
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
R Observe the warnings for off-road driving
(Y page 168).
R Follow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
R Before driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients, select the off-road program
(Y page 186).
R Drive slowly.
R Accelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
R Avoid high engine speeds, except when
driving on sandy and muddy routes with
high driving resistance.
R Use the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate
to the gradient.
R Use the left-hand paddle shifter to shift into
a lower gear in good time on long and steep
downhill gradients.
i Hill start assist will aid you when pulling
away on a hill.
For further information about hill start
assist, see (Y page 144).
Do not switch to transmission position N
when driving off-road. If you try to brake the
vehicle using the service brake, you could
lose control of the vehicle. If the gradient is
too steep for your vehicle, drive back down in reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure
angle values (Y page 369).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability Always observe the maximum gradient climb-
ing ability values (Y page 369). Hilltops When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immedi-
ately before reaching the brow of the hill.
Make use of the vehicle's own impetus to
travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
R the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of a hill
R the vehicle from traveling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill R
Drive slowly.
R Do not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drive
with the front wheels aligned straight. Oth- erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and rollover.
R Shift to a lower gear using the left-hand
paddle shifter before tackling steep down-
hill gradients.
R Activate DSR. If this is not sufficient, brake
gently. When doing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
R Check that the brakes are working normally
after a long downhill stretch.
i Off-road ABS is activated when the off-
road program is selected.
At speeds below 18 mph (30 km/h), the
front wheels lock cyclically during braking.
The digging-in effect achieved in the proc-
ess reduces the stopping distance on off-
road terrain. The steerability of the vehicle
is considerably reduced if the wheels lock. Driving tips
171Driving and parking Z

If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a faster-moving
vehicle in front, it increases the driving speed.
The vehicle is only accelerated up to the
speed you have stored.
Selecting the drive program
DISTRONIC Plus supports a sporty driving
style when you have selected the S or M driv- ing program (Y page 152). Acceleration
behind the vehicle in front or to the set speed is then noticeably more dynamic. If you have
selected the E driving program, the vehicle
accelerates more gently. This setting is rec-
ommended in stop-and-start traffic.
Changing lanes
If you change to the passing lane, DISTRONIC PLUS supports you when:
R you are driving faster than 43.5 mph
(70 km/h)
R DISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the dis-
tance to a vehicle in front
R you switch on the appropriate turn signal
R DISTRONIC PLUS does not detect a danger
of collision
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted
if changing lanes takes too long or if the dis-
tance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front becomes too small.
Stopping G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R DISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
R the accelerator pedal has been depressed,
e.g. by a vehicle occupant. There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
For further information on deactivating DIS-
TRONIC PLUS (Y page 178).
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until it
is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service brake.
i Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill
at a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in front. The specified minimum distance is
set using the control on the cruise control
lever.
The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if DISTRONIC PLUS is
activated and:
R the seat belt is unfastened and the driver's
door is open.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, then the transmission may be shifted into position Pautomatically.
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
177Driving and parking Z

!
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
Deactivating the HOLD function
(Y page 182).
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.
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R the vehicle is stationary
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
R the driver's door is closed or your seat belt
is fastened
R the electric parking brake is released
R the transmission position D,Ror Nis
engaged while driving a vehicle with an
automatic transmission
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated Activating the HOLD function Example: vehicles with a color multifunction dis-
play
X Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until 0043appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission
is in position Dor R.
R the transmission is in position Pon vehicles
with automatic transmission.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a
certain amount of pressure until 0043disap-
pears from the multifunction display.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service brake. 182
Driving systemsDriving and parking

The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if the HOLD function is
activated and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there
is a malfunction, the transmission may also
automatically be shifted into position P.RACE START
Important safety notes RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start. The precondition for
this is a suitable high-grip road surface.
RACE START is intended solely for activation
on dedicated race circuits.
i RACE START is only available in AMG vehi-
cles.
Conditions for activation You can activate RACE START if:
R the doors, hood and the tailgate are closed.
R the engine is running and the transmission,
all-wheel drive clutch and the engine are at
operating temperature.
R SPORT handling mode is activated.
(Y page 70)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
R the vehicle is stationary and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot).
R the transmission is in position D.
R drive program Mis selected (Y page 152).Activating RACE START X
Depress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
X Pull and hold both steering wheel shift pad-
dles.
X The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWN
Cancel: Paddle DOWN message appears
in the multifunction display.
X Release both steering wheel shift paddles.
i If the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is canceled. The
RACE START Not Possible See Opera‐
RACE START Not Possible See Opera‐
tor's Manual tor's Manual message appears in the
multifunction display.
X To cancel: pull the left steering wheel pad-
dle shifter (Y page 153).
or
X To confirm: pull the right steering wheel
paddle shifter (Y page 153).
The RACE START Available Depress
RACE START Available Depress
gas pedal
gas pedal message appears in the multi-
function display.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal within a few seconds, RACE START is canceled. The multifunction display shows
the RACE START Canceled
RACE START Canceled message.
X Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed is increased.
The RACE START Release brake to RACE START Release brake to
start
start message appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
i If you do not release the brake pedal
within a short time, RACE START will be
canceled. The multifunction display shows
the RACE START Canceled
RACE START Canceled message.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The RACE
RACE START START Active
Active message appears
in the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 30 mph
(Canada: 50 km/h). Drive program Sis acti- Driving systems
183Driving and parking Z

system independently locates and measures
parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parking spaces:
R parallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
and at least 59 in (1.5 m) wide
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
and at least 39.5 in (1.0 m) longer than your
vehicle
R that are at right angles to the direction of
travel and at least 39.5 in (1.0 m) wider
than your vehicle
i In the case of parking spaces that are at
right angles to the direction of travel,
please ensure that the parking space is
long enough to accommodate your vehicle.
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h), you will see the parking symbol as a status indicator in the instrument cluster.
When a parking space has been detected, an arrow towards the right or the left also
appears. By default, Active Parking Assist
only displays parking spaces on the front-
passenger side. Parking spaces on the driv-
er's side are displayed as soon as the turn
signal on the driver's side is activated. When
parking on the driver's side, this must remain switched on until you acknowledge the use of
Active Parking Assist by pressing the 0076
button on the multifunction steering wheel.
The system automatically determines
whether the parking space is parallel or at
right angles to the direction of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 50 ft (15 m) away from it. Parking G
WARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Active Parking Assist it could roll
away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
R the accelerator pedal has been depressed,
e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always secure it
against rolling away.
i Vehicles with automatic transmission: if
PARKTRONIC detects obstacles, Active
Parking Assist brakes automatically during the parking process. You are responsible
for braking in good time.
X Stop the vehicle when the parking space
symbol shows the desired parking space in
the instrument cluster.
X Shift the transmission to position R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No: Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
0038 message appears in the multifunction
display.
X To cancel the procedure: press the0038
button on the multifunction steering wheel or pull away.
or
X To park using Active Parking Assist:
press the 0076button 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 Back up the vehicle, being ready to brake at
all times. Do not exceed a maximum speed of approximately 5 mph (10 km/h) when Driving systems
191Driving and parking Z

X
Start the engine.
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:
0038 message appears in the multifunction
display.
X To cancel the procedure: press the0038
button on the multifunction steering wheel or pull away.
or
X To exit a parking space using Active
Parking Assist: press the0076button 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 Reverse the vehicle or drive forwards, being
ready to brake at all times. Do not exceed a
maximum speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h) when exiting a parking space.
Otherwise Active Parking Assist will be can- celed.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor Ras
required while the vehicle is stationary.
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 You can cancel Active Parking Assist at any
time.
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 on the cen-
ter console (Y page 188).
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
00E5 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.
If Active Parking Assist is canceled, you must
steer again yourself.
If a system malfunction occurs, the vehicle is braked to a standstill. To drive on, depress the
accelerator again. Driving systems
193Driving and parking Z

Left control panel
0059
0065 R
Calls up the menu and menu bar 0063
0064 Press briefly:
R Scrolls in lists
R Selects a submenu or function
R In the Audio Audio menu: selects a
stored station, an audio track or
a video scene
R In the Tel
Tel(telephone) menu:
switches to the phone book and
selects a name or telephone
number 0063
0064 Press and hold:
R In the Audio Audio menu: selects the
previous/next station or selects
an audio track or a video scene
using rapid scrolling
R In the Tel
Tel (telephone) menu:
starts rapid scrolling through the
phone book 0076 R
Confirms a selection/display
message
R In the Tel Tel(Telephone) menu:
switches to the telephone book
and starts dialing the selected
number
R In the Audio Audio menu: stops the
station search function at the
desired station Right control panel
0076 R
Rejects or ends a call
R Exits phone book/redial mem-
ory 0061 R
Makes or accepts a call
R Switches to the redial memory 0081
0082 R
Adjusts the volume 0063 R
Mute Back button
0038 Press briefly:
R Back
R Switches off the Voice Control
System; see the separate oper-
ating instructions
R Hides display messages
R Exits the telephone book/redial
memory 0038 Press and hold:
R Calls up the standard display in
the Trip Trip menu Multifunction display
0043
Permanent display: outside temperature
or speed (Y page 216)
0044 Time
0087 Text field
0085 Menu bar
0083 Drive program (Y page 149)
0084 Transmission position (Y page 149)206
Displays and operationOn-board computer and displays

X
To show menu bar 0085:press the 0059
or 0065 button on the steering wheel.
Menu bar 0085disappears after a few seconds.
Text field 0087shows the selected menu or
submenu as well as display messages.
i You can set the time using the audio sys-
tem or COMAND, see the separate operat-
ing instructions.
The following messages may appear in the
multifunction display:
0097 Gearshift recommendation, when
shifting manually (automatic trans-
mission) (Y page 154)
0095005D0096 Active Parking Assist (Y page 189)
CRUISE
CRUISE Cruise control (Y
page 172)
00CE Adaptive Highbeam Assist
(Ypage 114)
00A7 ECO start/stop function
(Ypage 145)
00D9 HOLD function (Y page 181) Menus and submenus
Menu overview
Operating the on-board computer
(Y page 205).
Depending on the equipment installed in the
vehicle, you can call up the following menus:
R Trip
Trip menu (Y page 207)
R Navi Navi menu (navigation instructions)
(Y page 209)
R Audio
Audio menu (Y page 210)
R Tel
Tel menu (telephone) (Y page 211)
R DriveAssist
DriveAssist menu (assistance)
(Y page 213)
R Serv.
Serv. menu (Y page 215)
R Sett.
Sett. (Settings) menu (Y page 215)
R AMG
AMG menu in AMG vehicles (Y page 218)
The Audio
Audio, Navi
NaviandTel
Tel menus differ slightly
in vehicles with an audio system and in vehi-
cles with COMAND. The examples given in this Operator's Manual apply to vehicles
equipped with COMAND. Trip menu
Standard display X
Press and hold the 0038button on the
steering wheel until the Trip Tripmenu with
trip odometer 0043and odometer 0044is
shown.
Trip computer "From Start" or "From
Reset" Example: trip computer "From Start"
0043 Distance
0044 Time
0087 Average speed
0085 Average fuel consumption
X Press the 0059or0065 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Press the 0063or0064 button to select
From Start From Start orFrom Reset
From Reset.
The values in the From Start
From Startsubmenu are
calculated from the start of a journey whilst
the values in the From Reset From Resetsubmenu are
calculated from the last time the submenu
was reset (Y page 208).
The From Start From Start trip computer is automati-
cally reset when: Menus and submenus
207On-board computer and displays Z