2016 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-Class drive program

Mercedes-AMG vehicles
Drive program selector with manual drive program
XTurn drive program selector:until the
desired drive program appears in the multi-
function display in the speedometer.
The drive program indicator on drive program
selector :lights up in red.
iFurther information about permanent drive
program M(Ypage 141).
As well as this permanent drive program M,
you can also activate temporary drive pro-
gram M(
Ypage 140).
CControlled
EfficiencyComfortable, economical
driving
S SportSporty driving style
S+ SportPlusParticularly sporty driving
style
MManualManual gear shifting
RS RACE
STARTOptimal vehicle accelera-
tion from a standstill
iFor further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Ypage 139).
iThe automatic transmission shifts to auto-
matic drive program Ceach time the engine is
started.
iRS cannot be selected during normal driv-
ing. For further information on RACE START,
see (
Ypage 165).
Steering wheel paddle shifters
In the manual drive program, you can change
gears manually using steering wheel paddle
shifters :and ;.
Further information about permanent drive pro-
gram M(
Ypage 141).
Further information about temporary drive pro-
gram M(
Ypage 140).
iYou can only change gear with the steering
wheel paddle shifters when the transmission
is in position D.
Automatic drive program
Automatic drive program E
Drive program E(drive program Con Mercedes-
AMG vehicles) is characterized by the following:
Rcomfort-oriented engine and automatic trans-
mission settings.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
Rthe vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the accel-
erator pedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle having improved driving stability,
for example on slippery road surfaces.
Rthe automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being driven
at lower engine speeds and the wheels being
less likely to spin.
Automatic transmission139
Driving and parking
Z

Automa tic drive program S
Drive program S(or ,in th ecas eof Mercedes-
AM Gvehicles, drive program sS and S+)is char-
acterize dby th efollowing:
Rsport yengin eand automatic transmission
settings.
Rth eautomatic transmission shifting up later.
th efuel consumption possibl ybein ghigher as
a result of th elater automatic transmission
shif tpoints .
Manual drive program M
Genera lnotes
In this drive program ,you can briefl ychang e
gear yourself by usin gth esteering whee lpaddl e
shifters. The transmission mus tbe in position D.
You can activat emanual drive program Min th e
E and Sautomatic drive programs.
iAs well as temporar ydrive program M,you
can also activat epermanen tdrive program M
(
Ypage 138).
Further information about permanen tdrive
program M(
Ypage 141).
Acti vating
XShift th etransmission to position D.
XPull thelef tor right steering whee lpaddl e
shifte r (Ypage 139).
Manual drive program Mis temporarily acti-
vated. The selected gear and Mappear in th e
multifunction display.
Shi fting gear s
If you pull on th elef tor right steering whee l
paddl eshifter, th eautomatic transmission
switches to manual drive program Mfor alimi -
te damount of time. Dependin gon whic hpaddl e
shifte ris pulled ,th eautomatic transmission
immediately shifts int oth enext gear down or
up, if permitted.
XTo shift up :pull th eright-hand steering whee l
paddl eshifte r (Ypage 139).
The automatic transmission shifts up to th e
next gear .
iIf themaximum engin espee don th ecur -
rentl yengage dgear is reached and you con-
tinue to accelerate ,th eautomatic tra
nsmis
-sion automatically shifts up in order to pre
-
ven tengin edamage.
XTo shift down :pull on th eleft-han dsteering
whee lpaddl eshifte r (Ypage 139).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
th enext gear .
iIf theengin eexceeds th emaximum engin e
spee dwhen shifting down ,th eautomatic
transmission protect sagainst engin edamag e
by no tshifting down .
iAutomatic down shifting occur swhen
coasting .
Shiftrecommendation
The gearshif trecommendation sassist you in
adopting an economical drivin gstyle. The rec -
ommended gear is shown in th emultifunction
display.
XShift to recommended gear ;according to
gearshif trecommendation :when shown in
th emultifunction display of th einstrumen t
cluster.
Deactivating
If you hav eactivated manual drive program M,it
will remain active for acertain amount of time.
Under certain condition sth eminimum amount
of time is extended, e.g. in th ecas eof lateral
acceleration ,during an overrun phas eor when
drivin gon steep terrain .
If manual drive program Mhas been deactiva-
ted, th eautomatic transmission shifts int oth e
automatic drive program that was last selected, i.e .E or S.
You can also deactivat emanual drive program
M yourself :
XPull on th eright-hand steering whee lpaddl e
shifte rand hold it in plac e (Ypage 139).
or
XUse th eDIRECT SELECT lever to switch th e
transmission position (Ypage 135).
140Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

or
XUse the program selector button to change
the drive program (Ypage 138).
Manual drive program Mis deactivated. The
automatic transmission switches into the
automatic drive program that was last selec-
ted, i.e. Eor S.
Manual drive program (Mercedes-
AMG vehicles and vehicles with the
AMG sports package)
General information
In this drive program, you can permanently
change gear yourself by using the steering
wheel paddle shifters. The transmission must be
in position D.
iAs well as this permanent drive program M,
you can also activate temporary drive pro-
gram M(
Ypage 140).
Switching on the manual drive program
XPress the program selector button
(Ypage 138) repeatedly until Mappears in
the multifunction display.
XMercedes-AMG vehicles: turn the drive pro-
gram selector (Ypage 139) until Mappears in
the multifunction display.
The indicator Mon the drive program selector
lights up in red.
Manual drive program Mis different from drive
programs Sand S+with regard to spontaneity,
responsiveness and smoothness of gear
changes.
Manual drive program Mcan be selected using
the drive program selector. In manual drive pro-
gram M, you can change gear using the steering
wheel paddle shifters if the transmission is in
position D. The gear currently selected and
engaged is shown in the multifunction display.
Upshifting
XPull the right-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles
!In manual drive program M, the automatic
transmission does not shift up automatically
even when the engine limiting speed for the
current gear is reached. When the engine lim-
iting speed is reached, the fuel supply is cut to
prevent the engine from overrevving. Always
make sure that the engine speed does not
reach the red area of the tachometer. There is
otherwise a risk of engine damage.
:Gear indicator
;Upshift indicator
Before the engine speed reaches the red area,
an upshift indicator will be shown in the multi-
function display.
XWhen the UPmessage appears in the multi-
function display, pull on the right-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter.
Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
XIf corresponding gearshift recommenda-
tion :appears in the multifunction display
on the instrument cluster, pull on the right-
hand steering wheel paddle shifter
(
Ypage 139).
The automatic transmission shifts to recom-
mended gear ;.
Automatic transmission141
Driving and parking
Z

Downshifting
XPull theleft-han dsteerin gwhee lpaddle
shifter.
The automatic transmissio nshift sdown to
th enext gear .
iIf you brake th evehicle or stop without shift -
in g down ,th eautomatic transmissio nwill
shift down to agear that will allow th evehicle
to accelerat eor pull away again .
iFormaximum acceleration ,pull th eleft-
han dsteerin gwhee lpaddle shifter until th e
transmissio nselects th eoptimum gear fo r
th ecurren tspeed.
Kickdown
You can also use kickdown fo rmaximum accel-
eration in manual drive program M.
XDepress th eaccelerator peda lbeyond th e
pressure point.
The automatic transmissio nshift sto alowe r
gear dependin gon th eengin espeed.
XShift bac kup once th edesire dspeed is
reached.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles :it is no tpossible to
use kickdown in manual drive program M.
Switchin goff th emanual drive program
XPress th eprogram selecto rbutto n
(Ypage 138).
XMercedes-AMG vehicles :turn th edrive pro -
gram selecto r (Ypage 139).
142Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

The evaluation of your driving style is carried out
using the following three categories:
RAcceleration(evaluation of all acceleration
processes):
-The bar fills up: moderate acceleration,
especially at higher speeds
-The bar empties: sporty acceleration
RConstant(assessment of driving behavior at
all times):
-The bar fills up: constant speed and avoid-
ance of unnecessary acceleration and
deceleration
-The bar empties: fluctuations in speed
RCoasting(assessment of all deceleration
processes):
-The bar fills up: anticipatory driving, keep-
ing your distance and early release of the
accelerator. The vehicle can coast without
use of the brakes.
-The bar empties: frequent braking
iAn economical driving style specially
requires driving at moderate engine speeds.
To achieve a higher value in the categories
Acceleration
and Constant:
Robserve the gearshift recommendations.
Rdrive in drive program E.
iOn long journeys at a constant speed, e.g.
on the highway, only the bar for Constantwill
change.
iThe ECO display summarizes the driving
characteristics from the start of the journey to
its completion. For this reason, the bars
change dynamically at the beginning of the
journey. On longer journeys, there are fewer
changes. For more dynamic changes, carry
out a manual reset.
For further information on the ECO display, see
(
Ypage 199).
Braking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
!On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting to a lower gear in good time. This allows you to
take advantage of the engine's braking effect.
This helps you to avoid overheating the
brakes and wearing them out excessively.
When you take advantage of engine braking, a
drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g.
on a slippery road surface. This could cause
damage to the drive train. This type of damage
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz war-
ranty.
Do not depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. causing the
brakes to rub by constantly applying light pres-
sure to the pedal. This results in excessive and
premature wear to the brake pads.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. This is especially
important if the vehicle is laden.
Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
!Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the airflow
to cool the brakes more quickly.
150Driving tips
Driving and parking

stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate orbrake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you :.
XRemove your foot from 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 with DISTRONIC PLUS
Pulling away and driving
XIf you want to pull away with DISTRONIC
PLUS: remove your foot from the brake pedal.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you:.
or
XAccelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its speed
to that of the vehicle in front. If no vehicle is detected in front, your vehicle
accelerates to the set speed.
The vehicle can also pull away when it is facing
an unidentified obstacle or is driving on a differ- ent line from another vehicle. The vehicle then
brakes automatically.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC PLUS
operates in the same way as cruise control.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front has slowed down, it brakes your vehicle. In
this way, the distance you have selected is main-
tained.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a faster-moving
vehicle in front, it increases the driving speed.
However, the vehicle is only accelerated up to
the speed you have stored.
Selecting the drive program
DISTRONIC PLUS supports a sporty driving style when you have selected the Sor M(AMG vehi-
cles: S,S+ orM) driving program (
Ypage 138).
Acceleration behind the vehicle in front or to the
set speed is then noticeably more dynamic. If
you have selected the E(AMG vehicles: C) driv-
ing program, the vehicle accelerates more gen-
tly. This setting is recommended in stop-and-
start traffic.
Changing lanes
If you change to the passing lane, DISTRONIC
PLUS supports you when:
Ryou are driving faster than 45 mph (70 km/h)
RDISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the distance
to a vehicle in front
Ryou switch on the appropriate turn signal
RDISTRONIC PLUS does not detect a danger of
collision
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted if
changing lanes takes too long or if the distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
becomes too small.
iWhen you change lanes, DISTRONIC PLUS
monitors the left lane on left-hand-drive vehi-
cles or the right lane on right-hand-drive vehi-
cles.
158Driving systems
Driving and parking

Activating the HOLD function
XMakesur ethat th eactivation condition sare
met .
XDepress th ebrak epedal .
XQuickl ydepress th ebrak epedal further until
ë :appear sin th emultifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release th ebrak epedal .
iIf depressing th ebrak epedal th efirst time
does no tactivat eth eHOLD function ,wait
briefl yand then tr yagain .
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
Ryou accelerate and th etransmission is in
position Dor R.
Ryou shif tth etransmission to position P.
Ryou depress thebrak epedal again wit h acer-
tai namount of pressur euntil ë disap-
pear sfrom th emultifunction display.
Ryou activat eDISTRONI CPLUS.
When th eHOLD function is activated, th etrans -
mission is shifte dautomatically to position Pif:
Rth edriver's door is open and th edriver's seat
belt is unfastened.
Rth eengin eis switched off ,unless it is auto -
matically switched off by th eECO start/sto p
function .
Rthehoo dis opened.
Rasystem malfunction occurs.
Rth epowe rsupply is no tsufficient.
RACE START
Import ant safety notes
iObserveth esafet ynote sfor th eSPORT
handlin gmod e (Ypage 71). RACE START is intended solely for activation on
dedicate
drac ecircuits.
RACE START enables optimal acceleration from
a standing start .The precondition for this is a
suitable high-grip road surface.
iRACE START is only available in AM Gvehi-
cles.
Conditions for activati on
You can activateRACE START if:
Rth edoor sare closed.
Rth eengin eis runnin gand it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
17 6 ‡ (80 †) .This is the case when the oil
temperature gauge in the multifunction dis-
play is shown in white.
RSPORT handling mode is activated.
(Ypage 71)
Rthe steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
Rthe vehicle is stationary and the brake pedal is
depressed (left foot).
Rthe transmission is in position D.
Activating RACE START
XDepress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
XTurn the drive program selector clockwise
(Ypage 139) until theRSlamp lights up.
The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWNmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
iIf the activation conditions are no longer ful-
filled, RACE START is canceled. The RACE
START Canceledmessage appears in the
multifunction display.
XTo cancel: pull the left steering wheel paddle
shifter (Ypage 139).
or
XTo confirm: pull the right steering wheel pad- dle shifter (Ypage 139).
The RACESTARTAvailableDepressgaspedalmessage appears in the multifunction
display.
iIf you do not depress the accelerator pedal
fully within two seconds, RACE START is can-
celed. The RACE
STARTNotPossibleSeeOperator'sManualmessage appears in the
multifunction display.
Driving systems165
Driving and parking
Z

XFully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed rises to approximately
3,500 rpm.
TheRACE
STARTReleasebraketostartmessage appears in the multifunction display.
iIf you do not release the brake pedal within
five seconds, RACE START is canceled. The
RACE START Canceled
message appears in
the multifunction display.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
The RACE
STARTActivemessage appears in
the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 30 mph (Can-
ada: 50 km/h). Drive program S+is activated.
SPORT handling mode remains activated.
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‐
sible See Operator's Manualmessage
appears in the multifunction display.
iIf RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available again
after the vehicle has been driven a certain
distance.
AIRMATIC
Vehicle level
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or
in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered.
Your vehicle regulates its height automatically.
All-round level control ensures the best possible
suspension and constant ground clearance,
even with a laden vehicle. When you drive fast, the vehicle is lowered automatically to improve
driving safety and to reduce fuel consumption.
The following vehicle levels are possible:
RNormal
RRaised: the vehicle is raised by approximately
0.80 in (20 mm) when compared with the nor-
mal level
RLowered: the vehicle is raised by approx-
imately 0.40 in (10 mm) when compared with
the normal level
iThese changes in level are so slight that you
are hardly aware of them.
The "Normal" and "Raised" vehicle levels can be
set manually.
The "Lowered” vehicle level is set automatically:
Rat speeds above 70 mph (113 km/h)
Rif you have selected "Sports tuning"
(Ypage 167)
Setting the vehicle level
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road sur-
faces and "Raised" for driving with snow chains or on particularly poor road surfaces. Your
selection remains stored even if yo u remove the
Sma

rtKey from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level
XStart the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
XPress the :button.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The vehicle height
is adjusted to raised level.
The Vehicle
Risingmessage appears in the
display.
166Driving systems
Driving and parking