2015 MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS HATCHBACK brake

The braking performance of the electric motor
using recuperative braking is, in some operating modes, either reduced or not effective:
R when the charge status of the high-voltage
battery increases
R if the high-voltage battery is not yet at a nor-
mal operating temperature
R when driving close to the maximum speed
R when the vehicle is almost stationary
R in transmission position N
R during and after ESP stability control
If you do not make an additional effort to apply
the brake yourself, the braking effect may not be sufficient. If necessary, counteract the reduced regenerative braking effect by applying the
brake yourself.
Downhill gradients On long, steep gradients, you must reduce the
load on the brakes by selecting maximum recu- peration. This prevents the brakes overheating
and causing excessive wear.
Recuperation allows the vehicle to be deceler-
ated without placing a load on the braking sys-
tem.
Do not depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by constantly applying light
pressure to the pedal. This results in excessive
and premature wear to the brake pads.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even cause the braking system to fail. There is
a risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal and the accelerator pedal while driving.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If heavy demands are made on the brakes, do
not park the vehicle immediately. Drive on for a
short while. This allows the airflow to cool the
brakes more quickly. If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effectiveness.
To do this, brake more firmly from a higher
speed, paying attention to traffic conditions.
This improves the grip of the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after a car wash or
after driving through deep water.
You will have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle washed, brake firmly while paying attention to
the traffic conditions. This will warm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salt-treated roads, a layer of salt
may form on the brake discs and pads. This can increase the braking distance considerably.
R In order to prevent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to the traffic conditions.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal at the end
of the journey and when starting the next
journey.
R Maintain a much greater distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
New brake pads/linings Brake pads/linings and discs that are either new
or have been replaced only achieve optimum
braking effect after several hundred kilometres
of driving. Compensate for the reduced braking effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brake pads/linings
fitted to your vehicle which have been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which corre-
spond to an equivalent quality standard. Brake
pads/linings which have not been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which are not of an
equivalent quality could affect your vehicle's
operating safety. Driving tips
149Driving and parking Z

Driving on wet roads
Aquaplaning If water has accumulated to a certain depth on
the road surface, there is a danger of aquaplan- ing occurring, even if:
R you are driving at low speeds
R the tyres have adequate tread depth
For this reason, drive in the following manner in the event of heavy rain or in conditions in which
aquaplaning can occur:
R lower your speed
R avoid tyre ruts
R avoid sudden steering movements
R brake carefully
Driving on flooded roads !
Bear in mind that vehicles travelling in front
or in the opposite direction create waves. This may cause the maximum permissible water
depth to be exceeded.
These notes must be observed under all cir-
cumstances. You could otherwise damage
the engine, the electronics or the transmis-
sion.
If you must drive on stretches of road on which
water has collected, please bear in mind that:
R in the case of standing water, the water level
must be no higher than the lower edge of the
vehicle body
R you should drive no faster than walking pace Winter driving
G
WARNING
If you increase the recuperation level on slip- pery road surfaces, the drive wheels may lose
their traction. This increases the risk of skid-
ding and having an accident.
Do not increase the recuperation level on slip-
pery road surfaces.
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and braking manoeuvres. Do not use
cruise control.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Shift the DIRECT SELECT lever to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by using
corrective steering.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
Further information on driving with snow chains (Y page 269).
Further information on driving with summer
tyres (Y page 268).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec-
tion (Y page 268). 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. Change into transmis-
sion position D-
(Y page 132) on long and steep
downhill gradients. This increases recuperation
in overrun mode. 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.
The speed indicated in the speedometer may
differ slightly from the speed stored. 150
Driving syste
msDriving and parking

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
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 distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good time, and for staying in lane.
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 accel-
erating 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 varia-
ble SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selected:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display for
five seconds.
Selecting cruise control X
To select cruise control: check whether LIM
indicator lamp ;is on or off.
If it is off, cruise control is already selected.
X If it is not, press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Cruise control is selected.
Activation conditions To activate cruise control, all of the following
activation conditions must be fulfilled:
R the electric parking brake must be released.
R you are driving faster than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not interven-
ing.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R cruise control must be selected.
Storing, maintaining and calling up a
speed Storing and maintaining the current
speed
You can store the current speed if you are driv-
ing faster than 30 km/h.
X Accelerate the vehicle to the desired speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up :or
down ?.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle auto-
matically maintains the speed.
i Cruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by auto-
matically braking the vehicle.
Storing the current speed or calling up the
last stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up a stored speed and this is dif-
ferent from the current speed, the vehicle Driving systems
151Driving and parking
Z

accelerates or brakes. If you do not know
what the stored speed is, the vehicle may
accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a
risk of an accident.
Take the traffic conditions into account
before calling up the stored speed. If you do
not know what the stored speed is, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated, it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously stored
speed.
Setting a speed Bear in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the set speed.
X Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ?for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until the
desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ?to the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 1 km/h increments.
X To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ?beyond the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 10 km/h increments.
i Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For example, if
you accelerate briefly to overtake, cruise con-
trol adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished overtak-
ing. Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise con-
trol:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever forwards
B.
or X Brake.
or X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever lights
up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
R the vehicle is secured with the electric park-
ing brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R you shift the transmission to position Nwhile
driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the Cruise con‐ Cruise con‐
trol off
trol off message in the multifunction display
for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. SPEEDTRONIC
General notes SPEEDTRONIC brakes automatically so that you
do not exceed the set speed. Change into trans-
mission position D-
(Y page 132) on long and
steep downhill gradients. This increases recu-
peration in overrun mode. This relieves the load on the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If youneed additional braking, depress the brake
pedal repeatedly rather than continuously.
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed stored.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, SPEED-
TRONIC can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. SPEED-
TRONIC cannot take into account road, weather152
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Switching SPEEDTRONIC to passive
If you depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point (kickdown), SPEEDTRONIC is
switched to passive mode. The following mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display:
SPEEDTRONIC passive SPEEDTRONIC passive.
You can then exceed the stored speed. SPEED-
TRONIC is activated again if you:
R drive slower than the stored speed without
kickdown
R set a new speed or
R call up the last speed stored again
The SPEEDTRONIC passive SPEEDTRONIC passive message in the
multifunction display disappears.
Deactivating variable SPEEDTRONIC
It is not possible to deactivate variable SPEED-
TRONIC by braking.
There are several ways to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever forwards
B.
or X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
deactivated.
Cruise control is selected.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R when pulling away, especially on steep slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD
function is deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away. Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply
R the HOLD function is deactivated by the
accelerator pedal being depressed, e.g. by
a vehicle occupant
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
from rolling away.
! When the HOLD function is activated, the
vehicle brakes automatically in certain situa-
tions.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
the HOLD function in the following or similar
situations:
R when towing away
R in a car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function (Y page 155).
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 electric parking brake is released
R the transmission is in position D,Ror N 154
Driving systemsDriving and parking

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 :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 automatically
if:
R you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission is in
position Dor R.
R the transmission is in position P.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a cer-
tain amount of pressure until :disappears
from the multifunction display.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric park-
ing brake.
i After a short period, the vehicle is secured
by the electric parking brake, thus relieving
the service brake.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activated
and:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
The Brake immediately Brake immediately message may also
appear in the multifunction display. X
Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc-
tion display goes out.
The HOLD function is deactivated. A horn will
sound at regular intervals if you turn off the
engine, take off your seat belt or open the driv-
er's door when the HOLD function is activated.
The horn alerts you to the fact that the HOLD
function is still activated. If you attempt to lock
the vehicle, the tone becomes louder. The vehi- cle cannot be locked until you have deactivated
the HOLD function.
i Once you have switched off the engine, you
cannot restart it until you have deactivated
the HOLD function. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It monitors the area around
your vehicle using six sensors in the front
bumper and six sensors in the rear bumper.
PARKTRONIC indicates visually and audibly the
distance between your vehicle and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a substitute for your attention to the immediate surround-
ings. 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. PARKTRONIC 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 PARKTRONIC to
malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain. Driving systems
155Driving and parking Z

PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D,Ror N
R release the electric parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds.
Range of the sensors General notes
PARKTRONIC does not take into account obsta-
cles located:
R below the detection range, e.g. persons, ani-
mals or objects
R above the detection range, e.g. overhanging
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 correctly.
Clean the sensors regularly, taking care not to
scratch or damage them (Y page 245).Range Front sensors
Centre Approx. 100 cm
Corners Approx. 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre Approx. 120 cm
Corners Approx. 80 cm
Minimum distance
Centre Approx. 20 cm
Corners Approx. 20 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, the rel-
evant warning displays light up and a warning
tone sounds. If the distance falls below the min- imum, the distance may no longer be shown. 156
Driving systemsDriving and parking

R
pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 157) warning messages during the
parking procedure
R you can intervene in the steering procedure to
correct it at any time. Active Parking Assist
will then be cancelled
R when transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use Active
Parking Assist
R never use Active Parking Assist when snow
chains are fitted
R make sure that the tyre pressures are always
correct. This has a direct influence on the
parking characteristics of the vehicle.
Use Active Parking Assist for parking spaces
that are:
R parallel to the direction of travel.
R on straight roads, not bends
R on the same level as the road, e.g. not on the
pavement
Detecting parking spaces Objects located above the height range of Active
Parking Assist will not be detected when the
parking space is measured. These are not taken
into account when the parking procedure is cal- culated, e.g. overhanging loads, tail sections or
loading ramps of goods vehicles. G
WARNING
If there are objects above the detection range:
R Active Park Assist may steer too early
R the vehicle may not stop in front of these
objects
This could cause a collision. There is a risk of
an accident.
If objects are located above the detection
range, stop and deactivate Active Parking
Assist.
For further information on the detection range
(Y page 156).
Active Parking Assist does not support you park-
ing in spaces that are parallel to the direction of
travel if:
R the parking space is on a kerb
R the parking space appears to be blocked, for
example by foliage or grass paving blocks R
the range of movement is too small
R the parking space is bordered by an obstacle
which is not clearly defined such as a tree or a
trailer Example: parking symbol
:
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Active Parking Assist is activated automatically
when driving forwards. The system is opera-
tional at speeds of up to approximately
35 km/ h.While in operation, the system inde-
pendently locates and measures parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
R parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 1.5 m wide
R that are at least 1.3 mlonger than your vehicle
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you will
see parking symbol ;as a status indicator in
the instrument cluster. When a parking space
has been detected, an arrow towards the right or the left also appears. Active Parking Assist only
displays parking spaces on the front-passenger side as standard. Parking spaces on the driver's
side are displayed as soon as the turn signal on the driver's side is activated. When parking on
the driver's side, this must remain activated
until you confirm the use of Active Parking Assist
by pressing the abutton on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
A parking space is displayed while you are driv- ing past it, and until you are approximately 15 maway from it.
Parking G
WARNING
Active Parking Assist merely aids you by inter- vening actively in the steering. There is a risk
of accident if you do not apply the brakes
yourself. Driving systems
159Driving and parking
Z