RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately
30 mph
(Canada: 50 km/h). Drive program S+ is
activated. SPORT handling mode remains
activated.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if
you release the accelerator pedal during
RACE START or if any of the activation
conditions are no longer fulfilled. The RACE
START Not Possible See Operator's
Manual message appears in the multifunction
display.
i If RACE START is used repeatedly within
a short period of time, it is only available
again after the vehicle has been driven a
certain distance. AIRMATIC
Vehicle level Important safety notes
Your vehicle regulates its height
automatically.
All-round level control ensures
the best possible suspension and constant
ground clearance, even with a laden vehicle.
When you drive fast, the vehicle is lowered
automatically to improve driving safety and to
reduce fuel consumption.
The following vehicle levels are possible:
R normal
R raised: the vehicle is raised by about
0.80 in (20 mm) when compared with the
normal level
R lowered: the vehicle is lowered by about
0.40 in (10 mm) when compared with the
normal level
The "Normal" and "Raised" vehicle levels can
be set manually.
The "Lowered” vehicle level is set
automatically:
R at speeds above 70 mph (113 km/h)
R if you have selected "Sports tuning"
(Y page 200) Setting the vehicle level G
WARNING
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands and
feet away from wheel housing area, and stay
away from under the vehicle when lowering
the vehicle chassis.
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road
surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow
chains or on particularly poor road surfaces.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level X
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ; is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to raised level.
The Vehicle Rising message appears in
the display.
The "Raised level" setting is canceled if you:
R drive
at speeds above 75 mph (120 km/h)
R drive for about three minutes at speeds
above 50 mph (80 km/h).
The "Raised level" remains active when you
are not driving within these speed ranges.
Setting the normal level
X Start the engine. Driving systems
199
Driving and parking Z
4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive)
G
WARNING
If a drive wheel is spinning due to insufficient
traction:
R While driving off, apply as little throttle as
possible.
R While driving, ease up on the accelerator
pedal.
R Adapt your speed and driving style to the
prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
4MATIC cannot prevent accidents resulting
from excessive speed.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised.
This may damage the transfer case.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground
or be fully raised. Observe the instructions
for towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow
chains if necessary.
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are
permanently driven. Together with ESP ®
, it
improves the traction of your vehicle
whenever a drive wheel spins due to
insufficient grip. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The PARKTRONIC is a supplemental system.
It is not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always remains with the driver. G
WARNING
Make sure no persons or animals are in or
near the area in which you are parking/
maneuvering. Otherwise, they could be
injured.
PARKTRONIC
is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D, R or N
R release the parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper.
Range of the sensors General notes
!
When
parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, the compressed-air brakes on a
truck or a pneumatic drill could cause
PARKTRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain. 202
Driving systems
Driving and parking
vehicles. Under some circumstances, Parking
Guidance might therefore issue steering
instructions too soon. This may lead to a
collision. For this reason, you should avoid
using Parking Guidance in such situations.
G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the maneuvering range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
! Pay particular attention to low objects or
objects with flat surfaces, such as trailer
drawbars, posts, cross beams and curbs.
These
types of objects cannot be detected
by Parking Guidance and may damage the
vehicle.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as curbs slowly and not at
a sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tires.
Parking Guidance is an electronic parking aid
with ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to
measure the road on both sides of the vehicle.
A suitable parking space is indicated by the
parking symbol. You receive steering
instructions when parking. You may also use
PARKTRONIC ( Y page 202).
When PARKTRONIC is deactivated, Parking
Guidance is also unavailable.
Use Parking Guidance for parking spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same level as the road, i.e.
not on the pavement, for example. Parking
Guidance may not detect flat curbs
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, drive past the parking
space as close as possible.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incorrectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately. R
pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y
page 203) warning messages during the
parking procedure.
R when transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you must not use Parking
Guidance.
R never use Parking Guidance with snow
chains or an emergency spare wheel
installed.
R make sure that the tire pressures are
always correct. This has a direct effect on
the steering instructions.
R the way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. These include the
position and shape of the vehicles parked
in front and behind it and the conditions of
the location. In some cases, Parking
Guidance may guide you too far or not far
enough into a parking space. In some
cases, it may also lead you across or onto
the curb. If necessary, cancel the parking
procedure with Parking Guidance.
Detecting a parking space Example: vehicles featuring a DIRECT SELECT lever
:
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Parking Guidance is automatically activated
when you drive forwards. The system is
operational
at speeds of up to approximately
22 mph (35 km/h). While in operation, the
system independently locates and measures
parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h), you will see parking symbol ; as
a status indicator in the instrument cluster. 206
Driving systems
Driving and parking
Assistance menu
Introduction In the
DriveAssist menu, you have the
following options:
R show the distance display
(Y page 236)
R activate/deactivate ESP ®
(Y page 236)
R activate/deactivate the PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
(Y page 237)
R activate/deactivate ATTENTION ASSIST
(Y page 237)
R activate/deactivate Blind Spot Assist or
Active Blind Spot Assist (Y page 237)
R activate/deactivate Lane Keeping Assist or
Active Lane Keeping Assist (Y page 237)
Showing the distance display X
Press = or ; on the steering wheel
to select the DriveAssist menu.
X Press the 9 or : button to select
Distance Display.
X Press the a button.
The DISTRONIC PLUS distance display
appears in the multifunction display
(Y page 193).
If the Sensors Deactivated message
appears, the radar sensor system is
deactivated.
X Activate the radar sensor system
(Y page 241). Deactivating/activating ESP
® G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
no longer
stabilizes the vehicle. There is an increased
risk of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in the situations
described in the following.
Activating/deactivating ESP ®
on AMG
vehicles ( Y page 70).
For further information about ESP ®
, see
(Y page 69).
X Start the engine.
X Press = or ; on the steering wheel
to select the DriveAssist menu.
X Press 9 or : to select ESP.
X Press the a button.
The current selection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: press the a
button again.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the å warning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up
continuously when the engine is running.
If the ä warning lamp and the å
warning lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not
available due to a malfunction.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the
following situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 279).
Observe the information on display messages
(Y page 247). 236
Menus and submenus
On-board computer and displays
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
Once the winter tires are mounted:
X
Check the tire pressures (Y page 369).
X Vehicles for Canada: restart the tire
pressure loss warning system
(Y page 370).
X Restart the tire pressure monitor
(Y page 370).
For more information on driving with the
emergency spare wheel, see (Y page 398). Snow chains
G
WARNING
If snow chains are installed to the front
wheels, they may drag against the vehicle
body or chassis components. This could
cause damage to the vehicle or the tires.
There is a risk of an accident.
To avoid hazardous situations:
R never install snow chains to the front
wheels
R always install snow chains in pairs to the
rear wheels.
! On vehicles with AIRMATIC, you must
drive at raised vehicle level if snow chains
have been mounted. The vehicle may
otherwise be damaged.
! On some tire sizes there is not enough
space
for snow chains. To avoid damage to
the vehicle or tires, observe the "Wheel and
tire combinations" section under "Tires and
wheels".
! Vehicles with steel wheels: if you wish
to mount snow chains on steel wheels,
make sure that you remove the respective
wheels' hubcaps first. The hubcaps may
otherwise be damaged.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you only use snow chains
that have been specially approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or are of a
corresponding standard of quality.
If you intend to mount snow chains, please
bear the following points in mind:
R
Snow chains may not be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations. Permissible
wheel-tire combinations (Y page 389).
R Only use snow chains when driving on
roads completely covered by snow.
Remove the snow chains as soon as
possible when you come to a road that is
not snow-covered.
R Local regulations may restrict the use of
snow chains. Observe the appropriate
regulations if you wish to mount snow
chains.
R Do not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h).
i You may wish to deactivate ESP ®
when
pulling away with snow chains installed
(Y page 70). This way you can allow the
wheels to spin in a controlled manner,
achieving an increased driving force
(cutting action).
For more information on driving with the
emergency spare wheel, see
(Y page 398). Winter operation
365
Wheels and tires Z
when adjusting the tire pressure
(Y page 366).
i
The actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific
and may deviate from the values in
the illustration. Checking the tire pressures
Important safety notes Observe the notes on tire pressure
(Y page 366).
Information on air pressure for the tires on
your vehicle can be found:
R
on the vehicle's Tire and Loading
Information placard on the B-pillar
(Y page 373)
R on the tire pressure label on the fuel filler
flap ( Y page 170)
R in the "Tire pressure" section
R under "Tire pressure"
(Y page 366)
Checking tire pressures manually To determine and set the correct tire
pressure, proceed as follows:
X
Remove the valve cap of the tire that is to
be checked.
X Press the tire pressure gauge securely onto
the valve.
X Read the tire pressure and compare it with
the recommended value on the Tire and
Loading Information placard
(Y page 366).
X If the tire pressure is too low, increase it to
the recommended value.
X If the tire pressure is too high, release air
by
pressing down the metal pin in the valve.
Use the tip of a pen, for example. Then,
check the tire pressure again using the tire
pressure gauge.
X Screw the valve cap onto the valve.
X Repeat these steps for the other tires. Tire pressure loss warning system
(Canada only)
Important safety notes While the vehicle is in motion, the tire
pressure loss warning system monitors the
set
tire pressure using the rotational speed of
the wheels. This enables the system to detect
significant pressure loss in a tire. If the speed
of rotation of a wheel changes as a result of
a loss of pressure, a corresponding warning
message will appear in the multifunction
display.
The tire pressure warning system does not
warn you of an incorrectly set tire pressure.
Observe the notes on the recommended tire
pressure ( Y page 366).
The tire pressure loss warning system does
not replace the need to regularly check your
vehicle's tire pressures, since an even loss of
pressure on several tires at the same time
cannot be detected by the tire pressure loss
warning system.
The tire pressure monitor is not able to warn
you of a sudden loss of pressure, e.g. if the
tire is penetrated by a foreign object. In the
event of a sudden loss of pressure, bring the
vehicle to a halt by braking carefully. Avoid
abrupt steering maneuvers.
The function of the tire pressure loss warning
system is limited or delayed if:
R snow chains are mounted to your vehicle's
tires.
R road conditions are wintry.
R you are driving on sand or gravel.
R you adopt a very sporty driving style
(cornering at high speeds or driving with
high rates of acceleration).
R you are driving with a heavy load (in the
vehicle or on the roof). Tire pressure
369
Wheels and tires Z
E 550 4MATIC BlueEFFICIENCY
Summer tires
R18
Tires Alloy wheels
BA: 245/40 R18 97 Y XL FA: 8.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.89 in
(48 mm)All-weather tires
R18
Tires Alloy wheels
BA: 245/40 R18 97 V XL M+S BA: 8.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.89 in
(48 mm)Winter tires
R18
Tires Alloy wheels
BA: 245/40 R19 97 V XL M+S
i BA: 8.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.89 in
(48 mm)E 63 AMG
Summer tires
R18
7 Tires Alloy wheels
FA: 255/40 ZR18 (99 Y) XL MO1
RA: 285/35
ZR18 (101 Y) XL MO1 8 FA: 9.0 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.46 in
(37 mm)
RA: 9.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm) R19
Tires Alloy wheels
FA: 255/35 ZR19 (96 Y) XL
RA: 285/30
ZR19 (98 Y) XL 8 FA: 9.0 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.46 in
(37 mm)
RA: 9.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm) 7
Not in connection with a ceramic brake system.
8 The use of snow chains is not permitted. Observe the notes under "Snow chains". Wheel and tire combinations
395
Wheels and tires Z
Winter tires
R18
7 Tires Alloy wheels
FA: 255/40 R18 99 V XL M+S
i
RA: 255/40 R18 99 V XL M+S i9 FA: 9.0 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.46 in
(37 mm)
RA: 9.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm) R19
Tires Alloy wheels
FA: 255/35 R19 96 V XL M+S
i
RA: 255/35
R19 96 V XL M+S i9, 10 FA: 9.0 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.46 in
(37 mm)
RA: 9.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm) FA: 255/35 R19 96 V XL M+S
i
RA: 285/30
R19 98 V XL M+S i8 FA: 9.0 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.46 in
(37 mm)
RA: 9.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm) E 350 BlueTEC
Summer tires
R18
Tires Alloy wheels
BA: 245/40 R18 97 Y XL FA: 8.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.89 in
(48 mm)7
Not in connection with a ceramic brake system.
9 Use of snow chains: contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
10 Maximum permissible speed for the Wagon:
137 mph (220 km/h).
8 The use of snow chains is not permitted. Observe the notes under "Snow chains".396
Wheel and tire combinations
Wheels and tires