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Closing the top cover
Press the cover closed.
Driver's side
Opening
Pull the handle. Close the glove compartment again im‐
mediately
Close the glove compartment immediately after
use while driving; otherwise, injury may occur
during accidents.◀
Closing
Fold up the cover.
Center armrest
Front
A storage compartment is located in the center
armrest between the front seats.
Opening
Press the buttons next to the lock.
Locking the storage compartment
The storage compartment in the armrest can be
locked with an integrated key to separately se‐
cure the trunk lid, refer to page 40, for example.
After the storage compartment is locked, the re‐
mote control can be handed out without the
integrated key, refer to page 30, for instance at
a hotel.
This prevents access to the storage compart‐
ment and to the cargo area.
Connection for an external audio
device
.
For a description, see the user's
manual for Navigation, Entertain‐
ment and Communication.
Rear
A storage compartment is located in the center
armrest between the seats.
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Opening
Depending on the equipment in your vehicle, the
button is in the depression at the front of the
center armrest or on top of the center armrest.
Cupholders
Notes Shatter-proof containers and no hot
drinks
Use light and shatter-proof containers and do
not transport hot drinks. Otherwise, there is the
increased danger of injury in an accident.◀
Unsuitable containers
Do not forcefully push unsuitable contain‐
ers into the cupholders. This may result in dam‐
age.◀
Front
To open: press on the cover.
Rear
In the front of the center armrest.
To open: press the button.
To close: slide back.
Clothes hooks
The clothes hooks are located next to the grab
handles in the rear and on the door pillar in the
rear.
Do not obstruct view
When suspending clothing from the
hooks, ensure that it will not obstruct the driver's
vision.◀
No heavy objects
Do not hang heavy objects from the hooks;
otherwise, they may present a danger to pas‐
sengers during braking and evasive maneu‐
vers.◀
Cargo area
Net
Smaller objects can be stored in the net on the
side of the cargo area.
To transport larger objects, it can be pushed
down.
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Storage compartment under the cargo
floor panel
Raise the cargo floor panel.
Storage compartment on the side
Under the cover on the side of the cargo area is
a storage compartment that can be used to store
the printed Owner's Manual, for example.
Remove cover.
Lashing eyes
To secure the cargo, refer to page 178, there
are lashing eyes in the cargo area.
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Driving tips
This chapter provides you with information useful in dealing with specific driving and operating modes.Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 916 693 - X/12
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Things to remember when drivingVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equipment
is also described that is not available in a vehicle,
e. g., because of the selected optional equip‐
ment or country variant. This also applies for
safety-related functions and systems.
Breaking-in period
General information
Moving parts need to be broken in to adjust to
each other.
The following instructions will help achieve a
long vehicle life and good economy.
Engine and differential
Always obey the official speed limit.
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km
Do not exceed the maximum engine and road
speed:▷For gasoline engine, 4,500 rpm and
100 mph/160 km/h.
Avoid full load or kick-down under all circum‐
stances.
From 1,200 miles/2,000 km
The engine and vehicle speed can gradually be
increased.
Tires
Due to technical factors associated with their
manufacture, tires do not achieve their full trac‐
tion potential until after an initial breaking-in pe‐
riod.
Drive conservatively for the first
200 miles/300 km.
Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of ap‐
prox. 300 miles/500 km to achieve optimized
contact and wear patterns between brake discs
and brake pads. Drive moderately during this
break-in period.
Following part replacement
The same breaking in procedures should be ob‐
served if any of the components mentioned
above have to be renewed in the course of the
vehicle's operating life.
General driving notes
Closing the trunk lid Drive with the trunk lid closed
Only drive with the tailgate closed; other‐
wise, in the event of an accident or braking or
evasive maneuvers, passengers or other road
users may be injured or the vehicle may be dam‐
aged. In addition, exhaust fumes may enter the
passenger compartment.◀
If driving with the tailgate open cannot be
avoided:▷Close all windows and the glass sunroof.▷Greatly increase the blower speed.▷Drive moderately.
Hot exhaust system
Hot exhaust system
High temperatures are generated in the
exhaust system.
Do not remove the heat shields installed and
never apply undercoating to them. When driv‐
ing, standing at idle and while parking, take care
to avoid possible contact between the hot ex‐
haust system and any highly flammable materi‐
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als such as hay, leaves, grass, etc. Such contact
could lead to a fire, and with it the risk of serious
personal injury as well as property damage.
Do not touch hot exhaust pipes; otherwise, there
is the danger of getting burned.◀
Climate control windshield
The marked area is not covered with heat re‐
flective coating.
Use this area for garage door openers, devices
for electronic toll collection, etc.
Climate control laminated tinted safety
glass
The vehicle glass provides full protection
against the harmful effects of UV radiation on the
skin.
Mobile communication devices in the
vehicle
Mobile communication devices in the ve‐
hicle
It is advised that you do not use mobile commu‐
nication devices, e.g., mobile phones, inside the
vehicle without connecting them directly to the
external antenna. Otherwise, the vehicle elec‐
tronics and mobile communication devices can
interfere with each other. In addition, there is no
assurance that the radiation generated during
transmission will be discharged from the vehicle
interior.◀
Hydroplaning
On wet or slushy roads, a wedge of water can
form between the tires and road surface.
This phenomenon is referred to as hydroplan‐
ing. It is characterized by a partial or complete
loss of contact between the tires and the road
surface, ultimately undermining your ability to
steer and brake the vehicle.
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, re‐
duce your speed to prevent hydroplaning.◀
Driving through water
Drive though calm water only if it is not deeper
than 9.8 inches/25 cm and at this height, no
faster than walking speed, up to 6 mph/10 km/h.
Adhere to water depth and speed limita‐
tions
Do not exceed this water depth and walking
speed; otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the elec‐
trical systems and the transmission may be
damaged.◀
Braking safely
Your vehicle is equipped with ABS as a standard
feature.
Applying the brakes fully is the most effective
way of braking in situations when this is neces‐
sary.
The vehicle maintains steering responsiveness.
You can still avoid any obstacles with a minimum
of steering effort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal and sounds from
the hydraulic circuits indicate that ABS is in its
active mode.
Objects in the area around the pedals No objects in the area around the pedals
Keep floor mats, carpets, and any other
objects out of the area of motion of the pedals;
otherwise, the function of the pedals could be
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Do not place additional floor mats over existing
mats or other objects.
Only use floor mats that have been approved for
the vehicle and can be properly fixed in place.
Ensure that the floor mats are securely fastened
again after they were removed for cleaning, for
example.◀
Driving in wet conditions
When roads are wet or there is heavy rain, briefly
exert gentle pressure on the brake pedal every
few miles.
Ensure that this action does not endanger other
road users.
The heat generated in this process helps dry the
brake discs and pads.
In this way braking efficiency will be available
when you need it.
Hills
Drive long or steep downhill gradients in the gear
in which the least braking is required. Otherwise,
the brake system may overheat, resulting in a
reduction in the brake system efficiency.
You can increase the engine's braking effect by
shifting down, going all the way to first gear, if
necessary.
Avoid load on the brakes
Avoid placing excessive load on the brake
system. Light but consistent brake pressure can
lead to high temperatures, brake wear and pos‐
sibly even brake failure.◀
Do not drive in neutral
Do not drive in neutral or with the engine
stopped, as doing so disables engine braking. In
addition, steering and brake assist is unavailable
with the engine stopped.◀
Brake disc corrosion
Corrosion on the brake discs and contamination
on the brake pads are furthered by:▷Low mileage.▷Extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all.▷Infrequent use of the brakes.
Corrosion occurs when the minimum pressure
that must be exerted by the pads during brake
applications to clean the discs is not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake discs, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating ef‐
fect that generally cannot be corrected.
Condensation under the parked vehicle
When using the automatic climate control, con‐
densation water develops that exits underneath
the vehicle.
Traces of water under the vehicle like this are
normal.
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