Rthe deformation characteristics of the
vehicle
Rthe characteristics of the object with
which the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an air bag.
Nor do they provide an indication of air bag
deployment.
The vehicle can be deformed considerably,
without an air bag being deployed. This is the
case if only parts which are relatively easily deformed are affected and the rate of decel-
eration is not high. Conversely, air bags may
be deployed even though the vehicle suffers
only minor deformation. This is the case if,
for example, very rigid vehicle parts such as longitudinal body members are hit, and suf-
ficient deceleration occurs as a result.
If the control unit of the restraint system
detects a side impact or a vehicle rollover,
the relevant components of the restraint sys-
tem are activated separately depending on
the anticipated type of accident.
RThorax/pelvis air bag on the side of
impact, independently of the Emergency
Tensioning Device and the use of the seat
belt
The thorax/pelvis air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys under the following
conditions:
-the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
-the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat
RWindow curtain air bag on the side of
impact, independently of the use of the seat
belt and independently of whether the
front-passenger seat is occupied
RWindow curtain air bags on the driver's andfront-passenger side in certain situations
when the vehicle rolls over, if the system
determines that deployment can offer
additional protection to that provided by
the seat belt
REmergency Tensioning Devices, if the sys-
tem determines that deployment can offer
additional protection in this situation
iNot all air bags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The differ ent air bag systems work
independently of each other. How the air bag system works is determined
by the severity of the accident detected,
especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
RFrontal collision
RSide impact
RRollover
Children in the vehicle
Important safety notes
If a child younger than 12 years and under 5 ft
(1.50 m) in height is traveling in the vehicle:
Ralways secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles. The child restraint system must be
appropriate to the age, weight and size of
the child
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes in this section in addition to
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes in "Occupant classification
system (OCS)" (
Ypage 36)
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of
park position Por shift manual trans-
mission into neutral.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle
equipment and become trapped. 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 unsupervised in the
vehicle.
GWARNING
If persons, particularly children are sub-
jected to prolonged exposure to extreme
42Children in the vehicle
>> Safety.
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes:continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking
situation is over.
XTo make a full brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If abs intervenes when braking, you will feel
a pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions, and func-
tions as a reminder to take extra care while
driving.
Forward collision warning
General information
The distance warning function can help you to
minimize the risk of a collision with a vehi-
cle ahead or reduce the effects of such an
accident. If the distance warning function
detects that there is a risk of a collision, you
will be warned visually and acoustically.
Starting the engine also switches on the dis-
tance warning function.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The distance warning function does not
react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus, the distance warning function cannot
provide a warning in all critical situa-
tions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic
situation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
The distance warning function cannot
always clearly identify objects and com-
plex traffic situations.
In such cases, the distance warning func-
tion may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic
situation and do not rely solely on the dis-
tance warning function.
Observe the "Important safety notes" section for driving safety systems (
Ypage 47).
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors.
Rsnow or heavy rain
Rinterference by other radar sources
Rthe possibility of strong radar reflec-
tions, for example in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle traveling in front on a different
line
Rnew vehicles or after a service on the dis-
tance warning system
Please observe the information in the sec-
tion on running-in the vehicle
(
Ypage 86).
Following damage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensor checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applies to colli-
sions at low speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle.
Function
48Driving safety systems
>> Safety.
XTo switch off:press button0044.
Indicator lamp 0043lights up.
XTo switch on: press button0044.
Indicator lamp 0043goes out.
Starting at a speed of around 4 mph (7 km/h),
the distance warning function warns you if
you rapidly approach a vehicle in front. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound
and the 00BAdistance warning lamp will
light up in the instrument cluster.
XBrake immediately in order to increase the distance from the vehicle in front.
or
XTake evasive action, provided it is safe to
do so.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving condi-
tions may also cause the system to display a
warning.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obsta-
cles that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
Up to a speed of around 45 mph (70 km/h), the
distance warning function can also react to
stationary obstacles, such as stopped or
parked vehicles.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 47).
esp
®monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between the tires and the road surface.
If esp
®detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilize the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified
to keep the vehicle on the desired course
within physical limits. esp
®assists the
driver when pulling away on wet or slippery
roads. esp
®can also stabilize the vehicle
during braking.
ETS (Electronic Traction System)
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 47).
ETS traction control is part of esp
®.
ETS brakes the drive wheels individually if
they spin. This enables you to pull away and
accelerate on slippery surfaces, for example if the road surface is slippery on one side. In
addition, more drive torque is transferred to
the wheel with traction.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, fur-
ther driving safety systems are deactiva-
ted. This increases the risk of skidding and
an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP
®checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
!If you test the parking brake using a brake
dynamometer, switch the ignition off.
Application of the brakes by ESP
®may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
When towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised, observe the notes on esp
®
(Ypage 171).
If the 00E5esp®warning lamp lights up per-
manently, esp®or hill start assist are
unavailable due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 134) and display messages which may
be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 121).
iOnly use wheels with the recommended
tire sizes. Only then will esp®function
properly.
Characteristics of ESP®
General information
If the 00E5esp®warning lamp goes out before
the journey begins, esp®is automatically
active.
If esp
®intervenes, the 00E5esp®warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
Driving safety systems49
>> Safety.
Z
Useful information
i
This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional
equipment of your vehicle available at the
time of publication of the Operator's Man- ual. Country-specific differences are pos-
sible. Bear in mind that your vehicle may
not feature all functions described here.
This also applies to safety-relevant sys-
tems and functions.
iRead the information on qualified spe-
cialist workshops: (Ypage 20).
SmartKey
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
If you attach heavy or large objects to the
SmartKey, the SmartKey could be uninten-
tionally turned in the ignition lock. This
could cause the engine to be switched off.
There is a risk of an accident.
Do not attach any heavy or large objects to
the SmartKey. Remove any bulky key rings
before inserting the SmartKey into the
ignition lock.
!Keep the SmartKey away from strong mag-
netic fields. Otherwise, the remote control
function could be affected.
Strong magnetic fields can occur in the
vicinity of powerful electrical installa-
tions.
Do not keep the SmartKey:
Rwith electronic devices, e.g. a mobile
phone or another SmartKey
Rwith metallic objects, e.g. coins or metal
foil
Rinside metallic objects, e.g. a metal case
SmartKey functions
00430036 Unlocks the driver's door/vehicle
00440037Locks the vehicle
0087Opens the tailgate
XTo unlock the driver's door: press the0036
button.
The 0036 button must be pressed a second
time within 20 seconds to unlock the front-
passenger's door. This function can be acti-
vated or deactivated in the smart Media-Sys-
tem (see the separate operating instruc-
tions).
If you do not open the vehicle within approx-
imately 2 minutes of unlocking:
Rthe vehicle is locked again.
Rprotection against theft is reactivated
SmartKey51
>> Opening and closing.
Z
Doors
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.
Preferably stow luggage or loads in the lug-
gage compartment. Observe the loading
guidelines (
Ypage 142).
Unlocking and opening doors from the
inside
XPull door handle 0043.
The door opens. You can open a door from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked.
XPull door handle
0043.
The door unlocks and opens.
If the vehicle has previously been locked with
the key, opening a door from the inside will
trigger the anti-theft alarm system. Switch
off the alarm (
Ypage 47).
Centrally locking or unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the inside. This can be useful if you wish
to lock the vehicle before pulling away, for
example.
XTo lock: when the vehicle is unlocked, press
button 0043.
The vehicle locks when all the doors and the tailgate are closed. Indicator lamp 0044
lights up.
XTo lock the vehicle from the inside when
exiting the vehicle: remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
XOpen the driver's door.
The front-passenger door and the tailgate
must be closed.
XPress the locking button (Ypage 54).
XClose the driver's door within 5 seconds.
Do not leave the key in the vehicle. You
could otherwise lock yourself out.
The doors, tailgate and fuel filler flap are
locked. The anti-theft alarm system is
primed.
54Doors
>> Opening and closing.
Useful information
i
This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional
equipment of your vehicle available at the
time of publication of the Operator's Man- ual. Country-specific differences are pos-
sible. Bear in mind that your vehicle may
not feature all functions described here.
This also applies to safety-relevant sys-
tems and functions.
iRead the information on qualified spe-
cialist workshops: (Ypage 20).
Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle
Important safety notes
In certain driving and driving safety sys-
tems, the sensors adjust automatically while
a certain distance is being driven after the
vehicle has been delivered or after repairs.
Full system effectiveness is not reached until
the end of this teach-in procedure.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometers of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the brake pedal.
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its
performance in the future.
RYou should therefore drive at varying vehi-
cle and engine speeds for the first
1000 miles (1500 km).
RAvoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full
throttle, during this period.
RChange gear in good time, before the tach-ometer needle is 00C3of the way to the red
area of the tachometer.
RDo not manually shift to a lower gear to
brake the vehicle.
RVehicles with automatic transmission: if
possible, do not depress the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point (kick-
down).
RVehicles with automatic transmission:
ideally, for the first 1000 miles(1500 km),
drive in program
E(Comfort).
After 1000 miles (1500 km), you can increase
the engine speed gradually and bring the
vehicle to full speed.
You should also observe these notes on run-
ning-in if the engine or parts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced.
Observe the maximum permissible speed.
Driving
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can
restrict the pedal travel or obstruct a
depressed pedal. The operating and road
safety of the vehicle is jeopardized. There
is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats securely and as specified in order to
ensure sufficient clearance for the pedals.
Do not use loose floormats and do not place
floormats on top of one another.
GWARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct
usage of the pedals, e.g.:
Rshoes with thick soles
Rshoes with high heels
Rslippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals.
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driv-
ing, safety-relevant functions are only
available with limitations, or not at all.
This could affect, for example, the power
86Driving
>> Driving and parking.
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
Driving87
>> Driving and parking.
Z
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
>> Driving and parking.