2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON Owners Manual

Fu
nction of Active Eme rgency Stop Assist 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 in the multifunc‐
tion displa y.Ifth e driver still does not steer the
ve hicle, or gives no confirmation tothe sy stem,
a wa rning tone sounds in addition tothe visual
wa rning message.
If th e driver still does not respond tothewa rn‐
ing, theBeginning emergency stop message
appears in the multifunction displa y.Ifth e driver
st ill does not respond, Active Dis tance Assi st DISTRONIC
reduces the speed. The vehicle is
decelerated in stages toast andstill.
Depending on the count ry, at speeds below
60 km/h the hazard warning lights switch on
automaticall y.
When theve hicle is stationar y,thefo llowing
actions are car ried out:
R The vehicle is secured with the electric park‐
ing brake.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is ended
R The vehicle is unloc ked.
R If possible, an emer gency call is placed to
th e Mercedes-Benz emer gency call centre
The driver can cancel the deceleration at any
time byper form ing one of thefo llowing actions:
R Steering
R Braking or accelerating
R Deactivating Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC Ac
tive Brake Assi st Fu
nction of Active Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stconsi sts of thefo llowing
functions:
R Distance warning function
R Autonomous braking function
R Situation-dependent braking assi stance
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Evasi veSteering Assist and cornering
function
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimise the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles, cyclists or
pedestrians or toreduce the ef fects of such a
collision.
If Ac tive Brake Assi sthas de tected a risk of colli‐
sion, a warning tone sounds and theL dis‐
ta nce warning lamp lights up in the instrument
clus ter.
If yo u do not react tothewa rning, autonomous
braking can be initiated in critical situations.
In especially critical situations, Active Brake
Assi stcan initia teautonomous braking direct ly.206
Driving and parking
Internal use only

In
this case, thewa rning lamp and warning tone
occur simultaneously wi th the braking applica‐
tion.
If yo u apply the brake yourself in a critical situa‐
tion or apply the brake during autonomous brak‐
ing, situation-dependent braking assis tance
occu rs. The brake pressure increases up tomax‐
imum full-s top braking if necessar y.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185). If autonomous braking or situation-dependent
braking assi
stance has occur red, display 1 appears in
the multifunction display and then
automatically goes out af ter a short time. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d de tection per form ance of Active
Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stcannot al ways clear ly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
Ac tive Brake Assi stis only an aid. The driver
is responsible for maintaining a suf ficiently
safe di stance totheve hicle in front, vehicle
speed and for braking in good time. #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Active Brake
Assi stalone. #
Be prepared tobrake or swer veif nec‐
essar y. Also obser
vethe sy stem limits of Active Brake
Assi st. The individual subfunctions are
available in
va rious speed ranges:
The dis tance warning function can issue a warn‐
ing in thefo llowing situations:
R From appr oximately 30 km/h, if over se veral
seconds the dis tance maintained totheve hi‐
cle tr avelling in front is insuf ficient forthe
driven speed, theL distance warning
lamp lights up in the instrument clus ter.
R From appr oximately 7 km/h, if your vehicle
is critically close toave hicle, cyclist or
pedestrian, you will hear an intermit tent
wa rning tone and theL distance warning
lamp lights up in the instrument clus ter.
Brake immediately or take evasive action, pr ovi‐
ded it is safe todo so and the traf fic situation
allo wsthis. Driving and parking
207
Internal use only

Distance
warning function (vehicles without
Driving Assistance Package)
The dis tance warning function can aid you in the
fo llowing situations with an intermitte ntwa rning
to ne and a warning lamp:
R at speeds up toappr oximately 250 km/h
when approaching vehicles ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 80 km/h
when approaching stationary vehicles, mov‐
ing pedestrians and cyclists ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 60 km/h
when approaching crossing cyclists
Distance warning function (vehicles with
Driving Assistance Package)
The dis tance warning function can aid you in the
fo llowing situations with an intermitte ntwa rning
to ne and a warning lamp:
R at speeds up toappr oximately 250 km/h
when approaching vehicles ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 100 km/h
when appro achingstationary vehicles R
at speeds up toappr oximately 80 km/h
when approaching moving pedestrians and
cyclists ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 70 km/h
when approaching stationary pedestrians,
crossing vehicles and stationary and crossing
cyclists
Au tonomous braking function (vehicles with‐
out Driving Assistance Package)
If th eve hicle is tr avelling at speeds abo ve
appr oximately 7 km/h, the autonomous braking
function may inter vene in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R at speeds up toappr oximately 200 km/h
when approaching vehicles ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 80 km/h
when approaching cyclists ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 60 km/h
when approaching moving pedestrians and
crossing cyclists
R at speeds up toappr oximately 50 km/h
when approaching stationary vehicles Au
tonomous braking function (vehicles with
Driving Assistance Package)
If th eve hicle is tr avelling at speeds abo ve
appr oximately 7 km/h, the autonomous braking
function may inter vene in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R at speeds up toappr oximately 250 km/h
when approaching vehicles ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 100 km/h
when appro achingstationary vehicles
R at speeds up toappr oximately 80 km/h
when approaching cyclists ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 70 km/h
when approaching stationary and moving
pedestrians, crossing vehicles and stationary
and crossing cyclists 208
Driving and parking
Internal use only

Situation-dependent braking assistance
(vehicles without Driving Assistance
Pack‐
age)
The situation-dependent braking assi stance can
inter vene from a speed of appr oximately 7 km/h
in thefo llowing situations:
R at speeds up toappr oximately 250 km/h
when approaching vehicles ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 80 km/h
when approaching stationary vehicles and
ve hicles ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 60 km/h
when approaching moving pedestrians and
crossing cyclists
Situation-dependent braking assistance
(vehicles with Driving Assistance Package)
The situation-dependent braking assi stance can
inter vene from a speed of appr oximately 7 km/h
in thefo llowing situations:
R at speeds up toappr oximately 250 km/h
when approaching vehicles ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 100 km/h
when appro achingstationary vehicles R
at speeds up toappr oximately 80 km/h
when approaching cyclists ahead
R at speeds up toappr oximately 60 km/h
when approaching stationary and moving
pedestrians, crossing vehicles and stationary
and crossing cyclists
Cancelling a brake application of Active
Brake Assi st
Yo u can cancel a brake application of Active
Brake Assi stat any time by:
R sharply depressing the accelerator pedal or
with kickdown
R releasing the brake pedal
Ac tive Brake Assi stmay cancel the brake appli‐
cation when one of thefo llowing conditions is
fulfilled:
R You manoeuv retoavoid the obs tacle.
R The reis no longer a risk of collision.
R An obs tacle is no longer de tected in front of
yo ur vehicle. Evasive
Steering Assist (only vehicles with
Driving Assistance Package)
Evasi veSteering Assist has thefo llowing charac‐
te rist ics:
R The ability todetect stationary or moving
pedestrians.
R Assistance thro ugh po wer-assis tedsteering if
it de tects a swerving manoeuvre.
R Activation byan abrupt steering mo vement
during a swerving manoeuvre.
R Assis tance du ring swerving and stra ightening
of theve hicle.
R Reaction from a speed of appr oximately
20 km/h up toa speed of appr oximately
70 km/h.
Yo u can pr eventthe assis tance at any time by
actively steering.
Cornering function (only vehicles with Driv‐
ing Assistance Package)
If a danger of collision from an oncoming vehicle
is de tected when turning across an oncoming
lane, auto nomous braking can be initia ted at Driving and parking
209
Internal use only

speeds below
15km/h be fore you ha veleft the
lane in which you are driving. &
WARNING Risk of accident despite Eva‐
si ve Steering Assist
Evasive Steering Assist cann otalw aysre cog‐
nise objects or compl extraf fic situations
clear ly.
Moreo ver,th esteering support pr ovided by
Evasive Steering Assist is not suf ficient to
avo id a collision. #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Ev asive
St eering Assist alone. #
Be prepared tobrake or swer veif nec‐
essar y. #
End the support byactively steering in
non-critical situations. #
Drive at an appropriate speed if there
are pedestrians close tothe path of
yo ur vehicle. Sy
stem limits
Fu ll sy stem per form ance is not available for a
fe w seconds af ter switching on the ignition or
af te r driving off.
If Ac tive Brake Assi stis impaired or inopera tive
due toa malfunction, theÄ warning lamp
appears in the multifunction displa y.
The sy stem may be impaired or may not func‐
tion, particular lyin thefo llowing situations:
R In sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatlyvarying
light conditions.
R Ifth e sensors are dirty, mis ted up, damaged
or co vered.
R Ifth e sensors are impaired due tointer fer‐
ence from other radar sources, e.g. strong
ra dar reflections in multi-s torey car par ks.
R If a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre
has been de tected and displaye d.
R In complex tra ffic situations where objects
cannot alw ays be clear lyidentified.
R If pedestrians or vehicles mo vequickly into
th e sensor de tection range. R
If pede strians are hidden by other objects.
R Ifth e typical outline of a pedestrian cann ot
be distinguished from the bac kground.
R If a pedestrian is not de tected as such , e.g.
due tospecial clo thing or other objects.
R Ifth e driver's seat belt is not fastened.
R On bends with a tight radius.
% The Active Brake Assi stsensors adjust auto‐
matically while a cer tain dis tance is being
driven af terth eve hicle has been delivered.
Ac tive Brake Assi stis una vailable or only
partially available during thete ach-in proc‐
ess.
Setting Active Brake Assi st
Multimedia sy stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance
5 Active Brake Assist
The settings can be adjus ted when the ignition is
switched on. #
Select Early,Medium orLate.
% Your selection is retained when theve hicle is
next star ted. 210
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

Deactivating
Active Brake Assi st
% It is recommended that you alw ays lea ve
Ac tive Brake Assi stactivated. #
Select Off.
The dis tance warning function and the auton‐
omous braking function are deactivated.
Ve hicles without Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: when theve hicle is next star ted, the
medium setting is auto matically selected.
Ve hicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Evasi veSteering Assist is not available.
When the ignition is next star ted, the
medium setting is selected auto maticallyand
Evasive Steering Assist is available.
% IfAc tive Brake Assi stis deactivated, the
æ symbol appears inthest atus bar of the
multifunction displa y.Tr
af fic Sign Assist Fu
nction of Traf fic Sign Assist
Tr af fic Sign Assi stdetects traf fic signs wi th the
multifunction camera (/ page186). It assists yo
uby displaying de tected speed limits and
ove rtaking restrictions in the instrument clus ter.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185).
Since Traf fic Sign Assi stalso uses the data
st ored in the navigation sy stem, it can update
th e display in thefo llowing situations without
de tecting traf fic signs.
If th e sy stem de tects that you are driving on to a
section of road in the wrong direction of trav el, it
triggers a warning.
The camera also de tects traf fic signs wi th a
re striction indicated byan additional sign (e.g.
when wet). These are only displa yed if a restric‐
tion applies or if the sy stem cann otclearly de ter‐
mine whe ther there striction applies.
Wa rning when the maximum permissible
speed is exceeded
The sy stem can warnyou if you unin tentionally
exc eed the maximum permissible speed. Todo
th is, you can specify in the multimedia sy stem
by how much the maximum permissible speed
can be exceeded before a warning is issued. Yo ucan specify whe
ther thewa rning is tobe just a
visual warning or an acoustic one as well.
Display in the Instrument Display In
stru ment Display in the widescreen cockpit
1 Maximum permissible speed
2 Maximum permissible speed when there is a
re striction
3 Additional sign with restriction Driving and park
ing211
Internal use only

%
Ve
hicles with a standard Instrument Dis‐
pla y:a+ symbol next toa traf fic sign in the
Instrument Display indicates that additional
traf fic signs ha vebeen de tected. These can
also be display ed inthe media display and
optionally in the head-up displa y.
If Traf fic Sign Assi stcannot de term ine the maxi‐
mum permissible speed (e.g. due tomissing
signs), thefo llowing display appears in the
Instrument Display: This is display
ed continuously if theve hicle is in
a country where Traf fic Sign Assi stis not sup‐
por ted. Traf fic Sign Assi stis not available in all
countries.
% Also obse rveth e information on display mes‐
sages in Traf fic Sign Assi st (/ page 445). Wa
rning when app roaching pedestrian cross‐
ings (vehicles with Driving AssistancePack‐
age)
The sy stem can warnyou if you approach a
pedestrian crossing with your vehicle. The ¯
Watch for pedestrians message appearsinthe
instrument clus ter.
The warning occurs only if appropriate traf fic
signs or lane markings are de tected and pedes‐
trians are present in the danger zone.
Sy stem limits
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
particular lyin thefo llowing situations:
R Ifth ere is poor visibility, e.g. due toinsuf fi‐
cient illumination of thero ad, if there are
highly variable shade conditions or in rain,
sno w,fog or heavy spr ay.
R Ifth ere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traf fic,
di re ct sunlight or reflections.
R Ifth e windscreen in the area of the multi‐
function camera is dirty, or if the camera is
mis ted up, damaged or co vered. R
Ifth e tra ffic signs are hard todetect, e.g. due
to dirt or sno w,because they are co vered, or
due toinsuf ficient lighting.
R Ifth e information in the navigation sy stem's
digital map is incor rect or out-of-da te.
R Ifth e signs are ambiguous, e.g. tra ffic signs
on const ruction sites or in adjacent lanes.
R Ifyo u turn sharply when passing traf fic signs
outside the camera's field of vision.
Setting Traf fic Sign Assist
Requ irements:
R For automatic ado ption of speed limits:
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d.
Multimedia sy stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance
5 Traffic Sign Assist
Ac tivating or deactivating automatic adop‐
tion of speed limits #
Select Adopt limit . 212
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

#
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
The speed limits de tected byTraf fic Sign
Assi stare automatically adop tedby Active
Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC.
Displ aying de tected traf fic signs in the
media display #
Select Display in COMAND. #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
% If one of thefo llowing sy stems is activated,
th e de tected speed can be manually adop ted
as the speed limit:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R Cruise control
R Variable limiter
Fu rther information (/ page199).
Ad justing the type of warning #
Select Visual & audible ,Visual orNone.
Ad justing the warning threshold
This value de term ines the speed at which a
wa rning is issued when exceeded. #
Select Warning threshold. #
Set the desired speed. Blind Spot Assist and
Active Blind Spot
Assi stwith exitwa rning Fu
nction of Blind Spot Assist and Active
Blind Spot Assi stwith exitwa rning
Blind Spot Assist and Active Blind Spot Assi st
use two lateral, rear-facing radar sensors to
monitor the area up to40 m behind and 3 m
next toyour vehicle.
If a vehicle is de tected at speeds abov e approx‐
imately 12km/h and this vehicle subsequently
enters the monitoring range di rectly next to your
ve hicle, thewa rning lamp in the outside mir ror
lights up red.
Pe rm anent status display in the instrument clus‐
te r:
R ¸ (gre y): sy stem is activated but inopera‐
tive
R ¸ (green): sy stem is activated and opera‐
tional If a
vehicle is de tected close toyour vehicle and
yo u swit chon the turn signal indicator in the cor‐
re sponding direction, a double warning tone
sounds and there dwa rning lamp in the outside
mir rorflashes. If the turn signal indicator
re mains switched on, all other de tected vehicles
are indicated only bytheflashing of thered
wa rning lamp.
If yo uove rtake a vehicle quickl y,no warning is
given. &
WARNING Risk of accident despite Blind
Spot Assi st
Blind Spot Assi stdoes not react tovehicles
approaching and overtaking you at a greatly
di fferent speed.
Blind Spot Assist cann otwa rndrivers in this
situation. #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation and maintain a safe dis‐
ta nce at the side of theve hicle. Driving and parking
213
Internal use only