RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter.
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.
REnsure that a bow wave does not form as you
drive.
RDo not stop and do not switch off the engine.
Water 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.
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 442).
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 qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter. Drive particularly carefully on slippery road sur-
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and
braking maneuvers. Do not use the cruise con-
trol or DISTRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the transmission to position
N.
When driving in snow with or without snow
chains, select driving program Slippery
(
Ypage 152).
iVehicles with a diesel engine: do not
cover the radiator, e.g. with a protective
cover. The measuring function of the on-
board diagnosis system may otherwise pro-
vide inaccurate values. Some of these values
are required by law and must therefore always
be accurate.
The outside temperature indicator is no
t
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges. You should pay
special attention to road conditions when tem-
peratures are around the freezing point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (
Ypage 390).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see (
Ypage 389).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec- tion (
Ypage 389).
Off-road driving
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
186Driving tips
Driving and parking
iThe special off-road ABS setting enables a
precise, brief and repeated locking of the
front wheels. This causes them to dig into
loose earth. Be aware that the front wheels
easily skid across the ground surface if com-
pletely braked and therefore lose their ability
to steer.
Driving systems
Intelligent Drive
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive stands for inno-
vative driver assistance and safety systems
which enhance comfort and support the driver in
critical situations. With these intelligent co-ordi- nated systems Mercedes-Benz has set a mile-
stone on the path towards autonomous driving.
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive embraces all
elements of active and passive safety in one well thought out system – for the safety of the vehi-
cle occupants and that of other road users.
Further information on driving safety systems
(
Ypage 66).
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains a constant road speed
for you. It brakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed. You must select a
lower gear in good time on long and steep down-
hill 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.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a steady
speed for a prolonged period. You can store any
road speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
iCruise control should not be activated when
driving off-road.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the laws of physics. Cruise control
cannot take into account the road, traffic and weather conditions. Cruise control 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 cruise control:
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
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Activates or increases speed
;Activates or reduces speed
=Deactivates cruise control
?Activates at the current speed/last stored
speed
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display for
five seconds.
Activation conditions
To activate cruise control, all of the following
activation conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe electric parking brake must be released.
Ryou are driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) .
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
Rthe transmission must be in positionD.
RDSR must be deactivated.
Rthe Offroad Plus drive program must be deac-
tivated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engineer-
ing package).
Driving system s191
Driving an d parking
Z
trol Offmessage in the multifunction display
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 auto-
matically helps you maintain the distance to the
vehicle detected in front. Vehicles 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 sys-
tem 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 prevent a
collision without your intervention. An intermit-
tent warning tone will then sound and the dis-
tance warning lamp will light up in the instru-
ment 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.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates in range between
0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (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 respon-
sible authorities. You can refer to the relevant
chapter in the Operator's Manual if questions
are asked about this.
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 tam-
per 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.
iCanada only: This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and
2. This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device
will void any warranties, and is not permitted.
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.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to:
Rpeople or animals
Rstationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop- ped or parked vehicles
Roncoming and crossing traffic
As a result, DISTRONIC PLUS may neither give
warnings nor intervene in such situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot always clearly iden-
tify other road users and complex traffic sit-
uations.
In such cases, DISTRONIC PLUS may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
Rneither give a warning nor intervene
Raccelerate or brake unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, in particular when warned to do so by
DISTRONIC PLUS.
Driving systems193
Driving and parking
Z
tem and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. If you need additional
braking, depress the brake pedal repeatedly
rather than continuously.
Driving tips
If the trailer swings from side to side:
XDo not accelerate.
XDo not counter-steer.
XBrake if necessary.
RMaintain a greater distance from the vehicle
in front than when driving without a trailer.
RAvoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake gen-tly at first to allow the trailer to run on. Then,
increase the braking force rapidly.
RThe values given for gradient-climbing capa-
bilities from a standstill refer to sea level.
When driving in mountainous areas, note that
the power output of the engine and, conse-
quently, the vehicle's gradient-climbing capa-
bility, decreases with increasing altitude.
Installing the ball coupling
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly installed
and secured, it can come loose during the
journey and endanger other road users. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter.
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed correctly or not secured with the bolt provided and the
corresponding spring cotter, the trailer may
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter.
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed and secured
correctly the trailer may come loose. There is
a risk of an accident.
Install and secure the ball coupling as descri-
bed in the ball coupling installation instruc-
tions. Make sure that the ball coupling is
installed and secured correctly before every
journey.
XPull protective cap :in the direction of the
arrow, out of the ball coupling recess.
XStow protective cap :so that it cannot be
thrown around.
Observe the loading guidelines (
Ypage 329)
and the safety notes regarding stowage
spaces (
Ypage 330).
258Towing a trailer
Driving an d parking
Hybrid drive system
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
d
VehicleOperationalSwitchtheIgnitionOff Before Exiting
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles:
You are exiting the vehicle when it is in a ready-to-drive state. The
READY indicator in the multifunction display is on. A warning tone also
sounds.
If you leave the vehicle:
XSecure the vehicle against rolling away (Ypage 178).
XSwitch off the ignition and remove the SmartKey.
If you do not leave the vehicle:
XSwitch off the electrical consumers, e.g. automatic climate control,
seat heating.
Please note the following: the electrical consumers are supplied by the 12 V battery. If the vehicle is left in a ready-to-drive state for an exten-
ded period, it will switch off once the 12 V battery is almost empty. It
will then only be possible to start the vehicle using a second battery
(jump-starting).
Change the currentdrive programbeforechangingtheoperatingmodeorExit manualdrive program Mbeforechangingtheoperating mode
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles:
You have attempted to change the operating mode when in automatic
drive program Sport, Individual (with activated Sport characteristics)
or manual drive program M.
XSelect the Comfort, Slippery or Individual (with activated Comfort or
Eco characteristics) drive program (Ypage 152).
XSelect the preferred operating mode HYBRID,E-MODE,E-SAVE or
CHARGE (Ypage 246).
E-MODE CurrentlyUnavailable
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles:
The condition of charge of the high-voltage battery has dropped to the
lower limit and the E-MODEoperating mode has been switched off.
Driving with the internal combustion engine is activated and the oper-
ating mode switches to the basic HYBRIDsetting.
XContinue driving using the internal combustion engine.
You can switch to the E-SAVEorCHARGE operating mode as
required (
Ypage 246).
If you select CHARGE, the high-voltage battery is charged.
Once the charge level display for the high-voltage battery has
increased slightly, you can switch to the E-MODEoperating mode
again.
Display messages299
On-board computer and displays
Z
Temperature-controlled cup holder in
the front-compartment center console
:Cup holder
;Residual heat indicator lamp
=Switch
The temperature-controlled cup holder can be
used to keep cold drinks cool and warm drinks
warm.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the ignition
lock.
XTo switch on the cooling function: press
and hold button =until the blue indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
XTo switch on the heating function: press
and hold button =until the red indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
XTo switch off the function: press and hold
button =until the indicator lamp on the but-
ton goes out.
When the heating function is used, the metal
insert of the cup holder is heated. Once a certain
temperature is reached, residual heat indicator
lamp ;lights up. This means that the metal
insert of the cup holder is hot. For this reason,
you must not reach into the cup holder metal
insert.
Do not use hard or sharp objects to clean the
cup holder. Use only a soft cloth to clean it.
Cup holder in the rear seat armrest
!Do not sit on or support your body weight on
the rear seat armrest when it is folded down,
as you could otherwise damage it.
XFold down the rear seat armrest.
Cup holder :is located in the rear seat arm-
rest.
Sun visors
Overview
GWARNING
If the mirror cover of the vanity mirror is folded
up when the vehicle is in motion, you could be
blinded by incident light. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always keep the mirror cover folded down
while driving.
:Mirror light
;Additional sun visor
=Bracket
?Retaining clip, e.g. for a car park ticket
AVanity mirror
BMirror cover
340Features
Stowag ean d features
XTo open:slide cover :to its foremost posi-
tion.
XFold cover =of the insert upwards.
XTo remove the insert: push insert=to the
left ?.
Insert =slides out slightly to the right.
XLift insert =up; and out.
XTo re-install the insert: place insert=into
the holder and press it down on the right until
it engages.
XTo close: pull cover :back as far as it will go.
Rear-compartment ashtray
!Close the ashtray when it is not in use and
before you fold the rear seats forward. You
can otherwise damage the ashtray.
Vehicles without a Rear Seat Entertainment Sys-
tem have an ashtray in the center console in the
rear compartment.
XTo open: briefly press cover ;at the top.
The ashtray opens.
XTo remove the insert: push into recess=
from the right.
Ashtray insert :slides out slightly to the
right.
XLift insert :up and out.
XTo re-install the insert: place insert:into
the holder and press down on the right until it
engages.
Cigarette lighter
GWARNING
You can burn yourself if you touch the hot
heating element or the socket of the cigarette lighter.
In addition, flammable materials can ignite if:
Rthe hot cigarette lighter falls
Ra child holds the hot cigarette lighter to
objects, for example
There is a risk of fire and injury.
Always hold the cigarette lighter by the knob.
Always make sure that the cigarette lighter is
out of reach of children. Never leave children
unsupervised in the vehicle.
!The cigarette lighter in the center console in
the front compartment is not intended for
operating the tire inflation compressor.
Your attention must always be focused on the
traffic conditions. Only use the cigarette lighter
when road and traffic conditions permit.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the ignition
lock (Ypage 145).
XTo open: slide cover :to its foremost posi-
tion.
XPress in cigarette lighter ;.
Cigarette lighter ;will pop out automatically
when the heating element is red-hot.
XTo close: pull cover :back as far as it will go.
342Features
Stowag ean d features
!Before driving into an automatic car wash,
make sure that it is suitable for the dimen-
sions of the vehicle. In particular, make sure
that:
Rthere is enough ground clearance between
the vehicle underbody and the guide rails of
the automatic car wash.
Rthe clearance width of the automatic car
wash is sufficient, particularly the width of
the guide rails.
Ryou enter the automatic car wash straight
and in the center of the guide rails in order
to avoid damaging the tires or wheel rims.
Fold in the exterior mirrors before the vehicle
is washed. The exterior mirrors could other-
wise be damaged.
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function is
activated, the vehicle brakes automatically in
certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or other similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
!Never clean your vehicle in a Touchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
!Make sure that:
Rthe side windows and the sliding sunroof
are fully closed.
Rthe ventilation/heating is switched off (the
OFF button has been pressed).
Rthe windshield wiper switch is in position 0.
Otherwise, the vehicle might be damaged.
!In car washes with a towing mechanism,
make sure that the automatic transmission is
in transmission position N, otherwise the
vehicle could be damaged.
RVehicles with a SmartKey:
Do not remove the SmartKey from the igni-
tion lock. Do not open the driver's door or
front-passenger door when the engine is
switched off. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission selects park position Pauto-
matically and locks the wheels. You can
prevent this by shifting the automatic trans-
mission to Nbeforehand.
RVehicles with KEYLESS-GO: Do not open the driver's door or front-
passenger door when the engine is
switched off. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission selects park position
Pauto-
matically and locks the wheels.
Observe the following to make sure that the
automatic transmission stays in position N:
XMake sure the vehicle is stationary and the
ignition is switched off.
XTurn the SmartKey to position2in the ignition
lock (Ypage 145).
Use the SmartKey instead of the Start/ Stop
button on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO.
XDepress and hold the brake pedal.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
You can wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash from the very start.
If the vehicle is very dirty, pre-wash it before
cleaning it in an automatic car wash.
After using an automatic car wash, wipe off wax
from the windshield and the wiper blades. This
will prevent smears and reduce wiping noises
caused by residue on the windshield.
Washing by hand
In some countries, washing by hand is only
allowed at specially equipped washing bays.
Observe the legal requirements in all countries
concerned.
XDo not use hot water and do not wash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
XUse a soft sponge to clean.
XUse a mild cleaning agent, such as a car
shampoo approved by Mercedes-Benz.
XThoroughly hose down the vehicle with a gen-
tle jet of water.
XDo not point the water jet directly towards the
air inlets.
XUse plenty of water and rinse out the sponge
frequently.
XRinse the vehicle with clean water and dry
thoroughly with a chamois.
XDo not let the cleaning agent dry on the paint-
work.
362Care
Maintenance and care