2011 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class Wheel

XIf indicator lamp ; is lit: press
button :.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. You have
selected the suspension for a comfortable
driving style.
The AIRMATIC COMFORT message appears
in the multifunction display.
Active Body Control (ABC)
Vehicle level
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to improve driving safety and reduce
fuel consumption.
Depending on the vehicle height that has
been set, the vehicle automatically adjusts its
height, depending on the current speed. As
the speed is increased, the vehicle is lowered
up to 0.6 in (15 mm). As the speed is reduced,
the vehicle is raised up to the set vehicle
height.
GWarning
The vehicle is lowered when the engine is
switched off. Therefore, make sure that
nobody is in the vicinity of the wheel housing
or under the vehicle when you switch off the
engine. Otherwise, limbs could become
trapped.
! The vehicle is lowered when the engine is
switched off. Make sure when parking that
you position your vehicle so that it does not
make contact with the curb as the vehicle
is lowered. Your vehicle could otherwise be
damaged.
iAMG vehicles: the vehicle is lowered by
about 0.4 in (10 mm) when the engine is
switched off.
Setting the vehicle level
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road
surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow
chains or on particularly poor road surfaces.
GWarning!
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands and
feet away from wheel housing area, and stay
away from under the vehicle when lowering
the vehicle chassis.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level
XStart the engine.
If indicator lamp ; is not lit:
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to raised level.
Setting the normal level
XStart the engine.
If indicator lamp ; is lit:
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to normal level.
Suspension tuning
The electronically controlled ABC suspension
system works continuously. This improves
driving safety and comfort.
The ABC suspension system is tuned
individually to each wheel and depends on:
Ryour driving style, e.g. sporty
Rthe road surface condition, e.g. bumps
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Ryour individual selection, i.e. sports or
comfort
Rthe vehicle load
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Sports tuning
The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode if you prefer a firmer
suspension tuning.
XIf indicator lamp ; is not lit: press
button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up. You have
selected the suspension for a sporty driving
style.
The ABC Active Body Control SPORT
message appears in the multifunction
display.
Comfort tuning
In comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. Select
this mode if you prefer a more comfortable
driving style.
XIf indicator lamp ; is lit: press
button :.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. You have
selected the suspension for a comfortable
driving style.
The ABC Active Body Control
COMFORT message appears in the
multifunction display.
4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive)
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are
permanently driven. Together with ESP®, it
improves the traction of your vehicle
whenever a drive wheel spins due to
insufficient grip.
GWarning!
If a drive wheel is spinning due to insufficient
traction:
RWhile driving off, apply as little throttle as
possible.
RWhile driving, ease up on the accelerator
pedal.
RAdapt your speed and driving style to the
prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The 4MATIC cannot prevent accidents
resulting from excessive speed.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. This may damage the transfer case.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground
or be fully raised. Observe the instructions
for towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
iIn wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow
chains if necessary.
PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes
GWarning!
The PARKTRONIC is a supplemental system.
It is not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always remains with the driver.
Driving systems339Driving and parkingZ

GWarning!
The system cannot detect objects located
above the area that the sensors scan. These
objects, e.g. protruding load, overhang, or
truck tail lifts, will be ignored when computing
the parking procedure. The Parking Guidance
might therefore provide untimely steering
instructions. This could cause a collision.
Thus, do not use the Parking Guidance in such
situations.
GWarning!
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You could
otherwise injure them.
! Pay particular attention to low objects or
objects with flat surfaces, such as trailer
drawbars, posts, cross beams and curbs.
These types of objects cannot be detected
by Parking Guidance and may damage the
vehicle.
When PARKTRONIC is deactivated, Parking
Guidance is also unavailable.
Use Parking Guidance for parking spaces:
Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel
Rthat are on straight roads, not bends
Rthat are on the same level as the road, i.e.
not on the pavement, for example. Parking
Guidance may not detect flat curbs
Parking tips:
ROn narrow roads, drive as close to the
parking space as possible.
RParking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incorrectly or not at all.
RSnowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
RPay attention to the PARKTRONIC warning
messages during the parking procedure
(Y page 341).
RWhen transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you must not use Parking
Guidance.
RNever use Parking Guidance with snow
chains or an emergency spare wheel
installed.
RMake sure that the tire pressures are
always correct. This has a direct effect on
the steering instructions.
RThe way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. These include the
position and shape of the vehicles parked
in front and behind it and the conditions of
the location. In some cases, Parking
Guidance may guide you too far or not far
enough into a parking space. In some
cases, it may also lead you across or onto
the curb. If necessary, cancel the parking
procedure with Parking Guidance.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as curbs slowly and not at
a sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tires.
Detecting parking spaces
:Detected parking space on the left;Parking symbol=Detected parking space on the right
Parking Guidance is automatically activated
when you drive forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
22 mph (35 km/h). While in operation, the
system independently locates and measures
parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
At speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h), you see
white parking symbol ; in the instrument
cluster as a status indicator. Parking
Guidance only shows parking spaces on the
passenger side in the default setting. Parking
spaces on the driver's side are displayed as
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soon as the turn signal on the driver's side is
activated. To park on the driver's side, you
must leave the driver's side turn signal
switched on until you have engaged reverse
gear. If a parking space is detected, parking
symbol ; changes to blue. Additionally, an
arrow pointing right = or left : is shown.
Parking Guidance will only detect parking
spaces:
Rthat are closed in at the back
Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel
Rthat are at least 5 ft (1.5 m) wide
Rthat are at least 4.3 ft (1.3 m) longer than
your vehicle
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are
approximately 50 ft (15 m) away from it.
Parking
The following instructions refer to parking in
a space on the front-passenger side. To park
in a space on the driver's side, mirror the
instructions.
GWarning!
The Parking Guidance is only an aid and may
not detect all obstacles. The Parking
Guidance does not relieve you of the
responsibility to pay attention. You are always
responsible for safety and must continue to
pay attention to your immediate surroundings
when parking and maneuvering. Otherwise,
you could endanger yourself and others.
XStop the vehicle when the blue parking
space symbol shows the desired parking
space in the instrument cluster.
XEngage reverse gear.
The multifunction display shows the
message: Check surroundings
Confirm with OK.
XPress a on the multifunction steering
wheel to confirm.
The display in the instrument cluster
switches to Parking Guidance.
:Green lane;White bracket marking the target positionXDepending on the distance, you may have
to reverse along the lane towards the
parking space. This is indicated by green
lane :.
Continue backing up until you hear a tone.
Stop; the parking position has been
reached and is marked by white
bracket ; with an arrow for the target
position.
Steering tips
:Red lane indicating the route the vehicle
will take with the steering wheel in its
current position
;Yellow lane indicating the route the
vehicle will take when you have turned the
steering wheel in the required direction
XTurn the steering wheel while the vehicle is
stationary until red lane : and yellow
lane ; overlap.
Lane ; is then marked in green and you
hear a tone. If the parking space is inside
the area displayed, the end of the green
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lane is marked with a white bracket and an
arrow showing the target position.
Backing up into a parking space
:Lane turns green when the steering wheel
is turned in the correct directionXKeep the steering wheel in that position
and reverse carefully.XStop as soon as you hear a tone.
The vehicle has reached the position in
which you need to countersteer.
Countersteering
:Red lane indicating the route the vehicle
will take with the steering wheel in its
current position;Yellow lane indicating the route the
vehicle will take when you have turned the
steering wheel in the required directionXTurn the steering wheel while the vehicle is
stationary until red lane : and yellow
lane ; overlap.
Lane ; is then marked in green and you
hear a tone. A white arrow and whitebracket are shown to indicate the target
position.
Driving to the final position
:Lane turns green when the steering wheel
is turned in the correct directionXKeep the steering wheel turned in that
direction and reverse carefully until you
have reached the final position.
The Parking Guidance finished
message appears in the multifunction
display and a tone sounds.
Final position
Depending on the size of the parking space,
you may now be in an angled position in the
parking space. If possible, Parking Guidance
will guide you as far back as possible towards
the rear limit of the parking space.
XManeuver to the final position if necessary.XAlways observe the warning messages
displayed by PARKTRONIC ( Y page 341).Driving systems345Driving and parkingZ

stationary and cannot check whether Night
View Assist Plus is working.
When you activate Night View Assist Plus,
speed display A in the multifunction display
changes. Speed display A is shown as a bar
at the bottom edge of the multifunction
display. This line is no longer available for
basic menus. You have to deactivate Night
View Assist Plus if you wish to change a
setting using the buttons on the multifunction
steering wheel.
Pedestrian recognition
The Night View Assist Plus recognizes
pedestrians using typical characteristics, i.e.
a silhouette in the shape of a person.
Pedestrian recognition is then switched on
automatically if:
R Night View Assist Plus is activated.
R you are driving above
approximately 6 mph (10 km/h).
R the surroundings are dark, e.g. when
driving outside built-up areas without
street lighting.
If pedestrian recognition is active,
symbol ? appears. If a pedestrian is now
recognized, they are framed = and thereby
highlighted. If the pedestrian recognition
system has brought a pedestrian to your
attention, look through the windshield to
evaluate the situation. The actual distance to
objects and pedestrians cannot be gauged
accurately by looking at a screen.
It may be the case that objects are highlighted
as well as pedestrians.
GWarning!
The pedestrian detection may be impaired or
unavailable when
R pedestrians are obstructed fully or in part
by other objects such as parking vehicles
R the silhouette in the Night View Assist Plus
image is displayed incomplete or
interrupted, e.g. by significant light
reflection
R a pedestrian's silhouette is not rich enough
in contrast compared to the background
R pedestrians are not in erected position but,
for example, sit, crouch down, or lie
i Animals are not identified by pedestrian
recognition.
Setting the brightness of the
multifunction displayXTo make brighter or dimmer : make sure
that Night View Assist Plus is activated.XTurn control : counterclockwise or
clockwise.
Fogged up or dirty windshield
If the windshield in front of the camera is
fogged up or dirty on the inside or outside, the
Night View Assist Plus display is affected.
GWarning!
Please do not forget that your primary
responsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver's
attention to the road must always be his/her
primary focus when driving. For your safety
and the safety of others, stop before trying to
remove window fogging or cleaning the
windshield in front of the Night View Assist
Plus camera.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.
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The system may be impaired or may not
function if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to
insufficient illumination of the road, or due
to snow, rain, fog or spray.
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun, or reflection from other vehicles.
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera.
Rseveral or no lane markings for a single lane
are present.
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow.
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected.
Rthe lane markings on the road are unclear,
e.g. near roadworks.
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge.
Rthe road is narrow and winding.
Lane Keeping Assist cannot detect road and
traffic conditions. It is not a substitute for
attentive driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed, braking in good time, and
steering correctly. Always adapt your driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognize dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and
others.
A warning can be given when a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you
by means of intermittent vibration in the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when
necessary and in good time if you cross the
lane marking, the system recognizes certain
conditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
Ryou approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
Rthe road has very wide lanes, e.g. a
freeway.
Rthe system recognizes solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
Rthe road has narrow lanes.
Ryou cut the corner on a bend.
No warning vibration occurs if:
Ryou clearly and actively steer, brake, or
accelerate.
Ryou cut the corner on a sharp bend.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP®.
Ryou switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time.
Activating Lane Keeping Assist
XActivate Lane Keeping Assist using the on-
board computer (Y page 376).
Symbol : appears in the multifunction
display.
If you drive at speeds above 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected,
symbol : is displayed in green. Lane
Keeping Assist is ready for use.
Active Driving Assistance package
General information
iThe Active Driving Assistance package is
only available on vehicles without HYBRID.
The Active Driving Assistance package
consists of DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 325),
Driving systems355Driving and parkingZ

Active Lane Keeping Assist
Important safety notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in front of your vehicle by means of a camera
at the top of the windshield. Active Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
road and warns you before you leave your
lane unintentionally. If you do not react to the
warning, a lane-correcting application of the
brakes can bring the vehicle back into the
original lane.
:Active Lane Keeping Assist camera
If you select km on the on-board computer in
the Display Unit Speed-/
Odometer (Y page 377) function, Active Lane
Keeping Assist is activated starting at a speed
of 60 km/h. If the mph display unit is selected,
the assistance range begins at 40 mph.
GWarning
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not keep
your vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid and
may detect the lane markings on the road
incorrectly or not at all.
The system may be impaired or may not
function if:
Rseveral or no lane markings for a single lane
are present.
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to
insufficient illumination of the road, or due
to snow, rain, fog or spray.
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun, or reflection from other vehicles.
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera.
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow.
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected.
Rthe lane markings on the road are unclear,
e.g. near roadworks.
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge.
Rthe road is narrow and winding.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot detect
road and traffic conditions. It is not a
substitute for attentive driving. You are
responsible for the vehicle's speed, braking in
good time, and steering correctly. Always
adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions. Always pay
attention to traffic conditions and your
surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
Warning vibration in the steering wheel
A warning can be given when a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you
by means of intermittent vibration in the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when
necessary and in good time if you cross the
lane marking, the system recognizes certain
conditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
Ryou approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
Rthe road has very wide lanes, e.g. a
freeway.
Rthe system recognizes solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
Rthe road has narrow lanes.
Ryou cut the corner on a bend.
Driving systems359Driving and parkingZ