170Driving and operating
ABS starts to regulate brake pressureas soon as a wheel shows a tendency to lock. The vehicle remains
steerable, even during hard braking.
ABS control is made apparent
through a pulse in the brake pedal
and the noise of the regulation
process.
For optimum braking, keep the brake
pedal fully depressed throughout the
braking process, despite the fact that
the pedal is pulsating. Do not reduce
the pressure on the pedal.
After starting off, the system performs
a self-test which may be audible.
Control indicator u 3 107.
Adaptive brake light During full braking, all three brakelights flash for the duration of ABS
control.
Fault9 Warning
If there is a fault in the ABS, the
wheels may be liable to lock due
to braking that is heavier than
normal. The advantages of ABS are no longer available. During
hard braking, the vehicle can no longer be steered and may
swerve.
Have the cause of the fault remedied
by a workshop.
Parking brake
Manual parking brake9 Warning
Always apply parking brake firmly
without operating the release
button, and apply as firmly as
possible on a downhill or uphill
slope.
To release the parking brake, pull
the lever up slightly, press the
release button and fully lower the
lever.
Driving and operating171To reduce the operating forces of
the parking brake, depress the
foot brake at the same time.
Control indicator R 3 106.
Electric parking brake
Applying when vehicle is stationary
9 Warning
Pull switch m for approx.
one second, the electric parking
brake operates automatically with
adequate force. For maximum
force, e.g. parking with trailer or on
inclines, pull switch m twice.
The electric parking brake is
applied when control indicator m
illuminates 3 106.
The electric parking brake can always
be activated, even if the ignition is off.
Do not operate electric parking brake
system too often without engine
running as this will discharge the
vehicle battery.
Before leaving the vehicle, check the electric parking brake status. Control
indicator m 3 106.
Releasing
Switch on ignition. Keep foot brake
pedal depressed and then push
switch m.
Drive away function
Depressing clutch pedal (manual
transmission) or engaging drive gear
(automatic transmission) and then
depressing the accelerator pedal
releases the electric parking brake
automatically. This is not possible
when the switch is pulled at the same
time.
This function also helps driving away
on inclines.
Aggressive drive away may reduce
life time of wear parts.
Dynamic braking when vehicle is
moving
When the vehicle is moving and the
switch m is kept pulled, the electric
parking brake system will decelerate the vehicle, but will not apply
statically.
As soon as the switch m is released,
dynamic braking will be stopped.
Automatic applying
If the vehicle is equipped with
Automatic transmission and Adaptive
cruise control is active, electric
parking brake is applied automatically when vehicle is stopped by the
system for more than 2 minutes.
Parking brake releases automatically
after moving off.
Driving and operating1739Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 108.
Deactivation
TC can be switched off when spinning of drive wheels is required:
press b briefly to deactivate TC, k
illuminates. Deactivation is displayed
as status message in the Driver
Information Centre.
Control indicator k illuminates.
TC is reactivated by pressing b
again.
TC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Electronic Stability Control Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip. It also
prevents the drive wheels from
spinning. ESC operates in
combination with the Traction Control system (TC) 3 172.
As soon as the vehicle starts to
swerve (understeer/oversteer),
engine output is reduced and the
wheels are braked individually. This
considerably improves the driving
stability of the vehicle on slippery road
surfaces.
ESC is operational as soon as control indicator b extinguishes.
When ESC operates, control indicator
b flashes.
9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 108.
Driving and operating177
VXR mode
The drive dynamic characteristics are adapted to high performance
settings.
Depending on the instrument cluster
the colouring of the display will be
adapted.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style.
NORMAL mode
In NORMAL mode, when neither SPORT nor VXR is pressed, all
settings of the systems are adapted
to standard values.
Personalised settings in the VXR
mode
The driver can select the functions of
the VXR mode when VXR is pressed.
Select the relevant settings in
Settings , I Sport Mode in the Colour-
Info-Display.
Colour-Info-Display 3 118.
Vehicle personalisation 3 122.Driver assistance
systems9 Warning
Driver assistance systems are
developed to support the driver
and not to replace the driver's
attention.
The driver accepts full
responsibility when driving the
vehicle.
When using driver assistance
systems, always take care
regarding the current traffic
situation.
Cruise control
The cruise control can store and
maintain speeds of approx. 20 to
120 mph. Deviations from the stored
speeds may occur when driving uphill or downhill.
For safety reasons, the cruise controlcannot be activated until the foot
brake has been operated once.
Activating in first gear is not possible.
Do not use the cruise control if it is not advisable to maintain a constant
speed.
With automatic transmission, only
activate cruise control in automatic
mode.
Control indicator m 3 110.
Switching on Press m; control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
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.
182Driving and operating
Increase speedWith adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to RES/+: speed increases continuously in large increments, or activate repeatedly
RES/+: speed increases in small
increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive
cruise control active much faster than
the desired speed, e.g. after
depressing the accelerator pedal,
then the current speed can be stored
and maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Reduce speed With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to SET/-:
speed decreases continuously in
large increments, or activate
repeatedly SET/-: speed decreases in
small increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive
cruise control active much slower
than the desired speed, e.g. because
of a slower vehicle ahead, then thecurrent speed can be stored and
maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Resume stored speed
If the system is switched on but
inactive, then turn thumb wheel to
RES/+ at a speed above 15 mph to
resume the stored speed.
Full speed range adaptivecruise control on vehicles with
automatic transmission Full speed range adaptive cruisecontrol will maintain a following gap
behind a detected vehicle and slow
your vehicle to a stop behind that
vehicle.
When the vehicle ahead drives away
within two minutes, turn thumb wheel
to RES/+ or operate the accelerator
pedal to a speed of 6 mph to resume
full speed range adaptive cruise
control.
If the stopped vehicle ahead begins to move forward and full speed range
adaptive cruise control has not
resumed, the green illuminatedvehicle ahead control indicator A will
flash and a warning chime will sound
as a reminder that the vehicle ahead
is pulling away.
When the vehicle ahead stops for
more than two minutes, the electrical
parking brake will apply automatically and the full speed range adaptive
cruise control will be deactivated. In
this event, drive the vehicle normally
by operating the accelerator pedal.
Turn thumb wheel to RES/+ at a
speed above 6 mph to resume full
speed range adaptive cruise control.9 Warning
When full speed range adaptive
cruise control is deactivated or
cancelled, the vehicle will no
longer be held at a stop and can
start to move. Always be prepared to manually apply the brake to hold the vehicle stationary.
Do not leave the vehicle while it is being held at a stop by the full
speed range adaptive cruise
control. Always move selector
Driving and operating183lever to park position P and switch
off the ignition before leaving the
vehicle.
Setting the following distance
When adaptive cruise control detects a slower moving vehicle in the drivingpath, it will adjust the vehicle speed to
maintain the following distance
selected by the driver.
The following distance can be set to
near, medium or far.
Press E, the current setting is shown
in the Driver Information Centre.
Press E again to change the
following distance. The setting is also
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre.
The selected following distance is
indicated by filled distance bars in the
adaptive cruise control page.
Note that the following distance
setting is shared with the sensitivity
setting of forward collision alert
3 187.
Example: If setting 3 (far) is selected,
then the driver is warned sooner
before a possible collision, also if
adaptive cruise control is inactive or
switched off.
9 Warning
The driver accepts full
responsibility for the appropriate
following distance based on traffic, weather and visibility conditions.
Following distance must be
adjusted or the system switched
off when required by the prevailing
conditions.
Detecting the vehicle ahead
The green illuminated vehicle ahead
control indicator A is displayed when
the system detects a vehicle in the driving path.
Forward collision alert 3 187.
If this symbol does not display, or displays briefly, adaptive cruise
control will not respond to vehicles
ahead.
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.