
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
The applicable permissible values, which
must not be exceeded, can be found:
R in your vehicle documents
R on the identification plates of the trailer tow
hitch and the trailer
R on the vehicle identification plate
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
You will find the values approved by the man-
ufacturer on the vehicle identification plates
and those for the towing vehicle under "Tech- nical data" (Y page 491). G
WARNING
If you release the ball coupling or it does not
engage correctly when folding in, it will swing out. Within pivoting range of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the ball coupling engages when folding in.
When reversing the vehicle towards the
trailer, make sure there is nobody between
the trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer could become
detached.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison to when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbing capability R
has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strong crosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R has a larger turning circle
This can impair the vehicle's handling char-
acteristics. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly. Maintain a safe distance. Drive care-
fully.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your
speed to the current road and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis-
sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion. Notes on towing a trailer
General notes When towing a trailer, set the tyre pressure on
the rear axle of the towing vehicle for the
maximum load. Further information on the
tyre pressure table in the fuel filler flap
(Y page 458).
On vehicles without level control, the height
of the ball coupling will alter according to the load placed on the vehicle. If necessary, use a
trailer with a height-adjustable drawbar.
You will find fitting dimensions and loads
under "Technical data" (Y page 490).
Driving tips Observe the notes on ESP
®
trailer stabilisa-
tion (Y page 86).
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents to see what the max- imum permitted speed is. Observe the legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the max-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing a trailer. See the "Technical
data" section to find out whether this applies to your vehicle (Y page 491). If you utilise any Towing a trailer
303Driving and parking Z

of the added maximum rear axle load when
towing a trailer, the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion may not exceed a maximum speed of
100 km/h for reasons concerning the oper-
ating permit. This also applies in countries in
which the permissible maximum speed for
vehicle/trailer combinations is above
100 km/h.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling characteristics will be different in comparison
to when driving without a trailer and it will
consume more fuel.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients.
This also applies if cruise control, DISTRONIC PLUS or SPEEDTRONIC are activated.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
vehicle speed. This relieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly. If you
need additional braking, depress the brake
pedal repeatedly rather than continuously.
Driving tips If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not countersteer.
X Brake if necessary.
R Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle in
front than when driving without a trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from a standstill refer to sea
level. When driving in mountainous areas,
note that the power output of the engine,
and consequently the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decrease with increas-
ing altitude. Swinging out the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not engaged, the trailer
may come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that the ball coupling is securely
engaged and locked in position.
! Do not attempt to speed the up the swing-
out procedure by applying additional pres-
sure with your foot. The system could oth-
erwise be mechanically damaged.
In order to tow a trailer with your vehicle, you
must swing out the ball coupling using the
switch in the driver's door or in the tailgate.
The trailer power socket is integrated in the
ball coupling and swivels out with it.
Only release the ball coupling when its range of movement is unobstructed. Folding out using the switch in the driv-
er's door (all vehicles except plug-in
hybrid vehicles):
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Switch the ignition on.
X Pull switch :briefly.
After a short time the ball coupling swings
out from under the rear bumper. It can take
up to seven seconds before the ball cou-
pling visibly swings out.
X Remove the protective covering from the
ball coupling and store it in a safe place. 304
Towing a trailerDriving and parking

brightness will depend upon the brightness
of the ambient light.
i The light sensor in the instrument cluster
automatically controls the brightness of
the multifunction display.
In daylight, the displays in the instrument
cluster are illuminated. A dimming function
is not possible in daylight. Speedometer with segments
The speedometer is divided into segments on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS.
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is available.
R Cruise control activated (Y page 230):
The segments light up from the stored
speed to the type-tested maximum speed.
R Variable SPEEDTRONIC activated
(Y page 233):
The segments light up from the start of the
scale to the selected limit speed.
R DISTRONIC PLUS activated (Y page 236):
One or two segments in the set speed
range light up.
R DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front
moving more slowly than the stored speed:
The segments between the speed of the
vehicle in front and the stored speed light
up. Rev counter
! Do not drive in the overrevving range.
Doing so will damage the engine.
The red band in the rev counter indicates the
engine's overrevving range.
The fuel supply is interrupted to protect the
engine when the red band is reached.
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: when you select
the E-MODE operating mode, the display in
the instrument cluster switches from rev
counter to wattmeter (Y page 289). Outside temperature display
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freez-
ing point.
Bear in mind that the outside temperature
display indicates the measured air tempera-
ture and not the road surface temperature.
The outside temperature display is in the mul- tifunction display (Y page 315).
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay. Coolant temperature gauge
G
WARNING
If you open the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is a fire in the
engine compartment, you could come into
contact with hot gases or other leaking ser-
vice products. There is a danger of injury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is a fire in the engine compartment, leave the bonnet
closed and notify the fire brigade.
All vehicles except PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: the coolant temperature gauge is in the lower
section of the rev counter (Y page 34).
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: the multifunction
display shows the coolant temperature in the
Coolant Coolant submenu (Y page 327).
At high outside temperatures and when driv-
ing uphill, the coolant temperature may rise
to the end of the scale.
Under normal operating conditions and with
the specified coolant level, the coolant tem-
perature may rise to 120 †. Displays and operation
313On-board computer and displays Z

Trip menu
Standard display X
Press and hold the %button on the
steering wheel until the Trip
Tripmenu with
trip meter :and total distance
recorder ;appears.
Displaying the range and current fuel
consumption PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: the menu displays
current fuel consumption ;. In the subse-
quent message, the multifunction display
shows the approximate electrical range as
well as the total range (Y page 294).
X Press òon the steering wheel to open
the menu list.
X Press :or9 on the steering wheel
to select the Trip
Trip menu.
X Press 9or: to select the display
with approximate range :and current fuel
consumption ;.
Approximate range :that can be covered
is calculated according to your current driv- ing style and the amount of fuel in the tank.
If there is only a small amount of fuel left in
the fuel tank, a vehicle being refuelled C
appears instead of approximate range :.
Recuperation display =shows you if
energy has been recuperated from the
kinetic energy in overrun mode and saved
in the battery. Recuperation display =
depends on the engine installed and is
therefore not available in all vehicles.
ECO display X
Press òon the steering wheel to open
the menu list.
X Press :or9 on the steering wheel
to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Press :or9 to select ECO display.
If the ignition remains switched off for longer than four hours, the ECO display will be auto-
matically reset.
Further information on the ECO display
(Y page 223). 318
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Trip computer "From start" or "From
reset" :
Total distance recorder
; Driving time
= Average speed
? PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: emission-free
trip distance
A Average fuel consumption
X Press òon the steering wheel to open
the menu list.
X Press :or9 on the steering wheel
to select the Trip
Trip menu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Press :or9 to select From start
From start
or From 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 319).
In the following cases the trip computer is
automatically reset From start
From start:
R the ignition has been switched off for more
than four hours
R 999 hours have been exceeded
R 9,999 kilometres have been exceeded
When 9,999 hours or 99,999 kilometres have been exceeded, the trip computer is auto-
matically resetFrom reset From reset. Digital speedometer
X
Press òon the steering wheel to open
the menu list.
X Press the :or9 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Press :or9 to select the digital
speedometer.
Resetting values X
Press òon the steering wheel to open
the menu list.
X Press the :or9 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Trip
Tripmenu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Press :or9 to select the function
that you wish to reset.
X Press a.
X Press :to select Yes
Yesand confirm with
a. Menus and submenus
319On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions #
Stop vehicle See Stop vehicle See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The battery is no longer being charged and the battery charge level
is too low.
A warning tone also sounds.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traf-
fic conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 219).
X Observe the instructions in the #See Owner's Manual
See Owner's Manual
display message.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. #
Stop Stop
vehicle
vehicle Leave
Leave
engine running
engine running The battery charge level is too low.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions. Do not continue driving
under any circumstances.
X Start the engine.
X Wait until the display message disappears before pulling away. #
Start engine See Start engine See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The engine is off and the battery charge level is too low.
X Switch off electrical consumers that you do not need, such as
the rear window heating and interior lighting.
X Leave the engine running for a few minutes, or drive for a longer
distance.
The battery charges. 4
Check eng. oil Check eng. oil
lev. when next lev. when next
refuelling refuelling The engine oil level has dropped to the minimum level.
A warning tone also sounds.
! Avoid long journeys when there is too little coolant in the cool-
ing system. Otherwise the engine will be damaged.
X Check the oil level when next refuelling, at the latest
(Y page 416).
X If necessary, top up the engine oil (Y page 416).
If you have to top up the engine oil frequently:
X Contact a qualified specialist workshop and have the engine
checked.
Information on approved engine oils can be obtained from a quali- fied specialist workshop or on the Internet at http://
bevo.mercedes-benz.co m. Display
messages
355On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions 8
Reserve fuel level Reserve fuel level The fuel level has dropped into the reserve range.
Operation of the auxiliary heating is deactivated if the fuel level
drops into the reserve range.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. C C There is very little fuel in the fuel tank.
The auxiliary heating cannot be operated.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station without fail. ¸
Replace Replace
air
aircleaner
cleaner Vehicles with a diesel engine: the engine air filter is dirty and must
be replaced.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. !
Clean Clean
the
thefuel
fuel fil‐
fil‐
ter
ter Vehicles with a diesel engine: there is water in the fuel filter. The
water must be drained off.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Refill AdBlue See Refill AdBlue See
Owner’s Manual Owner’s Manual
The AdBlue
®
level has fallen below the reserve range. A warning
tone also sounds.
X Refill AdBlue ®
as soon as possible (Y page 207).Refill AdBlue No
Refill AdBlue No
start in ... mi start in ... mi
The AdBlue
®
level is only sufficient for the indicated distance. A
warning tone also sounds.
X Refill AdBlue ®
immediately (Y page 207).
i If you drive the vehicle faster than 15 km/h the
Refill
Refill
AdBlue
AdBlue No
Nostart
start in
in...
... mi
mimessage goes out after approx-
imately one minute. Refill
Refill
AdBlue
AdBlueEng.
Eng.
start not possible
start not possible The AdBlue
®
tank is empty. A warning tone also sounds. You can
no longer start the engine.
X Add at least 3.5 l of AdBlue ®
(Y page 207).
X Turn the ignition on for approximately one minute.
The system requires approximately one minute after refilling to
detect the change in the AdBlue ®
level.
X Start the engine. Check AdBlue See
Check AdBlue See
Owner’s Manual Owner’s Manual
The AdBlue
®
system is malfunctioning. A warning tone also
sounds.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 356
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions E-MODE currently
E-MODE currently
unavailable unavailable PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles:
The charge level of the high-voltage battery has reached the lower
limit and the operating mode E-MODEhas been switched off.
Driving with the internal combustion engine is activated and the
operating mode switches to the basic HYBRIDsetting.
X Drive on using the internal combustion engine.
If necessary, you can change to the E-SAVEorCHARGE oper-
ating mode (Y page 290).
If you select the CHARGEoperating mode, the high-voltage bat-
tery is charged.
When the charge level display of the high-voltage battery has
risen a little, you can change back to the E-MODEoperating
mode. Only E-MODE avail‐ Only E-MODE avail‐
able able
Power
Power limited
limited
Refuel immediately
Refuel immediately PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles:
The fuel tank has been run dry and the combustion engine has
been switched off.
A warning tone also sounds.
The vehicle will be powered by electrical energy only. Performance
is restricted and the vehicle may accelerate more slowly than nor-
mal.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station without fail.
In the "Total range and electric range" menu, you can display the
approximate range of the vehicle (Y page 294).Without starting Without starting
engine again, con‐ engine again, con‐
sult workshop sult workshop You cannot restart the engine due to a malfunction.
A warning tone also sounds.
If the engine is running:
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
If you switch off the engine:
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 219).
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. á
Towing not permit‐ Towing not permit‐
ted See Owner's ted See Owner's
Manual Manual The hybrid drive system is faulty.
X Have the vehicle transported on a transporter or trailer to the
nearest qualified specialist workshop. Û
Malfunction Visit Malfunction Visit
workshop workshop The hybrid drive system is faulty.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 358
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays