Seats and Storage
79
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
WARNING
•
Take care when using the cigarette li
ghter! Not paying proper attention
or incorrect use the cigarette lighter in
an uncontrolled manner may result in
burns.•
The cigarette lighter and the power so
cket also operates when the igni-
tion is switched off or the ignition key withdrawn. You should therefore never leave children unattended in the vehicle.
Caution
Always use matching plugs to av
oid damaging the power socket.
Note
•
Connecting electrical components when
the engine is not running will
drain the battery of the vehicl
e - risk of battery draining!
•
Further information
⇒page 179, “Accessories, chan
ges and replacement of
parts”.Power socket in the luggage compartment (Combi)The socket is located on the left in the luggage compartment.
– Open the cover of the power socket
⇒
fig. 92
.
– Connect the plug of the electr
ical appliance to the socket.
The power socket, which fulfils the requir
ements of DIN standard ISO 4165, must
only be used for connecting approved electr
ical accessories with a power uptake of
up to 240 watts. The vehicle ba
ttery will be discharged in the process if the engine
is stationary. The same remarks apply here as for
⇒page 78.
Further information
⇒page 179, “Accessories, changes and replacement of
parts”.Storage compartmentsOverviewYou will find the following storag
e facilities in
your vehicle:
WARNING
•
Please do not place anything on top of the dash panel. Such objects
might slide or fall down when driving
(when accelerating or cornering) and
Fig. 92 Luggage compart- ment: Power socket
Storage compartment on the front passenger side
⇒ page 80
Storage compartment below steering wheel
⇒page 9
Storage compartment in the middle part of the dash panel
⇒ page 9
Storage compartment for spectacles*
⇒page 80
Storage compartment in the front doors
⇒page 9
Front seat armrest with storage compartment*
⇒page 81
Rear armrest with storage compartment*
⇒page 81
Clothes hooks*
⇒page 82
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Starting-off and Driving
93
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Starting-off and DrivingSetting steering wheel positionYou can set the height and the forw
ard/back position of the steering
wheel to the desired position. – Adjust the driver seat
⇒
page 60.
– Pull the lever below the steering column
⇒
fig. 103
down
⇒
.
– Set the steering wheel to the desired position
concerning height and
forward/back position
.
– Then push the lever up against the steering column until it locks into
place.
WARNING
•
You must not adjust the steering wh
eel when the vehicle is moving!
•
The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering
wheel
⇒fig. 104
. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the
airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!•
For s a fe t y re a s ons the le v e r m ust a lwa y s b e fi rm l y pus he d up t o a vo id the
steering wheel altering its position unintentionally when driving - risk of accident!•
If you adjust the steering wheel furthe
r towards the head, you will reduce
the protection offered by the driver airb
ag in the event of an accident. Check
that the steering wheel is aligned to the chest.•
When driving, hold the steering wheel
with both hands firmly on the
outer edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel firmly in the 12 o'clock position or in another way (e.g. in the middle of the steering wheel or
at the inner steering wheel edge). In such cases,
injuries to the arms, the hands and
the head can occur when the driver
airbag is deployed.
Fig. 103 Adjustable steering wheel: Lever below steering columnFig. 104 Safe distance to steering wheel
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Starting-off and Driving
94
Ignition lockPetrol engines - ignition switched off, engine
off, the steering can be locked.
- ignition switched on - start engine Diesel engines - interruption of fuel supply, ignition sw
itched off, engine off, the steering can
be locked. - heating glow plugs on, ignition switched on•
You should not switch on any major elec
trical components during the heating
period otherwise the vehicle batt
ery will be drained unnecessarily.
- start engine Applies to all models: Position
To lock the steering
, with the ignition key withdrawn, turn the steering wheel until
the steering locking pin is heard to engage. You should always lock the steering as a general rule if you leave your
vehicle. This acts as a deterrent against possible theft
of your vehicle
⇒
.
Position
Move the steering wheel back and forward a little if the ignition key cannot, or cannot easily be turned into
this position, in order to
release the steering lock.
Position
The engine is started in this position. At
the same time switched on low beam or
main beam or other electrical compon
ents with major power consumption are
briefly switched off. The ignition key
moves back into position when one
releases the key. The ignition key must be turned back into position each time before starting the engine again. The starter repeat lock in th
e ignition lock prevents the starter being
engaged when the engine is r
unning and thus getting damaged.
WARNING
•
When driving, the ignition key must always be in the position (igni-
tion switched on) without the engine running. This position is indicated by the warning lights coming on. If this is not the case, it could result in unex- pected locking of the steerin
g wheel - risk of accident!
•
Do not withdraw the ignition key from the lock until the vehicle has come
to a stop. The steering lock can en
gage immediately - risk of accident!
•
Always withdraw the ignition key if
you are going to leave the vehicle,
even for a short time. This is particularly important if children are left in the vehicle. The children might
otherwise start the engine
or switch on electrical
equipment (e.g. power windows) - risk of accident or injury!Starting the engineGeneral You can only start the engine only using an original ignition key.•
Place the gearshift lever into neutral an
d put on the handbrake firmly before
starting the engine.•
The clutch pedal should be fully depr
essed when starting the engine - the
starter then only has to crank the engine.
Fig. 105 Ignition lock posi- tions
A1A2A3A1A2A3
A1A2
A3
A2
A1
A2
s2g8.b.book Page 94 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Passive Safety
104
•
Ensure that the lighting and the turn signal system are functioning properly.
•
Inspect the tyre inflation pressure.
•
Ensure that all the windows offer a good visibility to the outside.
•
Safely attach the items of luggage
⇒page 68, “Loading the luggage compart-
ment”.•
Ensure that no objects can obstruct the pedal.
•
Adjust the mirror, the front seat and the head restraint to match your body size.
•
Point out to your occupants that the head restraints must be adjusted to match
their body size.•
Protect the children in suitable child se
ats with correctly fastened seat belts
⇒ page 123, “Transporting children safely”.•
Adopt the correct seated position
⇒page 104, “Correct seated position”. Also
inform your occupants to adop
t the correct seated position.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly. Also inform your occupants to properly fasten the
seat belts
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
What influences the driving safety? The driving safety is primarily dete
rmined by the style of driving and
the personal behaviour of all the occupants.The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety is effected, you place yourself and the oncomi
ng traffic at risk. Please refer to the
following guidelines.•
Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
occupants or mobile phone calls.•
Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication,
alcohol, drugs.•
Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
•
Adjust the driving speed at all times to the road condition as well as to the traffic
and weather conditions.•
Take regular breaks on long journe
ys - at the latest every two hours.
Correct seated positionCorrect seated position for the driver Correct seated position for the dr
iver is important for safe and
relaxed driving.For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident, we recommend the following setting:•
Adjust the steering wheel so that the distance between the steering wheel and
your chest is at least 25 cm
⇒fig. 111
.
•
Position the driver seat in the forward/back direction so that you are able to fully
press the pedals with your legs at a slight angle.
Fig. 111 The correct distance of the driver from the steering wheelFig. 112 The correct head restraint adjustment for the driver
s2g8.b.book Page 104 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
Passive Safety
105
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
Adjust the seat backrest so that you are able to reach the highest point of the
steering wheel with your arms at a slight angle.•
Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head
⇒page 104, fig. 112
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. Manual driver seat adjustment
⇒page 60, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical driver seat adjustment
⇒page 61, “Adjusting front seats electrically*”.
WARNING
•
The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.•
The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering
wheel
⇒page 104, fig. 111
. Not maintaining this minimum distance will
mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!•
When driving, hold the steering whee
l with both hands firmly on the
outer edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel firmly in the 12 o'clock position or in another way (e.g. in the middle of the steering wheel or at the inner
steering wheel edge). In such cases,
injuries to the arms, the hands and the head can occur when the driver airbag is deployed.•
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!•
Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects may get
behind the pedals during a driving or
braking manoeuvre.
You would then
no longer be able to operate the
clutch, to brake or accelerate.
Correct seated position for the front passenger The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25°cm from the dash panel so that the combination of the airbag and the seat belt offers the greatest possible sa
fety when an airbag is deployed.
For the safety of the front passenger and to
reduce the risk of injury in the event of
an accident, we recommend the following setting:•
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as possible to the rear.
•
Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head
⇒page 104, fig. 112
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. In exceptional cases the front pass
enger airbag can be deactivated
⇒page 120,
“Deactivating an airbag”. Manual front passenger adjustment
⇒page 60, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical front passenger seat adjustment
⇒page 61, “Adjusting front seats electri-
cally*”.
WARNING
•
The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.•
The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the
dash panel. Not maintaining this mi
nimum distance will mean that the
airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!•
Always keep your feet in
the footwell when the vehicle is being driven -
never place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces of the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fata
l injuries when adopting an incorrect
seated position!
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Seat belts
109
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
The physical principle of a frontal collisionThe physical principle of a frontal a
ccident can be explained quite simply:
Motion energy, so-called kinetic energy, is
produced as soon as the vehicle is
moving, both for the vehicle and its occupants. The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends essentially on the speed at which the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the vehicle and the occupants. The greater the speed and weight increase,
the greater the amount of energy which has to be absorbed in the event of an acci- dent. The speed of the vehicle is, nevertheless,
the most important factor. Doubling the
speed of the vehicle from 25 km/h up to
50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy
four times. The common opinion that it is possible to
support your body
in a minor accident
with your hands, is incorrect. Even in a
collision at only a low speed, the forces
acting on the body are such that it is
no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed within the range from 30 km/hour to 50 km/hour, the forces which are produced on your body
in the event of an accident can easily
exceed 10.000 N (Newton). This equals a weight of one tonne (1 000 kg). In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt, are thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled way parts of the interior of the car, such as steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen,
⇒fig. 114
. The occupants of a
vehicle who have not fastened their seat belts may even be thrown out of the vehicle. This can resu
lt in fatal injuries.
It is also important that rear seat occupants fasten their seat belts as they will other- wise be thrown through the vehicle in an
uncontrolled manner in the event of an
accident A rear seat passenger who has not
fastened the seat belt is a danger not
only to himself but also fo
r those seated at the front
⇒fig. 115
.
Important safety information regarding the use of seat beltsThe correct use of the seat belts considerably reduces the risk of injury!
WARNING
•
The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or
twisted, or chafe ag
ainst any sharp edges.
•
It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts
are to offer their maximum protection
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts
correctly fa
stened?”.
Fig. 114 The driver is thrown forward if not wearing a beltFig. 115 The rear seat occu-pant is thrown forward if not wearing a belt
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Airbag system
116
When are the airbags deployed?The airbag system is designed in such a
way that the driver and the front passenger
airbag* are deployed in the event of a
frontal collision of major severity
.
In the case of a
violent side crash
, the side airbag* is depl
oyed on the side of the
vehicle on which the collision occurs. In certain accident situations, the front as well as the side airbags are deployed at the same time. The airbags
are not deployed
in the case of
minor
frontal and side collisions, in the
case of rear-end collisi
ons and vehicle rollover.
Deployment factors It is not possible to state globally which deployment conditions apply to the airbag system in every situation as the circumstances which exist in the case of accidents vary greatly. An important role in this case
, for example, is played by factors such as
the type of object against wh
ich the vehicle impacts (hard,
soft), the angle of impact,
the vehicle speed etc. A decisive factor for the deployment of the airbags is the deceleration which occurs during a collision. The control unit analyses
the nature of the collision and activates
the relevant restraint system. If the vehicle deceleration which occurs and is meas- ured during the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the control unit, the airbags are not
deployed although the vehicle may well
suffer severe damage to the bodywork as a consequence of the accident. The airbags are not deployed if:•
ignition is switched off;
•
a minor frontal collision;
•
a minor side collision;
•
a rear-end collision;
•
Rollover of the vehicle.Note
•
A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is
perfectly normal and is not an indi
cation of a fire in the vehicle.
•
The dash panel must be replaced afte
r the front passenger airbag has been
deployed.•
In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed: − the interior lighting comes on (if the swit
ch for the interior light is in the door
contact position), − the hazard warning light is switched on; − All the doors are unlocked.
Front airbagsDescription of the front airbags The airbag system is not a substitute for the seat belt!
Fig. 122 Driver airbag in the steering wheel
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Airbag system
117
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
The front airbag for the driver is housed in the steering wheel
⇒page 116, fig. 122
.
The front airbag for the front passenger* is housed in the dash panel above the storage compartment
⇒fig. 123
. The installation positions are each marked with
the “AIRBAG” logo. The front airbag system, in combination with
three-point safety belts, offers addi-
tional protection for the head and chest ar
ea of the driver and front passenger in
the event of a frontal collision of major severity
⇒
in “Important safety informa-
tion regarding the front airbag system” on page 118. The airbag is not a substitute for the seat
belt, but is part of the complete passive
vehicle safety concept.
Please note that an airbag can only offer you optimal
protection in combination with a seat belt which is fastened
.
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the
seat belts
is to
also hold the driver and front passenger in
a correct seated position in the event of
a frontal collision so as to enable the front airbags to offer the maximum protection. You should therefore always fasten the seat
belts, not only because this is required
by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection
⇒page 108, “Why
seat belts?”.
Note
The dash panel must be replaced afte
r the front passenger airbag has been
deployed.
Function of the front airbags Risk of injury to the head and chest area is reduced by fully inflated airbags.The airbag system is designed in such a
way that the driver and the front passenger
airbag* are deployed in the event of a frontal collision of major severity. In certain accident situations, the front an
d side airbags may be deployed together.
If the airbags are deployed, the airbags are
filled with a propellant gas and inflated
in front of the driver and front passenger
⇒fig. 124
. The airbags inflate in fractions
of a second and at a high speed in order to
be able to offer that additional protec-
tion in the event of an accident. The forward movement of the driver and of the front passenger is cushioned when they make
contact with the fully inflated airbag
and the risk of injury to head and chest is thus reduced. The specially developed airbag allows the gas
to flow out of the inflated airbag in a
controlled manner (depending on the load
of the particular car occupant) in order
to cushion head and chest areas. The airbag
then deflates subsequently to such an
extent, after an accident, to again provide a clear view forward. A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly normal and is not an indication of a fire in the vehicle. The airbag develops enormous forces when
triggered, which can lead to injuries if
the sitting position or seated position is not correct
⇒
in “Important safety
information regarding the front airbag system” on page 118.
Fig. 123 Front passenger airbag in the dash panel
Fig. 124 Inflated airbags
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