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Driving and operating145To reduce the operating forces of
the parking brake, depress the
foot brake at the same time.
Control indicator R 3 90.
Electric parking brake
Applying when vehicle is stationary
9 Warning
Pull switch m for approx.
one second, the electric parking
brake operates automatically with
adequate force. For maximum
force, e.g. parking with trailer or on
inclines, pull switch m twice.
The electric parking brake is
applied when control indicator m
illuminates 3 91.
The electric parking brake can always
be activated, even if the ignition is off.
Do not operate electric parking brake
system too often without engine
running as this will discharge the
vehicle battery.
Before leaving the vehicle, check the electric parking brake status. Control
indicator m 3 91.
Releasing
Switch on ignition. Keep brake pedal
depressed and then push switch m.
Drive away function
Depressing clutch pedal (manual
transmission) or engaging drive gear
(automatic transmission) and then
depressing the accelerator pedal
releases the electric parking brake
automatically. This is not possible
when the switch is pulled at the same
time.
This function also helps driving away
on inclines.
Aggressive drive away may reduce
life time of wear parts.
Dynamic braking when vehicle is
moving
When the vehicle is moving and the
switch m is kept pulled, the electric
parking brake system will decelerate the vehicle, but will not apply
statically.
As soon as the switch m is released,
dynamic braking will be stopped.
Fault
Failure mode of electric parking brake
is indicated by control indicator j and
by a vehicle message which is
displayed in the Driver Information Centre.
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Driving and operating147
TC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When TC operates b flashes.
9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 92.
Deactivation
TC can be switched off when spinning
of drive wheels is required:
press button b briefly to deactivate
TC, k illuminates. Deactivation is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre.
TC is reactivated by pressing the b
button again.
TC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Electronic Stability Control
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip. It also
prevents the drive wheels from
spinning. ESC operates in
combination with the Traction Control system (TC) 3 146.
As soon as the vehicle starts to
swerve (understeer/oversteer),
engine output is reduced and the wheels are braked individually. This
considerably improves the driving stability of the vehicle on slippery road
surfaces.
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148Driving and operating
ESC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When ESC operates b flashes.9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 92.
Deactivation
For a more sporty behaviour ESC and
TC can be deactivated separately:
■ press button b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates
■ hold button b pressed for min.
5 seconds: TC and ESC are
deactivated, k and n illuminate.
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre.
If the vehicle comes into threshold
with deactivated ESP, the system will reactivate ESP for the time duration
of the threshold, when the brake pedal is depressed once.
ESC is reactivated by pressing the
b button again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.Interactive driving system
Flex Ride
Flex Ride driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
■ SPORT mode: press button SPORT , LED illuminates.
■ TOUR mode: press button TOUR,
LED illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: both buttons SPORT and TOUR are not
pressed, no LED illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and TOUR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode Flex Ride networks the following electronic
systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control.
■ Accelerator Pedal Control.
■ Steering Control.
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
■ Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC).
■ Automatic transmission.
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150Driving and operating
dynamic vehicle condition and
changes the settings for suspension
to SPORT mode to increase vehicle
stability.
When the driving characteristic or the
dynamic vehicle state returns to the
former state, DMC will change the
settings to the preselected driving
mode.
Personalised settings in the
SPORT mode The driver can select the functions of
the SPORT mode when SPORT
button is pressed. These settings can
be changed in the Settings menu in
the Info-Display. Vehicle
personalisation 3 103.Driver assistance
systems9 Warning
Driver assistance systems are
developed to support the driver
and not to replace the driver's
attention.
The driver accepts full
responsibility when driving the
vehicle.
When using driver assistance
systems, always take care
regarding the current traffic
situation.
Cruise control
The cruise control can store and
maintain speeds of approx. 20 to
120 mph. Deviations from the stored
speeds may occur when driving uphill or downhill.
For safety reasons the cruise controlcannot be activated until the foot
brake has been operated once.
Activating in first gear is not possible.
Do not use the cruise control if it is not advisable to maintain a constant
speed.
With automatic transmission, only
activate cruise control in automatic
mode.
Control indicator m 3 94.
Switching on
Press button m, control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Page 155 of 251

Driving and operating153
The limited speed will flash in the
Driver Information Centre and,
depending on the vehicle, additionally
a chime sounds during this period.
Release the accelerator pedal andthe speed limiter function is
reactivated once a speed lower than
the limit speed is obtained.
Deactivation
Press button y: speed limiter is
deactivated and the vehicle can be
driven without speed limit.
The limited speed is stored and a
corresponding message appears in
the Driver Information Centre.
Resume limit speedTurn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained.
Switching off
Press button L, the speed limit
indication in the Driver Information Centre extinguishes. The stored
speed is deleted.By pressing button m to activate
cruise control or by switching off the
ignition, speed limiter is also
deactivated and the stored speed is
deleted.
Forward collision alert The forward collision alert can help to
avoid or reduce the harm caused by
front-end crashes.
Forward collision alert uses the front
camera system in the windscreen to
detect a vehicle directly ahead, in
your path, within a distance of approx.
60 metres.A vehicle ahead is indicated by a
control indicator A.
If a vehicle directly ahead is
approached too quickly, a warning
chime and alert in the Driver
Information Centre is provided.
A precondition is, that forward
collision alert is not deactivated by the button V.
Activation Forward collision alert operates
automatically above 25 mph, if it is not
deactivated by button V, see below.
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154Driving and operating
Selecting the alert sensitivityThe alert sensitivity can be set to
near, medium or far.
Press button V, the current setting is
shown on the Driver Information
Centre. Press button V again to
change the alert sensitivity.
Alerting the driver
A green illuminated vehicle ahead
control indicator A lights up in the
instrument cluster when the system
has detected a vehicle in the driving
path.When the distance to a preceding
moving vehicle gets too small or when
approaching another vehicle too
rapidly and a collision is imminent, the
collision alert symbol pops up in the
Driver Information Centre.
Simultaneously a warning chime
sounds. Depress the brake pedal, if it
is required by the situation.
Deactivation
The system can be deactivated.
Press button V as often as the
following message appears in the
Driver Information Centre.
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Driving and operating155
General information
9Warning
Forward collision alert is just a
warning system and does not
apply the brakes. When
approaching a vehicle ahead too
rapidly, it may not provide you
enough time to avoid a collision.
The driver accepts full
responsibility for the valid
following distance based on traffic, weather and visibility conditions.
The complete attention of the
driver is always required while
driving. He shall always be ready to take action and apply the
brakes.
System limitations
The system is designed to warn only for vehicles, but may react also on
other objects.
In the following cases, forward
collision alert may not detect a vehicle
ahead or sensor performance is
limited:
■ on winding roads,
■ when weather limits visibility, such as fog, rain, or snow,
■ when the sensor is blocked by snow, ice, slush, mud, dirt, or
windscreen damage.
Following distance
indication The following distance indication
displays the distance to a preceding
moving vehicle. The front camera in
the windscreen is used to detect the
distance of a vehicle directly ahead in
the vehicle's path. It is active at
speeds above 25 mph.
When a preceding vehicle is detected
ahead, the distance is indicated in
seconds, displayed on a page in the
Driver Information Centre 3 95 . Press
the MENU button on the turn signal
lever to select Vehicle Information
Menu X and turn the adjuster
wheel to choose following distance
indication page.
The minimum indicated distance is
0.5 seconds.
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156Driving and operating
If there is no vehicle ahead or the
vehicle ahead is out of range, two
dashes will be displayed: -.- s.
Parking assist
Rear parking assist9 Warning
The driver bears full responsibility
for the parking manoeuvre.
Always check the surrounding
area while reversing and using the rear parking assist system.
The rear parking assist makes
parking easier by measuring the
distance between the vehicle and
rear obstacles. It informs and warns
the driver by giving acoustic signals.
The system has four ultrasonic
parking sensors in the rear bumper.
Activation
When reverse gear is engaged, the
system is ready to operate
automatically.
An illuminated LED in the parking
assist button r indicates that the
system is ready to operate.
Indication
The system warns the driver with
acoustic signals against potentially
hazardous obstacles behind the
vehicle. The interval between the
sounds becomes shorter as the
vehicle gets closer to that obstacle.
When the distance is less than
approx. 30 cm, the sound is
continuous.
Additionally, the distance to obstacles can be shown in the Driver
Information Centre.
Deactivation
The system automatically switches
off when reverse gear is disengaged.
To switch on the system again,
engage reverse gear.