2015 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class automatic transmission

Electric parking brake
General notes G
WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi- cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking 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
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised 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 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 roll- ing away.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
It may not be possible to release an applied
parking brake if the on-board voltage is low or
there is a malfunction in the system. Contact a qualified specialist workshop.
The electric parking brake performs a func-
tion test at regular intervals while the engine
is switched off. The sounds that can be heard
while this is occurring are normal. Applying/releasing manually X
To engage: push handle :.
When the electric parking brake is applied, the red F(USA only) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp lights up in the instru-
ment cluster.
The electric parking brake can also be
applied when the SmartKey is removed.
X To release: pull handle:.
The red F(USA only) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter goes out.
The electric parking brake can only be
released:
R when the SmartKey is in position 1or 2in
the ignition lock (Y page 189) or
R if the ignition was switched on using the
Start/Stop button.
Applying automatically The electric parking brake is automatically
applied when the transmission is in position
P
and:
R the engine is switched off or
R the driver is not wearing a seat belt and the
driver's door is opened.
To prevent the electric parking brake from
being automatically applied, pull handle :.222
ParkingDriving and parking

The electric parking brake is also engaged
automatically if:
R DISTRONIC PLUS brings the vehicle to a
standstill or
R the HOLD function is keeping the vehicle
stationary
R Active Parking Assist is holding the vehicle
at a standstill
In addition, at least one of the following con-
ditions must be fulfilled:
R there is a system malfunction.
R the power supply is insufficient.
R the vehicle is stationary for a lengthy
period.
The red F(USA only) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up.
The electric parking brake is not automati-
cally engaged if the engine is switched off by the ECO start/stop function.
Releasing automatically The electric parking brake is released auto-
matically when all of the following conditions
are fulfilled:
R the engine is running.
R the transmission is in position Dor R.
R the seat belt has been fastened.
R you depress the accelerator pedal.
If the automatic transmission is in position R,
the trunk lid must be closed.
If your seat belt is not fastened, the following conditions must be fulfilled to automatically
release the electric parking brake:
R the driver's door is closed.
R you have shifted out of transmission posi-
tion Por you have previously driven faster
than 2 mph (3 km/h).
Ensure that you do not depress the acceler-
ator pedal unintentionally. Otherwise the
parking brake will be released and the vehicle
will start to move. Emergency braking The vehicle can also be braked during an
emergency by using the electric parking
brake.
X While driving, push handle :of the electric
parking brake (Y page 222).
The vehicle is braked as long as you keep
handle :of the electric parking brake
pressed. The longer electric parking brake
handle :is depressed, the greater the brak-
ing force.
During braking:
R a warning tone sounds
R the Release parking brake Release parking brake message
appears
R the red F(USA only) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument clus- ter flashes
When the vehicle has been braked to a stand- still, the electric parking brake is engaged. Parking the vehicle for a long period
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than
four weeks, the battery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging and further damaged
in the event of this occurring again.
X Connect a trickle charger.
i You can obtain information about trickle
chargers from a qualified specialist work-
shop.
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than
six weeks, the vehicle may suffer damage as a result of lack of use.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop and
seek advice.
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: observe the
important safety notes for the high-voltage
battery (Y page 429). Parking
223Driving and parking Z

Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering
and braking maneuvers. Do not use the cruise
control or DISTRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Shift the transmission to position N.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freez-
ing point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (Y page 445).
For more information on driving with summer tires, see (Y page 444).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 444). Driving systems
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive stands for
innovative driver assistance and safety sys-
tems which enhance comfort and support the
driver in critical situations. With these intelli-
gent co-ordinated systems Mercedes-Benz
has set a milestone on the path towards
autonomous driving.
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive embraces all elements of active and passive safety in one
well thought out system – for the safety of the
vehicle occupants and that of other road
users. Further information on driving safety systems
(Y page 76). Cruise control
General notes Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. Change into a lower gear in good time on long and steep
downhill gradients. This is especially impor-
tant if the vehicle is laden. By doing so, you
will make use of the braking effect of the
engine. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can store any road speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise
control can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Cruise
control cannot take into account the road,
traffic and weather conditions. Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed,
for braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
Do not use cruise control:
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 slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could 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
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored. Driving systems
229Driving and parking Z

speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting a speed Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to the speed set.
X Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :or
down ;to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up :or down ;the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
X To adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :or
down ;to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up :or down ;the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
i Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel- erate to overtake, cruise control adjusts
the vehicle's speed to the last speed stored
after you have finished overtaking. Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefly press cruise the control lever for-
wards :.
or X Brake.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if: R you engage the electric parking brake
R you are driving at less than 20 mph
(30 km/h)
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R you shift the transmission to position N
while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the Cruise Con‐
Cruise Con‐
trol Off trol Off message in the multifunction dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i When you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared. DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. Vehi-
cles are detected with the aid of the radar
sensor system. DISTRONIC PLUS brakes
automatically so that the set speed is not
exceeded. Driving systems
231Driving and parking Z

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
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 238).
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.
After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
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.
When the HOLD function is activated, the
transmission is shifted automatically to posi-
tion Pif:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened 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.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated
when the vehicle is stationary and:
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If a malfunction in the electric parking brake
occurs, then the transmission may also be
shifted into position Pautomatically. Setting a speed
X
Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :or
down ;to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up :or down ;the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
X To adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/ h increments):briefly
press the cruise control lever up :or
down ;to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up :or down ;, the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
i If you accelerate to overtake, DISTRONIC
PLUS adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting the specified minimum distance You can set the specified minimum distance
for DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span between one and two seconds. With this func-
tion, you can set the minimum distance that
DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in
front, dependent on vehicle speed. You can
see this distance in the multifunction display
(Y page 237).
i Make sure that you maintain the mini-
mum distance to the vehicle in front as 236
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

=
Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
? Own vehicle
In the Assistance menu (Y page 308) of the
on-board computer, you can select the assis- tance graphics display.
X Select the Assistance Graphic
Assistance Graphic function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 307).
You will see the stored speed for about five
seconds when you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS There are several ways to deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, you
will see the DISTRONIC DISTRONIC PLUS
PLUSOff
Offmessage in
the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
R you engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R the transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition
R you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door or one of the rear doors is
open
R the vehicle has skidded
R you activate Active Parking Assist
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. You will see the
DISTRONIC PLUS Off
DISTRONIC PLUS Off message in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS General notes
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
R Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
R Vehicles traveling on a different line
R Other vehicles changing lanes
R Narrow vehicles
R Obstructions and stationary vehicles
R Crossing vehicles
In such situations, brake if necessary.
DISTRONIC PLUS is then deactivated. 238
Driving systemsDriving and parking

by means of steering interventions, sym-
bol :is shown in green.
Deactivating Steering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot X
Press button ;.
Indicator lamp :goes out. The DTR+:
DTR+:
Steering
Steering Assist.
Assist.Off
Offmessage appears
in the multifunction display. Steering Assist
and Stop&Go Pilot are deactivated.
When DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated or not available, Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
are deactivated automatically. HOLD function
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. Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R the HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
Further information on deactivating the HOLD
function (Y page 243).
! 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
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if all of
the following conditions are fulfilled:
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 is in position D,Ror N.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated. 242
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Activating the HOLD function
X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears 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 and the transmission is in
position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position P.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a
certain amount of pressure until ëdis-
appears 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. The HOLD function is then deacti-
vated. When the HOLD function is activated, the
transmission is shifted automatically to posi-
tion Pif:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened 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
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle automatically if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated
when the vehicle is stationary and:
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If a malfunction in the electric parking brake
occurs, then the transmission may also be
shifted into position Pautomatically. Magic Body Control
General notes MAGIC BODY CONTROL consists of Active
Body Control (ABC), ROAD SURFACE SCAN
as well as automatic vehicle stabilization in
the event of a crosswind.
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to improve driving safety and reduce
fuel consumption. The suspension mode is
adjusted according to your selection (sports
or comfort), the road surface conditions and
the vehicle load. A multifunction camera
detects bumps in the road surface before the
vehicle drives over them. This reduces chas-
sis movements.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury. Driving systems
243Driving and parking
Z