2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS CABRIOLET engine

Switching SPEEDTRONIC to passive
If you depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point (kickdown), SPEEDTRONIC is
switched to passive mode. The multifunction
display shows the SPEEDTRONIC suspended
SPEEDTRONIC suspended
message and you are able to exceed the stored speed. If SPEEDTRONIC is switched to passive
mode, SPEEDTRONIC will not brake automati-
cally until it is activated again.
SPEEDTRONIC is activated again if you:
R drive slower than the stored speed without
kickdown
R set a new speed or
R call up the last speed stored again
The SPEEDTRONIC suspended SPEEDTRONIC suspended message on the
multifunction display then disappears.
Deactivating variable SPEEDTRONIC
It is not possible to deactivate variable SPEED-
TRONIC by braking.
There are several ways to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever forwards
B.
or X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted. LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise con-
trol lever goes out.
Vehicles with manual transmission: variable
SPEEDTRONIC switches off automatically if you shift to too high a gear and as a result the engine
speed drops sharply. A warning tone sounds,
the message on the multifunction display dis-
appears and the segments on the speedometer
go out.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC You can use the on-board computer to limit the
speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h (e.g. when driving on winter tyres)
and 240 km/h(Y page 237).
Shortly before the stored speed is reached, it
appears in the multifunction display.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC remains active even
if variable SPEEDTRONIC is deactivated. You cannot exceed the stored limit speed, even
if you depress the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point (kickdown). DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and auto-
matically helps you maintain the distance to the vehicle detected in front. Vehicles are detected
with the aid of the radar sensor system.
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular
note of this when driving a laden vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking effect
of the engine. This relieves the load on the brake system and prevents the brakes from overheat-
ing and wearing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk of collision with the vehicle in front, you will be
warned visually and audibly. Without your inter-
vention, DISTRONIC PLUS cannot prevent a col-
lision. An intermittent warning tone will then
sound and the distance warning lamp will light
up in the instrument cluster. Brake immediately to increase the distance to the vehicle in front,
or take evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates in the speed range
between 0 km/h and 200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to:
R people or animals
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
As a result, DISTRONIC PLUS may neither give
warnings nor intervene in such situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Driving systems
171Driving and parking Z

?
To activate at the current speed/last stored
speed
A To activate or reduce speed
B To switch between DISTRONIC PLUS and
variable SPEEDTRONIC
C Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
You can operate variable SPEEDTRONIC and
DISTRONIC PLUS with the cruise control lever.
LIM indicator lamp =on the cruise control lever
indicates which function you have selected:
R LIM indicator lamp= =lit:variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp =
=off:DISTRONIC PLUS
is selected
When you activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the
stored speed will appear on the multifunction display for five seconds.
Speedometer with segments: when
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, the segments
from the stored speed to the end of the scale or to a permanently set speed limit light up.
Selecting DISTRONIC PLUS X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp =is off.
If it is off, DISTRONIC PLUS is already selec-
ted.
X If it is not, move the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow B.
LIM indicator lamp =in the cruise control
lever goes out. DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS Activation conditions
To activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the following con-
ditions must all be fulfilled:
R The engine must be running. It may take up to
two minutes of driving before DISTRONIC
PLUS is ready for use.
R The electric parking brake must be released.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but must not cur-
rently be engaged.
R Active Parking Assist must not be activated.
R The transmission must be in position D.
R The driver's door must be closed or your seat
belt must be fastened when you shift the
transmission from position Pto D.
R The front-passenger door and the rear doors
must be closed. R
The vehicle must not be skidding.
R The DISTRONIC PLUS function must be selec-
ted (Y page 173).
Switching on X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?, up :or down A.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
X Release the accelerator pedal.
The vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed as a maximum.
If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC
DISTRONIC PLUS PLUSsuspended
suspended mes-
sage appears on the multifunction display.
The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in front will then not be maintained. The position
of the accelerator pedal will determine the
speed.
You can also select DISTRONIC PLUS when sta-
tionary. The lowest speed that can be set is
30 km/h.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?, up :or down A.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up a stored speed and this is dif-
ferent from the current speed, the vehicle
accelerates or brakes. If you do not know
what the stored speed is, the vehicle may
accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a
risk of an accident.
Take the traffic conditions into account
before calling up the stored speed. If you do
not know what the stored speed is, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
X Release the accelerator pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first time it
is activated, the current speed is stored. Oth-
erwise, it sets the vehicle cruise speed to the
previously stored value. Driving systems
173Driving and parking Z

Stopping
G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R DISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
R the accelerator pedal has been depressed,
e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
Further information on deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 177).
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front has stopped, it will cause your vehicle to
brake to a standstill.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
After a short period, the vehicle is secured by
the electric parking brake, thus relieving the
service brake.
Depending on the specified minimum distance,
your vehicle will come to a standstill at a suffi-
cient distance behind the vehicle in front. The
specified minimum distance is set using the
control on the cruise control lever.
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, the trans-
mission is shifted automatically to position Pin
the following situations:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R The engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated
when the vehicle is stationary and:
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
If a fault occurs, the transmission may also shift to position Pautomatically.
Setting a speed X
Push the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down Afor a lower speed.
X Push and hold the cruise control lever until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored. DISTRONIC PLUS is
activated and adjusts the vehicle's speed to
the new speed stored.
X To adjust the set speed in1 km/hincre-
ments:
briefly push the cruise control lever
up : or down Ato the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 1 km/h increments.
X To adjust the set speed in10 km/hincre-
ments:
briefly push the cruise control lever
up : or down Abeyond the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 10 km/h increments.
i If you accelerate to overtake, DISTRONIC
PLUS adjusts the vehicle's speed back to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting the specified minimum distance You can set the specified minimum distance for
DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. This time span
determines the distance that DISTRONIC PLUS
is to maintain from the vehicle in front, depend- ing on the road speed. You can see this distance
on the multifunction display (Y page 176).
Make sure that you maintain the minimum dis-
tance to the vehicle in front as required by law.
Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front if nec- essary. Driving systems
175Driving and parking Z

Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
DISTRONIC PLUS can be deactivated in a num-
ber of ways:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever forwards
=.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
or X Briefly push the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow ;.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp :in the cruise control lever lights
up.
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, the
DISTRONIC PLUS off DISTRONIC PLUS off message will appear on
the multifunction display for approximately five
seconds.
The last speed stored remains stored until you
switch off the engine.
DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactivated
in the following situations:
R You apply the electric parking brake or if the
vehicle is automatically secured with the elec-
tric parking brake
R ESP ®
is engaged or you deactivate ESP ®
R You shift the transmission to position P,Ror
N
R You pull the cruise control lever towards you
in order to pull away and the front-passenger
door or one of the rear doors is open
R The vehicle skids
R You activate Active Parking Assist
If, under these circumstances, DISTRONIC
PLUS is deactivated, a warning tone sounds. The
DISTRONIC PLUS off
DISTRONIC PLUS off message then appears on the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS General notes
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
R Cornering, entering and exiting a bend: the
ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehicles
when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or late.
R Driving on a different line: DISTRONIC PLUS
may not detect vehicles that are not driving in
the middle of their lane. The distance to the
vehicle in front will be too short.
R Other vehicles changing lane: DISTRONIC
PLUS has not detected the vehicle cutting in
yet. The distance to this vehicle will be too
short.
R Narrow vehicles: DISTRONIC PLUS has not
yet detected the vehicle in front on the edge
of the carriageway because of its narrow
width. The distance to the vehicle in front will
be too short.
R Obstacles and stationary vehicles:
DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals an
obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS will not brake for these.
R Crossing vehicles: DISTRONIC PLUS may mis-
takenly detect vehicles that are crossing your
lane. Activating DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic
lights with crossing traffic, for example, could
cause your vehicle to pull away unintention-
ally.
In such situations, brake if necessary.
DISTRONIC PLUS is then deactivated. Driving syste
ms
177Driving an d parking Z

Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply
R the HOLD function is deactivated by the
accelerator pedal being depressed, e.g. by
a vehicle occupant
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
from rolling away.
! When DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD func-
tion is activated, the vehicle brakes automat- ically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or similar situations:
R when towing away
R in a car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function (Y page 180).
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if all the fol-
lowing conditions are fulfilled:
R the vehicle is stationary
R the engine is running or it has been automat-
ically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
R the driver's door is closed or your seat belt is
fastened
R the electric parking brake is released
R vehicles with automatic transmission: the
transmission is in position h,kori.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated Activating the HOLD function
X
Make sure that the activation conditions are
met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears on the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
If depressing the brake pedal the first time does
not activate the HOLD function, wait briefly and
then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
R you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission is in
position hork
R the transmission is in position jon vehicles
with automatic transmissions
R you depress the brake pedal again with a cer-
tain amount of pressure until display ë
disappears from the multifunction display.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric park-
ing brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
After a short period, the vehicle is secured by
the electric parking brake, thus relieving the
service brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission
When the HOLD function is activated, the trans-
mission is shifted automatically to position jif
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function 180
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activated,
the vehicle is stationary and:
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
If a malfunction occurs, the transmission may
also be shifted to position jautomatically.
Vehicles with manual transmission
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activated
and:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
The Brake immediately
Brake immediately message may also
appear on the multifunction display.
X Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message on the multifunc-
tion display goes out.
The HOLD function is deactivated.
A horn will sound at regular intervals if you turn
off the engine, take off your seat belt or open the
driver's door when the HOLD function is activa- ted. The horn alerts you to the fact that the
HOLD function is still activated. If you attempt to
lock the vehicle, the tone becomes louder. The
vehicle cannot be locked until you have deacti-
vated the HOLD function.
i Once you have switched off the engine, you
cannot restart it until you have deactivated
the HOLD function. RACE START
Important safety notes i
RACE START must not be used on normal
roads. RACE START must only be activated
and used on dedicated road circuits, outside
of public road use.
i RACE START is only available in
Mercedes‑ AMG vehicles.
RACE START enables optimum acceleration
from a standing start. For this, a suitably high- grip road surface is required; the tyres and vehi-
cle must also be in good condition. G
WARNING
If you use RACE START, individual tyres may
get into a spin and the vehicle could skid.
Depending on the selected ESP ®
mode, there
is an increased risk of skidding and having an accident. Make sure that no persons, animals
or obstacles are within range of the vehicle.
i Read the safety notes on driving safety sys-
tems (Y page 67).
Make sure that you read the safety notes and information on ESP ®
(Y page 72).
Activation conditions You can activate RACE START if:
R the doors are closed
R the engine is running and it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
71 †. This is the case when the oil tempera-
ture gauge in the multifunction display is
shown in white.
R the drive program S,S+ orRace is selected
(Y page 141)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position
R the vehicle is stationary and the brake pedal is
depressed (left foot)
R the transmission is in position D
Activating RACE START i
When manual mode (Y
page 150) is active,
the transmission automatically shifts up to
RACE START in the drive program. This func-
tion supports maximum acceleration with
RACE START. After going through an acceler- ating process once from a stationary position,
this function is automatically deactivated.
X Depress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
X Pull and hold both steering wheel gearshift
paddles (Y page 150).
The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWN
Cancel: Paddle DOWN message appears in
the multifunction display.
X Release both steering wheel gearshift pad-
dles (Y page 150). Driving systems
181Driving and parking Z

i
If the activation conditions are no longer ful-
filled, RACE START is cancelled. The RACE
RACE
START cancelled
START cancelled message appears in the
multifunction display.
X To cancel: pull the left steering wheel shift
paddle (Y page 150).
or
X To confirm: pull the right steering wheel shift
paddle (Y page 150).
The RACE START available Depress
RACE START available Depress
accelerator accelerator message appears in the multi-
function display.
i If you do not depress the accelerator pedal
fully within two seconds, RACE START is can-
celled. The RACE
RACE START
START not
not possible
possible See
See
Owner's Manual
Owner's Manual message appears in the
multifunction display.
X Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed rises to approximately
3,500 rpm.
The RACE
RACE START START Release
Release brake
braketo
tostart
start
message appears in the multifunction display.
i If you do not release the brake pedal within
five seconds, RACE START is cancelled. The
RACE
RACE START START cancelled
cancelled message appears in
the multifunction display.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
The RACE RACE START
START active
active message appears in
the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 50 km/h.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if you
release the accelerator pedal during RACE
START or if any of the activation conditions are
no longer fulfilled. The RACE START not pos‐
RACE START not pos‐
sible See Owner's Manual sible See Owner's Manual orRACE START
RACE START
cancelled
cancelled message appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
i After using it several times in short succes-
sion, RACE START will be unavailable until a
certain distance has been driven. AIRMATIC
General notes AIRMATIC is an air suspension system with var-
iable damping for improved driving comfort. All- round level control ensures the best possible
suspension and constant ground clearance,
even with a laden vehicle. When you drive at
speed, the vehicle is lowered automatically to
improve driving safety and to reduce fuel con-
sumption. You also have the option of manually
adjusting the vehicle level. AIRMATIC consists
of level setting, level control and the ADS (Adap- tive Damping System).
The vehicle level can be set using the DYNAMIC
SELECT switch (Y page 141) or the level button
(Y page 182). The setting always corresponds
to the last function selected.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
People's limbs may become trapped if they
are located underneath the vehicle or
between the vehicle body and the tyres when the vehicle is lowering. There is a danger of
injury.
When lowering the vehicle, make sure no one
is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches.
i If one of the doors is open, the vehicle is not
lowered.
Vehicle level Setting the raised vehicle level
It is possible to choose between the "Normal"
and "Raised" vehicle levels below a speed of182
Driving systemsDriving and parking

80 km/h. Select the "Normal" setting for normal
road surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow chains or on particularly poor road surfaces.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The vehicle is
raised by 25 mm compared with the normal
level.
The Vehicle rising Vehicle rising message appears on
the multifunction display.
i The message disappears after ten seconds,
irrespective of the level reached. If necessary,
the vehicle is raised further.
The "Raised level" setting is cancelled if you:
R drive at speeds above 120 km/h
R drive for approximately three minutes at a
speed above 80 km/h
The "Raised level" remains saved when you are
not driving within these speed ranges.
Setting the normal vehicle levelX Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is lit:
X Press button :.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
indicator lamp ;goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to the height of the currently selec-
ted drive program (Y page 141).
Vehicles with manual transmission: indi-
cator lamp ;goes out. The vehicle is adjus-
ted to the height of the currently selected
drive program (Y page 141).
Suspension settings General notes
The Adaptive Damping System automatically
controls the calibration of the dampers.
The damping is adjusted individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection, i.e. sport or comfort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. Sport mode
In the Sand S+drive programs, the firmer sus-
pension settings ensure even better contact
with the road. Select this mode when employing
a sporty driving style, e.g. on winding country
roads.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
select the
Sor S+ drive program with the
DYNAMIC SELECT switch (Y page 141).
Vehicles with manual transmission: select
the Sor S+ drive program with the DYNAMIC
SELECT switch (Y page 141).
The vehicle is lowered by 15 mm compared
with the normal level.
Comfort mode In the Eand Cdrive programs, the driving char-
acteristics of your vehicle are more comforta-
ble. Therefore, select this mode if you prefer a
more comfortable driving style. Select Comfort
mode also when driving at speed on straight
roads, e.g. on straight stretches of motorway.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
select the
Eor Cdrive program with the
DYNAMIC SELECT switch (Y page 141).
Vehicles with manual transmission: select
the Eor Cdrive program with the DYNAMIC
SELECT switch (Y page 141).
The vehicle is raised to the normal level.
At speeds of above 125 km/h, the vehicle is
automatically lowered by 15 mm in the Eand C
drive programs. At speeds of below 80 km/h,
the vehicle is raised again. AMG RIDE CONTROL
General notes The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is adjusted individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection of Sport, Sport + or
Comfort
The suspension mode is adjusted using the cor-
responding button in the centre console. Driving systems
183Driving and parking Z