Operation
Preheating (die sel
en gines)When you switch on the ignition, the warning
lamp
lights up. The engine can be started
straight away when the lamp switches off.
If the warning lamp does not illuminate or
if it does not switch off , there is a fault in the
glow plug system.
If the warning lamp starts to flash while
driving, there is a fault in the engine power
control electronic system. The engine control
unit allows driving to continue in an emer-
gency program.
Go to a technical service.
Engine management (petr
ol en-
gines) If the
warning lamp is illuminated, there is
a f au
lt in the engine management system.
The engine control unit allows driving to con-
tinue in an emergency program.
Go to a technical service.
Particulate filter (diesel en
gines)The diesel engine particulate filter eliminates
mo
st
of the soot from the exhaust gas sys-
tem. Under normal driving conditions, the fil-
ter cleans itself. The diesel particulate filter is cleaned automatically without need for indi-
cation by
the warning lamp . This may be
noticed because the engine idle speed in-
creases and an odour may be detected.
If automatic filter purification cannot be car-
ried out (because only short trips are taken,
for example), soot will accumulate on the fil-
ter and the Diesel particulate filter warning
lamp will switch on.
Facilitate the automatic filter cleaning proc-
ess by driving in the following manner: drive
for approximately 15 minutes at a minimum
speed of 60 km/h in 4th or 5th gear (auto-
matic gearbox: gear S). Maintain the engine
speed at approximately 2,000 rpm. The rise
in temperature causes the soot on the filter
to burn. On completion of the cleaning the
warning lamp will switch off.
If the lamp does not turn off, or the three
lamps turn on (particulate filter , fault in
the emission control system and glow
plugs ), drive the vehicle to a specialised
workshop and have the fault repaired at the
earliest opportunity. WARNING
● Alw a
ys drive according to the road weather
conditions, the terrain and traffic.
● The particulate filter attains very high tem-
peratur
es. Therefore, do not park the vehicle
in places where the exhaust pipe could come into contact with dry grass or with highly-
flamm
ab
le materials. Risk of fire! CAUTION
While the warning lamp i s lit
up, the fuel
consumption is high, and in certain condi-
tions, the engine power is reduced. Note
● In order f or the p
articulate filter to burn off
soot in a correct manner, avoid carrying out
frequent short journeys.
● Using diesel fuel with a high sulphur count
can con
siderably reduce the useful life of the
particulate filter. The specialised service pro-
vides information about the countries where
fuel with a high sulphur content is used. Fuel reserve
The w
arning lamp illuminates when ap-
pr o
ximately only 7 litres of fuel remain in the
tank
The informative display indicates:
Refuel! Fuel range…km...(miles) Note
The message on the display switches off only
aft er r
efuelling and carrying out a short jour-
ney. 102
Operation
Cruise speed The warning lamp illuminates when the
c
rui
se control is switched on (cruise speed)
››› page 176.
Selector lever lock If the
control lamp illuminates, press the
br ak
e pedal. This is necessary when you re-
quire the automatic gearbox selector lever to
move out of the positions P or N
››› page 161.
Main beam headlights The warning lamp lights
up w
ith the m
ain
beam headlights or when the headlights are
flashed ›››
page 123. Introduction to the Easy
C
onnect
sy
stem*
System settings (CAR)* CAR menu (Setup) Read the additional information carefully
›› ›
page 20
To select the settings menus, press the Easy
Connect button and the
Set
up function
b utt
on.
The act
ual number of menus available and
the name of the various options in these me-
nus will depend on the vehicle’s electronics
and equipment.
Pressing the menu button will always take
you to the last menu used.
When the function button check box is activa-
ted , the function is active.
Pressing the menu button will always take
y ou t
o the l
ast menu used.
Any changes made using the settings menus
are automatically saved on closing those me-
nus.
Function buttons in the vehicle’s settings
menuPage
ESC system››› page 167
Tyres››› page 219
Driver assistance››› table on page 21
Parking and manoeuvring››› page 168
Vehicle lights››› table on page 21
Rear vision mirrors and wind-
screen wipers››› table on page 21
Opening and closing››› table on page 21
Multifunction display››› table on page 21
Date and time››› table on page 21
Units››› table on page 21
Service››› page 30
Factory settings››› table on page 21 WARNING
Any distraction may lead to an accident, with
the risk of
injury. Operating the Easy Connect
system while driving could distract you from
traffic. 104
Operation
WARNING
If vehicle keys are used negligently or with-
out due c ar
e, this may cause accidents and
serious injury.
● Never leave any key inside the vehicle
when exitin
g. Otherwise, a child or unauthor-
ised person could lock the vehicle, start the
engine or connect the ignition and, in this
way, operate electronic equipment (e.g. the
windows). Note
In diesel vehicles with the Keyless Access
sys t
em, there may be a delay in the engine
starting if it requires preheating. Starting the engine
Vehicles with a
diesel
en
gine are equipped
with a glow plug system. When you switch on
the ignition, the glow plug warning lamp
will light up. The engine can be started
straight away when the lamp switches off.
Do not connect electrical appliances during
preheating so as not the drain the vehicle
battery unnecessarily.
Starting the engine
● Move the gearbox lever into neutral or
move the sel
ector lever to position P or N and
pull firmly on the handbrake. ●
Pres
s the clutch pedal all the way down
and start the engine 3
› ››
Fig. 172
› ›
› page 154, without pressing the accelera-
tor. Keep the clutch pedal pressed down until
the engine starts.
● Release the ignition key as soon as the en-
gine star
ts. The key returns to position 2 .
● If the engine does not start after 10 sec-
ond s, t
urn the k
ey back to position 1 . Re-
pe at
the action af
ter 30 seconds.
● Release the handbrake before moving off.
Switching off the engine with the key Stop the engine by turning the ignition key to
po
s
ition 1
› ›
› Fig. 172
››› page 154.
Brakes and brake servo sys-
tems Introduction WARNING
● The brak e ser
vo only works when the en-
gine is running. Braking when the engine is
switched off requires applying more strength
to the brake pedal. Risk of accident!
● Press down on the clutch pedal when stop-
ping and brak
ing with a manual gearbox, pet- rol engine vehicle at low speed. Otherwise,
the brak
e ser
vo might not work properly. Risk
of accident!
● In the event of damage to the standard
front s
poiler or where a different front spoil-
er, wheel trims, etc. are subsequently fitted,
make sure the air vent to the brakes on the
front wheels is not blocked. Otherwise, brak-
ing operations may be impaired. Risk of acci-
dent!
● Always fully release the handbrake. If it is
only p
artially released, this will cause over-
heating of the rear brakes, which can impair
the function of the brake system. Risk of acci-
dent!
● Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicl
e. They could release the handbrake or
move the gear lever. The vehicle could start
moving. Risk of accident!
● Insufficient fuel can cause the engine to run
irregu
larly or to switch off. Brake assist sys-
tems could be impaired. Risk of accident!
● Always adjust your driving style to suit visi-
bility
, the weather and road and traffic condi-
tions. The best vehicle safety offered by
brake assist systems must never encourage
you to run greater risks. Risk of accident! CAUTION
● Ob ser
ve the information concerning new
brake pads ››› page 163.156
Driving
●
Where br ak
ing is not necessary, do not
wear down the brake pads by pressing down
gently on the brake pedal. This causes the
brakes to overheat, increasing their wear and
increasing braking distances.
● To ensure the brake assist systems work
properly, a
ll wheels must be fitted with tyres
approved by the manufacturer. Note
● If y
ou brake suddenly and the brake system
control unit regards the situation as hazard-
ous for the drivers behind you, the brake
lights will begin to flash automatically. After
reducing speed to approximately 10 km/h (6
mph) or stopping the vehicle, the brake lights
will stop flashing and the hazard warning
lights will switch on. The hazard warning
lights are automatically switched off when
you accelerate or restart the vehicle.
● On long, steep gradients, reduce your
speed and ch
ange to a lower gear (manual
gearbox) or move the selector lever to a lower
gear position (automatic gearbox). This uses
the force of the engine and the brakes do not
suffer as much. If you still have to brake, do
so intermittently, pressing down repeatedly
on the brake pedal.
● Vehicle modifications (e.g. to the engine,
brake
s, frame or a combination of wheels and
tyres) could impair the brake assist systems
››› page 193, Accessories and modifications
to the vehicle . ●
In the event of
a fault in the ABS system,
the ESC, TCS and EDL are switched off auto-
matically. A fault in the ABS is indicated by
the ››› page 101 warning lamp. Brakes
Wear
The rat
e of
wear of the brake pads depends
on the driving style and on the way in which
the vehicle is used. The brake pads will wear
more quickly if you use your vehicle frequent-
ly in urban traffic and short trips or drive in a
sporty style. Under these demanding condi-
tions, visit your specialised service, even be-
fore the scheduled service date, so that the
thickness of the brake pads can be meas-
ured.
Wet roads or road salt
If brakes are wet or frozen, or if you are driv-
ing on roads which have been gritted with
salt, braking power may set in later than nor-
mal. Dry the brakes as soon as possible by
braking repeatedly.
Corrosion
Long periods of inactivity and little use can
lead to rust on the brake discs and dirt on the
brake pads. Where the brake system is sub-
jected to light stress or in the case of corro- sion, clean the brake discs by braking fully
sever
al
times at a high speed.
Brake system fault
If you notice that the braking distance sud-
denly increases and the brake pedal can be
pressed down more fully, there may be a fault
in the brake system. Visit a specialised serv-
ice immediately and adjust your driving style
to the extent of the damage and to limit the
effect of the brakes.
Low brake fluid level
Insufficient brake fluid could cause faults in
the brake system. The brake fluid level is con-
trolled electronically ››› page 99, Brake sys-
tem .
Brake servo
The brake servo supplements the pressure
you exert on the brake pedal. The brake servo
only works when the engine is running.
157
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Operation
Handbrake Fig. 175
Centre console: handbrake. Applying the handbrake
– Pull the handbrake lever up all the way.
R el
e
asing the handbrake
– Pull the handbrake lever up slightly and
pres
s the unlock button at the same time
››› Fig. 175.
– Keep the button pressed down and push
the lever al
l the way down.
The handbrake warning lamp lights up when
the handbrake is applied and the ignition
switched on . Manual gearbox
Changin
g gears Fig. 176
Gear shift diagram of a 5- or 6-speed
m anual
g
earbox Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 34
When changing gear, always depress the
clutch pedal fully and keep it pressed down
to avoid excessive clutch wear.
In order to drive at an optimum RPM, follow
the gear change indications ›››
page 24.
Engage reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped. On engaging reverse gear while the
engine is running, first wait a moment with
the clutch pedal pressed down fully to limit
gear shift noise.
The reverse lights switch on when the reverse
gear is selected and the ignition is on. WARNING
Never engage reverse gear when moving for-
war d. Ri
sk of accident! Note
Do not rest your hand on the gear lever while
drivin g.
The pressure of your hand could lead
to premature wear of the gear system. Automatic gearbox
Ba s
ic information The gearbox changes up and down automati-
c
al
ly
. The gearbox can be set to Tiptronic
mode. The gears can be changed manually in
this mode ›››
page 161.
The engine can only be started in positions P
or N. If, on engaging the steering lock,
switching the ignition on/off or starting the
engine, the selector lever is not in these posi-
tions, the informative display will show Move
the selector lever to position
P/N! , or
P/N is shown on the general
dash panel display.
At temperatures below -10°C (14°F), the en-
gine can only be started in position P.
Move the selector lever to position P when
parking the vehicle on a flat surface. On a
158
Driving
slope, the handbrake should be firmly ap-
p lied bef
or
e moving the selector lever to the
park position. This reduces the load on the
lock mechanism while making it easier to
move the selector lever from position P.
If, while the vehicle is moving, the selector
lever is accidentally moved to position N, re-
lease the accelerator and wait for the engine
to idle before moving it back into position. WARNING
● Never pr e
ss the accelerator when selecting
the automatic gearbox operating mode when
the vehicle is stationary. Risk of accident!
● Never move the selector lever to positions
R or P when driving. Ri
sk of accident!
● If the vehicle is to be stopped with a gear
selected and the en
gine idling (e.g. waiting
or moving slowly at traffic lights), press down
on the brake pedal because the transmission
is not entirely interrupted when the engine is
idling and the vehicle will tend to start mov-
ing.
● Apply the handbrake firmly and put the se-
lector l
ever in position P before opening the
bonnet and working on the vehicle with the
engine running. Risk of accident! Strictly fol-
low the safety instructions ››› page 203, En-
gine compartment.
● When stopping on a slope (hill), try not to
stop the
vehicle from moving by pressing the
“accelerator” with a gear selected. This could
overheat the clutch. If the clutch risks being burnt due to this force, it would switch off
and the v
ehic
le could move backwards. Risk
of accident!
● If you have to stop on a hill, press down on
the brake ped
al to stop the vehicle from mov-
ing.
● The drive wheels could lose traction on a
slipper
y road surface when the kick-down
function is activated. Risk of sliding! CAUTION
● In D SG aut om
atic gearboxes, the double
clutch is protected from overloads. If the hill
hold control is used, the clutches are subjec-
ted to greater force if the vehicle is at a
standstill on a slope or suddenly accelerating
on a slope.
● Should the clutches overheat, the sym-
bol i
s shown on the informative display with
a warning message Gear overheated.
Stop! Instruction Manual! An audible
warning is also heard. Stop the vehicle in this
case, stop the engine and wait until the sym-
bol has switched off. Danger of damage to
the gearbox! You can continue driving once
the symbol is switched off. Starting and driving
Starting
– Press and hold the brake pedal. –
Pr e
s
s and hold the interlock button on the
selector lever knob and move the selector
lever to position ››› page 160 before releas-
ing the interlock button.
– Release the brake and press the accelera-
tor.
St
opping
– The selector lever does not have to be
moved t
o position N if the vehicle is stop-
ped for a short period, e.g. at intersections.
Applying the brake is enough. However, the
engine must remain idling.
Parking
– Press the brake pedal.
– Apply the handbrake.
– Press the interlock button, move the selec-
tor lev
er to position P and release the but-
ton.
Kick-down feature
The kick-down feature allows maximum ac-
celeration to be reached.
In any gear programme, press down fully on
the accelerator for the automatic gearbox to
activate the kick-down feature. This function
takes priority over the gear programmes with-
out taking into account the position of the se-
lector lever (D, S or Tiptronic) and is used to
reach maximum acceleration, using full »
159
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Operation
engine power. Depending on the road speed
and en gine s
peed, the aut
omatic gearbox
shifts down and the vehicle accelerates. It
only shifts up after the maximum engine
speed has been reached.
Selector lever positions Fig. 177
Gear selector lever Fig. 178
Informative display: selector lever
po sition
s. Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 35
The current position of the selector lever is
shown on the general instrument panel dis-
play 1
› ››
Fig. 178
.
P – Parking position
In thi s
po
sition, the driven wheels are me-
chanically locked.
The parking position can only be selected
when the vehicle is stationary.
If you want to move the selector lever from
this position, press the interlock button on
the selector lever knob while pressing down
on the brake pedal.
If the battery is drained, the selector lever
cannot be moved from position P.
R – Reverse gear
R ev
er
se gear must be engaged only when the
vehicle is stationary and the engine is idling.
To move the selector lever to position R from
positions P or N, press the interlock button
on the selector lever knob and press down on
the brake pedal.
The reverse lights come on when the selector
lever is in position R and the ignition is on.
N – Neutral (idling)
Neutr al
(idlin
g) is engaged in this position. To move the selector lever from position N (if
the lever h
as remained in this position for
more than 2 seconds) to position D or R at
speeds of less than 5 km/h (3 mph) and
when the vehicle is stationary, press down on
the brake pedal.
D – Drive (forwards)
In thi s
po
sition, the gearbox automatically
changes to a lower or higher gear, depending
on engine requirements, the driving speed
and the gear shift programme.
To move the selector lever to position D from
position N at speeds of less than 5 km/h (3
mph) and when the vehicle is stationary,
press down on the brake pedal.
In some situations (e.g. on mountain roads or
when towing a trailer or caravan), it can be
advantageous to switch temporarily to the
manual shift programme ››› page 161 so that
the gear ratios can be selected manually to
suit driving conditions.
S – Sports driving position
Shif tin
g up l
ater than usual makes full use of
the engine power. This shifts down earlier in
relation to position D.
To move the selector lever to position S from
position D, press the interlock button on the
selector lever knob.
160
Driving
Tiptronic Fig. 179
Selector lever: Tiptronic. The Tiptronic gearbox allows the driver to
c
h
an
ge gears manually using the selector
lever.
Activating the manual gearbox
– From position D, push the sel
ector lever to
the right. The selected position of the se-
lector lever is shown on the general instru-
ment panel display together with the gear
engaged 1
› ›
› Fig. 178
.
Shifting up – Push the selector lever gently forwards +›››
Fig. 179. Shifting down
– Push the selector lever gently backwards
-
› ››
Fig. 179
.
The m
anual gearbox can be activated when
the vehicle is either moving or stationary.
When accelerating, the gearbox automatical-
ly shifts up shortly before the maximum en-
gine speed is reached.
On shifting up, the gear is only engaged
when there is no risk of engine damage.
When the accelerator pedal is pressed down
to the kick-down zone, the gearbox will shift
down in line with the road speed and engine
speed. Note
The kick-down function is also available in
manua l
shift mode. Selector lever lock
Automatic selector lever lock
The sel ect
or l
ever is locked in the positions P
and N when the ignition is on. Press down on
the brake to unlock it. Remember, if the se-
lector lever is in positions P and N then thewarning lamp will light up on the general in-
strument p
anel ››› page 104.
When the selector lever merely moves
through position N (e.g. when moved from R
to D), the lever lock is not applied. This
makes it possible, for example, to rock a
stuck vehicle backwards and forwards. The
lock is only applied if the brake is not press-
ed and the selector lever is moved to position
N for more than 2 seconds.
The selector lever only locks when the is vehi-
cle stationary or driving at a speed lower
than 5 km/h (3 mph). At a higher speed, it
automatically disconnects in the N position.
Interlock button
The interlock button on the selector lever
knob prevents the driver from inadvertently
engaging a gear. Press the button to unlock
the selector lever.
Safety interlock for ignition key 1)
After switching off the ignition, you can only
remove the ignition key if the selector lever is
in position P. When the ignition key is re-
moved, the selector lever is locked in posi-
tion P. 1)
Valid only for certain countries.
161
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety