2014 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS ESTATE ECO mode

If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed while paying attention to the
traffic conditions. This improves the grip of
the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first time. This may also occur after a car wash orafter driving through deep water.
You will have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi- cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm up
the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salt-treated roads, a layer of
salt may form on the brake discs and pads.
This can increase the braking distance con-
siderably.
R In order to prevent a layer of salt forming,
apply the brakes occasionally while paying
attention to the traffic conditions.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal at the
end of the journey and when starting the
next journey.
R Maintain a much greater distance to the
vehicle in front.
New brake discs and brake pads/
linings Brake pads/linings and discs that are either
new or have been replaced only achieve opti-
mum braking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Compensate for the reduced braking effect by applying greater
force to the brake pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends only fitting the following brake discs
and brake pads/linings:
R brake discs that have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz
R brake pads/linings that have been
approved by Mercedes-Benz or that are of
an equivalent standard of quality
Other brake discs or brake pads/linings can
compromise the safety of your vehicle.
Always replace all brake discs and brake
pads/linings on an axle at the same time.
Always fit new brake pads/linings when
replacing brake discs.
The vehicle is equipped with lightweight
brake discs to which the wheel assembly with
rim and threaded connection is matched.
The use of brake discs other than those
approved by Mercedes-Benz may alter track
width and is subject to approval, if applicable.
Shock-type loads when handling the brake
discs, such as when changing wheels, can
lead to a reduction in comfort when driving
with lightweight brake discs. Avoid shock-
type loads on the lightweight brake discs,
particularly on the brake plate. Driving on wet roads
Aquaplaning If water has accumulated to a certain depth
on the road surface, there is a danger of aqua- planing occurring, even if:
R you are driving at low speeds
R the tyres have adequate tread depth
For this reason, drive in the following manner in the event of heavy rain or in conditions in
which aquaplaning can occur:
R lower your speed
R avoid tyre ruts 218
Driving tipsDriving and parking

Also observe the important safety notes for
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 226).
The steering interventions are carried out
with a limited steering moment. The system
requires the driver to keep his hands on the
steering wheel and to steer himself.
If you do not steer yourself or if you take your hands off the steering wheel for a prolonged
period of time, the system will first alert you
with a visual warning. A steering wheel sym-
bol appears in the multifunction display. If youhave still not started to steer and have not
taken hold of the steering wheel after five
seconds at the latest, a warning tone also
sounds to remind you to take control of the
vehicle. Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
switch to passive mode. DISTRONIC PLUS
remains active.
Activating Steering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot X
Press button ;.
Indicator lamp :lights up. The DTR+: DTR+:
steering assist. on
steering assist. on message appears
in the multifunction display. Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are activated. Information in the multifunction display If Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are acti-
vated but not ready for a steering interven-
tion, steering wheel symbol :appears in
grey. If the system provides you with support
by means of steering interventions, sym-
bol :is shown in green.
Deactivating Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
X Press button ;.
Indicator lamp :goes out. The DTR+: DTR+:
steering
steering assist.
assist.off
offmessage appears
in the multifunction display. Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are deactivated.
When DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated or not available, Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
are deactivated automatically. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD function is deactivated when you depress theaccelerator pedal to pull away. 236
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

with snow chains or on particularly poor road
surfaces. Your selection remains stored even
if you remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The vehicle is
raised by 25 mm compared to the normal
level.
The Vehicle rising Vehicle rising message appears in
the multifunction display.
i The message disappears after ten sec-
onds, irrespective of the level reached. If
necessary, the vehicle is raised further.
The "Raised level" setting is cancelled if you:
R drive faster than 120 km/h
R drive for approximately three minutes at a
speed over 80 km/h
The "Raised level" remains saved when you
are not driving within these speed ranges.
Setting the normal vehicle level
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to the height of the currently
selected drive program (Y page 201).
Suspension setting General notes
The Adaptive Damping System automatically
controls the calibration of the dampers.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection, i.e. sport or com-
fort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. Sport mode
In the "Sport" and "Sport Plus" drive pro-
grams, the firmer suspension setting ensures even better contact with the road. Select this
mode when employing a sporty driving style,
e.g. on winding country roads.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
select the Sor S+ drive program with the
AGILITY SELECT switch (Y page 201).
Vehicles with manual transmission:
select the Sor S+ drive program with the
AGILITY SELECT switch (Y page 195).
The vehicle is lowered by 15 mm compared to the normal level.
Comfort mode
In the "Eco" and "Comfort" drive programs,
the driving characteristics of your vehicle are
more comfortable. Therefore, select this
mode if you prefer a more comfortable driving
style. Select Comfort mode also when driving
fast on straight roads, e.g. on straight
stretches of motorway.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
select the Eor Cdrive program with the
AGILITY SELECT switch (Y page 201).
Vehicles with manual transmission:
select the Eor Cdrive program with the
AGILITY SELECT switch (Y page 195).
The vehicle is raised to the normal level.
When driving at speeds above 125 km/h, the
vehicle is automatically lowered by 15 mm in the Eand Cdrive programs. When driving at
speeds below 80 km/h, the vehicle is raised
again. 4MATIC (permanent all-wheel drive)
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are per-
manently driven. Together with ESP ®
, it
improves the traction of your vehicle when-
ever a drive wheel spins due to insufficient
grip.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC
can neither reduce the risk of an accident nor Driving systems
239Driving and parking Z

requirements are low. When power output
requirements are low, the electric motor pow-
ers the vehicle. When power output require-
ments are high, the combustion engine is
switched on, even during a journey. When the vehicle is stationary, the combustion engine
is usually switched off. Consequently, there is usually no engine idling as with combustion
engine vehicles.
For pulling away and accelerating, the electric
motor supports the internal combustion
engine using the power stored in the high-
voltage battery. In addition, the power is used
for partially electric driving, operation of the
electric coolant compressor and to support
the 12 V on-board electrical system. In this
way the hybrid drive helps to reduce your
vehicle's fuel consumption.
Observe the driving tips on hybrid operation
(Y page 281).
RBS (Recuperative Brake System) If you release the accelerator pedal when the
vehicle is in motion, overrun recuperation is
initiated. The electric motor is operated as a
generator when in overrun mode and when
you brake. Hybrid technology converts the
kinetic energy of the vehicle into electricity
and stores it in the high-voltage battery. Important safety notes
All of the vehicle's systems remain active, if: R the vehicle is stationary,
R the combustion engine is switched off and
R the READY-indicator in the instrument clus-
ter is lit.
If you remove your foot from the brake pedal
while in transmission position D or R, the
vehicle could pull away automatically.
Observe the notes on the READY display of
the ECO start/stop function (Y page 282).
Vehicles with an electric motor generate sig-
nificantly less noise than vehicles with inter-
nal combustion engines. As a result, in certain situations your vehicle may not be heard by
other road users. This is the case, for exam-
ple, when you are parking and your vehicle is not seen by other road users.
This requires you to adopt a particularly antic-
ipatory driving style, as it is necessary to allow
for the possibility that other road users may
behave unpredictably. Hybrid operation
273Driving and parking Z

X
Observe the notes on starting the engine
(Y page 187).
X Turn the key to position 3in the ignition
lock (Y page 188) or press the Start/Stop
button once (Y page 188).
The vehicle is operational when READY indi-
cator :lights up.
Noiseless start The vehicle starts in electric mode without the
internal combustion engine. The internal
combustion engine starts only after the
power demanded by the driver exceeds the
available power that the electric motor can
currently provide.
Noiseless start operation is dependent on the
outside temperature and the operating tem-
perature of the internal combustion engine.
The vehicle is operational when READY indi-
cator :lights up. Pulling away
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
X Release the brake pedal.
Further information on pulling away
(Y page 189). Driving
AGILITY SELECT switch Drive programs
Use the AGILITY SELECT switch to change the
drive program. Depending on the drive pro-
gram selected, the following vehicle charac-
teristics will change:
R the drive (engine and transmission man-
agement)
R the suspension
R the steering R
the availability of the ECO start/stop func-
tion (Y page 282)
R the climate control settings
- THERMATIC (1-zone) (Y page 153)
- THERMATIC (2-zone) (Y page 157)
- THERMOTRONIC (3-zone) (Y page 160)
R the rear window heating operation period
(Y page 167)
R the performance of the seat heating
(Y page 123)
If the ignition is switched off for less than four
hours, the previously selected drive program
is activated when the engine is next started. If the ignition is switched off for more than four
hours, drive program Cis activated when the
engine is next started. X
Push AGILITY SELECT switch :up or down
until the desired drive program is selected. The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds
the display goes out and the status icon of
the selected drive program appears.
In addition, the current drive program set-
tings are displayed in the Audio 20/
COMAND Online display.
Available drive programs: I
Individual Individual settings
S+
Sport Plus R
Extremely sporty driving
style with boost mode
R Electric-only drive is not
possible
R The ECO start/stop
function is not available 280
Hybrid operationDriving and parking

S
Sport R
Sporty driving style with
boost mode
R Electric-only drive is not
possible
R The ECO start/stop
function is not available C
Comfort R
Comfortable, economi-
cal driving style
R Electric-only drive is
possible
R The ECO start/stop
function is available E
Eco R
Particularly economical
driving style
R Electric operation mode
is used as often as pos-
sible
R The ECO start/stop
function is available Additional information for drive programs
(Y page 201).
Using the steering wheel gearshift paddles,
you can temporarily change gear yourself.
Further information on the manual drive pro-
gram (Y page 281).
Manual gearshifting
Using the steering wheel gearshift paddles,
you can temporarily change gear yourself.
The transmission must be in position D. Elec-
tric-only operation is not possible when man-
ually changing gear.
Activating when driving with the electric
motor:
X Pull the left-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 202).
The combustion engine is switched on.
Manual gearshifting is activated tempora-
rily. The selected gear and Mappear in the
multifunction display.
Pulling on the right-hand steering wheel
gearshift paddle when manual gear chang- ing is not active switches to overrun mode
(Y page 283).
Activating when driving with the combustion
engine:
X Pull the left-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 202).
Manual gearshifting is activated tempora-
rily. The selected gear and Mappear in the
multifunction display.
The ECO start/stop function is not available
when manually changing gear.
Further information on the manual drive pro-
gram (Y page 202).
Driving tips General driving tips
Drive carefully and maintain a suitable dis-
tance to the vehicle in front. Avoid frequent
and sudden acceleration as well as abrupt
braking.
During partial electric drive, pulling away and
acceleration, the electric motor supports the
internal combustion engine.
During overrun in transmission position Dand
braking, the electric motor operates as an
alternator.
To reduce fuel consumption, use:
R recuperative braking (Y page 273)
R overrun mode (Y page 283) or extended
overrun mode (Y page 283)
For further information on the ECO start/stop
function, see (Y page 282).
Additional driving tips (Y page 215).
Stationary vehicle
If the vehicle is stopped, the combustion
engine is, for the most part, switched off.
Automatic climate control continues to func-
tion. The electro-mechanically assisted steer-
ing gear allows use of the power steering
without loss of comfort. Hybrid operation
281Driving and parking Z

Acceleration
Depending on the operating mode, pulling
away and driving under low load conditions
are performed:
R entirely by electric propulsion
R in combination with the internal combus-
tion engine
When accelerating under increased load or at full load, boost mode is utilised. The electric
motor supports the internal combustion
engine by providing additional torque when
the accelerator is depressed rapidly.
Overrun mode or braking
There are three possible operating modes
when the hybrid vehicle is decelerating:
R When coasting and decelerating, energy
recuperation is already taking place
(Y page 273). The electric motor functions
as an alternator and stores the recuperated energy in the high-voltage battery.
R When braking gently, the electric motor
increases the deceleration of the vehicle.
Energy recuperation is increased
(Y page 273). The electric motor functions
as an alternator and stores the recuperated energy in the high-voltage battery.
R Under heavy braking, the service brake is
also used to slow down the vehicle. Both
systems work together.
Driving in the city
Energy is recuperated during frequent decel-
eration and stopping in city traffic.
The vehicle can be driven by the electric
motor alone up to a speed of approximately
35 km/h, e.g.:
R while approaching a traffic light
R in stop-and-start traffic
The vehicle is driven by the electric motor
alone only when all conditions for the auto-
matic engine switch-off are fulfilled.
Further information on the automatic engine
switch-off (Y page 283). Driving on inter-urban roads
Three phases are possible when driving on
inter-urban roads:
R rapid acceleration (boost mode)
R constant energy consumption
R energy recuperation
Depending on the characteristics of the
route, there may be a lot of recuperated
energy available. This reduces consumption
and emissions.
Driving on the motorway
When driving on a motorway, the following
have a particularly positive effect on fuel con- sumption and emissions:
R the decrease in wasted power when using
recuperative braking
R the decrease in wasted power in overrun
mode when the combustion engine is
switched off
Manoeuvring and turning
The hybrid drive makes it possible to manoeu-
vre and turn solely using the electric motor.
ECO start/stop function General notes
The ECO start/stop function switches the
internal combustion engine off automatically
when the vehicle stops moving and at high
speeds (Y
page 283).
All vehicle systems remain active, e.g. the
automatic climate control.
The ECO start/stop function is only available
in drive programs C,Eand I. Electric-only
operation is only possible in drive programs C
and E. 282
Hybrid operationDriving and pa
rking

Trip menu
Standard display X
Press and hold the %button on the
steering wheel until the Trip
Tripmenu with
trip meter :and total distance
recorder ;is shown.
Displaying the range and current fuel
consumption X
Use ò on the steering wheel to call up
the list of menus.
X Press the :or9 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Trip
Tripmenu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Press the :or9 button to select
approximate range :and current fuel con-
sumption ;.
Approximate range :that can be covered is
calculated according to your current driving
style and the amount of fuel in the tank. If
there is only a small amount of fuel left in the fuel tank, the display shows a vehicle being refuelled
Cinstead of approximate
range :.
Recuperation display =shows you if energy
has been recuperated from the kinetic energy
in overrun mode and saved in the battery.
Recuperation display =depends on the
engine installed and is therefore not available
in all vehicles.
Information on the total electric range in
hybrid vehicles can be found in the "Hybrid
drive" section (Y page 279).
ECO display X
Use ò on the steering wheel to call up
the list of menus.
X Press the :or9 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Use the :or9 button to select ECO
DISPLAY.
If the ignition remains switched off for longer than four hours, the ECO display will be auto-
matically reset.
For further information on the ECO display,
see (Y page 215). 300
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays