2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class parking brake

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

If
indicator lamp;islit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp;flash es.The vehicle is
adjus tingtohighw ay/high-spee dlevel .
Whil ethe adjus tment istaking place, a
messag eapp ears inthe multifu nction
disp lay,e.g.: If
you press the% ora button onthe
multifu nctionsteering wheel,the messag e
wil ldisa ppea r.
Once highw aylevel hasbeen reached ,
indicator lamp;goes out.The Lowering
messag
edisa ppea rsfrom themultifu nction
disp lay.
The vehicle automaticallyselects highway
level ifyou aredriving ataspeed above
50 mph (80km/h) orifyou drive for
app roximately 20seconds between40m ph
(64 km/ h)and 50mph (80km/ h).Depen ding
on the ADSm ode selected (Ypage 180), the
vehicle islowered tohigh-speed levelat
higher speeds. PARKTRON
IC
Import antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G The
PARKTRONIC isasupplemental system.
It is not inten dedto,nor does itreplace, the
need forextr eme care. Theresponsibility
during parking andother criticalmaneuvers
alway sremains withthedriver. G
WARNIN
G Make
surenopersons oranimals areinor
near thearea inwhich youareparking/ maneuvering.
Otherwise,theycould be
injured.
PARKTRONIC isan electron icparking aidwith
ultrasonic sensors.Itindicates visuallyand
audib lythe distance between yourvehicle
and anobject .
PARKTRONIC isactivated automatically when
you:
R switch onthe ignition
R shift thetrans mission toposition D,Ror N
R release theelectric parking brake
PARKTRONIC isdeactivated atspeeds above
11 mph (18km/ h).It is reactivat edatlower
speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitorsthe area around your
vehicle usingsixsensors inthe front bumper
and four sensors inthe rear bumper. :
Sensor sin the front bumper, left-hand
side (example)
Range ofthe sensors General
notes
The sensors mustbefree ofdirt, iceand
slush; otherwise theymaynotfunct ion
correc tly.Clean thesensors regularly ,takin g
care nottoscratc hor damage them
(Y page 322). Driving
systems
183Driving and parking Z

Sid
evie w Top
view
Fro ntsenso rs Ce
nter Appr
oxim ately40 in
(a ppr oxim ately100 cm) Co
rners Appr
oxim ately24 in
(a ppr oxim ately60 cm) Rear
senso rs Ce
nter Appr
oxim ately48 in
(a ppr oxim ately120 cm) Co
rners Appr
oxim ately32 in
(a ppr oxim ately80 cm) !
Whe npark ing,pay particular attentio nt o
object sabove orbelow thesensors, such
as flower potsortrailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC doesnotdetect suchobject s
when theyareinthe immediate vicinityof
the vehicle. Youcould damage thevehicle
or the object s.
The sensors maynotdetect snowandother
object sthat absorb ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic
sourcessuchasan automatic
car wash, thecompressed- airbrakes ona
truck orapneumatic drillcould cause
PARKTRONIC tomalfunct ion.
PARKTRONIC maynotfunct ioncorrec tlyon
uneven terrain.
Minimum distance Center Approx
imately 8in
(approx imately 20cm) Corne
rs Appr
oxim ately 6in
(approx imately 15cm) If
ther eis an obst acle within thisrange ,the
relevan twarn ing displ ayslight upand a
warn ingtone soun ds.Ifth edist ancefalls
below themin imum ,th edist ancemay no
lon ger besho wn.
Wa rning displa ys The
warn ingdispl aysshowthedist ance
bet ween thesen sorsand theo bstac le.The
warning displayforthe fron tarea isloca ted
on the dashboa rdabo vethe center airvents.
The warning displayforthe rear area isin the
roof lamp inthe rear compartment. Warning
displayforthe front area
: Segments onthe left-hand sideofthe
vehicl e
; Segments onthe right-hand sideofthe
vehicl e
= Segments showingopera tional readiness
The warning displayforeach sideofthe
vehicl eis divi ded into fiveyellow and twored 184
Drivi
ngsystemsDriving and parking