172Driving and operating
Flex Ride - VXR Version
The VXR Version of Flex Ride system works in the same way as the
standard Flex Ride system with the
difference that the modes have a
more sporty characteristic.VXR Flex Ride driving system allows
the driver to select between three
driving modes:
■ VXR mode: press button VXR, LED
illuminates.
■ SPORT mode: press button SPORT , LED illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: neither button SPORT nor VXR is pressed, no
LED illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and VXR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode VXR Flex Ride
networks the following electronic
systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control.
■ Accelerator Pedal Control.
■ Steering Control.
■ All-wheel drive.
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
■ Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC).
■ Automatic transmission.VXR mode
The drive dynamic characteristics are adapted to high performance
settings.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style.
NORMAL mode
In NORMAL mode, when neither
SPORT nor VXR button is pressed,
all settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.
Personalised settings in the VXR
mode
The driver can select the functions of
the VXR mode when VXR button is
pressed.
Select the relevant settings in
Settings , I Sport Mode in the Colour-
Info-Display.
Colour-Info-Display 3 117.
Vehicle personalisation 3 121.
Driving and operating173Driver 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 3 109.
Switching on Press button m, control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Activation
Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-: the
current speed is stored and
maintained. Control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates green.
Set speed is indicated on midlevel or
uplevel display near m symbol.
Accelerator pedal can be released.
Vehicle speed can be increased by depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the previously stored speed
is resumed.
Cruise control remains activated
while gearshifting.
174Driving and operating
Increase speedWith cruise control active, hold thumb
wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn
to RES/+ repeatedly: speed
increases continuously or in small
increments.
Alternatively accelerate to the desired speed and store by turning to SET/-.
Reduce speed
With cruise control active, hold thumb wheel turned to SET/- or briefly turn to
SET/- repeatedly: speed decreases
continuously or in small increments.
Deactivation
Press button y, control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Cruise control is deactivated. Last
used set speed is stored in memory
for later speed resume.
Automatic deactivation: ■ vehicle speed below approx. 20 mph,
■ vehicle speed above approx. 125 mph,
■ the brake pedal is depressed,■ the clutch pedal is depressed for a few seconds,
■ selector lever in N,
■ engine speed in a very low range,
■ the Traction Control system or Electronic Stability Control is
operating,
■ Forward collision alert has been triggered.
Resume stored speed Turn thumb wheel to RES/+ at a
speed above 20 mph. The stored
speed will be obtained.
Switching off Press button m, control indicator m in
instrument cluster extinguishes. The
stored speed is deleted.
Pressing button L for activating
speed limiter or switching off the
ignition also switches off cruise
control and deletes the stored speed.Speed limiter
The speed limiter prevents the
vehicle exceeding a preset maximum
speed.
The maximum speed can be set at a
speed above 15 mph.
The driver can only accelerate up to
the preset speed. Deviations from the
limited speed may occur when driving downhill.
The preset speed limit is displayed in
the Driver Information Centre when
the system is active.
Activation
Driving and operating175
Press button L. The control indicator
L in the instrument cluster illuminates
white. If cruise control or adaptive
cruise control has been activated
before, it is switched off when speed
limiter is activated and the control
indicator m extinguishes.
Set speed limit
With speed limiter active, hold thumb
wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn
to RES/+ repeatedly until the desired
maximum speed is displayed in the
Driver Information Centre.
Alternatively accelerate to the desired speed and briefly turn thumb wheel to SET/- : the current speed is stored as
maximum speed. Speed limit is
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre.
Control indicator L in the instrument
cluster illuminates green.
Change speed limit
With speed limiter active, turn thumb
wheel to RES/+ to increase or SET/-
to decrease the desired maximum
speed.
Exceeding the speed limit
In the event of an emergency it is
possible to exceed the speed limit by
depressing the accelerator pedal
firmly beyond the point of resistance.
The limited speed will flash in the
Driver Information Centre and a
chime sounds during this period.
Release the accelerator pedal and the 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 speed
Turn 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 adaptive cruise
control or by switching off the ignition, speed limiter is also deactivated and
the stored speed is deleted.
Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is an
enhancement to traditional cruise
control with the additional feature of
maintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead.
Adaptive cruise control automatically
decelerates the vehicle when
approaching a slower moving vehicle.
It then adjusts the vehicle speed to
follow the vehicle ahead at the
selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases
178Driving and operating
pedal to a speed of 6 mph to resume
full speed range adaptive cruise
control.
If the stopped vehicle ahead begins to move forward and full speed range
adaptive cruise control has not
resumed, the green illuminated
vehicle ahead control indicator A will
flash and a warning chime will sound
as a reminder that the vehicle ahead
is pulling away.
When the vehicle ahead stops for
more than two minutes, the electrical
parking brake will apply automatically and the full speed range adaptive
cruise control will be deactivated. In
this event, drive the vehicle normally
by operating the accelerator pedal.
Turn thumb wheel to RES/+ at a
speed above 6 mph to resume full
speed range adaptive cruise control.9 Warning
When full speed range adaptive
cruise control is deactivated or
cancelled, the vehicle will no
longer be held at a stop and can
start to move. Always be prepared to manually apply the brake to hold the vehicle stationary.
Do not leave the vehicle while it is being held at a stop by the full
speed range adaptive cruise
control. Always move selector
lever to park position P and switch
off the ignition before leaving the
vehicle.
Setting the following distance
When adaptive cruise control detects
a slower moving vehicle in the driving path, it will adjust the vehicle speed tomaintain the following distance
selected by the driver.
The following distance can be set to
near, medium or far.Press button E, the current setting is
shown in the Driver Information
Centre. Press button E again to
change the following distance. The
setting is also displayed in the Driver
Information Centre.
Driving and operating179
The selected following distance is
indicated by filled distance bars in the
adaptive cruise control page.
Note that the following distance
setting is shared with the sensitivity
setting of forward collision alert
3 183.
Example: If setting 3 (far) is selected,
then the driver is warned sooner
before a possible collision, also if
adaptive cruise control is inactive or
switched off.
9 Warning
The driver accepts full
responsibility for the appropriate
following distance based on traffic, weather and visibility conditions.
Following distance must be
adjusted or the system switched
off when required by the prevailing
conditions.
Detecting the vehicle ahead
The green illuminated vehicle ahead
control indicator A is displayed when
the system detects a vehicle in the driving path.
Forward collision alert 3 183.
If this symbol does not display, or displays briefly, adaptive cruise
control will not respond to vehicles
ahead.
Deactivation
Adaptive cruise control is deactivated by the driver when:
■ button y is pressed,
■ brake pedal is applied,
■ clutch pedal is depressed for more than four seconds,
■ gear selector lever of automatic transmission is moved to N.
The system is also automatically
deactivated when:
■ vehicle speed accelerates above 120 mph or slows down below
9 mph (on vehicles with automatic
transmission it slows down to a stop without deactivating within
two minutes),
■ Traction Control system is operating,
■ Electronic Stability Control is operating,
■ there is no traffic and nothing detected on the road sides for
several minutes. In this case there
are no radar echoes and the sensor
may report that it is blocked,
180Driving and operating
■ collision imminent braking isapplying the brakes,
■ radar sensor is blocked by an ice or
water film,
■ fault is detected in the radar, engine
or brake system.
Additionally the system is
automatically deactivated on vehicles
with automatic transmission (full
speed range adaptive cruise control)
when:
■ Electric parking brake is applied,■ vehicle is being held to a stop by the
system for more than two minutes,
■ vehicle stops, the driver safety belt is released and the driver's door is
opened.
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated automatically, the control indicator m or C illuminates white
and a warning message is displayed as a pop-up in the Driver Information
Centre.
The stored speed is maintained.9 Warning
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated, the driver must take
over full brake and engine control.
Switching off
Press button C to switch off adaptive
cruise control. The control indicator
m or C extinguishes. The stored
speed is deleted.
Switching off the ignition also
switches off adaptive cruise control
and deletes the stored speed.
Driver's attention ■ Use adaptive cruise control carefully on bends or mountain
roads, as it can lose the vehicle
ahead and need time to detect it
again.
■ Do not use the system on slippery roads as it can create rapid
changes in tyre traction (wheel spinning), so that you could lose
control of the vehicle.
■ Do not use adaptive cruise control during rain, snow or heavy dirt, as
the radar sensor can be covered by a water film, dust, ice or snow. This
reduces or suppresses completely
the visibility. In case of sensor
blockage, clean the sensor cover.
System limits ■ The system's automatic brake force
does not permit hard braking and
the braking level may not be
sufficient to avoid a collision.
■ After a sudden lane change, the system needs a certain time to
detect the next preceding vehicle.
So if a new vehicle is detected, the
system may accelerate instead of
braking.
■ Adaptive cruise control does ignore
the oncoming traffic.
182Driving and operating
Hill and trailer considerations
System performance on hills depends
on vehicle speed, vehicle load, traffic
conditions and the road gradient. It
may not detect a vehicle in your path
while driving on hills. On steep hills,
you may have to use the accelerator
pedal to maintain your vehicle speed.
When going downhill you may have to brake to maintain or reduce your
speed.
Note that applying the brake
deactivates the system. It is not
recommended to use adaptive cruise
control on steep hills.
Radar unit
The radar unit is mounted behind the
radiator grille below the brand
emblem.
9 Warning
The radar unit was aligned
carefully during manufacture.
Therefore, after a frontal accident, do not use the system. The front
bumper may appear to be intact,
however the sensor behind can be
out of position and react
incorrectly. After an accident,
consult a workshop to verify and
correct the adaptive cruise control
sensor position.
Settings
Settings can be changed in the
vehicle personalisation menu in the
Colour-Info-Display.
Select the relevant setting in Settings,
I Vehicle in the Colour-Info-Display.
Colour-Info-Display 3 117.
Vehicle personalisation 3 121.
Fault
If the adaptive cruise control does not
work due to temporary conditions
(e.g. blockage by ice) or if there is a
permanent system error, then a
message is displayed in the Driver
Information Centre.