2011 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS CABRIOLET cruise control

Engine oil
! Vehicles with adiesel particle filter:
If the vehicle is mostly driven for short dis-
tances, it is possible that malfunctions may
occur during the automatic cleaning of the
diesel particle filter. This can lead to engine
damage. Therefore, if you frequently drive
short distances, make sure to drive on
motorways or countr yroads for 20 minutes
at least every 500 km. Brakes
Important safet ynotes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
brakin gonas lippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
Make sure that other road users are not
endangered by your braking.
Downhill gradients On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towin gatrailer,
you must shift to alower gear in good tim eor,
on vehicles with automatic transmission,
select shift range 1,2or 3.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the brakin geffect of the engine,
so less brakin gwill be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
syste mand prevent sthe brake sfrom over-
heatin gand wearing too quickly. Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Never depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brake storub by applying constan tslight
pedal pressure. This causes the brak esystem
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not sto pthe vehicle immediately, but
drive on for ashor twhile. This allowst he air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet road surface If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from the brakes when brak-
ing for the first time. This may also occur after
the vehicle has been washed.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain agreater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on awet road or having the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm
up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt
treated roads G
WARNING
The layerofs alt on thebrake discs and the
brake pads/linings may caus eadelay in the
brakin geffect, resultin ginasignificantly lon-
ger brakin gdistance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should: Driving tips
167Driving and parking
Z

sonous carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the
vehicle, resulting in loss of consciousness and
even death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, open
aw indow slightly on the side of the vehicle
not facing the wind.
At the onset of winter, have your vehicle win-
terproofed at aqualified specialist workshop,
e.g. at aMercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 319).
Driving with summer tyres Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y
page 319).
Slippery road surfaces G
WARNING
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularlyc arefully 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 Vehicles with manual transmission: engage
neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission: 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 320). Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes Cruise control maintains
aconstant road
speed for you. It brakes automaticallyino rder
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, you must
shift to alower 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. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslippery 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 aprolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
WARNING
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
WARNING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at aconstant speed (e.g. heavy traffic Driving systems
169Driving and parking
Z

or winding roads). You may otherwise
cause an accident.
R on slippery roads. The drive wheels may
lose their grip when braking or accelerating
and the vehicle may skid.
R when there is low 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 ahigher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
? To store the current speed or alower
speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds. In the multifunction display,
the segment sbetween the stored speed and
the maximum speed light up. Selecting cruise control X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp ;is off.
If it is off, cruise control is already selected.
If it is not,p ress the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Cruise control is selected.
Storing and maintaining the current
speed You can store the current speed if you are
driving faster than 30 km/h.
X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ?to the pressure point.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored speed.
i Cruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by
automatically applying the brakes.
i Vehicles with manual transmission:
R always drive at adequate, but not exces-
sive, engine speeds.
R change gear in good time.
R if possible, do not change down several
gears at atime.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up astored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger yourself or others by uninten-
tionally triggerin gsudden acceleration or
braking. 170
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The firs ttime cruise control is activated, it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting aspeed X
Press the cruise control lever to the pres-
sure point, up :for ahighe rs peed or
down ?for alower speed.
X Keep the cruise contro llever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise contro llever.
The new speed is stored.
i Cruise contro lisnot deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise contro ladjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking.
Making adjustments in 1km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise contro llever to the
pressure point ,up:for ahigher speed or
down ?for alower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise contro llever
beyond the pressure point ,up:for a
higher speed or down ?for alower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced. Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefly press the cruise contro llever for-
wards B.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise contro llever 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 parkin gbrake.
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
intervenes or if you deactivat eESP®
.
R you shift inton eutral inavehicle with man-
ual transmission while driving or depress
the clutc hpedal for longer than six sec-
onds.
R on vehicles with manual transmission ,you
shift to agear that is too high and as aresult
the engin espeed is too low.
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
you shift intop ositionNwhile driving.
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
aw arning tone. You will see the Cruise control 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 safet ynotes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tanc
etot he vehicle detected in front. It
brakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed. Driving systems
171Driving and parking Z

If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between
30 km/h and 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in fron tofyou, DISTRONIC operates in the
speed range between 0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
road swith steep gradients. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes yourv ehicle up to a
maximum of 4m/s2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detect sarisk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tones ounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up. Brak etoavoidacollision.
Cruise control lever With the cruise control lever, you can operate
DISTRONIC PLUS and variable SPEED-
TRONIC.
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 on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected. :
To stor ethe curren tspeed or ahigher
speed
; To set the specified minimum distance
= LIM indicator lamp
? To stor ethe curren tspeed or call up the
last stored speed
A To stor ethe curren tspeed or alower
speed
B To switc hbetween DISTRONIC PLUS and
variable 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 selec-
ted.
If it is not ,press the cruise contro llever in
the direction of arrow B.
LIM indicator lamp =in the cruise control
lever goes out. DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted.
Switching on DISTRONIC PLUS, storing
the current speed and maintaining it Important safet
ynotes G
WARNING
The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. For this reason, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle is to be set in
motion by other means (e.g. in acar wash or
by towing). Driving systems
173Driving and parking Z

To activat
ethe DISTRONIC PLUS, the follow-
ing conditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine must be running. It may take up
to two minutes of driving before DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is ready for use.
R the parking brake is not applied.
R ESP ®
is activated.
R the transmission is in position D.
R the bonnet is closed.
R the driver's door must be closed when you
shift from Pto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
R the frontp assenger door is closed.
R thev ehicle is no tskidding.
Activatin gwhile driving
When drivin gatspeeds below30k m/h,you
can onl yactivate DISTRONI CPLUSift he vehi-
cle in front has been detected and is shown
in the multifunction display. If the vehicle in
front is not shown in the multifunction display
and is no longer being detected, for example
because it has changed lanes, DISTRONIC
PLUS is deactivated and atone 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,b ut only up to the desired
stored speed.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS suspended message appears in the multifunction dis-
play. The set distance to
aslower-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 toward
sasta-
tionary vehicle
If the vehicl einfront of yo uisstationary, you
can onl yactivate DISTRONI CPLUSo nce your
vehicl eisstationar yaswell.
X Briefl ypullt he cruis econtro llev er towards
you ?or press it up :or down Ato the
pressure point.
DISTRONI CPLUSiss elected.
i DISTRONIC PLUS can only be activated at
under 30 km/h if avehicle in front has been
detected. Therefore, the DISTRONIC PLUS
distance displayint he instrument cluster
should be activated (Y page 223).
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 control on the
cruise control lever to set the specified
minimum distance (Y page 177).
Pulling away
X If the vehicleinf ront pulls away:remove
your foot from the brake pedal.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
or
X Accelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pullsa wayand adapts its
speed to that of the vehicle in front.
Driving
If there is no vehicle in front,D ISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control.
If as lower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
DISTRONIC PLUS causes your vehicle to
brake and maintain apreset distance to the
vehicle in front.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects afaster-moving
vehicle in front,iti ncreases the driving speed,
but only up to the desired speed you have
stored. 174
Driving systemsDriving and parking

The DISTRONIC PLUS braking effect is can-
celled and the vehicle can start moving if:
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated using the
cruise control lever.
R you accelerate.
R there is amalfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g. bat-
tery failure.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it,
deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detect sthat the vehicle
in frontiss topping, 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 astandstill
at as ufficient distance behind the vehicle
in front.T he specified minimum distance is
set using the control on the cruise control
lever.
You will see awarning message in the multi-
function displayifD ISTRONIC PLUS is acti-
vated and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
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 warn-
ing message in the multifunction display
disappears. The horn will also sound at regular intervals if
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and you:
R
switch the engine off, open the driver's
door and take off your seat belt
R open the bonnet
The sounding of the horn alerts you to the fact
that the vehicle has been parked while DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is still activated. The sound
becomes louder if you attempt to lock the
vehicle. The vehicle is not locked until DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until DISTRONIC
PLUS has been deactivated.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and afault
occurs in the system or if there is adisruption
in the power supply,t heBrake immedi‐ ately message is shown in the multifunction
display. Immediately depress the brake firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc-
tion displayg oes out or shift the transmission
to position P.DISTRONIC PLUS is deactiva-
ted.
Setting aspeed X
Press the cruise control lever to the pres-
sure point, up :for ahighe rs peed or
down Afor alower speed.
X Keep the cruise contro llever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise contro llever.
The new speed is stored. DISTRONIC PLUS
is activated and adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the new speed stored.
Making adjustments in 1km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise contro llever to the
pressure point ,up:for ahigher speed or
down Afor alower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced. 176
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefl ypress the cruis econtrol lever
beyond the pressure point, up :for a
higher spee dordownAfor alower speed.
The lasts peed stored is increased or
reduced.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up astored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and drivin gsituation .You can other-
wise endanger yourself or other sbyuninten-
tionally triggering sudden acceleration or
braking.
X Briefly pull the cruise contro llever towards
you ?.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the curren tspeed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value.
Setting the specified minimum distance You can set the specified minimum distance
for DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. With this func-
tion ,you can set the minimum distance that
DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in
front, dependen tonvehicle speed. You can
see this distanc einthe multifunction display
(Y page 178). X
To increase: turn control;in direction
=.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains agreater
distanc ebetween your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
X To decrease: turn control;in direc-
tion :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains ashorter
distanc ebetween your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
i Make sure that you maintain asufficient
and safe distanc efrom the vehicle in front.
Adjust the distanc etothe vehicle in fron tif
necessary.
DISTRONIC PLUS display sinthe speed-
ometer Whe
nDISTRONI CPLUSisa ctivated ,one or
two segments ;in the set speed range light
up.
i For design reasons ,the speed displayed
in the speedometer ma ydiffe rs lightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS. Driving systems
177Driving and parking Z