transmission*,
you move the selector lever to P.
R you activate Distronic Plus*.
R you release the brakes and apply them
again with a certain amount of pressure
until the HOLDmessage in the multi-func-
tion display goes out. G
Risk of accident
Never get out of the vehicle when the HOLD
function is activated. Driving systems
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message in the multi-function display goes
out. On vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion*, you can also select
P. This deactivates
the HOLD function. RACE START (E 63 AMG)
RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start with suitable high-grip
road surface conditions. G
Risk of accident
RACE START is only available when ESP ®
Sports mode is activated. ESP ®
Sport stabil-
ises the vehicle in a limited manner if the vehi-
cle starts to skid or when a wheel is spinning.
RACE START should only be used on closed
off circuits. Always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
Conditions for activation RACE START can be activated when:
R
the doors are closed
R the engine is running and it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
80 †. This is the case when the engine oil
temperature lamp in the multi-function dis-
play stops flashing.
R ESP ®
Sport is activated (Y page 62)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position
R the vehicle is at rest and the brake pedal is
depressed (left foot)
R the transmission is in position DActivating RACE START X
Depress the brake pedal with your left foot,
and keep it depressed.
X Turn the program selector switch clock-
wise (Y page 116), until the RSlamp lights
up.
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START Confirm: Paddle UP Cancel:
Paddle DOWN message.
i If the conditions for activation are no lon-
ger fulfilled, RACE START is cancelled. The
multi-function display shows the RACE
START cancelled message.
X To cancel: pull the left paddle
(Y page 114).
or
X To confirm: pull the right paddle
(Y page 114).
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START available Depress accelera‐
tor message.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is cancelled. The multi-function dis-
play shows the RACE START not possi‐
ble See Owner's Manual message.
X Depress the accelerator pedal fully.
The engine speed rises to approximately
4,000 rpm.
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START Release brake to start mes-
sage.
i If you do not release the brake pedal
within seven seconds, RACE START is can-
celled. The multi-function display shows
the RACE START cancelled message.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START active message. Driving systems
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RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 50 km/h.
Drive program S+is activated. ESP ®
Sport
remains activated.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if
you release the accelerator pedal during a
race start or if any of the activation conditions
are no longer fulfilled. The multi-function dis-
play shows the RACE START not possible
See Owner's Manual message.
i If RACE START is used repeatedly in a
short period of time, it is only available
again after having driven the vehicle a cer-
tain distance. AIRMATIC* (except E 63 AMG)
Vehicle level Your vehicle regulates its height automati-
cally. All-round self-levelling ensures the best
possible suspension and constant ground
clearance, even with a laden vehicle. When
you drive fast, the vehicle is lowered auto-
matically to improve driving safety and to
reduce fuel consumption.
The following vehicle levels are possible:
R normal
R raised: the vehicle is raised by about 25 mm
when compared with the normal level
R lowered: the vehicle is lowered by about
10 mm when compared with the normal
level
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"
(Y page 155) 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.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of the
wheel housing or under the vehicle while low-
ering the vehicle when it is stationary. Other-
wise, limbs could become trapped. Setting the raised level
X
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to the raised level.
The message Vehicle rising appears in
the display.
Setting the normal level
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to the normal level. 154
Driving systemsCont
rols
* optional
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