2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Owner's Manual

speed
anddoes notaccelerate. Thisisbased
on the current mapdata inthe navigation
system. Example:
trafficcircle
The current speedismaintained:
R approximately 10seconds beforethe
traffic circle/T intersect ionand for
approximately 1.5seconds whendriving on
the traffic circle
R approximately 12seconds beforereaching
a freeway exitand approximately
4s econ dsafter thefreeway exit
Aft erwards, thevehicle accelerat esback to
the setspeed youspecified.
Stopp ing G
WARN
ING Never
getout ofthe vehicle whenDISTRONIC
PLUS isactivat ed.
DIS TRONIC PLUSmustalsonever be
operated, activatedordeactivat edbya
passenger orfrom outside thevehicle.
DIS TRONIC PLUSdoesnotreplace the
electr icparkin gbrake andmust notbeused
for parkin g.
The DISTRONIC PLUSbrakin geffec tis
canc eled andthevehicle canstart movin gif:
R DIS TRONIC PLUSisdeactivat edusing the
cruise control lever.
R you accelerat e.
R there isamalfunct ioninthe system oran
inte rruption inthe power supply, e.g.
batter yfailure. R
the electr icalsystem inthe engin e
compart ment,the batter yor the fuses are
tampered with.
R the batter yis discon nected.
If you wish toleave thevehicle orpark it,
deactivat eDIS TRONIC PLUSandsecure the
vehicle against rollingaway.
If DIS TRONIC PLUSdetectsthat thevehicle
in fron tisstopping, itbrakes yourvehicle until
it is stationary.
Once yourvehicle isstationary, itremains
stationary andyoudonot need todepress the
brake. i
Aft
eratime, theelectric parking brake
secures thevehicle andrelieves theservice
brake. i
Depending
onthe specified minimum
distance, yourvehicle willcome toa
standstill atasufficient distancebehindthe
vehicle infront .The specified minimum
distance isset using thecont rolonthe
cruise controllever.
The electric parking brakeautomatically
secures thevehicle ifDIS TRONIC PLUSis
activated and:
R the driver's doorisopen andthedriver's
seat beltisunfastened.
R the engine isswitched off.
R asystem malfunction occurs.
R the power supply isnot sufficient.
On steep uphillordownhill inclinesorifthere
is amalfunction, thetransmission mayalso
automatically beshifted intoposition P.
Setting aspee d G
WARNI
NG Kee
pin mind thatitm aytak eabrie fmoment
until thevehicle hasmade thenecessary
adjustmen ts.
Inc rease ordecrease thesetvehicle speedto
a value thattheprevailing roadcondit ionsand
legal speed limitspermit. Otherwise, sudden Driving
systems
175Driving and parking
Z

and
unex pectedacc eler ationordeceleration
of the vehicle couldcause anacciden tand/
or ser ious inju ryto youa nd othe rs. X
Pre ssthe cruise contro lle ver up: for a
hi ghe rspeed ordown ;for alower speed.
X Keep thecruise controllever pressed until
the desired speedisreached.
X Release thecruise controllever.
The new speed isstor ed.DISTRONIC PLUS
is activ ated andadjusts thevehicle's speed
to the new speed stored.
X Mak ingadjustm entsin1mp h
increment s(1 km/h increment s):briefly
press thecruise controllever tothe
pressure point.
The laststoredspeed increases or
decreases in1m phincr ement s(in Canada:
1 km/ hincr ement s).
X Mak ingadjustm entsin5mp h
increment s(10 km/h increment s):
briefly pressthecruise controllever
beyond thepressure point.
The laststoredspeed increases or
decreases in5mph increment s(10 km/ h
incr ement s).
Sett ingthe specified minimumdist ance G
WARN
ING It
is up tothe driver toexerc isediscret ionto
select theappropriate settinggiven road
con dition s,traf fic, driver' sprefer reddrivin g
style andapplicable lawsanddrivin g
recom mendat ionsforsafe following distance. You
cansetthe specified minimum distance
for DIS TRONIC PLUSbyvarying thetime span
between oneandtwosecon ds.With this
func tion,you can setthe minimum distance
that DISTRONIC PLUSkeeps tothe vehicle in
fron t,dependen tonv ehicle speed. Youcan
see this distanc ein the multifunc tiondisplay
(Y page 173). X
To increase: turncontrol ;indirect ion
=.
DIS TRONIC PLUSthenmaint ainsagreater
distanc ebetween yourvehicle andthe
vehicle infron t.
X To decrease: turncontrol ;in
direct ion:.
DIS TRONIC PLUSthenmaint ainsashort er
distanc ebetween yourvehicle andthe
vehicle infron t. i
Make
surethatyoumaint ainasufficien tly
safe distanc efrom thevehicle infron t.
Adj ust the distanc eto the vehicle infron tif
nece ssary.
De activ atin gDI STRO NICPLUS G
WA
RNING The
DISTR ONICPLU Ssw itch esoff and
rel eases thebrakes when the vehicle
de cel era tes below the mini mums peed of
20 mph (30km/ h)by operation ofthe system
unless theDISTRONIC PLUSdetectsavehicle
direct lyahead ofyou. Atthat time thedriver
must apply thebrakes inorder toreduce
vehicle speedfurtheror bring itto astop. 176
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

There
areseveral waystodeactivate
DIS TRONIC PLUS:
X Briefly pressthecruise controllever
forwards :.
or
X Brake, unless thevehicle isstation ary.
When youdeactivate DISTRONIC PLUS,the DISTRONIC
PLUSOff message
isshown in
the multifunct iondisplay forapproximately
five seconds. i
The
lastspeed stored remains storeduntil
you switch offthe engine. i
DIS
TRONIC PLUSisnot deactivated ifyou
depress theaccelerator pedal.Ifyou
accelerate toovert ake,DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts thevehicle's speedtothe last
speed stored afteryouhave finished
overt aking.
DIS TRONIC PLUSisautomatically
deactivated if:
R you engage theelectric parking brakeorif
the vehicle isautomatically securedwith
the electric parking brake
R you aredriving slowerthan
15 mph (25km/ h)and there isno vehicle
in fron t,or ifthe vehicle infron tisno longer
detected
R ESP ®
interven esoryou deactivate ESP®
.
R the transmission isin the P,Ror Nposition.
R you switch offthe radar sensor system
(Y page 236).
R you pull thecruise controllever towards
you inorder topull awayand the front- pa
sse nge rdoor orone ofthe rear doors is
open.
R you activate DSR.
R the vehicle hasskidded.
If DIS TRONIC PLUSisdeactivated, youwill
hear awarning tone.The DISTRONIC
PLUS Off message
isshown inthe multifunct ion
display forapproximately fiveseconds.
You canselect thedistance displayinthe
Assist ancemenu (Ypage 232)ofthe on-
board computer. Distan
cedisplay whenDISTRONIC PLUSis
deactivated
: Vehicle infront ,if detect ed
; Distan ceindicator, currentdistance to
the vehicle infront
= Specified minimum distancetothe
vehicle infront ;adjustable
? Own vehicle
X Select the Distance
Display funct
ion
using theon-board computer
(Y page 232).
Tips fordriving withDISTRONIC PLUS Import
antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G The
DISTRONIC PLUSworks tomaintain the
speed selected bythe driver unless amoving
obstacle proceeding directlyaheadofitin the
same travel direction isdetect ed(e.g.
following anothervehicleaheadofyou atyour
set distance). Driving
systems
177Driving and parking
Z

This
means that:
R Your vehicle canpass another vehicleafter
you have changed lanes.
R While inasharp turnorifthe preceding
vehicle isin asharp turn,theDISTRONIC
PLUS could losesight ofthe preceding
vehicle. Yourvehicle couldthenaccelerate
to the previously selectedspeed.
The DISTRONIC PLUSregulates onlythe
distance between yourvehicle andthose
directly aheadofit. Itmay notregister
station aryobject sin the road, e.g.:
R astopped vehicleinatraff icjam
R adisabled vehicle
R an oncom ingvehicle
The driver mustalway sbe alert, observe all
traff icand inter cede asrequired bymeans of
steerin gor braking thevehicle. G
WARNIN
G The
DISTRONIC PLUSshould notbeused in
snowy oricy road condit ions.
The following contains description sof cert ain
road andtrafficcondit ionsinwhich youmust
be particularly attentive.Insuch situations,
brake ifnecessary. DISTRONIC PLUSisthen
deactivated.
Cornering, goingintoandcoming outofa
bend The
ability ofDIS TRONIC PLUStodetect
vehicles whencornering islimited. Your
vehicle maybrake unexpect edlyorlate. Vehicles
traveling onadiffer entline DI
STRON ICPLUS maynotdetec tvehic les
tr aveling onadiffer entline. Thedistan ceto
the vehic lein fron twillbe too shor t.
Oth ervehicles changinglanes DI
STRON ICPLUS hasnotdete cted the
vehic lecut tingin yet. Thedistanceto this
vehic lewill betoo shor t.
Na rrow vehicles DI
STRON ICPLUS hasnotyetdete cted the
vehic lein fro nton the edge ofthe road, 178
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

because
ofits narro wwidth. Thedistan ceto
the vehicle infron twillbe too shor t.
Obst ructions andstationa ryvehicles DI
STRON ICPLUS doesnotbrak efor
obst acles orstation aryvehic les.If,for
exam ple,thedete cted vehic letur ns acor ner
and reve alsanobst acle orstation aryvehic le,
DI STRON ICPLUS willnotbrak efor these.
Crossin gvehicles DI
STRON ICPLUS maymistaken lydete ct
vehic lesthat arecrossin gyour lane.
Ac tivatin gDI STRON ICPLUS attraffic lights
with crossin gtr affic ,for exam ple,could cause
your vehic leto pull away unintention ally. HOLD
function
Gener alnotes The
HOL Dfunc tion can assis tthe driver inthe
following situations:
R when pullingaway ,especiall yon steep
slopes
R when maneuvering onsteep slopes
R when waiting intraffic
The vehicle iskept stationary withoutthe
driver having todepress thebrake pedal.
The braking effectiscanceled andtheHOLD
funct iondeactivated whenyoudepress the
accelerator pedaltopull away .
Activation conditions You
canactivate theHOLD functionif:
R the vehicle isstationary.
R the engine isrunning.
R the driver's doorisclosed orifyour seat
belt isfastened.
R the electric parking brakeisreleased.
R the transmission isin position D,Ror N.
R DIS TRONIC PLUSisdeactivated.
Activating theHOLD function X
Make surethattheactivation conditions
are met.
X Depress thebrake pedal. X
Quickly depress thebrake pedalfurther
until HOLD displa
y: appea rsinthe
multifunction display.
The HOLD functionisactivated. Youcan
release thebrake pedal. Driving
systems
179Driving and parking Z

i
If
depres singthebrake pedalthe first
time does notactivate theHOLD function,
wait briefly andthen tryagain. G
WARNING The
vehicle's brakesareappli edwhen the
HOLD functionisactivated. Forthis reason,
deactivate theHOLD functionifthe vehicle is
to be set inmotion byother means (e.g.ina
car wash orby towing).
Deactivating theHOLD function The
HOLD functionisdeactivated
automatically if:
R you accelerate andthetransmission isin
position Dor R.
R the transmission isin position P.
R you apply thebrakes againwithacertain
amount ofpressure until HOLD disappe
ars
from themultifunction display.
R you secure thevehicle usingtheelectric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS. i
Aft
eratime, theelectric parking brake
secures thevehicle andrelieves theservice
brake. G
WARNING Never
getout ofthe vehicle whentheHOLD
funct ionisactivated.
The HOLD functionmust never beoperated
or deactivated byapassenger orfrom outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD functiondoes notreplace the
electric parking brakeandmust notbeused
for parking.
The braking effectofthe HOLD functionis
canceled andthevehicle couldrollaway if:
R the HOLD functionisdeactivated by
depressing theaccelerator pedalorthe
brake pedal.
R there isamalfunction inthe system oran
interruption inthe power supply,e.g.
battery failure. R
the electrical systeminthe engine
compartmen t,the battery orthe fuses are
tampered with.
R the battery isdisconnec ted.
The electric parking brakeautomatically
secures thevehicle ifthe HOLD functionis
activated and:
R the driver's doorisopen andthedriver's
seat beltisunfastened.
R the engine isswitched off.
R asystem malfunction occurs.
R the power supply isnot sufficient.
On steep uphillordownhill inclinesorifthere
is amalfunction, thetransmission mayalso
automatically beshifted intoposition P. AIRMATIC
package
General notes AIRMATIC
enablesasuspension tuning
settin gto be selected andregulates the
damping behaviorandlevel ofyour vehicle.
The system comprises aminimum oftwo
componen ts:ADS (Adaptive Damping
System) (Ypage 180)andlevel control
(Y page 181). Yourvehicle mayalsobe
equipp edwith theActive Curve System
(Y page 181).
Observe thenotes ondriving withatrailer
(Y page 210).
ADS (Adaptive DampingSystem) General
notes
ADS adapts thedamping characterist icsto
the current operating anddriving situation.
This depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface condition s
R the ADS settin g
R the vehicle levelsettin g
Your selection remainsstoredevenifyou
remove theSmartK eyfrom theignition lock. 180
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

X
Start theengi ne.
Spo rtstuni ng
The firmer suspe nsio ntunin ginS port mode
ensures evenbettercon tact with theroad.
Select thismode whenemploying asport y
drivin gstyle, e.g.onwinding countryroads.
X Press button:.
Indic atorlamp ;lights up.Sport s
suspension tuningis select ed.The vehicle
is lowered by0.6 in(15 mm).
Comfor ttuning
In Comfort mode,thedrivin gcharac teristics
of your vehicle aremore comfortable. Select
this mode ifyou favor amore comfor table
driving style,butalso when driving faston
straight roads,e.g.freeways.
X Press button :.
Indicat orlamp =lights up.Comfort tuning
is selected. Thevehicle israised by
0.6 in(15 mm).
Active CurveSystem The
Active Curve System usesactive
stabilizers tooptimize bothdriving comfort
and vehicle agility.Dependin gon the ADS
mode selected (Ypage 180), theActiveCurve
System alsochanges thesetting.
If you select ADScomfor tmode:
R rolling movemen tisreduced inthe event of
changing surfaceundulations
R the rollangle whencornering isreduced
R the driving styleisagile If
you select ADSsport mode:
R the rollangle isreduced significantly
R the driving styleiseven more agile
Leve lcontrol Importa
ntsafety notes
Level controladap tsthe vehicle level
automaticall yto the current operating and
driving situation. Thisresults inreduced fuel
consumption andimproved handling.
If you select ADScomfort mode
(Y page 180), thevehicle islowered tohigh-
speed levelasthe speed increases. Asthe
vehicle decelerates, thevehicle israised back
up tohighwa ylevel.
If you select ADSsport mode (Ypage 180),
the vehicle skipshighwa ylevel andlowers
directly tohigh-speed leveldepending onthe
basic setting (Ypage 182).
Make changes tothe vehicle levelwhile the
vehicle isin motion. Thisenables thevehicle
to adjust tothe new level asquickly as
possible .
The vehicle levelmaychange visiblyifyou
park thevehicle andtheoutside temperature
changes. Ifthe temperature drops,the
vehicle levelislower; withanincrease in
temperature, thevehicle levelrises.
If you unlock thevehicle oropen adoor, the
vehicle beginstocompensate forload
discrepancies whilestillparked. However, for
significant levelchanges, suchasafter the
vehicle hasbeen stationary foralong period,
the engine mustbeon. For safety reasons,
the vehicle isonly lowered whenthedoors are
closed. Lowering isinterrupted ifadoor is
opened, anditcont inues oncethedoor has
been closed. G
WARNING Make
surenoone isnear thewheel housing
or under thevehicle whenyoulower the
vehicle whileitis standing still.Limbs could
become wedgedintoorunder thevehicle. Driving
systems
181Driving and parking
Z

For
safety reasons, thevehi clecan only be
low ered with alldoo rsand thetailga teclos ed.
Low ering isinterru ptedifadoo rorthe tailgate
is opened andwillcont inue after thedoor is
closed again.
! When driving onextrem elyrough terrain,
select ahigh vehicle levelingood time.
Make surethatthere isalwa yssufficient
ground clearance toprevent damage tothe
vehicle.
! Remove thekey from theignition before
raising oneormore wheels withthe
appropria teequipment.
For information aboutdriving off-road, see
(Y page 162).
Basic settings
The exten ttowhich thevehicle israised or
lowered depends onthe basic setting
selected. Selectraisedlevelforoff-road
driving orhighway /high-speed levelfor
normal roads.
The individual vehiclelevelsdifferfrom
highway levelasfollows:
R +/- 0in (+/- 0mm) atthe highway level
R –0.6 in(–15 mm)atthe high-speed level
R +2. 3in (+ 60 mm) atthe raised level
Raised level
Only select raised levelwhen thisis
appropriate forthe road condit ions.
Otherwise, fuelconsumpt ionmay increase
and handling maybeaffect ed. X
Start theengine. If
indicator lamp;isnot lit:
X Press button :.
Indicat orlamp ;flashes. Thevehicle rises
to raised level.
While theadjustmen tistaking place,a
message appearsinthe multifunction
displa y,e.g.: If
you press the% ora button onthe
multifunction steeringwheel,themessage
will disapp ear.
Once thevehicle hasreached raisedlevel,
indicator lamp;remains lit.The Vehicle
Rising message
disappearsfrom the
multifunction display.
If you attempt toselect theraised levelata
speed ofover 40mph (64km/h), the Drive
More
Slowly message
appearsinthe
multifunction display.
Highway/high-speed level
! Make surethatthere isenough ground
clearance whenthevehicle isbeing
lowered. Itcould otherwise hitthe ground,
damagi ngthe underbody . X
Start theengine. 182
Driving
systemsDriving and parking