Driving
Starting the engine
.,. Step on the b rake pedal and move the se lector
l ever to P o r N
¢ &, .
... Press on the r.l S::-:: T=- A,,., R ""T=-= E~ N":"'. G::- I ;-:N:-:-.:= E-;:Se:;T;=-;: O" P~I button
¢ fig.
90-the engine will start .
Switching the ignition on/off
If yo u wou ld like to switch the ign ition on with
ou t starting the eng ine, fo llow these steps:
.,. Press t he
I STAR T ENGIN E ST OPI button with
out
pressing the brake pedal.
.,. To switc h the ign ition off, press t he bu tton
again.
I f t he engine should not start immed iate ly, the
starting p rocess is a utomat ica lly stopped afte r a
short t ime. Repe at st arting procedu re .
When start ing the e ng ine, major elect rical loads
are switched off temporarily.
After a cold engine is started, there may be a b rief period of increased no ise beca use oil pres
sure must first bui ld up in the hydraulic valve ad
justers. This is no rmal a nd not a cause for con
cern.
.&, WARNING
- Never allow t he eng ine to run in confine d
spa ces -danger of asphyxiation.
- Never t urn off the engine until the vehi cle
has come to a comp lete stop.
- Always take the key wi th you w henever you
leave you r vehicle. Othe rw ise, the eng ine
c ould be sta rted o r ele ctrical eq uipment
s u ch as the power windows co uld be operat
ed. This can lead to se rious injury.
- Never leave children or pe rsons requiring as
sistance unattended i n the vehicle. The
doo rs can be loc ked using the remote trans
mitter, prevent ing people from escaping
from the vehicle on the ir own in the event of
an emergency . Depend ing o n the t ime of
year, peop le inside the vehicle can be ex
posed to very hig h or very low tempe ra-
t u r es.
74
-
(D Note
Avoid high engine rpm, full throttle and heavy
engine loads unti l the engine has reached op
e rating tempe rature -otherwise you risk en
gine damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Do not let the eng ine run wh ile pa rked to
warm up. Beg in d riving immed iate ly. Th is re
duces unnecessary emissions.
(D Tips
- After starting a co ld eng ine, the re may be a
br ief per iod of increased noise because the
oil pressure must first build up in the hy
dra ulic valve adjusters . Th is is norma l and
not a cause for concern .
- If you leave the ve hicle w ith the ignition
switched on, the ig nition w ill switch off af
ter a ce rtain per iod of t ime . Please note that
elect rical equipment such as exte rior lights
w ill swi tch off as we ll when that happens.
Switching engine off
Applies to: vehicles with convenience key
.,. Br ing your vehi cle to a comple te stop .
.,. Move the se lector lever to the P or N position .
... Press the
I STAR T ENGINE S TOP I button
¢ page 73, fig. 90.
Steering lock
The steer ing locks when yo u turn the eng ine off
u sing t he
I S TART ENGI NE STOPI button and
open the driver's doo r. The locked steering he lps
prevent veh icle theft.
Emergency off
I f necessary, the eng ine can be switched off w ith
t h e se lec to r l ever in t he R or D/S posit ions. The
engine s tops if you press and hold the
I S T AR T EN GINE S TOP ! button at speeds be low
6 mph (10 km/ h) and press the brake pedal. .,,.
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
A WARNING ,~
- Never turn off the engine before the veh icle
has come to a comp lete stop. T he f ull func
t io n of the brake booster and the power
steering is no t gua ran teed. You must us e
more for ce to turn or b rake if ne cessa ry. Be
c a use you ca n no t steer a nd bra ke as you
u sually wou ld, thi s could lead to crashes
and ser ious injuries .
- F or sa fe ty reasons, you should always par k
yo ur vehicle wi th t he selec tor lever in P .
Otherwise, the ve hicl e cou ld inadvertently
roll away.
- The radia tor fan can continue to run fo r up
to 10 m inutes even afte r you have turned
off the engine and removed t he ignition key.
The radiato r fan can also turn on again if the
engi ne coolant heats up because of intense
s u nlight or heat bui ld-up in the engine com
partmen t.
- Always take the key with you whenever you
leave your vehicle. Othe rw ise, the engine
cou ld be sta rted o r electrical e quipme nt
s u ch as the power windows co uld be opera t
ed. This can lead t o se rious inj ury.
0 Note
If the engine has been under heavy load for
an exte nded per iod, heat builds up in the en
g in e compa rtment after the eng ine is switch
ed off -there is a risk of damaging the eng ine.
Allow t he engine to r un at idle fo r abo ut two
m inu tes befo re swit chi ng i t off .
Driver messages
Ignition is on
This message appea rs and a warning tone sounds
if you open t he d river's doo r when the ignition is
sw itche d on.
No key identified
This message appea rs when the
I S TAR T ENGINE STOPI button is pressed if the re
is no master key ins ide the ve hicle or if the sys
tem does not recognize it . For examp le, the mas
ter key cannot be recognized if it is cove red by an
D riving
object (e .g. al uminum brief case) which screens
t h e radio signal. Electronic devices such as ce ll
phones can a lso interfe re with the radio signal.
Pre ss brake pedal to start engine
T h is message appears if you do not p ress the
bra ke peda l to s tart t he engine.
Shift to N or P to start engine
This message appears w hen attempting to start
the engine if the se lector lever for the automatic
transm ission is not in the P or N position. The en
gine can on ly be started with the se lector in
these positions .
I!! Is the key in the vehicle?
This message appears if the mas ter key is re
moved from the veh icle with the engine r unning .
If the master key is no longer in the vehicle, you
cannot sw itch on the ign ition after stopping the
engine a nd you also cannot start the engine
again . Moreover, you cannot lock the vehicle
from the o uts ide with the key .
Shift to P otherwise vehicle can roll away. Doo rs
do not lock if le ver is not in P.
This message appears for safety reasons along
with a warning signal. It appears if the selector l ever for the automat ic transmission is not in the
P position when switch ing off the ign ition. Move
t h e se lector lever to the P position, otherw ise the
vehicle is no t secured against roll ing away. Yo u
also cannot lock the vehicle us ing t he lock ing
button * on t he doo r handle o r using t he remo te
k ey.
Convenienc e key defective! Use ignition lock
This message appears if the engine must be
started or stopped using the ignition key and not
th e
I S TA RT ENGINE ST OPI button .
75
Driving
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking brake replaces
the hand brake.
Fig. 91 Ce nter conso le: Park ing brak e
~Pullon the switch @c:>fig. 91 to apply the
parking brake . The ind icator lights in the switch
and . (USA
models) ;II (Canada models) in
the instr ument cluster illum inate.
~ With the ign ition switched on, step on the
brake peda l or the acce lerato r pedal and press
t he switch @at the same t ime to re lease the
parking brake . The indicator lights in the switch
and . (USA
models) ;II (Canada models) in
the instr ument cluster go o ut.
Your ve hicle is equipped wi th an elec tromechani
cal parking b rake. The park ing brake is designed
to prevent the vehicle from rolling un intent ional
ly and rep laces the hand brake .
I n addition to t he norma l func tions of a tradi
tional hand brake, the electromecha nica l park ing
b rake provides various convenience and safety
functions.
When starting from rest
- T he integ ral s tart ing assist helps you when
driv ing by a utomat ically releasing the park ing
brake ¢
page 77, Starting from rest .
-When starting on in cli nes, the sta rting assist
prevents the vehicle from unintentiona lly roll
ing back . The braking forc e of the park ing b rake
is not released until sufficient drivi ng force has
been built up at the wheels.
76
Emergency brake funct ion
An emergency bra ke ensures th at the vehicle can
be s lowed down even if t he
normal brakes fa il
c:> page 77, Emergency braking .
A WARNING
-
If a drive range is e ngaged w ith the vehicle
stationary and the engine running, you must
i n no instance accelerate careless ly. Other
wise the veh icle w ill start to move immediate
ly -risk of an accident.
(D Tips
- If the park ing brake is applied with the igni
t ion switched off, the indicator lights in the
switch and -(USA mode ls)/ . (Cana
da models) in the instrument cluster w ill go
o ut after a certai n pe riod of time.
- Occasional noises when the pa rking brake is
applie d and released are normal and are not
a ca use for conc ern.
- Whe n the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a self-test cycle at regu
lar intervals. Any associated noise s are nor
m al.
Parking
~ Press the bra ke peda l to stop the ve hicle.
~ Pull the switch@¢ page 76, fig. 91 to set the
parking bra ke .
~ Move the se lector lever to P.
~ T urn the engine off¢.&,. .
~ When on inclines or decl ines, turn the steer ing
wheel so that the vehicle will ro ll into the curb
if it begins to move .
.&_ WARNING
-W hen you leave yo ur vehicle -even if only
b riefly- always re move t he igni tion key. This
app lies p art ic ula rly when children remain in
the vehicle. Ot herwise the children could
start the e ngine, re lease the parking brake
or operate electrica l equipment (e .g. power
w indows) . The re is the r isk of an accident.
a:,
a:,
...... N
l'
N
...... 0
0
LL co
The maximum speed rema ins stored until it is
chang ed by press ing the
!SE Ti button again brief
l y or unt il it is deleted by a lengthy push on the
button .
Speed warning 2: setting a speed limit
The radio or MM!* control unit is used to set,
change or delete w arning threshold
2 .
• Se lect : I CAR I function button> Instrument
cluster
> Speed warning . Or
• Se lect: I CAR i funct ion button > C ar sy stem s*
contro l button > Dri ver a ssist > Speed wa rning .
Warning threshold 2 can be set in the speed
range start ing from 20 mph to 150 mph (30 km/
h to 240 km/h) . Settings can each be ad justed in
intervals of 5 mph (10 km/h).
Cruise control system
Switching on
The cruise control system makes it possible to
drive at a constant speed starting at
20 mph (30
km/h).
0
f
~
0
F ig . 93 Co ntrol leve r wit h pus h-butto n
Fig. 9 4 Disp lay : Se lecte d speed
D rivi ng
• Pull the lever to position (D c::> fig . 93 to sw itch
the system on .
• Dr ive at the speed to be contro lled .
• Press button @to set that speed .
T he sto red speed and the green symbol
@;\1)~14 (US mode l)/ El (Canadian model) are
shown in the display
c::> fig. 94. The d isp lay may
vary, depending on the type of display in you r ve
hicle .
The speed is kept constant by modifying engine power or through an act ive brake intervention .
_& WARNING
-Always pay attention to the traffic a round
you when the cruise contro l is in operation.
You are always respons ible fo r your speed
a nd the distance betwee n your ve hicle and
other veh icles.
- For reasons of safety, c ruise control sho uld
not be used in the c ity, in stop-an d-go t raf
fic, on tw ist ing roads and whe n roa d condi
tions a re poo r (s uch as ice, f og, gravel,
heavy rain and hydroplaning) -ris k of a cci
dent .
- Tu rn off the cr uise con trol te mpor arily whe n
e ntering t urn lanes, highway exit lanes or in
construct ion zones .
- P lease no te th at inadve rten tly "resting"
your foot on the acce lerator pedal causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is be
cause the cr uise control is overridden by the
driver's acce leration.
- If a b rake system malfunction such as ove r
heating occurs when the cruise control sys
tem is switched on, the brak ing funct io n in
the system may be switched of f. The other
cru ise control functions remain act ive as
long as the ind icator
light @;\1)~14 (US mod
e ls)
,ii (Ca nadian mo dels) is on .
@ Tips
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the
brakes apply automa tically.
79
Automatic transmission multitronic, S tronic,
tiptronic
Introduction
Applies to: vehicle s with multitronic/S tronic/tiptronic
The automatic transmission is cont rolled e lec
tronica lly. The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive program is selected.
When a
moderate drivi ng style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode. It will then change up early and delay the
downshifts to give better fuel economy.
The transm ission switches to a sporty mode afte r
a kick -down or when the driver uses a
s po rt y
d riv ing sty le
characterized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acce leration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually { tip tron ic mode) 9 page 81.
Various automatic transmissions may be instal
led, depending on the model :
multitronic transmission
The multitronic transmission is a cont inuous ly
va riable t ransmiss ion. Power is transferred using
a mu ltidisk clutch. In contrast to conventiona l
automatic transmissions using shifting opera
tions, the transmission ratio in the continuous ly
variable transmiss ion is changed continuously.
This optimizes the comfort level and conserves
fuel.
S tr onic transmi ssion
The S tronic is a dua l-clutch transmiss ion . Power
is transferred using two clutches that work inde
pendently from one another. They replace the
torque converter used in conventional automatic
transmissions and allow the vehicle to accelerate
without a noticeable interruption in tract ion.
a:,
a:,
...... tip tron ic tran smis sion N r--.
~ In the tiptron ic transmission, power is transfer-
fi:' red by a torque converter. 00
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
Selector lever positions
Applies to: vehicles wit h mult itron ic/S tro nic/t iptronic
F ig. 95 Display in the instrument cl uste r: se lector lever in
posit ion P
T he selector leve r pos ition engaged appea rs next
to the se lector lever as well as in the instrument
cluster disp lay .
P -Park
In this se lector lever position the transmission is
mechan ica lly locked. Engage P only when the ve
hicle is
completely stopped~.&. in Driving the
automatic transmission on page 84.
T o s hift i n or out of pos it ion P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
t h e release button in the se lec tor lever ha ndle
whi le mov ing the selector lever to o r from P. Yo u
can shift out of this position on ly with the igni
tion on.
R -Reverse
Se lect R on ly when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is runn ing at idle speed C? .&. in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 84 .
Before yo u move the selector leve r to R, p ress
both the release b utton in the handle of these
l ector lever
and the brake pedal at the same
time.
When the ignition is on, t he backup lights illumi
na te when the selector lever is moved into R.
N -Neutral
The transmiss ion is in neutral in this position .
S hi ft to this posit io n for standing with the brakes
applied
~ .&. in Driving the automatic transmis-
sion on page 84. ..,
81
Automatic transmission
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always app ly the foot
brake before and while moving the lever out of N.
D /S -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S posi tion, the transmission can be op
erated e ither in the no rma l mode Do r in the
sport mode S. To select the sport mode S, pull
the selector lever back briefly. P ulling the lever
back again w ill select the normal mode D. The in
strument cluster display shows the selected dr iv
ing mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto
mat ica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio. It de
pends on eng ine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Select the
s port mode S for sporty driving. The
veh icle makes fu ll use of the engine 's power.
Shifting may become noticeab le when acce lerat
ing.
When the vehicle is stationary or at sp eeds below
1 mph (2 km/h), you must always app ly the foot
brake before and while moving the lever to D/S
out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS cc> .& in Driv
ing the automatic transmission on
pag e 84.
(D Note
Coasting down hill with the transm iss ion in N
and the engi ne not run ning will result in dam
age to the automatic transmission and poss i
bly the catalytic converte r.
@ Tips
- On vehicles wit h drive select*, you can ad
ju st the sporty shift characteristics in the
Dynamic dr iv in g mod e.Swi ll appea r in th e
in st ru ment cl uster display instead of D.
-If you accide nta lly select N while driv ing,
take yo ur foot off the a cceler ator ped al im
med iately an d wait for the e ngine to slow
d own to idle bef ore se lec ting D/S.
82
- If there is a powe r failure, t he se lector lever
wi ll not move out of the P position. The
eme rgency re lease can be used if th is hap
pens
q page 8 7 .
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
App lies to : vehicles wi th mult itro nic/S t ro ni c/ tip tronic
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you against
accidentally shifting into a forward or the re
verse gear and causing the vehicle to move unin
tentionally.
Fig. 96 Sh ift gate : se lec to r lever lock pos it io ns and re lease
but ton high lig hted
The selector lever lock is re leased as follows:
.,. Tur n the ignition on.
.,. Step on the bra ke pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on the side of
the gear selector knob
cc> fig. 96 with your
thumb until you have moved the selector lever
to the desired position .
Automatic selector leve r lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N posi
tions when the ign itio n is turned on . You must
press the brake peda l and the release button to
select another posit ion. As a rem inder to the
driver, the following warn ing appears i n the in
str ume nt cluster d isp lay when the se lector is in P
and N:
When stat ionary apply brake pedal while select
ing gear
The Automatic Shift Lock only functions whe n the
vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds be low 1 mph
(2 km/h) .
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the Auto
matic Shift Lock is automatically deactivated in
the N position.
A time delay element prevents the selector lever
from locking when it is moved through the N po
sition (going from R to D/S). The locking e lement
will lock the se lector lever if the lever is left in N
(Neutral) for more than approx imately 2 sec
onds, without the brake pedal being pressed.
Release button
The release button on the se lector lever prevents
the lever from being accidentally sh ifted into cer
tain positions. Depending on the d irection of the
shift, the selector lever locks at d ifferent posi
tions . The positions are highlighted in the illus
tration ¢
fig. 96 .
Ignition key safety interlock
The key cannot be removed from the ignition un
less the selector lever is in the P park posit ion.
When the ignit ion key is removed, the selector
lever will be locked in the P pos ition .
Driving the automatic transmission
App lies to: ve hicles with multitro nic/S tronic/tiptronic
Fig . 97 S hift gate o n the ce nte r conso le: selecto r leve r w ith
release button
Starting the engine
~ The selector lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
~ Press and hold the brake pedal.
~ Press and hold the release button in the selec-
a:,
a:, tor lever handle, select the des ired selector lev-......
~ er position such as D/S and release the button. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
Automatic transm ission
~ Wait briefly unti l the transmission has shi fted
(you will feel a slight movement).
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and ac
celerate.
Stopping temporarily
~ Keep the vehicle stationary using the braking
pedal, for examp le at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the acce lerator pedal when doing
this .
~ To prevent the veh icle from rolling when you
start driv ing, set the parking brake when stop
p in g on steep incl ines ¢.&_ .
~ The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the acce le rator pedal.
Stopping/parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
The message
Transmission: Car may roll! Shift
to park!
appea rs.
~ Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop .
~ Apply the parking brake ¢ page 76, Parking.
~ Select the P selector lever position ¢ .&_ .
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the brake pedal to hold the vehi
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢ .&_ . Do
not try to prevent the vehicle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in
creas ing the engine speed
¢0.
Starting on an incline
~ Activate the parking brake.
~ With the driving gear selected, press the accel
erator pedal carefully . The park ing brake will
release automatically if your seat belt is fas
t ened.
Under certain circumstances, such as driving in
the mountains , it may be useful to switch tempo
rarily to the manual shift program in order to ad
just the gears to the driv in g conditions by hand
¢page 85.
On slopes, act ivate the park ing brake first and
then move the selecto r lever to the P position.
83
Automatic transmission
This prevents too much stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism.
Vehicles with multitronic transmission: Your ve hicle is equipped with
hill hold assist allowing
you to start while on an incline. The system is ac
tivated when the brake pedal is pressed down
and held
for a few seconds. The brake pressure
will hold for
a moment after the brake pedal
loosens to prevent the vehicle from rolling back
wards while starting up.
A WARNING
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine is
stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se rious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running, ac tivate the parking brake and move the selec
tor lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre
vent the vehicle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake when the en
gine is running and the selector lever is in 0/
Sor R or "tiptronic" mode is selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when changing the selector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
running.
- Never shift into R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and shift into a lower gear with
"tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases brak
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati-
84
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An indicator lamo
[O ] illuminates
and a driver message appears
c::;, page 86
when the clutch is overloaded.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure these
lector lever has securely engaged and is
locked in P with the parking brake set
¢page 193. Otherwise, any increase in en
gine speed may
set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
(D Note
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission: When
stopping on an incline, do not try to hold
the vehicle in place by pressing the accelera
tor pedal while a driving gear is selected.
This can cause the transmission to overheat
and can damage it. Activate the parking
brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- S tronic- and tiptronic transmission: Allow
ing th@ vehicle to roll when th@ engine is
stopped and the selector lever is in N will
damage the transmission because it is not
lubricated under those circumstances.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
· Hill descent control
App lies to: vehicles with mult itron ic/S tron ic/t iptronic
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines .
Hill descent control is activated when the selec
tor lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission automatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the incline. Hill descent con
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physical and technical
limitations. It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes. ..,..