
Distance warning (warning lamp)
.... 244
DISTRONIC PLUS Activation condition s..................... 162
Deactivating ................................... 166
Display message ............................ 225
Displays in the multifunction dis-
play ................................................ 165
Driving tips .................................... 166
Function/note s............................. 160
Important safety notes .................. 160
Setting the specified minimum
distance ......................................... 164
Warning lamp ................................. 244
Doors
Automatic locking (on-board com-
puter) ............................................. 203
Automatic locking (switch) ............... 81
Central locking/unlocking
(SmartKey) ....................................... 74
Control panel ................................... 37
Display message ............................ 230
Emergency locking ........................... 81
Emergency unlocking ....................... 81
Important safety notes .................... 79
Opening (from inside) ...................... 80
Drinking and driving ......................... 153
Drive program Automatic ...................................... 144
Display ........................................... 142
Manual ........................................... 146
SETUP (on-board computer) .......... 205
Drive program selector ..................... 144
Driver's door see Doors
Driving abroad
Mercedes-Benz Service ................. 277
Symmetrical low beam .................. 108
Driving lamps
see Daytime running lamps
Driving on flooded roads .................. 157
Driving safety systems ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) ....... 64
ADAPTIVE BRAK E............................. 70
BAS (Brake Assist System) .............. 64
BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System
PLUS) ............................................... 65 EBD (electronic brake force distri-
bution) ............................................. 69
ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro-
gram) ............................................... 66
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction
System) ........................................... 66
Important safety information ........... 63
Overview .......................................... 63
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake ............................. 70
Driving systems
Active Blind Spot Assist ................. 183
Active Driving Assistance pack-
age ................................................. 183
Active Lane Keeping Assist ............ 186
ATTENTION ASSIST ........................ 179
Blind Spot Assist ............................ 179
Cruise control ................................ 158
Display message ............................ 222
DISTRONIC PLUS ........................... 160
Dynamic handling package with
sports mode .................................. 168
HOLD function ............................... 169
Lane Keeping Assist ...................... 181
Lane Tracking package .................. 179
Parking Guidance ........................... 175
PARKTRONIC ................................. 171
RACE START (AMG vehicles) .......... 170
Rear view camera .......................... 178
Driving tips
Automatic transmission ................. 143
Brakes ........................................... 155
Break-in period .............................. 132
DISTRONIC PLUS ........................... 166
Downhill gradient ........................... 155
Drinking and driving ....................... 153
Driving abroad ............................... 108
Driving in winter ............................. 158
Driving on flooded roads ................ 157
Driving on wet roads ...................... 157
Exhaust check ............................... 154
Fuel ................................................ 153
General .......................................... 153
Hydroplaning ................................. 157
Icy road surfaces ........................... 158
Limited braking efficiency on sal-
ted roads ....................................... 156
Snow chains .................................. 305 8
Index

Symmetrical low beam .................. 108
Wet road surface ........................... 156
DVD video (on-board computer) ...... 197
Dynamic handling package with
sports mode ....................................... 168 E
EASY-ENTRY feature Activating/deactivating ................. 203
Function/note s............................. 101
EASY-EXIT feature
Crash-responsive ........................... 102
Function/note s............................. 101
Switching on/of f........................... 203
EBD (electronic brake force distri-
bution) Display message ............................ 210
Function/note s................................ 69
ECO display
Function/note s............................. 154
On-board computer ....................... 194
Electronic brake force distribu-
tion
see EBD (electronic brake force
distribution)
Electronic Stability Program
see ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Emergency release
Driver's door .................................... 81
Trunk ......................................... 84, 85
Vehicle ............................................. 81
Emergency spare wheel
General notes ................................ 339
Important safety notes .................. 338
Storage location ............................ 339
Technical data ............................... 340
Emergency Tensioning Devices
Function ........................................... 57
Safety guideline s............................. 41
Emissions control
Service and warranty information .... 22
Engine
Check Engine warning lamp ........... 241
Display message ............................ 219
ECO start/stop function ................ 136
Engine number ............................... 343 Irregular running ............................ 140
Jump-starting ................................. 294
Starting problems .......................... 140
Starting the engine with the
SmartKey ....................................... 135
Starting with KEYLESS-GO ............. 135
Switching off .................................. 152
Tow-starting (vehicle) ..................... 298
Engine electronics
Problem (malfunction) ................... 140
Engine jump starting
see Jump starting (engine)
Engine oil
Adding ........................................... 274
Additives ........................................ 346
Checking the oil level ..................... 273
Checking the oil level using the
dipstick .......................................... 273
Display message ............................ 221
Filling capacity ............................... 346
Notes about oil grade s................... 345
Notes on oil level/consumption .... 273
Temperature (on-board com-
puter) ............................................. 204
Viscosity ........................................ 346
ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro-
gram) Activating/deactivating (except
AMG vehicles) .................................. 67
AMG menu (on-board computer) ... 205
Deactivating/activating (AMG
vehicles) .......................................... 68
Deactivating/activating (except
AMG vehicles) ................................ 199
Display message ............................ 209
ETS/4ETS ........................................ 66
Function/note s................................ 66
General notes .................................. 66
Important safety information ........... 66
Warning lamp ................................. 237
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem) ...................................................... 66
Exhaust check ................................... 154
Exhaust tail pipe (cleaning instruc-
tions) .................................................. 281 Index
9

When driving at a speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h): if you depress the brake pedal
sharply, BAS PLUS automatically raises the
brake pressure to a value adapted to the traf-
fic situation.
BAS PLUS provides braking assistance in haz- ardous situations with vehicles in front within
a speed range between 4 mph (7 km/h) and
155 mph (250 km/h).
At speeds of up to approximately 40 mph
(70 km/h), BAS PLUS can also react to sta-
tionary objects. Examples of stationary
objects are stopped or parked vehicles.
i If BAS PLUS demands particularly high
braking force, preventative passenger pro-
tection measures (PRE-SAFE ®
) are activa-
ted simultaneously.
X Keep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
BAS PLUS is deactivated and the brakes func-
tion as usual again, if:
R you release the brake pedal.
R there is no longer a risk of collision.
R no obstacle is detected in front of your
vehicle. ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63).
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between the tires and
the road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilize the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified to keep the vehicle on the desired course within
physical limits. ESP ®
assists the driver when
pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilize the vehicle during braking. ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63).
ETS/4ETS traction control is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. In addition, more drive torque is trans-
ferred to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP ®
.
ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63).
ETS/4ETS traction control is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. In addition, more drive torque is trans-
ferred to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP ®
.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv- ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP ®
checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
! If you test the parking brake using a brake
dynamometer, switch the ignition off.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system. 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

Characteristics when ESP
®
is deactivated
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the 00E5ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster does not flash. In such
situations, ESP ®
will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R engine torque is restricted to a limited
degree and the drive wheels are able to
spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-faces.
R traction control is still activated.
R PRE-SAFE ®
is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP ®
intervenes.
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is no longer available, it
is also not activated if you brake firmly and
ESP ®
intervenes.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®
(AMG
vehicles) Important safety notes
You can select between the following sta-
tuses of ESP:
R ESP ®
is activated.
R SPORT handling mode is activated.
R ESP ®
is deactivated. G
WARNING
When SPORT handling mode is activated,
there is a greater risk of skidding and acci-
dents.
Only activate SPORT handling mode in the sit- uations described in the following. G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
! Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP ®
deactivated.
You could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
In the following situations, it may be better to activate SPORT handling mode or deactivate
ESP ®
:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
R on designated roads when the vehicle's
own oversteering and understeering char-
acteristics are desired
Driving in SPORT handling mode or without
ESP ®
requires an extremely qualified and
experienced driver.
i Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® X
To activate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button 0043.
The 0074 SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up. 68
Driving safety systemsSafety

The
SPORT handling mode
SPORT handling mode message
appears in the multifunction display.
X To deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button 0043.
The 0074 SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster goes out.
X To deactivate ESP ®
:press button 0043until
the 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp lights up
in the instrument cluster.
The 00E5 OFF
OFF message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
X To activate ESP ®
:briefly press button 0043.
The 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out. The 00E5
ESP ®
ON
ON message appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Characteristics of activated SPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handling mode is activated and one
or more wheels start to spin, the 00E5ESP®
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes. ESP ®
only stabilizes the vehicle to a
limited degree.
When SPORT handling mode is activated:
R ESP ®
only improves driving stability to a
limited degree.
R traction control is still activated.
R engine torque is only restricted to a limited
degree, and the drive wheels are able to
spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut- ting action for better traction on loose sur-
faces.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
Characteristics when ESP ®
is deactivated
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the 00E5ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster does not flash. In such
situations, ESP ®
will not stabilize the vehicle. If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R engine torque is restricted to a limited
degree and the drive wheels are able to
spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-faces.
R traction control is still activated.
R PRE-SAFE ®
is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP ®
intervenes.
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is no longer available, it
is also not activated if you brake firmly and
ESP ®
intervenes.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63). G
WARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (Y page 235) as well as dis-
play messages (Y page 210). Driving safety systems
69Safety Z

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 slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could 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 0043
To activate or increase speed
0044 To activate or reduce speed
0087 To deactivate cruise control
0085 To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds. In the multifunction display,
the segments between the stored speed and
the maximum speed light up.
Storing and maintaining the current
speed You can store the current speed if you are
driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h). X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up 0043
or down 0044.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored 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
automatically applying the brakes.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 0085.
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 Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to the speed set. Driving systems
159Driving and parking Z

Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, in particular when warned to do so by
DISTRONIC PLUS. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle with up to 40% of the maximum braking force. If this
braking force is insufficient, DISTRONIC PLUS
warns you visually and audibly. There is a risk
of an accident.
In such cases, apply the brakes yourself and
try to take evasive action.
! If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations. To prevent dam-
age to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC
PLUS and the HOLD function in the follow- ing or other similar situations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DIS-
TRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk of
accident nor override the laws of physics.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take into account
the road, traffic and weather conditions. DIS- TRONIC PLUS is only an aid. You are respon-
sible for the distance to the vehicle in front,
for vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for staying in your lane.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
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 slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could 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
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow
vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on a different line. In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if:
R there is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
R there is snow or heavy rain
R there is interference by other radar sources
R there are strong radar reflections, for
example, in parking garages
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehi- cle in front, DISTRONIC PLUS may unexpect-
edly accelerate the vehicle to the stored
speed.
This speed may:
R be too high if you are driving in a filter lane
or an exit lane
R be so high when driving in the right-hand
lane that you overtake vehicles in the left-
hand lane
R be so high when driving in the left-hand lane
that you overtake vehicles in the right-hand lane
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new driver of the speed stored.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 20 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h). If a vehicle is driving in front of
you, it operates in the speed range between
0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on roads with steep gradients.
As DISTRONIC PLUS transmits radar waves, it
can resemble the radar detectors of the
responsible authorities. You can refer to the
relevant chapter in the Operator's Manual if
questions are asked about this.
i USA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The radar
sensor is intended for use in an automotiveradar system only. Removing, tampering
with, or altering the device will void any Driving systems
161Driving and parking Z

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions 00E500BA
The yellow ESP
®
warn-
ing lamp flashes while
the vehicle is in motion. ESP
®
or traction control has intervened because there is a risk of
skidding or at least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
X When pulling away, only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is in motion.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
.
For exceptions, see: (Y page 66).00BB
The yellow ESP
®
OFF
warning lamp is lit while the engine is running. ESP
®
is deactivated.
G WARNING
If ESP ®
is switched off, ESP ®
is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
X Reactivate ESP ®
.
For exceptions, see: (Y page 66).
X Adapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
If ESP ®
cannot be activated:
X Drive on carefully.
X Have ESP ®
checked at a qualified specialist workshop. 0074
AMG vehicles only:
The yellow SPORT han-
dling mode warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running. SPORT handling mode is activated.
G WARNING
When SPORT handling mode is switched on, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
X Only switch to SPORT handling mode in accordance with the
conditions described in the "Activating/deactivating SPORT
handling mode" section (Y page 68).238
Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument clusterOn-board computer and displays