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
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
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
pull away carefully to check whether the
desired transmission position is engaged.
Ideally, you should select transmission posi-
tionD.
Engaging park position P
jPark position with parking lock
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
XPush the DIRECT SELECT lever in the direc-
tion of arrow P.
Transmission position display Pis shown in
the multifunction display.
When you have engaged park position P,
make sure that the transmission position dis-
play shows Pin the multifunction display.
You can only engage park position Pwhen the
vehicle is stationary.
The transmission shifts into park position P
automatically if you open the driver's door
when the vehicle is stationary or when driving
at very low speed with the transmission in
position Dor R.
In addition, a warning tone sounds and a dis-
play message is shown.
Depressing the brake and pushing the
DIRECT SELECT lever up or down disengages
the parking lock. The transmission is in N
neutral. In order to shift from park position
Pdirectly
into Ror D:
Rdepress the brake pedal and
Rpush the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down
past the first point of resistance
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only shift into reverse gear Rwhen the
vehicle is stationary. You could otherwise
damage the drive system.
XIf the transmission is in position Dor N:
push the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the
first point of resistance.
XIf the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT lever up past the first point of
resistance.
Shifting to neutral N
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.
Transmission135
Driving and parking
Z
XIf the transmission is in positionDor R:
push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to the first point of resistance.
XIf the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT lever up or down to the first point of resistance.
When the drive system is switched off, the
transmission shifts to Nautomatically.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the
driver's door or the front-passenger door or
remove the SmartKey from the ignition, the
transmission automatically shifts to P.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then
open the driver's door or the front-passenger
door, the transmission automatically shifts to
P.
If you want the transmission to remain in neu-
tral N, e.g. when having the vehicle cleaned in
an automatic car wash with a towing system:
Using the SmartKey:
XSwitch on the ignition.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
With the Start/Stop button:
XRemove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock.
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
XSwitch on the ignition.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
Engaging drive position D
XIf the transmission is in position Ror N:
push the DIRECT SELECT lever down past
the first point of resistance.
XIf the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT lever down past the first point of
resistance.
Transmission positions
BPark position
This prevents the vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Only move
the DIRECT SELECT lever to Pwhen
the vehicle is stationary.
The SmartKey can only be removed
when the DIRECT SELECT lever is in
position P. When there is no Smart-
Key in the ignition lock, the DIRECT
SELECT lever is locked in position
P.
CReverse gear
Only move the DIRECT SELECT
lever to Rwhen the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
ANeutral
No power is transmitted from the
drive system to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely.
If ESP
®is faulty: only move the
DIRECT SELECT lever to Nif the
vehicle is in danger of skidding, e.g.
on icy roads.
7Drive
For driving forwards
136Transmission
Driving and parking
Problems with the charging process
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The charge socket flap
cannot be opened.The charge socket flap is not unlocked.
XUnlock the vehicle (Ypage 72).
The SmartKey batteries are discharged.
XUnlock the vehicle manually using the SmartKey (Ypage 74).
The charge socket flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is
jammed.
XLock and unlock the vehicle.
If, after that, the opening mechanism is still jammed:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The high-voltage bat-
tery is not being
charged.A malfunction has occurred during the initialization of the charging
process.
XEnsure that the charging cable is connected to the electrical
outlet.
XRemove the charging cable connector from the vehicle socket
and wait 30 seconds; then re-insert it into the vehicle socket.
XIf the problem persists, consult a qualified specialist workshop.
The high-voltage bat-
tery is not charged dur-
ing the charging proc-
ess when connected to
a power socket.The electrical outlet is faulty.
XHave the electrical outlet checked to test if it is functioning
properly.
or
XUse a different electrical outlet.
The charging cable con-
nector cannot be
removed from the vehi-
cle socket.The snap fastener on the charging cable connector is locked.
XPress and hold the button on the charging cable connector. The snap fastener on the vehicle socket is unlocked.
XRemove the charging cable connector from the vehicle socket.
The snap fastener on the charging cable connector is blocked.
XPress and hold the button on the charging cable connector.
XTry to remove the blockage.
High-voltage battery151
Driving and parking
Z
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the transmission out of park position
P.
Rstart the vehicle's drive system.
They could also operate the vehicle's equip-
ment. 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.
!While the vehicle is rolling, do not shift the
transmission directly from Dto R, from Rto
D or directly to P.
Do not open the driver's door while the
vehicle is in motion. Otherwise, at low
speeds in transmission position Dor R,
park position Pis engaged automatically
and the electrical parking brake is applied.
The transmission could be damaged.
!Always secure the vehicle correctly
against rolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle
or its drivetrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally:
Rthe electric parking brake must be applied.
Rthe transmission must be in position P.
Rthe SmartKey in the ignition lock must be
turned to position0and removed from the
ignition lock.
Ron steep uphill or downhill gradients, turn
the front wheels towards the curb.
Switching off the drive system
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This can affect
the power steering and the brake boosting
effect, for example. You will require consider-
ably more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
XShift the DIRECT SELECT lever to position
P.
XWith the SmartKey: turn the SmartKey to
position 0in the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.
XWith the Start/Stop button: press the
Start/Stop button (
Ypage 131).
The drive system and all the indicator lamps
in the instrument cluster go out.
When the driver's door is closed, this cor-
responds to SmartKey position 1. When the
driver's door is open, this corresponds to
SmartKey position 0: "SmartKey removed".
If you switch the engine off with the trans-
mission in position Ror D, the transmission
automatically shifts to N.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the
driver's door or the front-passenger door or
remove the SmartKey from the ignition, the
transmission automatically shifts to P.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then
open the driver's door or the front-passenger
door, the transmission automatically shifts to
P.
If you want the transmission to remain in neu-
tral N, e.g. when having the vehicle cleaned in
an automatic car wash with a towing system:
Using the SmartKey:
XSwitch on the ignition.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
154Parking
Driving and parking
With the Start/Stop button:
XRemove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock.
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
XSwitch on the ignition.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutralN.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
If you try to switch off the drive system when
the transmission is not in position P:
Ra message appears in the multifunction dis-
play
Ra warning signal sounds
Electric parking brake
General notes
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the transmission out of park position
P.
Rstart the vehicle's drive system.
They could also operate the vehicle's equip-
ment. 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 and
the parking lock is dependent on the on-board voltage. If the on-board voltage is low or if
there is a malfunction in the system, it may
not be possible to apply the released parking
brake or to shift the transmission to the P
position.
XIf this is the case, only park the vehicle on
level ground and secure it to prevent it roll-
ing away.
XShift the transmission to position 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 carries out a func-
tion check at regular intervals when the drive
system is switched off. The sounds that can
be heard while this is occurring are normal.
Applying or releasing manually
XTo 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.
XTo release: pull handle:.
The red F(USA only) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter goes out.
Parking155
Driving and parking
Z