106Instruments and controls
Flashes
Electric parking brake is in service
mode. Stop vehicle, apply and
release the electric parking brake to
reset.9 Warning
Have the cause of the fault
remedied immediately by a
workshop.
Antilock brake system
(ABS) u illuminates yellow.
Illuminates for a few seconds after the ignition is switched on. The system is
ready for operation when the control
indicator extinguishes.
If the control indicator does not go out after a few seconds, or if it illuminates while driving, there is a fault in the
ABS. The brake system remains
operational but without ABS
regulation.
Antilock brake system 3 165.
Upshift
[ is shown as a symbol in the Driver
Information Centre, when upshifting
is recommended for fuel saving
reasons.
On some versions gear shift
indication is popped up as full page in the Driver Information Centre 3 110.
Gear shifting R or S with the number of the next
higher or lower gear is indicated,
when up- or down-shifting is
recommended.
Variable effort steering c illuminates yellow.
Fault in variable effort steering
system. This may lead to a higher or
lower steering effort. Consult a
workshop.Following distance
E indicates the following distance
setting of adaptive cruise control or the alert timing sensitivity of forwardcollision alert by filled distance bars.
Adaptive cruise control 3 175.
Forward collision alert 3 183.
Lane departure warning ) illuminates green or flashes yellow.
Illuminates green
The system is switched on and ready
to operate.
Flashes yellow
The system recognizes an
unintended lane change.
Ultrasonic parking assist
r illuminates yellow.
Fault in system
or
Fault due to sensors that are dirty or
covered by ice or snow
Driving and operating165Drive systems
All-wheel drive The All-wheel drive system enhances
driving characteristics and stability,
and helps to achieve the best
possible driveability regardless of
ground surface. The system is always
active and cannot be deactivated.
The torque is distributed steplessly
between the wheels of the front and rear axle, depending on the driving
conditions. Additionally the torque
between the rear wheels is distributed depending on the surface.
For optimum system performance,
the vehicle's tyres should not have
varying degrees of wear.
If a service message is displayed in
the Driver Information Centre, the
system may have limited functionality
(or be completely disabled in some
cases, i.e. the vehicle switches to
Front-wheel drive). Seek the
assistance of a workshop.
Towing the vehicle 3 257.Brakes
The brake system comprises twoindependent brake circuits.
If a brake circuit fails, the vehicle can
still be braked using the other brake
circuit. However, braking effect is
achieved only when the brake pedal
is depressed firmly. Considerably
more force is needed for this. The
braking distance is extended. Seek the assistance of a workshop before
continuing your journey.
When the engine is not running, the
support of the brake servo unit
disappears once the brake pedal has
been depressed once or twice.
Braking effect is not reduced, but
braking requires significantly greater
force. It is especially important to bear this in mind when being towed.
Control indicator R 3 105.
Antilock brake system
Antilock brake system (ABS)
prevents the wheels from locking.ABS starts to regulate brake pressure as soon as a wheel shows a tendency to lock. The vehicle remains
steerable, even during hard braking.
ABS control is made apparent
through a pulse in the brake pedal
and the noise of the regulation
process.
For optimum braking, keep the brake
pedal fully depressed throughout the
braking process, despite the fact that the pedal is pulsating. Do not reduce
the pressure on the pedal.
After starting off, the system performs a self-test which may be audible.
Control indicator u 3 106.
Adaptive brake light During full braking, all three brakelights flash for the duration of ABS
control.
166Driving and operating
Fault9Warning
If there is a fault in the ABS, the
wheels may be liable to lock due
to braking that is heavier than
normal. The advantages of ABS are no longer available. During
hard braking, the vehicle can no longer be steered and may
swerve.
Have the cause of the fault remedied
by a workshop.
Parking brake
Manual parking brake
Always apply parking brake firmly
without operating the release button,
and apply as firmly as possible on a
downhill or uphill slope.
To release the parking brake, pull the lever up slightly, press the release
button and fully lower the lever.
To reduce the operating forces of the
parking brake, depress the foot brake
at the same time.
Control indicator R 3 105.
Electric parking brake
Applying when vehicle is stationary
Pull switch m for approx.
one second, the electric parking
brake operates automatically with an adequate force. For maximum force,
e.g. parking with trailer or on inclines,
pull switch m twice.
The electric parking brake is applied
when control indicator m lights up
3 105.
The electric parking brake can always
be activated, even if the ignition is off.
170Driving and operating
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre.
If the vehicle comes into threshold
with deactivated ESP, the system will reactivate ESP for the time duration
of the threshold, when the brake pedal is depressed once.
ESC is reactivated by pressing the
b button again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.Interactive driving system
Flex Ride Flex Ride driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
■ SPORT mode: press button SPORT , LED illuminates.
■ TOUR mode: press button TOUR,
LED illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: neither button SPORT nor TOUR is pressed, no
LED illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and TOUR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode Flex Ride networks the following electronic systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control.
■ Accelerator Pedal Control.
■ Steering Control.
■ All-wheel drive.
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC).■ Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC).
■ Automatic transmission.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style:
■ Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more stiffly to provide better contact with the road surface.
■ The engine reacts more quickly to the accelerator pedal.
■ Steering support is reduced.
■ Engine torque of All-wheel drive is distributed more to the rear axle.
Driving and operating171
■ Shift points of automatictransmission occur later.
■ With SPORT mode activated, the illumination of main instruments
changes from white to red.
TOUR mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a comfort driving style:
■ Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more softly.
■ Accelerator pedal reacts with standard settings.
■ Steering support is in standard mode.
■ Engine torque of All-wheel drive isdistributed mainly to the front axle.
■ Shift points of automatic transmission occur in a comfort
mode.
■ Illumination of main instruments is white.
NORMAL mode
All settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.
Drive mode control
Within each manually selected driving mode SPORT, TOUR or NORMAL,
the Drive Mode Control (DMC)
detects and analyses continuously
the real driving characteristic,
responses by the driver, and the
active dynamic state of the vehicle. If
necessary, the control unit of DMC
automatically changes the settings
within the selected driving mode or,
when recognising greater variations,
the driving mode is changed for the
length of variation.
If, for example, NORMAL mode is
selected and DMC detects a sporty
driving behaviour, DMC changesseveral settings of the Normal mode
into sporty settings. The DMC
changes to SPORT mode in case of
very sporty driving behaviour.
If, for another example, TOUR mode
is selected and whilst driving on a
winding road a sudden hard brake is
necessary, DMC will detect the
dynamic vehicle condition and
changes the settings for suspension
to SPORT mode to increase vehicle
stability.
When the driving characteristic or the
dynamic vehicle state returns to the
former state, DMC will change the
settings to the preselected driving
mode.
Personalised settings in SPORT
mode
The driver can select the functions of
the SPORT mode when SPORT
button is pressed.
Select the relevant settings in
Settings , I Sport Mode in the Colour-
Info-Display.
Colour-Info-Display 3 117.
Vehicle personalisation 3 121.
172Driving and operating
Flex Ride - VXR Version
The VXR Version of Flex Ride system works in the same way as the
standard Flex Ride system with the
difference that the modes have a
more sporty characteristic.VXR Flex Ride driving system allows
the driver to select between three
driving modes:
■ VXR mode: press button VXR, LED
illuminates.
■ SPORT mode: press button SPORT , LED illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: neither button SPORT nor VXR is pressed, no
LED illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and VXR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode VXR Flex Ride
networks the following electronic
systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control.
■ Accelerator Pedal Control.
■ Steering Control.
■ All-wheel drive.
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
■ Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC).
■ Automatic transmission.VXR mode
The drive dynamic characteristics are adapted to high performance
settings.
In this mode the illumination of main
instruments is switched to red.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style.
NORMAL mode
In NORMAL mode, when neither
SPORT nor VXR button is pressed,
all settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.
Personalised settings in the VXR
mode
The driver can select the functions of
the VXR mode when VXR button is
pressed.
Select the relevant settings in
Settings , I Sport Mode in the Colour-
Info-Display.
Colour-Info-Display 3 117.
Vehicle personalisation 3 121.
222Vehicle care
The vehicle battery is maintenance-
free provided that the driving profile
allows sufficient charging of the
battery. Short-distance-driving and
frequent engine starts can discharge
the battery. Avoid the use of
unnecessary electrical consumers.
Batteries do not belong in household
waste. They must be disposed of at
an appropriate recycling collection
point.
Laying up the vehicle for more than
4 weeks can lead to vehicle battery
discharge. Disconnect the clamp from the negative terminal of the vehicle
battery.
Ensure the ignition is switched off
before connecting or disconnecting
the vehicle battery.
The anti-theft alarm siren must be
deactivated as follows: Switch the
ignition on then off, disconnect the
vehicle's battery within 15 seconds.
Battery discharge protection 3 135.
Replacing the vehicle battery Notice
Any deviation from the instructions
given in this paragraph may lead to
a temporary deactivation of the stop-
start system.
The vehicle battery is covered.
Remove the cover to replace the battery. Lift up the cover at the rear
and unlatch it at the front.
When the battery is being replaced, please ensure that there are no open ventilation holes in the vicinity of the
positive terminal. If a ventilation hole
is open in this area, it must be closed
off with a dummy cap, and the
ventilation in the vicinity of the
negative terminal must be opened.
Only use vehicle batteries that allow the fuse box to be mounted above the
battery.
In vehicles with stop-start system, be
sure to have the AGM (Absorptive
Glass Mat) battery replaced with an
AGM battery again.
Vehicle care237
No.Circuit1Transmission control module2Engine control module3–4–5Ignition, Transmission control
module, Engine control module6Windscreen wiper7–8Fuel injection, ignition system9Fuel injection, ignition system10Engine control module11Lambda probe12Starter13Sensor throttle heating14Lighting15Rear window wiperNo.Circuit16Vacuum pump, mass air flow
meter, water in fuel sensor, DC
transformer17–18Adaptive forward lighting19Adaptive forward lighting20Fuel pump21Rear power windows22ABS23Variable effort steering24Front power windows25Power outlets26ABS27Electric parking brake28Heated rear window29Left power seat30Right power seatNo.Circuit31Air conditioning system32Body control module33Heated front seats34Sunroof35Infotainment system36–37Right high beam38Left high beam39–40–41Vacuum pump42Radiator fan43Vehicle battery, DC transformer (only on vehicles with stop-start
system)44Headlamp washer system45Radiator fan