
i
For further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Y page 283).
AMG vehicles: only change from automatic
drive program Cor Sto manual drive program
M whe nthe vehicle is stationary.
X Press program selector button :
repeatedly until the letter for the desired
gearshift program appears in the
multifunction display.
i When the engine is started, the automatic
transmission always switches to automatic
drive program E(drive program Cin AMG
vehicles). Steering wheel paddle shifters
:
Left-hand steering wheel paddle shifter
; Right-hand steering wheel paddle shifter
You can restrict or derestrict the shift range
by using the steering wheel paddle shifters.
You can change gear yourself by using the
steering wheel paddle shifters in the manual
drive program. Automatic drive program
Drive program E(drive program Con AMG
vehicles) is characterized by the following: R
the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the
accelerator pedal is depressed fully
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin
Drive program Sis characterized by the
following:
R sporty engine settings
R the vehicle pulling away in first gear
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R the fuel consumption possibly being higher
as a result of the later automatic
transmission shift points Shift ranges
Introduction When the automatic transmission is in
position
D, it is possible to restrict or
derestrict the shift range (Y page 283).
The shift range selected is shown in the
multifunction display. The automatic
transmission shifts only as far as the selected
gear. Shift range
=
You can use the engine's braking
effect. Automatic transmission
283Driving and parking Z

5
To use the braking effect of the
engine on downhill gradients and
for driving:
R
on steep mountain roads
R in mountainous terrain
R in arduous conditions 4
To use the braking effect of the
engine on extremely steep downhill
gradients and on long downhill
stretches
Restricting the shift range
X
Pull the left-hand steerin gwheel paddle
shifter.
The automatic transmission shifts down
one gear and restricts the shift range to the
relevant gear.
i If the engine exceeds the maximum
engine speed when shifting down, the
automatic transmission protects against
engine damage by not shifting down.
i If the maximum engine speed for the shift
range is reached and you continue to
accelerate, the automatic transmission
shifts up in order to prevent the engine
from overrevving, even if the shift range is
restricted.
Derestricting the shift range X
Pull the right-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter.
The shift range is derestricted.
Clearing the shift range restriction X
Pull and hold the right-hand steering wheel
paddle shifter until Dis shown again in the
multifunction display.
The automatic transmission shifts from the
current shift range directly to D.Selecting the ideal shift range X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter and hold it in position.
The automatic transmission shifts to the
gear which allows optimum acceleration
and deceleration. To do this, the automatic
transmission shifts down one or more
gears. Manual drive program
Switching on the manual drive program The manual drive program is only available for
AMG vehicles.
Manual drive program
Mis different from
drive program Swith regard to spontaneity,
responsiveness and smoothness of gear
changes.
Manual drive program Mcan be selected
using the program selector button. In manual
drive program M, you can change gear using
the steering wheel paddle shifters if the
transmission is in position D.The gear
currently selected and engaged is shown in
the multifunction display.
X Press the program selector button
(Y page 282) repeatedly until Mappears in
the multifunction display.
Upshifting !
In manual drive program M, the automatic
transmission does not shift up
automatically even when the engine
limiting speed for the current gear is
reached. When the engine limiting speed is
reached, the fuel supply is cut to prevent
the engine from overrevving. Always make
sure that the engine speed does not reach
the red area of the tachometer. There is
otherwise a risk of engine damage.
X Pull the right-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter (Y page 283).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear. 284
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

Problems with the transmission
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The transmission has
problems shifting gear. The transmission is losing oil.
X
Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist
workshop immediately. The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no
longer changes gear. The transmission is in emergency mode.
It is only possible to shift into
secondgear and reverse gear.
X Stop the vehicle.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Wait at least 10seconds before restarting the engine.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
If D is selected, the transmission shifts into secondgear; ifRis
selected, the transmission shifts into reverse gear.
X Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist
workshop immediately. Transfer case
This section is only valid for vehicles with 4-
wheel drive (4MATIC). Power is always
transmitted to both axles.
! Performance tests may only be carried
out on a 2-axle dynamometer. The brake
system or transfer case could otherwise be
damaged. Contact a qualified specialist
workshop for a performance test.
! To prevent ESP ®
from intervening, the
ignition must be switched off (SmartKey or
the Start/Stop button in position 0or 1) if:
R the electric parking brake is being tested
on a brake dynamometer.
R the vehicle is being towed with only one
axle raised (not permitted for vehicles
with 4MATIC).
The brake system could otherwise be
damaged.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised,
as doing so will damage the transmission. Refueling
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious
personal injury.
Never allow sparks, flames or smoking
materials near gasoline.
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid
inhaling fumes and any skin or clothing
contact.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the
inhalation of fuel vapors are damaging to your
health. G
WARNING
Overfilling of the fuel tank may create
pressure in the system which could cause a
gas discharge. This could cause the gasoline
to spray back out when removing the fuel
pump nozzle, which could cause personal
injury. 286
RefuelingDriving and parking

Steering and braking requires significantly
more effort and you could lose control of the
vehicle and cause an accident as a result.
Do not turn off the engine while the vehicle is
in motion.
Exhaust check G
WARNING
Inhalation of exhaus tgas is hazardous to your
health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause
unconsciousness and possible death.
Do no trun the engin einconfined areas (such
as a garage) which are not properly ventilated.
If you think that exhaust gas fumes are
entering the vehicle while driving, have the
cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with at least one
window fully open at all times.
Certain engine systems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous components in exhaust
fumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance with
the manufacturer's specifications. For this
reason, all work on the engine should only be
carried out by qualified and authorized
Mercedes-Benz technicians.
The engine settings must not be changed
under any circumstances. Furthermore, all
specific service work must be carried out at
regular intervals and in accordance with the
Mercedes-Benz service requirements. Details
can be found in the Maintenance Booklet. Braking
Important safety notes G
WARNING
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in
order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle control. Your vehicle's ABS will not prevent
this type of loss of control.
G
WARNING
Make sure that you do not endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
Downhill gradients !
On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting
early to a lower gear. This allows you to take
advantage of the engine braking effect and
helps avoid overheating and excessive
wear of the brakes.
When you take advantage of the engine
braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn
for some time, e.g. on a slippery road
surface. This could cause damage to the
drive train. This type of damage is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Depressing the brake pedal constantly results
in excessive and premature wear to the brake
pads.
It may also cause the brakes to overheat,
seriously impairing their effectiveness. It may
then not be possible to stop the vehicle in
sufficient time to avoid an accident.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the
airflow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads G
WARNING
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through water
deep enough to wet brake components, the
first braking action may be somewhat
reduced. You have to depress the brake pedal Driving tips
293Driving and parking
Z

traffi
cbecause conditions do not allow safe
driving at a constant speed.
R The use of the cruise control can be
dangerous on slippery roads. Rapid
changes in tire traction can result in wheel
spin and loss of control.
R Deactivate the cruise control when driving
in fog.
The "Resume" function should only be
operated if the driver is fully aware of the
previously set speed and wishes to resume
this particular preset speed.
Cruise control lever :
To activate or increase speed
; To activate or reduce speed
= To deactivate cruise control
? To activate at the curren tspeed/last
stored speed
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds. Atriangle is also show nin
the speedometer. The speedomete rdial
lights up between the set speed and the
maximum speed.
Storing and maintaining th ecurrent
speed You can store the current speed if you are
driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h). X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ;.
X Remove you rfoot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored 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 applying the brakes.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions and
legal speed limits permit. Possible
acceleration or deceleration differences
arising from returning to the preset speed
could cause an accident and/or serious injury
to you and others.
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 aspeed G
WARNING
Keep in mind tha titmay take a brie fmoment
until the vehicle has made the necessary
adjustments.
Increase or decrease the set vehicle speed to
a value that the prevailing road conditions and
legal speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden
and unexpected acceleration or deceleration Driving systems
297Driving and parking
Z

G
WARNING
The DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take road and
traffic conditions into account. Only use the
DISTRONIC PLUS if the road, weather and
traffic conditions make it advisable to travel
at a constant speed. G
WARNING
Use of the DISTRONIC PLUS can be
dangerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.
The DISTRONIC PLUS does not function in
adverse sight and distance conditions. Do not
use the DISTRONIC PLUS during conditions of
fog, heavy rain, snow or sleet. G
WARNING
The DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take weather
conditions into account. Switch off the
DISTRONIC PLUS or do not switch it on if:
R roads are slippery or covered with snow or
ice. The wheels could lose traction while
braking or accelerating, and the vehicle
could skid.
R the DISTRONIC PLUS system sensor covers
are dirty or visibility is diminished due to
snow, rain or fog, for example. The distance
control system functionality could be
impaired.
Always pay attention to surrounding traffic
conditions even while the DISTRONIC PLUS is
switched on. Otherwise, you may not be able
to recognize dangerous situations until it is
too late. This could caus eanaccident in which
you and/or others could be injured. G
WARNING
The "Resume" function should only be
operated if the driver is fully aware of the
previously set speed and wishes to resume
this particula rpreset speed. G
WARNING
Your undivided attention to street and traffic
conditions is necessary at all times whether
DISTRONIC PLUS is active or not.
The use of DISTRONIC PLUS can be
dangerous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe driving
at a constant speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to stationary
objects on the road (for example, a vehicle
stopped in traffic or an abandoned vehicle).
DISTRONIC PLUS likewise does not react to
oncoming vehicles.
Deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS:
R when changing to the right lane, if the
vehicles in the left lane are driving slower
R when driving into a filter lane or an
expressway exit
R in comple xdriving situations, for example
in construction sites on an expressway
In these situations DISTRONIC PLUS will
maintai nthe set speed if it is not deactivated.
DISTRONIC PLUS is intended only for
maintaining a set speed and a set distance
from the objects moving in front of the
vehicle. G
WARNING
An intermittent warning sounds and the
distance warning lamp ·in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if the DISTRONIC PLUS
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle's current
speed indicate that the DISTRONIC PLUS will
not be capable of slowing the vehicle
sufficiently to maintain the preset following
distance, which creates a danger of a
collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase
your distance to the preceding vehicle. The
warning sound is intended as a final caution
in which you should intercede with your own
braking inputs to avoid a potentially
dangerous situation. Do not wait for the
operation of the warning signal to intercede 300
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Guidance only shows parking spaces on the
passenger side in the default setting. Parking
spaces on the driver's side are displayed as
soo nas the turn signal on the driver's side is
activated. To park on the driver's side, you
must leave the driver's side turn signal
switched on until you have engaged reverse
gear. If a parking space is detected, parking
symbol ;changes to blue. Additionally, an
arrow pointing to the right =or left :is
shown.
Parking Guidance will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are closed in at the back
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 5 ft (1.5 m) wide
R that are at least 4.3 ft (1.3 m) longer than
your vehicle.
Ap arking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are
approximately 50 ft (15 m) away from it.
Parking The following instructions refer to parking in
a space on the front-passenger side. To park
in a space on the driver's side, mirror the
instructions. G
WARNING
The Parking Guidance is only an aid and may
no td etec tall obstacles. The Parking
Guidance does not relieve you of the
responsibility to pay attention. You are always
responsible for safety and must continue to
pay attention to your immediate surroundings
when parking and maneuvering. Otherwise,
you could endanger yourself and others. X
Stop the vehicle when the blue parking
space symbol shows the desired parking
space in the instrument cluster.
X Engage reverse gear.
The multifunction display shows the
message: Check surroundings Confirm with OK .
X Press aon the multifunction steering
wheel to confirm.
The display in the instrumen tcluster
switches to Parking Guidance. :
Green lane
; White bracket marking the target position
X Depending on the distance, you may have
to reverse along the lane towards the
parking space. This is indicated by green
lane :.
Continue backing up until you hear a tone.
Stop; the parking position has been
reached and is marked by white
bracket ;with an arrow for the target
position. Driving systems
317Driving and parking Z

X
To activate: activate Adaptive Highbeam
Assist (Y page 254).
X Press button :.
The Night View Assist Plus with spotlight
functio ndisplay appears in the
multifunction display. Example: display for a slow-moving vehicle
:
Night View Assist Plus display
; Pedestrian recognized
= Framing
? Example: symbol for active spotlight
function
A Speed display
The active spotlight function symbol ?
changes according to the vehicle's speed and
surroundings. Symbols for the active spotlight function
:
Symbol for stationary vehicle and when
driving on well-lit roads
; Symbol at speeds above approximately
6 mph (10 km/h)
= Symbol at speeds above approximately
28 mph (45 km/h)
You can find out more about adjusting the
brightness of the multifunction display in the
"COMAND" section (Y page 118).
i The spotlight function only switches on
when you are driving at speeds of at least
28 mph (45 km/h). Therefore, when the
vehicle is stationary or moving slowly, you
cannot chec kwhether Night View Assist
Plus with spotlight function is operating.
When you activate Night View Assist Plus with
spotlight function, speed display Ain the
multifunction display changes. Speed display
A is shown as a bar at the bottom edge of
the multifunction display. This line is no
longer available for basic menus. You have to
deactivate Night View Assist Plus with
spotlight function in order to change a setting
using the buttons on the multifunction
steering wheel.
X To deactivate the spotlight function
briefly: move the combination switch back
to its normal position.
The spotlight function and Adaptive
Highbeam Assist are deactivated. 324
Driving systemsDriving and parking