2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON Owners Manual

Ac
tive Di stance Assist DISTRO NIC displaysin
th e instrument clus terAssi
stant display
1 Route-based speed adap tation: type of route
eve nt (/ page 202)
2 Vehicle in front
3 Distance indica tor
4 Set specified di stance
Pe rm anent status display of Active Di stance
Assist DIST RONIC
R k (white):Ac tive Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC selected, speci fied dis tance set R
k (whitevehicle, green speedome ter):
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC acti ve,
specified dis tance set and vehicle de tected
R k (green): Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC acti ve, specified dis tance set and
ve hicle de tected
R r: Route-based speed adap tation acti ve
( / page 202).
The stored speed is shown along with the per‐
manent status display and highlighted on the
speedome ter.When Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is passi ve,th e speed is gr eyed out.
% On mo torw ays or high-speed major roads,
th e green çvehicle symbol is displa yed
cyclically when theve hicle is ready topull
aw ay.
% Ifyo u depress the accelerator pedal be yond
th e setting of theAc tive Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC, the sy stem is switched topas‐
sive mode. The çsuspended message
appears in the multifunction displa y.Display on
the speedome ter
The stored speed is highlighted on the speedom‐
et er. If the speed of theve hicle in front or the
speed adjustment is less than thestored speed
due tothero ute event ahead, the segments in
th e speedome ter light up. Deactivation of Active
Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC, as well as altera‐
tions tothe speed due tomanual or auto matic
adoption of the maximum permissible speed, are
displa yed in the control feedback of the multi‐
function display on a single line.
Sy stem limits
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing situations, forex ample:
R In sn ow,ra in, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatlyvarying
light conditions.
R The windsc reen in the area of the camera is
dirty, mis ted up, damaged or co vered.
R Ifth era dar sensors are dirty or co vered.
R In multi- stor ey car pa rks or on roads with
st eep uphill or downhill gradients. 19 8
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

R
Ifth ere are nar rowvehicles in front, such as
bicycles or mo torcyc les.
In addition, on slippery roads, braking or accel‐
erating can cause one or se veral wheels tolose
traction and theve hicle could then skid.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC in
th ese situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident from acceler‐
ation or braking byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC may accel‐
erate or brake in thefo llowing cases, for
ex ample:
R Ifth eve hicle pulls away using Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC.
R Ifth estored speed is called up and is
considerably faster or slo werth an the
cur rently driven speed.
R IfAc tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC no
longer de tects a vehicle in front or does
not react toreleva nt objects. #
Alw ays carefully obser vethe traf fic con‐
ditions and be ready tobrake at all
times. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. &
WARNING Risk of accident due toinsuf‐
fi cient decele ration byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC brakes
yo ur vehicle with up to50% of the possible
deceleration. If this decele ration is not su ffi‐
cient, Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
alerts you with a visual and acoustic warning. #
Adjust your speed and main tain a suita‐
ble dis tance from theve hicle in front. #
Brake theve hicle yourself and/or take
ev asive action. &
WARNING Risk of accident if de tection
function of Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is impaired
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC does not
re act or has a limited reaction:
R when driving on a dif fere nt lane or when
ch anging lanes
R topedestrians, animals, bicycles or sta‐
tionary vehicles, or unexpected obs tacles
R tocompl extraf fic conditions
R tooncoming vehicles and crossing traf fic
As a result, Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC may nei ther give warnings nor
inter vene in su chsituations. #
Alw ays obser vethe tra ffic conditions
carefully and react accordin gly. Operating
Active Di stance Assist DIST RONIC
Re quirements:
R The elect ric pa rking brake is released.
R ESP ®
is activated and is not inter vening. Driving and pa
rking 19 9
Internal use only

R
The transmission is in position h.
R The driver's door is closed.
R Check of thera dar sensor sy stem has been
successfully comple ted.
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is not being
used topark theve hicle or toexit from a
parking space. #
Tooperate Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC:press thero ck er switches on
th esteering wheel control unit up or down to
th e desired position.
Switching between Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC and the limiter #
Press theI button.
Ac tivating the variable limi ter or Active Dis‐
tance Assi stDISTRONIC #
Toactivate with out astored speed: press
rock er switch 1upM or down N, or
select Jwiththe left rocker switch.
or #
Toactivate with ast ored speed: select
J withthe left rocker switch. #
Active Di stance Assist DISTRO NIC:remo ve
yo ur foot from the accelerator pedal.
The cur rent vehicle speed is stored and
maintained (Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC) or limited (variable limiter) by
th eve hicle.
Ad opting a de tected speed limit #
Activate Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC. #
If a traf fic sign has been de tected and is dis‐
pl ay ed in the instrument clus ter: select J
with the left rocker switch.
The maximum permissible speed on the traf‐
fi c sign is adop ted as thestored speed. The
ve hicle adapts its speed tothat of theve hicle
in front, but only up tothestored speed.
Pulling away with Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC #
Activate Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
and remo veyour foot from the brake pedal. #
Select Jwiththe left rock er switch.
or #
Depress the accelerator pedal briefly and
fi rm ly.
The functions of Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC continue tobe car ried out.
Deactivating Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC 200
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC being
acti vewhen you lea vethe driver's seat
If yo u lea vethe driver's seat while theve hicle
is being braked byActive Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC only, theve hicle can rollaw ay. #
Alw ays deactivate Active Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC and secure theve hi‐
cle topreve nt it from rolling away
before you lea vethe driver's seat. #
Select Owiththe left rock er switch.
% Ifyo u brake, deactivate ESP ®
or if ESP ®
inter venes, Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is deacti vated.
Increasing/decreasing thesto red speed #
1 km/h: press rocker switch 1upM or
down Ntothe pressure point, or press
and hold (increments of 1 km/h).
or #
10km/h: press rock er switch 1upM or
down Nbeyond the pressure point, or
press and hold (increments of 10km/h).
or #
Accelerate theve hicle tothe desired speed
and press rocker switch 1upM.
Changing the specified distance totheve hi‐
cle in front #
Toreduce the speci fied distance: press
th eright rock er switch up (Ñ). #
Toincrease the specified distance: press
th eright rock er switch down (Ò).
Fu nction of Active Speed Limit Assi st
If speed limit change between 20 km/h and
13 0 km/h is de tected and the automatic adop‐
tion of speed limits is active, it will be automati‐
cally adop ted as thestored speed
(/ page 212).
The driven speed is adju sted when theve hicle is
le ve l with the traf fic sign at the latest. In the
case of signs indicating entry into an urban area,
th e speed is adap ted according tothe speed
permitted within the urban area. The speed limit display in
the Instrument Display is alw ays upda‐
te d when theve hicle is le vel with the tra ffic sign.
If th ere is no speed restriction on an unlimited
st re tch of road (e.g. on a mo torw ay),th ere com‐
mended speed is auto maticallyadop ted as the
st ored speed. The sy stem uses the speed stored
on an unlimited stre tch of road as there com‐
mended speed. If you do not alter thestored
speed on an unlimited stre tch of road, there c‐
ommended speed is 130 km/h.
If Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC has been
put into passi vemode bypressing the accelera‐
to r pedal, only speed limits which are higher
th an the set speed are adop ted.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185).
Sy stem limits
The sy stem limits of Traf fic Sign Assi stapply to
th e de tection of traf fic signs (/ page 211).
Speed limits bel ow20 km/h are not auto mati‐
cally adop tedby the sy stem as thestored speed.
Te mp orary speed restrictions (e.g. for a cer tain
time or due towe ather conditions) cannot be Driving and parking
201
Internal use only

proper
lyde tected bythe sy stem. The maximum
permissible speed applying toave hicle with a
trailer is not de tected bythe sy stem.
Ad just the speed in these situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident due toActive
Speed Limit Assi stadapting theve hicle's
speed
The speed adop tedby Active Speed Limit
Assi stmay be too high or incor rect in some
individual cases, su chas:
R at speed limits below 20 km/h
R inwe t conditions or in fog
R when towing a trailer #
Ensure that the driven speed complies
with traf fic re gulations. #
Adjust the driving speed tosuit cur rent
traf fic and weather conditions. Fu
nction of route-based speed adaptation
When Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti‐
va ted, theve hicle speed will be adap ted accord‐
ingly tothero ute events ahead. Depending on th
e drive prog ram selected, theve hicle negoti‐
ates a route event ahead in an economical, com‐
fo rtable or dynamic manner. When thero ute
eve nt has been passed, theve hicle accelerates
again tothestored speed. The set dis tance to
th eve hicle in front, vehicles de tected ahead and
speed restrictions ahead are take n into account.
Yo u can activate and deactivate route-based
speed adap tation in the multimedia sy stem
(/ page 203).
The following route events are take n into
account:
R Bends
R T-junctions, roundabouts and tollst ations
R Turns and exits
R Traf fic jams ahead (only wi thLive Traf fic
Information (/ page 304))
% When theto llst ation is reached, Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC adopts the speed as
th estored speed. Also,
the speed is reduced if the turn signal indi‐
cator tochange lanes is swit ched on and one of
th efo llowing situations is de tected:
R Turning off at junctions
R Driving on slowing-down lanes
R Driving on lanes adjacent toslowing-down
lanes
The driver is responsible forch oosing theright
speed and observing other road users. This
applies in particular tojunctions, roundabouts
and traf fic lights, as route-based speed adap ta‐
tion does not brake theve hicle toast andstill.
When route guidance is active, thefirs t speed
adjustment is car ried out automatically. If the
turn signal indica tor is switched on, the selected
ro ute is confirmed and fur ther speed adjustment
is activated.
Speed adap tation is cancelled in thefo llowing
cases:
R Ifth e turn signal indicator is switched off
before thero ute event.
R Ifth e driver depresses the accelerator or
brake pedal during the process. 202
Driving and parking
Internal use only

Sy
stem limits
Ro ute-based speed adap tation does not take
ri ght of wayre gulations into account. The driver
is responsible for complying with road traf fic
re gulations and driving at a suitable speed.
The speed adap tation made bythe sy stem may
not alw ays be suitable, particular lyin thefo llow‐
ing situations:
R thero ad's course not clear lyvisible
R road nar rowing
R varying maximum permissible speeds in indi‐
vidual lanes, forex ample at tollst ations
R wetro ad sur faces, snow or ice
R when towing a trailer
In these situations the driver must inter vene
acco rding ly. &
WARNING Risk of accident in spite of
ro ute-based speed adap tation
Ro ute-based speed adap tation can malfunc‐
tion or be temp orarily una vailable in thefo l‐
lowing situations: R
Ifth e driver does not follow the calcula‐
te dro ute
R If map data is not up-to-date or available
R Intheeve nt of roadwor ks
R In bad weather or road conditions
R Ifth e accelera tor pedal is depressed
R Intheeve nt of electronical lydispla yed
speed limitations #
Adapt the speed tothe traf fic situation. Setting
route-based speed adjustment
Re quirements:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d.
Multimedia sy stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance
5 Speed adjustment #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function. Ac
tive Steering Assist Fu
nction of Active Steering Assist
Ac tive Steering Assist is only available up to a
speed of 210 km/h. The sy stem helps youto
st ay inthe cent reofthe lane bymeans of mod‐
erate steering inter ventions. Depending on the
speed driven, Active Steering Assist uses the
ve hicles ahead and lane markings as a refer‐
ence.
% Depending on the count ry, in the lo wer
speed range Active Steering Assist can use
th e sur rounding traf fic as a refere nce. If nec‐
essar y,Ac tive Steering Assist can then also
pr ov ide assis tance when driving outside the
centre of the lane, forex ample, toform a
re scue lane.
If th e de tection of lane markings and vehicles
ahead is impaired, Active Steering Assist
switches topassive mode. The sy stem pr ovides
no support in this case.
St atus display of Active Steering Assist in
th e multifunction display
R Ø (gre y): activated and passive
R Ø (gre en): activated and active Driving and parking
203
Internal use only

R
Ø (red): sy stem limits de tected
R Ø (white, red hands): "hands on thesteer‐
ing wheel" prom pt
% During the transition from active topassive
st atus, theØ symbol is shown as
enlar ged and flashing. Once the sy stem is
passive, theØ symbol is shown as gr eyin
th e multifunction displa y.
% Depending on the selected vehicle settings,
Ac tive Steering Assist may be una vailable.
Ste ering and touch de tection
The driver is requiredtokeep their hands on the
st eering wheel at all times and be able tointer‐
ve ne at any time tocor rect the course of the
ve hicle and keep it in lane. The driver must
ex pect a change from active topassive mode or
vice versa at any time. If
th e sy stem de tects that the driver has not
st eered theve hicle for a considerable period of
time or has remo vedth eir hands from thesteer‐
ing wheel, display 1appears. If the driver still
does not steer theve hicle, a warning tone
sounds in addition tothe visual warning mes‐
sage.
If th e driver does not react tothewa rning for a
considerable period, the sy stem can initiate an
emer gency stop (/ page 206).
The warning is not issued or is stopped when the
driver gives con firm ation tothe sy stem:
R The driver steers theve hicle. R
Depending on the count ry:th e driver
presses a steering wheel button or operates
To uch Control
If Ac tive Steering Assist de tects that a sy stem
limit has been reached, a visual warning is
issued and a warning tone sounds.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185).
Sy stem limits
Ac tive Steering Assist has a limited steering tor‐
qu efo r lateral guidance. In some cases, the
st eering inter vention is not su fficient tokeep the
ve hicle in the lane or todrive thro ugh exits.
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
R The reis poor visibilit y,e.g. due tosno w,rain,
fo g, heavy spr ay, greatly varying light condi‐
tions or strong shado wsonthe car riag ewa y.
R There is glare, e.g. from oncoming traf fic,
di re ct sunlight or reflections.
R Insuf ficient road illumination. 204
Driving and parking
Internal use only

R
The windscreen is dirty, mis ted up, damaged
or co vered in the vicinity of the camera, e.g.
by ast icke r.
R No, or se veral, unclear lane markings are
present for one lane, or the markings change
qu ickl y,forex ample, in a con stru ction area
or junctions.
R The lane markings are wornaw ay, dark or
co vered up, e.g. bydirt or sno w.
R Ifth e dis tance totheve hicle in front is too
short and thus the lane markings cann otbe
de tected.
R The road is nar row and winding.
R There are obs tacles on the lane or projecting
out into the lane, such as object mar kers.
The sy stem does not pr ovide assis tance in the
fo llowing conditions:
R On tight bends and when turning.
R When crossing junctions.
R Atroundabouts or tollst ations.
R When towing a trailer.
R When the tyre pressure is too lo w. &
WARNING Risk of accident if Active
St eering Assist unexpectedly stops func‐
tioning
If th e sy stem limits of Active Steering Assist
are reached there is no guarantee that the
sy stem will remain active or will keep the
ve hicle in lane. #
Alw ayske ep your hands on thesteering
wheel and obser vethe tra ffic carefull y. #
Alw aysst eer theve hicle paying atten‐
tion totraf fic conditions. &
WARNING Risk of accident if Active
St eering Assist unexpectedly inter venes
The de tection of lane markings and objects
may malfunction and cause unexpected
st eering inter ventions. #
Steer according totraf fic conditions. Ac
tivating Active Steering Assist
Re quirements:
R ESP ®
must be activated, but not inter vening. R
Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d. #
If indicator lamp 1is off: press button 2. Driving and parking
205
Internal use only