2014 MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS HATCHBACK manual transmission

You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres. Do
not use cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freez-
ing point.
Further information on driving with snow
chains (Y page 355).
Further information on driving with summer
tyres (Y page 354).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 354). Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order to avoid exceeding the set speed. You must
select a lower gear in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. For vehi-
cles with automatic transmission, you need to have selected manual drive program M
(Y page 175). By doing so, you will make use of the braking effect of the engine. This
relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and
wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions are appropriate for maintaining a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You canstore any road speed above 30 km/h.
The speed indicated in the speedometer maydiffer slightly from the speed stored.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise
control can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Cruise
control cannot take into account road,
weather or traffic conditions. Cruise control is
only an aid. You are responsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good time, and for staying in
lane.
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
R on smooth or slippery roads. Braking or
accelerating can cause the drive wheels to
lose traction and the vehicle could then
skid
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new driver of the speed stored. 188
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Cruise control lever
:
To activate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds.
Selecting cruise control X
To select cruise control: check whether
LIM indicator lamp ;is on or off.
If it is off, cruise control is already selected.
X If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Cruise control is selected. Activation conditions To activate cruise control, all of the following
activation conditions must be fulfilled:
R the electric parking brake must be
released.
R you are driving faster than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not inter-
vening.
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be in position D.
R on vehicles with manual transmission, a
gear must be engaged.
R cruise control must be selected.
Storing, maintaining and calling up a
speed Storing and maintaining the current
speed
You can store the current speed if you are
driving faster than 30 km/h.
X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up :
or down ?.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the speed.
i Cruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by
automatically braking the vehicle.
i Vehicles with manual transmission:
R always drive at adequate, but not exces-
sive, engine speeds
R change gear in good time
R if possible, do not change down several
gears at a time Driving systems
189Driving and parking Z

Storing the current speed or calling up the
last stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up a stored speed and this is dif-
ferent from the current speed, the vehicle
accelerates or brakes. If you do not know
what the stored speed is, the vehicle may
accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a
risk of an accident.
Take the traffic conditions into account
before calling up the stored speed. If you do
not know what the stored speed is, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated, it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting a speed Bear in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to the set speed.
X Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ?for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control
lever up :or down ?to the pressure
point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea-
ses in 1 km/h increments.
X To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h
increments: briefly press the cruise con-
trol lever up :or down ?beyond the
pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea- ses in 10 km/h increments. i
Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin- ished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Brake.
or X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if: R the vehicle is secured with the electric
parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R while driving a vehicle with manual trans-
mission, you shift into neutral or depress
the clutch pedal for longer than six seconds
R on vehicles with manual transmission, you
shift to a gear that is too high, and as a
result the engine speed is too low
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
you shift to position Nwhile driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the Cruise con‐
Cruise con‐
trol off trol off message in the multifunction dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. 190
Driving systemsDriving and parking

SPEEDTRONIC
General notes SPEEDTRONIC brakes automatically so that
you do not exceed the set speed. You must
select a lower gear in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. For vehi-
cles with automatic transmission, you need to have selected manual drive program M
(Y page 175). By doing so, you will make use
of the braking effect of the engine. This
relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and
wearing too quickly. If you need additional
braking, depress the brake pedal repeatedly
rather than continuously.
You can set a variable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. when driving with winter tyres
fitted (Y page 193)
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed
stored.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, SPEED-
TRONIC can neither reduce the risk of an
accident nor override the laws of physics.
SPEEDTRONIC cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. SPEED-
TRONIC is only an aid. You are responsible for
the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good time, and for stay-
ing in lane.
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new driver of the speed stored. Variable SPEEDTRONIC General notes
:
To activate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec- ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control or
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
When the engine is running, you can use the
cruise control lever to limit the speed to any
speed between 30 km/h and the technically
permitted maximum speed of the vehicle. If
the set value of permanent SPEEDTRONIC is
lower then this value applies (Y page 193).
Selecting variable SPEEDTRONIC X Check whether LIM indicator lamp ;is on.
If it is on, variable SPEEDTRONIC is already
selected. Driving systems
191Driving and parking Z

If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
selected.
Storing the current speed
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up :
or down ?.
The current speed is stored and shown in
the multifunction display.
Storing or calling up the speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it is lower
than the current speed, the vehicle deceler-
ates. If you do not know the stored speed, the vehicle could decelerate unexpectedly. There
is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
Setting a speed X To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h
increments: briefly press the cruise con-
trol lever up :beyond the pressure point
for a higher speed, or down ;for a lower
speed.
or X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
beyond the pressure point until the desired speed is set. Press the cruise control lever
up : for a higher speed or down ;for a
lower speed.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control lever up
:to the pressure point for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed to the
pressure point until the desired speed is
set. Press the cruise control lever up :for
a higher speed or down ;for a lower
speed.
Switching SPEEDTRONIC to passive
If you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the pressure point (kickdown), SPEED-
TRONIC is switched to passive mode. The fol-
lowing message appears in the multifunction
display: SPEEDTRONIC passive
SPEEDTRONIC passive.
You can then exceed the stored speed.
SPEEDTRONIC is activated again if you: R drive slower than the stored speed without
kickdown
R set a new speed or
R call up the last speed stored again
The SPEEDTRONIC passive SPEEDTRONIC passive message in the
multifunction display disappears.
Deactivating variable SPEEDTRONIC
It is not possible to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC by braking.
There are several ways to deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
deactivated.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is selec- ted.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
SPEEDTRONIC switches off if you shift to a
higher gear and as a result, the engine speed
is too low.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. 192
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Activating the HOLD function
X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission
is in position Dor R.
R the transmission is in position Pon vehicles
with automatic transmission.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a
certain amount of pressure until :disap-
pears from the multifunction display.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric
parking brake.
i After a short period, the vehicle is secured
by the electric parking brake, thus relieving the service brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission When the HOLD function is activated, the
transmission is shifted automatically to posi-
tion Pif:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle automatically if the HOLD function is activa-
ted, the vehicle is stationary and:
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
Vehicles with manual transmission The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activa-
ted and:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
The Brake immediately
Brake immediately message may also
appear in the multifunction display.
X Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc- tion display goes out.
The HOLD function is deactivated.
A horn will sound at regular intervals if you
turn off the engine, take off your seat belt or
open the driver's door when the HOLD func-
tion is activated. The horn alerts you to the
fact that the HOLD function is still activated.
If you attempt to lock the vehicle, the tone
becomes louder. The vehicle cannot be
locked until you have deactivated the HOLD
function.
i Once you have switched off the engine,
you cannot restart it until you have deacti-
vated the HOLD function. 202
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

segments showing operational readiness
=
light up.
The gear lever position or the transmission
position of the automatic transmission and
the direction in which the vehicle is rolling
determine which warning display is active
when the engine is running.
Manual transmission: Gear lever posi-
tion Warning display
Forward gear
or
Neutral
Front area activated
Reverse gear
or
the vehicle is rolling backwards Rear and front areas
activated
Automatic transmission:
Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling back-
wards Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for approx-
imately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimum distance. Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC
:
Indicator lamp
; To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock. Driving systems
205Driving and parking Z

:
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Active Parking Assist is activated automati-
cally when driving forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
35 km/h. While in operation, the system inde- pendently locates and measures parking
spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parkingspaces:
R parallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
and are at least 1.5 m wide
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
and at least 1.0 mlonger than your vehicle
R that are at right angles to the direction of
travel and at least 1.0 m wider than your
vehicle
i Note that Active Parking Assist cannot
measure the length of a parking space if it
is at right angles to the direction of travel.
You will need to judge whether your vehicle
will fit in the parking space.
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you
will see parking symbol ;as a status indi-
cator in the instrument cluster. When a park-
ing space has been detected, an arrow
towards the right or the left also appears.
Active Parking Assist only displays parking
spaces on the front-passenger side as stand- ard. Parking spaces on the driver's side are
displayed as soon as the turn signal on the
driver's side is activated. When parking on the driver's side, this must remain activated untilyou confirm the use of Active Parking Assist
by pressing the abutton on the multi- function steering wheel. The system auto-
matically determines whether the parking
space is parallel or at right angles to the direc-
tion of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 15 m away from it.
Parking G
WARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Active Parking Assist it could roll
away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
R the vehicle is accelerated, e.g. by a vehicle
occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always secure it
against rolling away.
i Vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion:
When PARKTRONIC detects obstacles,
Active Parking Assist brakes automatically
during the parking process. You are respon-
sible for braking in good time.
X Stop the vehicle when the parking symbol
shows the desired parking space in the
instrument cluster.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to reverse gear.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift into position R.
The Start Park Assist? Start Park Assist? Yes: OK
Yes: OKNo:
No:
% message appears in the multifunction
display. 208
Driving systemsDriving and parking