2016 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-Class ESP

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

To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally:
Rthe parking brake must be applied.
Rthe transmission must be in positionPand the
Smartkey must be removed from the ignition lock.
Rthe front wheels must be turned towards the
curb on steep uphill or downhill gradients.
Switching off the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission
XApply the parking brake firmly.
XAll vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): shift the transmission to position P.
XMercedes-AMG vehicles:when the vehicle
is stationary, press button :.
XWith the Smartkey:turn the Smartkey to
position 0in the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.
XWith KEYLESS-GO: press the KEYLESS-GO
Start/Stop button (Ypage 127).
The engine stops and all the indicator lamps in
the instrument cluster go out. When the driver's door is closed, this corre-
sponds 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 transmis-
sion in position Ror D, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
With the Smartkey: if you then open the driv-
er's door or the front-passenger door or remove the Smartkey from the ignition, the automatic
transmission shifts to Pautomatically.
With KEYLESS-GO: if you then open the driver's
or front-passenger door, the automatic trans-
mission shifts to P.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral N, e.g. when having the vehicle
cleaned in an automatic car wash with a towing
system:
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
Start/Stop button from the ignition lock.
XInsert the Smartkey into the ignition lock.
XAll vehicles: switch the ignition on.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smartkey
in the ignition lock.
The engine can be switched off while the vehicle
is in motion by pressing and holding the Start/
Stop button for about three seconds. This func-
tion operates independently of the ECO start/
stop automatic engine switch-off function.
Parking brake
GWARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels could lock. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi-
cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly. If the
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begin turning again.
Parking147
Driving and parking
Z

Drive sensibly–save fuel
Observ eth efollowin gtips to sav efuel:
XThe tires should always be inflate dto th erec -
ommended tire pressure.
XRemov eunnecessary loads.
XRemov eroof racks when they are no tneeded.
XWar mup th eengin eat low engin espeeds .
XAvoid frequent acceleration or braking .
XHaveall maintenance wor kcarrie dout as
indicated by th eservic eintervals in th eMain -
tenance Booklet or by th eservic einterval dis -
play.
Fue lconsumption also increase swhen drivin gin
cold weather ,in stop-start traffic and in hill yter-
rain .
Drinking an ddrivin g
GWARNING
Drinking and drivin gand/o rtaking drugs and
drivin gare ver ydangerous combinations.
Even asmall amount of alcoho lor drugs can
affec tyour reflexes, perception sand judg-
ment.
The possibilit yof aserious or eve nfatal acci-
den tis greatly increase dwhen you drink or
take drugs and drive.
Do no tdrink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyon eto drive who has bee ndrinkin gor tak-
in g drugs.
Emission contro l
GWARNING
Combustion engines emi tpoisonous exhaus t
gases suc has carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaus tgases lead sto poisoning. There
is aris kof fatal injury. Therefor enever leav e
th eengin erunning in enclose dspaces with-
out sufficien tventilation .
Certain engin esystems are designed to keep
th elevel of poisonous component sin exhaus t
fumes within lega llimits.
These systems only wor kat peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance wit hth e
manufacturer's specifications. Always hav e
wor kon th eengin ecarrie dout at aqualified specialis
tworkshop .Mercedes-Ben zrecom -
mends that you use an authorized Mercedes -
Benz Cente rfo rthis purpose. In particular, wor k
relevant to safet yor on safety-related systems
mus tbe carrie dout at aqualified specialis t
workshop .
The engin esetting smus tno tbe changed under
any circumstances. Furthermore, all specific
servic ewor kmus tbe carrie dout at regular
intervals and in accordance wit hth eMercedes -
Benz servic erequirements .Details can be found
in th eMaintenance Booklet .
ECO display
The ECOdisplay provides feedback on how eco-
nomical your drivin gcharacteristics are .The
EC Odisplay assist syou in achievin gth emost
economical drivin gstyle fo rth eselecte dset -
ting sand prevailin gconditions. Your drivin g
style can significantly influenc eth evehicle' s
consumption .
The EC Odisplay consist sof three bars:
RAcceleration
RConstant
RCoasting
The percent valu eis th eaverag evalu eof th e
three bars. The three bar sand th emea nvalu e
begin at th evalu eof 50%. Ahigher percentage
indicates amore economical drivin gstyle.
The EC Odisplay doe sno tindicat eth eactual fue l
consumption . Afixed percentage count in th e
EC Odisplay doe sno tindicat e afixed consump -
tion .
Apart from drivin gstyle, consumption is
dependen ton man yfactors suc has, e.g. :
Rload
Rtire pressure
Rcold start
Rchoiceof rout e
Relectrical consumers switched on
These factors are no tincluded in th eEC Odis -
play.
Driving tips149
Driving and parking
Z

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

Wet roads
If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly while paying attention to
the traffic conditions. This will warm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt resi-
due may form on the brake discs and brake
pads. This can result in a significantly longer
braking distance.
RIn order to prevent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to
the traffic conditions.
RCarefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
RMaintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes
!The brake fluid level may be too low, if:
Rif the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster and
Ryou hear a warning tone while the engine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to
brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immediately.
Consult a qualified specialist workshop to
arrange this.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC: function or per-
formance tests may only be carried out on a 2-
axle dynamometer. If you wish to operate the
vehicle on such a dynamometer, please con-
sult a qualified specialist workshop in
advance. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC: as the ESP®sys-
tem operates automatically, the engine and
the ignition must be switched off (SmartKey in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock or Start/
Stop button in position 0or 1) while the park-
ing brake is being tested on a brake dyna-
mometer.
Braking maneuvers triggered automatically
by ESP
®may seriously damage the brake sys-
tem.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC: as the ESP®sys-
tem operates automatically, the engine and
the ignition system must be switched off
(SmartKey in position 0or 1in the ignition
lock or Start/Stop button in position 0or 1)
when:
Rtesting the parking brake on a brake dyna-
mometer.
Ryou intend to have the vehicle towed with
one of the axles raised.
Braking maneuvers triggered automatically
by ESP
®may seriously damage the brake sys-
tem.
All checks and maintenance work on the brake
system must be carried out at a qualified spe-
cialist worksho p.
Ha

ve brake pads installed and brake fluid
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you should test the functional-
ity of your brakes at regular intervals. To do so,
press firmly on the brake pedal when driving at a
high speed. This improves the grip of the brake
pads.
You can find a description of Brake Assist (BAS) on (
Ypage 65) or of BAS PLUS on (Ypage 65).
The braking characteristics of the vehicle can be
seriously impaired if:
Rbrake pads other than those recommended
are installed
Rthe recommended brake fluid is not used
Safe braking can no longer be guaranteed.
AMG high-performance and ceramic
brakes
The high-performance brake system is only
installed on the Mercedes-AMG
CLS 63 S 4MATIC model.
Driving tips151
Driving and parking
Z

The AMG brake systems are designed for heavy
loads. This may lead to noise when braking. This
will depend on:
RSpeed
RBraking force
REnvironmental conditions, such as tempera-
ture and humidity
The wear of individual components of the brake
system, such as the brake pads/linings or brake
discs, depends on the individual driving style
and operating conditions.
For this reason, it is impossible to state a mile-
age that will be valid under all circumstances. An
aggressive driving style will lead to high wear.
You can obtain further information about this
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after several
hundred kilometers of driving. Compensate for
this by applying greater force to the brake pedal. Keep this in mind, and adapt your driving and
braking accordingly during this break-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in correspond-
ingly high brake wear. Observe the brake wear
warning lamp in the instrument cluster and note
any brake status messages in the multifunction
display. Especially for high performance driving,it is important to maintain and have the brake
system checked regularly.
Driving on wet roads
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to a certain depth on
the road surface, there is a danger of hydro-
planing occurring, even if:
Ryou drive at low speeds.
Rthe tires have adequate tread depth.
For this reason, in the event of heavy rain or in
conditions in which hydroplaning may occur,
you must drive in the following manner:
Rlower your speed.
Ravoid ruts.
Ravoid sudden steering movements.
Rbrake carefully.
Driving on flooded roads
!Do not drive through flooded areas. Check
the depth of any water before driving through
it. Drive slowly through standing water. Oth-
erwise, water may enter the vehicle interior or
the engine compartment. This can damage
the electronic components in the engine or
the automatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by the engine's air suction nozzles
and this can cause engine damage.
Winter driving
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.
GDANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a
window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road sur-
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and
braking maneuvers. Do not use the cruise con-
trol or DISTRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the transmission to position N.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
152Driving tips
Driving and parking