2015 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK automatic transmission

There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals. G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving. G
WARNING
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
R overheat and cause a fire
R lose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
! Do not warm up the engine when the vehi-
cle is stationary. Drive off immediately.
Avoid high engine speeds and driving at full throttle until the engine has reached its
operating temperature.
Only shift the automatic transmission to
the desired drive position when the vehicle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
! Mercedes-AMG vehicles:
avoid full-load
operation and engine speeds greater than
5000 rpm when the engine is cold. This will
help to protect the engine and maintain
smooth engine operation. Key positions
Key g
To remove the key
1 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windscreen wipers
2 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3 To start the vehicle
Vehicles with manual transmission: the
steering is locked when the key is taken out of
the ignition lock.
i If the key does not belong to the vehicle, it
can still be turned in the ignition lock. How-
ever, the ignition will not be switched on.
The engine cannot be started.
Start/Stop button General notes
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO are equipped with
keys featuring an integrated KEYLESS-GO
function and a detachable Start/Stop button.
A check which periodically establishes a radio
connection between the vehicle and the key
determines whether a valid key is in the vehi- cle. This occurs, for example, when starting
the engine.
When you insert the Start/Stop button into
the ignition lock, the system needs approx-
imately two seconds recognition time. You
can then use the Start/Stop button. Driving
157Driving and parking Z

Pressing the Start/Stop button several times
in succession corresponds to the different
key positions in the ignition lock. Pre-requi-
site for this is that:
R you do not depress the brake pedal (vehi-
cles with automatic transmission)
R you do not depress the clutch pedal (vehi-
cles with manual transmission)
If you depress the brake pedal and press the
Start/Stop button, the engine starts immedi- ately (vehicles with automatic transmission).
If you depress the clutch pedal and press the
Start/Stop button, the engine starts immedi- ately (vehicles with manual transmission).
To start the vehicle without actively using the
key:
R the Start/Stop button must be inserted in
the ignition lock
R the key must be in the vehicle
R the vehicle must not be locked with the key
or KEYLESS-GO (Y page 83)
Do not keep the KEYLESS-GO key:
R with electronic devices, e.g. a mobile
phone or another key
R with metallic objects, e.g. coins or metal
film
R inside metallic objects, e.g. a metal case
This can affect the functionality of KEYLESS-
GO.
If you lock the vehicle with the key's remote
control or with KEYLESS-GO, after a short
time:
R you will not be able to switch on the ignition
with the Start/Stop button
R you will not be able to start the engine with
the Start/Stop button until the vehicle is
unlocked again
If you lock the vehicle centrally using the but- ton on the front door (Y page 90), you can
continue to start the engine with the Start/
Stop button.
The engine can be switched off while the vehi-
cle is in motion by pressing and holding the
Start/Stop button for three seconds. This function operates independently of the ECO
start/stop automatic engine switch-off func-
tion.
Key positions with the Start/Stop button
:
Start/Stop button
; Ignition lock
When you switch on the ignition, all of the
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster light up. Further information on situations where
an indicator lamp either fails to go out after
starting the engine or lights up while driving
(Y page 294).
If Start/Stop button :has not yet been
pressed, this corresponds to the key being
removed from the ignition.
X To switch on the power supply: press
Start/Stop button :once.
The power supply is switched on. You can
now activate the windscreen wipers, for
example.
The power supply is switched off again if:
R the driver's door is opened and
R you press Start/Stop button :twice when
in this position
X To switch on the ignition: press Start/
Stop button :twice.
The ignition is switched on.
If you press Start/Stop button :once
when in this position, the ignition is deac-
tivated again. 158
DrivingDriving and parking

Removing the Start/Stop button
You can remove the Start/Stop button from
the ignition lock and start the vehicle as nor-
mal using the key.
You can only switch between Start/Stop but-
ton mode and key operation when the vehicle is stationary.
You must also engage park position P(vehi-
cles with automatic transmission).
X Remove Start/Stop button :from ignition
lock ;.
You do not have to remove the Start/Stop
button from the ignition lock when you leave
the vehicle. You should, however, always take the key with you when leaving the vehicle. As long as the key is in the vehicle:
R the vehicle can be started using the Start/
Stop button
R the electrically powered equipment can be
operated Starting the vehicle
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they could:
R open doors, thereby endangering other per-
sons or road users
R get out and be struck by oncoming traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
In addition, the children could also set the
vehicle in motion, for example, if they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P or shift manual transmission into
neutral
R start the engine
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave children and animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Keep the keys out of the reach of children.
G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation. G
WARNING
Flammable materials introduced through
environmental influence or by animals can
ignite if in contact with the exhaust system or parts of the engine that heat up. There is a risk
of fire.
Carry out regular checks to make sure that
there are no flammable foreign materials in
the engine compartment or in the exhaust
system.
! Do not depress the accelerator when
starting the engine.
General notes Vehicles with a petrol engine:
the engine
runs at a higher engine speed during the cold
start procedure so that the catalytic con-
verter can reach operating temperature more quickly. The sound of the engine may change
as a result.
Manual transmission You can only start the engine when the clutch
pedal is fully depressed.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Depress the clutch pedal fully.
X Shift to neutral N. Driving
159Driving and parking Z

Automatic transmission
X
Shift the transmission to position P
(Y page 170).
The transmission position indicator in the
multifunction display shows P
(Y page 170).
i You can start the engine in transmission
position Pand N.
Starting procedure with the key To start the engine using the key instead of
the Start/Stop button, pull the Start/Stop
button out of the ignition lock.
X To start a diesel engine : turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock (Y page 157).
The % preglow indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X Turn the key to position 3in the ignition
lock (Y page 157) and release it as soon as
the engine is running.
Starting procedure using the Start/
Stop button The Start/Stop button can be used to start
the vehicle manually without inserting the key
into the ignition lock. The key must be in the
vehicle and the Start/Stop button must be
inserted in the ignition lock. This mode for
starting the engine operates independently of the ECO start/stop automatic engine start
function.
You can start the engine if a valid key is in thevehicle. Switch off the engine and always take
the key with you when leaving the vehicle,
even if you only leave it for a short time. Pay
attention to the important safety notes. X
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Press the Start/Stop button once
(Y page 157).
Vehicles with a petrol engine: the engine
starts.
Vehicles with a diesel engine: preglow is
activated and the engine starts. Pulling away
General notes G
WARNING
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
If the engine speed is above the engine idling speed and you then engage transmission
position Dor R, the vehicle may accelerate
suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always keep the brake pedal firmly depressed
and do not depress the accelerator pedal at
the same time.
! Vehicles with manual transmission:
change gear in good time and avoid spin-
ning the wheels. You could otherwise dam-
age the vehicle.
Depress the accelerator carefully when pull-
ing away.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking feature (Y page 251).
Vehicles with automatic transmission: it
is only possible to shift the transmission from position Pto the desired position if you 160
DrivingDriving and pa
rking

depress the brake pedal. Only then can the
parking lock be deactivated.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): if you do not depress the brake pedal,
the DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved
but the parking lock remains engaged.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: if you do not
depress the brake pedal, the selector lever
can still be moved but the parking lock
remains engaged.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: at
transmission fluid temperatures below
Ò20 †, you can only shift out of position Pinto
another transmission position when the
engine is running.
i Vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion: upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
information on automatically releasing the
electric parking brake (Y page 185).
Pulling away with a trailer To ensure that you do not roll backwards
when pulling away on an uphill slope, apply
the electric parking brake.
X Press and hold handle :.
The electric parking brake continues to
brake and prevent the vehicle from rolling
backwards. The red
!indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster remains lit.
X Depress the accelerator pedal.
X As soon as the vehicle/trailer combination
is held by the driving force of the engine,
release lever :.
the electric parking brake is released
The red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
For further information on the electric parking
brake, see (Y page 185).
Hill start assist Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
forwards or in reverse on an uphill gradient. It
holds the vehicle for a short time after you
have removed your foot from the brake pedal.
This gives you enough time to move your foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and depress it before the vehicle begins to
roll. G
WARNING
After a while, hill start assist no longer holds
the vehicle and it may roll away. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist is not active if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or a
downhill gradient
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission is in position N
R the electric parking brake is applied
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning
Further information on holding the vehicle
stationary on uphill gradients (Y page 174). Driving
161Driving and parking Z

ECO start/stop function
Introduction The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle is stop-
ped under certain conditions.
When pulling away again, the engine starts
automatically. The ECO start/stop function
thereby helps you to reduce the fuel con-
sumption and emissions of your vehicle.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the engine is switched off automatically and you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted
automatically. The vehicle may begin moving. There is a risk of accident and injury.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the ignition and secure the vehicle against
rolling away.
General notes :
ECO start/stop display
The ECO start/stop function is activated
whenever you start the engine using the key
or the Start/Stop button.
If the è ECO symbol is shown in green in
the multifunction display, the ECO start/stop
function switches the engine off automati-
cally once the vehicle stops moving.
If the ECO start/stop function has been man- ually deactivated (Y page 163) or a malfunc-
tion has caused the system to be deactivated, the è ECO symbol is not displayed.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the ECO start/
stop function is only available in drive pro-
gram C. Automatic engine switch-off General notes
The ECO start/stop function is operational
and the
èECO symbol is displayed in
green in the multifunction display, if:
R the indicator lamp in the ECO button is lit
green
R the outside temperature is within the range
that is suitable for the system
R the engine is at normal operating temper-
ature
R the set temperature for the vehicle interior
has been reached
R the battery is sufficiently charged
R the system detects that the windscreen is
not misted up when the air-conditioning
system is switched on
R the bonnet is closed
R the driver's door is closed and the driver's
seat belt is fastened
If the conditions for automatic engine switch- off are not all fulfilled, the èECO symbol is
shown in yellow.
All of the vehicle's systems remain active
when the engine is switched off automati-
cally.
The engine can be switched off automatically
a maximum of four times (initial stop, then
three subsequent stops) in succession. The
è ECO symbol is shown in yellow in the
multifunction display after the engine has
been started automatically for the fourth
time. When the èECO symbol is shown in
green in the multifunction display, automatic
engine switch-off is again possible.
Vehicles with manual transmission 162
DrivingDriving and parking

The ECO start/stop function switches off the
engine automatically at low speeds.
X Brake the vehicle.
X Shift to neutral N(Y page 168) (follow
gearshift instruction :to shift into neutral
N, if necessary).
X Release the clutch pedal.
The engine is switched off automatically.
Vehicles with automatic transmission
If the vehicle is braked to a standstill with the transmission in Dor N, the ECO start/stop
function switches off the engine automati-
cally.
The HOLD function can be activated if the
engine has been switched off automatically. It
is then not necessary to continue applying the brakes during the automatic stop phase.
When you depress the accelerator pedal, the
engine starts automatically and the braking
effect of the HOLD function is deactivated.
Automatic engine start General notes
The engine is started automatically if:
R
you switch off the ECO start/stop function
by pressing the ECO button
R you engage reverse gear R
R you unfasten your seat belt or open the
driver's door
R the vehicle starts to roll
R the brake system requires this
R the temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
R the system detects moisture on the wind-
screen when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
R the battery's charge status is too low
Vehicles with manual transmission
! Only engage gear when the clutch pedal is
depressed. The engine is started automatically if you:
R depress the clutch pedal fully
R depress the accelerator pedal
Vehicles with automatic transmission
The engine is started automatically if you: R release the brake pedal in transmission
position Dor Nwhen the HOLD function is
not active
R depress the accelerator pedal
R move the transmission out of position P
Shifting the transmission to position Pdoes
not start the engine.
If you shift the transmission from Rto D, the
ECO start/stop function is available again
once the èECO symbol reappears in
green in the multifunction display.
Switching the ECO start/stop function
off/on X
To deactivate: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;and the èECO sym-
bol in the multifunction display go out.
X To activate: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
If all conditions for automatic engine
switch-off (Y page 162) are fulfilled, the
è ECO symbol is shown in green in the
multifunction display.
If the conditions for automatic engine
switch-off (Y page 162) are not all fulfilled,
the è ECO symbol is shown in yellow in
the multifunction display. If this is the case, Driving
163Driving and parking Z

Drive programs
Drive program C (Comfort) Drive program
Cis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle delivers comfortable, economi-
cal driving characteristics.
R the vehicle having improved driving stabil-
ity, for example on slippery road surfaces.
Drive program S (Sport) Drive program
Sis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R sporty engine settings.
Drive program I (Individual) In drive program
Ithe following properties of
the drive program can be selected:
R the drive (engine and transmission man-
agement)
R the suspension (vehicles with damping sys-
tem or AMG RIDE CONTROL)
R the steering
R the availability of the ECO start/stop func-
tion
R the climate control
Information about configuring drive program I
with COMAND Online or Audio 20 can be
found in the Digital Owner's Manual.
Drive program E (Economy) Drive program
Eis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle exhibits comfortable, economi-
cal driving characteristics.
R the vehicle having improved driving stabil-
ity, for example on slippery road surfaces.
R the performance of the air-conditioning and
heating systems is reduced. Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate. G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake. DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): the DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right
of the steering column. Automatic transmission
169Driving and parking Z