2016 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-Class ESP

Changesinthe outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indic ated temperatures just above the freezing
poin tdo not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especiallyin
wooded areas or on bridges. The veh iclecould
skid if you fail to adapt your driving style. Always
adapt your driving style and drive at a speed to
suit the prevailin g weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
poin t.
For more information on drivingwith snow
chains, see (
Ypage 303).
For more information on drivingwith summer
tires, see (
Ypage 303).
Observe the notes inthe "Win ter operation" sec-
tion (
Ypage 303).
Driving systems
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive
Mercedes-Benz Inte lligen t Drive stands for inno-
vative driver assistance and safety systems
whic h enhance comfort and support the driverin
critical situations. With these int elligent co-o rdi-
nated systems Mercedes-Benz has set a mile-
stone on the path towards autonomous driving.
Mercedes-Benz Inte lligen t Drive embraces all
elements of active and passive safety inone well
thought out system – for the safety of the veh i-
cle occupants and that of other road users.
Further information on driving safety systems
(
Ypage 64).
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains a constant road speed
for you. Itbrakes automatically inorder to avoid
excee ding the set speed. On long and steep
downhill gradients, especially ifthe veh icle is
laden, you must shift to a lower gear intime. By
doin g so, you willmake 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.
Use cruise control only if road and trafficcon-
dit ions make itappropriate to maintain a steady speed for a prolonged period. You can store any
road speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the
lawsof physics. Cruise control
cannot take into account the road, traff icand
weather conditions. Cruise control is only an
aid. You are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brakingin
good time and for staying in your lane.
Do not use cruise control:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
Rwhen there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:To activate or increase speed
;To activate or reduce speed
=To deactivate cruise control
?To activate at the current speed/last stored
speed
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display for
five seconds.
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the cruise control lever up:or down ;to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For example, if
you accelerate briefly to overtake, cruise con-
trol adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished overtak-
ing.
Deactivating cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise con-
trol:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
Ryou depress the parking brake
Ryou are driving at less than 20 mph (30 km/h)
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Ryou shift the transmission to position Nwhile
driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the Cruise Con‐
trol Offmessage in the multifunction display
for approximately five seconds.
iWhen you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared.
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. This is especially
important if the vehicle is laden. 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 overheating and wear-
ing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk of a collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot prevent a
collision without your intervention. An intermit-
tent warning tone will then sound and the dis-
tance warning lamp will light up in the instru-
ment cluster. Brake immediately in order to
increase the distance to the vehicle in front or
take evasive action provided it is safe to do so.
For DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the radar
sensor system must be operational.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates in range between
0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (200 km/h)
.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
As DISTRONIC PLUS transmits radar waves, it
can resemble the radar detectors of the respon-
sible authorities. You can refer to the relevant
chapter in the Operator's Manual if questions
are asked about this.
iUSA only: This device has been approved by
the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor is intended for use in an auto-
motive radar system only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of the device will void any war-
ranties, and is not permitted by the FCC. Do
not tamper with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
iCanada only: This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions:
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1. This device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and
2. This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device
will void any warranties, and is not permitted. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to:
Rpeople or animals
Rstationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop- ped or parked vehicles
Roncoming 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.
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot always clearly iden-
tify other road users and complex traffic sit-
uations.
In such cases, DISTRONIC PLUS may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
Rneither give a warning nor intervene
Raccelerate or brake unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, in particular when warned to do so by
DISTRONIC PLUS.
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle with up to 50% of the maximum possible deceleration.
If this braking force is insufficient, DISTRONIC
PLUS warns you visually and audibly. There isa risk of an accident.
In such cases, apply the brakes yourself and
try to take evasive action.
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function is
activated, the vehicle brakes automatically in
certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or other similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DISTRONIC
PLUS can neither reduce the risk of accident nor
override the laws of physics. DISTRONIC PLUS
cannot take into account the road, traffic and
weather conditions. DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid. You are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in
good time and for staying in your lane.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
Rwhen there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple, in parking garages
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehicle
in front, DISTRONIC PLUS ma

y unexpectedly
accelerate the vehicle to the stored speed.
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This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a filter lane or
an exit lane
Rbe so high in the right lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the left (left-hand drive coun-
tries)
Rbe so high in the left lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the right (right-hand drive
countries)
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:To store the current speed or a higher speed
;To store the current speed or a lower speed
=To deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
?To store the current speed or call up the last
stored speed
ATo set the specified minimum distance
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS
Activation conditions
In order to activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up to two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
Rthe parking brake must be released.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
RActive Parking Assist must not be activated.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Rthe hood must be closed.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift fromPto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
Rthe vehicle must not skid.
Activating
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;, or press it up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
XPress the cruise control lever repeatedly
up : or down =until the desired speed is
set.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
If the vehicle in front of you is stationary, you can only activate DISTRONIC PLUS once your vehi-
cle is stationary as well.
iIf you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS Overridemes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in
front will then not be maintained. You will be
driving at the speed you determine by the
position of the accelerator pedal.
You can also activate DISTRONIC PLUS when
stationary. The lowest speed that can be set is
18 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;up: or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
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ings (left and right), and only on the vehicle in
front if lane markings are missing.
If these conditions are not present, Steering
Assist and Stop&Go Pilot cannot provide assis-
tance.
DISTRONIC PLUS must be active in order for the
function to be available.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DISTRONIC
PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
can neither reduce the risk of an accident nor
override the laws of physics. It cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic conditions.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot is only an aid. You are responsible
for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehi-
cle speed, for braking in good time and for stay-
ing in your lane.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot does not detect road and traffic
conditions. If you are following a vehicle which is
driving towards the edge of the road, your vehi-
cle could come into contact with the curb or
other road boundaries. Be particularly aware of
other road users, e.g. cyclists, that are directly
next to your vehicle.
Obstacles such as building site huts on the lane
or projecting out into the lane are not detected.
An inappropriate steering intervention, e.g. afterintentionally driving over a lane marking, can be
corrected at any time if you steer slightly in the
opposite direction.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot cannot continuously keep your
vehicle in lane. In some cases, the steering
intervention is not sufficient to bring the vehicle
back to the lane. In such cases, you must steerthe vehic le yourself t
o ensure that it does not
leave the lane.
The support provided by the system can be
impaired if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
Rno, or several, unclear lane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, e.g. in a construction area
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge
Rthe road is narrow and winding
Rthere are strong shadows cast on the road
The system is switched to passive and no longer
assists you by performing steering interventions
if:
Ryou actively change lanes
Ryou switch on the turn signal
Rtake your hands off the steering wheel or do
not steer for a prolonged period of time
iAfter you have finished changing lanes,
Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are auto-
matically active again.
DISTRONIC PLUS Steering Assist does not pro-
vide assistance:
Ron very sharp corners
Rwhen a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire
has been detected and displayed
Pay attention also to the important safety notes for DISTRONIC PLUS (
Ypage 156).
The steering intervent ions are c
arried out with a
limited steering moment. The system requires
the driver to keep his hands on the steering
wheel and to steer himself.
If you do not steer yourself or if you take your
hands off the steering wheel for a prolonged
period of time, the system will first alert you with
a visual warning. A steering wheel symbol
appears in the multifunction display. If you have
still not started to steer and have not taken hold
of the steering wheel after five seconds at the
latest, a warning tone also sounds to remind you
to take control of the vehicle. Steering Assist
and Stop&Go Pilot are switched to passive.
DISTRONIC PLUS remains active.
Activating Steering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot
XActivate the DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering
Assist and Stop&Go Pilot function using the
on-board computer (
Ypage 204).
The DTR+: Steering Assistant Onmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are active.
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Information in the multifunction display
If Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are activa-
ted but not ready for a steering intervention,
steering wheel symbol :appears ingray. Ifthe
system pro vides you with support bymeans of
steering interventions, symbol :isshown in
green.
Deactivating Steering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot
XDeactivate the DI STRONIC PLUS withSt eer-
ing Assist and Stop&Go Pilot function using
the on-board computer (
Ypage 204).
The DTR+: Steering Assistant Offmes-
sage appears inthe multifunction display.
St eering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are deac-
tivate d.
When DI STRONIC PLUS isdeactivated or not
available, Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are
deactivated automatically.
HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driverinthe
fol lowin g situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especial lyon steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waitingintraff ic
The veh icle iskept stationary without the driver
having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect iscanceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pullaway.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
Rthere is a malfunction inthe system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
Rthe electrical system inthe engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
!If DI ST RONIC PLUS or the HOLD function is
activated, the vehicle brakes automatically in
certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or other similar situations:
Rwhen to wing the vehicle
Rinthe car wash
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
Rthe vehicle isstationary
Rthe engine is running or if ithas been auto-
matical ly switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
Rthe driver's door isclosed or your seat belt is
fastened
Rthe parking brake isreleased
Rthe transmission isin position D,Ror N
RDIST RONIC PLUS is deactivated
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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.
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oriented driving style. Select comfort mode also
when driving fast on straight roads, e.g. on
straight stretches of highway.
XPress button:repeatedly until indicator
lamps =and ?go out.
You have selected Comfort mode.
The AMG
SuspensionSystemCOMFORTmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Storing and calling up settings
Once the suspension setting and drive program
have been selected, you can store and call up
your settings using AMG button ;.
XTo store:press and hold AMG button ;until
you hear a tone.
XTo call up: press AMG button ;.
The stored suspension setting and drive pro-
gram are selected.
XTo display: briefly press AMG button ;.
Your selection appears in the multifunction
display.
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.
The vehicle may be lowered if you press the sus-
pension setting selector button or the AMG but-
ton. The vehicle also lowers if it is stationary.
!If Sport or Sport + suspension tuning has
been selected, the vehicle's ground clearance
decreases. Make sure that no objects
become trapped or that the vehicle does not
become damaged, for example, on the curb.
iThe vehicle level may change visibly at the
rear axle if you park the vehicle and the out-
side temperature changes. If the temperature
drops, the vehicle level lowers; with an
increase in temperature, the vehicle level
rises.
Changing the rear axle ride height
This function is only available on the Mercedes-
AMG CLS 63 4MATIC.
The vehicle level at the rear axle depends on the
selected suspension mode and the vehicle
speed.
The vehicle level at the rear axle changes while
driving depending on which suspension mode is
selected:
RComfort: +0.4 in (+10 mm)
RSport + and Sport: -0.6 in (-15 mm)
When changing from Comfort to Sport or Sport
+, the axle is lowered approximately 1.0 in
(25 mm). When changing from Sport or Sport +
to Comfort, the axle is raised approximately
1.0 in (25 mm). This level change also takes
place when the vehicle is stationary.
If you drive faster than 105 mph (170 km/h) , the
rear axle level is set to a middle level. This
increases driving safety and reduces air resist-
ance. If you then drive slower than 93 mph
(150 km/h), the level of the rear axle is again
adjusted to correspond to the selected suspen-
sion mode.
Load compensation
The vehicle can compensate differences in the
vehicle level by raising or lowering the rear axle.
This is the case, for example, if people get out or
if luggage is being loaded.
Load compensation takes place if:
Ra door, the trunk lid or the tailgate is opened
Rthe parked vehicle is unlocked
For larger level changes, the engine must be
running.
4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive)
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic conditions.
4MATIC is only an aid. You are responsible for
the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
ROnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
RAccelerate less when driving.
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