2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS SHOOTING BRAKE wheel

and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges. The vehicle could skid if you fail to adapt your
driving style. Always adapt your driving style
and drive at a speed to suit the prevailing
weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around the
freezing point.
Further information on driving with snow
chains, see (Y page 367).
For more information on driving with summer tyres, see (Y page 366).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 366). 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. You must
select a low gear in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer (CLS Shoot-
ing Brake only). 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 are appropriate for maintaining a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can store any road speed above 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 road,
weather or traffic 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 thelane.
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 smooth or slippery roads. Braking or
accelerating can 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 :
To activate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever. 186
Driving systemsDriving and parking

For DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the radar
sensor system must be operational.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 30 km/h and 200 km/h. If a vehicle is driving in front ofyou, it operates in the speed range between
0 km/h and 200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on roads with steep gradients.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to:
R people or animals
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
As a result, DISTRONIC PLUS may neither give
warnings nor intervene in such situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot always clearly iden- tify other road users and complex traffic sit-
uations.
In such cases, DISTRONIC PLUS may:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
R neither give a warning nor intervene
R accelerate unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, in particular when warned to do so by
DISTRONIC PLUS. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle with up to 40% of the maximum braking force. If this
braking force is insufficient, DISTRONIC PLUS warns you visually and audibly. There is a risk
of an accident.
In such cases, apply the brakes yourself and
try to take evasive action.
! If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations. To prevent dam-
age to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC
PLUS and the HOLD function in the follow-
ing or other similar situations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DIS-
TRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk of
an accident nor override the laws of physics. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take road and
weather conditions or traffic conditions into
account. DISTRONIC PLUS 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 lane.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
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 smooth or slippery roads. Braking or
accelerating can 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
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow
vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired in the case of:
R dirt on the sensors or obscured sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks 192
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
R
the vehicle is stationary
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
R the driver's door is closed or if your seat
belt is fastened
R the parking brake is released.
R the bonnet is closed
R the transmission is in position D,Ror N
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until ë :appears in the multifunction
display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R you accelerate and the transmission is in
position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position P.R
you depress the brake pedal again with a
certain amount of pressure until ëdis-
appears from the multifunction display.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
When the HOLD function is activated, the
transmission is shifted automatically to posi- tion Pif:
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 the bonnet is opened
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is not sufficient RACE START
Important safety notes i
Observe the safety notes for the SPORT
handling mode (Y page 74).
Only activate RACE START on dedicated race circuits.
RACE START enables optimum acceleration
from a standing start. The precondition for
this is a suitable high-grip road surface.
i RACE START is only available in AMG vehi-
cles.
Activation conditions You can activate RACE START if:
R the doors are closed
R the engine is running and it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
80 †. This is the case when the engine oil
temperature in the multifunction display
stops flashing.
R SPORT handling mode is activated
(Y page 74).
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position Driving systems
201Driving and parking Z

R
the vehicle is stationary and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot)
R the transmission is in position D
Activating RACE START X
Depress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
X Turn the drive program selector clockwise
(Y page 172) until the RSlamp lights up.
The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWN Cancel: Paddle DOWN message appears
in the multifunction display.
i If the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is cancelled. The
RACE
RACE START
START cancelled
cancelled message appears
in the multifunction display.
X To cancel: pull the left steering wheel shift
paddle (Y page 173).
or
X To confirm: pull the right steering wheel
shift paddle (Y page 173).
The RACE START available Depress
RACE START available Depress
accelerator
accelerator message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is cancelled. The RACE
RACE START
START not
not
possible
possible See
SeeOwner's
Owner's Manual
Manualmessage
appears in the multifunction display.
X Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed rises to approximately
3,500 rpm.
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 five seconds, RACE START is cancel-
led. The RACE
RACESTART
START cancelled
cancelled message
appears in the multifunction display.
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 50 km/h.
Drive program S+is activated. SPORT han-
dling mode remains activated.
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 See Owner's Manual
not possible See Owner's Manual mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i After using it several times in short suc-
cession, RACE START will be unavailable
until a certain distance has been driven. AIRMATIC
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. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
The vehicle is slightly lowered if you:
R have selected comfort suspension tuning
and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 second s of switching off the engine
You and people in the vicinity of the wheel
arch or the underbody may thus become trap- ped. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of thewheel arch or the underbody when you lock
the vehicle. 202
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Suspension setting
General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection, i.e. sport or com-
fort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock.
Sport mode The firmer suspension setting in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode when employing a sporty
driving style, e.g. on winding country roads.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. You have selec-
ted "Sport mode".
The AIRMATIC SPORT AIRMATIC SPORT message appears in
the multifunction display.
Comfort mode
In Comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. There-
fore, select this mode if you prefer a more
comfortable driving style. Select Comfort
mode also when driving fast on straight roads,
e.g. on straight stretches of motorway. X
Press button :.
Indicator lamp =lights up. You have selec-
ted "Comfort mode".
The AIRMATIC COMFORT
AIRMATIC COMFORT message appears
in the multifunction display. AMG RIDE CONTROL sport suspen-
sion
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. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
The vehicle is slightly lowered if you:
R have selected comfort suspension tuning
and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds of switching off the engine
You and people in the vicinity of the wheel
arch or the underbody may thus become trap- ped. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of thewheel arch or the underbody when you lock
the vehicle.
! The vehicle is lowered by about 20 mm if:
R you have selected "Comfort tuning"
R you switch off the engine and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds
When parking, position your vehicle so that it does not make contact with the kerb as
the vehicle is lowered. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged. 204
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Suspension setting
General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection of Sport, Sport +
or Comfort
Sport mode :
Mode selection button
; Button for storing, calling up and display-
ing the selected mode
= Sport + mode indicator lamp
? Sport mode indicator lamp
The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures better contact with the road. Select
this mode when employing a sporty driving
style, e.g. on winding country roads.
X Press button :once.
Indicator lamp ?lights up. You have selec-
ted Sport mode.
The AMG Ride Control SPORT
AMG Ride Control SPORT message
appears in the multifunction display.
Sport + mode
The very firm setting of the suspension tuning in Sport + mode ensures the best possible
contact with the road. Select this mode pri-
marily when driving on race circuits. If indicator lamps
=and ?are off:
X Press button :twice.
Indicator lamps =and ?light up. You
have selected Sport + mode.
The AMG
AMG Ride Ride Control
Control SPORT +
SPORT +message
appears in the multifunction display.
If indicator lamp ?lights up:
X Press button :once.
Second indicator lamp =lights up. You
have selected Sport + mode.
The AMG AMG Ride
Ride Control
Control SPORT +
SPORT +message
appears in the multifunction display.
Comfort mode
When Comfort mode is selected, the handling
characteristics of your vehicle are more com- fortable. Select this mode if you prefer a morecomfortable driving style. Select Comfort
mode also when driving fast on straight roads,
e.g. on straight stretches of motorway.
X Press button :repeatedly until indicator
lamps =and ?go out.
You have selected Comfort mode.
The AMG Ride Control COMFORT AMG Ride Control COMFORT mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Storing and calling up settings
Once the suspension tuning and drive pro-
gram have been selected, you can store and
call up your settings using AMG button ;.
X To store: press AMG button ;until you
hear a tone.
X To call up: press AMG button ;.
The stored suspension tuning and drive
program are selected.
X To display: briefly press AMG button ;.
Your selection appears in the multifunction
display. Driving systems
205Driving and parking Z

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

you use winter tyres
(M+S tyres), with snow
chains if necessary.
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. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a substi-
tute for your attention to the immediate sur-
roundings. The responsibility for safe
manoeuvring and parking remains with you.
Make sure that there are no persons, animals
or objects in range while manoeuvring and
parking.
! 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.
The sensors may not detect snow and
objects which absorb ultrasonic sources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumatic drill, could cause PARK-
TRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on uneven terrain.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically if
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D,Ror N
R release the parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds. PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper.
Range of the sensors General notes
PARKTRONIC does not take into account
obstacles located:
R below the detection range, e.g. persons,
animals or objects
R above the detection range, e.g. overhang-
ing loads, tail sections or loading ramps of
goods vehicles :
Example: sensors in the front bumper,
left-hand side
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush. Otherwise, they may not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(Y page 337). Example: side view Driving systems
207Driving and parking Z