2016 MERCEDES-BENZ METRIS ESP

!Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately.D rive
on for ashort while.T he brakes are cooled down
more quickly in the airflow.
Wet road surfaces
If you have been driving for along time in heavy
rain without braking, there may be adelayed
response when you first apply the brakes. This
may also occur after driving through acar wash
or deep water.
You must depress the brake pedal more firmly.
Maintain alonger distance to the vehicle in
front.
While paying attention to the traffic conditions,
you should brake the vehicle firmly after driving
on aw et road surface or through acar wash. This
heats the brake discs, so that they dry more
quickly, which protects them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
When driving on salted roads, salt may start to
buildupont he brake disks and brake pads. This
can increase braking distances considerably.
Maintain agreater distance to the vehicle in
front.
To remove any build-up of salt that may have
formed:
XApply the brakes at the start of the journey,
occasionally during journey and at the end of
the journey. Make sure that you do not endan-
ger other road users when doing so.
New brake discs and brake pads/
linings
New brake pads and brake discs only reach their
optimal braking effect after about60m iles
(100 kilometers). Until then, compensate for
this by applying greater force to the brake pedal. For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends only installing the following brake discs
and brake pads/linings:
Rbrake discs that have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz
Rbrake pads/linings that have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz or are of an equivalent
standard of quality
Other brake discs or brake pads/linings can
compromise the safety of your vehicle.
Alwaysr eplace all brake discs or brake pads/
linings on an axle at the same time and only have
them replaced at aqualified specialist work-
shop. When replacing the brake discs, always
have the brake pads/linings replaced at the
same time.
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.
When driving on wet roads or dirt-covered sur-
faces, road salt and/or dirt may get into the
parking brake. This causes corrosion and a
reduction of braking force.
In order to prevent this, drive with the parking
brake lightly applied from time to time. When
doing so, drive for adistance of approximately
110 yds (100 m) at amaximum speed of 12 mph
(20 km/h).
The brake lamps are not illuminated when you
brake the vehicle using the parking brake.
Driving in wet conditions
Hydroplaning
GWARNING
There is adanger of hydroplaning occurring,
even if you are driving slowly and your tires
Driving tips137
Driving and parking
Z

have sufficient tread depth, depending on the
depth of water on the road. There isarisk of
an accident.
For this reason, avoid tire ruts and brake care-
fully.
Therefore, in heavy rain or other conditions in
which hydroplaning can occur, drive as follows:
Rreduce your speed
Ravoid tire ruts
Rapply the brakes with care
Driving on flooded roads
!Do not drive through flooded areas. Check
the depth of any water before driving through
it. Drive slowly through standing water. Oth-
erwise, water may enter the vehicle interior or
the engine compartment. This can damage
the electronic components in the engine or
the automatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by the engine's air suction nozzles
and this can cause engine damage.
If you have to drive on stretches of road on which
water has collected, please bear in mind that:
Rthe water level of standing water should not
be above the lower edge of the front bumper
Rdo not drive faster than walking speed
Driving in winter
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect,t he 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 aslippery road surface.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission may
roll only briefly in the neutral position N.Pro-
longed rolling of the wheels, e.g. when being
towed, will result in transmission damage.
Have your vehicle winterproofed at aqualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter. Drive particularly carefully on slippery roads.
Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and braking
maneuvers. Do not use cruise control.
If the vehicle threaten stoskid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the transmission to position N.
XTry to maintain control of the vehicle using
corrective steering.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after ashort 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. If you do not adjust
your driving style, the vehicle may start to skid.
Always adapt your driving style and drive at a
speed to suit the prevailing weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
You can find further information under:
R"M+S tires" (Ypage 269)
R"Snow chains" (Ypage 270)
R"Driving with summer tires" (Ypage 269)
Also observe the notes under "Winter operation" (
Ypage 269).
Driving off-road
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you drive on asteep 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 asteep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
GWARNING
When driving off-road, your body is subject to
forces from all directions, due to the uneven
surface. You could be thrown from your seat,
for instance. There is arisk of injury.
138Driving tips
Driving and parking

Alwayswearas eatb elt, eve nwhend riving off-
road.
GWARNING
If yo udrive ove robstacle sorinr uts, the steer-
ing whee lmayjerk outofy ourg rip, causing
injury to your hands.
Alway sholdt he steering whee lfirmly with
both hands. Whe ndriving ove robstacles, you
must expect steering forces to increase
briefl yand suddenly.
GWARNING
Flammabl ematerial such as leaves, grass or
twigs mayi gnite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaus tsystem .There is arisk
of fire.
Whe ndriving off roa doronunpaved roads,
check the vehicle's undersid eregularly .In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammabl ematerial swhich have become
trapped. In the cas eofdamage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
!Whe ndriving off-roadoronu npaved surfa-
ces ,check the undersid eofthe vehicl eand
the wheels and tire satregular intervals .In
particular, remove any trappe dforeign
objects, e.g .stone sand branches.
Such foreig nobjects may:
Rdamage the chassis, the fuel tank or the
brake system
Rcause imbalance sand thusv ibrations
Rbe flung outw heny ou continue driving
If ther eisany damage, inform aquali fied spe-
cialist workshop.
Whe ndriving off-roada nd on construction sites,
sand, muda nd water mixe dwitho il,f or exam-
ple, mayg et into the brakes. Thi smaylead to a
reduction in braking performance or totalb rake
failure, also as aresul tofi ncreased wear .The
braking characteristics will vary depending on
the material thath asgot into the system .Clean
the brakes afte rdriving o
ff-road. If yo uth
en
notice reduce dbraking performance or hear
scraping noises ,hav et he brake system checked
at aq uali fied specialist workshop.A djust your
driving style to the changedb raking character-
istics. Driving off-roadoronc
onstruction sites increa-
ses the possibility of vehicl edamag ewhich may
in turn lead to the failure of certain assemblies
and systems. Adapt your driving style to the off- roa ddriving conditions. Driv ecarefully. Have
any vehicl edamag erectifie dataq ualified spe-
cialist workshop as soo naspossible.
Whe nloadin gyourvehicl efor driving off-roado r
on aconstruction site, kee pthe vehicle's center
of gravity as lo waspossible.
Rule sfor drivin goff-road
!Alway sbearthe vehicle's ground clearance
in mind and avoido bstacles, e.g .deepr uts.
Obstacles mayd amagethe following parts of
the vehicle:
Rthe chassis
Rthe drive train
Rthe fuel and supply tanks
For thisr eason, yo ushoul dalway sdrive
slowly when driving off-road. If yo uhavet o
drive ove robstacles, have the front
passengerd irect you.
iWe recommend thaty ouadditionally carry a
shovel and arecover yrop ew iths hackle in the
vehicle.
REnsure thatl oadsand items of luggage are
securel ystowed or lashe ddown
(
Ypage 232).
RBefore driving off-road, stop the vehicl eand
shift to alow gear.
RIf the surface requires ,temporaril ydeactivate
ESP®when pulling away (Ypage 64).
ROnlyd rive off-roadw itht he engine running
and ageare ngaged.
RDriv eslowly and smoothly. Walking pace is
necessary in many situations.
RAvoi dspinning the drive wheels.
RMake sure thatt he wheels always remai nin
contact with the ground.
RDriv ewithe xtreme car eoveru nknown terrain
where yo ucan onlys ee forashort distance.
As aprecaution, get outoft he vehicletotake
al oo katt he route to be take ninadvance.
RCheck the water depth before fording.
RWatch outf or obstacles(e.g. rocks ,holes,
tree stumps and ruts).
RAvoi dedges where the surface could crumble
or break away.
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Checklist after driving off-road
!If you detect damagetothevehicle after
driving off-road, have th evehicle checked
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Off-road driving places ahigher demand on your
vehicle than normal road operation. Checky our
vehicle after driving on roug hterra in. By doing
so you will notic eany damageing ood timeand
reduc ethe riskofana ccidentf or yourself and
other road users. Clean your vehicle thoroughly
before driving on public roads.
Observ ethe followingp oints after driving off-
road ,onc onstructio nsites and before driving on
public roads:
XActivate ESP®(Ypage 64).
XClean th eheadlamps and tail lamps and
check them for damage.
XClean th efront and rear licens eplates.
XClean th ewindshield, windows and exterior
mirrors.
XClean th esteps, door sills and grab handles.
This increases safety of footing.
XClean th ewheels/tires, wheel housing sand
th eu nderbody of th evehicle withaw aterjet .
This increases road grip ,especiall yonw et
road surfaces.
XCheckt hewheels/tires and wheel housings
for trapped foreign object sand remove them.
Trapped foreign object scan damaget he
wheels/tires and may be flun gout from the
vehicle when you continue driving.
XCheckt heunderbody for trapped branches or
other part sofplants and remove them.
Trapped branches or other part sofplants
increas ethe riskoff irea nd can caus ed
am-
age

to fuel lines, brak ehoses and th erubber
bellows of axle joint sand driv eshafts.
XClean th ebrak edisks, brak epads and axle
joints, particularly after operatio ninsand,
mud, grit/gravel, wate rorsimilarly dirt ycon-
ditions.
XCheckt heentir efloo rassembly, th etires,
wheels, bodywork structure, brakes, steering,
chassis and exhaust system for any damage.
XCheckt heservic ebrak efor operatin gsafety,
e.g .carry out abrak etest.
XIf you notic estron gv ibrations after driving off-
road ,che ck th ewheelsa nd drivetrain for for-
eign object sagain.R emove any foreign object
swhichc an lead to imbalances and
thus caus evibrations.
Driving in mountainous areas
When driving in mountainous areas ,notet hat
th ep ower output of th eengine, and withiti ts
gradientc limbingcapability, decreas ewith
increasing altitude. Pleaset aken oteoft hisp ar-
ticularly when driving withat railer in mountain-
ous areas.
The maximum permissible trailer loads are valid
for journeys at altitudes up to 1100 yds
(1000 m) aboves ea levelwithg radients up to
12%.
Information on maximum permissible trailer
loads can be foun dinyour vehicle registration
papersa nd on thevehicle identification plate
(
Ypage 294) or unde r"Trailer loads"
(Ypage 305).
When driving at altitudes of 2700 yds (2500 m)
aboves ea level, th eECO start/sto pfunction is
no longer available.
Notes on braking on downhill gradients can be
foun dint he"Braking" sectio n(
Ypage 136).
Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintain sthe speedoft hevehi-
cle for you. It brakes automatically in orde rto
avoid exceedingt heset speed.
Use cruise control if road and traffic conditions
makeita ppropriat etomaintain asteady speed
for aprolonged period. You can set any speed
from 30 km/h upwards in increment sof1km/h
and 10 km/h.
If you have set Miles
as theunit for th edigital
speedometer, you can set any speeda bove
20 mph in increment sof1mph and5mph.
Changingt hedisplay unit for th edigital speed-
omete rand th edistance:
Ron vehicle swithout steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 174)
Ron vehicle swith steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 185)
Cruise control shouldn otbe activated when
driving off-road or on constructio nsites.
140Driving systems
Driving and parking

Cruisecontro lmaybe unab leto maintain the
storeds peedonu phillgradients .The stored
speedisr esumedifth eu phill gradiente vens out
and th evehicle 's speedd oes notfall below
20 mph (30 km/ h).C ruise control maintains the
storeds peed on downhil lgradients by automat-
icall yapplyin gthe brakes. Observe the addi-
tiona ldriving tip s(
Ypage 136).
Important safety notes
Observe the notes on braking (Ypage 136).
If yo ufailtoa dapt your driving style or if yo uare
inattentive ,cruise control can neither reduce
the ris kofana ccident nor override the laws of
physics .Cruise control canno ttake road,
weathe rand traffic conditions into account.
Cruise control is only an aid. Yo uare responsible
for the distance to the vehicl einfront, for vehi-
cle speed, for braking in goo dtime and for stay-
ing in lane.
If yo uchange wheel size ,make sure they corre-
spond to the correct wheel size category
(
Ypage 267). If the categor yischanged without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the
functioning of cruise control may be impaired.
Do not us ecruise control:
Rin traffic conditions that are unsuitable for
driving at aconstant speed, e.g. in heavy traf-
fic, on winding roads or off-road.
Ron slippery roads. Braking or accelerating
may cause the drive wheel stoloset raction
and the vehicl ecould then skid.
Rwhen there is poo rvisibility ,e.g. du etofog,
heavy rai norsnow.
If there is achange of drivers ,make sure that
yo ui nform the new driver aboutt he set cruise
speed.
Cruise control levera nd display
:To activate and store the current speed or a
higher speed
;To activate at the last storeds peed
=To activate and store the current speed or a
lowerspeed
?To deactivate cruise control
The cruise control lever is the lowe rlev er on the
left of the steering column.
Whe nyou activate cruise control ,the display
briefl yshows the Cruise Control
message
and the storeds peed.
The display also shows the Vsymbo land the
storeds peed:
Rin the header on vehicles withou tsteering
wheel buttons (Ypage 170)
Rin the statu sareaonv ehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 176)
Activation conditions
To activate cruise control ,allof the following
activation conditions mus tbefulfilled:
Rthe parking brake mus tbereleased .The F
(onl yUSA) or J(onlyCanada) indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster goe sout
RESP®mus tbes witched on, bu tnot currently
intervening or performing acontrol action
Ryoua re driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h)
Rthe brake pedal is not depressed
Driving systems141
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RESP®intervenes or youdeactivate ESP®
Rthere is amalfunctio ninthe ESP®or ABS sys-
tem
If cruis econtro lautomaticall ydeactivates, a
warning tone sounds and the Cruise
ControlOffmessage appearsbriefl yint he display.
The V symbo land the displa yofthe stored
spee dint he header or in the status area of the
displa yarethenn ot shown.
Problems with cruis econtrol
The spee dcanno tbes et when cruis econtro lis
activated.
The displa yisshowing amessage of high priority
and canno ttherefore sho wachange in speed.
XProcee dasinstructed by the message in the
display.
COLLISIO NPREVENTION ASSIST
General notes
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST help syou:
Rto minimize the ris kofafront-end collision
with adetecte dobstacle in the path of your
vehicle
Rto reduce the consequences of afront-end
collision
The system uses rada rsensor stod etect vehi-
cle sinf ront.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consists of the
distance warning functio nand Adaptive Brake
Assist.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is malfunc-
tioning ,the displa yshows acorresponding mes-
sage (
Ypage 213).
Distance warning function
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The distance warning functio ndoesn ot react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus, the distance warning functio ncannot
provid eawarning in al lcritica lsituations.
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spaycarefu lattentio ntothe traffics it-
uatio nand be ready to brake.
GWARNING
The distance warning functio ncanno talway s
clearly identify objects and comple xtraffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give awarning
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spaycarefu lattentio ntothe traffics it-
uatio nand do not rel ysolel yont he distance
warning function.
In particular ,the detection of obstacle scan be
impaired in the cas eof:
Rdirt on the sensor soranything else covering
the sensors
Rit is snowing or raining heavily
Rthere is interferenc efromo therradar sources
Rthe possibility of strong rada rreflections, for
example, in parkin ggarages .
Ranarrow vehicl etraveling in front, e.g .a
motorbike
Rav ehicl etraveling in front on adifferent line
Due to the nature of the system ,particularly
complicate dbutnon-critical drivin gconditions
maya lsoc ause the system to displa yawarning.
If yo ufailtoa dapt your drivin gstyle ,the dis-
tance warning functio ncan neitherr educe the
ris kofana ccident nor override the laws of phys-
ics .The distance warning functio ncanno ttake
into account road, weather or trafficc onditions.
The distance warning functio ni
so nlyana id.
You
ar er esponsibl efor the distance to the vehicl ein
front, for vehicl espeed, braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuratio nand operatio nofthe
rada rsensor checked at aquali fied specialist
workshop .Thisa lsoa pplies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
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Z

Alwayspaycarefu lattentio ntothe traffic sit-
uatio nand be ready to brake. Terminate the
interventio ninanon-critica ldriving situation.
In particular, the detection of obstacle scan be
impaired in the cas eof:
Rdirt on the sensors or anything else covering
the sensors
Rsnow or heavy rain
Rinterference from othe rradar sources
Rstrong rada rreflections, for example, in park-
ing garages
Ran arrow vehicl etraveling in front, e.g .a
motorbike
Rav ehicl etraveling in front on adifferent line
Due to the nature of the system ,particularly
complicate dbutnon-critica ldriving conditions
maya lsoc ause Adaptive Brake Assist to inter-
vene.
If yo ufailtoa dapt your driving style ,Adaptive
Brake Assist can neither reduce the ris kofacci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Adaptive
Brake Assist canno ttake into account road,
weather or traffic conditions. Adaptive Brake
Assist is onlyana id.Y ou arer esponsibl efor the
distance to the vehicl einfront, for vehicle
speed ,braking in goo dtime and for staying in
your lane.
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuratio nand operatio nofthe
rada rsensor checked at aquali fied specialist
workshop.T hisa lsoa pplies to collisions at slow
speed swhe
re the rei
snov isible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
If yo uchange whee lsize, make sure they corre-
spond to the correct whee lsizec ategory
(
Ypage 267). If the categor yischangedw ithout
recoding the contro lunits in the vehicle, the
functioning of Adaptive Brake Assist mayb e
impaired .COL LISION PREVENTION ASSIST may
then detect amalfunctio nand switch itsel foff.
If Adaptive Brake Assist is not availabl edueto a
malfunctio ninthe rada rsensor system ,the
brake system remains availabl ewithf ullb rake
boosting effect and BAS.
Operation
With the hel pofthe rada rsensor system ,Adap-
tive Brake Assist can detect obstacle sthath ave
been in the path of your vehicl efor an extended
perio doft ime.Adaptive Brake Assist does not
react to stationar yobstacles. If Adaptive Brake Assist detects
ariskofc ollision with avehicle
traveling in front or with astationar yobstacle,
the system calculate sthe braking forc eneces-
sary to avoidt hiscollision. If yo uapply the
brakes forcefully, Adaptive Brake Assist will
automaticall yincrease the braking forc etoa
level suitabl efor the traffic conditions.
XBrake unti lthe distance to the obstacle
increases and the ris kofacollision passes.
ABS
prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes functio nasusual againif:
Ryour elease the brake pedal
Rther eisnol ongera ny dangerofac ollision
Rno obstacle is detecte dinfront of your vehicle
Braking assistance is then ended.
Blind SpotA ssist
General notes
Blind Spo tAssist monitors the area soneither
side of the vehicl ethata renot visible to the
driver with two lateral, rear-facing rada rsensors
in the bumper. It supports yo ufrom speed sof
approximately20m ph (30 km/h).Awarning
display in the exterio rmirrors draws your atten-
tio ntov ehicles detecte dinthe monitore darea.
If yo uthen switch on the corresponding turn
signaltoc hange lane, yo uwilla lsor eceive an
optica land audibl ecollision warning.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Blind Spo tAssist does not react to:
Rvehicles overtake ntoo closel yonthe side,
placing them in the blind spo tarea
Rvehicles which approach with alarge speed
differential and overtake your vehicle
As aresult, Blind Spo tAssist mayn ot give
warning sinsuchs ituations. There is arisko f
an accident.
Alway sobserve the traffic conditions care-
fully, and maintain asafel atera ldistance.
Blind Spo tAssist is onlyana id.Itm ayfailto
detect som evehicles and is no substitute for
attentive driving .Alway sensure thatt hereis
Driving systems145
Driving an dparking
Z

sufficient distance to the side for other road
users and obstacles.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired in the case of:
Rdirt on the sensors or anything else covering
the sensors
Rfog, heavy rain or snow
Rnarrow vehicles, e.g. motorcycles or bicycles
Rvery wide lanes
Rnarrow lanes
Rvehicles not driving in the middle of their lane
Rbarriers or other road boundaries
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
indicated.
iUSA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as
a" Vehicular Rada rSystem". The radar sensor
is intended for use in an automotive radar
system only. Removal, tampering, or altering
of 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.
Monitoring range of the sensors
Blind Spot Assist monitors the area shown in the
diagramupt o118 in (3 m) behind and directly
next to your vehicle.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not driv-
ing in the middle of their lane. This may be the
case if the vehicles are driving on the inner side
of their lane.
Due to the nature of the system:
Rwarnings may be issued in error when driving
close to crash barriers or similars olid lane
borders.
Rwarnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside long vehicles, for example trucks,
for aprolonged time
The two sensors for Blind Spot Assist are inte-
grated into the sides of the rear bumper. Make
sure that the bumper is free of dirt, ice or slush
in the vicinity of the sensors. The radar sensors
must not be covered, for example by rear-moun-
ted cycle racks or overhanging loads. Following
as evere impact or in the event of damage to the
bumper, have the function of the radar sensors
checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
Blind Spot Assist may otherwise not work prop-
erly.
Warning display
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). Vehicles in
the monitoring range are then not indicated.
If av ehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h), warning
lamp :lights up red in the exterior mirror on
the corresponding side. Warning lamp :
always lights up when avehicle enters the blind
spot monitoring range from behind or from the
side. When you overtake avehicle, the warning
only occurs if the difference in speed is less than
7m ph (11 km/h).
If you select reverse gear, Blind Spot Assist is
inactive.
146Driving systems
Driving and parking