2014 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON manual transmission

The ECO start/stop function switches off the
engine automatically at low speeds.
X Brake the vehicle.
X Shift to neutral N(follow gearshift instruc-
tion :to shift into neutral N, if necessary).
X Release the clutch pedal.
The engine is switched off automatically.
Vehicles with automatic transmission
If the vehicle is braked to a standstill in Dor N,
the ECO start/stop function switches off the engine automatically.
The HOLD function can be activated if the
engine has been switched off automatically. It
is then not necessary to continue applying the brakes during the automatic stop phase.
When you depress the accelerator pedal, the
engine starts automatically and the braking
effect of the HOLD function is deactivated.
Automatic engine start General notes
The engine is started automatically if:
R
you switch off the ECO start/stop function
by pressing the ECO button
R you depress the accelerator pedal
R you engage reverse gear R
R you unfasten your seat belt or open the
driver's door
R the vehicle starts to roll
R the brake system requires this
R the temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
R the system detects moisture on the wind-
screen when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
R the battery's charge status is too low
Vehicles with manual transmission
! Only engage gear when the clutch pedal is
depressed.
The engine is started automatically when you depress the clutch pedal. Vehicles with automatic transmission
The engine is started automatically if:
R you switch to drive program S+
R in transmission position Dor N, the brake
pedal is released and the HOLD function is not active
R you shift from transmission position P
Shifting the transmission to position Pdoes
not start the engine.
If you shift the transmission from Rto D, the
ECO start/stop function is available again
once the èECO symbol reappears in
green in the multifunction display.
Switching off/on the ECO start/stop
function X
To switch off: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;and the èECO sym-
bol in the multifunction display go out.
X To switch on: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. If all conditions
for automatic engine switch-off
(Y page 186) are met, the èECO sym-
bol is shown in green in the multifunction
display.
If not all conditions for automatic engine
switch-off (Y page 186) are met, the è
ECO symbol is shown in yellow in the mul-
tifunction display. If this is the case, the
ECO start/stop function is not available.
If indicator lamp ;is off, the ECO start/stop
function has been deactivated manually or as the result of a malfunction. The engine will Driving
187Driving and parking Z

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Vehicles with a petrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. A
display message may
also appear in the mul-
tifunction display and a warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 393). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. Manual transmission
Gear lever
! Only engage gear when the clutch pedal is
depressed.
! When shifting between
5thand 6thgear,
you should always push the gear lever all
the way to the right. Otherwise, you could
shift unintentionally into 3rdor4th gear
and damage the transmission.
If you shift down at too high a speed (trans-
mission braking), this can cause the engine to overrev, leading to engine damage.
Do not use the clutch bite point to keep the
vehicle stationary on uphill gradients.
There is otherwise a risk of damaging the
clutch.
! On long and steep downhill gradients,
especially if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must shift into gear
1, 2or3in
good time. This uses the engine's braking
effect. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over- heating and wearing too quickly. k
Reverse gear
1 -6
Forward gears 190
Manual transmissionDriving and parking

Shifting to neutral N
X
Depress the clutch pedal fully.
X Move the gear lever to position N:. Engaging reverse gear
! Only shift into reverse gear
Rwhen the
vehicle is stationary. Otherwise, you could
damage the transmission.
X Move the gear lever firmly to the left,
beyond the point of resistance, then for-
wards.
The ECO start/stop function is not available
when reverse gear is engaged. For further
information on the ECO start/stop function;
see (Y page 186). Gearshift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec- ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
X Shift gear according to gearshift recom-
mendation :when shown in the multi-
function display of the instrument cluster. C 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition:
in drive
program Ethe accelerator pedal also trans-
mits double pulses. Additional information
for drive programs (Y page 192). AGILITY SELECT switch
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 186)
R the climate control settings
- THERMATIC (Y page 153)
- THERMOTRONIC (Y page 156)
R the rear window heating operation period
(Y page 164)
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. Manual transmission
191Driving and parking Z

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 Extremely sporty driving
characteristics
S
Sport Sporty driving character-
istics
C
Comfort Comfortable and econom-
ical driving characteristics E
Eco Particularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
(Y page 192). Drive programs
Drive program I (Individual) In drive program
Ithe following properties of
the drive program can be selected:
R the drive (engine and transmission man-
agement)
R the suspension
R the steering
R C 180 BlueTEC BlueEFFICIENCY Edition:
availability of the economical accelerator
pedal
Information about the selection of drive pro-
gram Iwith COMAND Online or Audio 20 can
be found in the Digital Owner's Manual. Drive program S+ (Sport Plus) Drive program
S+is characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle exhibits extremely sporty driv-
ing characteristics
R the suspension exhibits particularly stiff
springing and damping settings (vehicles
with AIRMATIC)
R the ECO start/stop function is not available
Drive program S (Sport) Drive program
Sis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle exhibits sporty driving charac-
teristics
R the suspension exhibits stiff springing and
damping settings (vehicles with AIRMATIC)
Drive program C (Comfort) Drive program
Cis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle delivers comfortable, economi-
cal driving characteristics.
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
Drive program E (Eco) Drive program
Eis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle exhibits comfortable, economi-
cal driving characteristics.
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
R the performance of the air-conditioning and
heating systems are reduced. 192
Manual transmissionDriving and parking

A Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
shift the transmission to position N
if the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding, e.g. on icy roads.
If you switch off the engine using
the key or the Start/Stop button,
the automatic transmission shifts
to neutral Nautomatically.
! Rolling in neutral
Ncan lead to
damage to the transmission. 7 Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. Gearshifting is deter-
mined by:
R the selected drive program (Y page 197)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the road speed
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts Double-clutch function When shifting down, the double-clutch func-
tion is active regardless of the currently selec-
ted drive program. The double-clutch functionreduces load change reactions and is condu-cive to a sporty driving style. The sound gen-
erated by the double-clutch function depends
on the drive program selected.
Kickdown Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Rocking the vehicle free Rocking the vehicle free by shifting the trans-
mission repeatedly between transmission
positions Dand Rmay help to free the vehicle
if it has become stuck in mud or snow.
The vehicle's engine management restricts
repeated shifting between gears Dand Rup
to a maximum speed of 9 km/h.
To shift back and forth between transmission
positions Dand R, move the DIRECT SELECT
lever up and down past the point of resist-
ance.
Towing a trailer Towing a trailer is not possible with all mod-
els. For further information, see
(Y
page 284).
X Drive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
X Manual shifting: depending on the uphill
or downhill gradient, shift into a gear
(Y page 198 )in which the engine will run in
the middle of the engine speed range. 196
Automatic transmissionDriving an
d parking

This also applies if cruise control,
DISTRONIC PLUS or SPEEDTRONIC are
activated.
AGILITY SELECT switch
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 186)
R the climate control settings
- THERMATIC (Y page 153)
- THERMOTRONIC (Y page 156)
R the rear window heating operation period
(Y page 164)
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 Extremely sporty driving
characteristics
S
Sport Sporty driving character-
istics
C
Comfort Comfortable and econom-
ical driving characteristics E
Eco Particularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
(Y page 197).
Using the steering wheel gearshift paddles,
you can temporarily change gear yourself.
Further information on the manual drive pro-
gram (Y page 198). Drive programs
Drive program I (Individual) In drive program
Ithe following properties of
the drive program can be selected:
R the drive (engine and transmission man-
agement)
R the suspension
R the steering
To permanently select the gears in the drive
program Iusing the steering wheel paddles,
select the permanent manual gearshift pro-
gram.
Information about the selection of drive pro-
gram Iwith COMAND Online or Audio 20 can
be found in the Digital Owner's Manual. Automatic transmission
197Driving and parking Z

Drive program S+ (Sport Plus)
Drive program
S+is characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle exhibits extremely sporty driv-
ing characteristics
R the vehicle pulls away in first gear
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R as a result of the later automatic transmis-
sion shift points, the fuel consumption pos-sibly being higher
R the suspension exhibits particularly stiff
springing and damping settings (vehicles
with AIRMATIC)
R the ECO start/stop function is not available
Drive program S (Sport) Drive program
Sis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle exhibits sporty driving charac-
teristics
R the vehicle pulls away in first gear
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R as a result of the later automatic transmis-
sion shift points, the fuel consumption pos-sibly being higher
R the suspension exhibits stiff springing and
damping settings (vehicles with AIRMATIC)
Drive program C (Comfort) Drive program
Cis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle delivers comfortable, economi-
cal driving characteristics.
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears unless the accel- erator pedal is depressed fully.
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up sooner. The vehicle is driven in the low
engine speed range and the wheels are less
likely to spin.
Drive program E (Eco) Drive program
Eis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle exhibits comfortable, economi-
cal driving characteristics.
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears unless the accel-
erator pedal is depressed fully.
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. The vehicle is driven in the low
engine speed range and the wheels are less likely to spin.
R during deceleration, the engine is discon-
nected from the drive train. The vehicle
uses kinetic energy and consumes less fuel
(overrun mode).
R the performance of the air-conditioning and
heating systems are reduced. Manual gearshifting
General notes :
Left steering wheel gearshift paddle:
shifts down
; Right steering wheel gearshift paddle:
shifts up 198
Automatic transmissionDriving and pa
rking

Using the steering wheel gearshift paddles,
you can temporarily change gear yourself.
The transmission must be in position D.
Activating X
Shift the transmission to position D.
X Pull the left or right steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 198).
Manual gearshifting is activated tempora-
rily. The selected gear appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
Further information on activating manual
gearshifting in hybrid vehicles (Y page 278).
Shifting gears Pulling on the left or right gear shift paddle
allows you to shift gears yourself for a limited
time. Depending on which gearshift paddle is pulled, the automatic transmission immedi-
ately shifts into the next gear up or down, if
permitted.
X To shift up: pull the right-hand steering
wheel gearshift paddle (Y page 198).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
If the maximum engine speed on the cur-
rently engaged gear is reached and you
continue to accelerate, the automatic
transmission automatically shifts up in
order to prevent engine damage.
X To shift down: pull on the left-hand steer-
ing wheel gearshift paddle (Y page 198).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
If the engine exceeds the maximum engine speed when shifting down, the automatic
transmission protects against engine dam- age by not shifting down.
Automatic downshifting occurs when
coasting. Gearshift recommendation The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec- ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
X Shift to recommended gear ;according
to gearshift recommendation :when
shown in the multifunction display of the
instrument cluster.
Deactivating If you have activated manual gearshifting, it
will remain active for a certain amount of
time. Under certain conditions the minimum
amount of time is extended, e.g. in the case of
lateral acceleration, during an overrun phase
or when driving on steep terrain.
If manual gearshifting is deactivated, the
gears will be selected automatically.
You can also deactivate manual gearshifting:
X Pull on the right-hand steering wheel gear-
shift paddle and hold it in place
(Y page 198).
or
X Use the DIRECT SELECT lever to shift the
transmission position.
or X Use the AGILITY SELECT switch to change
the drive program (Y page 197).
Manual gearshifting is deactivated. Automatic transmission
199Driving and parking Z