When stopping at a traffic signal or stopp ing in
city traffic on vehicles with an automatic trans miss ion, the park ing brake can be applied . The
vehicle does not have to be held with the foot brake. The parking brak e eliminates the tendency
to creep with a drive range engaged . As soon as
you dr ive off as usual , the parking brake is re
leased automatically and the veh icle starts to
move.
Starting on sl opes
When starting on inclines, the start ing ass ist pre
vents the vehicle from unintentionally rolling back. The braking force of the parking brake is
not released until sufficient driv ing force has
been b uilt up at the whee ls .
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re
leased automatically only when the dr iver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake system
fails or locks.
.,. In an emergency, pull the switch @c::, page 75 ,
fig. 79
and continue to pull it to slow your vehi
cle down with the park ing brake.
.,. As soon as you release t he sw itch @ or acceler-
ate, the braking process stops.
I f you pull the sw itch @and ho ld it above a
speed of about
5 mph (8 k m/ h), the emergen cy
b rak ing func tion is initia ted . The vehicle is braked
at all four wheels by activa ting the hydrau lic
b rake system. The brake pe rformance is s imilar
to making an emergency stop
c::, A .
In o rder no t to activate the emergency bra king by
mista ke, an audible warning tone (b uzzer)
sounds when the sw itch @ is pulled. As soon as
the switch @ is released, or t he accelerator peda l
is depressed, emergency braking stops.
~ &_ WARNING
0::
~ Emergency braking should only be used in an ......
~ emergency, when the normal foot brake has
N
"' ......
Dri ving
failed or the bra ke peda l is obstructed. Us ing
the parking brake to perform emergency brak i ng will slow your vehicle down as if you had
made a full brake application. The laws of
physics cannot be suspended even with ESC
and its assoc iated components (ABS, ASR,
E DS). In corners and when road o r weather
conditions are bad, a f ull bra ke applica tion
can cause the ve hicl e to skid o r th e rear end to
break away -risking an ac cident.
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep your
driving speed below a set speed limit.
T he speed warning system warns if the driver ex
ceeds a previous ly stored maximum speed . A
warning tone will sound as soon as the veh icle
speed exceeds the set speed by about 3 mph
(3 km/h) . At the same t ime, a warning symbol
appears in the display . The symbol's appearance
mig ht be different in some models .
The speed warn ing system has two warning
t hr esholds that funct ion independent ly of each
othe r and t hat have somewhat d ifferent pu rpos
es:
Speed wa rning 1
You can use speed warning 1 to set the maximum
speed wh ile you are driving. Th is sett ing will re
main in effect until you turn off the ign ition, as
suming that you have not changed or reset th e
setting.
The . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
speed warning symbo l in the warn ing 1 disp lay
appears when you exceed the maximum speed .
It
goes out when the spe ed falls be low the stored
ma ximum speed.
The speed warn ing symbol will also go out if the
speed
exceeds the stored maximum speed by
more than about
25 mph (40 km/h) for at least
10 seco nds. The stored maxim um speed is dele t-
ed.
~
77
Driving
Speed warn ing 2
Sto ring warning 2 is recommended if you always
want to be reminded of a certain speed, for ex
ample when you are trave ling in a co untry that
has a general maximum sp eed limit, or if you do
not want to exceed a specified speed for winter
tires .
The . (USA models) /. (Canada mode ls)
speed warning 2 symbo l appears in the disp lay
when you exceed the stored speed limit. Unlike
warning 1, it will not go out un til the vehicle
speed drops below the stored speed limit .
Sett ing speed warning 2
~ page 78 .
(D Tips
Even though your vehicle is equipped with a
speed warning system, you shou ld still watch
the speedometer to make sure you are not
driving faster than the speed limit.
Speed warning 1: setting a speed limit
Warning threshold 1 is set by the I SETI button .
Fig. 8 0 SET button i n the inst rum ent cluste r
Storing the maximum speed
• Drive at the desired max imum speed.
• Press the
!SET ! button in the instrument panel
display ~
fig. 80 for 1 second .
Res etting the ma ximum speed
• Drive the vehicle at a speed of at least 3 mph
(5 km/h)
• Press the
~ ,s- E- T~ I button for more than 2 seconds .
The . (USA models) /. (Canada mode ls)
speed warning symbol will appear briefly in the
display when you release the
I S ET I button to indi-
78
cate that the maximum speed has been stored
successfully .
The maximum speed rema ins stored until it is
changed by pressing the
I SE T! b utton again b rief
l y or until it is deleted by a lengthy push on the
button.
Speed warning 2: setting a speed limit
The radio or MMI* control unit is used to set,
change or delete warning threshold
2.
• Select: !C A R! function b utton> In strum ent
clust er > Spe ed warnin g.
Or
• Select: !CAR ! function button> Car syste m s*
contro l button > Dri ver a ssist> S peed wa rning.
Warning threshold 2 can be set in the speed
range starting from 20 mph to 150 mph (30 km/
h to 240 km/h). Settings can each be adj usted in
intervals of 6 mph (10 km/h) .
Cruise control system
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at
20 mph (30
km/h) .
Fig. 81 Co ntro l le ve r w ith pus h-b utto n
Fig . 82 D isp lay : Selected speed
a)
8 er a) m
M N
0:: loo ,...., \!) ,.,.,
N ,.,., ,....,
• Pull the lever to position CD¢ fig. 81 to switch
the system on.
• Drive at the speed to be contro lled .
• Press button ® to set that speed.
The stored speed and the green symbol
[ij;(i )~i4 (US model)/ Bl (Canadian model) are
shown in the display r::>fig . 82. The disp lay may
vary, depending on the type of display in your ve
h icle .
The speed is kept constant by modify ing engine
power or thro ugh an active brake intervention.
A WARNING
- Always pay attention to the traffic around
yo u when the cruise control is in operation .
You are always responsib le for your speed
and the dista nce between yo ur vehicle and
other vehicles .
- For reasons of safety, cruise cont ro l should
not be us ed in the city, in stop-and-go t raf
fic, on twisting roads and w hen road condi
tio ns are poor (such as i ce, fog, gr avel,
heavy rain and hyd rop laning) - r is k of acci
dent.
- T urn off t he cr uise control temporari ly w hen
en ter ing turn lanes, highway exit lanes or in
constr uction zones .
- P lease note tha t inadvertent ly " rest ing"
yo ur foot on the accelerator peda l causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is be
cause the cruise contro l is overridden by the
dr iver's acceleration .
- If a brake system malfunction such as ove r
heating occurs when the cruise control sys
tem is switched on, the braking function in
the system may be sw itched off. The other
cruise control func tions remain act ive as
lo ng as the indicato r light
[ij;(l)~i4 (US mo d
els)/ . (Canadian mode ls) is on.
(D} Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the
bra kes apply automat ica lly.
Dri ving
Changing speed
• To inc rease/decrease the speed in in cr ements,
t ap t he leve r in the
010 direction¢ page 78,
fig. 81.
• To increase/decrease the speed quic kly, hold
the lever in the
0 10 di rect ion until the de
sired speed is displayed.
You can also press the accelerator pedal down to increase yo ur speed, e.g . if yo u want to pass
someone . The speed you saved ear lie r will re
s u me as soon as you let off of the accelerator
pedal.
If, however , you exceed yo ur saved speed by
6 mph (10 km/h) for longer than 5 minutes, the
cruise control will be turned off temporarily . The
green symbo l in the d isplay turns white. The
saved speed rema ins the same .
Presetting your speed
You can preset your desired speed while the vehi
cle is not moving.
• Switch on the ignition.
• Pull lever into position CD r::> page 78, fig. 81.
• Press the lever in the
0 or O direction to in-
crease or decrease your speed.
• Release the lever to save that speed .
This function makes it possible, for examp le, to
save the speed you want before dr iv ing o n the
highway. Once on the highway, activate the cru ise
control by pu lli ng the lev er toward CD-
Switching off
Temporary deactivation
• Press the brake pedal, or
• Press the leve r into position @ (not clicked into
p lace) ¢page 78, fig. 81, or
• Dr ive fo r longe r th an
5 m inu tes a t mo re t han
6 mph ( 10 km/h) above the store d spee d.
Switching off completely
• Press lever into position @(clicked into place),
or
• Swi tch the ignit ion off.
79
Driving
The speed yo u saved wi ll be retained if the cruise
control has been switched off temporari ly . To re
sume the saved speed, let up on the brake and pull the lever to pos ition
(D .
Switching the ignition off erases the saved speed.
A WARNING
You should on ly return to the saved speed if it
is not too fast for the current traffic condi
tions -risk of an accident!
80
Automati c tra nsmi ssio n
Select the spo rt m ode S for sporty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine's power.
Shift ing may become not iceable when accelerat
ing.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply the foot
brake before and while moving the lever to D/S
out of N.
_&. WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS¢.& in Driv
ing the automatic transmission on
page 83 .
(D Note
Coasting downh ill with the transmission in N
and the engine not running will result in dam
age to the automatic transmission and possi
bly the catalytic converter .
(D) Tips
-On vehicles with drive select*, you can ad
just the sporty shift characteristics in the
Dy namic driv ing mode.Swi ll appear in the
i nstrument cluster display instead of D .
- If you accidentally select N while driving, take your foot off the accelerator pedal im
mediately and wait for the engine to slow
down to idle before selecting D/S.
- If there is a power failure, the se lector lever
will not move out of the P pos it ion. The
emergency release can be used if this hap
pens¢page 87.
82
.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you against
accidentally shifting into a forward or the re
verse gear and causing the vehicle to move unin
tentionally.
Fig . 84 Sh ift gate : se lecto r lever lock pos itio ns and re lease
button h ig h lighted
The selector lever lock is released as fol lows:
.,. Turn the ignition on .
.,. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on the s ide of
the gear selector knobq
fig. 84 with your
thumb until you have moved the sele ctor lever
to the desired position.
Automatic selector leve r loc k
The selector lever is locked in the P and N pos i
tions when the ignit ion is turned on . You must
press the brake peda l and the release button to
select another posit ion. As a reminder to the
drive r, the following warni ng appears in the in
str ument cluster display when the se lector is in P
and
N:
When sta ti onar y appl y brak e peda l wh ile select
ing g ear
The Automatic Shift Lock only funct ions when the
vehicle is stat iona ry or at speeds below 1 mph
(2 km/h).
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the Auto
matic Shift Lock is automat ica lly deactivated in
the N pos ition.
A time delay element prevents the selector lever
from locking when it is moved through the N po
s ition (going from R to D/S) . The locking e lement
will lock the selector leve r if the lever is left in N .,..
"' N
0:: loo
rl I.O
"'
(Neutral) for more than approximately 2 seconds,
without the brake pedal being pressed.
Release button
The release button on the selector lever prevents
the lever from being accidentally shifted into cer
tain positions. Depending on the direction of the
shift, the selector lever locks at different posi
tions . The positions are highlighted in the i llus
tration ¢
fig. 84.
Ignition key safety interlock
The key cannot be removed from the ignition un
l ess the selecto r lever is in the P park position .
When the ignition key is removed, the selector
lever will be locked in the P position.
Driving the automatic transmission
M N 0 0 .,:.
gi
Fig. 85 Shift gate on the center conso le: selector lever with
release butto n
Starting the engine
.,. The selector lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Press and ho ld the release button in the se lec
tor lever handle, select the desired selector lev
er position such as D/S and release the button.
.,. Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted
(you will feel a slight movement).
.,. Remove your foot from the brake pedal and ac
celerate.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Keep the vehicle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights.
.,. Do not press the accele rator pedal when doing
~ t hi s. rl
Automatic transmission
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop
ping on steep inclines¢ &_.
.,. The parking brake wi ll release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the acce lerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could ro ll.
The message
Transmission: Car may roll! Shift
to park!
appears.
.,. Press and hold the brake peda l until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop.
.. App ly the parking brake¢
page 76.
.,. Select the P selector lever posit ion ¢ &_ .
Stopping on an incline
.,. Always press the brake pedal to hold the vehi
cle in p lace and prevent it from "ro lling back"
¢ &_ . Do
not try to prevent the veh icle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in
creasing the engine speed ¢(D .
Starting on an incline
.,. Activate the parking brake .
.,. With the driving gear selected, press the acce l
erator pedal carefu lly. The parking brake will re
lease automatically if your seat belt is fastened.
Und er certain circumstances, such as driving in
the mountains, it may be useful to switch tempo rarily to the manual shift program in order to ad
just the gears to the driving conditions by hand
¢page 85 .
On s lopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
This prevents too much stress from being placed on the locking mechanism .
_& WARNING
-
-The vehicle can also roll when the engine is
stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se
rious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave your
~
83
Automatic transmission
vehicle when the engine is running, activate
the parking brake and move the selector lev
er to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake when the engine
is running and the selector lever is in D/S or
R or "tiptronic" mode is selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
running.
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases brak
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An indicator lamp
5] illuminates
and a driver message appears¢
page 86
when the clutch is overloaded.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure these
lector lever has securely engaged and is
locked in P with the parking brake set
¢page 187. Otherwise, any increase in en
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se
lected. This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it. Activate the
84
parking brake or press the brake pedal to
prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped and the selector lever is in N will
damage the transmission because it is not
lubricated under those circumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle .
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec
tor lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission automatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the incline. Hill descent con
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physical and technical
limitation s.
It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
level s out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
¢
page 78, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
"' N
0:: loo
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can man
ually select gears.
Fig. 86 Center conso le: shift in g th e gea rs manually
Fig. 87 S teerin g wh eel: shift paddl es
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
• Push the selector lever to the right from D/S.
An M appears in the instrumen t cluste r display
as soon as the transm ission has shifted.
• To upshift, push the selector lever forward to
the plus position
0 c::> fig. 86.
• To downshift, push the lever to the minus posi-
tion
0 .
Gear selection with shift paddles*
The shift padd les are activated when the selector
lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual shift pro
gram.
• To upshift , touch the shift paddle on the right
(vc::>fig. 87.
• To downshift, touch the shift paddle on the left
0 -
• If you do not press a shift paddle within a short
time while in the D/S position, the transmission
will return to automatic mode . To keep shifting
Automatic transmission
using the shift padd les, move the selector lever
to the right out of the D/S position.
When accelerating, the transmission does
not
automatically shift to the next gear shortly be
fore the maximum permitted engine RPM is
reached .
If you have selected a lower gear than the current
one, the automatic transmission will shift down
only when the engine wi ll not be over-revved.
With kick-down , the transmission shifts into a
lower gear depending on speed and engine RPM.
@ Tips
Tiptronic is inoperative when the transmission
is in the fail-safe mode.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you depress the accelerator peda l beyond
the resistance point, the automatic transmission downsh ifts into a lower gear, depending on vehi
cle speed and engine speed. The upshift into the
next higher gear takes place once the maximum
specified eng ine speed is reached .
& WARNING
Please note that the wheels can spin if kick
down is used on a smooth slippery road -
there is a risk of skidding .
Launch Control Program
The Launch Control Program provides the best
acceleration possible when starting from a stop.
Requirement: The engine must be at ope rat ing
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
• Press the
I.$ OFF ! button c::> page 170 while the
eng ine is running. The
II indicator l ight illumi
nates in the instr ument cluster and
Stabiliza
tion control (ESC): Sport. Warning! Restricted
stability
appears in the driver information sys -
tem display.
IJJ,,
85