When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 222) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 198).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit-
uation is over.
XTo make a full brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions, and functions as a reminder to take extra care while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 62).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Braking
XKeep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
BAS PLUS (Brake Assist PLUS) with
Cross-Traffic Assist
General information
BAS PLUS can help you to minimize the risk of a
collision with a vehicle or a pedestrian and
reduce the effects of such a collision. If BAS
PLUS detects a danger of collision, you are
assisted when braking.
iPay attention to the important safety notes
in the "Driving safety systems" section
(
Ypage 62).
BAS PLUS is only available on vehicles with the
Driving Assistance package.
For BAS PLUS to assist you when driving, the
radar sensor system and the camera system
must be operational.
With the help of a sensor system and a camera
system, BAS PLUS can detect obstacles:
Rthat are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time
Rthat cross the path of your vehicle
In addition, pedestrians in the path of your vehi- cle can be detected.
BAS PLUS detects pedestrians by using typical
characteristics such as the body contours and
posture of a person standing upright.
If the radar sensor system or the camera system
is malfunctioning, BAS PLUS functions are
restricted or no longer available. The brake sys-
tem is still available with complete brake boost-
ing effect and BAS.
iObserve the restrictions described in the
"Important safety notes" section
(
Ypage 63).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
BAS PLUS cannot always clearly identify
objects and complex traffic situations.
In such cases, BAS PLUS may:
Rintervene unnecessarily
Rnot intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Driving safety systems63
Safety
Z
Vehicles without 4MATIC: observe the notes on
ESP®(Ypage 278) when towing the vehicle
with a raised rear axle.
If the å ESP
®OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, then ESP®is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP®warning lamp and the å
ESP®OFF warning lamp are lit continuously,
ESP®is not available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 222) and display messages which may
be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 198).
iOnly 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 automatically
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 prevailing
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 automatically when
the driver wants to pull away again. ESP
®
remains in its previously selected status. Exam-
ple: if ESP®was deactivated before the engine
was switched off, ESP®remains deactivated
when the engine is switched on again.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
Important safety notes
You can select between the following states of
ESP®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®, ESP®no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehicle 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®
You can deactivate or activate ESP®via the on-
board computer (Ypage 191).
ESP®deactivated:
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
ESP
®activated:
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
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 flashes. 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 cutting
action for better traction on loose surfaces.
RTraction control is still activated.
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no longer
available; nor is it activated if you brake firmly
with assistance from ESP
®.
68Driving safety systems
Safety
Rdarkness
Ror if:
-pedestrians move quickly, e.g. into the path
of the vehicle
-the camera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as a person due to special cloth-
ing or other objects
-a pedestrian is concealed by other objects
-the typical outline of a person is not distin-
guishable from the background
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
Following damage to the windshield, have the
configuration and operation of the camera sys-
tem checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Function
XTo activate/deactivate: activate or deacti-
vate PRE-SAFE®Brake in the on-board com-
puter (Ypage 192).
If the PRE-SAFE®Brake is not activated, the
æ symbol appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
Starting at a speed of around 4 mph (7 km/h),
this 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 to defuse the situation.
or
XTake evasive action provided it is safe to do
so.
PRE-SAFE
®Brake can also brake the vehicle
automatically under the following conditions:
Rthe driver and front-passenger have their seat
belts fastened
and
Rthe vehicle speed is between approximately
4 mph (7 km/h) and 124 mph (200 km/h)
At speeds of up to approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h) PRE-SAFE
®Brake can also detect:
Rstationary objects in the path of your vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
Rpedestrians in the path of your vehicle
iIf there is an increased risk of a collision,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAFE
®) are triggered (Ypage 55).
If the risk of collision with the vehicle in front
remains and you do not brake, take evasive
action or accelerate significantly, the vehicle
may perform automatic emergency braking, up
to the point of full brake application. Automatic emergency braking is not performed until imme-
diately prior to an imminent accident.
You can prevent the intervention of the PRE-
SAFE
®Brake at any time by:
Rdepressing the accelerator pedal further.
Ractivating kickdown.
Rreleasing the brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE®Brake is ended
automatically if:
Ryou maneuver to avoid the obstacle.
Rthere is no longer a risk of collision.
Rthere is no longer an obstacle detected in
fron t of your vehicle.
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering wheel
in the direction required for vehicle stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in particular if:
RESP®is deactivated
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on a
slippery road surface when you brake heavily
Rthe vehicle starts to skid
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 62).
No steering support is provided by STEER CON- TROL, if:
RESP®is malfunctioning.
Rthe lighting is faulty.
Power steering will, however, continue to func-
tion.
Driving safety systems71
Safety
Z
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.
Observe the following when adjusting steering
wheel :, seat belt ;and driver's seat =:
Ryou are as far away from the driver's air bag as
possible.
Ryou are sitting in a normal upright position.
Ryour thighs are slightly supported by the seat
cushion.
Ryour legs are not entirely stretched and you
can depress the pedals properly.
Rthe back of your head is supported at eye level
by the center of the head restraint.
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 instrument
cluster clearly.
Ryou should have a good overview of traffic
conditions.
Rthe seat belt is pulled snugly against the bodyand is routed across the center of your shoul-
der and across your hips in the pelvic area.
Further related subjects:
RElectrical seat adjustment (Ypage 92)
RAdjusting the steering wheel (Ypage 96)
RFastening the seat belt correctly (Ypage 43).
RAdjusting the rear-view mirror and exterior
mirrors (Ypage 99).
RStoring the seat, steering wheel and exterior
mirror settings using the memory function
(
Ypage 102).
Seats
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust
the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when there is no
SmartKey in the ignition lock.
GWARNING
If the head restraints are not installed or not
adjusted correctly, they cannot provide pro-
tection as intended. There is an increased risk
of injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the event of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
(
Ypage 45) and "Children in the Vehicle"
(Ypage 56).
Seats91
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z
Exterior lighting
General notes
For reasons of safety, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you drive with the lights switched on
even during the daytime. Therefore, your vehicle
is equipped with special daytime running lamps.
In some countries, operation of the headlamps
varies due to legal requirements and self-
imposed obligations.
If you wish to drive during the daytime without
lights, switch off the daytime running lamps
function in the on-board computer
(
Ypage 194).
Setting the exterior lighting
Setting options
Exterior lighting can be set using:
Rthe light switch
Rthe combination switch (Ypage 104)
Rthe on-board computer (Ypage 194)
Light switch
Operation
1 WLeft-hand standing lamps
2XRight-hand standing lamps
3TParking lamps, license plate and
instrument cluster lighting
4ÃAutomatic headlamp mode, controlled
by the light sensor
5 LLow-beam/high-beam headlamps
BRRear fog lamp If you hear a warning tone when you leave the
vehicle, the lights may still be switched on.
XTurn the light switch to
Ã.
The exterior lighting (except the parking/stand-
ing lamps) switches off automatically if you:
Rremove the SmartKey from the ignition lock
Ropen the driver's door with the SmartKey in
position 0in the ignition lock
Automatic headlamp mode
GWARNING
When the light switch is set to Ã, the low-
beam headlamps may not be switched on
automatically if there is fog, snow or other
causes of poor visibility due to the weather
conditions such as spray. There is a risk of an
accident.
In such situations, turn the light switch to
L.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an aid.
The driver is responsible for the vehicle's light-
ing at all times.
à is the favored light switch setting. The light
setting is automatically selected according to
the brightness of the ambient light (exception:
poor visibility due to weather conditions such as
fog, snow or spray):
RSmartKey in position 1in the ignition lock: the
parking lamps are switched on or off auto-
matically depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.
RWith the engine running: if you have activated
the Daytime Running Lightsfunction via
the on-board computer, the daytime running
lamps or the parking lamps and the low-beam
headlamps are switched on or off automati-
cally depending on the brightness of the ambi- ent light.
XTo switch on automatic headlamp mode:
turn the light switch to Ã.
Canada only:
The daytime running lamps improve the visibility
of your vehicle during the day. The daytime run- ning lamps function is required by law in Can-
ada. It cannot therefore be deactivated.
When the engine is running and the vehicle is
stationary: if you move the selector lever from a
drive position to P, the daytime running lamps/
Exterior lighting103
Lights and windshield wipers
Z
vehicle, and consequently switches the head-
lamps from high beam to low beam.
The system automatically adapts the low-beam
headlamp range depending on the distance to
the other vehicle. Once the system no longer
detects any other vehicles, it reactivates the
high-beam headlamps.
The system's optical sensor is located behind
the windshield near the overhead control panel.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Adaptive Highbeam Assist does not recognize
road users:
Rwho have no lights, e.g. pedestrians
Rwho have poor lighting, e.g. cyclists
Rwhose lighting is blocked, e.g. by a barrier
In very rare cases, Adaptive Highbeam Assist
may fail to recognize other road users that
have lights, or may recognize them too late. In this or similar situations, the automatic high-
beam headlamps will not be deactivated or
activated regardless. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Always carefully observe the traffic conditions
and switch off the high-beam headlamps in
good time.
Adaptive Highbeam Assist cannot take into
account road, weather or traffic conditions.
Adaptive Highbeam Assist is only an aid. You are responsible for adjusting the vehicle's lighting
to the prevailing light, visibility and traffic con-
ditions.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
restricted if there is:
Rpoor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
Rdirt on the sensors or the sensors are
obscured
Switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist
on/off
XTo switch on: turn the light switch to Ã.
XPress the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of arrow :.
The _ indicator lamp in the multifunction
display lights up when it is dark and the light
sensor activates the low-beam headlamps.
If you are driving at speeds above approx-
imately 16 mph (25 km/h):
The headlamp range is set automatically
depending on the distance between the vehi-
cle and other road users.
If you are driving at speeds above approx-
imately 19 mph (30 km/h) and no other road
users have been detected:
The high-beam headlamps are switched on
automatically. The Kindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster also lights up.
If you are driving at speeds below approx-
imately 16 mph (25 km/h) or other road users
have been detected or the roads are ade-
quately lit:
The high-beam headlamps are switched off
automatically. The Kindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out. The _indi-
cator lamp in the multifunction display
remains lit.
XTo switch off: move the combination switch
back to its normal position or move the light
switch to another position.
The _ indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster 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.
106Exterior lighting
Lights and windshield wipers
Problems with the engine
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The engine does not
start. The starter motor
can be heard.RThere is a malfunction in the engine electronics.
RThere is a malfunction in the fuel supply.
Before attempting to start the engine again:
XTurn the Smartkey back to position 0in the ignition lock.
or
XPress the Start/Stop button repeatedly until all indicator lamps in
the instrument cluster go out.
XTry to start the engine again (Ypage 123). Avoid excessively long
and frequent attempts to start the engine as these will drain the
battery.
If the engine does not start after several attempts:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The engine does not
start. You cannot hear
the starter motor.The on-board voltage is too low because the battery is too weak or
discharged.
XJump-start the vehicle (Ypage 274).
If the engine does not start despite attempts to jump-start it:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The starter motor was exposed to a thermal load that was too high.
XAllow the starter motor to cool down for approximately two minutes.
XTry to start the engine again.
If the engine still does not start:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The engine is not running
smoothly and is misfir-
ing.There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic converter
and damage it.
XHave the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
The coolant temperature
gauge shows a value
above 248 ‡ (120 †).The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine is no
longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 256). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
Driving127
Driving and parking
Z
sion automatically shifts up in order to pre-
vent engine damage.
XTo shift down:pull on the left-hand steering
wheel paddle shifter (Ypage 132).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
iIf the engine exceeds the maximum engine
speed when shifting down, the automatic
transmission protects against engine damage
by not shifting down.
iAutomatic down shifting occurs when
coasting.
Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
XShift to recommended gear ;according to
gearshift recommendation :when shown in
the multifunction display of the instrument
cluster.
Deactivating
If you have activated manual drive program M, it
will remain active for a certain amount of time.
Under certain conditions the minimum amount
of time is extended, e.g. in the case of lateral
acceleration, during an overrun phase or when
driving on steep terrain.
If manual drive program Mhas been deactiva-
ted, the automatic transmission shifts into the
automatic drive program that was last selected.
You can also deactivate manual drive program
M yourself:
XPull on the right-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter and hold it in place (Ypage 132).
or
XUse the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch the
transmission position (Ypage 128). or
XUse the program selector button to change
the drive program (Ypage 131).
Manual drive program Mis deactivated. The
automatic transmission switches into the
automatic drive program that was last selec-
ted.
Manual drive program
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 132).
Switching on the manual drive program
XPress the program selector button
(Ypage 131) repeatedly until Mappears in
the multifunction display.
The manual drive program is only available on
vehicles with the dynamic handling package or
AMG sports package.
Manual drive program Mis different from drive
program Swith regard to spontaneity, respon-
siveness and smoothness of gear changes.
Manual drive program Mcan be selected using
the program selector button. In manual drive
program M, you can change gear using the
steering wheel paddle shifters if the transmis-
sion is in position D. The gear selected is shown
in the multifunction display.
Upshifting
XPull the right-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
Automatic transmission133
Driving and parking
Z