2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class engine

of
the vehicle couldcause anaccident and/
or serious injurytoyou and others.
X Press thecruise controllever up: for a
higher speedordown ;for alower speed.
X Keep thecruise controllever pressed until
the desired speedisreached.
X Relea sethe cruise controllever.
The new speed isstored.
X Making adjustm entsin1mph
increments (1km/h increments): briefly
press thecruise controllever tothe
pressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in1mph increm ents(1km/ h
increm ents).
X Making adjustm entsin5mph
increments (10km/h increments):
briefly pressthecruise controllever
beyond thepressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in5mph increm ents(10km/ h
increm ents). i
Cruise
controlisnot deactivated ifyou
depress theaccelerator pedal.For
example, ifyou accelerate brieflyto
overtak e,cruise controladjusts the
vehicle's speedtothe last speed stored
after youhave finished overtaking.
Deactivating cruisecontrol There
areseveral waystodeactivate cruise
cont rol:
X Briefly pressthecruise controllever
forwards =.
or
X Brake.
Cruise controlisautomatically deactivatedif:
R you engage theelectric parking brake.
R you aredriving below20mph (30km/ h).
R ESP ®
interv enesoryou deactivate ESP®
. R
you activate DSR.
R you shift thetrans mission toposition N
while driving.
If cruise controlisdeactivated, youwillhear
a warning tone.You willsee the Cruise
Control
Off message
inthe multifunct ion
display forapproximately fiveseconds. i
When
youswitch offthe engine, thelast
speed stored iscleared. DISTRONIC
PLUS
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSrequires familiarity with
its operational characteristics.Westron gly
recommen dthat youreview thefollowing
informat ioncarefully beforeoperating the
system. G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSisaconv enienc e
system. Itsspeed adjustmen treduction
capability isinten dedtomake cruise control
more effectiveand usable whentrafficspeeds
vary. Itis not however, intendedto,nor does
it, replace theneed forextreme care.
The respons ibilityforthe vehicle's speed,
distanc eto the precedin gvehicle and,most
import antly,brake operation toensure asafe
stoppin gdistanc e,alway sremains withthe
driver.
The DISTRONIC PLUScannottake street and
traff iccon ditions intoaccount .
Complex drivingsituation sare not alway s
fully recogn izedbythe DISTRONIC PLUS.This
could result inwrong ormissing distance
warnings. G
WARN
ING The
DISTRONIC PLUSadaptive cruisecontrol
is not asubstit uteforactive driving
involvem ent.It does notreact topedestrian s
or on stat ionary objects,nor does itrecogn ize Driving
systems
169Driving and parking
Z

G
WARNING An
intermittent warningsound sand the
dista ncewarning lamp · inthe instrument
cluster isillumina tedifthe DISTRONIC PLUS
system calculates thatthedista ncetothe
vehicl eahe adand yourvehicle's current
speed indicat ethat theDISTRONIC PLUSwill
not becapable ofslowing thevehicle
sufficien tlytomaint ainthe preset following
distanc e,which createsadanger ofa
collision.
Immediately brakethevehicle toincr ease
your distanc eto the precedin gvehicle. The
warning soundisinten dedasafinal caution
in which youshould intercede withyour own
braking inputstoavoid apoten tially
dangerous situation.Donot wait forthe
operation ofthe warning signaltointerc ede
with your ownbraking. Thiswillresult in
potent iallydangerous emergencybraking
which willnotalway sresult inan impact being
avoided.
Tailgating increasestherisk ofan accident . G
WARNING DIS
TRONIC PLUSbrakes yourvehicle witha
maximum deceleration of13 ft/s2
(4 m/s 2
).
This isequivalent toapproximately 40%of
your vehicle's maximum possible
deceleration.
You need tobrake yourself toprevent a
collision. DISTRONIC PLUSbrakes thevehicle
to restore thesetdistance fromthevehicle
ahead orthe setspeed. G
WARNING If
you donot receive visualoracoustic
warning signalsduringacritic altraffic
situation, DISTRONIC PLUShaseither not
recogn izedthecollision risk,hasbeen
deactivated orismalfunct ioning.
Remember, whetherornot DISTRONIC PLUS
is operating, itis ultimately alwaysthe drivers
responsibility toapply thebrakes inorder to
cont rolthe vehicle andavoid acollision. G
WARNING The
vehicle canbebraked whenDISTRONIC
PLUS isactivated. Forthis reason, deactivate
DIS TRONIC PLUSifthe vehicle isto be set in
motion byother means (e.g.inacar wash or
by towing).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUStoassist you,
the radar sensor system mustbeactivated
(Y page 236)andoperational.
General notes DIS
TRONIC PLUSregulates thespeed and
automatically helpsyoumaintain the
distance tothe vehicle detectedinfront .It
brakes automatically inorder toavoid
exceeding thesetspeed.
On long andsteep downhill gradients,
especially ifthe vehicle isladen ortowing a
trailer, youmust select shiftrange 1,2or 3
in good time. Bydoing so,you willmake use
of the braking effectofthe engine, which
relieves theload onthe brake system and
prevent sthe brakes fromoverheating and
wearing tooquickly.
If aslower-moving vehicleisdetect edinfront ,
DIS TRONIC PLUScauses yourvehicle to
brake andmaintain thepreset distance tothe
vehicle infront .
If there isno vehicle drivinginfront ofyou,
DIS TRONIC PLUSfunctionslikecruise
cont rolataspeed rangebetween 20mph
(Canada :30 km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).If avehicle isdriving in
front ofyou, itfunct ionsataspeed range
between 0mph (0km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUSwhiledriving on
roads withsteep gradients.
As DIS TRONIC PLUStransmitsradar waves,
it can resemble theradar detect orsofthe
responsible authorities.Youcanrefer tothe
applicabl esection inthe Operator's Manualif
there areany questions concerning this. i
USA
only: Driving
systems
171Driving and parking Z

This
device hasbeen approved bythe FCC
as a“Vehicular RadarSyst em” .The radar
sensor isinten dedforuse inan automotive
radar system only.Removal, tampering, or
altering ofthe device willvoid any
warranties, andisnot permitted bythe
FCC. Donot tamper with,alter, oruse in
any non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment. i
Canada
only:Thisdevice complies with
RSS-2 10ofIndustry Canada.Operation is
subject tothe following twocondition s:
1. This device maynotcause interfer ence,
and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterfer ence
received, includinginterferencethatmay
cause undesired operationofthe device.
Removal, tampering, oraltering ofthe
device willvoid anywarranties, andisnot
permitted. Donot tamper with,alter, oruse
in any non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment.
Cruise control lever :
Toactivate orincrease speed
; Toactivate orreduce speed
= Todeactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
? Toactivate atthe current speed/last
stored speed
A Toset the specified minimum distance Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS Activation
conditions
In order toactivate DISTRONIC PLUS,the
following conditionsmust befulfilled :
R the engine mustbestarted. Itmay take up
to two minutes afterpullingaway before
DIS TRONIC PLUSisoperational.
R the electric parking brakemustbe
released.
R ESP ®
must beactive, butnot interven ing.
R the transmission mustbeinposition D.
R the driver's doormust beclosed whenyou
shift from Pto Dor your seatbeltmust be
fastened.
R the front -passenger doorandrear doors
must beclosed.
R DSR must bedeactivated.
R the vehicle mustnotskid.
Activating whiledriving
When driving atspeeds below20mph
(30 km/h) ,you can only activate DISTRONIC
PLUS ifthe vehicle infront hasbeen detect ed
and isshown inthe multifunct iondisplay .If
the vehiclein fro ntisno longe rdetec tedand
displayed, DISTRONIC PLUSswitch esoff and
a ton esounds.
X Briefly pullthecruise control lever towards
you ?,orbriefly pressup: ordown ;.
DIS TRONIC PLUSisselect ed.
X Keep thecruise control lever pressed
up : ordown ;until thedesired speed
is set.
X Remove yourfootfrom theaccelerat or
pedal.
Your vehicle adaptsitsspeed tothat ofthe
vehicle infron t,but only uptothe desired
stor edspeed. i
If
you donot fully release theaccelerat or
pedal, the DISTRON
ICPLUS Passive message
appearsinthe multifunc tion
display. Thesetdistanc eto aslower-
movin gvehicle infron twill then notbe
maint ained. Youwillbedriving atthe speed 172
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

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

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

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