
!
When shifting between 5thand 6thgear,
you should always push the gear lever all
the way to the right. Otherwise, you could
shift unintentionally into 3rdor4th gear
and damage the transmission.
If you shift down at too high a speed (trans-
mission braking), this can cause the engine
to overrev, leading to engine damage.
Do not use the clutch bite point to keep the
vehicle stationary on uphill gradients.
There is otherwise a risk of damaging the
clutch.
! On long and steep downhill gradients,
especially if the vehicle is ladenort owing
a trailer, you must shift into gear 1, 2or3
in good time. This uses the engine's braking
effect .This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. Shifting to neutral N
X
Depress the clutch pedal fully.
X Move the gear lever to position N:. Neutral N with ECO start/stop func-
tion activated
In neutral N, the engine is switched off if the
vehicle speed is below a certain threshold and
the clutch pedal is not depressed.
For further information on the ECO start/stop
function, see (Y page 158). Engaging reverse gear
! Only shift into reverse gear Rwhen the
vehicle is stationary. Otherwise, you could
damage the transmission.
i The ECO start/stop function is not avail-
able when reverse gear is engaged.
For further information on the ECO start/
stop function, see (Y page 158).
X Move the gear lever firmly to the left
beyond the point of resistance and then
forwards. Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display. X
Shift gear according to gearshift recom-
mendation :shown in the multifunction
display of the instrumentc luster. Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The movemen tofthe pedals must not be
impaired in any way.D o not keep any objects
in the driver's footwell. Make sure that floor-
mats or carpets are correctly secured and
that there is sufficient clearance for the ped-
als. 164
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The fuel filler flap can-
not be opened. The fuel filler flap is not unlocked.
or
The key battery is discharged.
X
Unlock the vehicle using the emergency key element
(Y page 84).
X Open the boot lid or the tailgate.
X Manually unlock the fuel filler flap using the emergency release
(Y page 174). The fuel filler flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is jam-
med.
X
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Parking
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary, as you cannot
steer the vehicle when the key is removed.
Never leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle. They could release the parking brake. This
could lead to a serious or fatal accident. G
WARNING
Under no circumstances should the exhaust
system come into contact with flammable
materials such as dry grass or petrol, for
example. Do not park the vehicle on dry grass-
land or harvested grain fields. The hot exhaust
system could otherwise ignite the flammable
material and set the vehicle on fire.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally:
R the parking brake must be firmly applied.
R on vehicles with manual transmission,
engage first gear or reverse gear.
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission must be in position Pand the key must be removed from the ignition
lock.
R on uphill or downhill gradients, turn the
front wheels towards the kerb. Switching off the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the engine is not running, there is no power
assistance for the steering and brakes. Steer-
ing and braking then requires significantly
greater effort.
As a result, you might lose control of the vehi-
cle, cause an accident and injure yourself and
others.
Therefore, do not switch off the engine while
you are driving.
Vehicles with manual transmission X
Shift to either first gear or reverse gear R.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
X Apply the parking brake firmly. 176
ParkingDriving and parking

Vehicles with COMAND APS/
Audio 50 APS
i
The following function is not operational
in all countries.
DISTRONIC PLU Suses additional information
from your navigation system so that it can
adaptt o certain traffic situations. This is the
case if, while following a vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS is active and you:
R approach or drive around a roundabout
R approach a T junction
R turn off at a motorway exit
Even if the vehicle in front leaves the detec-
tion range, DISTRONIC PLUS temporarily
maintains the current driving speed and does
not accelerate. This is based on the current
map data in the navigation system. Example: roundabout
The current speed is maintained:
R
approximately 10 seconds before the
roundabout/T junction and approximately
1.5 seconds when driving on a roundabout.
R approximately 12 seconds before reaching
a motorway exit and approximately
4 seconds after the motorway exit.
Afterwards, the vehicle accelerates back to
the set speed you specified.
Stopping G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. DISTRONIC PLUS must also never be oper-
ated, activated or deactivated by a passenger
or from outside the vehicle.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not replace the park-
ing brake and must not be used for 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 a malfunction 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 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.T he specified minimum distance is
set using the control on the cruise control
lever.
Vehicles featuring automatic transmis-
sion with aselector lever
You will see a warning message in the multi-
function display if DISTRONIC 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. Driving systems
189Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING
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: only when the transmission
is in position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position Pon
vehicles with automatic transmission.
R you apply the brakes again with a certain
amount of pressure until ëdisappears
from the multifunction display.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS. G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when the HOLD
function is activated.
The HOLD function must never be operated
or deactivated by a passenger or from outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD function does not replace the park-
ing brake and must not be used for parking.
The braking effect of the HOLD function is
cancelled and the vehicle could roll away if:
R the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator peda lorthe
brake pedal.
R there is a malfunction 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 leave the vehicle or park it, deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away. On vehicles with automatic transmission and
a DIRECT SELECT lever, the transmission is
automatically shifted to
Pif the HOLD func-
tion is activated 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.
R a system fault occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
In vehicles with manual transmission or auto-
matic transmission with a selector lever, you
see a warning message in the multifunction
display if the HOLD function is activated 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.
For vehicles with manual transmission:
Brake immediately X
Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc-
tion display goes out. This deactivates the
HOLD function.
In vehicles featuring automatic transmission
with a gear selector lever: Select Park (P)
X
Move the selector lever to Pto prevent the
vehicle from rolling away.
The HOLD function is deactivated. The
warning message in the multifunction dis-
play disappears.
Ah orn will also sound at regular intervals if
the HOLD function 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 the
HOLD function is still activated. If you attempt Driving systems
195Driving and parking Z

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

Fitting the adapter
X
Open the socket cover.
X Insert the connector with lug :into
groove ;on the socket and turn the con-
nector clockwise to the stop.
X Let the cover engage.
X If you are using an adapter cable, secure
the cable to the trailer with cable ties.
! Make sure that there is sufficien tcable
play so that the cable canno tbecome
detached when cornering. Towing
atrailer
227Driving an d parking Z

confined spaces withou
tanextraction sys-
tem, e.g. a garage. G
WARNING
Whe noperating the auxiliary heating parts of
the vehicle can get very hot. Make sure that
the exhaust system does not under any cir-
cumstances come into contact with easily
ignitable material such as dry grass or fuels.
The material could otherwise ignite and set
the vehicle alight. Choose your parking spot
accordingly.
Operating the auxiliary heating is thus pro-
hibited at filling stations or when your vehicle
is being refuelled. You must therefore switch
off the auxiliary heating at filling stations.
! Operating the auxiliary heating/ventila-
tion draws on the vehicle battery. After you
have heated or ventilated the vehicle a
maximum of two times, drive for a longer
distance.
i Switch the auxiliary heating on regularly
once a month for about ten minutes.
Selecting the departure time or deactivat-
ing a selected departure time
X Press the =or; buttononthe steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Heating submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select
one of the three departure times or Timeroff (no timer active).
X Press the abutton to confirm.
When a departure time is selected, the yel-
low indicator lamp lights up on the auxiliary
heating button. Changing the departure time
X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Heating submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select
Change A ,
B or
C .
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You can now change the departure time.
X Press the =or; button to select the
display to be changed: hours, minutes.
X Press the :or9 button to set the
selected display.
X Press the abutton to store the entry.
The yellow indicator lamp on the auxiliary
heating button lights up.
Convenience Activating/deactivating the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature
You can use the
Easy Entry/Exit: function
to activate or deactivate the EASY ENTRY/
EXIT feature (Y page 115). G
WARNING
The steering wheel moves when the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature is active. There is a risk
of occupants becoming trapped. Before acti-
vating the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature, make
sure that nobody can become trapped.
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could open the
driver's door and thereby unintentionally acti-
vate the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature and
become trapped.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Convenience submenu.248
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
Seat belts
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
7
Only for certain coun-
tries: the red sea
tbelt
warning lamp lights up
for six seconds after
the engine starts. The seat belt warning lamp reminds the driver and fron
tpassenger
to fasten their seat belts.
X Faste nyour seat belt (Y page 49). 7
Only for certain coun-
tries: the red seat belt
warning lamp lights up
after the engine starts.
In addition, a warning
tone sounds for up to
six seconds. G
Risk of injury
The driver's seat belt is not fastened.
X Fasten your seat belt (Y page 49).
The warning tone ceases. 7
The red seat belt warn-
ing lamp lights up after
the engine starts, as
soon as the driver's or
the front-passenger
door is closed. G
Risk of injury
The driver or front passenger has not fastened their seat belt.
X Fasten your seat belt (Y page 49).
The warning lamp goes out. G
Risk of injury
There are objects on the front-passenger seat.
X Remove the objects from the front-passenger seat and stow
them in a secure place.
The warning lamp goes out. 280
Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument clusterOn-board computer and displays