16In briefTransmission
Manual transmission
Reverse: with the vehicle stationary,
depress clutch pedal, press the
release button on the selector lever
and engage the gear.
If the gear does not engage, set the
lever to neutral, release the clutch
pedal and depress again; then repeat
gear selection.
Manual transmission 3 168.
Automatic transmissionP=parkR=reverseN=neutralD=automatic modeM=manual mode: move selector
lever from D to the left.<=manual mode upshifting]=manual mode downshifting
The selector lever can only be moved
out of P when the ignition is on and
the brake pedal is applied. To engage
P or R, press the release button.
Automatic transmission 3 164.
Starting off
Check before starting off ■ Tyre pressure and condition 3 250,
3 293.
■ Engine oil level and fluid levels 3 224.
■ All windows, mirrors, exterior lighting and number plates are free
from dirt, snow and ice and are
operational.
■ Proper position of mirrors, seats, and seat belts 3 36, 3 47,
3 55.
■ Brake function at low speed, particularly if the brakes are wet.
120Instruments and controls
For further information, see
Infotainment system manual.
Vehicle personalisation 3 122.
Valet mode
Some functions of the Driver
Information Centre and the Colour-
Info-Display can be limited for some
drivers.
Activation or deactivation of valet
mode can be set in the menu
Settings in the vehicle personalisation
menu.
Vehicle personalisation 3 122.
For more information see
Infotainment system manual.
Smartphone controller
The smartphone controller allows a
smartphone to access vehicle data
via WLAN or Bluetooth connection.
This data can then be displayed and analysed on the smartphone.Vehicle messages
Messages are indicated in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC), in some
cases together with a warning and
signal buzzer.
On Baselevel display press the
SET/CLR button, MENU or turn the
adjuster wheel to confirm a message.
On Midlevel and Uplevel display
press 9 to confirm a message.
Vehicle and service messages
The vehicle messages are displayed
as text. Follow the instructions given
in the messages.
The system displays messages
regarding the following topics:
■ service messages
■ fluid levels
■ anti-theft alarm system
■ brakes
■ drive systems
■ ride control systems
152Driving and operatingDriving and operatingDriving hints............................... 152
Starting and operating ...............153
Engine exhaust .......................... 160
Automatic transmission .............. 164
Manual transmission ..................168
Drive systems ............................ 169
Brakes ........................................ 169
Ride control systems .................172
Driver assistance systems .........177
Fuel ............................................ 210
Trailer hitch ................................ 218Driving hints
Control of the vehicleNever coast with engine not
running (except during Autostop)
Many systems will not function in this
situation ( e.g. brake servo unit, power
steering). Driving in this manner is a
danger to yourself and others. All
systems function during an Autostop,
but there will be a controlled reduction
in power steering assist and vehicle
speed is reduced.
Stop-start system 3 157.
Pedals
To ensure the pedal travel is
uninhibited, there must be no mats in the area of the pedals.Steering
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or due to a
system malfunction, the vehicle can
be steered but may require increased
effort.
Control indicator c 3 107.Caution
Vehicles equipped with hydraulic
power steering:
If the steering wheel is turned until it reaches the end of its travel, and
is held in that position for more
than 15 seconds, damage may
occur to the power steering
system and there may be loss of
power steering assist.
Driving and operating169Caution
It is not advisable to drive with thehand resting on the selector lever.
Gear shift indication 3 107.
Drive systems
All-wheel drive
The All-wheel drive system enhances
driving characteristics and stability,
and helps to achieve the best
possible driveability regardless of
ground surface. The system is always active and cannot be deactivated.
The torque is distributed steplessly
between the wheels of the front and rear axle, depending on the driving
conditions. Additionally the torque
between the rear wheels is distributed
depending on the surface.
For optimum system performance,
the vehicle's tyres should not have
varying degrees of wear.
If a service message is displayed in
the Driver Information Centre, the
system may have limited functionality
(or be completely disabled in some
cases, i.e. the vehicle switches to
Front-wheel drive). Seek the
assistance of a workshop.
Towing the vehicle 3 264.Brakes
The brake system comprises two independent brake circuits.
If a brake circuit fails, the vehicle can
still be braked using the other brake
circuit. However, braking effect is
achieved only when the brake pedal
is depressed firmly. Considerably
more force is needed for this. The
braking distance is extended. Seek the assistance of a workshop before
continuing your journey.
When the engine is not running, the
support of the brake servo unit
disappears once the brake pedal has
been depressed once or twice.
Braking effect is not reduced, but
braking requires significantly greater
force. It is especially important to bear this in mind when being towed.
Control indicator R 3 106.
Antilock brake system Antilock brake system (ABS)
prevents the wheels from locking.
172Driving and operating
Functionality check
When the vehicle is not moving, the
electric parking brake might be
applied automatically. This is done to
check the system.
Fault
Failure mode of electric parking brake
is indicated by a control indicator j
and by a vehicle message which is
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre. Vehicle messages 3 120.
Apply electric parking brake: pull and
hold the switch m for more than
5 seconds. If control indicator m
illuminates, electric parking brake is
applied.
Release electric parking brake: push
and hold the switch m for more than
2 seconds. If control indicator m
extinguishes, electric parking brake is
released.
Control indicator m flashes: electric
parking brake is not fully applied or
released. When continuously
flashing, release electric parking
brake and retry applying.Brake assist
If brake pedal is depressed quickly
and forcefully, maximum brake force
is automatically applied.
Operation of brake assist might
become apparent by a pulse in the
brake pedal and a greater resistance
when depressing the brake pedal.
Maintain steady pressure on the
brake pedal as long as full braking is
required. Maximum brake force is
automatically reduced when brake pedal is released.
Hill start assist The system helps prevent unintendedmovement when driving away on
inclines.
When releasing the foot brake after
stopping on an incline, brakes remain
on for further two seconds. Brakes
release automatically as soon as the
vehicle begins to accelerate.
The hill start assist is not active during
an Autostop.
Stop-start system 3 157.Ride control systems
Traction Control system
The Traction Control system (TC) is a
component of the Electronic Stability
Control.
TC improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip, by
preventing the drive wheels from
spinning.
As soon as the drive wheels starts to spin, engine output is reduced and
the wheel spinning the most is braked
individually. This considerably
improves the driving stability of the
vehicle on slippery road surfaces.
TC is operational as soon as control
indicator b extinguishes.
When TC operates b flashes.
180Driving and operating
Deactivation
Press y: speed limiter is deactivated
and the vehicle can be driven without
speed limit.
The limited speed is stored and a
corresponding message appears in
the Driver Information Centre.
Resume limit speed
Turn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained.
Switching off
Press L, the speed limit indication in
the Driver Information Centre
extinguishes. The stored speed is
deleted.
By pressing m to activate cruise
control or adaptive cruise control or
by switching off the ignition, speed
limiter is also deactivated and the
stored speed is deleted.Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is an
enhancement to traditional cruise
control with the additional feature of maintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead.
Adaptive cruise control automatically
decelerates the vehicle when
approaching a slower moving vehicle. It then adjusts the vehicle speed to
follow the vehicle ahead at the
selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases
to follow the vehicle in front, but will
not exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
The adaptive cruise control can store and maintain speeds over approx.
15 mph. If following a vehicle ahead
driving slower than 15 mph, the
slower speed will be set. On vehicles
with automatic transmission, the
system brakes to a stop.
Adaptive cruise control uses a radar
sensor to detect the vehicles ahead.
If no vehicle is detected in the driving
path, the adaptive cruise control will
behave like a traditional cruise
control.
For safety reasons, the system
cannot be activated before the brake
pedal or clutch pedal has been
depressed once since switching on
ignition.
Adaptive cruise control is mainly
advised to be used on long straight
roads like highways or country roads
with steady traffic. Do not use the
system if it is not advisable to
maintain a constant speed.
Control indicator A 3 110, m 3 110,
C 3 110.
Driving and operating1819Warning
The complete driver attention is
always required while driving with adaptive cruise control. The driver stays fully in control of the vehicle
because the brake pedal, the
accelerator pedal and the cancel
switch have priority over any
adaptive cruise control operation.
Switching on
Press C to switch on adaptive cruise
control. The control indicator m or C
in the instrument cluster illuminates white.
Activation by setting the speed Adaptive cruise control can be
activated between 15 mph and
112 mph.
Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the
current speed is stored and
maintained. Control indicator m or
C in the instrument cluster
illuminates green.
The adaptive cruise control symbol,
the following distance setting and set speed are indicated in the Driver
Information Centre.
The accelerator pedal can be
released. Adaptive cruise control
remains activated while gearshifting.
Overriding set speed It is always possible to drive faster
than the selected set speed by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the vehicle returns to the
desired distance if a slower vehicle is
ahead. Otherwise it returns to the
stored speed.
Once the system is activated,
adaptive cruise control decelerates or
brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead,
which is slower or closer than the
desired following distance.9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates automatic braking by
the system. This is indicated as a
pop-up warning in the Driver
Information Centre.
184Driving and operating
Deactivation
Adaptive cruise control is deactivated by the driver when:
■ y is pressed.
■ Brake pedal is applied.
■ Clutch pedal is depressed for more
than four seconds.
■ Gear selector lever of automatic transmission is moved to N.
The system is also automatically
deactivated when:
■ Vehicle speed accelerates above 120 mph or slows down below9 mph (on vehicles with automatic
transmission it slows down to a stop
without deactivating within
two minutes).
■ The Traction Control system is operating.
■ The Electronic Stability Control is operating.
■ There is no traffic and nothing detected on the road sides for
several minutes. In this case there
are no radar echoes and the sensor may report that it is blocked.■ The collision imminent braking system is applying the brakes.
■ The radar sensor is blocked by an ice or water film.
■ A fault is detected in the radar, engine or brake system.
Additionally the system is
automatically deactivated on vehicles
with automatic transmission (full
speed range adaptive cruise control)
when:
■ The electric parking brake is applied.
■ The vehicle is being held to a stop by the system for more than
two minutes.
■ The vehicle stops, the driver safety
belt is released and the driver's
door is opened.
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated automatically, the control indicator m or C illuminates white
and a warning message is displayed
as a pop-up in the Driver Information
Centre.
The stored speed is maintained.9 Warning
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated, the driver must take
over full brake and engine control.
Switching off
Press C to switch off adaptive cruise
control. The control indicator m or C
extinguishes. The stored speed is
deleted.
Switching off the ignition also
switches off adaptive cruise control
and deletes the stored speed.
Driver's attention ■ Use adaptive cruise control carefully on bends or mountain
roads, as it can lose the vehicle
ahead and need time to detect it
again.