2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class SEDAN Start system

drive system automatically selects the most effi-
cient operating mode for every driving situation.Drive the vehicle in the usual manner.
To save fuel in HYBRIDmode, the hybrid drive
system switches off the combustion engine as
often as possible during the journey when power
output requirements are low. When power out-
put requirements are low, the electric motor
powers the vehicle. When power output require-
ments are high, the combustion engine is auto-
matically switched on. The engine is usually
switched off when the vehicle is stationary. Con-
sequently, there is usually no engine idling as
with combustion engine vehicles.
For pulling away and accelerating, the electric
motor supports the internal combustion engine
using the power stored in the high-voltage bat-
tery. In addition, the power is used for partially
electric driving, operation of the electric coolant compressor and to support the 12 V on-board
electrical system. In this way the hybrid drive
system helps to reduce your vehicle's fuel con-
sumption.
Observe the driving tips on plug-in hybrid oper-
ation (
Ypage 230).
Recuperative Brake System
If you release the accelerator pedal when the
vehicle is in motion, overrun recuperation is ini-
tiated. The electric motor is operated as a gen-
erator when in overrun mode and when you
brake. Hybrid technology converts the kinetic
energy of the vehicle into electricity and stores
it in the high-voltage battery.
Observe the important safety notes for the
Recuperative Brake System (
Ypage 45).
Important safety notes
If the engine is switched off by the ECO start/
stop function and you open the driver's door:
Ra message appears in the multifunction dis-
play and
Ra warning tone sounds
Further information (
Ypage 272).
All of the vehicle's systems remain active, if:
Rthe vehicle is stationary
Rthe combustion engine is switched off and
Rthe READY indicator in the instrument cluster
lights up If you remove your foot from the brake pedal
while in transmission position D or R, the vehicle
may pull away automatically.
Observe the notes on the READY display of the
ECO start/stop function (
Ypage 231).
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 is the case, for example, when
you are parking and your vehicle is not seen by
other road users.
This requires you to adopt a particularly antici-
patory driving style, as it is necessary to allow
for the possibility that other road users may
behave erratically.
Displays and operation
Electric motor performance display
The power display for the electric motor is loca-
ted on the right-hand side of the instrument
cluster.
RArea :to; (E-DRIVE):
This shows the electric output from the elec-
tric motor, e.g. during electric operation or in
boost mode.
When the motor is switched on, the display is
at limit :. With increasing pressure on the
accelerator pedal the display fills up from :
to ;.
Driving with the electric motor: when the
display reaches limit ;, the combustion
engine is switched on. If the display is
approaching limit ;and you remove your
foot from the accelerator pedal, the display
empties again. The combustion engine is not
switched on. At low speeds, you can thereby
PLUG‑IN HYBRID operation225
Driving and parking
Z

E-SAVERElectric mode or driving
with the internal combus-
tion engine is possible
RAutomatic selection of
drive mode with electric
mode as often as possi-
ble
RThe current condition of
charge of the high-volt-
age battery is maintained
so the electrical energy
can be used at a later
time
CHARGERElectric drive is not pos-
sible
RCharging the high-volt-
age battery while driving
using the combustion
engine
In automatic drive programS(Ypage 229) and
during manual gearshifting (Ypage 229), only
HYBRID operating mode is available.
If you switch from automatic drive program Sto
automatic drive program E,HYBRID operating
mode continues to be selected.
If manual drive program Mis deactivated, the
automatic transmission shifts:
Rinto the automatic drive program that was last
selected
Rinto the driving mode that was last selected
Each time the engine is started, HYBRIDmode
is automatically selected.
Operating the on-board computer
You can display the current operating condition
of the hybrid drive system in the multifunction
display and on the display of the multimedia
system (
Ypage 227).
In the multimedia system display, you can also
call up a graphic display of the fuel consumption
and generated electricity (
Ypage 228).
Menus and submenus
Selecting displays in the display of the
multimedia system
XPress the Øbutton on the controller.
The vehicle menu is displayed.
XTo select Energy Flow: turn and press the
controller.
The energy flow is displayed.
or
XTo select Consumption: turn and press the
controller.
Fuel consumption and the generated electric
energy are displayed.
XTo exit the display: press the %button on
the controller.
Selecting the energy flow display in the
multifunction display
XUse Ñ on the steering wheel to call up the
list of menus.
XPress the :or9 button on the steering
wheel to select the Travelmenu.
XConfirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
XSelect Energy Flowwith: or9 .
The active hybrid components are highlighted
in the energy flow display.
Energy flow display
Overview energy flow display
:Internal combustion engine
;Electric motor
=High-voltage battery condition of charge
?High-voltage battery
AEnergy flow
PLUG‑IN HYBRID operation227
Driving and parking
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The active hybrid components are highlighted.
The energy flow is indicated by arrows. The
arrows have a different color depending on the
operating state.
Displaying the total range and electrical
range
The approximate range is based on the current
driving style.
XUseÑ on the steering wheel to call up the
list of menus.
XPress the :or9 button on the steering
wheel to select the Travelmenu.
XConfirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
XPress :or9 to select the approximate
total range and electrical range.
Displaying fuel consumption and gen-
erated electricity
:Fuel consumption
;Electrical energy generated
Every bar of the graph displays the average
value for one minute.
Fuel consumption indicator :may differ from
the indicator in the From
Starttrip computer in
the Tripmenu. To reset the values:
the values are reset along
with the From Start
trip computer
(Ypage 240).
XTo select Consumption: turn and press the
controller.
The display of the multimedia system shows
fuel consumption :and electrical energy
generated ;for the past 15 minutes of driv-
ing.
Starting the engine
The vehicle starts in electric mode without the
internal combustion engine (noiseless start).
The internal combustion engine starts only after
the power demanded by the driver exceeds the
available power that the electric motor can cur-
rently provide.
Noiseless start operation is dependent on the
outside temperature and the operating temper-
ature of the internal combustion engine. If not all
conditions for noiseless start operation are ful-
filled, the vehicle starts with the internal com-
bustion engine.
XSwitch on the ignition.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XObserve the notes on starting the engine
(Ypage 148).
XStart the vehicle (Ypage 148).
The vehicle is operational when READY indi-
cator :lights up.
Pulling away
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift the transmission to position Dor R.
XIf the Apply Brake to Shift from 'P'display message appears in the multifunction
display, depress the brake pedal more firmly
and select the desired transmission position.
228PLUG‑IN HYBRID operation
Driving and parking

XReleaseth ebrak epedal .
XCarefully depress th eaccelerato rpedal .
Fo rfurther information on pullin gaway
(
Ypage 149).
Driving
DYNAMIC SELECT switch
Dri veprogram s
Use theDYNAMIC SELECT switch to chang eth e
driv eprogram .Dependin gon th edriv eprogram
selected th efollowin gvehicl echaracteristics
will change:
Rth edriv e(engin eand transmission manage-
ment)
Rth esuspension
Rth esteering
Rth eclimat econtrol :
-theclimat econtrol setting s
-therear window defroste roperation period
-th eperformance of th eseat heating
Rth eavailabilit yof th eEc oAssistant
Eac htime you start th eengin eusin gth eSmart -
Key or th eStart/Sto pbutton, driv eprogram Cis
activated. Fo rfurther information about starting
th eengine, see (
Ypage 148).
XPress DYNAMIC SELECT switch :forwards
or backwards until th edesired driv eprogram
is selected.
The status ico nof th eselected driv eprogram
is shown in th emultifunction display.
In addition ,th ecurren tdriv eprogram setting s
are displayed briefly in th emultimedia system
display.
iIn afew countries, th eECO start/sto pfunc-
tion is deactivated at th efactory due to th eavailable fuel grade. In this case, th
eECO
start/sto pfunction is no tavailable in any
driv eprogram ,regardless of th edisplay in th e
multimedia system display.
Available drive programs:
I IndividualIndividual setting s
S+Sport PlusRExtremely sport ydriving
style wit hboos tmod e
RElectric-only operation is
notpossibl e
SSportRSport ydriving style wit h
boos tmod e
RElectric-only operation is
notpossibl e
CComfortRComfortable, economical
driving style
RElectric-only driv eis pos -
sibl e
EEconomyRParticularly economical
driving style
RElectric operation mod e
is used as often as possi-
ble
RDouble pulse sin th ehap-
ti c accelerato rpedal ,as
an indication to release
th eaccelerato rpedal
(
Ypage 230)
RAfte rth eaccelerato r
pedal has been released,
th ecoasting characteris -
tics of th evehicl eare
adapted to th etraffic
conditions.
Additional information for driv eprogram s
(Ypage 159).
Using th esteering whee lpaddl eshifters, you
can temporarily chang egear syourself .Fo rfur -
ther information on th emanual driv eprogram
(
Ypage 229).
Manua lgear shi fting
Using th esteering whee lpaddl eshifters, you
can temporarily chang egear syourself .The
transmission mus tbe in position D.During man -
ual gearshifting ,th ecombustion engin eis
always switched on .
PLUG‑IN HYBRID operation229
Driving and parking
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Overrun mode or braking
There are three possible operating modes when
the hybrid vehicle is decelerating:
Renergy recovery takes place even when the
vehicle is decelerating purely in overrun mode
(
Ypage 225). The electric motor operates as
a generator and stores the recovered energy
in the high-voltage battery
Rwhen the brakes are applied lightly, the vehi-
cle is slowed down further by the electric
motor This increases the energy recovery tak-
ing place (
Ypage 225) The electric motor
operates as a generator and stores the recov- ered energy in the high-voltage battery.
Rwhen the brakes are applied with greater
force, the service brakes are also used to slow
the vehicle down. The two systems work
together
Urban driving
Energy is recuperated during frequent deceler-
ation and stopping in city traffic.
The vehicle can be driven by the electric motor
alone up to a speed of approximately 120 km/ h.
The vehicle is driven by the electric motor alone
only when all conditions for the automatic
engine switch-off are fulfilled.
Further information on the automatic engine
switch-off (
Ypage 231).
Driving on inter-urban roads
The following phases are possible when driving
on inter-urban roads:
Rrapid acceleration (boost mode)
Rconstant energy consumption
Renergy recuperation
Relectric operation mode
A great deal of recovered energy may be avail-
able, depending on the route profile. This
reduces consumption and emissions.
Highway driving
During highway driving, fuel consumption and
emissions are favorably influenced in particular
by reduced power losses.
If the driver removes his foot from the acceler-
ator pedal in drive program Eand a speed of
160 km/h is not exceeded, the combustion
engine is automatically switched off.
Further information on the automatic engine
switch-off (
Ypage 231).
ECO start/stop function
General notes
The ECO start/stop function switches the inter- nal combustion engine off automatically when
the vehicle stops moving and at high speeds
(
Ypage 232).
All vehicle systems remain active, e.g. the auto-
matic climate control.
The ECO start/stop function is only available in
drive programs Cand E. Electric-only operation
is only possible in drive programs Cand E. Addi-
tional information for drive programs
(
Ypage 229).
Automatic engine switch-off
The engine is switched off automatically, includ-
ing when:
Rthe driver removes his foot from the acceler-
ator in drive program Eand a speed of
160 km/h is not exceeded (
Ypage 232)
Rthe engine has reached its operating temper- ature
Rthe driver’s seat belt is fastened and the
driver’s door is closed
Rthe driver only slightly depresses the accel-
erator pedal in order to, for example, maintain
the current speed for a limited distance
Rthe hood is closed and engaged properly
Rthe high-voltage battery is charged suffi-
ciently
Rno malfunctions are present in the hybrid
drive system
The internal combustion engine will not be
switched off automatically, if:
Rthe self-diagnosis function of the engine con-
trol unit is still active
Rthere is a malfunction in the hybrid drive sys-
tem
Rthe climate control of the vehicle requires it
Rthe high-voltage battery is being charged
(Ypage 227)
Rautomatic emissions tests are running
PLUG‑IN HYBRID operation231
Driving and parking
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Automa tic engine start
The automatically switched-off internal combus -
tio nengin estart sautomatically in certai nsitua-
tions ,if:
Rth epower demand from th edriver via th e
accelerato rpedal is greate rthan th eelectric
motor alon ecan provide
Rth edriver switches to driv eprogram Sor M
Rthecondition of charge of th ehigh-voltage
battery has reached th elower limit
Rth esettings of th eautomatic climat econtrol
require it, e.g. at external temperatures abov e
30 †
Overru nmod e
In overrun mode, th ecombustio nengin eis
switched off and is disconnected from th edriv e
train. The electric motor:
Rgenerates low thrust ,whic hcorrespond sto
th eoverrun mod eof an active combustio n
engin e
Rfunction sas agenerator and produce sth e
necessary energ yfor th eauxiliary consumer s
and charge sth ehigh-voltage battery
Ove rrun mod eis available in driv eprogram E
below 16 0km/h.
In driv eprogram E,after th eaccelerato rpedal
has been released th ecoasting characteristic s
of th evehicl eare adapted to th etraffic condi-
tions .Further information about th ehaptic
accelerato rpedal (
Ypage 230).
Route-based energy management
Forroute-based energ ymanagement, th esys-
te m factors in information about th eexpecte d
rout ewhen rout eguidance is active.
The information on th erout eis provide dby th e
multimedia system and includes th efollowing:
Rroad categories
Rspee dlimitation s
Rdataon downhill gradients
The use of electric energ yis automatically opti-
mally distributed from th ebeginning to th een d
of th ejourney, usin ginformation about th e
route. The distribution is pre-emptive and takes
int oconsideration :
Rthesections of th ejourney ahead
Rth eenerg yconsumption on th ewhole rout eThe condition of charge of th
ehigh-voltage bat -
tery is thus systematically controlled. In addi-
tion, th econtrol function takes int oaccoun t
that:
Rth efuel saving sthroug hth euse of electrical
energ ycan vary, depending on th erout e(e.g.
urban ,interurban or highway)
Rth euse of electrical energ yis held available in
particular for electric operation (e.g. urban
routes)
The vehicl ethus automatically select sth eopti-
mum driving mod efor th erespectiv esectio nof
th eroute.
Route-based energ ymanagemen tis available
under th efollowin gconditions:
Rdriv eprogram Eis selected
RHYBRID driving mod eis selected
Ractive rout eguidance is activated
Rsuitable map dat ais available
When route-based energ ymanagemen tis in
operation ,th earea in fron tof th evehicl eis
shown as green in th emultifunction display.
Parking
XApply th eelectric parking brake.
The red !indicator lamp in th einstrumen t
cluste rlights up.
XUse th eDIRECT SELECT leve rto shif tth e
automatic transmission to P.
XSwitch theignition off .
The READY indicator in th einstrumen tcluste r
goes out .
Further information on parking and switching off
th einternal combustio nengin e (
Ypage 177).
232PLUG‑ IN HYBRID operation
Driving and parking

Problems with PLUG-IN HYBRID operation
Internal combustion engine
ProblemPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
You cannot start the
internal combustion
engine. The multifunc-
tion display shows no
display messages. The
READY indicator in the
multifunction display is
off.For example, self-diagnosis is not yet complete or the hybrid drive
system is malfunctioning.
XSwitch off the ignition and turn it back on.
XTry to start the internal combustion engine again.
If the internal combustion engine still does not start:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
You wish to pull away,
but the ECO start/stop
function does not start
the internal combustion
engine. The READY indi-
cator in the multifunc-
tion display is off.The ECO start/stop function has failed. The warning and indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster light up.
XShift the transmission to P.
XSwitch off the ignition and turn it back on.
XStart the engine.
The hybrid drive system is malfunctioning.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
Recuperative Brake System
ProblemPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
Braking resistance is
reduced and brake pedal
travel is longer than
usual.GRisk of accident
The Recuperative Brake System is malfunctioning.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction dis-
play (Ypage 255).
XObserve the information regarding indicator and warning lamps in
the instrument cluster (Ypage 288) .
PLUG‑IN HYBRID operation233
Driving and parking
Z

Hybrid drive system
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The hybrid drive system
has been switched off
automatically.You have been in an accident.
The hybrid drive system remains switched off if:
Rthe internal combustion engine cannot be restarted after a few
seconds.
Rthe red6restraint system warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter is lit.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The hybrid drive system
has been switched off
automatically. The multi-
function display also
shows a display mes-
sage.An electrical short circuit has occurred in the hybrid drive system or an
electrical connection has been disconnected.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction dis-
play (Ypage 255).
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
234PLUG‑IN HYBRID operation
Driving and parking