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. after
intentionally 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 steer
the vehic le yourself to ensure that it does not
leave the lane.
The support provided by the system can be
impaired if: R
there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray R
there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet) R
the windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera R
no, or several, unclear lane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, e.g. in a construction area R
the lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow R
the distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted R
the lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge R
the road is narrow and winding R
there are strong shadows cast on the road
The system is switched to passive and no longer
assists you by performing steering interventions
if: R
you actively change lanes R
you switch on the turn signal R
take your hands off the steering wheel or do
not steer for a prolonged period of time
i After 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: R
on very sharp corners R
when 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 ( Y
page 156).
The steering interventions 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 X
Activate the DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering
Assist and Stop&Go Pilot function using the
on-board computer ( Y
page 204).
The DTR+: Steering Assistant On mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are active.Driving systems 163
Driving and parking Z
X
Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed rises to approximately
3,500 rpm.
The RACE START Release brake to start
message appears in the multifunction display.
i If you do not release the brake pedal within
five seconds, RACE START is canceled. The
RACE START Canceled message appears in
the multifunction display. X
Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
The RACE START Active message 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 Manual message
appears in the multifunction display.
i If 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
G WARNING
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: R
Normal R
Raised: the vehicle is raised by approximately
0.80 in (20 mm) when compared with the nor-
mal level R
Lowered: the vehicle is raised by approx-
imately 0.40 in (10 mm) when compared with
the normal level
i These 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: R
at speeds above 70 mph (113 km/h) R
if you have selected "Sports tuning"
( Y
page 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 rtKe y from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level
X
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp D is not lit:X
Press the C button.
Indicator lamp D lights up. The vehicle height
is adjusted to raised level.
The Vehicle
Rising message appears in the
display.166
Driving systems
Driving and parking
in the multifunction display and you will hear a
tone. The vehicle is now parked. The vehicle is
kept stationary without the driver having to
depress the brake pedal. The braking effect is
canceled when you depress the accelerator
pedal.
Active Parking Assist no longer supports you
with steering interventions and brake applica-
tions. When Active Parking Assist is finished,
you must steer and brake again yourself.
PARKTRONIC is still available. X
Maneuver if necessary. X
Always observe the warning messages dis-
played by PARKTRONIC ( Y
page 171).
Parking tips: R
The way your vehicle is positioned in the park-
ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the position and
shape of the vehicles parked in front and
behind it and the conditions of the location. It
may be the case that Active Parking Assist
guides you too far into a parking space, or not
far enough into it. In some cases, it may also
lead you across or onto the curb. If necessary,
you should cancel the parking procedure with
Active Parking Assist. R
You can also select preselect transmission
position D . The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far into the parking space. Should a
gear be changed too early, the parking pro-
cedure will be canceled. A sensible parking
position can no longer be achieved from this
position.
Exiting a parking space In order that Active Parking Assist can support
you when exiting the parking space: R
the border of the parking space must be high
enough at the front and the rear. A curb is too
small, for example. R
the border of the parking space must not be
too wide, as the position of the vehicle must
not exceed an angle of 45° to the starting
position as it is maneuvering into the parking
space. R
a maneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available.
i If PARKTRONIC detects obstacles, Active
Parking Assist brakes automatically whilst the
vehicle exits the parking space. You are
responsible for braking in good time. Active Parking Assist can only assist you with
exiting a parking space if you have parked the
vehicle parallel to the direction of travel using
Active Parking Assist. X
Start the engine. X
Release the parking brake. X
Switch on the turn signal in the direction you
are pulling away. X
Shift the transmission to position D or R .
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
8 message appears in the multifunction
display. X
To cancel the procedure: press the 8
button on the multifunction steering wheel or
pull away.
or X
To exit a parking space using Active Park-
ing Assist: press the v button on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
and Brake Observe Surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. X
Let go of the multifunction steering wheel. X
Pull away, being ready to brake at all times. Do
not exceed a maximum speed of approx-
imately 6 mph (10 km/h) when exiting a park-
ing space. Otherwise Active Parking Assist
will be canceled. X
Shift the transmission to position D or R as
required or according to the message while
the vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. The Park Assist
Active Accelerate and Brake Observe
Surroundings message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
i You will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
If you back up after activation, the steering
wheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion. X
Drive forwards and back up as instructed by
the PARKTRONIC warning displays.
Once you have exited the parking space com-
pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and the
Park Assist Finished message appears in
the multifunction display. You will then have to
steer and merge into traffic on your own.
PARKTRONIC is still available. You can take over176
Driving systems
Driving and parking