When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
Modifications to electronic components, their software as well as wiring can impair their
function and/or the function of other net-
worked components. In particular, systems
relevant to safety could also be affected. As a
result, these may no longer function as inten-
ded and/or jeopardize the operating safety of
the vehicle. There is an increased risk of an
accident and injury.
Never tamper with the wiring as well as elec-
tronic components or their software. You
should have all work to electrical and elec-
tronic equipment carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
If you make any changes to the vehicle elec-
tronics, the general operating permit is ren-
dered invalid.
! There is a risk of damage to the vehicle if:
R the vehicle becomes stuck, e.g. on a high
curb or an unpaved road
R you drive too fast over an obstacle, e.g. a
curb or a hole in the road
R a heavy object strikes the undercarriage
or parts of the chassis
In situations like this, the body, the under-
carriage, chassis parts, wheels or tires
could be damaged without the damage
being visible. Components damaged in this way can unexpectedly fail or, in the case of
an accident, no longer withstand the strain
they are designed to.
If the underbody paneling is damaged,
combustible materials such as leaves,
grass or twigs can gather between the
underbody and the underbody paneling. If
these materials come in contact with hot parts of the exhaust system, they can catch
fire.
In such situations, have the vehicle
checked and repaired immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop. If on con-
tinuing your journey you notice that driving
safety is impaired, pull over and stop the
vehicle immediately, paying attention to
road and traffic conditions. In such cases,
visit a qualified specialist workshop. Declarations of conformity
Vehicle components which receive
and/or transmit radio waves USA:
"The wireless devices of this vehicle
comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Oper-
ation is subject to the following two condi-
tions: 1) These devices may not cause harm-
ful interference, and 2) These devices must
accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired oper-
ation. Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for com-
pliance could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment."
Canada: "The wireless devices of this vehicle
comply with Industry Canada license-exempt
RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) These devices
may not cause interference, and (2) These
devices must accept any interference, includ- ing interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device." Diagnostics connection
The diagnostics connection is only intended
for the connection of diagnostic equipment at a qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
If you connect equipment to the diagnostics
connection in the vehicle, it may affect the
operation of the vehicle systems. As a result, 28
Introduction
Problems with the seat ventilation
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions The seat ventilation has
switched off prema-
turely or cannot be
switched on. The on-board voltage is too low because too many electrical con-
sumers are switched on.
X Switch off electrical consumers that you do not need, such as
the rear window defroster or interior lighting.
Once the battery is sufficiently charged, the seat ventilation will
switch back on automatically. Steering wheel
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
R adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
R fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine. G
WARNING
Children could injure themselves if they
adjust the steering wheel. 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. Adjusting the steering wheel man-
ually
G
WARNING
If the steering wheel is unlocked while the
vehicle is in motion, it could change position
unexpectedly. This could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an
accident. Before starting off, make sure the steering
wheel is locked. Never unlock the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in motion.
0043
Release lever
0044 To adjust the steering wheel height
0087 To adjust the steering wheel position
(fore-and-aft adjustment)
X Push release lever 0043down completely.
The steering column is unlocked.
X Adjust the steering wheel to the desired
position.
X Push release lever 0043up completely.
The steering column is locked.
X Check if the steering column is locked.
When doing so, try to push the steering
wheel up or down or try to move it in the
fore-and-aft direction. Steering wheel
111Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z
Halogen headlamps
0043
Low-beam headlamp: H7 55 W
0044 High-beam headlamp: H7 55 W
0087 Parking lamp/standing lamp: W 5 W BV
0085 Side marker lamp: WY 5 W Tail lamp
0043
Brake lamp: P 21 W-L Changing the front bulbs
Removing and installing the cover in the
front wheel housing You must remove the cover from the front
wheel housing before you can change the
front bulbs. X
To remove: switch off the lights.
X Turn the front wheels inwards.
X Remove securing pin 0044using a suitable
tool.
X Slide cover 0043up and remove it.
X To install: insert cover 0043again and slide it
down until it engages.
X Insert securing pin 0044.
Low-beam headlamps (halogen head-
lamps) X
Remove the cover in the front wheel hous-
ing (Y page 130).
X Turn housing cover 0043counter-clockwise
and pull it out.
X Turn bulb holder 0044counter-clockwise and
pull it out.
X Take the bulb out of bulb holder 0044.
X Insert the new bulb into bulb holder 0044.
X Insert bulb holder 0044into the lamp and turn
it clockwise. 130
Replacing bulbsLights and windshield wipers
0044 Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake pedal will allow
you to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
If you switch off the engine using
the SmartKey or the Start/Stop
button, the automatic transmission shifts to neutral Nautomatically.
! Rolling in neutral
Ncan damage
the drive train. 003A Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by:
R the selected drive program (Y page 172)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
(Y page 171)
R the road speed
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts Kickdown Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
lower gear depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Rocking the vehicle free Shifting the transmission repeatedly between
gears Dand Rmay help to free the vehicle if it
has become stuck in slush or snow. The vehi-
cle's engine management system limits the
speed to a maximum of 5 mph (9 km/h) when shifting back and forth. To shift back and forth
between transmission positions Dand R,
move the DIRECT SELECT lever up and down past the point of resistance.
Towing a trailer X
Drive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
X Depending on the uphill or downhill gradi-
ent, use left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter (Y page 172) to select a lower gear,
even if cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS
are activated. Automatic transmission
171Driving and parking Z
Program selector button
General notes Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
X Press program selector button 0043.
The letter Mappears in the multifunction
display. The manual drive program Mis
activated. AMG vehicles
X
Press program selector button 0043repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired gearshift program appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The program selector button allows you to
choose between different driving character-
istics.
In AMG vehicles, drive program Eis called
drive program C.
i The permanent drive program Mis avail-
able on the following vehicles:
R Vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package
R AMG vehicles Further information about permanent drive
program M(Y page 174).
As well as this permanent drive program M,
you can also activate temporary drive pro-
gram M(Y page 173).
i AMG vehicles:
the automatic transmis-
sion switches to automatic drive program C
each time the engine is started.
Drive program on vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package M
Manual Permanent manual gear-
shifting
Drive programs on AMG vehicles
C
Controlled
Efficiency Comfortable, economical
driving
S
Sport Sporty driving style
M
Manual Permanent manual gear-
shifting
i
For further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Y page 173). Steering wheel paddle shifters
In the manual drive program, you can change
gears manually using steering wheel paddle
shifters 0043and 0044.
Further information about permanent drive
program M(Y page 174). 172
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking
Further information about temporary drive
program M(Y page 173).
i You can only change gear with the steer-
ing wheel paddle shifters when the trans-
mission is in position D.Automatic drive program
Automatic drive programs E and S Drive program
E(drive program Con MAG
vehicles) is characterized by the following:
R comfort-oriented engine and transmission
settings
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the
accelerator pedal is depressed fully
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin
Drive program Sis characterized by the fol-
lowing:
R sporty engine and transmission settings
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R the fuel consumption possibly being higher
as a result of the later automatic transmis-
sion shift points
Manual drive program M General notes
In this drive program, you can briefly change
gear yourself by using the steering wheel pad- dle shifters. The transmission must be in posi-
tion D. All vehicles (except AMG vehicles):
you
can activate manual drive program Musing
the steering wheel paddle shifters.
AMG vehicles: you can activate manual drive
program Min automatic drive programs Cand
S.
Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package:
if manual drive program Mis deactivated
using the program selector button, you can
activate manual drive program Musing the
steering wheel paddle shifters.
i As well as temporary drive program
M,
you can also activate permanent drive pro- gram M(Y page 172).
Further information about permanent drive program M(Y page 174).
Activating
X Shift the transmission to position D.
X Pull the left or right steering wheel paddle
shifter (Y page 172).
Manual drive program Mis temporarily acti-
vated. The selected gear and Mappear in
the multifunction display.
Shifting gears
If you pull on the left or right steering wheel
paddle shifter, the automatic transmission
switches to manual drive program Mfor a
limited amount of time. Depending on which
paddle shifter is pulled, the automatic trans-
mission immediately shifts into the next gear down or up, if permitted.
X To shift up: pull the right-hand steering
wheel paddle shifter (Y page 172).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
i If the maximum engine speed on the cur-
rently engaged gear is reached and you
continue to accelerate, the automatic Automatic transmission
173Driving and parking Z
transmission automatically shifts up in
order to prevent engine damage.
X To shift down: pull on the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter (Y page 172).
The automatic transmission shifts down to the next gear.
i If the engine exceeds the maximum
engine speed when shifting down, the auto- matic transmission protects against engine
damage by not shifting down.
i Automatic down shifting occurs when
coasting.
Shift recommendation The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec- ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
X Shift to recommended gear 0044according
to gearshift recommendation 0043when
shown in the multifunction display of the
instrument cluster.
Deactivating
If you have activated manual drive program
M , it will remain active for a certain amount of
time. Under certain conditions the minimum
amount of time is extended, e.g. in the case of lateral acceleration, during an overrun phase
or when driving on steep terrain.
If manual drive program Mhas been deacti-
vated, the automatic transmission shifts into
the automatic drive program that was last
selected. You can also deactivate manual drive pro-
gram Myourself:
X Pull on the right-hand steering wheel pad-
dle shifter and hold it in place (Y page 172).
or X Use the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch the
transmission position.
or
X AMG vehicles: use the program selector
button to change the drive program
(Y page 172).
Manual drive program Mis deactivated.
The automatic transmission switches into
the drive program that was last selected, C
or S.
or
X Vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD packag e:use the selector
wheel to switch to the on-road program
(Y page 247) or the off-road program
(Y page 251). Manual drive program
General information In this drive program, you can permanently
change gear yourself by using the steering
wheel paddle shifters. The transmission must
be in position D.
i As well as this permanent drive program
M, you can also activate temporary drive
program M(Y page 173).
Switching on the manual drive program In manual drive program
M, you can change
gear using the steering wheel paddle shifters
if the transmission is in position D. You can
see the currently selected drive program and
which gear is engaged in the multifunction
display. 174
Automatic transmissionDriving and pa
rking
X
AMG vehicles: press the program selector
button (Y page 172) until Mappears in the
multifunction display.
X Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: press the program selector button
(Y page 172).
The letter Mappears in the multifunction
display.
Shifting up (all vehicles except AMG
vehicles) X
If corresponding gearshift recommenda-
tion 0043appears in the multifunction display
on the instrument cluster, pull on the right- hand steering wheel paddle shifter
(Y page 172).
The automatic transmission shifts to rec-
ommended gear 0044.
Shifting up (AMG vehicles) !
In manual drive program
M, the automatic
transmission does not shift up automati-
cally even when the engine limiting speed
for the current gear is reached. When the
engine limiting speed is reached, the fuel
supply is cut to prevent the engine from
overrevving. Always make sure that the
engine speed does not reach the red area of
the tachometer. There is otherwise a risk of
engine damage. 0043
Gear indicator
0044 Upshift indicator
Before the engine speed reaches the red area, an upshift indicator will be shown in the mul-
tifunction display.
X If the color in the speedometer multifunc-
tion display changes to red and the UP UPdis-
play message is shown, shift up a gear.
Downshifting X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter (Y page 172).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
Maximum acceleration X Pull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter until the transmission selects the
optimum gear according to the speed.
i If you slow down or stop without shifting
down, the automatic transmission auto-
matically shifts down.
Kickdown You can also use kickdown for maximum
acceleration in manual drive program
M.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
lower gear depending on the engine speed.
X Shift back up once the desired speed is
reached.
i All vehicles (except AMG vehicles):
if
you apply full throttle, the automatic trans- mission shifts up to the next gear when the
maximum engine speed is reached. This
prevents the engine from overrevving. Automatic transmission
175Driving and parking Z