2015 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class SEDAN Operator

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip- ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (Y page 26). Overview of climate control systems
Important safety notes
Observe the settings recommended on the
following pages. The windows could other-
wise fog up.
To prevent the windows from fogging up:
R switch off climate control only briefly
R switch on air-recirculation mode only
briefly
R switch on the cooling with air dehumidifi-
cation function
R switch on the defrost windshield function
briefly, if required
Climate control regulates the temperature
and air humidity in the vehicle interior. The
interior filter cleans the air, thus improving
the interior climate.
The "Cooling with air dehumidification" func-
tion is only available when the engine is run-
ning. Optimum climate control is only ach-
ieved with the side windows and roof closed.
The residual heat function can only be acti-
vated or deactivated with the ignition
switched off (Y page 149).
i Ventilate the vehicle for a brief period
during warm weather, e.g. using the con-
venience opening feature (Y page 98). This
will speed up the cooling process and the desired interior temperature will be
reached more quickly.
i The integrated filter filters out most par-
ticles of dust and soot and completely fil-
ters out pollen. It also reduces gaseous pol-
lutants and odors. A clogged filter reduces the amount of air supplied to the vehicle
interior. For this reason, you should alwaysobserve the interval for replacing the filter,which is specified in the Maintenance
Booklet. As it depends on environmental
conditions, e.g. heavy air pollution, the
interval may be shorter than stated in the
Maintenance Booklet.
i It is possible that the blower may be acti-
vated automatically 60 minutes after the
SmartKey has been removed depending on various factors, e.g. the outside tempera-
ture. The vehicle is then ventilated for
30 minutes to dry the climate control sys-
tem. 138
Overview of climate control systemsClimate control

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip- ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (Y page 26). Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle
Important safety notes
The sensor system of some driving and driv-
ing safety systems adjusts automatically
while a certain distance is being driven after
the vehicle has been delivered or after
repairs. Full system effectiveness is not
reached until the end of this teach-in proce-
dure.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometers of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the
brake pedal. The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its
performance in the future.
R You should therefore drive at varying vehi-
cle and engine speeds for the first
1000 miles (1500 km).
R Avoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full throt-
tle, during this period.
R When changing gears manually, change up
in good time, before the tachometer needle reaches 00C3of the way to the red area of the
tachometer. R
Do not manually shift to a lower gear to
brake the vehicle.
R Try to avoid depressing the accelerator
pedal beyond the point of resistance (kick-
down).
After 1000 miles (1500 km), you can increase
the engine speed gradually and accelerate
the vehicle to full speed.
You should also observe these notes on
breaking in if the engine or parts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced.
Always observe the respective speed limits. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle is
jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another. G
WARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage of the pedals, e.g.:
R shoes with thick soles
R shoes with high heels
R slippers
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 156
DrivingDriving and parking

lock and the SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
This mode for starting the engine operates
independently of the ECO start/stop auto-
matic engine start function.
You can start the engine if a valid SmartKey is in the vehicle. Switch off the engine and
always take the SmartKey with you when
leaving the vehicle, even if you only leave it for
a short time. Pay attention to the important
safety notes.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Press the Start/Stop button once
(Y page 157).
The engine starts. Pulling away
Automatic transmission 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.
! If a warning tone sounds and the
Release Park. Brake
Release Park. Brake message appears
in the multifunction display, the parking
brake is still applied. Release the parking
brake.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
The electric parking brake (Y page 176) is
automatically released.
The red 0049(USA only) or 0024(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter goes out. It is only possible to shift the transmission
from position Pto the desired position if you
depress the brake pedal. Only then is the
parking lock released. If the brake pedal is not
depressed, the DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved but the parking lock remains
engaged.
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, see the Digital Operator's Manual.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly.
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 to depress it before the vehicle begins to
roll. G
WARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no lon-
ger brake your vehicle and it could 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.
X Remove your foot from the brake pedal.
The vehicle is then held for about a second.
X Pull away.
Hill start assist is not active if: R you are pulling away on a level road or on a
downhill gradient.
R the transmission is in position N.160
DrivingDriving and parking

R
the availability of the ECO start/stop func-
tion (Y page 161)
R the climate control settings
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
(Y page 140)
- vehicles for Canada: three-zone auto-
matic climate control (Y page 142)
R the rear window defroster operation period
(Y page 148)
R the performance of the seat heating
(Y page 112)
Each time you start the engine using the
SmartKey or the Start/Stop button, drive pro-
gram Cis activated. For further information
about starting the engine, see (Y page 159).X
Push AGILITY SELECT switch 0043up or
down, until the desired drive program is
selected.
The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds
the display goes out and the status icon of the selected drive program appears.
In addition, the current drive program set-
tings are displayed in the Audio 20/
COMAND display.
Available drive programs: I
Individual Individual settings
S+
Sport Plus Extremely sporty driving
characteristics
S
Sport Sporty driving character-
istics C
Comfort Comfortable and econom-
ical driving characteristics E
Eco Particularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
(Y page 168).
Using the steering wheel paddle shifters, you can temporarily change gears yourself. For
further information on the manual drive pro-
gram (Y page 169). Drive programs
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
R the steering
To permanently select the gears in the drive
program Iusing the steering wheel paddle
shifters, select the permanent manual gear-
shift program.
Information about the selection of drive pro-
gram Iwith COMAND or Audio 20 can be
found in the Digital Operator's Manual.
Drive program S+ (Sport Plus) Drive program
S+is characterized by the fol-
lowing:
R the vehicle delivers extremely sporty han-
dling characteristics
R the vehicle pulling away in first gear
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R the fuel consumption possibly being higher
as a result of the later automatic transmis- sion shift points 168
Automatic transmissionDriving an
d parking

Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. This is espe-
cially important if the vehicle is laden. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk of a collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot pre-
vent a collision without your intervention. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and the distance warning lamp will light up in the
instrument cluster. Brake immediately in
order to increase the distance to the vehicle
in front or take evasive action provided it is
safe to do so.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates in range between 0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving onroads 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
automotive radar system only. Removal,
tampering, or altering of the device will void
any warranties, and is not permitted by the
FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment.
i Canada only: This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and
2. this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device. Removal, tampering, or altering of the
device will void any warranties, and is not
permitted. Do not tamper with, alter, or use
in any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment.
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 oncoming and crossing traffic
As a result, DISTRONIC PLUS may neither give
warnings nor intervene in such situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot always clearly iden- tify other road users and complex traffic sit-
uations.
In such cases, DISTRONIC PLUS may:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
R neither give a warning nor intervene
R accelerate or brake unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
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 50 %of the maximum possible deceleration.
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. 186
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Activating/deactivating the rear view
camera X
To activate: make sure that the SmartKey
is in position 2in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the Activation by R
Activation by R
gear
gear function is selected in Audio 20/
COMAND; see the Digital Operator's Man-
ual.
X Engage reverse gear.
The rear view camera flap opens. The area
behind the vehicle is shown with guide lines
in the Audio 20/COMAND display.
The image from the rear view camera is
available throughout the maneuvering
process.
To deactivate: the rear view camera deacti-
vates if you shift the transmission to Por after
driving forwards a short distance.
Messages in the Audio 20/COMAND
display The rear view camera may show a distorted
view of obstacles, show them incorrectly or
not at all. The rear view camera does not show
objects in the following positions:
R very close to the rear bumper
R under the rear bumper
R in the area immediately above the tailgate
handle
! Objects not at ground level may appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g.:
R the bumper of a parked vehicle
R the drawbar of a trailer
R the ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
R the rear section of an HGV
R a slanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.
Approach objects no further than the bot-
tom-most guideline. 0043
Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 13 ft (4.0 m) from the rear of the
vehicle
0044 White guide line without turning the steer-
ing wheel, vehicle width including the
exterior mirrors (static)
0087 Yellow guide line for the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic)
0085 Yellow lane marking tires at current steer-
ing wheel angle (dynamic) 0083
Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 3 ft (1.0m) from the rear of the
vehicle
0084 Vehicle center axle (marker assistance)
006B Bumper
006C Red guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 12 in (0.30 m) fromthe rear of the
vehicle
The guide lines are shown when the trans-
mission is in position R.
The distance specifications only apply to
objects that are at ground level. 208
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

R
if the area is lit by fluorescent bulbs or LED
lighting (the display may flicker)
R if the camera lenses fog up, e.g. when driv-
ing into a heated garage in winter, causing
a rapid change in temperature
R if the camera lenses are dirty or covered
R if the vehicle components in which the
cameras are installed are damaged. In this event, have the camera position and setting
checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Do not use the 360° camera in this case. You
can otherwise injure others or cause damage to objects or the vehicle.
Guide lines are always shown at road level.
The camera in the rear area is protected by
means of a flap. This flap opens when the
360° camera is activated. Observe the notes on cleaning (Y page 335). For technical rea-
sons, the flap may remain open briefly after
the 360° camera has been deactivated.
Activation conditions The 360° camera image can be displayed if:
R COMAND/Audio 20 is switched on, see the
Digital Operator's Manual
R the 360° Camera
360° Camera function is switched on
i If the 360° camera is activated at speeds
above 19 mph (30 km/h)a warning mes-
sage appears.
The warning message disappears if:
R the vehicle's speed falls below 19 mph
(30 km/ h). The 360° camera is then acti-
vated.
R the message is confirmed with the 0038
button. Activating the 360° camera using the
function button X
Press button 0043.
Depending on whether position Dor Ris
engaged, the following is shown:
R full screen display with the image from
the front camera
R full screen display with the image from
the rear view camera
i You can also switch to the split-screen
view from the full-screen view.
Activating the 360° camera with
COMAND X
To select 360° Camera 360° Camera in the carousel
menu: turn and press the controller.
Depending on whether position Dor Ris
engaged, the following is shown:
R a split screen with top view and the
image from the front camera or
R a split screen with top view and the
image from the rear view camera
Activating the 360° camera using
reverse gear The 360° camera images can be automati-
cally displayed by engaging reverse gear.212
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
Make sure that the SmartKey is in position
2 in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the Activation by R
Activation by R
gear
gear function is selected in COMAND, see
the Digital Operator's Manual.
X To show the 360° camera image: engage
reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown in the
COMAND display in split-screen mode. You see the top view of the vehicle and the
image from the rear view camera.
Selecting the split-screen and full
screen displays Switching between split screen views:
X To switch to the line with the vehicle icons:
slide 00970052the controller.
X To select a vehicle icon: turn the controller.
Switching to full screen mode:
X 180° View 180° View Turn and press the controller.
i The full screen option is only available in
the following views:
R Top view with picture from the rear view
camera
R Top view with picture from the front cam-
era
Displays in the COMAND display Important safety notes
The camera system may show a distorted
view of obstacles, show them incorrectly or
not at all. Obstacles are not shown by the
system in the following locations:
R under the front and rear bumpers
R very close to the front and rear bumpers
R in close range above the handle on the
trunk lid
R very close to the exterior mirrors
R in the transitional areas between the vari-
ous cameras in the virtual top view !
Objects not at ground level may appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g.:
R the bumper of a parked vehicle
R the drawbar of a trailer
R the ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
R the rear section of an HGV
R a slanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.
Approach objects no further than the bot-
tom-most guideline.
Top view with picture from the rear view
camera 0043
Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 13 ft (4.0 m) from the rear of the
vehicle
0044 Symbol for the split screen setting with
top view and rear view camera image
0087 Guide line for the maximum steering angle
0085 Yellow lane marking tires at current steer-
ing wheel angle (dynamic)
0083 Yellow guide line for the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic) Driving systems
213Driving and parking Z