2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS CABRIOLET Owners Manual

Winter driving
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you shift dow nonaslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface. G
DANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the
vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open
a window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 342).
Driving with summer tyres Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 342).
Slippery road surfaces G
WARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface. If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X
Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres.
i For more information on driving with
snow chains, see (Y page 343). Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time. G
WARNING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at a constant speed (e.g. heavy traffic 182
Driving systemsDriving and parking

or winding roads). You may otherwise
cause an accident.
R on slippery roads. The drive wheels may
lose their grip when braking or accelerating
and the vehicle may skid.
R when there is low visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow.
General notes Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. You must
select a low gear in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. On vehicles
with automatic transmission, select shift
range 1,2or 3.B y doing so, you will make
use of the braking effec tofthe engine. This
relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and
wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h.
Cruise control lever :
To activate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed A
To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds. In the multifunction display,
the segments between the stored speed and
the maximum speed light up.
Activation conditions To activate cruise control, all of the following
activation conditions must be fulfilled:
R
the parking brake must be released.
R you must be driving faster than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not inter-
vening.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R the cruise control function must be selec-
ted (Y page 183).
Selecting cruise control X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp :is off.
If it is off, cruise control is already selected. Driving systems
183Driving and parking Z

If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow
;.
LIM indicator lamp :in the cruise control
lever goes out. Cruise control is selected.
Storing and maintaining the current
speed You can accept the current speed if you are
driving faster than 30 km/h.
X Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ;.
X Remove yourf oot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored speed.
i Cruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by
automatically applying the brakes.
i Vehicles with manual transmission:
R always drive at adequate, but not exces-
sive, engine speeds.
R change gear in good time.
R if possible, do not change down several
gears at a time. Storing the current speed and calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger yourself or others by uninten-
tionally triggering sudden acceleration or
braking. X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you :.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated, it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting aspeed 184
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control
lever up :or down ;to the pressure
point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea-
ses in 1 km/h increments.
X To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h
increments: press the cruise control lever
briefly up :or down ;beyond the pres-
sure point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea-
ses in 10 km/h increments.
i Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards =.
or
X Brake or
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow ;.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp :in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake.
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
.
R you shift into neutral in a vehicle with man-
ual transmission while driving or depress
the clutch pedal for longer than six sec-
onds.
R on vehicles with manual transmission, you
shift to a gear that is too high, and as a
result the engine speed is too low.
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
you shift into position Nwhile driving.
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You will see the Cruise control Off message in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. SPEEDTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Never depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying constant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. Driving systems
185Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING
SPEEDTRONIC is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good time.
SPEEDTRONIC brakes automatically so that
you do not exceed the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additional braking, depress the
brake pedal repeatedly rather than continu-
ously.
You can set a variable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. when driving with winter tyres
fitted (Y page 188)
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may diffe rslightly fro mthe limit speed
stored.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC General notes
:
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp =
To store the current speed and call up the
last stored speed
? To store the current speed or a lower
speed
A To switch between cruise control or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS and variable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control or
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
Selecting variable SPEEDTRONIC G
WARNING
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use variable SPEEDTRONIC if you will not
have to accelerate suddenly to a speed above
that stored as the limit speed. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident.
You can only exceed the limit speed stored if
you deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC:
R using the cruise control lever
R by depressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown)
It is not possible to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC by braking. 186
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
Chec kwhether LIM indicator lamp :is on.
If it is on, variable SPEEDTRONIC is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow ;.
LIM indicator lamp :in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
selected.
Storing the current speed X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ;.
The current speed is stored and shown in
the multifunction display.
The segments in the multifunction display
light up from the start of the scale up to the
stored speed.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
Storing the current speed and calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for the
current driving and traffic situation. Other-
wise, sudden braking could endanger you or
others. X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you :.
Setting aspeed X
To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h
increments: briefly press the cruise con-
trol lever up :past the pressure point for
a higher speed, or down ;for a lower
speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
beyond the pressure point until the desired
speed is set. Press the cruise control lever
up : for a higher speed or down ;for a
lowe rspeed.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control
lever up :to the pressure point for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed to the
pressure point until the desired speed is
set. Press the cruise control lever up :for Driving systems
187Driving and parking Z

a higher speed or down
;for a lower
speed.
Deactivating variable SPEEDTRONIC G
WARNING
It is no tpossible to deactivate variable Speed-
tronic by braking. There are several ways to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
deactivated.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is automatically
deactivated if:
R you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the pressure point (kickdown), but only if
your current speed does not differ by more
than 20 km/h from the stored speed. You
will hear a warning tone if this is the case.
R on vehicles with manual transmission, if
you shift to a higher gear and as a result,
the engine speed is too low.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Permanent SPEEDTRONIC You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to
avalue between
160 km/h(e.g. for driving on winter tyres) and
the maximum speed ( Ypage 245).
Shortly before the store dspeed is reached, it
appears in the multifunction display.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC remains active,
even if variable SPEEDTRONIC is deactivated.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown). DISTRONIC PLUS
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid designed to
assist driving. The driver remains fully respon-
sible for the vehicle's distance from other
vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for braking
in good time.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react in particular
to:
R pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narro wvehi-
cles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a differen tline. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic conditions even
when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. 188
Driving systemsDriving and parking

G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONIC does not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
already active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R before corners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to a lane with faster moving
traffic
R in comple xdriving situations or where lanes
are diverted, e.g. at roadworks on a motor-
way
DISTRONIC PLUS otherwise maintains the
current speed set by you or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONIC PLUS:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip when
braking or accelerating. The vehicle could
start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor vis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
Otherwise, you may fail to recognise dangers
in time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes yourv ehicle up to a
maximum of 4 m/s 2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a risk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up. Brake to avoid a collision. General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. DIS-
TRONIC PLUS brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded.
On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer,
you must select shift range
1,2or 3in good
time. By doing so, you will make use of the
braking effec tofthe engine. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a slower-moving
vehicle in front, your vehicle is braked in order
to maintain the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor system must be activated
(Y page 245) and operational.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities (Y page 382).
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between
30 km/h and 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in front of you, DISTRONIC operates in the
speed range between 0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS on roads with
steep gradients. Driving systems
189Driving and parking Z