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steering and the brake boosting effect. Youwill require considerably more effort to
steer and brake. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Do not switch off the ignition while driv-
ing.
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 vehicle
stationary. Drive off immediately. Avoid
high engine speeds and driving at full
throttle until the engine has reached its
operating temperature.
Only shift the automatic transmission to
the desired drive position when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
SmartKey positions
005ATo remove the SmartKey
0047Power supply for some consumers, such as
the windshield wipers
0048Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
0049Starting the engine
The steering is locked when you remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Starting the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the
vehicle, they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehi-
cle in motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of
park position P or shift manual trans-
mission into neutral.
Rstart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
Never leave children or animals unattended
in the vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey
out of reach of children.
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous
exhaust gases such as carbon monoxide.
Inhaling these exhaust gases leads to poi-
soning. There is a risk of fatal injury.
Therefore never leave the engine running
in enclosed spaces without sufficient ven- tilation.
GWARNING
Flammable materials introduced through
environmental influence or by animals can
ignite if in contact with the exhaust system
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or parts of the engine that heat up. There is
a risk of fire.
Carry out regular checks to make sure that
there are no flammable foreign materials
in the engine compartment or in the exhaust
system.
!Do not depress the accelerator when
starting the engine.
iDuring a cold start, the engine runs at
higher speeds to enable the catalytic con-
verter to reach its operating temperature.
The sound of the engine may change during
this time.
Manual transmission
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XDepress the clutch pedal fully.
XShift to neutral.
Automatic transmission
XShift the transmission to position P
(Ypage 92).
The transmission position display in the
multifunction display shows P
(
Ypage 92).
iYou can start the engine in transmission
positions Pand N.
In order to start the engine in transmission
position Nyou must depress the brake pedal
and keep it depressed.
Starting procedure
XTurn the key to position 3in the ignition
lock (Ypage 87) and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
Pulling away
General notes
GWARNING
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
If the engine speed is above the idling
speed and you engage transmission posi-
tion Dor R, the vehicle could pull away
suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor
R, always firmly depress the brake pedal
and do not simultaneously accelerate.
!Vehicles with manual transmission:
change gear in good time and avoid spin-
ning the wheels. You could otherwise dam-
age the vehicle.
!Release the parking brake before driving
off. The parking brake can otherwise over-
heat, malfunction and wear out quickly.
Accelerate gently when pulling away.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking
feature (
Ypage 55).
Vehicles with automatic transmission: you
can only shift the transmission from position
P to the desired transmission position if:
Rthe ignition is switched on
Ryou depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed and
Ryou press release button on the selector
lever (Ypage 92).
Only then is the shift lock released.
iVehicles with automatic transmission:
transmission shifts take place at higher
engine speeds after a cold start. This helps
the catalytic converter to reach its oper-
ating temperature more quickly.
Hill start assist
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away forwards or in reverse on an uphill gradient.
It holds the vehicle for a short time after you have removed your foot from the brake pedal.
This gives you enough time to move your foot
from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal
and to depress it before the vehicle begins to
roll.
GWARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no
longer brake your vehicle and it could roll
88Driving
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Page 91 of 214
away. There is a risk of an accident and
injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill
start assist.
Hill start assist is not active if:
Ryou pull away on level ground
Ryou pull away in a forward gear on a down-
hill slope
Ron vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission is in position N.
Rthe parking brake is applied.
RESP®is malfunctioning
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Problems with the engine
ProblemPossible causes/consequences and0050Solutions
The engine does not
start. The starter motor
can be heard.RThere is a malfunction in the engine electronics.
RThere is a malfunction in the fuel supply.
XSwitch off the engine before attempting to start the engine
again (Ypage 101).
XTry to start the engine again (Ypage 87). Avoid excessively long
and frequent attempts to start the engine as these will drain the
battery.
If the engine does not start after several attempts:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The engine does not
start. You cannot hear
the starter motor.The on-board voltage is too low because the battery is too weak or
discharged.
XJump-start the vehicle (Ypage 168).
If the engine does not start despite attempts to jump-start it:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The starter motor was exposed to a thermal load that was too high.
XAllow the starter motor to cool down for approximately two
minutes.
XTry to start the engine again.
If the engine still does not start:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring.There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechan-
ical component of the engine management system.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it.
XHave the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop.
The coolant tempera-
ture exceeds 230 ‡
(110 †). The red coolant
temperature warning
lamp comes on while the
engine is running. A
warning tone also
sounds. The Stop
Switch Off Enginemessage appears.
The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 153). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
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Manual transmission
Gear lever
!
Only engage gear when the clutch pedal is
depressed.
!When shifting into 5thgear, you should
always push the gear lever all the way to the
right. You could otherwise shift uninten-
tionally into 3rdgear and damage the
transmission.
If you shift down at too high a speed (trans-
mission braking), this can cause the engine
to overrev, leading to engine damage.
Never hold the vehicle stopped on a hill by
using the clutch pedal. There is otherwise
a risk of damaging the clutch.
!On long and steep downhill gradients,
especially if the vehicle is laden, you must
shift into gear 1,2or 3in good time. 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.
0047 -004BForward gears
005EReverse gear
Shifting to neutral
XDepress the clutch pedal fully.
XMove the gearshift lever to position 0043.
Engaging reverse gear
!
Only shift into reverse gear Rwhen the
vehicle is stationary. Otherwise, you could
damage the transmission.
All vehicles except for smart 66 kw Turbo
XShift to neutral (Ypage 91).
XPress the gear lever to the right and then
pull it back.
smart 66 kw Turbo
XShift to neutral (Ypage 91).
XPull collar 0043upwards.
XPress the gear lever to the right and then
pull it back.
Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style.
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XShift one gear up or down according to
gearshift recommendation0043when shown
in the multifunction display of the instru-
ment cluster.
Further information on the transmission dis-
play (
Ypage 111).
Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling
speed and you engage transmission posi-
tion Dor R, the vehicle could pull away
suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor
R, always firmly depress the brake pedal
and do not simultaneously accelerate.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to
neutral position Nwhen you switch off the
engine. The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an accident.
After switching off the engine, always
switch to parking position P. Prevent the
parked vehicle from rolling away by apply-
ing the parking brake.
Selector lever
005DPark position with parking lock
005EReverse gear
005CNeutral
005BDrive
XTo shift transmission position: press
release button 0043and shift the gear lever
to the desired transmission position.
When you shift the transmission from posi-
tions Nor Pto position R, the ignition must
also be switched on.
iWhen you shift the transmission from
positions Dor Rto position N, you do not
need to press release button 0043.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
The current transmission position and drive
program appear in the multifunction display.
0043Transmission position display
0044Drive program display
92Automatic transmission
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Transmission positions
0045Park position
This prevents the vehicle from
rolling away when stopped.
Only shift the transmission into
positionP(
Ypage 92) when the
vehicle is stationary. The parking
lock should not be used as a brake
when parking. Always apply the
parking brake in addition to the
parking lock in order to secure the
vehicle.
The key can only be removed if the
transmission is in position P. If
the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock, the selector lever is
locked.
In the event of a malfunction of the
vehicle's electronics, the trans-
mission may lock. Information on
manually disconnecting the selec-
tor lever lock (
Ypage 97).
Have the vehicle electronics
checked immediately at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
0046Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission into
position Rwhen the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
0044Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to N
while driving. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission could be
damaged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the parking brake and
brake pedal will allow you to move
the vehicle freely, e.g. to push it or
tow it away.
If esp
®is deactivated or faulty:
shift the transmission to position
N if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!Rolling in neutral Ncan dam-
age the drive train.
003ADrive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the
individual gears automatically when it is in
transmission position D. This automatic
gearshifting 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
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Kickdown
If you want maximum acceleration, use kick-
down:
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
Shifting the transmission repeatedly
between gearsDand Rmay help to free the
vehicle if it has become stuck in slush or
snow.
XShift the selector lever alternately
between positions Dand R.
The vehicle's engine management system lim-
its the speed to a maximum of 5 mph (9 km/h)
when shifting back and forth.
Program selector button
The program selector button allows you to
choose between drive programs with differ-
ent driving characteristics.
The automatic transmission switches to drive
program E(Comfort) every time the engine is
started.
XPress program selector button 0043to change
the drive program.
The letter of the selected drive program
appears in the multifunction display.
E (Comfort)Comfortable, economical
driving
S(Dynamic)Dynamic, agile driving
More information on drive programs
(Ypage 94).
Drive programs
Drive program E (Comfort)
Drive program E(Comfort) is characterized
by the following:
Rcomfort-oriented engine settings
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner
Rthe automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin
Drive program S (Dynamic)
Drive program S(Dynamic) is characterized
by the following:
Rthe automatic transmission shifting up
later
Rthe fuel consumption possibly being
higher as a result of the later automatic
transmission shift points
Manual gearshifting
General notes
You can shift the gears manually using either
the selector lever or the shift paddles. The
transmission must be in position D.
If it is permissible, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts to the next highest or next lowest
gear.
To use manual gearshifting, you have two pos-
sibilities:
Rlong-term setting
Rshort-term setting (vehicles with Sports
package)
94Automatic transmission
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