
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 64).
ETS/4ETS traction control is part of ESP ®
.
ETS brakes the drive wheels individually 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 transferred to
the wheel or wheels with traction.
ETS remains active when you deactivate
ESP ®
.
Off-road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem) A 4ETS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated (Y page 186).
Important safety notes 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.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC: switch off the igni-
tion when the electric parking brake is
being tested on a brake dynamometer.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC: function or per-
formance tests may only be carried out on
a 2-axle dynamometer. Before you operate the vehicle on such a dynamometer, please
consult a qualified workshop. You could otherwise damage the drive train or the
brake system.
! Do not tow vehicles with 4MATIC with the
front or rear axle raised.
Vehicles without 4MATIC: when towing your
vehicle with the front axle raised, it is impor-
tant that you observe the notes on ESP ®
(Y page 319).
Vehicles with 4MATIC: when towing your
vehicle with both axles on the ground, it is
important that you observe the notes on ESP ®
(Y page 319).
ESP ®
is deactivated if the 00BBESP®
OFF
warning lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up continuously when the engine is running.
If the 00E5 ESP®
warning lamp and the 00BB
ESP ®
OFF warning lamp are lit continuously,
ESP ®
is not available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 256) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(Y page 222).
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tire sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
Characteristics of ESP ® General information
If the
00E5 ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP ®
is automatically
active.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the 00E5ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP ®
intervenes:
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions. Driving safety systems
69Safety Z

ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle
stops moving. The engine starts automati-
cally when the driver wants to pull away again.
ESP ®
remains in its previously selected sta-
tus. Example: if ESP®
was deactivated before
the engine was switched off, ESP ®
remains
deactivated when the engine is switched on
again.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®
(except
AMG vehicles) Important safety notes
You can select between the following states
of ESP
®
:
R ESP ®
is activated.
R ESP ®
is deactivated. 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
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.
! Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP ®
deactivated.
You could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®
You can deactivate or activate ESP ®
via the
on-board computer. X
To deactivate: (Ypage 213).
The 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To activate: (Ypage 213).
The 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
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 flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R engine torque is no longer limited 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 ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®
(AMG
vehicles) Important safety notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 64).
You can select between the following states
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. 70
Driving safety systemsSafety

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.
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.
! Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP ®
deactivated.
You could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
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. 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 OFFmessage 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. Driving safety systems
71Safety Z

If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R engine torque is no longer limited 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 COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no lon-
ger available; nor is it activated if you brake
firmly with assistance from ESP ®
.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
Off-road ESP ® An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off- road program is activated (Y page 186).
Off-road ESP ®
intervenes with a delay if there
is oversteering or understeering, thus improv-
ing traction. 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 for driving safety systems (Y page 64).G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the rear wheels can still lock, e.g. under full braking. This increa-
ses 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 254) as well as dis-
play messages (Y page 224). ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
also has the HOLD function (Y page 181) and
hill start assist (Y page 144). For further
information, see Driving tips (Y page 164). STEER CONTROL
General information STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering
wheel in the direction required for vehicle
stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in partic- ular if:
R both right wheels or both left wheels are on
a wet or slippery road surface when you
brake.
R the vehicle starts to skid.
Important safety notes No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning.
R the lighting is faulty.
Power steering will, however, continue to
function. Protection against theft
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey. 72
Protection against theftSafety

You can reach the emergency release via the
cargo compartment. Fold the rear backrests
forward (Y page 270).
X Take the mechanical key out of the Smart-
Key (Y page 77). X
Insert mechanical key 0044fully into the
opening in trim 0043.
X Turn mechanical key 004490° clockwise.
X Push mechanical key 0044in the direction of
the arrow and open the tailgate.
i When you lock the vehicle (Y
page 83),
the cargo compartment is also locked. Side windows
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
While closing the side windows, body parts in the closing area could become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
When closing make sure that no parts of the
body are in the closing area. If somebody
becomes trapped, release the switch or press
the switch to open the side window again. G
WARNING
If children operate the side windows they
could become trapped, particularly if they are left unsupervised. There is a risk of injury.
Activate the override feature for the rear side
windows. When leaving the vehicle, always
take the SmartKey with you and lock the vehi- cle. Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle.
Side window reversing feature
The side windows are equipped with an auto- matic reversing feature. If a solid object
blocks or restricts a side window from trav-
eling upwards during the automatic closing
process, the side window opens again auto-
matically. During the manual closing process,
the side window only opens again automati-
cally after the corresponding switch is
released. The automatic reversing feature is
only an aid and is no substitute for your atten- tion when closing a side window. G
WARNING
The reversing feature does not react:
R to soft, light and thin objects, e.g. small fin-
gers
R while resetting
This means that the reversing feature cannot
prevent someone being trapped in these sit-
uations. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that no body parts are in close
proximity during the closing procedure. If
someone becomes trapped, press the switch
to open the side window again. Opening and closing the side win-
dows
The switches for all side windows are located on the driver's door. There is also a switch on
each door for the corresponding side window.
The switches on the driver's door take prec-
edence. Side windows
87Opening and closing Z

0043
Front left
0044 Front right
0087 Rear right
0085 Rear left
i When the override feature for the side
windows is activated (Y page 64), the side
windows cannot be operated from the rear.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
X To open manually: press and hold the cor-
responding switch.
X To open fully: press the switch beyond the
point of resistance and release it.
Automatic operation is started.
X To close manually: pull the corresponding
switch and hold it.
X To close fully: pull the switch beyond the
point of resistance and release it.
Automatic operation is started.
X To interrupt automatic operation:
press/pull the corresponding switch again.
i If you press/pull the switch beyond the
point of resistance, automatic operation is
started in the corresponding direction. You
can stop automatic operation by pressing/ pulling the switch again.
i You can continue to operate the side win-
dows after you switch off the engine or
remove the SmartKey. This function is
available for up to five minutes or until the
driver's or front-passenger door is opened. Convenience opening
You can ventilate the vehicle before you start driving. To do this, the SmartKey is used to
carry out the following functions simultane-
ously:
R unlock the vehicle
R open the side windows
R open the panorama roof with power tilt/
sliding panel and the roller sunblinds
i The convenience opening feature can
only be operated using the SmartKey. The
SmartKey must be close to the driver's
door handle.
X Press and hold the 0036button until the
side windows and the panorama sunroof
are in the desired position.
If the roller sunblinds of the panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panel are closed, the roller sunblinds are opened first.
X Press and hold the 0036button again until
the panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel is in the desired position.
X To interrupt convenience opening:
release the 0036button. Convenience closing feature
G
WARNING
When the convenience closing feature is oper- ating, parts of the body could become trapped
in the closing area of the side window and the
sliding sunroof. There is a risk of injury.
Observe the complete closing procedure
when the convenience closing feature is oper-
ating. Make sure that no body parts are in
close proximity during the closing procedure.
When you lock the vehicle, you can simulta-
neously:
R close the side windows
R close the panorama roof with power tilt/
sliding panel 88
Side windowsOpening and closing

On vehicles with a panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel, you can then close the
roller sunblinds.
i The SmartKey must be close to the driv-
er's door handle.
X Point the tip of the SmartKey at the driver's
door handle.
X Press and hold the 0037button until the
side windows and the panorama roof with
power tilt/sliding panel are fully closed.
X Make sure that all the side windows and the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel are closed.
On vehicles with a panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel:
X Press and hold the 0037button again until
the roller sunblinds of the panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panel close.
X To interrupt convenience closing:
release the 0037button. Resetting the side windows
You must reset each side window if: R the side window opens again slightly after
being closed fully.
R the side window can no longer be fully
opened or closed.
X Close all the doors.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
X Pull the corresponding switch on the door
control panel until the side window is com-
pletely closed (Y page 87).
X Hold the switch for an additional second.
If the side window opens again slightly: X Immediately pull the corresponding switch
on the door control panel until the side win-
dow is completely closed (Y page 87).
X Hold the switch for an additional second.
X If the corresponding side window remains
closed after the button has been released, the side window has been reset correctly. If
this is not the case, repeat the steps aboveagain. Side windows
89Opening and closing Z

Problems with the side windows
G
WARNING
If you close a side window again immediately after it has been blocked or reset, the side window
closes with increased or maximum force. The reversing feature is then not active. Parts of the
body could be trapped in the closing area in the process. This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that no parts of the body are in the closing area. To stop the closing process, releasethe switch or push the switch again to reopen the side window. Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050 0050Solutions A side window cannot
be closed because it is
blocked by objects, e.g.
leaves in the window
guide. X
Remove the objects.
X Close the side window. A side window cannot
be closed and you can-
not see the cause. If a side window is obstructed during closing and reopens again
slightly:
X Immediately after the window blocks, pull the corresponding
switch again until the side window has closed.
The side window is closed with increased force.
If a side window is obstructed again during closing and reopens
again slightly: X Immediately after the window blocks, pull the corresponding
switch again until the side window has closed.
The side window is closed without the anti-entrapment feature. Panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel Important safety notes
In the following section, the term "sliding sun- roof" refers to the panorama roof with powertilt/sliding panel. G
WARNING
While opening and closing the sliding sunroof, body parts in close proximity could become
trapped. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that no body parts are in close
proximity during the opening and closing pro- cedures. If somebody becomes trapped:
R release the switch immediately, or
R during automatic operation, push the
switch briefly in any direction
The opening or closing procedure will be stop-
ped. G
WARNING
If children operate the sliding sunroof they
could become trapped, particularly if they are left unsupervised. There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle. 90
Panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panelOpening and closing