2011 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON light

The vehicle/trailer combination:
R
is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strong crosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R has a larger turning circle
As a result, the handling characteristics may
be impaired and you may lose control of the
vehicle. This could lead to an accident with
serious or even fatal injuries.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your
speed to the current road and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis-
sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion. G
WARNING
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
WARNING
On no account should you attempt to draw the
vehicle/trailer combination out by increasing
speed. G
WARNING
If you exceed the maximum noseweight when
using a carrier system on the ball coupling:
R the carrier system may be thrown around.
R the ball coupling and the carrier system
may become detached from the vehicle.
As a result, you may injure others or cause an
accident.
Do not exceed the maximum noseweight.
When driving with a loaded carrier system,
always adjust your driving style to the prevail- ing road, traffic and weather conditions and
drive particularly carefully.
You can use carrier systems, e.g. bicycle
racks or load-bearing implements, on the ball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of
75 kg applies when using carrier systems on
the ball coupling.
General notes i
When towing a trailer, set the tyre pres-
sure on the rear axle of the towing vehicle
for a maximum load; see the tyre pressure
table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 365).
You will find installation dimensions and loads
in the "Technical data" section
(Y page 395).
The maximum noseweight of the trailer draw-
bar on the ball coupling is 84 kg 21
. However,
the actual noseweight must not exceed the
value given on the trailer tow hitch or trailer
identification plates. The lowest weight
applies.
! Use a drawbar noseweight as close as
possible to the maximum permissible nose-
weight. Do not use a noseweight of less
than 50kg, otherwise the trailer may come
loose.
Note that the payload and the rear axle load
are reduced by the actual payload.
Please note that when towing a trailer, PARK-
TRONIC (Y page 200), parking guidance
(Y page 203) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 212) are only available with limita-
tions, or not at all.
i On vehicles without level control, the
height of the ball coupling will alter accord-
ing to the load placed on the vehicle. If nec-
essary, use a trailer with a height-adjusta-
ble drawbar.
21 Missing values for the E300 model were not available at the time of going to print. 222
Towing
atrailerDriving an d parking

X
Establish the electrical connection
between the vehicle and the trailer.
X Check tha tthe trailer lighting system is
working. Decoupling
atrailer G
WARNING
As soon as you raise the trailer drawbar, the
unladen vehicle rises slightly. The vehicle then
lowers to driving level.
Make sure tha tnobody is in the vicinity of the
wheel arch or the underbody. You could oth-
erwise trap yourself or others. G
WARNING
The vehicle is lowered as soon as you discon-
nect the trailer cable. Make sure that nobody
is in the vicinity of the wheel arch or the
underbody. You could otherwise trap yourself
or others.
As soon as you decouple the trailer, the unla-
den vehicle rises slightly. Make sure that you
or others are not injured in the process.
! Do not disconnect a trailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by the rebound-
ing of the overrun brake.
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Secure the trailer against rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Folding in the ball coupling
i Fold the ball coupling back in if you are
not using the trailer tow hitch. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the pivoting range of the ball coupling. Other-
wise, they could be injured. X
Place the protective cap on the ball cou-
pling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot/luggage
compartment. Saloon
Estate
X
To open the cover (Saloon): push down
luggage net ;.
X Turn handle :anti-clockwise and fold
down cover =.
X To open the cover (Estate): pull han-
dle :in the direction of the arrow and fold
down cover ;. Towing
atrailer
225Driving an d parking Z

X
Grasp release wheel ;with your hand
such that the thumb is in the thumb rest
and turn it anti-clockwise.
The ball coupling unlocks and lowers. Indi-
cator lamp :flashes. X
Press the ball coupling in the direction of
the arrow until it engages behind the
bumper.
Indicato rlamp :goes out and the mes-
sage in the multifunction display disap-
pears. Trailer power supply
When it leaves the factory, your vehicle's
trailer socke tis equipped with a permanent
power supply and a power supply that is
switched on via the ignition lock.
The permanent power supply is supplied via
trailer socket pin 9.
The power supply that is switched on via the
ignition lock is supplied via trailer socket pin
10. !
You can connect accessories with a
power rating of up to 240 W to the perma-
nent power supply and with a power rating
of up to 180 W to the power supply that is
switched on via the ignition lock.
The trailer battery may not be charged from
the power supply.
The trailer's permanent power supply is
switched off in the event of low vehicle supply
voltage and after six hours at the latest.
You can find more information abouti nstal-
ling the trailer electrics at a qualified special-
is tw orkshop.
X To switch the connected power supply
on or off: turn the key in the ignition lock
to position 2or 0respectively. Bulb failure indicator for LED lamps
i If LED lamps are fitted in the trailer, an
error message may appear in the multi-
function display even if there is no fault. The
reason for the error message may be that
the current has fallen below the minimum
of 50 mA.
To ensure reliable operation of the bulb failure
indicator, each LED chain in the trailer lighting
must be guaranteed a minimum current of
50 mA. Trailer with 7-pin connector
General notes If your trailer has a 7-pin connector, you can
connect it to the 13-pin socket on the ball
coupling using an adapter or, if necessary, an
adapter cable. Both can be obtained in a
qualified specialist workshop.226
Towing
atrailerDriving an d parking

or on bridges. If you do not adapt your driving
style to the conditions, the vehicle could skid.
For this reason, adapt your driving style and
speed to the weather conditions.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay. Speedometer with segments
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is available.
Cruise control (Y page 181) activated:
The segments light up from the stored speed
to the maximum speed.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC (Y page 183) activa-
ted:
The segments light up from the start of the
scale to the selected limit speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 185) activated:
One or two segments in the set speed range
light up.
DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front:
The segments between the speed of the vehi-
cle in front and the stored speed light up. Operating the on-board computer
Overview The on-board computer is activated as soon
as you turn the key to position 1in the ignition
lock.
You can control the multifunction display and
the settings in the on-board computer using
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel. :
Multifunction display
; Right control panel
= Switches on LINGUATRONIC; see the sep-
arate operating instructions
? Back button
A Left control panel
Left control panel =
; R
Calls up the menu and menu bar 9
:
Press briefly:
R
Scrolls through lists
R Selects a submenu or function
R In the Audio menu: selects a
stored station, an audio track or
a video scene
R In the Tel (telephone) menu:
switches to the phone book and
selects a name or telephone
number Displays and operation
231On-board computer and displays Z

Menus and submenus
Menu overview
The number of menus show ndepends on the optional equipment in the vehicle. Function
:
Trip (Y
page 235)menu ;
Navi menu (navigation instructions) (Y
page 236)=
Audio menu (Y
page 237) ?
Tel menu (telephone) (Y
page 239)A
Assist. menu (assistance) (Y
page 240)B
Serv. (Y
page 242)menu
R calls up display messages ( Ypage 253)
R tyre pressure loss warning (Y page 367) or checks the tyre pressure electron-
ically (Y page 368)
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display (Y page 325)C
Settings menu (Y
page 243) D
AMG menu in AMG vehicles (Y
page 249)The
Audio ,
Navi and
Tel menus differ slightly in vehicles with an audio system and in vehicles
with COMAND APS.T he examples given in this Owner's Manual apply to vehicles equipped
with COMAND APS. 234
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

X
Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assist. menu.
X Press 9or: to select Speed Lim.
Asst. .
X Press a.
The multifunction display shows Speed
Limit Assist.
X Press :.
The curren tselection is displayed.
X To activate or deactivate: pressa.
If Speed Limit Assist is operational and the
message function is activated, the multifunc-
tion display shows the Äsymbol when the
ignition is switched on.
Showing the distance display This function is only available with DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
X
Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Distance display .
X Press a.
The DISTRONIC PLUS distance display
(Y page 191) appears in the multifunction
display.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®G
WARNING
If the ä warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could skid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an acciden tif
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics. Activating/deactivatin
gESP®
on AMG vehi-
cles (Y page 73).
For further information about ESP ®
, see
(Y page 72).
X Start the engine.
X Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
ESP .
X Press the abutton.
X To deactivate: pressaagain.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on. G
WARNING
If the å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the engine is running,
ESP ®
is deactivated or is unavailable due to a
malfunction. The risk that your vehicle may
start to skid then increases in certain situa-
tions.
Always adap tyour driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
X To activate: pressaagain.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Activating/deactivating the PRE-SAFE ®
Brake PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is only available in vehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
X Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assist. menu.
X Press 9or: to select PRE-SAFE Brake .
X Press the abutton.
The current selection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
When PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 75) is acti-
vated, the multifunction display shows the Menus and submenus
241On-board computer and displays Z

Ä
symbol as long as the HOLD function is
not activated (Y page 194).
Vehicles with Parking Guidance: if PARK-
TRONIC is activated and you are driving at a
speed under 35 km/h, the jParking Guid-
ance symbol is shown instead of the Ä
symbol.
Activating/deactivating ATTENTION
ASSIST X
Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Attention Asst. .
X Press a.
The current selection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
When ATTENTION ASSIST (Y page 207) is
activated, the Àsymbol appears in the
multifunction display when the ignition is on.
Activating/deactivating Blind Spot
Assist You can use the
Blind Spot Asst. function
to activate or deactivate Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 212) or Active Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 216).
X Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assist. menu.
X Press 9or: to select Blind Spot
Asst. .
X Press a.
If the function is activated, the monitored
areas in the multifunction display light up
red.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
Activating/deactivating Lane Keeping
Assist You can use the
Lane Keep. Asst. function
to activate/deactivate Lane Keeping Assist (Y
page 214) or Active Lane Keeping Assist
(Y page 218).
X Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assist. menu.
X Press 9or: to select Lane Keep.
Asst. .
X Press a.
If the function is activated, the lane marking
symbol in the multifunction display lights
up red.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
When Lane Keeping Assist or Active Lane
Keeping Assist is activated, the Ãsymbol
appears in the multifunction display when the
ignition is on. Service menu
In the
Service menu, you have the following
options:
R calling up display messages (Y page 253)
R restarting the tyre pressure loss warning
system (Y page 367) or checking the tyre
pressure electronically (Y page 368)
R calling up a service due date
(Y page 325) 242
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Settings menu
Introduction The
Settings menu can be used for:
R changing the instrument cluster settings
R changing the time/date settings 24
R changing the light settings
R changing the vehicle settings
R changing the auxiliary heating settings
R changing the convenience settings
R restoring the factory settings
Instrument cluster Selecting the unit of measurement for dis-
tance
The
Display unit Speed-/odometer: function allows you to choose whether cer-
tain displays appear in kilometres or miles.
The selected unit of measurement for dis-
tance applies to:
R digital speedometers in the Trip menu
R total distance recorder and the trip meter
R trip computer
R current consumption and the range
R navigation instructions in the Navi menu
R cruise control
R SPEEDTRONIC
R DISTRONIC PLUS
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.X
Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Display unit Speed-/odometer func-
tion.
You will see the selected setting: km or
miles .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Switching the additional speedometer
on/off
Only vehicles with manual transmission have
this function.
i Vehicles for the United Kingdom: this
function is not available.
The Dig. speedom [mph]: function allows
you to choose whether the status area in the
multifunction display always shows the speed
in mph instead of the outside temperature.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press :or9 to select the Dig. speedo [mph]: function.
You will see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Selecting the permanent display function
Only vehicles with automatic transmission
have this function.
i Vehicles for the United Kingdom: this
function is not available.
The Permanent display: function allows
you to choose whether the multifunction dis-
play always shows the outside temperature
or the speed in mph.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.
24 This function is not available on vehicles with Audio 50 APS, Audio 55 APS or COMAND APS. Menus and submenus
243On-board computer and displays Z