GDANGER
If th ePASSENGER AI RBA GOF Findicator
lamp remain slit after th esystem self-test ,th e
front-passenger fron tair bag is disabled. It will
no tbe deployed in th eevent of an accident. In
this case, th efront-passenger fron tair bag
canno tperfor mits intended protective func-
tion ,e.g. when aperson is seated in th efront-
passenger seat .
That person could, for example, come int o
contact wit hth evehicle's interior, especially
if th eperson is sitting to oclose to th edash -
board. This poses an increased ris kof injury or
eve nfatal injury.
Whe nth efront-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensur ethat:
Rth eclassification of th eperson in th efront-
passenger seat is correc tand th efront-
passenger fron tair bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordanc ewit hth eperson in th e
front-passenger seat
Rth eperson is seated properly wit h acor-
rectl yfastene dseatbelt
Rth efront-passenger seat has been moved
bac kas far bac kas possibl e
If th ePASSENGER AI RBA GOF Findicator
lamp remain slit when it should not, th efront-
passenger seat may no tbe used .Do no t
instal l achild restrain tsystem on th efront-
passenger seat .Hav
eth eO
ccupant Classifi-
cation Syste m(OCS )checke dand repaire d
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
GWARNIN G
Objects between th eseat surfac eand th e
child restrain tsystem could affec tOCS oper -
ation .This could result in th efront-passenger
air bag no tfunctioning as intended during an
accident. This poses an increased ris kof
injury or eve nfatal injury.
Do no tplac eany objects between th eseat
surfac eand th echild restrain tsystem. The
entire base of th echild restrain tsystem mus t
always res ton th eseat cushion of th efront-
passenger seat .The backrest of th eforward -
facing child restrain tsystem must, as far as
possible, be resting on th ebackrest of th e
front-passenger seat .Always compl ywit hth e
child restrain tsystem manufacturer' sinstal -
lation instructions.
Afte rth esystem self-test ,th ePASSENGER
AI R BA GOF For PASSENGER AI RBA GON
indicator lamp displays th estatus of th efront-
passenger fron tair bag (
Ypage 51) .
Fo rmor einformation about th eOCS ,see
"Problem swit hth eOccupant Classification
System" (
Ypage 55).
54Occupant safety
Safety
Drivingsafet ysystems
Overview of drivin gsafet ysystems
In this section ,you will fin dinformation about
th efollowing drivin gsafet ysystems :
RABS (Anti-loc kBrakin gSystem)
(
Ypage 65)
RBA S (B rake Assist System) (Ypage 66)
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU S
(
Ypage 66 )
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(
Ypage 69 )
REBD (Electroni cBrak eforc eDi stribution )
(
Ypage 72)
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 72 )
RSTEERCONTROL (Ypage 72)
Important safet ynotes
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle or if you
are inattentive ,th edrivin gsafet ysystems can
neither reduce th eris kof an acciden tno r
override th elaws of physics. Driving safet y
systems are merely aids designed to assist
driving. You are responsible fo rmaintainin g
th edistanc eto th evehicle in front, fo rvehicle
speed, fo rbraking in goo dtime, and fo rstay-
in gin lane. Always adapt your drivin gstyle to
suit th eprevailin groad and weather condi-
tion sand maintain asaf edistanc efrom th e
vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The drivin gsafet ysystems described only
wor kas effectively as possible when there is
adequat econtact between th etires and th e
road surface. Please pay special attention to
th enote son tires ,recommended minimum
tire tread depths, etc. (
Ypage 328).
In wintr ydrivin gconditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )and if necessary, snow
chains. Only in this way will th edrivin gsafet y
systems described in this section wor kas
effectively as possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
AB Sregulates brake pressure in suc h away
that th ewheels do no tloc kwhen you brake .
Thi sallow syou to continue steerin gth evehi-
cl e when braking .
The ! ABSwarnin glamp in th einstrumen t
cluster lights up when th eignition is switched
on .It goe sout when th eengin eis running .
AB Sworks from aspeed of about 5mph
(8 km/h), regardles sof road-surfac econdi-
tions. AB Sworks on slipper ysurfaces, eve n
when you only brake gently.
Important safet ynotes
iObserv eth e"Important safet ynotes" sec -
tion (
Ypage 65).
GWARNING
If AB Sis faulty, th ewheels could loc kwhen
braking .The steerability and braking charac -
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition -
ally, further drivin gsafet ysystems are deac -
tivated. There is an increase ddanger of skid-
din gand accidents .
Drive on carefully. Hav eAB Schecke dimme-
diately at aqualified specialis tworkshop .
WhenAB Sis malfunctioning, other systems ,
includin gdrivin gsafet ysystems ,will also
becom einoperative .Observ eth einformation
on th eAB Swarnin glamp (
Ypage 261) and
display message swhic hmay be shown in th e
instrumen tcluster (
Ypage 228).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress th e
brake peda lvigorousl yuntil th ebraking sit -
uation is over.
XTo make afull brak eapplication:
depress th ebrake peda lwit hfull force.
If AB Sintervenes when braking ,you will feel a
pulsin gin th ebrake pedal.
Driving safety systems65
Safety
Z
the distance warning function and the auton-
omous braking function are also deactivated.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS is
deactivated, theæsymbol appears in the
assistance graphics display.
Distance warning function
General information
The distance warning function can help you to
minimize the risk of a front-end collision with a vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of such
a collision. If the distance warning function
detects that there is a risk of a collision, you
will be warned visually and acoustically.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (
Ypage 65).
GWARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus, the distance warning function cannot
provide a warning in all critical situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
The distance warning function cannot always
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and do not rely solely on the distance
warning function.
Function
Starting at a speed of approximately 4 mph
(7 km/h), the distance warning function
warns you if you rapidly approach a vehicle in
front. An intermittent warning tone will then
sound, and the ·distance warning lamp
will light up in the instrument cluster.
XBrake immediately in order to increase the distance from the vehicle in front.
or
XTake evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving condi-
tions may also cause the system to display a warning.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obsta-
cles that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), the distance warni
ng function can
also react to stationary obstacles, such as
stopped or parked vehicles.
Autonomous braking function
If the driver does not react to the distance
warning signal in a critical situation, COLLI-
SION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS can assist
with the autonomous braking function.
The autonomous braking function:
Rgives the driver more time to react to criti-
cal driving situations
Rcan help the driver to avoid an accident or
Rreduces the effects of an accident
Vehicles without DISTRONIC PLUS: the
autonomous braking function is available in
the following speed ranges:
R4 - 65 mph (7 - 105 km/h) for moving
objects
R4 - 31 mph (7 - 50 km/h) for stationary
objects
Driving safet ysystem s67
Safety
Z
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
ESP
®monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between the tires and the road surface.
If ESP
®detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilize the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified to
keep the vehicle on the desired course within
physical limits. ESP
®assists the driver when
pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP®
can also stabilize the vehicle during braking.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
ETS traction control is part of ESP
®. On vehi-
cles with 4MATIC, 4ETS is part of ESP®.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. In addition, more drive torque is trans-
ferred to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP
®.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv-
ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP
®checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Vehicles without 4MATIC: when towing
your vehicle with the front axle raised, it is
important that you observe the notes on ESP
®
(Ypage 323).
If the å ESP
®OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, ESP®is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP
®warning lamp and the å
warning lamp are lit continuously, ESP®is not
available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 263) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 228).
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP
®function properly.
Characteristics of ESP®
General information
If the ÷ ESP
®warning lamp goes out
before beginning the journey, ESP®is auto-
matically active.
If ESP
®intervenes, the ÷ESP®warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP
®intervenes:
XDo not deactivate ESP®under any circum-
stances.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
XAdapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle
stops moving. The engine starts automati-
cally when the driver wants to pull away again.
ESP
®remains in its previously selected sta-
tus. Example: if ESP®was deactivated before
the engine was switched off, ESP®remains
deactivated when the engine is switched on
again.
Driving safety systems69
Safety
Z
In the following situations, it may be better to
activate SPORT handling mode or deactivate
ESP
®:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Ron specially designated roads when the
vehicle's own oversteering and understeer- ing characteristics are desired
Driving in SPORT handling mode or without
ESP
®requires an extremely qualified and
experienced driver.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP®deactivated.
You could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP
®
XTo activate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
The SPORT handling mode
message
appears in the multifunction display.
XTo deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster goes out.
XTo deactivate ESP®: press button :until
the å ESP®OFF warning lamp lights up
in the instrument cluster.
The ÷ OFF
message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
XTo activate ESP®: briefly press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out. The ÷
ESP
®ONmessage appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Characteristics of activated SPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handling mode is activated and one
or more wheels start to spin, the ÷ESP
®
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes. ESP®only stabilizes the vehicle to a
limited degree.
When SPORT handling mode is activated:
RESP®only improves driving stability to a
limited degree.
RTraction control is still activated.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-
faces.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Characteristics when ESP
®is deactivated
If ESP
®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in
the instrument cluster does not flash. In such
situations, ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP
®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-
faces.
RTraction control is still activated.
Driving safety systems71
Safety
Z
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 25).
Correct driver's seat position
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
XObserve the safety guidelines on seat
adjustment (
Ypage 101).
XMake sure that seat =is adjusted prop-
erly.
Manual seat adjustment (
Ypage 102)
Electrical seat adjustment (
Ypage 103)
When adjusting the seat, make sure that:
Ryou are as far away from the driver's air
bag as possible
Ryou are sitting in a normal upright posi-
tion
Ryou can fasten the seat belt properly
Ryou have moved the backrest to an
almost vertical position
Ryou have set the seat cushion angle so
that your thighs are gently supported
Ryou can depress the pedals properly
XCheck whether the head restraint is adjus-
ted properly (
Ypage 103).
When doing so, make sure that you have
adjusted the head restraint so that the back
of your head is supported at eye level by the
center of the head restraint.
XObserve the safety notes on steering col-
umn adjustment (
Ypage 106).
XMake sure that steering wheel :is adjus-
ted properly.
Adjusts the steering wheel (
Ypage 106)
When adjusting the steering wheel, make
sure that:
Ryou can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
Ryou can move your legs freely
Ryou can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly
XObserve the safety guidelines for seat belts
(
Ypage 44).
XCheck whether you have fastened seat
belt ;properly (
Ypage 46).
100Correct driver's seat position
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Adaptive Highbeam Assist
Gene ral notes
You can use this function to set th ehead-
lamp sto chang ebetween low beam and high
beam automatically. The system recognizes
vehicles wit htheir lights on ,either approach-
ing from th eopposit edirection or traveling in
fron tof your vehicle, and consequentl y
switches th eheadlamps from high beam to
low beam .
The system automatically adapt sth elow-
beam headlamp range depending on th edis-
tance to th eother vehicle. Once thesystem
no longer detects any other vehicles, it reac -
tivates th ehigh-beam headlamps .
The system' soptical sensor is locate dbehind
th ewindshield near th eoverhead control
panel.
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
Adaptive Highbea mAssis tdoes no trecogniz e
road users:
Rwho hav eno lights ,e.g. pedestrian s
Rwho havepoor lighting ,e.g. cyclist s
Rwhoselighting is blocked, e.g. by abarrier
In ver yrar ecases, Adaptive Highbea mAssis t
may fail to recogniz eother road user sthat
hav elights ,or may recogniz ethem to olate. In
this or similar situations, th eautomatic high -
beam headlamp swill no tbe deactivated or
activated regardless .There is aris kof an acci-
dent.
Always carefully observ eth etraffic condition s
and switch off th ehigh-beam headlamp sin
goo dtime.
Adaptive Highbeam As sistcanno ttak eint o
accoun troad ,weather or traffic conditions.
Adaptive Highbeam As sistis only an aid. You
are responsible for adj usting thevehicle's
lighting to th eprevailing light, visibilit yand
traffic condition s.
In particular, th edetection of obstacles can
be restricted if there is:
Rpoor visibility, e.g. due to fog ,heav yrain or
snow
Rdirt on th e sensors or the sensors are
obscured
Switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist
on/off
XTo switch on: turnth eligh tswitch to Ã.
XPressthecombination switch beyon dth e
pressur epoin tin th edirection of arrow :.
The _ indicator lamp in th emultifunc-
tion display lights up when it is dark and th e
ligh tsensor activates th elow-beam head-
lamp s.
If you are driving at speeds abov eapprox -
imately 28 mph (45 km/h):
118Exterior lighting
Lights and windshield wipers
The headlamp range is set automatically
depending on the distance between the
vehicle and other road users.
If you are driving at speeds above approx-
imately 35 mph (55 km/h) and no other
road users have been detected:
The high-beam headlamps are switched on
automatically. TheKindicator lamp in
the instrument cluster also lights up.
If you are driving at speeds below approx-
imately 30 mph (45 km/h) or other road
users have been detected or the roads are
adequately lit:
The high-beam headlamps are switched off
automatically. The Kindicator lamp in
the instrument cluster goes out. The _
indicator lamp in the multifunction display
remains lit.
XTo deactivate: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The _ indicator lamp in the multifunc-
tion display goes out.
Headlamps fogged up on the inside
Certain climatic and physical conditions may
cause moisture to form in the headlamp. This
moisture does not affect the functionality of
the headlamp.
Interior lighting
Overview of interior lighting
Front overhead control panel
:p Switches the left-hand front reading
lamp on/off
;c Switches the front interior lighting
on
=v Switches the rear interior lighting
on/off
?| Switches the front interior lighting/
automatic interior lighting control off
Ap Switches the right-hand front read-
ing lamp on/off
BSwitches the automatic interior lighting
control on
Rear compartment control panel
:p To switch the left-hand reading lamp
on/off
;p To switch the right-hand reading
lamp on/off
Interior lighting119
Lights and windshield wipers
Z