Parking up the vehicle
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer than
four weeks, the battery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer than six weeks, it may suffer from lack of use.
X Contact aqualified specialist workshop and
seek advice.
i You can obtain information about trickle
chargers from aqualified specialist work-
shop. Driving tips
General driving tips
Important safety notes 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.Y ou will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is arisk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
Drive sensibly–s ave fuelObserve the following tips to save fuel:
X The tyres should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tyre pressure.
X Remove unnecessary loads.
X Remove roof racks when they are not needed.
X Warm up the engine at low engine speeds.
X Avoid frequent acceleration or braking.
X Have all maintenance work carried out as
indicated by the service intervals in the Ser-
vice Booklet or by the service interval display.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffic, on short jour- neys and in hilly terrain. ECO display
The ECO display shows you how economical
your driving style is. The ECO display assists you
in achieving the most economical driving style
for the selected settings and prevailing condi-
tions. Consumption can be significantly influ-
enced by your driving style. :
Acceleration
; Coasting
= Constant
? Additional range achieved
Range ?is shown under Bonus Bonusfr. fr.start
start and
represents the additional range achieved since
the beginning of the journey as aresult of an
adapted driving style.
If the fuel level has dropped into the reserve
range, the Reserve fuel Reserve fuel display message is
shown instead of range ?in the multifunction
display.Ina ddition, the 8warning lamp in
the instrumen tcluster lights up (Y page 290).176
Driving tipsDriving and parking
The ECO display consist
softhree sections, with
an inner and outer area. The section scorre-
spond to the following three categories: :
Acceleration
(evaluation of all accel-
eration processes):
R the outer area fills up and the inner
area lights up green: moderate
acceleration ,especially at higher
speeds.
R the outer area empties and the
inner area is grey: sporty acceler-
ation. ;
Coasting
(evaluation of all decelera-
tion processes):
R the outer area fills up and the inner
area lights up green: anticipatory
driving, keeping your distance and
early release of the accelerator.
The vehicle can coast without use
of the brakes.
R the outer area empties and the
inner area is grey: frequent heavy
braking. =
Constant
(continuous evaluation
over the entir ejourney):
R the outer area fills up and the inner
area lights up green: constant
speed and avoidance of unneces-
sary acceleration and decelera-
tion.
R the outer area empties and the
inner area is grey: fluctuations in
speed. The three inner areas display the current driving
style and light up green as aresult of aparticu-
larly economical driving style. Dependin gonthe
driving situation, up to two areas may light up
simultaneously.
At the beginning of the journey, the three outer
areas are empty and fill up as aresult of eco-
nomical driving. Ahigher level indicates amore
economical driving style. If the three outer areas
are completely filled at the same time, the driver
has adopted the most economical driving style
for the selected settings and prevailing condi-
tions. The ECO display border lights up.
The ECO display does not indicate the actual fuel consumption. The additionally achieved range displayed under
Bonus fr. start Bonus fr. start does not
indicate afixed consumption reduction.
In addition to driving style, the actual consump- tion is affected by other factors, such as:
R load
R tyre pressure
R cold start
R choice of route
R the use of electrical consumers
These factor sare not included in the ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style involves driving at a
moderate engine speed.
To achieve ahigher value in the categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant":
R observe the gearshift recommendation
R drive the vehicle in drive program E(vehicles
with DYNAMIC SELECT switch)
On long journeys at aconstant speed, e.g. on the
motorway, only the outer area for "Constant"
will change.
The ECO display summarises the driving style
from the start of the journey to its completion.
Therefore, there are more marked changes in
the outer areas at the start of ajourney. During
ap rolonged driving time, these changes are
smaller. For more marked changes, perform a
manual reset (Y page 238).
Further information on the ECO display
(Y page 237). Brakes
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you shift down on aslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect ,the drive wheels could lose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface.
Downhill gradients Change into
alower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular Driving tips
177Driving and parking Z
note of thi
swhend riving aladen vehicl eand
when towing atrailer.
Thi salsoa pplies if cruis econtrol, DISTRONIC
PLU SorS PEEDTRONIC is activated.
Thi sw illu se the braking effect of the engine, so
less braking will be required to maintain vehicle
speed .Thisr elieves the load on the brake sys-
tem and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if yo ulea ve
your foo tonthe brake peda lwhile driving.
Thi sincreases the braking distance and could
eve ncause the braking system to fail. There is
ar iskofana ccident.
Never us ethe brake peda lasafootrest. Do
not simultaneousl ydepress both the brake
peda land the accelerato rpedal whiledriving.
! Depressing the brake peda
lconstantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If heavy demands are made on the brakes, do
not park the vehicl eimmediately. Driv eonfor a
short while. Thi sallow sthe airflow to cool the
brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used onl ymoderately,
yo us houl doccasionall ytest thei reffectiveness.
To do this, brake more firmly from ahigher
speed whil epayin gattentio ntothe traffic con-
ditions. Thi simprove sthe gri pofthe brakes.
Wet road surfaces If yo
uhaved riven for alon gt ime in heavy rain
withou tbraking ,ther em aybe adelayed reac-
tio nfrom the brakes when braking for the first
time .Thism ayalso occu rafte rac ar wash or
afte rdriving throug hdeepw ater.
Yo uw illh avetod epress the brake peda lmore
firmly .Maintain agreate rdistance to the vehicle
in front.
After driving on awetroa dorh aving the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whil epayin gattentio nto
the traffic conditions. Thi swillw armupt he
brake discs, thereb ydrying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion. Limite
dbraking performanc eonsalt-
treate droads If yo
udrive on salt-treate droads, alayer of salt
ma yform on the brake discs and pads. Thi scan
increas ethe braking distance considerably.
R In order to prevent any salt build-up, appl ythe
brakes occasionall ywhile paying attentio nto
the traffic conditions.
R Carefull ydepress the brake peda latthe end
of the journey and when starting the next
journey.
R Maintain amuchg reate rdistance to the vehi-
cle in front.
New brake discs and brake pads/
linings Brake pads/lining
sand discs tha tare either new
or have been replaced achieve optimu mbraking
effect onl yaftersevera lhun dre dkilometres of
driving .Com pensate for the reduce dbraking
effect by applying greate rforce to the brake
pedal.
For safety reasons ,Mercedes-Benz recom-
mend sonlyf itting the following brake discs and
brake pads/linings:
R brake discs tha thaveb eena pproved by
Mercedes-Benz
R brake pads/lining sthath aveb eena pproved
by Mercedes-Benz or tha tare of an equivalent
standard of quality
Othe rbrake discs or brake pads/lining scan
compromise the safety of your vehicle.
Alway sreplace al lbrake discs and brake pads/
lining sonana xleatt he same time .Alway sfit
new brake pads/lining swhenr eplacing brake
discs.
The vehicl eisequippe dwithl ightweight brake
discs to which the whee lassembl ywithr im and
threaded connectio nism atched.
The us eofbrake discs othe rtha nt hose
approved by Mercedes-Benz ma yalter track
width and is subject to approval ,ifapplicable.
Shock-typ eloads when handling the brake
discs, such as when changing wheels ,can lead
to areduction in comfort when driving with light-
weight brake discs. Avoi dshock-typ eloads on
the lightweight brake discs, particularly on the
brake plate. 178
Driving tipsDriving an
dparking
High-performance and ceramic brakes
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles) The AMG brake systems are designed for heavy
loads. This may lea dtonoise when braking. This
is dependent on:
R speed
R braking force
R environmental conditions, such as tempera-
ture and humidity
The wea rofindividua lbrake system compo-
nents such as the brake pads/linings or brake
discs depends on individuald riving style and
operating conditions.
For this reason, it is impossible to state amile-
age (service life )that wil lbevalidu nder all cir-
cumstances. An aggressive driving style will
lea dtoh igh wear. You can obtai nmore infor-
mation on this from aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Brake pads/linings and discs that are either new or have been replaced only achieve optimum
braking effect after severa lhundre dkilometres
of driving. Compensate for the reduced braking
effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal. Always be aware of this and adapt your
driving and braking accordingly during the run-
ning-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in correspond-
ingly high brake wear. Observe the brake wear
warning lamp in the instrument cluste rand note
any brake status messages in the multifunction
display .Ifyou regularl ydrive at high speeds, it is
particularly important to have the brake system
checked and maintained regularly. Driving on wetr
oads
Aquaplaning If wate
rhas accumulated to acertain depth on
the road surface, there is adange rofa quaplan-
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 you rspeed
R avoi dtyre ruts R
avoi dsudden 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 caus ethe maximu mpermissible water
depth to be exceeded.
These notes must be observed under all cir-
cumstances. You coul dotherwise damage
the engine, the electronics or the transmis-
sion.
If you must drive on stretches of road on which
wate rhas collected, please bea rinmind that:
R in the case of standing water, the wate rlevel
must be no higher than the lower edge of the vehicl ebody
R you should drive no faster than walking pace Winter driving
G
WARNING
If you shift downonas lippery road surface in
an attempt to increas ethe engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels coul dlose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift dow nfor additiona lengine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. G
DANGER
If the exhaust pipeisb locked or adequate
ventilation is not possible,p oisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO )may enter the
vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
become strappe dinsnow. There is arisk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipea nd area
around the vehicl eare clea rofsnow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a windo wont he side of the vehicl ethat is not
facing into the wind.
Have you rvehicl ewinterproofed at aqualified
specialist worksho patthe onset of winter. Driving tips
179Driving and parking Z
Cruise control lever
:
To store th ecurren tspee dorah igher speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store th ecurren tspee dorc alling up the
last store dspeed
? To store th ecurren tspee doral ower speed
A To switch between cruise control and varia-
ble SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC wit hthe cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on th ecruise control
leve rindicates whic hsystem you have selected:
R LIM indicator lam poff:cruise control is
selected
R LIM indicator lam pon:variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected
When you activat ecruise control, th estored
spee diss hown in th emultifunction display for
fiv es econds. In addition ,the é symbol
appear sinthemultifunction display.
Speedometer with segments: when cruise
control is activated, th esegments from the
store dspee dtot hemaximum permitted speed
light up.
Selecting cruise control X
Chec kwhether LIM indicator lamp ;is off.
If it is off ,cruise control is alread yselected.
If it is not, pres sthe cruise control leve rinthe
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in th ecruise control
leve rgoes out .Cruis econtrol is selected. Storing and maintaining th
ecurrent
speed You can store th
ecurren tspee dify ou are driv-
ing faster than 30 km/h.
X Accelerat ethe vehicle to th edesired speed.
X Briefl ypres sthe cruise control leve rup:or
down ?.
X Remove your foo tfro mt heaccelerato rpedal.
Cruis econtrol is activated. The vehicle auto-
maticall ymaintain sthe speed.
i Cruis
econtrol may be unable to maintain
th es toreds pee donu phill gradients .The
store dspee disr esumed when th egradient
evens out .Cruis econtrol maintain sthe
store dspee dond ownhill gradients by auto-
maticall ybraking th evehicle.
i Vehicle swithm anual transmission:
R Always driv eatadequate, but no texces-
sive, engin espeeds.
R Change gear in good time.
R If possible, do no tchang ed own several
gear satat ime.
Storing th ecurren tspeed or callin gup
th el ast stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up th estoreds pee dand it is lower
than th ecurren tspeed, th evehicle deceler-
ates. If you do no tkno wt he store dspeed, the
vehicle coul ddecelerate unexpectedly. There
is ar iskofana ccident.
Pay attentio ntotheroad and traffic condi-
tions before calling up th estoreds peed. If you
do no tknowt he store dspeed, store the
desired spee dagain.
X Briefl ypull th ecruise control leve rtow ards
you =.
X Remove your foo tfro mt heaccelerato rpedal.
The first tim ecruise control is activated, it
store sthe curren tspee dorr egulate sthe
spee doft hevehicle to th epreviously stored
speed. Driving systems
181Driving and parking Z
Setting
aspeed Bear in mind that it may take
abrief 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 alower 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
1km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ?to the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 1k m/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. If you acceler-
ate to overtake, cruise control adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored after
you have finished overtaking.
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 move the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever is on.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if: R you apply the electric parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R while driving avehicle with manual transmis-
sion, you shift into neutral or depress the
clutch pedal for longer than six seconds R
on vehicles with manual transmission, you
shift to agear that is too high, and as aresult
the engine speed is too low
R on vehicles with automatic transmission, you
shift 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 a
lower gear in good time on long and steep down-
hill gradients. Take particular note of this when
driving aladen vehicle. By doing so, you will
make use of the braking effect of the engine.
This relieves the load on the brake system and
preventst he brakes from overheating and wear-
ing too quickly.
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, weather or traffic conditions. SPEEDTRONIC is only an
aid. You are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front,f or vehicle speed, for braking in
good time, and for staying in lane.
If there is achange of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
You can set avariable or permanent limit speed:
R variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up areas
R permanent for long-term speed restrictions,
e.g. when driving with winter tyres fitted
(Y page 184)
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed stored. 182
Driving systemsDriving and parking
Variable SPEEDTRONIC
General notes
:
To stor ethe current speed or ahighe rspeed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To stor ethe current speed or calling up the
last stored speed
? To stor ethe current speed or alower speed
A To switch between cruis econtro lor
DISTRONIC PLU Sand variabl eSPEED-
TRONIC
B To deactivate variabl eSPEEDTRONIC
With the cruis econtro llev er, yo ucan operate
cruis econtro lorDISTRONIC PLU Sand variable
SPEEDTRONIC.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruis econtrol
lever indicates which system yo uhaves elected:
R LIMi ndicator lamp off: cruisecontro lor
DISTRONIC PLU Sisselected
R LIMi ndicator lamp on: variableSPEED-
TRONIC is selected
Yo uc an us ethe cruis econtro llev er to limit the
speed to any speed above 30 km/h whil ethe
engine is running.
Selecting variabl eSPEEDTRONIC
If ther eisac hange of drivers ,adviset he new
driver of the limit speed stored.
X Check whethe rLIM indicator lamp ;is on.
If it is on, variabl eSPEEDTRONIC is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruis econtro llev er in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruis econtrol
lever is on. Variabl eSPEEDTRONIC is selec-
ted. Storin
gthe current speed
Yo uc an us ethe cruis econtro llev er to limit the
speed to any speed above 30 km/h whil ethe
engine is running.
X Briefly press the cruis econtro llev er up :or
down ?.
The current speed is stored and shown in the
multifunctio ndisplay.
Speedomete rwiths egments: the seg-
ments light up from the start of the scale up to
the stored speed limit.
Storin gthe current speed or calling up the
las tstored speed G
WARNING
If yo ucallupt he stored speed and it is lower
tha nthe current speed ,the vehicl edeceler-
ates. If yo udonot know the stored speed ,the
vehicl ecould decelerate unexpectedly .There
is ar iskofana ccident.
Pa ya ttentio ntothe roa dand traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed .Ifyou
do not know the stored speed ,stor ethe
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruis econtro llev er towards
you =.
Settin gaspeed
X To adjust the se
tspeed in 10 km/h incre-
ments: brieflypress the cruis econtro llev er
up : beyond the pressure point for ahigher
speed ,ordown?for alower speed.
or X Kee pthe cruis econtro llev er presse dbeyond
the pressure point unti lthe desired speed is
set. Press the cruis econtro llev er up :for a
highe rspeed or down ?for alower speed.
X To adjust the se
tspeed in 1km/h incre-
ments: brieflypress the cruis econtro llev er
up : to the pressure point for ahighe rspeed
or down ?for alower speed.
or X Kee pthe cruis econtro llev er presse dtothe
pressure point unti lthe desired speed is set.
Press the cruis econtro llev er up :for a
highe rspeed or down ?for alower speed. Driving systems
183Driving andparking Z
Switching SPEEDTRONIC to passive
If you depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point (kickdown), SPEEDTRONIC is
switched to passive mode. The SPEEDTRONIC SPEEDTRONIC
suspended
suspended message appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
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 anew speed or
R call up the last speed stored again
The SPEEDTRONIC suspended SPEEDTRONIC suspended 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 or DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC
You can use the on-board computer to limit the
speed permanently to avalue between
160 km/h(e.g. for driving on winter tyres) and
the maximum speed (Y page 248).
Shortly before the stored speed is reached, it
appears in the multifunction display.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC remains active, even
if variable SPEEDTRONIC is deactivated.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed, even if you depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point (kickdown). DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and auto-
matically helps you maintain the distance to the
vehicle detected in front.V ehicles are detected
with the aid of the radar sensor system.
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded.
Change into alower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular
note of this when driving aladen vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking effect
of the engine. This relieves the load on the brake
system and preventst he brakes from overheat-
ing and wearing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detectst hat there isarisk of
ac ollision, you will be warned visuallya nd
acoustically. Without your intervention,
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot prevent acollision. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and
the distance warning lamp will light up in the
instrumen tcluster. Brake immediately to
increase the distance to the vehicle driving in
front,ort ake evasive action, provided it is safe
to do so.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates in the range
between 0km/h and 200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to:
R people or animals
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncominga nd crossing traffic
As aresult, DISTRONIC PLUS may neither give
warnings nor interveneins uch situations.
There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot always clearly rec-
ognise other road users and complex traffic
conditions. 184
Driving systemsDriving and parking