2016 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class SEDAN active driver assist

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 positionN.
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 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 condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (
Ypage 386).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see (
Ypage 386).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec-
tion (
Ypage 386).
Driving systems
Mercedes-Benz 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 68).
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains a constant road speed
for you. It brakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed. Change into a lower
gear in good time on long and steep downhill gradients. This is especially important if the
vehicle is laden. 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.
You can use cruise control if you want to drive at
a steady speed for a prolonged period of time.
You can store any road speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
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
:To activate or increase speed
;To activate or reduce speed
=To deactivate cruise control
?To activate at the current speed/last stored
speed
Driving system s197
Driving an d parking
Z

Cruise control lever
:To activate or increase speed
;To activate or reduce speed
=To deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
?To activate at the current speed/last storedspeed
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 totwo 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 activated.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift fromPto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
Activating
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;, up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
XTo adjust 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 adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :past the pres-
sure 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 vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
iIf you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONICPLUSSuspendedmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in
front will then not be maintained. You will be
driving at the speed you determine by the
position of the accelerator pedal.
You can also activate DISTRONIC PLUS when
stationary. The lowest speed that can be set is
20 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;or press it up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
Driving systems201
Driving and parking
Z

iSteering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are acti-
vated again automatically after a lane change
is completed.
Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot do not pro-
vide any support:
Ron very sharp corners
Rwhen a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire
has been detected and displayed
Pay attention also to the important safety notes
for DISTRONIC PLUS (
Ypage 200).
The steering interventions are carried out with a
limited steering moment. The system requires
the driver to keep his hands on the steering
wheel and to steer himself.
If you do not steer yourself or if you take your
hands off the steering wheel for a prolonged
period of time, the system will first alert you with
a visual warning. A steering wheel symbol
appears in the multifunction display. If you have
still not started to steer and have not taken hold
of the steering wheel after five seconds at the
latest, a warning tone also sounds to remind you
to take control of the vehicle. Steering Assist
and Stop&Go Pilot are switched to passive.
DISTRONIC PLUS remains active.
Activating Steering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot
XPress button ;.
Indicator lamp :lights up. The DTR+:
Steering Assist. Onmessage appears in
the multifunction display. Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot are activated.
Information in the multifunction display
If Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are activa-
ted but not ready for a steering intervention,
steering wheel symbol :appears in gray. If the
system provides you with support by means of
steering interventions, symbol :is shown in
green.
Deactivating Steering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot
XPress button ;.
Indicator lamp :goes out. The DTR+:
SteeringAssist.Offmessage appears in
the multifunction display. Steering Assist and
Stop&Go Pilot are deactivated.
When DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated or not
available, Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are deactivated automatically.
HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
208Driving systems
Driving and parking

Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel andat least 39.5 in (1.0 m)longer than your vehi-
cle
Rthat are at right angles to the direction of
travel and at least 39.5 in (1.0 m) wider than
your vehicle
iNote that Active Parking Assist cannot
measure the size of a parking space if it is at
right angles to the direction of travel. You will
need to judge whether your vehicle will fit into the parking space.
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h), you will see the parking symbol as a
status indicator in the instrument cluster. When
a parking space has been detected, an arrow
towards the right or the left also appears. By
default, Active Parking Assist only displays park-
ing spaces on the front-passenger side. Parking
spaces on the driver's side are displayed as
soon as the turn signal on the driver's side is
activated. When parking on the driver's side,
this must remain switched on until you acknowl-
edge the use of Active Parking Assist by press-
ing the abutton on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel. The system automatically determines
whether the parking space is parallel or at right
angles to the direction of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are driv-
ing past it, and until you are approximately 50 ft (15 m) away from it.
Parking
GWARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Active Parking Assist it could roll
away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
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.
Before leaving the vehicle, always secure it
against rolling away.
iWhen PARKTRONIC detects obstacles,
Active Parking Assist brakes automatically
during the parking process. You are respon-
sible for braking in good time.
XStop the vehicle when the parking space sym- bol shows the desired parking space in the
instrument cluster.
XShift the transmission to position R.
The Start
ParkAssist?Yes:OKNo:%
message appears in the multifunction display.
XTo cancel the procedure: press the%
button on the multifunction steering wheel or
pull away.
or
XTo park using Active Parking Assist: press
the a button on the multifunction steering
wheel.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
and BrakeObserve Surroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
XLet go of the multifunction steering wheel.
XBack up the vehicle, being ready to brake at all
times. When backing up, drive at a speed
below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwise Active Parking Assist will be canceled.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill when the vehicle approaches the
rear border of the parking space.
Maneuvering may be required in tight parking spaces.
The Park
AssistActiveSelect DObserveSurroundingsmessage appears in the multi-
function display.
XShift the transmission to position Dwhile the
vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
and BrakeObserve Surroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
XDrive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill.
The Park
AssistActiveSelect RObserveSurroundingsmessage appears in the multi-
function display.
218Driving systems
Driving and parking

As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
thePark Assist Switched Offmessage
appears and a warning tone sounds. The vehicle
is now parked. The vehicle is kept stationary
without the driver having to depress the brake
pedal. The braking effect is canceled when you
depress the accelerator pedal.
Active Parking Assist no longer supports you
with steering interventions and brake applica-
tions. When Active Parking Assist is finished,
you must steer and brake again yourself.
PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips:
RThe way your vehicle is positioned in the park- ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the position and
shape of the vehicles parked in front and
behind it and the conditions of the location. It
may be the case that Active Parking Assist
guides you too far into a parking space, or not
far enough into it. In some cases, it may also
lead you across or onto the curb. If necessary,
you should cancel the parking procedure with
Active Parking Assist.
RYou can also select preselect transmission
position D. The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far into the parking space. Should the
transmission change take place too early, the parking procedure will be canceled. A sensi-
ble parking position can no longer be ach-
ieved from this p
osition.
Exiting a parking space
In order that Active Parking Assist can support
you when you exit the parking space:
Rthe border of the parking space must be high
enough at the front and the rear. A curb is too
small, for example.
Rthe border of the parking space must not be
too wide, as the position of the vehicle must
not exceed an angle of 45° to the starting
position as it is maneuvering into the parking
space.
Ra maneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0
m) must be available .
Active Parking Assist can only assist you with
exiting a parking space if you have parked the
vehicle parallel to the direction of travel using
Active Parking Assist.
iIf PARKTRONIC detects obstacles, Active
Parking Assist brakes automatically whilst the vehicle exits the parking space. You are
responsible for braking in good time.
XStart the engine.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch on the turn signal in the direction you
will drive out of the parking space.
XShift the transmission to position
Dor R.
The Start
ParkAssist?Yes:OKNo:%
message appears in the multifunction display.
XTo cancel the procedure: press the%
button on the multifunction steering wheel or
pull away.
or
XTo exit a parking space using Active Park-
ing Assist: press theabutton on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
and BrakeObserve Surroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
XLet go of the multifunction steering wheel.
XPull away, being ready to brake at all times. Do
not exceed a maximum speed of approx-
imately 6 mph (10 km/h) when exiting a park-
ing space. Otherwise Active Parking Assist
will be canceled.
XShift the transmission to position Dor Ras
required or according to the message while
the vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. The Park Assist
Active Accelerate and BrakeObserveSurroundingsmessage appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
If you back up after activation, the steering
wheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
XDrive forwards and back up as prompted by
the PARKTRONIC warning displays, several
times if necessary.
Once you have exited the parking space com-
pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and the
Park
AssistSwitchedOffmessage appears
in the multifunction display. You will then have
to steer and merge into traffic on your own.
PARKTRONIC is still available. You can take over
the steering, before the vehicle has exited the
parking space completely. This is useful, for
Driving systems219
Driving an d parking
Z

Exiting 360° camera display mode
The 360° camera display is stopped
Rwhen you select transmission positionP, or
Rwhen you are driving at moderate speeds
The view which was active before the 360° cam-
era was displayed appears in the multimedia
system. You can also stop the 360° camera dis-
play split-screen view by selecting the %
symbol in the display and then confirming with
the COMAND controller.
ATTENTION ASSIST
General notes
ATTENTION ASSIST helps you during long,
monotonous journeys, such as on highways. It is
active in the 37 mph (60 km/h) to 125 mph
(200 km/h) range. If ATTENTION ASSIST
detects typical indicators of fatigue or increas-
ing lapses in concentration on the part of the
driver, it suggests taking a break.
Important safety notes
ATTENTION ASSIST is only an aid to the driver. It might not always recognize fatigue or increasing
inattentiveness in time or fail to recognize them
at all. The system is not a substitute for a well-
rested and attentive driver.
The functionality of ATTENTION ASSIST is
restricted and warnings may be delayed or not
occur at all:
Rif the length of the journey is less than approx-
imately 30 minutes
Rif the road condition is poor, e.g. if the surface
is uneven or if there are potholes
Rif there is a strong side wind
Rif you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of accel-
eration
Rif you are predominantly driving slower than
37 mph (60 km/ h)or faster than 125 mph
(200 km/h)
Rif you are driving with the active Steer Assist
of DISTRONIC PLUS
Rif the time has been set incorrectly
Rin active driving situations, such as when you
change lanes or change your speed The ATTENTION ASSIST tiredness assessment
is deleted and restarted when continuing the
journey, if:
Ryou switch off the engine
Ryou take off your seat belt and open the driv-
er's door, e.g. for a change of drivers or to
take a break
Displaying the attention level
You can have current status information dis-
played in the assistance menu (Ypage 269) of
the on-board computer.
XSelect the Assistance display for ATTENTION
ASSIST using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 268).
The following information is displayed:
Rlength of the journey since the last break.
Rthe attention level determined by ATTENTION ASSIST (Attention Level), displayed in a
bar display in five levels from high to low
Rif ATTENTION ASSIST is unable to calculate
the attention level and cannot issue a warn-
ing, the System Suspended
message
appears. The bar display then changes the
display, e.g. if you are driving at a speed below
37 mph (60 km/h) or above 124 mph
(200 km/h).
Activating ATTENTION ASSIST
XActivate ATTENTION ASSIST using the on-
board computer (Ypage 271).
The system determines the attention level of
the driver depending on the setting selected:
If Standard
is selected: the sensitivity with
which the system determines the attention level
is set to normal.
If Sensitive
is selected: the sensitivity is set
higher. The attention level detected by Attention
228Driving systems
Driving and parking

Problems with Night View Assist Plus
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The picture quality of
Night View Assist Plus
has deteriorated.The windshield is fogged up on the inside.
XFold down camera cover (Ypage 364).
XDefrost the windshield (Ypage 151).
The windshield is iced up.
XDe-ice the windshield (Ypage 151).
The windshield wipers are smearing the windshield.
XReplace the wiper blades (Ypage 136).
The windshield is smeared after the vehicle has been cleaned in a car
wash.
XClean the windshield (Ypage 362).
There is windshield chip damage in the camera's field of vision.
XReplace the windshield.
The pedestrian and ani-
mal recognition is not
available.the infrared camera in the radiator trim is dirty
XUse a soft cloth and water to clean the infrared camera.
Driving Assistance PLUS package
General notes
The Driving Assistance PLUS package consists
of DISTRONIC PLUS (Ypage 199), Active Blind
Spot Assist (Ypage 234) and Active Lane Keep-
ing Assist (Ypage 237).
Active Blind Spot Assist
General notes
Active Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor
system, pointed toward the rear of the vehicle,
to monitor the area to the sides of the vehicle
which the driver is unable to see. A warning dis-
play in the exterior mirrors draws your attention
to vehicles detected in the monitored area. If
you then switch on the corresponding turn sig-
nal to change lane, you will also receive an opti-
cal and audible warning. If a risk of lateral colli-
sion is detected, corrective braking may help
you avoid a collision. Before a course-correcting
brake application, Active Blind Spot Assist eval-
uates the space in the direction of travel and at
the sides of the vehicle. For this, Active Blind Spot Assist uses the forward-facing radar sen-
sors.
Active Blind Spot Assist supports you from a
speed of approximately 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid and is not
a substitute for attentive driving.
GWARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not react to:
Rvehicles overtaken too closely on the side,
placing them in the blind spot area
Rvehicles which approach with a large speed
differential and overtake your vehicle
As a result, Active Blind Spot Assist may nei-
ther give warnings nor intervene in such sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Always observe the traffic conditions care-
fully, and maintain a safe lateral distance.
iUSA only: This device has been approved by
the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor is intended for use in an auto-
motive radar system only. Removal, tamper-
234Driving systems
Driving and parking

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
ParkAssistCanceledThe driver's door is open .
XRepeat theparking gap measuremen tand parking process wit hth e
driver's door closed .
You touched themultifunction steering whee lwhile steering inter-
vention was active .
XWhilesteering intervention is active ,mak esur ethat th emultifunc-
tion steering whee lis no ttouched unintentionally.
The vehicl ehas started to skid and ES P®has intervened.
XUse Active Parking Assistagain later (Ypage 216).
ParkAssist Inoper ‐ativePARKTRONICis malfunctioning or faulty.
XFollow th einstruction sand helpful hints in th e"Problem swit h
PARKTRONIC" section (Ypage 216).
If th emultifunction display still shows th edisplay message :
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
Active Parking Assistis unavailable or faulty.
XSwitc hoff th eignition and restar tth eengine.
If Active Parking Assis tcontinues to be unavailable (the jsymbol is
no tshown in th emultifunction display):
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
ParkAssistSwitched OffThe vehicl eis parked. Awarning tone also sounds.
The display message disappear sautomatically.
Night Vie wAssistCurrently Unavaila‐ble
Night View Assis tPlus is deactivated and temporarily inoperative.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rth ewindshield in th ecamera' sfield of vision is dirty.
Rth ecamera in th eradiato rtrim is dirty.
Rvisibilit yis impaire ddue to heav yrain ,snow or fog .
Rtheoutside temperature is to ohigh .
XClean th ewindshield.
XClean th ecamera in th eradiato rtrim.
If th esystem has been switched off due to excessive outside tem-
peratures, th esystem will switch bac kon automatically once it has
cooled down .
If th esystem detects that th ecamera is full yoperational, th edisplay
message disappears.
Night View Assis tPlus is operational again .
Night ViewAssistInoperativeNight View Assis tPlus is defective.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
302Display messages
On-board computer and displays