
When you depress the accelerator pedal, the
engine starts automatically and the braking
effect of the HOLD function is deactivated.
Automatic engine switch-off can take place a
maximum of four times in a row (initial stop,
then three subsequent stops).
Automatic engine start
The engine starts automatically if:
Ryou switch off the ECO start/stop function
by pressing the ECO button
Ryou switch to drive programS+
Rin transmission positionDor Nthe brake
pedal is released and the HOLD function is
not active
Ryou depress the accelerator pedal
Ryou engage reverse gear R
Ryou move the transmission out of position
P
Ryou unfasten your seat belt or open the
driver's door
Rthe vehicle starts to roll
Rthe brake system requires this
Rthe temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
Rthe system detects moisture on the wind-
shield when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
Rthe battery's condition of charge is too low
Shifting the transmission to position Pdoes
not start the engine.
Deactivating or activating the ECO
start/stop function
XTo deactivate: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
XTo activate: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
If indicator lamp ;is off, the ECO start/stop
function has been deactivated manually or as
the result of a malfunction. The engine will
then not be switched off automatically when
the vehicle stops.
Selecting drive program S+deactivates the
ECO start/stop function. If you press ECO
button :, the ECO start/stop function is
activated.
Driving159
Driving and parking
Z

Drive programs
Drive program I(Individual)
In drive program Ith efollowing properties of
th edrive program can be selected:
Rth edrive (engin eand transmissio nman -
agement)
Rth esuspensio n
Rthesteerin g
Rtheavailabilit yof th eEC Ostart/sto pfunc-
tion
Rth eclimat econtrol:
iTo permanentl yselec tth egear sin drive
program Iusin gth esteerin gwhee lpaddle
shifters ,selec tth eM (manual) setting fo r
th edrive.
Drive program S+ (Spor tPlus)
Drive program S+is characterized by th efol-
lowing:
Rth evehicle exhibits particularly sport ydriv-
in g characteristics .
Rthevehicle pulling away in first gear .
Rtheautomatic transmissio nshiftin gup
later.
Rth efue lconsumption possibly bein ghigher
as aresult of th elater automatic transmis -
sio nshift points .
Rthesuspensio nexhibits particularly stiff
springin gand dampin gsetting s(vehicles
wit hAI R BODY CONTROL).
Rth eEC Ostart/sto pfunction is no tavaila-
ble.
Drive program S(Sport)
Drive program Sis characterized by th efol-
lowing:
Rth evehicle exhibits sport ydrivin gcharac -
teristics .
Rthevehicle pulling away in first gear .
Rtheautomatic transmissio nshiftin gup
later.
Rth efue lconsumption possibly bein ghigher
as aresult of th elater automatic transmis -
sio nshift points .
Rthesuspensio nexhibits stiff springin gand
dampin gsetting s(vehicles wit h
AI R BODY CONTROL).
Drive program C(Comfort)
Drive program Cis characterized by th efol-
lowing:
Rth evehicle deliver scomfortable, economi-
cal handlin gcharacteristics .
Rthevehicle pulling away more gentl yin
forwar dand revers egears, unless th e
accelerator peda lis depressed fully.
Rth evehicle havin gimproved drivin gstabil-
ity, fo rexample on slipper yroad surfaces.
Roptimal fue lconsumption resultin gfrom
th eautomatic transmissio nshiftin gup
sooner. The vehicle is driven in th elow
engin espeed range and th ewheels are les s
likely to spin.
Drive program E(Economy)
Drive program Eis characterized by th efol-
lowing:
Rth evehicle exhibits comfortable, economi-
cal handlin gcharacteristics .
Rthevehicle pulling away more gentl yin
forwar dand revers egears, unless th e
accelerator peda lis depressed fully.
Rth evehicle havin gimproved drivin gstabil-
ity, fo rexample on slipper yroad surfaces.
Roptimal fue lconsumption resultin gfrom
th eautomatic transmissio nshiftin gup
sooner. The vehicle is driven in th elow
engin espeed range and th ewheels are les s
likely to spin.
Rdurin gdeceleration ,th eengin eis discon-
nected from th edrive train .The vehicle
uses kineti cenerg yand consume sles sfue l
(overrun mode).
Rth eperformanc eof air-conditionin gsystem
and heatin gare reduced.
166Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately.
Drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm up
the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance.
RIn order to prevent any salt build-up, apply
the brakes occasionally while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions.
RCarefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
RMaintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes
!The brake fluid level may be too low, if:
Rif the red brake warning lamp lights up inthe instrument cluster and
Ryou hear a warning tone while the engine
is running
Observe additional warning messages in
the multifunction display. The brake fluid level may be too low due to
brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immedi-
ately. Consult a qualified specialist work-
shop to arrange this.
!A function or performance test should
only be carried out on a 2-axle dynamom-
eter. If you wish to operate the vehicle on
such a dynamometer, please consult a
qualified specialist workshop in advance.
You could otherwise damage the drive train
or the brake system.
!The ESP®system operates automatically.
The engine and the ignition must therefore
be switched off (the SmartKey must be in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock or the
Start/Stop button must be in position 0or
1) if the electric parking brake is tested on
a brake dynamometer.
Braking triggered automatically by ESP
®
may cause severe damage to the brake
system.
All checks and maintenance work on the
brake system must be carried out at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Have brake pads installed and brake fluid
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you should test the function-
ality of your brakes at regular intervals.
Information on BAS (Brake Assist) (
Ypage 68)
and BAS PLUS (Brake Assist PLUS)
(
Ypage 68).
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends only installing the following brake
disks and brake pads/linings:
Rbrake disks that have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz
Rbrake pads/linings that have been
approved by Mercedes-Benz or that are of
an equivalent standard of quality
Other brake disks or brake pads/linings can
compromise the safety of your vehicle.
Driving tips179
Driving and parking
Z

Always replace all brake disks and brake
pads/linings on an axle at the same time.
Always install new brake pads/linings when
replacing brake disks.
The vehicle is equipped with lightweight
brake disks to which the wheel assembly with
rim and threaded connection is matched.
The use of brake disks other than those
approved by Mercedes-Benz can change the
track width and is subject to approval, if appli-cable.
Shock-type loads when handling the brake
disks, such as when changing wheels, can
lead to a reduction in comfort when driving
with lightweight brake disks. Avoid shock-
type loads on the lightweight brake disks,
particularly on the brake plate.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use brake fluid that has been specially
approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz,
or which corresponds to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake fluid which has not been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which is not of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle's operating safety.
Driving on wet roads
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to a certain depth
on the road surface, there is a danger of
hydroplaning occurring, even if:
Ryou drive at low speeds.
Rthe tires have adequate tread depth.
For this reason, in the event of heavy rain or in
conditions in which hydroplaning may occur,
you must drive in the following manner:
Rlower your speed.
Ravoid ruts.
Ravoid sudden steering movements.
Rbrake carefully.
Driving on flooded roads
!Bear in mind that vehicles traveling in
front or in the opposite direction create
waves. This may cause the maximum per-
missible water depth to be exceeded.
Failure to observe these notes may result in
damage to the engine, electrical systems
and transmission.
If you have to drive on stretches of road on
which water has collected, please bear in
mind that:
Rin the case of standing water, the water
level may be no higher than the lower edge of the vehicle body
Ryou should drive no faster than at a walking
pace
Winter driving
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.
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 heating
running, 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.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a quali-
fied specialist workshop at the onset of win-
ter.
180Driving tips
Driving an d parking

!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-
tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style,
DISTRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk
of accident nor override the laws of physics.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take into account
the road, traffic and weather conditions.
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time and for staying in your lane.
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 in the right lane that you pass
vehicles driving on the left (left-hand drive
countries)
Rbe so high in the left lane that you pass
vehicles driving on the right (right-hand
drive countries)
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.
RActive Parking Assist must not be activa-
ted.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Driving systems185
Driving and parking
Z

Activating the HOLD function
XMakesur ethat th eactivation condition s
are met .
XDepress th ebrak epedal .
XQuickl ydepress th ebrak epedal further
until :appear sin th emultifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release th ebrak epedal .
iIf depressing th ebrak epedal th efirst
time does no tactivat eth eHOLD function ,
wait briefly and then tr yagain .
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
callyif:
Ryou accelerate and th etransmission is in
position Dor R.
Rth etransmission is in position P.
Ryou depress thebrak epedal again wit h a
certain amoun tof pressur euntil :disap -
pear sfrom th emultifunction display.
Ryou secure th evehicl eusin gth eelectric
parking brake.
Ryou activat eDISTRONI CPLUS.
iAfte r atime, th eelectric parking brak e
secures th evehicl eand relieves th eservic e
brake. When th
eHO LD function is activated, th e
transmission is shifte dautomatically to posi-
tion Pif:
Rthedriver' sseat belt is no tfastene dand th e
driver' sdoor is open .
Rtheengin eis switched off ,unless it is auto -
matically switched off by th eECO start/
stop function .
The electric parking brak esecures th evehicl e
automatically if th e HOLD function is activa-
te dwhen th evehicl eis stationary and :
Rasystem malfunction occur s.
Rthepower suppl yis no tsufficient.
If amalfunction occur s,then th etransmission
may be shifte dint oposition Pautomatically.
AIR BODY CONTROL
Gene ral notes
AIRBODY CONTROL is an air suspension sys-
te m wit hvariable damping for improve ddriv -
ing comfort .All-roun dlevel control en sures
th ebest possible suspension and constan t
ground clearance ,eve nwit h a laden vehicle.
When you driv efast, th evehicl eis lowered
automatically to improve driving safet yand to
reduce fuel consumption .There is also th e
option to manually adjust th evehicl elevel.
AI RBODY CONTROL cons istsof level setting ,
level control and th eAdaptive Dampin gSys -
te m ADS.
The vehicl elevel can be setusin gth e
DYNAMIC SELECT switch (
Ypage 161) or the
level butto n (
Ypage 196). The setting always
correspond sto th elast selected function .
Important safety notes
GWARNIN G
When th evehicl eis bein glowered, people
could become trapped if their limb sare
between th evehicl ebody and th ewheels or
underneat hth evehicle. There is aris kof
injury.
Driving systems195
Driving and parking
Z

When ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated, the
ésymbol appears in the multifunction
display in the assistance graphic display.
When ATTENTION ASSIST has been deactiva-
ted, it is automatically reactivated after the
engine has been stopped. The sensitivity
selected corresponds to the last selection
activated (standard/sensitive).
Warning in the multifunction display
If fatigue or increasing lapses in concentra-
tion are detected, a warning appears in the
multifunction display: ATTENTION ASSIST
Take a Break!.
In addition to the message shown in the mul-
tifunction display, you will then hear a warn-
ing tone.
XIf necessary, take a break.
XConfirm the message by pressing the a
button on the steering wheel.
On long journeys, take regular breaks in good
time to allow yourself to rest properly. If you
do not take a break and ATTENTION ASSIST
still detects increasing lapses in concentra-
tion, you will be warned again after
15 minutes at the earliest. This will only hap-
pen if ATTENTION ASSIST still detects typical
indicators of fatigue or increasing lapses in
concentration.
If a warning is output in the multifunction dis-
play, a service station search is performed in
COMAND. You can select a service station
and navigation to this service station will then
begin. This function can be activated and
deactivated in COMAND.
Traffic Sign Assist
General notes
Traffic Sign Assist displays the maximum
speed permitted to the driver in the instru-
ment cluster. The data and general traffic reg-
ulations stored in the navigation system are
used to determine the current speed limit. Traffic Sign Assist is a map-based system,
and thus, traffic signs put up temporarily (e.g.
near roadworks) are not detected.
If a traffic sign that is relevant to your vehicle
is passed, the display of the speed limits is
updated.
Traffic signs with a restriction indicated by an
additional sign (e.g. in wet conditions) are
also shown.
The traffic signs are only displayed with the
restrictions if:
Rthe regulation must be observed with the
restriction, or
RTraffic Sign Assist is unable to determine
whether the restriction applies
If Traffic Sign Assist is unable to determine a
maximum permitted speed from any of the
available sources, no speed limit is displayed
in the instrument cluster either.
Traffic Sign Assist is not available in all coun-
tries. In this case, symbol :is shown in the
assistance graphic display (
Ypage 251).
Important safety notes
Traffic Sign Assist is only an aid and is not
always able to correctly display speed limits.
Traffic signs always have priority over the
Traffic Sign Assist display.
The system may be either functionally
impaired or temporarily unavailable if the
information in the digital street map of the
navigation system is incorrect or out of date.
216Driving systems
Driving and parking

Important safety notes
GWARNING
Blin dSpo t Assist does not react to:
Rvehicles overtaken too closely on the side,
plac ing them inthe blind spot area
Rvehicleswhic happr oach with a large speed
diff erential and overtake your veh icle
As a result, BlindSpo t Assist may not give
warnings insuch situations. There isa risk of
an acc ident.
Always observe the traff icconditions care-
fully, and maintain a safe lateral distance.
Blind Spot Assist is only an aid. It may fail to
detect some vehicles and is no substitute for
attentive driving. Always ensure that there is
sufficient distance to the side for other road
users and obstacles.
iUSA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC
as a "Vehicular Radar System". The radar
sensor is intended for use in an automotive
radar system only. Removing, tampering
with, or altering the device will void any
warranties, and is not permitted by the
FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment.
Radar sensors
The radar sensors for Blind Spot Assist are
integrated into the rear bumper. Make sure
that the bumpers are free from dirt, ice or
slush. The sensors must not be covered, for
example by cycle rac ks or ov
erhanging loads.
Following a severe impact or in the event of
damage to the bumpers, have the function of
the radar sensors checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. Blind Spot Assist may no
longer work properly. Monitoring area
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy
rain, snow or spray
Rthere are narrow vehicles, e.g. motorcycles
or bicycles
Rthe road has very wide lanes
Rthe road has narrow lanes
Ryou are not driving in the middle of the lane
Rthere are barriers or similar lane borders
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not indicated.
218Driving systems
Driving and parking