iBear in mind that the power transmission
between the engine and the transmission is
interrupted when the engine is switched off.
For this reason, shift the automatic transmis-
sion to Pwhen the engine is switched off and
the vehicle is at a standstill. Apply the parking
brake to prevent the vehicle from rolling
away.
Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions
!If the engine speed is too high or if the vehi-
cle is rolling, do not shift the transmission
directly from Dto R, from Rto Dor directly to
P.
Do not open the driver's door while the vehi-
cle is in motion. At low speeds in transmission
position Dor R, park position Pis otherwise
engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
Selector lever
j
Park position
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
When you select a transmission position, the
selector lever subsequently returns to its origi-
nal position.
The current transmission position P,R, Nor D
appears in the transmission position display in
the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
!If the transmission position display in the
multifunction display is not working, you should pull away carefully to check whether
the desired transmission position is engaged.
Select transmission position D. Do not
restrict the shift range.
:Transmission position
;Drive program
Current transmission position :and current
drive program ;appear in the multifunction
display.
The current position of the selector lever is
shown by the indicators next to the selector
lever.
The indicators light up when the SmartKey is
inserted into the ignition lock. The indicators go
out when the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock.
When the selector lever is in position D, you can
influence the gearshifts made by the automatic
transmission by:
Rrestricting the shift range
Rchanging gear yourself
Engaging park position P
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XPress the Pbutton in the center console.
iIf you depress the brake pedal and push the
selector lever forwards or back to the first
point of resistance, park position Pis disen-
gaged. The transmission shifts to neutral N.
Automatic transmission119
Driving and parking
Z
Park positionPis automatically engaged:
Rif you remove the SmartKey from the ignition
lock
Rif you open the driver's door while traveling at
low speed in transmission position Dor R
Rif DISTRONIC PLUS (Ypage 147) brakes your
vehicle until it is stationary and at least one of
the following conditions is fulfilled:
-the engine is switched off.
-the driver's door is open and the seat belt is not fastened.
-there is a system malfunction.
-the power supply is insufficient.
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only shift the automatic transmission to R
when the vehicle is stationary.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XPush the selector lever forwards past the first
point of resistance.
Transmission position Ris engaged.
iWhen reverse gear is engaged and the ECO
start/stop function is switched on, the engine starts up automatically (
Ypage 114).
Shifting to neutral N
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children.
If the vehicle is stationary:
XDepress the brake pedal.
XDepending on the current transmission posi-
tion, press the selector lever forwards or
backwards to the first point of resistance.
The automatic transmission shifts into N.
If the engine has been switched off, the auto-
matic transmission automatically shifts to N.
iIf the vehicle is braked to a standstill when in
neutral Nand the brake pedal continues to be
depressed, the ECO start/stop function
switches the engine off automatically
(
Ypage 114).
Remaining in neutral N
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children.
XMake sure that the ignition is switched on.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
120Automatic transmission
Driving and parking
Problems with the automatic transmission
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no lon-
ger changes gear.The transmission is in emergency mode.
It is only possible to shift intosecondgear and reverse gear.
XStop the vehicle.
XShift the transmission to position P.
XTurn the SmartKey to position0in the ignition lock.
XWait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine.
XShift the transmission to position Dor R.
If D is selected, the transmission shifts into secondgear; ifRis
selected, the transmission shifts into reverse gear.
XHave the transmission checked at a qualified specialist workshop
immediately.
You hear a warning tone.You have:
Rswitched off the engine
Ropened the driver's door
Rnot shifted the selector lever to position P
XShift the selector lever to positionP.
Refueling
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Fuel is highly flammable. If you handle fuel
incorrectly, there is a risk of fire and explo-
sion.
You must avoid fire, open flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Switch off the engine
and, if applicable, the auxiliary heating before refueling.
GWARNING
Fuel is poisonous and hazardous to health.
There is a risk of injury.
You must make sure that fuel does not come into contact with your skin, eyes or clothing
and that it is not swallowed. Do not inhale fuel
vapors. Keep fuel away from children.
If you or others come into contact with fuel,
observe the following:
RWash away fuel from skin immediately
using soap and water.
RIf fuel comes into contact with your eyes,
immediately rinse them thoroughly with
clean water. Seek medical assistance with-
out delay.
RIf fuel is swallowed, seek medical assis-
tance without delay. Do not induce vomit-
ing.
RImmediately change out of clothing which
has come into contact with fuel.
!Do not use diesel to refuel vehicles with a
gasoline engine. Even small amounts of the
wrong fuel result in damage to the fuel system
and engine.
!Do not switch on the ignition if you acciden-
tally refuel with the wrong fuel. Otherwise, the
fuel will enter the fuel lines. Notify a qualified
specialist workshop and have the fuel tank
and fuel lines drained completely.
Refueling127
Driving and parking
Z
Fuel filler flap emergency release
The emergencyrelease is locate din th ecargo
compartment, on th eright-hand side when
viewed in th edirection of travel ,behind th erear
panel trim.
iThe vehicl ebody in th eemergenc yrelease
area has shar pedges. Ther eis aris kof injury.
Avoid contact wit hth eedge son th einside of
th evehicl ebody.
XOpen th erear door .
XRemove edge protection :.
XRemove rear panel trim;.
XPull emergencyrelease =in th edirection of
th earrow.
The fuel filler flap is unlocked.
XOpen th efuel filler flap .
Refueling129
Driving and parking
Z
Problems with the fuel and fuel tank
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Fuel is leaking from the
vehicle.The fuel line or the fuel tank is defective.
GWARNING
Risk of explosion or fire.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 0(Ypage 112) immediately and
remove it.
XDo not restart the engine under any circumstances.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The fuel filler flap cannot
be opened.The fuel filler flap is not unlocked.
or
The SmartKey batteries are discharged.
XUnlock the vehicle (Ypage 60).
or
XUnlock the vehicle using the mechanical key (Ypage 61).
XOpen the rear door.
XManually unlock the fuel filler flap using the emergency release
(Ypage 129).
The fuel filler flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is jammed.
XManually unlock the fuel filler flap using the emergency release
(Ypage 129).
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
Parking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is a risk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rials come into contact with parts of the vehi-
cle which are hot. Take particular care not to
park on dry grassland or harvested grain
fields.
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
130Parking
Driving and parking
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
Switching off the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
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
XShift the transmission to position P.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it (Ypage 112).
The immobilizer is activated.
XApply the parking brake firmly.
XTurn the steering wheel until the steering
wheel lock engages.
iIf you switch off the engine using the Smart-
Key and then remove the SmartKey from the
ignition lock or open one of the front doors,
the automatic transmission automatically
shifts to park position P.
iThe SmartKey can only be removed if the
automatic transmission is in position P.
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.
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
iWhen you apply parking brake ;to brake
the vehicle, the brake lamps do not light up.
XTo apply: pull parking brake ;up firmly.
Parking brake ;is applied.
When the ignition is switched on or the engine
is running, the F(USA only) or J(Can-
ada only) indicator lamp is lit in the instrument
cluster.
Parking131
Driving an d parking
Z
wave could cause water to enter and damage
the engine and other assemblies.
!Do not open any of the vehicle's doors while
fording. Otherwise, water could get into the
vehicle interior and damage the vehicle's
electronics and interior equipment.
iYou may only drive through fresh water.
RObserve the safety notes (Ypage 137) and
the general notes (Ypage 137) on off-road
driving.
REstablish how deep the water is and the char-
acteristics of the body of water before ford-
ing.
RSwitch off the air-conditioning system.
RShift the transfer case to LOW RANGE
(Ypage 162).
REngage the differential locks, if necessary
(Ypage 165).
RRestrict the shift range to 1or 2
(Ypage 123).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
REnter and exit the water at a flat place and at
a steady walking pace.
RDrive slowly and at an even speed through the
water.
RDo not stop and do not switch off the engine.
RWater offers a high degree of resistance, and
the ground is slippery and in some cases
unstable. Therefore, it is difficult and danger-
ous to pull away in the water.
REnsure that a bow wave does not form as you
drive.
RClean any mud from the tire tread after ford-
ing.
RApply the brakes to dry them after fording.
Always observe the fording depth values
(
Ypage 296).
Winter driving
General notes
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 heatingrunning, 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.
GWARNING
If you have installed unsuitable snow chains to the front wheels, they may drag against the
vehicle body or chassis components. This
could cause damage to the vehicle or the
tires. There is a risk of an accident.
Only equip the front wheels with suitable
snow chains that guarantee sufficient dis-
tance to the vehicle body and to the suspen-
sion components in every driving situation.
Always follow the manufacturer's installation
instructions when installing the snow chains.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec- tion (
Ypage 264).
Driving with summer tires
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec-tion (Ypage 264).
Slippery road surfaces
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.
136Driving tips
Driving and parking
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
R4ETS (Ypage 57)
RTransfer case (Ypage 162)
RDifferential locks (Ypage 162)
Observe the following notes:
Rstop your vehicle and, if necessary, shift the
transfer case to LOW RANGE(Ypage 162)
before driving off-road.
Rin transfer case position LOW RANGEthe
ECO start/stop function is not available
(
Ypage 114).
Rengage the differential locks, if necessary
(Ypage 165).
iABS, 4ETS, ESP®and BAS are deactivated
while the differential locks are engaged. This
allows the front wheels to lock briefly, so that
these can dig into a loose surface. However,
please note that locked wheels skid and can
no longer steer.
RCheck that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(
Ypage 219).
RTo avoid damaging the vehicle, make sure
there is always sufficient ground clearance.
RAlways keep the engine running and in gear
when driving on a downhill gradient.
RAlways keep the engine running and in gear
when driving on a slope.
RDrive slowly and evenly, if necessary at a
walking pace.
REnsure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at all times.
RDrive with extreme care on unfamiliar off-road routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea-
sons, get out of the vehicle first and survey
the off-road route.
RCheck the depth of water before fording rivers
and streams.
RWhen fording, do not stop and do not switch
off the engine.
RLook out for obstacles, such as rocks, holes,
tree stumps and furrows.
RAlways keep the doors, rear door, side win-
dows and the sliding sunroof closed while the
vehicle is in motion.
RSwitch off cruise control.
RDo not stray from marked routes or paths.
RAdapt your speed to the terrain. The rougher,
steeper or more ruts on the terrain, the slower
your speed should be.
RDrive slowly and at an even speed through the
water. Ensure that a bow wave does not form
as you drive.
ROn sand, drive quickly to overcome the rolling resistance. Otherwise the vehicle's wheels
could become st
uck in loose ground.
RDo not jump with the vehicle as this will inter-
rupt the vehicle's propulsion.
RAvoid high engine speeds. Drive at appropri-
ate engine speeds (maximum 3,000 rpm).
RDo not shift the automatic transmission to
transmission position N.
RAlways check the vehicle for damage after off-
road driving.
iInformation about retrofitting special all-ter-
rain tires is available from any qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
iDo not use the HOLD function when driving
off-road, on steep uphill or downhill gradients
or on slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD
function cannot hold the vehicle on such sur-
faces.
Checklist before driving off-road
!If the engine oil warning lamp lights up while
the vehicle is in motion, stop the vehicle in a
safe place as soon as possible. Check the
engine oil level. The engine oil warning lamp
warning must not be ignored. Continuing the
journey while the symbol is displayed could
lead to engine damage.
XOil level: check the engine oil level and add oil
if necessary.
Only then does the engine receive enough oil when the vehicle is on a steep incline.
XTire-changing tool kit: check that the jack is
working and make sure you have the lug
wrench, a robust tow cable and a folding
spade in the vehicle.
XWheels and tires: check the tire tread depth
and tire pressure.
XCheck for damage and remove any foreign
objects, e.g. small stones, from the wheels/
tires.
XReplace any missing valve caps.
138Driving tips
Driving and parking