Tail lamps
:
Backup lamp: W 16 W
Replacing front bulbs (vehicles with
halogen headlamps)
Removing and installing the cover in the
front wheel housing
You must remove the cover of the front wheel
housing before you can change the front turn signal lamp.
XTo remove: switch off the lights.
XTurn the front wheels inwards.
XTurn rotary knob :180° outwards until it
stops using a suitable object.
Cover ;is released.
XFold cover ;upwards.
XTo install: insert cover ;into the left,
right and two lower catches.
XTurn rotary knob :180° inwards until it
stops using a suitable object.
Cover ;is locked.
Low-beam headlamps
XSwitch off the lights.
XOpen the hood.
XTurn housing cover :counter-clockwise
and remove it.
XPush bulb holder ;upwards and pull out.
XPull the bulb out of bulb holder ;.
XInsert the new bulb into bulb holder ;.
XInsert bulb holder;into the groove with
the lug at the top.
XPush bulb holder ;down until it engages
audibly.
XPress on housing cover :and turn it to the
right.
High-beam headlamps
XSwitch off the lights.
XOpen the hood.
XTurn housing cover :counter-clockwise
and remove it.
XPush bulb holder ;upwards and pull out.
XPull the bulb out of bulb holder ;.
Replacing bulbs131
Lights and windshield wipers
Z
XInsert the new bulb into bulb holder;.
XInsert bulb holder;into the groove with
the lug at the top.
XPush bulb holder ;down until it engages
audibly.
XPress on housing cover :and turn it clock-
wise.
Turn signal
XRemove the cover in the front wheel hous-
ing (
Ypage 131).
XTurn bulb holder :counter-clockwise
using the grip under the headlamp casing
and remove it downward with the bulb.
XTurn the bulb counter-clockwise and pull it
out of bulb holder :.
XInsert the new bulb into bulb holder :.
XInsert bulb holder:, turn clockwise and
lock.
XReplace the cover in the front wheel hous-
ing (
Ypage 131).
Replacing rear bulbs (vehicles with
halogen headlamps)
Opening and closing the side trim pan-
els
Example: right-hand side paneling
You must open the side paneling in the cargo
compartment before you can replace the
bulbs in the tail lamps.
XTo open: release right or left side panel-
ing :at the top and fold it down in the
direction of the arrow.
XTo close: insert side paneling :.
Tail lamps
Changing the backup lamp
Due to their location, have the bulbs in the
backup lamp in the tailgate replaced at a
qualified specialist workshop.
XSwitch off the lights.
XOpen the tailgate.
Example: right-hand side handle
132Replacing bulbs
Lights and windshield wipers
XTo open or close:turn thumbwheel?,A
or B to the left or right as far as it will go.
XTo adjust the air direction: hold center air
vent :,;or= by thumbwheel ?,Aor
B and move it up or down or to the left or
right.
Setting the side air vents
:Side window defroster vent
;Side air vent, left
=Control for left side air vent
XTo open or close: turn thumbwheel=to
the left or right as far as it will go.
XTo adjust the air direction: hold side air
vent ;by thumbwheel =and move it up
or down or to the left or right.
Setting the rear-compartment air
vents
Rear air vents are not available in all vehicles.
:Rear-compartment air vent, left
;Rear-compartment air vent, right
=Rear-compartment air vent thumbwheel
XTo open or close: turn thumbwheel=to
the left or right as far as it will go.
XTo adjust the air direction: hold rear air
vent :or; by the middle fin and move up
or down or to the left or right.
150Setting the air vents
Climate control
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
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
Roverheat and cause a fire
Rlose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
!Do not warm up the engine with the vehi-
cle stationary. Drive off immediately. Avoid
high engine speeds and driving at full throt-
tle until the engine has reached its operat-
ing temperature.
Only shift the automatic transmission to
the desired drive position when the vehicle
is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
SmartKey positions
SmartKey
gTo remove the SmartKey
1Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windshield wipers
2Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3To start the engine
iThe SmartKey can be turned in the igni-
tion lock even if it is not the correct Smart- Key for the vehicle. The ignition is not
switched on. The engine cannot be started.
Start/Stop button
General notes
When you insert the Start/Stop button into
the ignition lock, the system needs approx-
imately two seconds recognition time. You
can then use the Start/Stop button.
Pressing the Start/Stop button several times
in succession corresponds to the different
key positions in the ignition lock. This is only
the case if you are not depressing the brake
pedal.
If you depress the brake pedal and press the
Start/Stop button, the engine starts immedi-
ately.
A check which periodically establishes a radio
connection between the vehicle and the
SmartKey determines whether a valid Smart-
Key is in the vehicle. This occurs, for example,
when starting the engine.
Driving153
Driving and parking
Z
ANeutral
Do not shift the transmission toN
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake pedal will allow
you to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push it or tow it.
If ESP
®is deactivated or faulty:
shift the transmission to position N
if the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding, e.g. on icy roads.
If you switch the engine off with the
transmission in position Ror D, the
automatic transmission shifts to N
automatically.
!Rolling in neutral Ncan damage
the drive train.
7Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by:
Rthe selected drive program
Rthe position of the accelerator pedal
Rthe road speed
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto- matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle: early upshifts
Rmore throttle: late upshifts
Double-clutch function
When shifting down, the double-clutch func-
tion is active regardless of the currently selec-
ted drive program. The double-clutch function
reduces load change reactions and is condu-
cive to a sporty driving style. The sound gen-
erated by the double-clutch function depends
on the drive program selected.
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
XDepress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
lower gear depending on the engine speed.
XEase off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Rocking the vehicle free
Rocking the vehicle free by shifting back and
forth between transmission positions Dand R
can help to free a vehicle that has become
stuck in mud or snow.
The vehicle's engine management restricts
switching between transmission positions D
and Rto speeds up to a maximum of 5 mph
(9 km/h).
To shift back and forth between transmission
positions Dand R, move the DIRECT SELECT
lever up and down past the point of resist-
ance.
Towing a trailer
XDrive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
XManual shifting: depending on the uphill
or downhill gradient, shift into a gear
(
Ypage 167), in which the engine will run
the middle of the engine speed range.
This also applies if cruise control or
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
Automatic transmission165
Driving an d 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
Manual gear shifting
General notes
You can change gear yourself using the steer-
ing wheel paddle shifters. The transmission
must be in position D.
Depending on which paddle shifter is pulled,
the automatic transmission immediately
shifts into the next gear down or up, if per-
mitted.
If you activate manual gearshifting, the mul-
tifunction display will show the current gear
instead of transmission position D.
If manual gearshifting is deactivated, the
gears will be selected automatically.
Temporary setting
XTo activate: shift the DIRECT SELECT lever
to position D.
XPull steering wheel paddle shifter :or;.
Temporary setting will be 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 ter-
rain.
XTo deactivate: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter ;and hold it in place.
or
XUse the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch the
transmission position. or
XUse the DYNAMIC SELECT switch to
change the drive program.
Shifting gears
XTo shift up:
pull steering wheel paddle
shifter ;.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the next gear.
If the maximum engine speed on the cur-
rently engaged gear is reached and you
continue to accelerate, the automatic
transmission automatically shifts up in
order to prevent engine damage.
XTo shift down: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter :.
The automatic transmission shifts down to the next gear.
Automatic down shifting occurs when
coasting.
If the engine exceeds the maximum engine
speed when shifting down, the automatic
transmission protects against engine dam-
age by not shifting down.
Shift recommendation
Automatic transmission167
Driving and parking
Z
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.
Kickdown
XFor maximum acceleration, depress the
accelerator pedal beyond the pressure
point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
lower gear depending on the engine speed.
XShift back up once the desired speed is
reached.
During kickdown, you cannot shift gears
using the steering wheel paddle shifters.
If you apply full throttle, the automatic trans-
mission shifts up to the next gear when the
maximum engine speed is reached. This pre-
vents the engine from overrevving.
168Automatic transmission
Driving and parking