iCruise controlisnot deactivated ifyou
depr ess the accelerator pedal. Ifyou acceler-
ate to overtake, cruise control adjusts the
veh icle's speed to the last speed stored after
you have finished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise con-
trol:
XBriefly press cruise the control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake.
Cruise control isautomatically deactivated if:
Ryou engage the electr icparking brake
Ryou are driving at less than 20 mph (30 km/h)
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Ryou shift the transmission to position Nwhile
driv ing
If cruise control isdeactivate d,you willhear a
warning tone. You willsee the Cruise Con‐
trol Offmessage inthe multifunction display
for approximate lyfive seconds.
iWhen you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored iscleared.
DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes
DI ST RONIC PLUS regulates the speed and auto-
matically helps you maintain the distance to the
veh icle detected infront. Vehicle s are detected
wit h the aid of the radar sensor system.
DI ST RONIC PLUS brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not excee ded.Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep
downhillgradients. This isespecially
important ifthe 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 wear-
ing too quickly.
If DI ST RONIC PLUS detects that there isa risk of
a collision, you will bewarned visually and
acoustically. DI STRONIC PLUS cannot prevent a
collision without your intervention. An intermit-
tent warning tone will then sound and the dis-
tance warning lamp willlight up in the instru-
ment cluster. Brake immediately inorder to
increase the distance to the vehicle in front or
take evasive action provided it issafe to doso.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates inrange between
0 mph (0 km/ h)and 120 mph (200km/ h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
As DISTRONIC PLUS transmits radar waves, it
can resemble the radar de tectors o
f 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 auto-
motive radar system only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of the device will void any war-
ranties, 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.
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.
Driving system s199
Driving an d parking
Z
Important safety notes
GWARNING
DISTRONI CPLU Sdoes no treac tto :
Rpeople or animals
Rstationary obstacles on th eroad ,e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
Roncomin gand crossing traffic
As aresult ,DISTRONI CPLU Smay neither giv e
warning sno rinterven ein suc hsituations.
Ther eis aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and be read yto brake.
GWARNIN G
DISTRONI CPLU Scanno talways clearly iden -
tify other road user sand comple xtraffic sit -
uations.
In suc hcases, DISTRONI CPLU Smay:
Rgiv ean unnecessary warning and then
brak eth evehicl e
Rneither giv e awarning no rinterven e
Raccelerate or brak eunexpectedly
Ther eis aris kof an accident.
Continue to driv ecarefully and be read yto
brake, in particular when warned to do so by
DISTRONI CPLUS.
GWARNIN G
DISTRONI CPLU Sbrakes your vehicl ewit hup
to 50 %of the maximum possible deceleration.
If this braking force is insufficient, DISTRONIC
PLUS warns you visually and audibly. There is a risk of an accident.
In such cases, apply the brakes yourself and
try to take evasive action.
!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 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 vehi-
cles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles 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 exam-
ple, in parking gara ges
If DISTR
ONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehicle
in front, DISTRONIC PLUS may unexpectedly
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 vehi-cles driving on the left (left-hand drive coun-
tries)
Rbe so high in the left lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the right (right-hand drive
countries)
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
200Driving systems
Driving and parking
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
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed
GWARNIN G
If you call up th estore dspee dand it differs
from th ecurren tspeed, th evehicl eacceler -
ate sor decelerates. If you do no tknow th e
store dspeed, th evehicl ecould accelerate or
brak eune xpectedly. Ther eis aris kof an acci-
dent.
Pay attentio nto th eroad and traffic condi-
tions before calling up th estore dspeed. If you
do no tknow th estore dspeed, store th e
desired spee dagain .
XBrieflypull th ecruise control leve rtowards
you :.
XRemove your foo tfrom th eaccelerato rpedal.
DISTRONI CPLU Sis activated. The first tim eit
is activated, th ecurren tspee dis stored. Oth-
erwise, it set sth evehicl ecruise spee dto th e
previously store dvalue .
Driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
Pulling away and driving
XIf you want to pull awa ywith DISTRONIC
PLUS :remove your foo tfrom th ebrak epedal.
XBriefl ypull th ecruise control leve rtowards
you :.
or
XAccelerat ebriefly.
Your vehicl epulls away and adapt sits spee d
to that of th evehicl ein front. If no vehicl eis
detected in front, your vehicl eaccelerate sto
th eset speed.
The vehicl ecan also pull away when it is facing
an unidentified obstacle or is driving on adiffer-
en tlin efrom another vehicle. The vehicl ethen
brakes automatically. Be read yto brak eat all
times.
If there is no vehicl ein front, DISTRONI CPLU S
operate sin th esame way as cruise control .
If DISTRONI CPLU Sdetect sthat th evehicl ein
fron thas slowe ddown ,it brakes your vehicle. In
this way, th edistanc eyou have selected is main -
tained.
If DISTRONI CPLU Sdetect s afaster-moving
vehicl ein front, it increases th edriving speed.
However, th evehicl eis only accelerate dup to
th espee dyou have stored.
Selecting the drive program
All vehicles (excep tAMG vehicles):
DISTRONI CPLU Ssupport s asporty driving style
when you select th eS driv eprogram
(
Ypage 173). Acceleration behind th evehicl ein
fron tor to th eset spee dis then noticeably mor e
dynamic .If you have select ed th
eE d
riving pro -
gram ,th evehicl eaccelerate smor egently. This
settin gis recommended in stop-and-star ttraf-
fic .
AMG vehicles: DISTRONICPlus support s a
sporty driving style when you select th eS or M
driv eprogram (
Ypage 173). Acceleration
behind th evehicl ein fron tor to th eset spee dis
then noticeably mor edynamic .When you select
th eC driv eprogram ,th evehicl eaccelerate s
mor egently. This settin gis recommended in
stop-and-star ttraffic.
Changing lanes
If you chang eto th epassing lane ,DISTRONI C
PLU Ssupport syou when :
Ryou are driving faste rthan 45 mph (70 km/h)
Ryou switch on th eappropriat etur nsignal
RDISTRONI CPLU Sdoes no tdetect adanger of
collisio n
202Driving systems
Driving and parking
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted if
changing lanes takes too long or if the distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
becomes too small.
iWhen you change lanes, DISTRONIC PLUS
monitors the left lane on left-hand-drive vehi-
cles or the right lane on right-hand-drive vehi-
cles.
Stopping
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
RDISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
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.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
For further information on deactivating
DISTRONIC PLUS (
Ypage 205).
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until it is
stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
After a time, the electric parking brake secures
the vehicle and relieves the service brake.
Depending on the specified minimum distance,
your vehicle will come to a standstill at a suffi-
cient distance behind the vehicle in front. The
specified minimum distance is set using the
control on the cruise control lever. When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, the trans-
mission is shifted automatically to position
Pif:
Rthe driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated
when the vehicle is stationary and:
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is not sufficient.
If a malfunction in the electric parking brake
occurs, then the transmission may also be shif-
ted into position Pautomatically.
Setting a speed
XPress the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;, the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
iIf you accelerate to overtake, DISTRONIC
PLUS adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished overtak-
ing.
Driving systems203
Driving and parking
Z
Setting a specified minimum distance
You can set the specified minimum distance for
DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. With this func-
tion, you can set the minimum distance that
DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in front,
dependent on vehicle speed. You can see this
distance in the multifunction display
(
Ypage 204).
iMake sure that you maintain the minimum
distance to the vehicle in front as required by
law. Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front
if necessary.
XTo increase: turn control;in direction =.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater
distance between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front.
XTo decrease: turn control;in direction :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter
distance between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front.
DISTRONIC PLUS displays in the instru-
ment cluster
Displays in the speedometer
When you switch on DISTRONIC PLUS, trian-
gle ;shows the stored speed.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front,
segments between the speed of the vehicle in
front :and stored speed ;light up. The seg-
ments likewise light up if a vehicle in front is
detected in the fast lane.
iFor design reasons, the speed displayed in
the speedometer may differ slightly from the
speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS.
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vated
:Vehicle in front, if detected
;Distance indicator, current distance to the
vehicle in front
=Specified minimum distance to the vehicle
in front; adjustable
?Own vehicle
In the Assistance menu (
Ypage 269) of the on-
board computer, you can select the assistance
graphics display.
XSelect the Assistance Graphicfunction
using the on-board computer (Ypage 268).
204Driving systems
Driving and parking
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is activa-
te d
:DISTRONIC PLU Sactive (tex tonly appears
when th ecruise control lever is actuated)
;Vehicl ein front, if detecte d
=Specified minimum distanc eto th evehicl e
in front; adjustable
?Own vehicl e
In th eAssistance men u (
Ypage 269) of theon -
boar dcomputer, you can select th eassistanc e
graphic sdisplay.
XSelec tth eAssistanc eGraphi cfunction
usin gth eon-boar dcomputer (Ypage 268).
You will see th estore dspeed fo rabout fiv esec -
onds when you activat eDISTRONIC PLUS.
Deactivate sDISTRONIC PLUS
There are severa lways to deactivat e
DISTRONIC PLUS:
XBriefly press th ecruise control lever for-
ward s:
or
XBrake ,unless th evehicl eis stationary
Whe nyou deactivat eDISTRONIC PLUS, you will
see th eDISTRONIC PLU SOff
message in th emultifunction display fo
rapproximately fiv esec -
onds.
iThe last speed store dremain sstore duntil
you switch of fth eengine.
iDISTRONIC PLU Sis no tdeactivated if you
depress th eaccelerato rpedal.
DISTRONIC PLU Sis automatically deactivated
if:
Ryou engage th eelectric parkin gbrak eor if th e
vehicl eis automatically secured wit hth eelec -
tric parkin gbrak e
RESP®intervenes or you deactivat eES P®
Rthetransmissio nis in th eP, Ror Nposition
Ryou pull th ecruise control lever toward syou
in order to pull away and th efront-passenger
doo ror on eof th erea rdoors is ope n
Rthevehicl ehas skidde d
Ryou activat eActive Parking Assis t
If DISTRONIC PLU Sis deactivated, you will hear
a warnin gtone .You will see th eDISTRONIC
PLU SOffmessage in th emultifunction display
fo rapproximately fiv eseconds.
Tips for drivin gwit hDISTRONIC PLUS
General notes
Pay particular attention in th efollowing traffic
situations:
RCornering, goin ginto and comin gout of a
ben d
RVehicles travelin gon adifferen tlin e
ROther vehicles changin glanes
RNarrow vehicles
RObstruction sand stationary vehicles
RCrossing vehicles
In suc hsituations, brak eif necessary.
DISTRONIC PLU Sis then deactivated.
Driving systems20 5
Driving an d parking
Z
Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or late.
Vehicles traveling on a different line
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles trav-
eling on a different line. The distance to the
vehicle in front will be too short.
Other vehicles changing lanes
DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehicle
cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle will be
too short.
Narrow vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the vehi-
cle in front on the edge of the road, because of
its narrow width. The distance to the vehicle in
front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obstacles
or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the detec-
ted vehicle turns a corner and reveals an obsta-cle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC PLUS will
not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS may mistakenly detect vehi-
cles that are crossing your lane. Activating
206Driving systems
Driving and parking