
Fu
nction of BAS (Brake Assist Sy stem) &
WARNING Risk of an accident caused by
a malfunction in BAS (Brake Assi stSys‐
te m)
If BA S is malfunctioning, the braking dis tance
may increase in an emergency braking situa‐
tion. #
Dep ress the brake pedal with full force
in emer gency braking situations. ABS
pr eve nts the wheels from locking. BA
S suppo rts yo ur eme rgency braking situation
with additional brake forc e.
If yo u depress the brake pedal quickl y,BA S is
acti vated:
R BAS au tomatical lyboosts the brake pres‐
sure.
R BAS can sho rten the braking dis tance.
R ABS pr events the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
re lease the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. Fu
nctions of ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro‐
gr am) &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
malfunctioning
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. In addition, other
driving saf ety sy stems are switched off. #
Drive on carefull y. #
Have ESP ®
ch ecked at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop. &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. #
ESP ®
should on lybe deactivated in the
fo llowing situations. ESP
®
monitors and impr oves driving stability and
traction, particular ly inthefo llowing situations:
R When pulling away on wet or slippe ryroads. R
When braking.
R Vehicles with trailer hitch: In trailer opera‐
tion from speeds of 65 km/h, if theve hicle/
trailer combination begins tosw ay from side
to side.
R Instro ng sidewinds when you are driving
fa ster than 80 km/h.
ESP ®
can stabilise theve hicle byinter vening in
th efo llowing ways:
R One or more wheels are braked.
R The engine output is adap ted according to
th e situation.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the ESP ®
OFF å warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter:
R Driving stability will no lon ger be impr oved.
R Vehicles with trailer hitch: Stabilisation of
th eve hicle/trailer combination is no longer
active.
R Crosswind Assist is no longer active.
R The drive wheels could spin. Driving and parking
181

R
ETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
% Even when ESP ®
is deactivated, you are still
assis tedby ESP ®
when braking.
ESP ®
is inter vening if the ESP ®
÷ warning
lamp flashes in the instrument clus ter:
R Do not deacti vate ESP ®
.
R Only depress the accelera tor pedal as far as
is necessar y.
R Adapt your driving style to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
Deactivate ESP ®
in thefo llowing situations to
impr ovetraction:
R When using snow chains R
In deep sn ow
R On sand or gr avel
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action which pr ovides better grip.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
If th e ESP ®
÷ warning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP ®
is not available due toa malfunction.
Obse rve any information which may be displa yed
in the instrument clus ter:
R Warning and indicator lamps (→ page 493)
R Display messages (→ page 437) ETS/4ETS (Electronic
Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4E TStraction control is pa rtof ESP ®
.
ETS/4ETS can impr ovetheve hicle's traction by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R The drive wheels are braked individually if
they spin.
R More drive torque is transferred tothe wheel
or wheels with traction.
Influence of drive prog rams on ESP ®
The drive prog rams enable ESP ®
to adapt todif‐
fe re nt we ather and road conditions as well as
th e driver's prefer red driving style. You can
select the drive prog rams using theDY NA MIC
SELECT switch. 18 2
Driving and pa rking

ESP
®
ch aracteristics per drive prog ramDrive prog
ram
ESP®
mode Cha
racteristics
C (Comfort)
E (Economy) ESP
®
Comfort These drive prog
rams pr ovide the ideal balance
between traction and stabilit y.
Select drive program Eor Cin di fficult road con‐
ditions, such as in sn owor ice, or when thero ad
is we t from rain.
S (Sport)
ESP®
Sport This drive program continues
toofferst ability
but with a sporty setup which allo wsthe enthu‐
siastic driver a more active driving style.
Only select drive prog ram Sin good road condi‐
tions, forex ample on dry car riag ewa ysand clear
st re tches of road.
S+ (Sport Plus)
ESP®
Spo rtPlus The
vehicle's own under steering and overste er‐
ing characteristics are accentuated. This allo ws
a more active driving style to be adop ted.
Only select drive prog ram S+ in good road con‐
ditions, forex ample on dry car riag ewa ysand
clear stre tches of road. Driving and parking
18 3

Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) Multimedia sy
stem:
, Vehicle .
k Assistance .
ESP #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the ESP ®
OFF å warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter. Fu
nctions of ESP ®
Crosswind Assist ESP
®
Crosswind Assist de tects sudden gu sts of
side wind and helps the driver tokeep theve hi‐
cle in the lane:
R ESP ®
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle
speeds between 80 km/h and 200 km/h
when driving stra ight ahead or cornering
slight ly. R
The vehicle is stabilised bymeans of individ‐
ual brake application on one side. Fu
nctions of ESP ®
trailer stabilisation &
WARNING Risk of accident in poor road
and weather conditions
In poor road and weather conditions, the
trailer stabilisation cannot pr event lu rching of
th eve hicle/trailer combination. Trailers with
a high centre of grav ity may tip over before
ESP ®
de tects this. #
Alw ays adapt your driving style to suit
th e cur rent road and weather condi‐
tions. When driving with a trailer, ESP
®
can stabilise
yo ur vehicle if the trailer begins tosw ay from
side toside:
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation is active abo ve
speeds of 65 km/h. R
Slight sw aying is reduced bymeans of a tar‐
ge ted, individual brake application on one
side.
R Intheeve nt of intense sw aying, the engine
output is also reduced and all wheels are
braked.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation may be impaired or
may not function if:
R The trailer is not connec ted cor rectly or is
not de tected prope rly by theve hicle. Fu
nction of EBD (Electronic Brake forc e Dis‐
tribution) EBD is
characterised bythefo llowing:
R Monitoring and regulating the brake pressure
on there ar wheels.
R Impr oved driving stability when braking,
especially on bends. 184
Driving and pa rking

Fu
nction of Active Brake Assi st Ac
tive Brake Assi stconsi sts of:
R Distance warning function
R Autonomous braking function
R Situation-dependent braking assi stance
R Vehicles with the Driving Assistance
pa ckage: Evasi veSteering Assist
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimise the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles or pedestrians or
to reduce the ef fects of su cha collision.
If Ac tive Brake Assi sthas de tected a risk of colli‐
sion, you will be warned visually and acousti‐
cally.
If yo u do not react tothe visual or acoustic warn‐
ing, autonomous braking can be initiated in criti‐
cal situations.
In especially critical situations, Active Brake
Assi stcan initia teautonomous braking direct ly.
In this case, the visual and acoustic warning
occurs simultaneously with the braking applica‐
tion. If
yo u apply the brake yourself in a critical situa‐
tion or apply the brake during autonomous brak‐
ing, situation-dependent braking assis tance
occu rs. This increases the brake pressure up to
maximum full-s top braking if necessar y.
If th e autonomous braking function or the situa‐
tion-dependent braking assis tance is trig gered,
additional pr eventive measures for occupant
pr otection (PRE-SAFE ®
) may also be initiated, if
th eve hicle is equipped with these. &
WARNING Risk of an accident caused by
limited de tection per form ance of Active
Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stcannot al ways clearly
identify objects and compl extraf fic situa‐
tions.
In su chcases, Active Brake Assi stmight:
R give an unnecessa rywa rning or brake the
ve hicle
R not give a warning or not brake theve hi‐
cle. #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Active Brake
Assi stalone. #
Beready tobrake and take evasive
action if necessar y. Also obser
vethe sy stem limits of Active Brake
Assi st.
The individual subfunctions are available in
th efo llowing speed ranges:
Distance warning function
The dis tance warning function issues a warning
at speeds:
R From appr oximately 30 km/h, if over se veral
seconds the dis tance maintained totheve hi‐
cle tr avelling in front is insuf ficient forthe
driven speed. The dis tancewarning lamp
th en lights up in the instrument clus ter·.
R From appr oximately 7 km/h, if your vehicle
is critically close toave hicle or pedestrian.
An intermittent warning tone sounds and the
dis tance warning lamp lights up in the instru‐
ment clus ter·. Driving and parking
18 5

Cancelling a brake application of
Active
Brake Assi st
Yo u can cancel a brake application of Active
Brake Assi stat any time by:
R Dep ressing the accelera tor pedal fully.
R Releasing the brake pedal.
Ac tive Brake Assi stcancels the inter vention
when at least one of thefo llowing conditions is
fulfilled:
R You manoeuv retoavoid the obs tacle.
R The reis no longer a risk of collision.
R An obs tacle is no longer de tected in front of
yo ur vehicle.
Evasive Steering Assist
Evasive Steering Assist has thefo llowing charac‐
te rist ics:
R Can de tect stationary or crossing pedes‐
trians.
R Can assist the driver with additional steering
assis tance if it de tects a swerving manoeu‐
vre. R
Can be acti vatedby an abrupt steering mo ve‐
ment during a swerving manoeuvre.
R Can assi stduring swerving and stra ightening
of theve hicle.
R Can react from a speed of appr oximately
20 km/h up toa speed of appr oximately
70 km/h.
R You can pr eventthe assis tance at any time
by active steering. &
WARNING Risk of an accident despi te
Evasive Steering Assist
Evasive Steering Assist cann otalw ays clear ly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
In addition, thesteering support of Evasive
St eering Assist is generally not su fficient to
av oid a collision.
In such cases Evasive Steering Assist can:
R give an unnecessary warning or pr ovide
assis tance
R not gi veawa rning or not pr ovide assis‐
ta nce #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Ev asive
St eering Assist alone. #
Beready tobrake and take evasive
action, if necessar y. #
Preve ntthe assis tance byactively steer‐
ing in non-critical driving situations. #
Drive at an appropriate speed if pedes‐
trians are close tothe path of your vehi‐
cle. Also obser
vethe sy stem limits of Evasive Steer‐
ing Assist.
Sy stem limits
Ac tive Brake Assi stmay be impaire d or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R In sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in great lyvarying
light conditions.
R Ifth e sensors are dirty, mis ted up, damaged
or co vered. 18 8
Driving and pa rking

Fu
nction of Adaptive Brake Lights Ad
aptive Brake Lights warnfollowing traf fic in an
emergency braking situation:
R byflashing brake lamps
R byactivating the hazard warning lights
Ad aptive Brake Lights ha vethefo llowing charac‐
te rist ics:
R Ifyo u brake sharply at a speed abo ve
50 km/h, or if braking is assi sted byBAS or
Ac tive Brake Assi st,th e brake lamps flash
ra pidl y.This pr ovides traf fic tr ave lling behind
yo u with an even more noticeable warning.
R Ifyo u brake sharply toast andstill from a
speed abo ve70 km/h, the hazard warning
lights are activated automatically once the
ve hicle is stationar y.The brake lamps light
up again cons tantly when you depress the
brake pedal. The hazard warning lights
switch off automatically when you drive
fast erthan 10 km/h. You can also swit choff
th e hazard warning lights using the hazard
wa rning button. The
vehicle is braked considerably when moving
fast erthan 50 km/h:
R Brake Assist Sy stem (BAS) and Active Brake
Assi stsupport you during braking.
R Brake Assist activates theAd aptive Brake
Lights.
R The brake lamps flash rapidl y. Cruise control and limiter
Fu
nction of cruise control
Cruise cont rol accelerates and brakes theve hi‐
cle automatically in order tomaintain a pr evi‐
ously stored speed.
If yo u accelerate toove rtake, forex ample, the
st ored speed is not dele ted. If youre mo veyour
fo ot from the accelera tor pedal af terov ertaking,
cruise control will resume speed regulation back
to thestored speed.
Yo u can operate cruise cont rol with the cruise
control le ver.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, cruise con‐
trol can neither reduce therisk of an accident
nor override the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take into account
road, weather or traf fic conditions.
Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible
fo rth e dis tance totheve hicle in front, forve hi‐
cle speed, for braking in good time and forst ay‐
ing in lane.
Sy stem limitations
Cruise control may be unable tomaintain the
st ored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed when the gradient evens out.
Do not use cruise control in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R in traf fic situations whi chrequ ire frequent
ch anges of speed, e.g. in heavy traf fic, on
winding roads
R on slippe ryroads. Accelerating can cause
th e drive wheels tolose traction and the
ve hicle could then skid
R when visibility is poor
Fu nction of the limi ter
The limiter restricts the speed of theve hicle. To
re duce the speed swiftly tothe set speed, the
limiter applies the brakes automatically. 19 0
Driving and pa rking

Yo
u can limit the speed as follo ws:
R Variable: for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas.
R Perm anen t:for long-term speed restrictions,
e.g. when driving wi thwinter tyres fitted.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, the limiter
can neither reduce therisk of an accident nor
ove rride the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take into
account road, weather or traf fic conditions. The
limiter is only an aid. You are responsible forthe
dis tance totheve hicle in front, forve hicle
speed, for braking in good time and forst ay ing
in lane.
Yo u can operate theva riable limiter with the
cruise control le ver.Yo u can store any road
speed abo ve20 km/h. You can also per form
settings while theve hicle is stationary if the
ve hicle has been star ted.
Kickdown
If yo u depress the accelerator pedal be yond the
pressure point (kickdown), the limiter is
switched topassive mode. The Limiter passive
message appears in the multifunction displa y.Af
ter completion of kickdown, theva riable lim‐
iter is activated again in thefo llowing situations:
R ifth e driven speed drops below thestored
speed.
R ifth estored speed is called up.
R ifyo ustore a new speed.
Operating cruise control or theva riable lim‐
iter &
WARNING Risk of accident due to
unknown stored speed
If yo u call up thestored speed and this is
lo we rth an your cur rent speed, theve hicle
decelerates.
If yo u do not kn owthestored speed, the
ve hicle could decelerate unexpectedly. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. #
Ifth estored speed is not known, store
th e desired speed again. Change into a lo
werge ar in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular no
te ofthis when driving a laden vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking ef fect
of the engine. This relie vesth e load on the brake
sy stem and pr events the brakes from overheat‐
ing and wearing tooqu ickl y.
Re quirements:
Cruise control
R Cruise control is selected.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not inter ven‐
ing.
R The driving speed mu stbe at least 20 km/h.
Va riable Limiter
R The vehicle has been star ted.
R The variable limiter is selec ted. Driving and parking
191