2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS COUPE suspension

Centre console, lower section
Function Page
F
Stowage compartment 272
Ashtray 282
Cigarett
elighter 283
Power socket 283
Cup holders 279
G
e
Setsthe suspension
tuning 182
H
É
Setsthe vehicle level 181 Function Page
I
Stowage compartment 272
J
Ú
Select sthe driv epro-
gram 151
K
COMAND controller; see
th
es eparate operating
instructions Centre console
35Atag lance

Centre console, lower section (AMG vehicles)
Function Page
F
Cup holders 279
G
Engages parking position
P 160
H
Selector lever 148
I
Ashtray 282
Cigarett
elighter 283
Power socket 283
J
COMAND controller; see
th
es eparate operating
instructions Function Page
K
Stowage compartment 272
L
ß
Calls up/saves the
suspension tuning 183
M
à
Setsthe suspension
tuning 183
N
å
ESP® 66
O
Drive program selector 15236
Centre consoleAt
ag lance

Activating RACE START
X
Depress th ebrak epedal wit hyour left foot
and keep it depressed.
X Turn the drive program selector clockwise
(Y page 151) until the RSlamp lights up.
The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP Cancel: Paddle DOWN message appears
in the multifunction display.
i If the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is cancelled. The
RACE START cancelled message
appears in the multifunction display.
X To cancel: pull the left steerin gwheel shift
paddle (Y page 152).
or
X To confirm: pull the right steerin gwheel
shift paddle (Y page 152).
The RACE START available Depress accelerator message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is cancelled. The RACE START not
possible See Owner's Manual message
appears in the multifunction display.
X Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed rises to approximately
3500 rpm.
The RACE START Release brake to start message appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
i If you do not release the brake pedal
within five seconds, RACE START is cancel-
led. The RACE START cancelled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The RACE START active message appears
in the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches aspeed of approximately 50 km/h. Drive program
S+is activated. SPORT han-
dling mode remains activated.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if
you release the accelerator pedal during
RACE START or if any of the activation condi-
tions are no longer fulfilled. The RACE START
not possible See Owner's Manual mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i After using it several times in short suc-
cession, RACE START will be unavailable
until acertain distance has been driven. AIRMATIC
Vehicle level Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you have selected "Comfort tuning", the
vehicle will be lowered if you lock it within
60 seconds of the engine being switched off.
Make sure, therefore, that nobody is in the
vicinit yofthe wheel housing or under the
vehicle when you lock the vehicle. Otherwise,
limbs could become trapped.
! The vehicle is lowered by about 15 mm if:
R you have selected "Comfort tuning"
R you switch off the engine and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds
When parking, position your vehicle so that
it does not make contact with the kerb as
the vehicle is lowered. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged.
Your vehicle regulates its height automati-
cally. All-round level control ensures the best
possible suspension and constant ground
clearance, even with aladen vehicle. When
you drive fast, the vehicle is lowered auto-
matically to improve driving safety and to
reduce fuel consumption. Driving systems
181Driving and parking Z

The following vehicle levels are possible:
R
normal
R raised: the vehicle is raised by about
25 mm when compared with the normal
level.
R lowered: the vehicle is lowered by about
10 mm when compared with the normal
level.
The "Normal" and "Raised" vehicle levels can
be set manually.
The "Lowered" vehicle level is set automati-
cally:
R at speeds above 140 km/h
R if you have selected "Comfort tuning"
(Y page 182) and then lock the vehicle
within 60 seconds of the engine being
switched off
R if you have selected "Sports tuning"
(Y page 182)
Setting the vehicle level G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinit yofthe
wheel housing or under the vehicle while low-
ering the vehicle when it is stationary. Other-
wise, limbs could become trapped.
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road
surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow
chains or on particularly poor road surfaces.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level X
Start the engine. If indicator lamp
;is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to raised level.
The Vehicle rising message appears in
the display.
The "Raised level" setting is cancelled if you:
R drive at aspeed over approximately
120 km/h
R drive for approximately three minutes at a
speed over 80 km/h.
The "Raised Level" remains saved when you
are not driving within these speed ranges.
Setting the norma llevel
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to normal level.
Suspension tuning General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R
your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection ,i.e. sports or com-
fort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. 182
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Sportst
uning The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode when employing asporty
driving style, e.g. on winding countryr oads.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. You have selec-
ted "Sports tuning".
The AIRMATIC SPORT message appears in
the multifunction display.
Comfort tuning
In comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. There-
fore, select this mode if you prefer amore
comfortable driving style. Select comfort
mode also when driving fast on straight roads,
e.g. on straight stretches of motorway.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp =lights up. You have selec-
ted "Comfort tuning".
The AIRMATIC COMFORT message appears
in the multifunction display. AMG RIDE CONTROL sportss
uspen-
sion
General notes i
AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension
is available for the CLS 63 AMG model. Vehicle level The vehicle automatically sets the vehicle
level at the rear axle. Rear axle level control
ensures the best possible suspension and
that the ground clearance remains constant
even when the vehicle is loaded. This
improves driving safety and fuel consump-
tion.
Suspension tuning
General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously.T
his improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition,e .g. bumps
R your individual selection of Sport, Spor t+
or Comfort
If you select Sport or Sport +mode and
restart the engine, the suspension setting
revert stoComfort mode.
Sport mode :
Mode selector button
; Button for storing, calling up and display-
ing the selected mode
= Sport +mode indicator lamp
? Sport mode indicator lamp
The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road. Driving systems
183Driving and parking Z

Select this mod
ewhene mploying asporty
driving style ,e.g. on winding country roads.
X Press button :once.
Indicato rlamp ?light sup. You have selec-
te dS port mode.
The AMG Rid eContro lSPORT message
appear sinthemultifunction display.
Sport +mode
The ver yfirms etting of the suspension tuning
in Sport +mode ensures the best possible
contact with the road. Select this mode only
when driving on race circuits.
If indicator lamps =and ?are off:
X Press button :twice.
Indicator lamps =and ?light up. You
have selected Sport +mode.
The AMG Ride Control SPORT + message
appears in the multifunction display.
If indicator lamp ?lights up:
X Press button :once.
Secondi ndicator lamp =lights up. You
have selected Sport +mode.
The AMG Ride Control SPORT + message
appears in the multifunction display.
Comfort mode
In comfor tmode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. There-
fore, select this mode if you prefer amore
comfortable driving style. Select comfort
mode also when driving fast on straight roads,
e.g. on straight stretches of motorway.
X Press button :repeatedly until indicator
lamps =and ?go out.
You have selected Comfort mode.
The AMG Ride Control COMFORT mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Storing and calling up settings
Once the suspension tuning and drive pro-
gram have been selected, you can store and
call up your settings using AMG button ;.X
To store: press AMG button ;until you
hear atone.
X To call up: press AMG button ;.
The stored suspension tuninga nd drive
program are selected.
X To display: briefly press AMG button ;.
Your selection appears in the multifunction
display. 4MATIC (permanent all-wheel drive)
G
WARNING
4MATIC cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast.
If ad rive wheel spins due to insufficien tgrip:
R only depress the accelerator peda lasfar as
necessary when pulling away.
R accelerate less when driving.
R adapt yourd riving style to suitr oad and
traffic conditions.
! 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 implied 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.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tyres (M+ Styres), wit hsnow
chain sifnecessary.
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are per-
manentl ydriven .Together wit hESP®
,it
improves th etraction of your vehicl ewhen-
eve rad rive wheel spins due to insufficient
grip. 184
Driving systemsDriving and parking

AMG men
uinAMG vehicles
AMG displays :
Digital speedometer
; Gear indicator
= Upshift indicator
? Engine oil temperature
A Coolant temperature
B ECO start/stop function status indicator
(Y page 144)
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the AMG menu.
Upshift indicator UP =
indicates that the
engin ehas reached the overrevving range
when in the manual gearshift program.
Upshift indicator UP =
fades out other mes-
sages until you have shifted up.
If the engin eoil temperature is below 80 †,
the oil temperature is shown in blue. Avoid
using the full output of the engin eduring this
time.
SETUP :
Driv eprogram (C /SS+ /M )
; ESP ®
mode (ON /OFF )orS
PORT handling
mode (SPORT )
= Suspension tunin g(COMFORT /SPORT /
SPORT+ ) SETUP shows the drive program, the ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program) mode and the
suspension tuning.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the AMG menu.
X Press the 9button repeatedly until
SETUP is displayed.
or
X Briefly press the AMG button on the centre
console (Y page 183).
RACETIMER Displaying and starting the RACETIMER
:
Lap
; RACETIMER
You can start the RACETIME Rwhen the
engin eisrunning or if the key is in position
2 in the ignition lock.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the AMG menu.
X Press the 9button repeatedly until the
RACETIME Risshown.
X To start: press the abutton to start the
RACETIMER.
Displaying the intermediat etime 228
Menus and submenusOn-boar
dcomputer and displays

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variation sare pos-
sible. Not ethat your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the function sdescri-
bed. This is also the case for system sand
function srelevan ttosafety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 23). Important safet
ynotes G
WARNING
If wheels and tyres of the wrong size are used,
the wheel brakes or suspension components
may be damaged. There is arisk of accident.
Always replac ewheels and tyre swith those
that fulfil the specifications of the original part
(designation ,manufacturer, model). G
WARNING
Af lat tyre severely impairs the driving, steer-
ing and braking characteristics of the vehicle.
There is arisk of accident.
Tyres without run-flat characteristics:
R do not drive with aflat tyre.
R immediately replac ethe flat tyre with your
emergenc yspare wheel or spare wheel, or
consult aqualified specialist workshop.
Tyres with run-flat characteristics:
R pay attention to the information and warn-
ing notices on MOExtended tyre s(tyres
with run-flat characteristics).
Accessories that are not approved for your
vehicle by Mercedes-Ben zorare not being
usedc orrectly can impair the operating
safety. Before purchasing and using non-approved
accessories, visit aqualified specialist work-
shop and enquire about:
R suitability
R lega lstipulations
R factory recommendations
Information on the dimensions and types of
wheels and tyres for yourv ehicle can be
found under "Wheel/tyre combinations"
(Y page 341).
Information on air pressure for the tyres on
your vehicle can be found:
R on the tyre pressure label on the fuel filler
flap (Y page 157)
R under "Tyre pressure" (Y page 331)
R in the "Tyre pressure" section
Modification work on the brake system and
wheels is not permitted. The use of wheel
spacers or brake dust shields is not permit-
ted. This invalidates the general operating
permit for the vehicle.
i Further information on wheels and tyres
can be obtained at any qualified specialist
workshop. Operation
Information on driving
Check the tyre pressures when the vehicle is
heavily laden and, if necessary, adjust.
While driving, pay attention to vibrations,
noises and unusual handling characteristics,
e.g. pulling to one side. This may indicat ethat
the wheels or tyres are damaged. If you sus-
pect that atyre is defective, reduce your
speed immediately. Stop the vehicle as soon
as possible to chec kthe wheels and tyres for
damage. Hidden tyre damage could also be
causing the unusual handling characteristics.
If you find no signs of damage, have the tyres
and wheels checked at aqualified specialist
workshop.
When parking your vehicle, make sure that
the tyres do not get deformed by the kerb or 328
OperationWheels and tyres