Page 129 of 342
Setting the rear-compartment air
vents
:Rear-compartment air vent, left
;Rear-compartment air vent, right
=Rear-compartment air vent thumbwheel
XTo open or close:turn thumbwheel=up
or down.
iIf the control panel in the front is switched
off, no air can flow through the rear air
vents.
Air vents127
Climate control
Z
Page 130 of 342
Page 131 of 342
Useful information............................130
Notes on breaking-in a new vehi-
cle ....................................................... 130
Driving ............................................... 130
Transmission ..................................... 134
High-voltage battery .........................140
Parking ............................................... 153
Driving tips ........................................ 157
Driving systems ................................ 162
129
Driving and parking
Page 132 of 342

Useful information
i
This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip-
ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
iRead the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (
Ypage 26).
Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle
The sensor system of some driving and driv-
ing safety systems adjusts automatically
while a certain distance is being driven after
the vehicle has been delivered or after
repairs. Full system effectiveness is not
reached until the end of this teach-in proce-
dure.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometers of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the
brake pedal.
Driving
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle is
jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another.
GWARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage of the pedals, e.g.:
Rshoes with thick soles
Rshoes with high heels
Rslippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals.
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
GWARNING
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
Roverheat and cause a fire
Rlose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
!Before driving away, you must ensure
that, for your own safety and to avoid dam-
age, the charging cable has been removed
from the vehicle socket. Otherwise, you
cannot shift the transmission out of posi-
tion P.
The braking performance of the electric
motor using recuperative braking is, in some
operating modes, either reduced or not effec-
tive:
Rwhen the condition of charge of the high-
voltage battery increases
Rif the high-voltage battery is not yet at a
normal operating temperature
Rwhen driving close to the maximum speed
Rwhen the vehicle is almost stationary
130Driving
Driving and parking
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Rin transmission positionN
Rduring and after ESP stability control
If you do not make an additional effort to
apply the brake yourself, the braking effect
may not be sufficient. If necessary, counter-
act the reduced regenerative braking effect
by applying the brake yourself.
Before commencing your journey, ensure that the charging cable required for charging the
high-voltage battery is in the vehicle.
SmartKey positions
SmartKey
gTo remove the SmartKey
(shift the transmission to position P)
1Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windshield wipers
2Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3To start the engine
iThe SmartKey can be turned in the igni-
tion lock even if it is not the correct Smart- Key for the vehicle. The ignition is not
switched on. The drive system cannot be
started.
Start/Stop button
General notes
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO are equipped with
SmartKeys featuring the integrated KEYLESS-GO function and a detachable Start/Stop but-
ton. A check which periodically establishes a radio
connection between the vehicle and the
SmartKey determines whether a valid Smart-
Key is in the vehicle. This occurs, for example,
when starting the drive system.
When you insert the Start/Stop button into
the ignition lock, the system needs approx-
imately two seconds recognition time. You
can then use the Start/Stop button.
Pressing the Start/Stop button several times
in succession corresponds to the different
key positions in the ignition lock. This is only
the case if you are not depressing the brake
pedal.
If you depress the brake pedal and press the
Start/Stop button, the drive system starts
immediately.
To start the vehicle without actively using the
SmartKey:
Rthe Start/Stop button must be inserted in
the ignition lock.
Rthe SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
Rthe vehicle must not be locked with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO (
Ypage 73).
Do not keep the KEYLESS-GO key:
Rwith electronic devices, e.g. a mobile
phone or another SmartKey.
Rwith metallic objects, e.g. coins or metal
foil.
Rinside metallic objects, e.g. a metal case.
This can affect the functionality of KEYLESS-
GO.
If you lock the vehicle with the SmartKey's
remote control or with KEYLESS-GO, after a
short time:
Ryou will not be able to switch on the ignition
with the Start/Stop button.
Ryou will not be able to start the drive system
with the Start/Stop button until the vehicle is unlocked again.
If you lock the vehicle centrally using the but-
ton on the front door (
Ypage 80), you can
continue to start the drive system with the
Start/Stop button.
Driving131
Driving and parking
Z
Page 134 of 342

The drive system can be switched off while
the vehicle is in motion by pressing and hold-
ing the Start/Stop button for three seconds.
Key positions with the Start/Stop button
:Start/Stop button
;Ignition lock
As soon as the ignition is switched on, all the
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster light
up. Further information on situations where
an indicator lamp either fails to go out after
starting the drive system or lights up while
driving (
Ypage 231).
If Start/Stop button :has not yet been
pressed, this corresponds to the key being
removed from the ignition.
XTo switch on the power supply: press
Start/Stop button :once.
The power supply is switched on. You can
now activate the windshield wipers, for
example.
The power supply is switched off again if:
Rthe driver's door is opened and
Ryou press Start/Stop button :twice when
in this position
XTo switch on the ignition: press Start/
Stop button :twice.
The ignition is switched on.
If you press Start/Stop button :once
when in this position, the ignition is
switched off again. Removing the Start/Stop button
You can remove the Start/Stop button from
the ignition lock and start the vehicle as nor-
mal using the SmartKey.
You can only switch between Start/Stop but-
ton mode and SmartKey operation when the
vehicle is stationary.
You must also engage park position P.
XRemove Start/Stop button:from ignition
lock ;.
You do not have to remove the Start/Stop
button from the ignition lock when you leave
the vehicle. You should, however, always take
the SmartKey with you when leaving the vehi-
cle. As long as the SmartKey is in the vehicle:
Rthe vehicle can be started using the Start/ Stop button
Rthe electrically powered equipment can be
operated
Starting the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the transmission out of park position P
Rstart the vehicle's drive system.
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 or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children.
132Driving
Driving and parking
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Vehicles with an electric motor generate
much less driving noise than vehicles with
internal combustion engines. As a result, your
vehicle may not be heard by other road users
in certain situations. This can happen, for
example, when you are parking and your vehi-
cle is not seen by other road users. This
requires you to adopt a particularly anticipa-
tory driving style, as it is necessary to allow
for the possibility that other road users may
behave erratically.
The vehicle is equipped with a sound gener-
ator. The sound generator is activated so that
other road users can hear your vehicle better.
The sound generator is activated at speeds of
under 20 mph (30 km/h) and switches off
automatically at higher speeds.
Starting procedure with the Start/Stop
button
The Start/Stop button can be used to start
the vehicle manually without inserting the
SmartKey into the ignition lock. The Start/
Stop button must be inserted in the ignition
lock and the SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
You can start the drive system if a valid key is
in the vehicle. Switch off the drive system and
always take the key with you when leaving the
vehicle, even if you only leave it for a short
time. Pay attention to the important safety
notes.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XPress the Start/Stop button once
(
Ypage 131).
The drive system is started. Once the vehi-
cle is ready to be driven, the Ready
display
(
Ypage 182) appears in the lower part of
the multifunction display.
Starting procedure with the SmartKey
To start the drive system using the key
instead of the Start/Stop button, pull the
Start/Stop button out of the ignition lock.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 3
(
Ypage 131) in the ignition lock and release
it.
The drive system is started. Once the vehi-
cle is ready to be driven, the Ready
display
(
Ypage 182) appears in the lower part of
the multifunction display.
Pulling away
The vehicle is equipped with a sound gener-
ator. At low speeds, an electric vehicle makes
less noise than a vehicle with a combustion
engine. The sound generator is activated so
that other road users can hear your vehicle
better. The sound generator is activated at
speeds of under 20 mph (30 km/h) and
switches off automatically at higher speeds.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XMove the DIRECT SELECT lever to position
D or R.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XCarefully depress the accelerator pedal.
The electric parking brake is automatically
released (
Ypage 155).
The red F(USA only) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter goes out.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down. You can open the doors from the
inside at any time.
It is only possible to move the DIRECT SELECT
selector lever from position Pto the desired
selector lever position if you depress the
brake pedal. The parking lock is then deacti-
vated and the electrical parking brake is
released automatically. If the brake pedal is
not depressed, the DIRECT SELECT lever can
still be moved but the parking lock remains
engaged.
Make sure that no charging cable is plugged
in. The parking lock cannot be released if a
charging cable is plugged in.
Driving133
Driving and parking
Z
Page 136 of 342

Hill start assist
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away
on a hill. It holds the vehicle for a short time
after you have removed your foot from the
brake pedal. This gives you enough time to
move your foot from the brake pedal to the
accelerator pedal and depress it before the
vehicle begins to roll.
GWARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no lon-
ger brake your vehicle and it could roll away.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist is not active if:
Ryou are pulling away on a level road or on a downhill gradient.
Rthe DIRECT SELECT lever is in position N.
Rthe electric parking brake is applied.
RESP®is malfunctioning.
Further information on holding the vehicle
stationary on uphill gradients (
Ypage 137).
Transmission
Important safety notes
Shift the DIRECT SELECT lever to position P
when the drive system is switched off and the vehicle is stationary. Park position Pis
engaged and the electric parking brake is
applied automatically:
If the DIRECT SELECT lever cannot be
engaged in park position P, the parking brake
is engaged automatically.
Observe the important safety notes on
switching ESP
®on and off (Ypage 67).
DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions
jPark position with parking lock
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
The DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of the
steering column.
The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns to
its original position. The current transmission
position P,R, Nor Dappears in the transmis-
sion position display in the multifunction dis-
play (
Ypage 134).
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
The current transmission position and drive
program appear in the multifunction display.
:Transmission position display
;Drive program display
The arrows in the transmission position dis-
play show how and into which transmission
positions you can shift using the DIRECT
SELECT lever.
If the transmission position display in the mul-
tifunction display is not working, you should
134Transmission
Driving and parking