
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients !
On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting to
a lower gear in good time. This allows you to
take advantage of the engine's braking
effect. For this, you need to have selected
manual drive program M. This helps you to
avoid overheating the brakes and wearing
them out excessively.
When you take advantage of the engine's
braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn
for some time, e.g. on a slippery road sur-
face. This could cause damage to the drive train. This type of damage is not covered bythe Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Briefly depressing the accelerator pedal on
downhill gradients while the manual drive
program Mis temporarily activated: the auto-
matic transmission may switch to the last
active automatic drive program Eor S. The
automatic transmission may shift to a higher
gear. This can reduce the engine's braking
effect.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads. If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately.
Drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads 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 firsttime. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance.
R In order to prevent any salt build-up, apply
the brakes occasionally while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
R Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes !
If the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster and you hear a warn- ing tone while the engine is running, the
brake fluid level may be too low. Observe
additional warning messages in the multi-
function display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to brake pad wear or leaking brake lines. 166
Driving tipsDriving and parking

DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle will be too short.
Narrow vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in front on the edge of the road,
because of its narrow width. The distance to
the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals
an obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC PLUS will not brake for these. Crossing vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS may detect vehicles that
are crossing your lane by mistake. Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally. 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 maneuvering 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 canceled and the HOLD
function 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 has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant. 178
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

Problems with PARKTRONIC
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
You also hear a warning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is then
deactivated and the
indicator lamp on the
PARKTRONIC button
lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
PARKTRONIC is then
deactivated. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X Clean the PARKTRONIC sensors (Y page 295).
X Switch the ignition back on. The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X See if PARKTRONIC functions in a different location. Active Parking Assist
General notes Active Parking Assist is an electronic parking
aid with ultrasound. It measures the road on
both sides of the vehicle. A parking symbol
indicates a suitable parking space. Active
steering intervention and brake application
can assist you during parking and when exit-
ing a parking space. You may also use
PARKTRONIC (Y page 181).
Important safety notes Active Parking Assist is merely an aid. It is not
a replacement for your attention to your
immediate surroundings. You are always
responsible for safe maneuvering, parking
and exiting a parking space. Make sure that
no persons, animals or objects are in the
maneuvering range.
When PARKTRONIC is switched off, Active
Parking Assist is also unavailable. G
WARNING
While parking or pulling out of a parking
space, the vehicle swings out and can drive
onto areas of the oncoming lane. This could
result in a collision with another road user.
There is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to other road users. Stop the
vehicle if necessary or cancel the Active Park- ing Assist parking procedure.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as curbs slowly and not at a sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tires.
Active Parking Assist may possibly indicate
parking spaces which are not suitable for
parking, for example:
R where parking or stopping is prohibited
R in front of driveways or entrances and exits
R on unsuitable surfaces 184
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
Start the engine.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch on the turn signal in the direction
you are pulling away.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play %.
X To cancel the procedure: press the%
button on the multifunction steering wheel or pull away.
or
X To exit a parking space using Active
Parking Assist: press theabutton on
the multifunction steering wheel.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
Park Assist Active Accelerate
and
and Brake Brake Observe
Observe Surroundings
Surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Let go of the multifunction steering wheel.
X Pull away, being ready to brake at all times.
Do not exceed a maximum speed of
approximately 6 mph (10 km/h) when exit-
ing a parking space. Otherwise Active Park- ing Assist will be canceled.
X Depending on the message or as required,
shift the transmission to position Dor R.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in the other direction. The Park Assist
Park Assist
Active Accelerate and Brake
Active Accelerate and Brake
Observe Observe Surroundings
Surroundings message appears
in the multifunction display.
i You will achieve the best results by wait-
ing for the steering procedure to complete before pulling away.
If you back up after activation, the steeringwheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
X Drive forwards and back up as prompted by
the PARKTRONIC warning displays, several
times if necessary.
Once you have exited the parking space com- pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and
the Park Assist Finished
Park Assist Finished message
appears in the multifunction display. You will then have to steer and merge into traffic on
your own. PARKTRONIC is still available. You
can take over the steering, before the vehicle has exited the parking space completely. This
is useful, for example when you recognize
that it is already possible to pull out of the
parking space.
Canceling Active Parking Assist X
Stop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Active Parking Assist will be canceled at
once. The Park Assist Canceled Park Assist Canceled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
or X Press the PARKTRONIC button
(Y page 183).
PARKTRONIC is switched off and Active
Parking Assist is immediately canceled.
The Park Assist Canceled Park Assist Canceled message
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Parking Assist is canceled automati-
cally if: R the electric parking brake is engaged
R transmission position Pis selected
R parking using Active Parking Assist is no
longer possible
R you are driving faster than 6 mph (10 km/h)
R a wheel spins, ESP ®
intervenes or fails. The
÷ warning lamp lights up in the instru-
ment cluster
A warning tone sounds. The parking symbol
disappears and the multifunction display
shows the Park Assist Canceled Park Assist Canceled mes-
sage.
When Active Parking Assist is canceled, you
must steer and brake again yourself.
If a system malfunction occurs, the vehicle is
braked to a standstill. To drive on, depress the accelerator again. 188
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Monitoring range of the sensors
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 poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy
rain or snow
R a narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike or bicycle
R the road has very wide lanes
R the road has narrow lanes
R you are not driving in the middle of the lane
R there are barriers or similar lane borders
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
indicated. Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up to 10 ft
(3 m) behind your vehicle and directly next to your vehicle, as shown in the diagram.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of their lane. This may be the case if the vehicles are driving on the inner
side of their lane. Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when driv-
ing close to crash barriers or similar solid
lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside particularly long vehicles, e.g.
trucks, for a prolonged time.
Warning display :
Warning display
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). Vehicles in
the monitoring range are then not indicated.
When Blind Spot Assist is activated, indicator lamp :in the exterior mirrors lights up yel-
low at speeds of up to 20 mph (30 km/h). At speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h), the indica-
tor lamp goes out and Blind Spot Assist is
operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the blind spot
monitoring range at speeds above 20 mph
(30 km/h), warning lamp :on the corre-
sponding side lights up red. This warning is
always emitted when a vehicle enters the
blind spot monitoring range from behind or
from the side. When you overtake a vehicle,
the warning only occurs if the difference in
speed is less than 7 mph (12 km/h).
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. In this event, Blind Spot
Assist is no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light. Driving systems
195Driving and parking Z

R
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 176)
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS
(Y page 64)
R ATTENTION ASSIST (Y page 192)
R Lane Keeping Assist (Y page 196)
X Press :to display the ATTEN-
TION ASSIST assessment.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®Observe the important safety notes on ESP
®
(Y page 67). 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.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
Activating/deactivating ESP ®
on AMG vehi-
cles (Y page 68).
For further information about ESP ®
, see
(Y page 67).
X Start the engine.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the DriveAssist
DriveAssist menu.
X Press 9or: to select ESP ESP.
X Press the abutton.
The current selection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: press thea
button again.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up
continuously when the engine is running.
If the ÷ andå warning lamps light up
continuously, ESP ®
is not available due to a
malfunction. Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y
page 252).
Observe the information on display messages
(Y page 218).
Activating/deactivating COLLISION
PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the DriveAssist DriveAssistmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Collision Prevent. Assist
Collision Prevent. Assist .
X Press the abutton.
The current selection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: press thea
button again.
When COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
PLUS is deactivated, the æsymbol
appears in the multifunction display in the
assistance graphic display.
For further information about COLLISION
PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS, see (Y page 64).
Activating/deactivating ATTENTION
ASSIST X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the DriveAssist DriveAssistmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Attention Assist
Attention Assist .
X Press the abutton.
The current selection is displayed.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to set Off
Off ,
Standard Standard orSensitive Sensitive .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
When ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated,
the é symbol appears in the multifunc-
tion display in the assistance graphics dis-
play.
For further information about ATTENTION
ASSIST, see (Y page 192).210
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions F(USA
only)!
(Canada
only)
Turn On the Igni‐ Turn On the Igni‐
tion to Release tion to Release
the Parking Brake the Parking Brake The red
F(USA only)/! (Canada only) indicator lamp lights
up.
You attempted to release the electric parking brake while the igni-
tion was switched off.
X SmartKey: turn the SmartKey to position 1in the ignition lock.
X KEYLESS-GO: switch on the ignition. F(USA
only)!
(Canada
only)
Please Release Please Release
Parking Brake Parking Brake The red
F(USA only)/! (Canada only) indicator lamp
flashes and a warning tone sounds. A condition for automatic
release of the electric parking brake is not fulfilled (Y page 162).
You are driving with the electric parking brake applied.
X Release the electric parking brake manually. The red
F(USA only)/! (Canada only) indicator lamp
flashes and a warning tone sounds.
You are using the electric parking brake for emergency braking
(Y page 162). F(USA
only)!
(Canada
only)
Parking Brake See Parking Brake See
Operator's Manual Operator's Manual The yellow
!warning lamp lights up.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.
To apply:
X Switch the ignition off.
X Press the electric parking brake handle for at least ten seconds.
X Shift the selector lever to position P.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The yellow
!warning lamp and the red F(USA only)/ !
(Canada only) indicator lamp light up.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.
To release:
X Switch off the ignition and turn it back on.
X Release the electric parking brake manually.
or X Release the electric parking brake automatically (Y page 162).
If the electric parking brake still cannot be released: X Do not drive on.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Display
messages
221On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The red
F(USA only)/! (Canada only) indicator lamp
flashes and the yellow !warning lamp lights up.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.
To release:
X Switch off the ignition and turn it back on.
X Release the electric parking brake manually.
To apply: X Switch off the ignition and turn it back on.
X Apply the electric parking brake manually.
If the red F(USA only)/ !(Canada only) indicator lamp
continues to flash:
X Do not drive on.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 342).
X Shift the selector lever to position P.
X Turn the front wheels towards the curb.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The yellow
!warning lamp lights up. The red F(USA
only)/ !(Canada only) indicator lamp flashes for about ten
seconds after the electric parking brake has been applied or
released. It then goes out or remains lit.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.
X Switch off the ignition and turn it back on.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
If it is not possible to engage the electric parking brake:
X Shift the selector lever to position P.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop.
If it is not possible to release the electric parking brake manually:
X Release the electric parking brake automatically (Y page 162).
If the electric parking brake still cannot be released: X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 222
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays