attentive driving
.You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed, braking in good time, and
steering correctly. Always adapt your driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognize dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and
others.
i USA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC
as a "Vehicular RadarS ystem". The radar
sensor is intended fo ruse in an automotive
radar system only. Removing, tampering
with, or altering the device will void any
warranties, and is not permitted by the
FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment.
For Active Blind Spot Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must
be operational.
Monitoring area
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up
to 10 ft (3 m) behind your vehicle and directly
next to your vehicle, as shown in the diagram.
For this purpose, Active Blind Spot Assist
uses radar sensors in the rear bumper. G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors certain
areas in the immediate vicinity of your vehicle.
Vehicles that approach and drive past at high
speeds are not detected. No visual nor
audible warnings are emitted and the system
does not brake the vehicle to correct your
course.
If the lanes are very wide, it may not be
possible to monitor the complete width of the
neighboring lane. For this reason, vehicles in
the next lane may not be detected, especially
if they are driving in a staggered formation.
This may be the case if vehicles are driving at
that edge of their lane which is furthest away
from your vehicle.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourselfa nd others.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of thei rlane .This may
be the case if there are vehicles driving at the
inner edge of their lanes. 328
Driving systemsDriving and parking
Due to the nature of the system:
R
warnings may be issued in error when
driving close to crash barriers or similar
solid lane borders.
R the warning is canceled when driving for an
extended period next to long vehicles, such
as trucks.
Two Active Blind Spo tAssist radar sensors
are integrated into the front and rear bumpers
respectively. An additional radar sensor is
located behind the cover in the radiator grill.
Make sure that the sensors and areas around
them are free of dirt, ice or slush. The rear
sensors must not be covered, for example by
cycle racks or overhanging cargo. Following
a severe impact or in the event of damage to
the bumpers, have the function of the sensors
checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Blind Spot Assist may otherwise not work
properly.
Indicator and warning display :
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When Active Blind Spot Assist is activated,
indicator lamp :in the exterior mirrors lights
up yellow at speeds of up to 20 mph
(30 km/h). At speeds above 20 mph
(30 km/h), the indicator lamp goes out and
Active Blind Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the blind spot
monitoring range at speeds above 20 mph
(30 km/h), warning lamp :on the
corresponding side lights up red. This warning
is always emitted when a vehicle enters the
blind spot monitoring range from behind or from the side. When you overtake a vehicle,
the warning only occurs if the difference in
speed is less than
7mph (12 km/h).
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. In this event, Active Blind
Spot Assist is no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light. G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds
below 20 mph (30km/h). The indicator lamps
in the exterior mirrors are yellow. Vehicles in
the monitoring range are then not indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
Visual and acoustic collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the side monitoring
range and you switch on the respective turn
signals, you will receive a collision warning.
You will hear a double warnin gtone and red
warning lamp :flashes. If the turn signal
remains on, detected vehicles are indicated
by the flashing of red warning lamp :.There
are no further warning tones.
Course-correcting brake application
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a
lateral collision in the monitoring range, a
course-correcting brake application is carried
out. This is meant to assist you in avoiding a
collision.
The course-correcting brake application is
available in the speed range between
20 mph (30 km/h) and 120 mph (200 km/h).
If a course-correcting brake application
occurs, red warning lamp :flashes in the
exterior mirror and the following is shown in
the multifunction display, for example: Driving systems
329Driving and parking Z
G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid
designed to assist driving. It is not a substitute
for attentive driving. In some cases, the
course-correcting brake application is not
sufficient to avoid a collision. In such a case,
you must steer, brake or accelerate.
In very rare cases, the system may
erroneously detect a dange rofcollision in the
area of crash barriers or similar lane borders
and apply the brakes. Active Blind Spot Assist
does not detect all traffic situations and road
users. Always make sure that there is
sufficient distance on the side for other traffic
or obstacles. An inappropriate brake
application may be interrupted at any time if
you steer slightly in the opposite direction or
accelerate.
You are responsible for driving at appropriate
speeds, braking in good time, and steering
correctly. Always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognize dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and
others.
Either a very slight course-correcting brake
application, or none at all, may occur if:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, located on both sides of your
vehicle.
R a vehicle approaches you too closely at the
side.
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds.
R you clearly brake or accelerate. R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake.
R ESP ®
is switched off.
R a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire is
detected.
Switching on Active Blind Spot Assist
X Make sure that Active Blind Spot Assist is
activated in the on-board computer
(Y page 348)
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately
1.5 seconds and then turn yellow.
Active Lane Keeping Assist Important safety notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in front of your vehicle by means of a camera
behind the top of the windshield. Active Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
road and warns you before you leave your
lane unintentionally. If you do not react to the
warning, a lane-correcting application of the
brakes can bring the vehicle back into the
original lane. :
Active Lane Keeping Assist camera
If you have selected the Display Unit Speed-/Odometer (Y
page 350) function in
the on-board computer and select km as the
unit of measurement, Active Lane Keeping
Assist is active from speeds of 60 km/h. If 330
Driving systemsDriving and parking
the
mph display uni
tis selected, the
assistance range begins at 40 mph. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not keep
your vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid and
may detect the lane markings on the road
incorrectly or not at all.
The system may be impaired or may not
function if:
R several or no lane markings for a single lane
are present.
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to
insufficient illumination of the road, or due
to snow, rain, fog or spray.
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun, or reflection from other vehicles.
R the windshield is dirty, fogged up or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera.
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow.
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected.
R the lane markings on the road are unclear,
e.g. near roadworks.
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge.
R the road is narrow and winding.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot detect
road and traffic conditions. It is not a
substitute for attentive driving. You are
responsible for the vehicle's speed, braking in
good time, and steering correctly. Always
adapty our driving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions. Always pay
attention to traffic conditions and your
surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others. Warning vibration in the steering wheel
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you
by means of intermittent vibration in the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when
necessary and in good time if you cross the
lane marking, the system recognizes certain
conditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R
you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a
freeway.
R the system recognizes solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend.
No warning vibration occurs if:
R you clearly and actively steer, brake or
accelerate.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
R a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time.
Lane-correcting brake application
If you leave your lane under certain
circumstances the vehicle will brake briefly
on one side. This is meant to assist you in
bringing the vehicle back to the original lane.
This function is available in the range between
40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and
200 km/h).
A lane-correcting brake application can only
be made after driving over a solid,
recognizable lane marking. Before this, a
warning must be given by means of
intermittentv ibration in the steering wheel.
In addition, a lane with lane markings on both
sides must be recognized. The brake Driving systems
331Driving and parking Z
applicatio
nalso slightly reduces vehicle
speed.
If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
the following, for example, appears in the
multifunction display: i
A further lane-correcting brake
application can only occur after your
vehicle has returned to the original lane. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not keep
your vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid
designed to assist driving. It is not a substitute
for attentive driving. In some cases, the lane-
correcting brake application is not sufficient
to bring your vehicle back to the original lane.
In such cases, you must steer the vehicle
yourself to ensure that it does not leave the
lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
road and traffic conditions. Always make sure
that there is sufficien tdistance to the side for
other traffic or obstacles. In rare cases,
unclear markings or particular structures on
the roadway can be recognized as solid lane
markings .Aninappropriate brake application,
e.g .after intentionally driving over a solid lane
marking, may be interrupted at any time by
steering slightly in the opposite direction.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot take
weather conditions into account.
You are responsible for the driving at
appropriate speeds, braking in good time, and
steering correctly .Always adapt your driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognize dangers in time, cause an accident and injure yourself and
others.
No lane-correcting brak eapplication occurs
if:
R you clearly and actively steer, brake or
accelerate.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
R you switch on the turn signals.
R a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist.
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of
acceleration.
R ESP ®
is switched off.
R the transmission is not in position D.
R a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire has
been detected and displayed.
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
traffic situations or road users. An
inappropriate brake application may be
interrupted at any time if you:
R steer slightly in the opposite direction.
R use a turn signal.
R clearly brake or accelerate.
Al ane-correcting brake applicatio nis
interrupted automatically if:
R a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist.
R lane markings can no longer be recognized.
Switching on Active Lane Keeping Assist 332
Driving systemsDriving and parking
Deactivating/activating ESP
®G
WARNING
Under no circumstances should you
deactivate ESP ®
when the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes .Proceed as follows:
R when driving off, apply as little throttle as
possible.
R while driving, ease up on the accelerator
pedal.
R adapt yours peed to suit the prevailing road
and weather conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid. ESP ®
cannot
prevent accidents resulting from excessive
speed.
For further information about ESP ®
, see
(Y page 67).
X Start the engine.
X Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Assistance menu.
X Press the 9or: buttonto select
ESP .
X Press the abutton.
X To deactivate: pressaagain.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on. G
WARNING
When the åESP®
OFF warning lamp is lit,
ESP ®
is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP®
warning lamp and the
å ESP®
OFF warning lamp remain lit,
ESP ®
is not available due to amalfunction.
When ESP ®
is deactivated or no toperational,
vehicle stability in standard driving
maneuvers is reduced.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevailing
road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP ®
. X
To activate: pressaagain.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Activating/deactivating PRE-SAFE ®
Brake PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is only available in vehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
X Press the =or; button on the
steering wheel to select the DriveAssist menu.
X Press 9or: to select PRE-SAFE Brake .
X Press a.
The curren tselection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
When PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 68) is
activated, the multifunction display shows
the Ä symbol as long as the HOLD
function is not activated (Y page 308).
Activating/deactivating ATTENTION
ASSIST X
Press the =or; button on the
steering wheel to select the DriveAssist menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Attention Assist .
X Press a.
The curren tselection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
When ATTENTION ASSIST( Ypage 321) is
activated, the Àsymbol appears in the
multifunction display when the ignition is on.
Activating/deactivating Active Blind
Spot Assist You can use the
Blind Spot Assist function to activate or deactivate Active Blind
Spot Assist (Y
page 327).348
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays
Switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist
on/off
X
Press the =or; button on the
steering wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select
Adapt. High-beam Asst. .
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
Switching the additional speedometer
on/off An additional digital speedometer can be
shown in the multifunction display.
Vehicles with a kilometer speedometer: the
digital speedometer has mph units.
Vehicles with a miles speedometer: the digital
speedometer has km/h units.
X
Press the =or; button on the
steering wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press 9or: to select Add. Speedometer .
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Selecting the unit of measurement for
distance The
Display Unit Speed-/Odometer: function allows you to choose whether
certain displays appear in kilometers or miles.
The selected unit of measurement for
distance applies to:
R
analog speedometers
R digital speedometers in the Trip menu
R odometer and the trip odometer
R Trip computer
R navigation instructions in the Navi menu
R DISTRONIC PLUS
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display The digital speedometer shows alternative
speed units (Y
page 350).
X Press the =or; button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press 9or: to select Units .
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
The unit switches km/h and
mph .
Activating/deactivating the acoustic
locking verification signal If you activate the
Acoustic Lock Feedb. function, an audible signal sounds depending
on the vehicle's date of manufacture:
R
when locking
or
R once when unlocking and three times when
locking
X Press the =or; button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Acoustic Lock Feedb. X
Press the abutton to confirm.
X To activate/deactivate: pressa
again.
Activating/deactivating the radar
sensor system The following systems are switched off when
the radar sensor system is deactivated:
R DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 298)
R BAS PLUS (Y page 66)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 68)
R Active Blind Spot Assist (Y page 327)
X Press the =or; button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press 9or: to select Radar Sensors .350
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays
Safety systems
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
!÷
Currently
Unavailable See
Operator's Manual ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), ESP
®
(Electronic Stability
Program), BAS (Brake Assist), PRE-SAFE ®
,t he HOLD function and
hill start assist are temporarily unavailable.
BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may also have failed.
In addition, the ÷,åand! warning lamps light up in
the instrument cluster.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
For example, the on-board voltage may be insufficient.
G WARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely
affected. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation
can increase.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
X Carefully drive a suitable distance, making slight steering
movements at a speed above 12 mph (20 km/h).
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned
above are available again.
If the display message continues to be displayed:
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. ABS, ESP
®
, BAS, PRE-SAFE ®
, the HOLD function and hill start
assist are temporarily unavailable.
BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may also have failed.
In addition, the ÷,åand! warning lamps light up in
the instrument cluster.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
For example, the on-board voltage may be insufficient.
G WARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example. Display messages
353On-board computer and displays Z