2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA-Class display

Heavy and light loads
G
WARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy load, do not stop the vehicle immediately.
Drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads 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 firsttime. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle 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 salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance. R
Brake occasionally to remove any possible
salt residue. Make sure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
R Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes !
If the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster and you hear a warn- ing tone while the engine is running, the
brake fluid level may be too low. Observe
additional warning messages in the multi-
function display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due tobrake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immedi-
ately. This work should be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
! A function or performance test should
only be carried out on a 2-axle dynamom-
eter. If you are planning to have the vehicle tested on such a dynamometer, contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center to
obtain further information first. Otherwise,
you could damage the drive train or the
brake system.
! As the ESP ®
system operates automati-
cally, the engine and the ignition must be
switched off (the SmartKey must be in posi-
tion 0or 1in the ignition lock) if:
R the electric parking brake is tested on a
brake dynamometer (for a maximum of
ten seconds)
R the vehicle is towed with the front axle
raised.
Braking triggered automatically by ESP ®
may seriously damage the brake system.
All checks and maintenance work on the
brake system must be carried out at a quali-
fied specialist workshop. Consult a qualified
specialist workshop to arrange this. Driving tips
163Driving and parking Z

You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freez-
ing point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (Y page 317).
For more information on driving with summer tires, see (Y page 316).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 316). 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. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden, you must select a low gear in good time. For this, you will need to have
selected manual drive program M
(Y page 152). 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 make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can store any road speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
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 the road,
traffic and weather 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
your 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 slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could 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.
Cruise control lever 0043
To activate or increase speed
0044 To activate or reduce speed
0087 To deactivate cruise control
0085 To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds.
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 20 mph
(30 km/h).
R ESP ®
must be active, but not intervening.
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be in position D.166
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Activating DISTRONIC PLUS
Activation conditions
To activate DISTRONIC PLUS, all of the fol-
lowing activation conditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine must be started. It may take up
to two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
R the electric parking brake must be
released.
R ESP ®
must be active, but not intervening.
R Active Parking Assist must not be activa-
ted.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R the driver's door must be closed when you
shift from Pto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
R the front-passenger door and rear doors
must be closed.
Activating
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 0085or press it up 0043or down 0044.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
X Press the cruise control lever repeatedly
up 0043 or down 0044until the desired speed is
set.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC
DISTRONIC PLUS PLUSPassive
Passive mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in front will then not be maintained. You will
be driving at the speed you determine by
the position of the accelerator pedal.
You can also activate DISTRONIC PLUS when
stationary. The lowest speed that can be set is
18 mph (30 km/h).
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 0085or press it up 0043or down 0044.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected. Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
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
(Y page 169) towards you 0085.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the current speed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value.
Driving with DISTRONIC PLUS Pulling away and driving
i The vehicle can also pull away when it is
facing an unidentified obstacle or is driving
on a different line from another vehicle. The vehicle then brakes automatically. There is
a risk of an accident. Be ready to brake at all
times.
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
X If you want to pull away with DIS-
TRONIC PLUS: remove your foot from the
brake pedal.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever
(Y page 169) towards you 0085.
or
X Accelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its
speed to that of the vehicle in front.
If no vehicle is detected in front, your vehi-
cle accelerates to the set speed. 170
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if DISTRONIC PLUS is
activated and:
R the seat belt is unfastened 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 malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, then the transmission may be shifted into position Pautomatically.
Setting a speed Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to the speed set. 0043
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
0044 To store the current speed or a lower
speed
X Press the cruise control lever up 0043for a
higher speed or down 0044for a lower speed.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up 0043or
down 0044to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up 0043or down 0044the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
X To adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): brieflypress the cruise control lever up
0043or
down 0044to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up 0043or down 0044, the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
i DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel-
erate to overtake, DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting the specified minimum distance You can set the specified minimum distance
for DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. With this func- tion, you can set the minimum distance that
DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in
front, dependent on vehicle speed. You can
see this distance in the multifunction display
(Y page 174).
i Make sure that you maintain the mini-
mum distance to the vehicle in front as
required by law. Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front if necessary. 172
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
To increase: turn control0087in direc-
tion 0044.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
X To decrease: turn control0087in direc-
tion 0043.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS There are several ways to deactivate DIS-
TRONIC PLUS:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 0043.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, you
will see the DISTRONIC DISTRONIC PLUS
PLUS Off
Offmessage in
the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine. DISTRONIC PLUS
is not deactivated if you depress the accel-
erator pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if: R you engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R the transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition R
you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door or one of the rear doors is
open
R the vehicle is skidding
R you activate Active Parking Assist
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. You will see the DIS‐
DIS‐
TRONIC TRONIC PLUS
PLUSOff
Offmessage in the multifunc-
tion display for approximately five seconds.
DISTRONIC PLUS displays in the instru-
ment cluster Displays in the speedometer
Example: DISTRONIC PLUS displays in the speed-
ometer
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or
two segments 0044in the set speed range light
up.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front, segments 0044between speed of the vehicle in
front 0087and stored speed 0043light up.
i For design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS. Driving systems
173Driving and parking Z

Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vated 0043
Vehicle in front, if detected
0044 Distance indicator, current distance to
the vehicle in front
0087 Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
0085 Own vehicle
In the Assistance menu (Y page 204) of the
on-board computer, you can select the assis- tance display.
X Select the Assistance Graphic Assistance Graphic function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 204).
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is activa-
ted 0043
Vehicle in front, if detected
0044 Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
0087 Own vehicle
0085 DISTRONIC PLUS active (text only
appears when the cruise control lever is
actuated) X
Select the Assistance Graphic Assistance Graphic function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 204).
You will initially see the stored speed for
about five seconds when you activate DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS General notes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. DISTRONIC PLUS is then
deactivated.
Cornering, going into and coming out of a bend The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle
may brake unexpectedly or late.
Vehicles traveling on a different line 174
Driving syste
msDriving and parking

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 0043disap-
pears from the multifunction display.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service brake.
The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if the HOLD function is
activated and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, then the transmission may be shifted into position Pautomatically. RACE START
Important safety notes RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start. The precondition for
this is a suitable high-grip road surface.
RACE START is intended solely for activation
on dedicated race circuits.
i RACE START is only available in AMG vehi-
cles. Conditions for activation You can activate RACE START if:
R the doors, hood and the trunk lid are
closed.
R the engine is running and the transmission,
all-wheel drive clutch and the engine are at operating temperature.
R SPORT handling mode is activated.
(Y page 69)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
R the vehicle is stationary and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot).
R the transmission is in position D.
R drive program Mis selected (Y page 150).
Activating RACE START X
Depress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
X Pull and hold both steering wheel shift pad-
dles.
X The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWN
Cancel: Paddle DOWN message appears
in the multifunction display.
X Release both steering wheel shift paddles.
i If the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is canceled. The
RACE START Not Possible See Opera‐ RACE START Not Possible See Opera‐
tor's Manual tor's Manual message appears in the
multifunction display.
X To cancel: pull the left steering wheel pad-
dle shifter (Y page 151).
or
X To confirm: pull the right steering wheel
paddle shifter (Y page 151).
The RACE START Available Depress
RACE START Available Depress
gas pedal
gas pedal message appears in the multi-
function display.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal within a few seconds, RACE START is canceled. The multifunction display shows
the RACE START Canceled RACE START Canceled message. Driving syste
ms
177Driving an d parking Z

X
Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed is increased.
The RACE START Release brake to RACE START Release brake to
start
start message appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
i If you do not release the brake pedal
within a short time, RACE START will be
canceled. The multifunction display shows
the RACE START Canceled
RACE START Canceled message.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The RACE RACE START
START Active Active message appears
in the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 30 mph
(Canada: 50 km/h). Drive program Sis acti-
vated. SPORT handling mode remains activa-
ted.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if
you release the accelerator pedal during
RACE START or if any of the activation condi-
tions are no longer fulfilled. The RACE
RACE START START
Not Possible
Not Possible orRACE START Canceled
RACE START Canceled
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
i If RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available
again after the vehicle has been driven a
certain distance. 4MATIC
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 accident nor
override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot
take account of road, weather and traffic con-
ditions. 4MATIC 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 staying in your lane.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
R Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R Accelerate less when driving.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. This may damage the transfer case.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground or be fully raised. Observe the instructions for
towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow
chains if necessary. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It monitors the area
around your vehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. PARKTRONIC indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate
surroundings. You are always responsible for
safe maneuvering, parking and exiting a park- ing space. When maneuvering, parking or
pulling out of a parking space, make sure that
there are no persons, animals or objects in
the area in which you are maneuvering.
! When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars. PARK-
TRONIC does not detect such objects when they are in the immediate vicinity of the
vehicle. You could damage the vehicle or
the objects. 178
Driving systemsDriving and parking