cause the drive wheels to los
etheir grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Shift the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering.
i For more information on driving with
snow chains, see (Y page 304).Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding 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. 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.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
Risk of accident
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated. Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time.
G
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed (e.g.
heavy traffic or winding roads). You could
otherwise cause an accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerating
could cause the drive wheels to lose trac-
tion and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
Cruise control lever You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected. :
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
? To store the current speed or a lower
speed 152
Driving systemsDriving and parking
Deactivating cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise contro llever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake.
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
.
R you shift the transmission to position N
while driving.
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You will see the Cruisecontrol off message in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. DISTRONIC PLUS
Important safety notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. It
brakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed.
On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially 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 effec tof
the engine, which relieves the load on the
brake syste mand prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly. If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
DISTRONIC PLU
Scauses your vehicle to
brake and maintain a preset distance to the
vehicle in front. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Do no tchange 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. G
Risk of accident
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid designed to
assist driving. The driver remains fully respon-
sible for the vehicle's distance from other
vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for braking
in good time.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react in particular
to:
R pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cles driving in front,e .g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore,
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. G
Ris
kofa ccident
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot tak eaccount of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONIC doe snot
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 on filter lanes 154
Driving systemsDriving and parking
Other vehicles changing lane
DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle
will be too short.
Narrow vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in fron
tonthe edge of the carriage-
way, because of its narrow width. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the detected 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
DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally. SPEEDTRONIC
Important safety notes 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-
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. 162
Driving systemsDriving and parking
Engine
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
+
Top
up coolant See
Owner's Manual The coolant level is too low.
X
Top up the coolant, observing the warning notes before doing
so (Y page 268).
X If the coolant needs topping up more often than usual, have the
engine coolant system checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop. ?
Coolant Stop vehi‐
cle Switch engine
off The coolant is too hot.
X
Pull ove rand stop the vehicle safely and switch off the engine,
paying attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Make sure tha tthe air supply to the engine radiator is not
blocked, e.g. by snow, slush or ice.
X Wait until the display message disappears before restartingt he
engine. Otherwise, there is a risk of engine damage.
X Pay attention to the coolant temperature display.
X If the temperature increases again, visit a qualified specialist
workshop immediately. The poly-V-belt may have torn.
X
Pull over and stop the vehicle safely and switch off the engine,
paying attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Open the bonnet.
X Check whether the poly-V-belt is torn.
If the poly-V-belt is torn:
! do not continue driving. The engine could otherwise overheat.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
If the poly-V-belt is OK:
X Wait until the display message disappears before restartingt he
engine. Otherwise, there is a risk of engine damage.
X Pay attention to the coolant temperature display.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. ? The fan motor is faulty.
X
If the coolant temperature is less than 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid subjecting the engine to heavy loads, e.g. driving in moun-
tainous terrain, and stop-start driving. 224
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
# The battery is no
tbeing charged.
Possible causes are:
R a faulty alternator
R a torn poly-V-belt
R a malfunction in the electronics
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely and switch off the engine,
paying attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Open the bonnet.
X Check whether the poly-V-belt is torn.
If the poly-V-belt is torn:
! do not continue driving. The engine could otherwise overheat.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
If the poly-V-belt is OK:
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. 4
Check eng. oil
lev. when next
refuelling The engine oil level has dropped to a critical level.
Aw
arning tone also sounds.
X Chec kthe oil level (Y page 267).
X If necessary, top up the engine oil (Y page 268).
X Have the engine checked for leaks if the engine oil needs top-
ping up more often than usual. 8
Reserve fuel level The fuel level has dropped into the reserve range.
Operation of the auxiliary heating is deactivated when the fuel level
drops into the reserve range.
X
Refuel at the nearest filling station. C There is only a very small amount of fuel in the fuel tank.
The auxiliary heating cannot be operated.
X
Refuel at the nearest filling station without fail. ¸
Replace
air cleaner Vehicles with a diesel engine: the engine air filter is dirty and must
be replaced.
X
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. !
Clean
the fuel fil‐
ter Vehicles with a diesel engine: there is water in the fuel filter. The
water must be drained off.
X
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Display messages
225On-board computer and displays Z