Storing, maintaining and calling up a
speed
Storing and maintaining a speed
XAccelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
XBriefly press the cruise control lever up:
or down ;.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored speed.
iCruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by
automatically applying the brakes.
Storing or calling up a 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
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards you :.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is operational and when first
activated stores the current speed or reg-
ulates the speed of the vehicle to the stored
speed.
Setting a speed
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
XPress the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press 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.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
204Driving systems
Driving and parking
press 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 exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin- ished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake
Ryou are driving at less than 20 mph
(30 km/h)
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Ryou activate DSR
Ryou activate off-road program 2 on vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package
Ryou shift the transmission to position N
while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the Cruise Con‐
trol Offmessage in the multifunction dis-
play 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
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. Vehi-
cles are detected with the aid of the radar
sensor system. DISTRONIC PLUS brakes
automatically so that the set speed is not
exceeded.
You must select a lower gear in good time on
long and steep downhill gradients, especially
if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. 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 wearing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk
of a collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot pre-
vent a collision without your intervention. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and
the distance warning lamp will light up in the
instrument 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.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 20 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/ h). If a vehicle is driving in front of
you, it operates in the speed range between
0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
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
responsible authorities. You can refer to the
Driving systems205
Driving and parking
Z
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
vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles 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
example, in parking garages
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehi- cle in front, DISTRONIC PLUS may unexpect-
edly accelerate the vehicle to the stored
speed.
This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a filter lane
or an exit lane
Rbe so high when driving in the right-hand
lane that you overtake vehicles in the left-
hand lane
Rbe so high when driving in the left-hand lane
that you overtake vehicles in the right-hand
lane
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 DISTRONIC PLUS
?To activate at the current speed/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 electric parking brake must be
released.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift from Pto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors
must be closed.
Roff-road program 2 must be deactivated
(vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package).
RDSR must be deactivated.
Rthe vehicle must not skid.
Driving system s207
Driving an d parking
Z
Activating
XBrieflypullthe cruise control lever towards
you =, up :ordown ?.
DI ST RONIC PLUS isselected.
XTo ad just the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :to the
pressure point for a higher speed, or
down ?for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced.
or
XTo ad just the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :past
the pressure point for a higher speed, or
down ?for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Your veh icleadapts its speed to that of the
veh icle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
When driving at speeds below 20 mph
(30 km /h), you can only activate DISTRONIC
PLUS ifthe vehicle infront has been detected
and isshown in the multifunction display. If
the veh icle infrontisno longer detected and
disp layed, for example because ithas
changed lanes, DI STRONIC PLUS isdeactiva-
te d. You willhear a warning tone ifth is is the
case.
iIf you donot fully release the accelerator
pedal, theDISTRONIC
PLUSPassivemes-
sage appears inthe multifunction display.
The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle
in front willthen not bemaintaine d.You will
be driv ing at the speed you determine by
the position of the accelerator pedal. Activating at
the current speed/last
stored speed
GWARNIN G
If you call up th estore dspee dand it differs
from th ecurren tspeed, th evehicl eacceler -
ate sor decelerates. If you do no tknow th e
store dspeed, th evehicl ecould accelerate or
brak eune xpectedly. Ther eis aris kof an acci-
dent.
Pay attentio nto th eroad and traffic condi-
tions before calling up th estore dspeed. If you
do no tknow th estore dspeed, store th e
desired spee dagain .
XBriefly pullthe cruise control lever towards
you =.
XRemo veyour foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DI ST RONIC PLUS isoperational and when
first activated accepts the current speed or adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed store d.
Driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
Pulling away and driving
XIfyou want topull away with
DISTRO NIC PLUS: remove your foot from
the brake pedal.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =, up :or down ?.
or
XAccelerate briefly.
Your veh iclepulls away and adapts its
speed to that of the vehicle infront.
If there isno vehicle infront, DI STRONIC
PLUS operates inthe same way as cruise
control.
If DI ST RONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front has slowed down,it brakes your vehicle.
In this way, the distance you have selected is
maintaine d.
If DI ST RONIC PLUS detects a faster-moving
vehicle infront, itincreases the driving speed.
208Driving systems
Driving and parking
However, the vehicle is only accelerated up to
the speed you have stored.
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
Changing lanes
If you change to the passing lane, DISTRONIC
PLUS supports you when:
Ryou are driving faster than 40 mph
(60 km/h)
RDISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the dis-
tance to a vehicle in front
Ryou switch on the appropriate turn signal
RDISTRONIC PLUS does not detect a danger
of collision
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted
if changing lanes takes too long or if the dis-
tance between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front becomes too small.
iWhen you change lanes, DISTRONIC
PLUS monitors the left lane on left-hand-
drive vehicles or the right lane on right-
hand-drive vehicles.
Stopping
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
RDISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected.
Rthe accelerator pedal has been depressed, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until it
is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at
a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in
front. The specified minimum distance is set
using the control on the cruise control lever.
The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if DISTRONIC PLUS is
activated and:
Rthe driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is not sufficient.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there
is a malfunction, the transmission may also
automatically be shifted into position P.
Setting a speed
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
Driving systems209
Driving and parking
Z
XPress the cruise control lever up:for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press 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.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
press 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.
iIf you accelerate to overtake, DISTRONIC
PLUS adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting the specified minimum distance
You can set the specified minimum distance
for DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. With this func-
tion, you can set the minimum distance that
DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in
front, dependent on vehicle speed. You can
see this distance in the multifunction display
(
Ypage 211).
XTo increase: turn control;in direction
=.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
XTo decrease: turn control;in direc-
tion :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
iMake sure that you maintain a sufficiently
safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front if
necessary.
Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
There are several ways to deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake, unless the vehicle is stationary
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, you
will see the DISTRONIC
PLUSOffmessage in
the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
iThe last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
iDISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel- erate to overtake, DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
210Driving systems
Driving and parking
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake
Ryou are driving slower than 15 mph
(25 km/h) and there is no vehicle in front,
or if the vehicle in front is no longer detec-
ted
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door or one of the rear doors is
open
Ryou activate DSR
Ryou activate off-road program 2 on vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package
Rthe vehicle has skidded
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. You will see the
DISTRONIC PLUS Off
message in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds.
Displays in the instrument cluster
Displays in the speedometer
Example: DISTRONIC PLUS displays in the speed-
ometer
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or
two segments ;in the set speed range light
up.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front,
segments ;between speed of the vehicle in
front =and stored speed :light up.
iFor design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS.
Assistance graphic display when
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated
:Vehicle in front, if detected
;Distance indicator, current distance to
the vehicle in front
=Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
?Own vehicle
XSelect the Distance Displayfunction
using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 281).
Driving systems211
Driving and parking
Z
ÃDSR symbol appears in the multifunc-
tion display with the Off
message. The status
indicator in the multifunction display goes
out. You also hear a warning. On vehicles with
the ON&OFFROAD package, if you select a
different on-road/off-road program, DSR is
also deactivated.
Changing the set speed
XTo increase or decrease in 1 mph incre- ments (Canada: 1 km/h increments):
briefly press the cruise control lever up :
for a higher set speed or down ;for a
lower set speed.
The set speed appears in the multifunction
display with the ÃDSR symbol.
When DSR is activated, you can change the
set speed to a value between 1 mph and
11 mph (Canada: between 2 km/h and
18 km/h).
iThe DSR set speed is always changed in
1 mph increments (Canada: 1 km/h incre-
ments). This is regardless of whether you
press the cruise control lever to or beyond
the pressure point.
Off-road programs (vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package)
General notes
The off-road programs assist you in driving
off-road. The engine's performance charac-
teristics and the gearshifting characteristics
of the automatic transmission are adapted for
this purpose. ABS, ESP
®and 4ETS programs
especially adapted to off-road driving are acti- vated. An accelerator pedal curve suitable for
the terrain is selected, i.e. the accelerator
pedal must be depressed further to acceler-
ate.
Do not use the off-road programs on roads
that are snow-covered or icy or if you have
mounted snow chains on your vehicle.
For information on driving off-road, see
(
Ypage 198).
The following program messages are shown
in the multifunction display until the applica-
ble vehicle level is set. Up to off-road level 2,
you can hide the program messages using the
% or the abutton on the multifunction
steering wheel.
Off-road program 1
XSelector wheel :engaged:briefly press
selector wheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
XTo select: turn selector wheel :until indi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
Off-road indicator =appears in the multi-
function display.
258Driving system s
Driving an d parking