07 Driver support
07
}}
* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.169
Active chassis* (Four C)
Active chassis, Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept), regulates thecharacteristics of the shock absorbers so thatthe vehicle's driving characteristics can beadjusted. There are three settings: Comfort,Sport and Advanced.
Operation
Chassis settings
Use the buttons in the center console to change setting. The setting in use when theengine is switched off is activated the nexttime the engine is started.
ComfortComfort mode offers a somewhat softer ride and the transmission shifts gears at lowerrpm. This mode is particularly suitable forlong-distance highway driving. The indicatorlight in the button will be on when this modeis selected.
SportIn this mode, the vehicle's body sway is reduced during cornering and steeringresponse is more immediate. The transmis-sion shifts up at higher rpm for sportier driv-ing. The indicator light in the button will be onto indicate that Sport mode has beenselected.
AdvancedIn this mode, body sway in curves is minimal and steering response is very direct. Gearshifting is done at high rpm in each gear fordynamic and active driving.
Related information
• Adjustable steering force* (p. 174)
Stability system – introduction
The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system consists of a number of functions designed tohelp reduce wheel spin, counteract skiddingand to generally help improve directional sta-bility.
A pulsating sound will be audiblewhen the system is actively operat-ing and is normal. Acceleration willalso be slightly slower than normal.
WARNING
ESC is a supplementary aid and cannot deal with all situations or road conditions. The driver is always responsible for oper- ating the vehicle in a safe manner inaccordance with current traffic regulations.
ESC consists of the following functions:
• Traction control
• Spin control
• Active Yaw Control
• Engine Drag Control
• Corner Traction Control
Traction Control (TC)This function is designed to help reduce wheel spin at low speeds by transferringpower from a drive wheel that begins to losetraction to the wheel on the opposite side ofthe vehicle (on the same axle).
08 Starting and driving
08
253
WARNING
•Always remove the remote key from the ignition slot when leaving the vehi-cle and ensure that the ignition inmode
0 (see Ignition modes (p. 77) for
information about the ignition modes).
• On vehicles with the optional keylessdrive, never remove the remote keyfrom the vehicle while it is being drivenor towed.
• Always place the gear selector in Parkand apply the parking brake beforeleaving the vehicle. Never leave thevehicle unattended with the enginerunning.
• Always open garage doors fully beforestarting the engine inside a garage toensure adequate ventilation. Theexhaust gases contain carbon monox-ide, which is invisible and odorless butvery poisonous.
NOTE
•
After a cold start, idle speed may be noticeably higher than normal for ashort period. This is done to help bringcomponents in the emission controlsystem to their normal operating tem-perature as quickly as possible, whichenables them to control emissions andhelp reduce the vehicle's impact on the environment 3
.
CAUTION
• When starting in cold weather, the automatic transmission may shift up atslightly higher engine speeds than nor-mal until the automatic transmissionfluid reaches normal operating tem-perature.
• Do not race a cold engine immediatelyafter starting. Oil flow may not reachsome lubrication points fast enough toprevent engine damage.
• The engine should be idling when youmove the gear selector. Never acceler-ate until after you feel the transmissionengage. Accelerating immediately afterselecting a gear will cause harshengagement and premature transmis-sion wear.
• Selecting
P or N when idling at a
standstill for prolonged periods of timewill help prevent overheating of theautomatic transmission fluid.
Related information
• Switching off the engine (p. 254)
3
If the gear selector is in the D or R positions and the car is not moving, engine speed (rpm) will be lower and it will take longer for the engine to reach normal operating temperature.
08 Starting and driving
08
}}
257
Transmission – general information
The transmission automatically shifts between the various forward gears, based on the levelof acceleration and speed.
G021351
Shiftgate positions
Depress the button on the front of the gear selector knob to move the gear selectorbetween the R, N , D , and P positions.
The gear selector can be moved freelybetween the Geartronic (manual shifting) andDrive ( D) positions while driving.
CAUTION
The transmission’s temperature is moni- tored to help prevent damage to the trans-mission or other drivetrain components. Ifthere is a risk of overheating, the warningsymbol on the instrument panel will illumi-nate and a text message will be displayed.Follow the instructions provided there.
Hill Start Assist (HSA) 4HSA makes it easier to start or back up on a hill by retaining pressure on the brake pedalfor several seconds after the pedal has beenreleased in order to keep the vehicle at astandstill. The brakes will be released after several sec- onds or when the driver presses the accelera-tor pedal.
Related information
•
Transmission – positions (p. 257)
• Transmission – Geartronic (p. 259)
• Transmission – shiftlock override (p. 261)
• All Wheel Drive (AWD) (p. 269)
• Fuel tank volume – specification and vol- ume (p. 384)
Transmission – positions
Park: position PSelect the
P position when starting or park-
ing.
4 Certain models only
||
08 Starting and driving
08
258
ShiftlockWhen P has been selected, the transmission
is mechanically blocked in this position. The brake pedal must be depressed and the igni-tion must be in at least mode II (see Ignition
modes (p. 77)) before the gear lever can bemoved from the P position.
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when the vehicle is parked, particularly when park-ing on a hill. The transmission's P mode
may not be able to keep the vehicle sta-tionary if it is parked on an incline.
Press the control to apply the parking brake, see Parking brake – general information(p. 274).
CAUTION
The vehicle must be stationary when posi- tion P is selected.
Gear indicatorThe gear currently being used is displayed on the rightside of the instrument panel. The " S" symbol turns orange
if Sport mode is being used.
Reverse: position RThe vehicle must be stationary when position R is selected.
Neutral: position NNo gear is engaged and the engine can bestarted with the gear selector in this position.Apply the parking brake if the vehicle is sta-tionary with the gear selector in position N. In
order to move the gear selector from the N
position, the brake pedal must be depressedand the ignition must be in at least mode II.
Drive: position DD is the normal driving position. The car auto-
matically shifts between the various forwardgears, based on the level of acceleration andspeed. The car must be at a standstill whenshifting from position R to position D.
Related information
• Transmission – general information (p. 257)
• Transmission – Geartronic (p. 259)
• Transmission – shiftlock override (p. 261)
• Fuel tank volume – specification and vol-ume (p. 384)
08 Starting and driving
08
}}
* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.259
Transmission – Geartronic
Geartronic allows you to manually shift among your vehicle's forward gears. The manualposition ( +S–) can be selected at any time.
Geartronic: manual shifting (+S–)To shift gears manually, move thegear selector to the side from D
toward +S–. The +S– symbol in the
instrument panel will change from
white to orange and the number of the gear
currently being used (
1, 2, 3, etc.) will be dis-
played (see the following illustration) 5
.
• To return to automatic shifting mode from +S–
, move the gear selector to the side
toward D.
Gear shift indicator*
Gear shift indicator in a digital instrument panel* 6This option indicates when to shift up or down to help conserve fuel. A white arrow willappear above or below the number of thecurrent gear to prompt the driver to shift upor down.
While driving
•
If you select the manual shifting position while driving, the gear that was beingused in the Drive position will also initiallybe selected in the manual shifting posi-tion.
• Move the gear selector forward (toward
+)
to shift to a higher gear or rearward(toward –) to shift to a lower gear.
• If you hold the gear selector toward "
–",
the transmission will downshift one gearat a time and will utilize the braking powerof the engine. If the current speed is toohigh for using a lower gear, the downshiftwill not occur until the speed hasdecreased enough to allow the lower gearto be used.
• If you slow to a very low speed, the trans-mission will automatically shift down.
Shiftlock: Neutral (N)If the gear selector is in the
N position and
the vehicle has been stationary for at least 3 seconds (irrespective of whether the engineis running) then the gear selector is locked. In order to move the gear selector from
N to
another gear position, the brake pedal mustbe depressed and the ignition must be in atleast position II, see Ignition modes (p. 77).
5
If Sport mode is being used, the symbol will change to "S".
6 Analog instrument panel: the gear shift indicator is displayed in the center of the speedometer.
||
08 Starting and driving
08
260* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Geartronic: steering wheel paddles*In addition to the manual gearshift function using the gear selector, this option makes itpossible to manually shift gears from thesteering wheel.
Steering-wheel mounted gear shift paddles
" – ": Shift down to a lower gear.
"+ ": Shift up to a higher gear.
In order to shift gears with the paddles, they have to first be activated. The gear selector
can be in either the D or S position. Activating the paddles:
• Pull either paddle toward the steering wheel and release it; the
D in the instru-
ment panel will change to the number ofthe gear currently being used.
Shifting gears: •
Pull the paddle toward the steering wheeland release it.
Deactivating the paddles: • Hold the "
+" paddle for approximately
3 seconds.
NOTE
If the gear selector was in D when paddle
shifting was activated ( D changed to the
number of the gear being used), the trans- mission will automatically revert to D after
approximately 5 seconds if the paddlesare not used to shift gears. This will not occur:
• during active driving (e.g., on a wind- ing road, while accelerating, etc)
• if the gear selector was in
S when the
paddles were activated
If the transmission reverts to D, the pad-
dles will have to be reactivated (pull either paddle toward the steering wheel andrelease it) before they can be used to shiftgears again. The paddles can also be manually deacti- vated by pulling both paddles toward thesteering wheel and holding them until thegear number shown in the instrumentpanel changes to D.
Geartronic: Sport mode (S) 7This transmission mode provides sportier shifting characteristics and enables a moreactive driving style by making it possible todrive at higher rpm in each gear before shift-ing up. The engine also responds faster whenthe accelerator pedal is pressed. To access Sport mode from Drive (
D), move
the gear selector to the left. The transmission will not switch to manual shifting mode untilthe gear selector is moved forward or rear-ward toward + or –. Sport mode can be selected any time.
NOTE
• On vehicles equipped with Sport mode, the transmission symbol in themain instrument panel will changefrom
D to S when the gear selector is
moved to the manual shifting mode. Ifthe gear selector is moved toward "+"or "-", the number of the gear currentlybeing used will be displayed, see Infor-mation displays – introduction (p. 66).
• Please be aware that using Sportmode may result in a slight decrease infuel economy. Driving in
D can help
improve fuel economy.
7 Certain models only
08 Starting and driving
08
261
Geartronic: starting on slippery surfaces
Selecting 3rd gear in Geartronic’s manual shifting mode can help provide better tractionwhen starting off on slippery surfaces. To doso:
1. Depress the brake pedal and move thegear selector to the side from D toward
+S– .
2. Press the gear selector forward and release it (this selects 2nd gear). Press the selector forward again and release itto select 3rd gear. The optional steeringwheel paddles can also be used; see theprevious section "Geartronic: steeringwheel paddles."
3. Release the brake pedal and press gently on the accelerator pedal.
Related information
• Transmission – general information (p. 257)
• Transmission – positions (p. 257)
• Transmission – shiftlock override (p. 261)
• Fuel tank volume – specification and vol-ume (p. 384)
Transmission – shiftlock override
If the vehicle cannot be driven, for example because of a dead battery, the gear selectormust be moved from the
P position before the
vehicle can be moved 8
.
Shiftlock override
Lift away the rubber mat on the floor of the storage compartment behind the cen-ter console to expose the small openingfor overriding the shiftlock system.
Insert the key blade into the opening. Press the key blade down as far as possi-ble and keep it held down.
Move the gear selector from the P posi-
tion. For information on the key blade, see Detachable key blade – general infor-mation (p. 151).
Related information
• Transmission – general information (p. 257)
• Transmission – positions (p. 257)
• Transmission – Geartronic (p. 259)
• Fuel tank volume – specification and vol-ume (p. 384)
8
If the battery is dead, the electric parking brake cannot be applied or released. Connect an auxiliary battery if the battery voltage is too low, see Jump starting (p. 256).
08 Starting and driving
08
262
Start/Stop – Hill Start Assist (HSA)
When starting on steep hills, HSA (see Trans- mission – general information (p. 257)) retainspressure on the brake pedal for several sec-onds after the pedal has been released inorder to keep the vehicle at a standstill. Thebrakes will be released after several secondsor when the driver presses the acceleratorpedal. The pedal will return to its normal posi-tion somewhat slower than normal.
Related information
•Start/Stop – introduction (p. 262)
• Start/Stop – function (p. 262)
• Start/Stop – settings (p. 265)
• Start/Stop – Auto-stop exceptions (p. 263)
• Start/Stop – Auto-start exceptions(p. 264)
• Start/Stop – symbols and messages(p. 266)
Start/Stop – introduction
Start/Stop is a function that temporarily switches off the engine when the vehicle isnot moving, for instance in heavy traffic or at atraffic light to help reduce fuel consumption. Start/Stop is available with certain engines/ transmissions.
Related information
•Start/Stop – function (p. 262)
• Start/Stop – settings (p. 265)
• Start/Stop – Auto-stop exceptions (p. 263)
• Start/Stop – Auto-start exceptions(p. 264)
• Start/Stop – Hill Start Assist (HSA)(p. 262)
• Start/Stop – symbols and messages(p. 266)
Start/Stop – function
Function and use
Start/Stop symbol in the instrument panel
Start/Stop button on the center console
Start/Stop is activated automatically each time the engine is started 9
. The symbol in the
instrument panel will be displayed for several seconds when the engine starts and the indi-cator light in the On/Off button will remainilluminated while the function is activated. All of the vehicle's systems will function while the engine is auto-stopped, although thefunction of certain systems may reduced atthis time. For example, blower speed andhigh infotainment system volume may bereduced to help conserve the battery'scapacity.
9 Not when the engine is started using the optional Engine Remote Start feature, Starting the engine (p. 252)