Starting the vehicle
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves.
Children could also set the vehicle in motion, for example by:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. Always
keep the key out of reach of children. G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation. G
WARNING
Flammable materials introduced through
environmental influence or by animals can
ignite if in contact with the exhaust system or parts of the engine that heat up. There is a risk
of fire.
Carry out regular checks to make sure that
there are no flammable foreign materials in
the engine compartment or in the exhaust
system.
! Do not depress the accelerator when start-
ing the engine. General notes Vehicles with a petrol engine:
the catalytic
converter is preheated for up to 30 seconds
after a cold start. The sound of the engine may
change during this time.
Automatic transmission X
Shift the transmission to position P
(Y page 168).
The transmission position indicator in the
multifunction display shows P(Y page 168).
i You can start the engine in transmission
position Pand N.
Starting procedure with the key X
To start a diesel engine: turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock (Y page 158).
The % preglow indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
X Turn the key to position 3in the ignition lock
(Y page 158) and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
i Vehicles with a diesel engine:
you can
start the engine without preglow if the engine
is warm.
Using KEYLESS-GO to start the engine The Start/Stop button can be used to start the
vehicle without inserting the key into the ignition
lock. The key must be in the vehicle and the
Start/Stop button must be inserted in the igni-
tion lock. This mode for starting the engine oper-
ates independently of the ECO start/stop auto- matic engine start function.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Press the Start/Stop button once
(Y page 158).
Vehicles with a petrol engine: the engine
starts.
Vehicles with a diesel engine: preglow is
activated and the engine starts. 160
DrivingDriving and parking
Pulling away
General notes G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
Depress the accelerator carefully when pulling
away.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have pulled
away. The locking knobs in the doors drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking
feature (Y page 294).
It is only possible to shift the transmission from position Pto the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the parking lock
released. If you do not depress the brake pedal,
the DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved but the parking lock remains engaged.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine speeds
after a cold start. This helps the catalytic con- verter to reach its operating temperature
more quickly.
Information on automatically releasing the elec-
trical parking brake (Y page 192).
Pulling away with a trailer To ensure that you do not roll backwards when
pulling away on an uphill slope, apply the electric
parking brake. X
Press and hold handle :.
The electric parking brake continues to brake
and prevent the vehicle from rolling back-
wards.
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster remains lit.
X Depress the accelerator pedal.
X As soon as the vehicle/trailer combination is
held by the driving force of the engine, release
lever :.
the electric parking brake is released
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Hill start assist Hill start assist helps you when pulling away for-
wards or in reverse on an uphill gradient. It holds the vehicle for a short time after you have
removed your foot from the brake pedal. This
gives you enough time to move your foot from
the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and
depress it before the vehicle begins to roll. G
WARNING
After a while, hill start assist no longer holds
the vehicle and it may roll away. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist is not active if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or a
downhill gradient
R the transmission is in position N
R the electric parking brake is applied
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning ECO start/stop function
Introduction This section describes the ECO start/stop func-
tion for all vehicles except PLUG-IN HYBRID
vehicles. Information on the ECO start/stop
function in PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles
(Y page 269). Driving
161Driving and parking Z
DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
The DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of the
steering column.
The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns to its
original position. The current transmission posi-
tion P,R, Nor Dappears in the transmission
position display in the multifunction display
(Y page 168).
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display. :
Transmission position
; Gear
= Drive program
The arrows in the transmission position display
show how and into which transmission positions
you can shift using the DIRECT SELECT lever.
If the transmission position display in the mul-
tifunction display is not working, you should pull away carefully to check whether the desired
transmission position is engaged. Ideally, you
should select transmission position D.Engaging park position P !
If the engine speed is too high, do not shift
the automatic transmission directly from Dto
R, from Rto Dor directly to P. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission could be damaged. j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever in the direction
of arrow P.
Engaging park position P automatically Park position
Pis automatically engaged if:
R you switch off the engine using the key and
remove the key
R you switch off the engine using the key or
using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door
R you open the driver's door when the vehicle is
stationary or when driving at a very low speed
and the transmission is in position Dor R
Under certain conditions, the automatic trans-
mission shifts automatically to transmission
position Pif the HOLD function or DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. Observe the information on
the HOLD function (Y page 220) and on
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 210).
Engaging reverse gear R !
Only shift the automatic transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. 168
Automatic transmissionDriving and pa
rking
X
If the transmission is in position Dor N: push
the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the first
point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the first point of resistance.
Shifting to neutral N G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves.
Children could also set the vehicle in motion, for example by:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. Always
keep the key out of reach of children.
X If the transmission is in position Dor R: push
the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to the
first point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT
lever up or down to the first point of resist-
ance.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position Ror D, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
With the key: if you then open the driver's door
or the front-passenger door or remove the key
from the ignition, the automatic transmission
shifts to Pautomatically.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then open
the driver's door or the front-passenger door,
the automatic transmission shifts to Pautomat-
ically. If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral
N, e.g. when having the vehicle
cleaned in an automatic car wash with a towing
system:
With the key:
X Switch the ignition on.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the key in the
ignition lock.
With the Start/Stop button: X Remove the Start/Stop button from the igni-
tion lock.
X Insert the key into the ignition lock.
X Switch the ignition on.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the key in the
ignition lock.
Engaging drive position D X
If the transmission is in position Ror N: push
the DIRECT SELECT lever down past the first
point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT lever down past the first point of resistance. Automatic transmission
169Driving and parking Z
If you or others come into contact with fuel,
observe the following:
R Wash the fuel off any affected areas of skin
with water and soap immediately.
R If you get fuel in your eyes, rinse them thor-
oughly with clean water immediately. Seek
immediate medical attention.
R If fuel is swallowed, seek immediate medi-
cal attention. Do not induce vomiting.
R Change any clothing that has come into
contact with fuel immediately. G
WARNING
Electrostatic charge can cause sparks and
thereby ignite fuel vapours. There is a risk of
fire and explosion.
Always touch the vehicle body before opening the fuel filler flap or touching the fuel pump
nozzle. This discharges any electrostatic
charge that may have built up. G
WARNING
Vehicles with a diesel engine:
If you mix diesel fuel with petrol, the flash
point of this fuel mixture is lower than that of pure diesel fuel. When the engine is running,
components in the exhaust system may over-
heat unnoticed. There is a risk of fire.
Never refuel with petrol. Never add petrol to
diesel fuel.
! Do not use petrol to refuel vehicles with a
diesel engine. Do not switch on the ignition if you accidentally refuel with the wrong fuel.
Otherwise, fuel can enter the fuel system.
Even small amounts of the wrong fuel could
result in damage to the fuel system and the
engine. The repair costs are high. Notify a
qualified specialist workshop and have the
fuel tank and fuel lines drained completely.
! Do not use diesel to refuel vehicles with a
petrol engine. Do not switch on the ignition if you accidentally refuel with the wrong fuel.
Otherwise, the fuel will enter the fuel system.
Even small amounts of the wrong fuel can
result in damage to the fuel system and the
engine. Notify a qualified specialist workshop and have the fuel tank and fuel lines drained
completely.
! Overfilling the fuel tank could damage the
fuel system.
! Take care not to spill any fuel on painted
surfaces. You could otherwise damage the
paintwork.
! Use a filter when adding fuel from a fuel can.
The fuel lines and/or the fuel injection system could otherwise be blocked by particles fromthe fuel can.
Do not get into the vehicle again during the refu-
elling process. Otherwise, electrostatic charge
could build up again.
If you overfill the fuel tank, some fuel may spray out when you remove the fuel pump nozzle.
Further information on fuel and fuel quality
(Y page 436). Refuelling
General notes Observe the important safety notes
(Y
page 175).
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: pressure in the fuel
tank must be released before refuelling.
Except PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: if you
unlock/lock the vehicle from the outside, the
fuel filler flap also unlocks/locks.
The position of the 8fuel filler cap is dis-
played in the instrument cluster. The arrow next to the filling pump indicates the side of the vehi-
cle.
Preparing to refuel X
Switch off the engine.
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
or, on vehicles with KEYLESS‑GO: X Open the driver's door.
The on-board electronics now have status 0.
This is the same as the key having been
removed.
The driver's door can be closed again. 176
RefuellingDriving and parking
Problems with the fuel and fuel tank
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Fuel is leaking from the
vehicle.
G
WARNING
The fuel line or the fuel tank is faulty.
There is a risk of fire or explosion. X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the engine.
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
or, on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start function or KEYLESS ‑GO:
X Open the driver's door.
The on-board electronics now have status 0. This is the same as the
key having been removed.
X Do not restart the engine under any circumstances.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The engine does not
start. The fuel tank of a vehicle with a diesel engine has been run completely
dry.
X Refuel the vehicle with at least 5 litres of diesel.
X Turn the ignition on for approximately ten seconds (Y page 158).
X Start the engine continuously for a maximum of ten seconds until it
runs smoothly.
If the engine does not start: X Turn the ignition on again for a maximum of ten seconds
(Y page 158).
X Start the engine again continuously for a maximum of ten seconds
until it runs smoothly.
If the engine does not start after three attempts:
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The fuel filler flap cannot
be opened. The fuel filler flap is not unlocked.
X Unlock the vehicle (Y page 85).
X PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: depressurise the fuel tank
(Y page 176). The key battery is discharged or nearly discharged.
X Unlock the vehicle using the emergency key element (Y page 86).The fuel filler flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is jammed.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Refuelling
179Driving and parking Z
Problems with the charging process
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The charge socket flap
cannot be opened. The charge socket flap is not unlocked.
X Unlock the vehicle (Y page 85).
If the key battery is discharged: X Unlock the driver's door using the emergency key element
(Y page 86).
or X Unlock the vehicle centrally from the inside (Y page 91).The charge socket flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is
jammed.
X Lock the vehicle and unlock it again.
If, after that, the opening mechanism is still jammed:
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The charging cable can-
not be inserted into the
vehicle socket. The vehicle is locked.
X Unlock the vehicle (Y page 85). The vehicle socket is locked.
X
Shift the transmission to position P.
X Switch the ignition off. The high-voltage battery
is not being charged. The
Ý indicator lamp on the vehicle socket flashes red.
A malfunction has occurred during the initialisation of the charging
process or during charging.
X Remove the charging cable connector from the vehicle socket and
re-insert it into the vehicle socket.
If the problem persists:
X Have the power socket checked or use another power socket.
or X Use a different charging station.
or X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Indicator lamp
Ýon the vehicle socket goes out
The connection between the vehicle and the external current source
cannot be established.
X Connect the charging cable again.
If the problem persists: X Have the power socket checked or use another power socket.
or X Use a different charging station.
or X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 190
Charging the high-voltage batteryDriving and parking
Using the key
X
Apply the electric parking brake.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition lock
and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position Ror D, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
If you then open the driver's door or the front-
passenger door or remove the key from the igni- tion, the automatic transmission shifts to P.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral N, e.g. when having the vehicle
cleaned in an automatic car wash with a towing
system:
X Switch the ignition on.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the key in the
ignition lock.
Using KEYLESS-GO X
Apply the electric parking brake.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Press the Start/Stop button (Y page 158).
The engine stops and all the indicator lamps in the instrument cluster go out.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position Ror D, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
If you then open the driver's or front-passenger door, the automatic transmission shifts to P.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral N, e.g. when having the vehicle
cleaned in an automatic car wash with a towing
system:
X Remove the Start/Stop button from the igni-
tion lock.
X Insert the key into the ignition lock.
X Switch the ignition on.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N. X
Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the key in the
ignition lock.
i The engine can be switched off while the
vehicle is in motion by pressing and holding
the Start/Stop button for about three sec-
onds. This function operates independently of
the ECO start/stop automatic engine switch-
off function. Electric parking brake
General notes G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they may be able to set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P
R start the engine
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle.
The function of the electric parking brake is
dependent on the on-board voltage. If the on-
board voltage is low or if there is a malfunction
in the system, it may not be possible to apply the
released parking brake.
X If this is the case, only park the vehicle on
level ground and secure it to prevent it from
rolling away.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
P.
It may not be possible to release an applied
parking brake if the on-board voltage is low or if there is a malfunction in the system. Contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
i The electric parking brake carries out a func-
tion check at regular intervals when the 192
ParkingDriving and parking