2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS COUPE towing

Vehicle level
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
People's limbs may become trapped if they
are located underneath the vehicle or
between the vehicle body and the tyres when the vehicle is lowering. There is a danger of
injury.
When lowering the vehicle, make sure no one
is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches.
The vehicle may be lowered if you press the
suspension tuning selector button or the
AMG button. The vehicle is lowered even if the
vehicle is at a standstill.
! If Sport or Sport + suspension tuning has
been selected, the vehicle's ground clear-
ance decreases. Make sure that no objects
become trapped or that the vehicle has not
been damaged, for example, on the kerb.
i The vehicle level at the rear axle may
change visibly if you park the vehicle and
the outside temperature changes. If the
temperature drops, the vehicle level low-
ers; with an increase in temperature, the
vehicle level rises.
Changing the rear axle level
This function is only available for the CLS 63
AMG 4MATIC and CLS 63 AMG Shooting
Brake.
The vehicle level at the rear axle depends on
the selected suspension mode and the vehi-
cle speed.
The vehicle level at the rear axle changes
while driving depending on which suspension mode is selected:
R Comfort: +10 mm
R Sport + and Sport: -15 mm
When changing from Comfort to Sport or
Sport +, the axle is lowered approximately
25 mm. When changing from Sport or Sport +
to Comfort, the axle is raised approximately 25 mm. The level change also occurs when
stationary.
If you drive faster than 170 km/h, the rear
axle level is set to a middle level. This increa- ses road safety and reduces air resistance. If
you then drive slower than 150 km/h, the
level of the rear axle is again adjusted to cor- respond to the selected suspension mode.
Load compensation
The vehicle can compensate differences in
the vehicle level by raising or lowering the
rear axle. This is the case, for example, when
people get out of the vehicle or when luggage is removed.
A load compensation occurs if:
R a door or the boot lid/tailgate is opened
R the parked vehicle is unlocked
The engine needs to be running for larger level
changes. 4MATIC (permanent all-wheel drive)
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 the lane.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
R when pulling away, only depress the accel-
erator pedal as far as is necessary
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 implied 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 206
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for approx-
imately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimum distance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC :
Indicator lamp
; To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Active Parking Assist is then also
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock.
Towing a trailer !
Fold in the ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitch is not required. PARKTRONIC meas-
ures the minimum detection range to an
obstacle from the bumper, not the ball cou- pling.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between your vehicle and a trailer. Driving systems
209Driving and parking Z

Additional transmission shifts may be neces-
sary.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the Park
Park Assist Assist switched
switched off
offmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display and
you will hear a tone. PARKTRONIC continues
to be available.
X Manoeuvre if necessary.
X Always observe the warning messages dis-
played by PARKTRONIC (Y page 208).
Parking tips: R The way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. These include the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. It may be the case that Active
Parking Assist guides you too far into a
parking space, or not far enough into it. In
some cases, it may also lead you across or
onto the kerb. If necessary, you should can-
cel the parking procedure with Active Park- ing Assist.
R You can also engage forward gear prema-
turely. The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far into the parking space. Should a gear be changed too early, the parking pro-
cedure will be cancelled. A sensible parking position can no longer be achieved from
this position.
Cancelling Active Parking Assist You can cancel Active Parking Assist at any
time.
X Stop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Active Parking Assist will be cancelled at
once. The Park Assist cancelled
Park Assist cancelled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
or X Press the PARKTRONIC button on the
centre console (Y page 209).
PARKTRONIC is switched off and Active
Parking Assist is immediately cancelled. The
Park Assist cancelled Park Assist cancelled message
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Parking Assist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R the transmission is shifted too early
R the electric parking brake is applied
R transmission position Pis selected
R parking using Active Parking Assist is no
longer possible
R you are driving faster than 10 km/h
R a wheel spins and ESP ®
intervenes or fails.
In such cases the ÷warning lamp lights
up in the instrument cluster.
A warning tone sounds. The parking symbol
goes out and the Park Assist cancelled Park Assist cancelled
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
When Active Parking Assist is cancelled, you
must steer again yourself.
Towing a trailer For vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the min-
imum length for parking spaces is slightly
increased.
If you have attached a trailer to your vehicle,
you should not use Active Parking Assist.
Once the electrical connection is established between your vehicle and the trailer, Active
Parking Assist is no longer available. PARK-
TRONIC is deactivated for the rear area. Driving systems
213Driving and parking Z

the side. When you overtake a vehicle, the
warning only occurs if the difference in speed
is less than 12 km/h.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse gear is engaged. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the
corresponding turn signal, a double warning
tone sounds. 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.
Activating Blind Spot Assist X Make sure that Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 250) is activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately 1.5 seconds
and then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
If you attach a trailer, make sure that you have
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. The indicator lamp lights up yel-
low in the exterior mirrors and the Blind Blind
Spot Assist currently unavailable
Spot Assist currently unavailable
See Owner's Manual
See Owner's Manual message appears in
the multifunction display.
i You can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors. To do so, you will need to deactivate Blind
Spot Assist if:
R the key is in position 2in the ignition lock
R the engine is not running
R the electrical connection to the trailer
has been established
Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of camera
:
at the top of the windscreen. Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally.
This function is available in the range between
60 km/h and 200 km/h.
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of intermittent vibration through the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 second s.
Im portant safety notes G
WARNING
Lane Keeping Assist cannot always clearly
identify lane markings.
In these cases, Lane Keeping Assist may:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep in lane, especially if Lane
Keeping Assist alerts you. Driving systems
225Driving and parking Z

Example: CLS Coupé
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a
side impact in the monitoring range, a course-correcting brake application is carried out.
This is designed to help you avoid a collision.
If a course-correcting brake application
occurs, red warning lamp :flashes in the
exterior mirror and a dual warning tone
sounds. In addition, the display shown in the
lower image appears in the multifunction dis- play.
In very rare cases, the system may make an
inappropriate brake application. A course-
correcting brake application may be interrup-
ted at any time if you steer slightly in the
opposite direction or accelerate.
The course-correcting brake application is
available in the speed range between
30 km/h and 200 km/h.
Either a course-correcting brake application
appropriate to the driving situation, or none at all, may occur if:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, on both sides of your vehicle
R a vehicle approaches too closely on 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, such as
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre is
detected
Activating Active Blind Spot Assist
X Make sure that Active Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 250) is activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately 1.5 seconds
and then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
If you attach a trailer, make sure that you have
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is
then deactivated. The indicator lamp lights up
yellow in the exterior mirrors and the Active Active
Blind
Blind Spot
SpotAssist
Assist currently
currently unavail‐
unavail‐
able See Owner's Manual
able See Owner's Manual message
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in front of your vehicle by means of camera :
at the top of the windscreen. Active Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
road and warns you before you leave your Driving systems
229Driving and parking Z

are shown in green. Active Lane Keeping
Assist is ready for use.
If Standard Standard is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this case, the warnings are suppressed
for a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
When Adaptive
Adaptive is selected, no warning
vibration occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this case, the warnings are suppressed
for a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane marking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions 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 motor-
way
R the system recognises solid lane markings
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes
R you cut the corner on a bend
Towing a trailer
If you attach a trailer, make sure that you have
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Towing a trailer
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even cause the braking system to fail. There is
a risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal and the accelerator pedal while driving. G
WARNING
You could lose control of the vehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve. The vehi-
cle/trailer combination could even overturn.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten out the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion by increasing speed. Decrease your
speed and do not countersteer. Brake if nec-
essary. G
WARNING
If the maximum the permissible load for a car- rier system is exceeded, the carrier could
come loose from the vehicle and endanger
other road users. There is a risk of an accidentand injury.
Never exceed the permissible noseweight
when using a carrier.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If you exceed the maximum permissible nose- weight of the trailer drawbar on the ball cou-
pling, the following may become damaged:
R your vehicle
R the trailer
R the ball coupling
R Trailer tow hitch
The vehicle/trailer combination could
become unstable. 232
Towing a trailerDriving and parking

If the noseweight used is lower than the min-
imum permissible noseweight, the vehicle/
trailer combination could also become unsta-
ble.
To avoid hazardous situations:
R make sure to check the noseweight before
each journey.
R use a drawbar noseweight as close as pos-
sible to the maximum noseweight.
R do not exceed the maximum permissible
noseweight.
R do not use a noseweight lower than the
minimum permissible trailer drawbar nose-
weight.
When reversing the vehicle towards the
trailer, make sure there is nobody between
the trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer could become
detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
You will find the applicable permissible val-
ues, which must not be exceeded, in the vehi- cle documents.
You will find the values approved by the man-
ufacturer on the vehicle identification plates
and those for the towing vehicle under "Tech- nical data" (Y page 410).
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison to when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbing capability R
has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strong crosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R has a larger turning circle
This can impair the vehicle's handling char-
acteristics. Adapt your style of driving accord-
ingly. Maintain a safe distance. Drive care-
fully.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your
speed to the current road and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis- sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion. Notes on towing a trailer
General notes i
When towing a trailer, set the tyre pres-
sure on the rear axle of the towing vehicle
for a maximum load; see the tyre pressure
table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 367).
Please note that when towing a trailer, PARK-
TRONIC (Y page 207), Active Parking Assist
(Y page 210) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 223) are only available with limita-
tions, or not at all.
i On vehicles without level control, the
height of the ball coupling will alter accord-
ing to the load placed on the vehicle. If nec- essary, use a trailer with a height-adjusta-
ble drawbar.
You will find fitting dimensions and loads
under "Technical data" (Y page 409).
Driving tips i
Observe the notes on ESP ®
trailer stabi-
lisation (Y page 75).
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents to see what the max- imum permitted speed is. Observe the legally Towing a trailer
233Driving and parking Z

prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the max-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing a trailer. See "Technical data" to
find out whether this applies to your vehicle
(Y page 410). If you utilise any of the added
maximum rear axle load when towing a trailer, the vehicle/trailer combination may not
exceed a maximum speed of 100 km/ hfor
reasons concerning the operating permit.
This also applies in countries in which the
permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison
to when driving without a trailer and it will
consume more fuel.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long and steep downhill gradients.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
vehicle speed. This relieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly. If you
need additional braking, depress the brake
pedal repeatedly rather than continuously.
Driving tips If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not countersteer.
X Brake if necessary.
R Maintain a greater distance from the vehi-
cle in front than when driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on. Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from a standstill refer to sea level. When driving in mountainous areas,
note that the power output of the engine,
and consequently the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decrease with increas-
ing altitude. Folding out the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly engaged,
the trailer can detach. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always engage the ball coupling as described. G
WARNING
If you release the ball coupling or it does not
engage correctly when folding in, it will swing out. Within pivoting range of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the ball coupling engages when folding in. CLS Shooting Brake
Before you can tow a trailer with your vehicle, you must fold out the ball coupling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot/luggage
compartment.
To open the cover:
X Turn handle :anti-clockwise and fold
down cover ;.234
Towing a trailerDriving and parking