
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot prevent a collision. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and
the distance warning lamp will light up in the
instrument cluster. Brake immediately to
increase the distance to the vehicle driving in
front, or take evasive action, provided it is safe
to do so.
For DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the radar
sensor system must be operational.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates in the range
between 0 km/h and 200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
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 rec-
ognise other road users and complex traffic
conditions.
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 prepared to
brake, particularly if DISTRONIC PLUS warns
you. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle with up to 50% of the maximum possible deceleration.
If this deceleration is not sufficient, DISTRONIC PLUS alerts you with a visual and
acoustic warning. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Apply the brakes yourself in these situations
and try to take evasive action.
! When DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD func-
tion is activated, the vehicle brakes automat- ically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or similar situations:
R when towing away
R in a car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DISTRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the laws of physics. DISTRONIC
PLUS cannot take road and weather conditions
or traffic conditions into account. DISTRONIC
PLUS is only an aid. You are responsible for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
lane.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
R on smooth or slippery roads. Braking or accel-
erating can cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired in the case of:
R dirt on the sensors or obscured sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections, for
example, in multi-storey car parks
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehicle
in front, it may unexpectedly accelerate to the
speed stored. Driving systems
183Driving and parking Z

DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with crossing
traffic, for example, could cause your vehicle to pull away unintentionally.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist
and Stop&Go Pilot General notes
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot aids you in keeping the vehicle in
the centre of the driving lane by means of mod-
erate steering interventions in a speed range
from 0 - 200 km/h.
It monitors the area in front of your vehicle by
means of camera system :at the top of the
windscreen.
In a speed range from 0 - 60 km/h, Stop&Go
Pilot focuses on the vehicle in front, taking into
account lane markings, e.g. when following vehi- cles in a traffic jam.
At speeds of more than 60 km/h, Steering
Assist focuses on detected lane markings (left
and right), only focusing on the vehicle in front if
detected lane markings are not present.
If these conditions are not present, Steering
Assist and Stop&Go Pilot cannot provide assis-
tance.
DISTRONIC PLUS must be active in order for the
function to be available.
Important safety notesIf you fail to adapt your driving style, DISTRONIC
PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
can neither reduce the risk of an accident nor
override the laws of physics. It cannot take into account road, weather or traffic conditions.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot is only an aid. You are responsible
for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehi- cle speed, for braking in good time and for stay-
ing in lane.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot does not detect road and traffic
conditions and does not detect all road users. If
you are following a vehicle which is driving
towards the edge of the carriageway, your vehi- cle could come into contact with the kerb or
other road boundaries. Be particularly aware of
other road users, e.g. cyclists, that are directly
next to your vehicle.
Obstacles such as traffic pylons on the lane or
projecting out into the lane are not detected.
An inappropriate steering intervention, e.g. after intentionally driving over a lane marking, can be
corrected at any time if you steer slightly in the
opposite direction.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot cannot continuously keep your
vehicle in lane. In some cases, the steering
intervention is not sufficient to bring the vehicle back to the lane. In such cases, you must steer the vehicle yourself to ensure that it does not
leave the lane.
The support offered by the system may be
impaired if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain, fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up, damaged
or covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera
R no or several, unclear lane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, e.g. in a construction area
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge
R the road is narrow and winding
R there are highly variable shade conditions on
the road 190
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

a break, you will be warned again after
15 minute sat the earliest. This will only happen
if ATTENTION ASSIST still detects typical indi-
cators of fatigue or increasing lapses in concen- tration.
Vehicles with COMAND Online: if a warning is
output in the multifunction display, a service
station search is performed in COMAND Online. You can select a service station and navigation
to this service station will then begin. This func-
tion can be activated and deactivated in
COMAND Online. Traffic Sign Assist
General notes Traffic Sign Assist displays the maximum speed
permitted and overtaking restrictions to the
driver in the instrument cluster. Driving onto a
section of road in the wrong direction triggers a
warning. Traffic Sign Assist detects traffic signs with camera system :attached behind the top
of the windscreen. The data and general traffic
regulations stored in the navigation system are
also used to determine the current speed limit.
If a traffic sign that is relevant to your vehicle is passed, the display of the speed limits and over-
taking restrictions is updated.
The display can also be updated without a visible traffic sign if:
R the vehicle changes roads (e.g. motorway exit
or slip road)
R a village or town boundary is passed which is
stored in the digital map
R the last traffic sign detected by the camera
has not been repeated
If a sign indicating the end of a restriction (speed limit or overtaking restriction) is passed, the
sign is displayed for five seconds. The currently applicable traffic regulation continues to be
shown in the assistance graphic display.
The camera also detects traffic signs with a
restriction indicated by an additional sign (e.g. in
wet conditions).
The traffic signs are only displayed with the
restrictions if:
R the regulation must be observed with the
restriction, or
R Traffic Sign Assist is unable to determine
whether the restriction applies
If Traffic Sign Assist is unable to determine a
maximum permitted speed from any of the avail- able sources, no speed limit is displayed in the
instrument cluster either. Traffic Sign Assist is not available in all coun-
tries. In this case, symbol
:is shown in the
assistance graphic display (Y page 243).
Important safety notes Traffic Sign Assist is only an aid and is not always
able to correctly display speed limits and over-
taking restrictions. Traffic signs always have pri-
ority over the Traffic Sign Assist display.
The system may be either functionally impaired
or temporarily unavailable if:
R visibility is poor, e.g. due to snow, rain, fog or
spray
R there is glare, e.g. from the sun being low in
the sky
R there is dirt, ice or misting on the windscreen
in the vicinity of the camera
R traffic signs are hard to detect (dirt, ice, snow)
R the traffic signs are insufficiently lit at night
R signs are ambiguous (e.g. traffic signs on con-
struction sites or in adjacent lanes)
R the information in the digital street map of the
navigation system is incorrect or out of date 216
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

ted by the flashing of red warning lamp
:.
There are no further warning tones.
Activating Blind Spot Assist X Make sure that Blind Spot Assist is activated
in the on-board computer (Y page 245).
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors light
up red for approximately 1.5 second s and
then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
If you couple up a trailer, make sure that you
have correctly established the electrical con-
nection. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. The indicator lamp lights up yellow
in the exterior mirrors and the Blind Spot Blind Spot
Assist not available when towing a
Assist not available when towing a
trailer See Owner's Manual
trailer See Owner's Manual message
appears in the multifunction display.
i You can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, you will need to deactivate Blind
Spot Assist if:
R the key is in position 2in the ignition lock
R the engine is not running
Lane Keeping Assist General notes
:
Lane Keeping Assist camera
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicle by means of camera :at the top of
the windscreen. Lane Keeping Assist detects
lane markings on the road and can warn you
before you leave your lane unintentionally.
This function is available in a speed range
between 60 km/h and 200 km/h. A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of
intermittent vibration through the steering
wheel for up to 1.5 second s.
Im portant safety notes G
WARNING
Lane Keeping Assist cannot always clearly
identify lane markings.
In these cases, Lane Keeping Assist may:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep in lane, especially if Lane
Keeping Assist alerts you. G
WARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning does not
return the vehicle to the original lane. There is a risk of an accident.
Always steer, apply the brakes or accelerate
the vehicle yourself, especially if Lane Keep-
ing Assist alerts you.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lane Keep-
ing Assist can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Lane
Keeping Assist cannot take into account road,
weather or traffic conditions. Lane Keeping
Assist is only an aid. You are responsible for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
lane.
Lane Keeping Assist does not keep your vehicle
in its lane.
The system may be impaired or may not function if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up, damaged
or covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera
R no or several, unclear lane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, e.g. in a construction area 220
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Towing a trailer
If you couple up a trailer, make sure that you
have correctly established the electrical con-
nection. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is
then deactivated. The indicator lamps in the
exterior mirrors light up yellow and the Active
Active
Blind Spot Assist not available when Blind Spot Assist not available when
towing a trailer See Owner's Manual towing a trailer See Owner's Manual
message appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of multifunction
camera :at the top of the windscreen. Various
different areas to the front, rear and side of your vehicle are also monitored with the aid of the
radar sensor system. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. If you do not react to the warning, a
lane-correcting application of the brakes can
bring the vehicle back into the original lane.
This function is available within a speed range
between 60 km/h and 200 km/h.
For Active Lane Keeping Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active Lane Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of an
accident nor override the laws of physics. Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in lane. Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot continuously
keep your vehicle in its lane. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle
R neither give a warning nor intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation.
The system may be impaired or may not function if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up, damaged
or covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera
R no or several, unclear lane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, e.g. in a construction area
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge
R the road is narrow and winding
R there are highly variable shade conditions on
the roadway
R no vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane and
there are broken lane markings
Warning vibration through the steering
wheel A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of 224
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

road users. There is a risk of an accident and
injury.
Never exceed the maximum permissible load
when using a carrier.
Exceeding the maximum permissible nose-
weight of the trailer drawbar on the ball coupling may cause damage to the following:
R your vehicle
R the trailer
R the ball coupling
R trailer tow hitch
The vehicle/trailer combination could become
unstable.
If the noseweight used is lower than the mini-
mum permissible noseweight, the vehicle/
trailer combination could also become unstable. To avoid hazardous situations:
R make sure to check the noseweight before
each journey
R use a drawbar noseweight as close as possi-
ble to the maximum noseweight
R do not exceed the maximum permissible
noseweight
R do not use a noseweight lower than the min-
imum noseweight
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.
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 manu-
facturer on the vehicle identification plates and those for the towing vehicle under "Technical
data" (Y page 385).
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 gradient-
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 charac-
teristics. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Maintain a safe distance. Drive carefully.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your speed to the current road and weather conditions. Do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed for
your vehicle/trailer combination. Notes on towing a trailer
General notes Check the tyre pressures when towing a trailer.
You will find the values in the tyre pressure table in the vehicle fuel filler flap (Y page 351).
Please note that when towing a trailer, the fol-
lowing driving systems have limited availability
or are not available at all.
R PARKTRONIC (Y page 199)
R Blind Spot Assist (Y page 218)
R Active Lane Keeping Assist (Y page 224)
R Active Parking Assist (Y page 202)
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 384).
Driving tips Observe the information on ESP
®
trailer stabili-
sation (Y page 71) and on pulling away with a
trailer (Y page 149). Towing a trailer
227Driving and parking Z

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all models,
series and optional equipment for your vehi-
cle that were available at the time of going to
press. National variations are possible. Note
that your vehicle may not be equipped with all
of the functions described. This is also the
case for systems and functions relevant to
safety.
i Read the information on qualified specialist
workshops: (Y page 25). Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Operating the integrated information systems and communications equipment in the vehicle
while driving will distract you from traffic con-
ditions. You could then lose control of the
vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Only operate these devices if road traffic con-
ditions permit. If you are unsure about the
surrounding conditions, pull over to a safe
location and make entries only while the vehi-
cle is stationary.
You must observe the legal requirements for the country in which you are currently driving whenoperating the on-board computer. G
WARNING
If the instrument cluster has failed or mal-
functioned, you may not recognise function
restrictions relevant to safety. The operating
safety of your vehicle may be impaired. There is a risk of an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have the vehicle checked
at a qualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
If the operating safety of your vehicle is
impaired, park the vehicle safely as soon as pos- sible. Contact a qualified specialist workshop.
The on-board computer only shows messages or warnings from certain systems in the multifunc-tion display. You should therefore make sure
your vehicle is operating safely at all times. For an overview, see the instrument cluster illus-
tration (Y page 29). Displays and operation
Instrument cluster lighting
The lighting in the instrument cluster, in the dis- plays and the controls in the vehicle interior can
be adjusted using the brightness control knob.
The brightness control knob is located on the
bottom left of the instrument cluster
(Y page 29).
X Turn the brightness control knob clockwise or
anti-clockwise.
If you turn the light switch to Ã,Tor
L, the brightness is dependent 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 not illuminated. Speedometer with segments
The speedometer is divided into segments only
on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS.
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is available.
R Variable SPEEDTRONIC activated
(Y page 180):
The segments light up from the start of the
scale to the selected limit speed.
R DISTRONIC PLUS activated (Y page 182):
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 vehi- cle 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. Displays and operation
235On-board computer and displays Z

The fuel supply is interrupted to protect the
engine when the red band is reached. Outside temperature display
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
Bear in mind that the outside temperature dis-
play indicates the measured air temperature
and not the road surface temperature.
The outside temperature display is in the multi-
function display (Y page 237).
A change in the outside temperature is shown in the multifunction display after a 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.
The coolant temperature gauge is in the instru-
ment cluster on the right-hand side (Y page 29).
Under normal operating conditions and with the specified coolant level, the coolant temperature
may rise to 120 †.
At high outside temperatures and when driving
uphill, the coolant temperature may rise to the
end of the scale. Operating the on-board computer
Overview :
Multifunction display
; Right control panel
= Left control panel
X To activate the on-board computer: turn
the key to position 1in the ignition lock.
You can control the multifunction display and
the settings in the on-board computer using the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel.
In vehicles with the multimedia system
COMAND Online, you can find further informa-
tion on LINGUATRONIC in the separate operat-
ing instructions.
Left control panel =
; R
Calls up the menu and menu bar 9
: Press briefly:
R Scrolls through lists
R Selects a submenu or function
R In the Audio Audio menu: selects the
previous or next station, when the preset list or station list is active,
or an audio track or video scene
R In the Tel Tel(telephone) menu:
switches to the phone book and
selects a name or telephone num-
ber 236
Displays and operationOn-board computer and displays