2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK Owners Manual

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Vehicles with a petrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. The
coolant warning lamp
may also be on and a
warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 288). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. Manual transmission
Gear lever
! Only engage gear when the clutch pedal is
depressed.
! When shifting to
5thand 6thgear, you
must press the shift lever to the right. Oth- erwise, you could shift unintentionally into
3rd or4th gear and damage the engine or
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 laden or towing a trailer, you must shift into gear
1, 2or3in
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. Gear lever
k
Reverse gear
1 to6
Forward gears 150
Manual transmissionDriving and parking

Shifting to neutral (N)
X
Depress the clutch pedal fully.
X Move the gear lever to position N:.Engaging reverse gear
! Only shift into reverse gear
Rwhen the
vehicle is stationary. Otherwise, you could
damage the transmission.
X Pull the gear lever up, push it to the left and
then pull it back.
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 146).Gearshift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in adopting an economical driving style. The rec- ommended gear is shown in the multifunctiondisplay. X
Shift gear according to gearshift recom-
mendation :when shown in the multi-
function display of the instrument cluster. Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate. G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
i Bear in mind that the power transmission
between the engine and the transmission is
interrupted when the engine is switched
off.
To prevent the vehicle from rolling away:
R when the engine is switched off and the
vehicle is stationary, shift the automatic
transmission to park position Pand
R apply the electric parking brake DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions All vehicles (except AMG vehicles):
the
DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of the
steering column.
Information about the selector lever on AMG
vehicles (Y page 153). Automatic transmission
151Driving and parking Z

j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
i The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns
to its original position. The current trans-
mission position P,R, Nor Dappears in the
transmission position display (Y page 152)
in the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display The current transmission position and drive
program appear in the multifunction display.
:
Transmission position display
; Drive program display
i The arrows in the transmission position
display show how and into which transmis-
sion positions you can change using the
DIRECT SELECT lever.
! If the transmission position display in the
multifunction display is not working, you
should pull away carefully to check whether the desired transmission position is
engaged. Ideally, you should select trans-
mission position Dand drive program Eor
S. Engaging park position P X
Push the DIRECT SELECT lever in the direc-
tion of arrow P.
Transmission position display Pis shown in
the multifunction display.
i When you engage park position
P, make
sure that the transmission position display shows Pin the multifunction display.
i You can only engage park position
Pwhen
the vehicle is stationary.
i The automatic transmission shifts into
park position Pautomatically:
R if you open the driver's door while the
vehicle is stationary in transmission posi-
tion Dor R
R if you open the door while travelling at
very low speeds in transmission position
D or R
In addition, a warning tone sounds and a
display message is shown.
i Depressing the brake and pushing the
DIRECT SELECT lever up or down disen-
gages the parking lock. The transmission is
in Nneutral.
At transmission fluid temperatures below
Ò20 †, you can only shift out of park posi-
tion Pinto another transmission position
when the engine is running.
In order to shift from park position P
directly into Ror D:
R depress the brake pedal and
R push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or
down past the first point of resistance
! If the engine speed is too high, do not shift
the automatic transmission directly from D
to R, from Rto Dor directly to P. Otherwise,
the automatic transmission could be dam-
aged. 152
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

Engaging reverse gear R
!
Only shift the automatic transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary.
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 146).
X Depress the brake pedal while the vehicle is
stationary.
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the
first point of resistance.
Shifting to neutral (N) X
Push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down
to the first point of resistance.
Engaging drive position D X
Depress the brake pedal while the vehicle is
stationary.
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever down past
the first point of resistance. Selector lever
Selector lever in AMG vehicles with P button
j Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
Example
:
Transmission position display
; Drive program display
The current transmission position and drive
program appear in the multifunction display.
Engaging park position P X
When the vehicle is stationary, press Pbut-
ton :. Transmission positions
B Park position
This prevents the vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Do not
shift the transmission into position
P unless the vehicle is stationary. C Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to R
when the vehicle is stationary. Automatic transmission
153Driving and parking Z

A Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
When you switch off the engine, the automatic transmission automati-
cally shifts into neutral N.7 Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi- vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. Gearshifting is deter-
mined by:
R the selected drive program (Y page 155)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the road speed Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts
Holding the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients G
WARNING
If the clutch overheats, the electronic man-
agement system is automatically deactivated. This interrupts the power transmission. The
vehicle may, for example, roll backwards on
gradients. There is a risk of an accident.
Never hold the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients by depressing the accelerator.
The clutch may overheat if you hold the vehi- cle stationary on uphill gradients by depress-
ing the accelerator pedal. If the clutch over-
heats, a warning tone sounds.
All vehicles (except AMG vehicles): the
Stop
Stop vehicle vehicle Shift
Shiftto
toP
PLeave
Leave engine
engine
running
running display message appears in the mul-
tifunction display. You will only be able to
continue your journey once the clutch has
cooled down and the display message in the
multifunction display has disappeared.
AMG vehicles: theTrans. oil overhea‐ Trans. oil overhea‐
ted Drive on with care
ted Drive on with care display message
appears in the multifunction display.
Do not hold the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients by depressing the accelerator
pedal. Instead, only ever hold the vehicle sta- tionary on uphill gradients by:
R depressing the brake pedal
R activating the HOLD function
R engaging the electric parking brake
Kickdown AMG vehicles:
it is only possible to use kick-
down in temporary manual drive program M.
For further information on the manual drive
program M, see (Y page 156).
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration:
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up. 154
Automatic transmissionDriving an
d parking

Towing a trailer
Trailer towing is not permissible on the fol-
lowing models:
R
A 45 AMG 4MATIC
R Vehicles with the AMG Sports package
X Drive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
X Depending on the uphill or downhill gradi-
ent, select a lower gear (Y page 166), even
if cruise control, DISTRONIC PLUS, or
SPEEDTRONIC are activated. Program selector button
General notes The program selector button allows you to
choose between drive programs with differ-
ent driving characteristics. Example: program selector button
E
Economy Comfortable, economical
driving
S
Sport Sporty driving style
M
Manual Manual gearshifting
X
Press program selector button :repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired gearshift program appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
i The automatic transmission switches to
automatic drive program Eeach time the
engine is started. i
For further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Y page 156).
AMG vehicles C
Controlled
Efficiency Comfortable, economical
driving
S
Sport Sporty driving style
M
Manual Manual gearshifting
X
Press program selector button :repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired gearshift program appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
i The automatic transmission switches to
automatic drive program Ceach time the
engine is started.
i For further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Y page 156). Automatic transmission
155Driving and parking Z

Steering wheel gearshift paddles
:
Left steering wheel gearshift paddle
(shifts down)
; Right steering wheel gearshift paddle
(shifts up)
In drive program M, you can change gear
yourself using the steering wheel gearshift
paddles.
If you pull the left or right steering wheel gear- shift paddle when in automatic drive program
E (drive program Con AMG vehicles) or S, the
automatic transmission shifts into drive pro-
gram Mfor a limited time. Depending on
which gearshift paddle is pulled, the auto-
matic transmission immediately shifts into
the next gear down or up.
AMG vehicles: you can activate drive pro-
gram MRACE START (Y page 181) using the
steering wheel gearshift paddles.
i You can only change gear with the steer-
ing wheel gearshift paddles when the trans-
mission is in position D.
i For further information on the manual
drive program, see (Y page 156).Automatic drive program
Drive program E(drive program Con AMG
vehicles) is characterised by the following:
R comfort-oriented engine settings.
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. R
the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears unless the accel-
erator pedal is depressed fully.
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin.
Drive program Sis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R sporty engine settings.
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later.
R as a result of the later automatic transmis-
sion shift points, the fuel consumption pos- sibly being higher. Manual drive program
Introduction In manual drive program
M, you can change
gear yourself by using the steering wheel
gearshift paddles. For this, the transmission
must be in position D. The gear currently
selected and engaged is shown in the multi-
function display.
Manual drive program Mdiffers from drive
programs E(drive program Con AMG vehi-
cles) and Swith regard to spontaneity,
responsiveness and smoothness of gear
changes. Gear Driving situations
=
To use the engine's braking effect156
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

5
To use the braking effect of the
engine on downhill gradients and
for driving:
R on steep mountain roads
R in mountainous terrain
R in arduous conditions 4
To use the braking effect of the
engine on extremely steep downhill
gradients and on long downhill
stretches Activating the manual drive program
Activating permanently
X Press the program selector button
(Y page 155) repeatedly until Mappears in
the multifunction display.
Manual drive program Mremains active
until drive program E(drive program Con
AMG vehicles) or Sis engaged.
Activating temporarily X Pull the right or left steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 156).
M is shown in the multifunction display.
Manual drive program Mis temporarily
active. Depending on which gearshift pad-
dle is pulled, the automatic transmission
immediately shifts into the next gear down
or up.
i When manual drive program
Mis activa-
ted via the steering wheel gearshift pad-
dles, the temporarily active manual drive
program Mwill be deactivated automati-
cally after a limited time, if the driving sit-
uation permits. The automatic transmis-
sion switches to the previously activated
drive program E(drive program Con AMG
vehicles) or S. When driving on downhill
gradients, the temporarily active manual
drive program Mwill only be deactivated if
the accelerator pedal is depressed while
the vehicle is rolling downhill. Shifting up X
Pull the right-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 156).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the next gear.
i All vehicles (except AMG vehicles): in
order to prevent engine damage the auto-
matic transmission automatically shifts up:
R if the maximum engine speed on the cur-
rently engaged gear is reached and
R you depress the accelerator pedal.
AMG vehicles:
! In manual gearshift program
M, the auto-
matic transmission does not shift up auto-
matically even when the engine limiting
speed for the current gear is reached.
When the engine limiting speed is reached, the fuel supply is cut to prevent the engine
from overrevving. You must make sure that the engine speed does not reach the red
area of the rev counter. Otherwise, there is
a risk of engine damage.
AMG vehicles !
In manual gearshift program
M, the auto-
matic transmission does not shift up auto-
matically even when the engine limiting
speed for the current gear is reached.
When the engine limiting speed is reached,
the fuel supply is cut to prevent the engine from overrevving. You must make sure thatthe engine speed does not reach the red
area of the rev counter. Otherwise, there is
a risk of engine damage. :
Gear indicator
; Upshift indicator Automatic transmission
157Driving and parking Z