2017 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA-Class Owner's Manual

In such cases, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
Rneither give a warning nor intervene
Raccelerate or brake unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, especially if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
warns you.
GWARNING
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC brakes your vehicle with up to 50% of the maximum possible
deceleration. If this deceleration is not suffi-
cient, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC alerts you
with a visual and acoustic warning. There is a
risk of an accident.
Apply the brakes yourself in these situations
and try to take evasive action.
!When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC can neither reduce the risk of
an accident nor override the laws of physics.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot take into
account road, weather or traffic conditions. Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC 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 Distance Pilot DISTRONIC:
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 Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may not detect nar-
row vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles 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 garages
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC no longer detects a
vehicle in front, it may unexpectedly accelerate
to the speed stored.
This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a filter lane or
an exit lane
Rbe so high when driving in the right-hand lane
that you overtake vehicles in the left-hand
lane
Rbe so high in the left lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving in the right lane
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Stores the current speed or a higher speed
;Stores the current speed or a lower speed
=Deactivates Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
?Stores the current speed or calls up the last
stored speed
ASets a specified minimum distance
Driving systems151
Driving and parking
Z

Activating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Activation conditions
!When Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cor th e
HOLD function is activated, th evehicl e
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoi ddamag eto th evehicle, deactivat e
Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cand th eHOLD
function in th efollowin gor similar situations:
Rwhen towin gth evehicl e
Rin thecar wash
To activat eDistanc ePilo tDISTRONIC, th efol -
lowin gcondition smus tbe fulfilled :
Rtheengin emus tbe started. It may tak eup to
two minute sof drivin gbefore Distanc ePilo t
DISTRONI Cis read yfor use.
Rth eelectric parking brak emus tbe released.
RES P®mus tbe active ,but no tintervening .
RParking Pilo tmus tno tbe activated.
Rth etransmission mus tbe in position D.
Rthedriver's door mus tbe closed when you
shif tfrom Pto Dor your seat belt mus tbe
fastened.
Rth efront-passenger door mus tbe closed.
Rth evehicl emus tno tskid.
Acti vating
XBriefly pull th ecruise control lever toward s
you ?,up: or down ;.
Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cis activated.
XKee pth ecruise control lever presse dup : or
down ;until th edesired spee dis set .
XRemove your foo tfrom th eaccelerato rpedal .
Your vehicl eadapt sits spee dto that of th e
vehicl ein front, but only up to th edesired
store dspeed.
iIf you do no tfully release th eaccelerato r
pedal ,th eDistance Pilot Passiv emes-
sage appear sin th emultifunction display. The
set distanc eto aslower-moving vehicl ein
fron twill then no tbe maintained. You will be
drivin gat th espee dyou determine by th e
position of th eaccelerato rpedal .
You can also activat eDistanc ePilo tDISTRONI C
when stationary. The lowes tspee dthat can be
set is 20 mph (30 km/h).
Driving with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Acti vating at th ecurren tspeed/las t
store dspeed
GWARNIN G
If you call up th estore dspee dand it differ s
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 eunexpectedly. There is aris kof an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to th eroad and traffic condi-
tion sbefore calling up th estore dspeed. If you
do no tknow th estore dspeed, store th e
desired spee dagain .
XBriefly pull th ecruise control lever toward s
you ?.
XRemove your foo tfrom th eaccelerato rpedal .
The first time Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cis
activated, it store sth ecurren tspee dor reg -
ulates th espee dof th evehicl eto th eprevi-
ously store dspeed.
Pulling awa yand drivin g
XIf you want to pull awa ywit hDistance
Pilot DISTRONIC: remove your footfrom th e
brak epedal .
XBriefly pull th ecruise control lever toward s
you ?.
or
XIf Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated :
accelerate briefly.
Your vehicl epulls away and adapt sits spee d
to that of th evehicl ein front. If no vehicl eis
detecte din front, your vehicl eaccelerate sto
th eset speed.
The vehicl ecan also pull away when it is facing
an unidentifie dobstacle or is drivin gon adiffer -
en t
l
in efrom another vehicle. The vehicl ethen
brakes automatically. Be read yto brak eat all
times .
If there is no vehicl ein front, Distanc ePilo t
DISTRONI Coperate sin th esam eway as cruise
control .
If Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cdetects aslower-
moving vehicl ein front, it brakes your vehicle. In
this way, th edistanc eyou hav eselected is main -
tained.
152Driving systems
Driving and parking

If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a faster-
moving vehicle in front, it increases the driving
speed. However, the vehicle is only accelerated
up to the speed you have stored.
iDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
when you depress the brake, except when the vehicle is stationary.
Selecting the drive program
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC supports a sporty
driving style when you select the S+drive pro-
gram (Mercedes-AMG vehicles only), S
(
Ypage 133) or the manual drive program
(Ypage 135). Acceleration behind the vehicle in
front or to the set speed is then noticeably more
dynamic. If you have selected the E(Mercedes-
AMG vehicles: C) drive program, the vehicle
accelerates more gently. This setting is recom-
mended in stop-and-start traffic.
Changing lanes
If when driving on multilane roads you wish to
change to the overtaking lane, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC supports you if:
Ryou are driving faster than 45 mph (70 km/h)
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is maintaining the
distance to a vehicle in front
Ryou switch on the appropriate turn signal
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC does not currently
detect a danger of collision
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.
Stopping
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC 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.
iAfter a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
iDepending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in
front. The specified minimum distance is set
using the control on the cruise control lever. When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated,
the transmission 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, u nless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated when the vehicle is stationary and:
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is insufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, the transmission may
also shift into position Pautomatically.
Setting a speed
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
XPress the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in1 mphincre-
ments (1 km/hincrements): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases in 1 mph (1 km/h) increments.
XTo adjust the set speed in5 mphincre-
ments (10 km/hincrements): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
iDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is not deactivated
if you depress the accelerator pedal. If you
accelerate to overtake, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC adjusts the vehicle's speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over- taking.
Setting a specified minimum distance
You can set the specified minimum distance for
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC by varying the time
span between one and two seconds. With this
function you can set the minimum distance that
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC maintains to the vehi-
cle in front, dependent on vehicle speed. You
can see this distance in the multifunction dis-
play (
Ypage 154).
Driving systems153
Driving and parking
Z

The specified minimum distance can be
changed while Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
switched on or off.
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 ;.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC then maintains a
greater distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front.
XTo decrease: turn control=in direction :.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC then maintains a
shorter distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front.
Deactivating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
There are several ways to deactivate Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake, unless the vehicle is stationary
When you deactivate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC,
the Distance Pilot Off
message appears in the multifunction display for approximately five
seconds.
iThe last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine. Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is not deactivated if you depress
the accelerator pedal.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically deac-
tivated if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake or if the
vehicle is automatically secured with the elec-
tric parking brake
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards you
in order to pull away and the front-passenger
door or one of the rear doors is open
Rthe vehicle is skidding
Ryou switch on Parking Pilot
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically
deactivated, you will hear a warning tone. The
Distance Pilot Off
message appears in the
multifunction display for approximately five sec- onds.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically deac-
tivated if you activate DSR. The ÃDSR sym-
bol appears in the multifunction display.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC displays in
the instrument cluster
Displays in the speedometer
When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated and
there are no vehicles detected in front, one or
two segments ;in the speed range set light up.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a vehicle in
front, segments ;between speed of the vehi-
cle in front =and stored speed :light up.
154Driving systems
Driving and parking

iFor design reasons, the speed displayed in
the speedometer may differ slightly from the
speed set for Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
Display when Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
deactivated
In the Assistance menu (Ypage 182 )of the on-
board computer, you can select the assistance
display.
Assistance graphic
: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
XSelect the Assistance Graphicfunction
using the on-board computer (Ypage 182).
Display when Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated
You will initially see the stored speed for about
five seconds when you activate Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC.
Assistance graphic
:Vehicle in front, if detected
;Specified minimum distance to the vehicle
in front; adjustable
=Own vehicle
?Distance Pilot DISTRONIC active (text only
appears when the cruise control lever is
actuated
XSelect the Assistance Graphicfunction
using the on-board computer (Ypage 182).
Tips for driving with Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC
General notes
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
RCornering, entering and exiting a bend: the
ability of Distance Pilot DISTRONIC to detect
vehicles during cornering is limited. Your vehi-
cle may brake unexpectedly or late.
RDriving on a different line: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC may not detect vehicles which are
not driving in the middle of their lane. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
ROther vehicles changing lanes: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC has not detected the vehicle cut-
ting in yet. The distance to this vehicle will be too short.
RNarrow vehicles: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
has not yet detected the vehicle in front on
the edge of the road because of its narrow
width. The distance to the vehicle in front will
be too short.
RObstacles and stationary vehicles: Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC does not brake for obstacles
or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and an obsta-cle or stationary vehicle is then revealed, Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC will not brake for
them.
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC may mistakenly
detect vehicles that are crossing your lane. If
you activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC in thefollowing situations, the vehicle could pull
away unintentionally:
-At traffic lights with crossing traffic, for
example.
-With a vehicle ahead on the other side of an
intersection and the HOLD function active.
In such situations, brake if necessary. Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC will then be deactivated.
Driving systems155
Driving and parking
Z

HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
!When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function (
Ypage 156).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
Rthe vehicle is stationary
Rthe engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
Rthe driver's door is closed or your seat belt is
fastened
Rthe electric parking brake is released
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
Rthe transmission position D,R or Nis engaged
while driving a vehicle with an automatic
transmission
Activating the HOLD function
XMake sure that the activation conditions are
met.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XQuickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
iIf depressing the brake pedal the first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
Ryou accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission is in
position Dor R.
Rthe transmission is in position Pon vehicles
with automatic transmission.
Ryou depress the brake pedal again with a cer-
tain amount of pressure until :disappears
from the multifunction display.
Ryou activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
Ryou secure the vehicle using the electric park- ing brake.
156Driving systems
Driving and parking

iAfter a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
When the HOLD function 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 the HOLD function is activated
when the vehicle is stationary and:
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is insufficient.
Start-off assist (except Mercedes-
AMG vehicles)
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you use start-off assist, individual wheels
may start to spin and the vehicle may skid. If
ESP
®is deactivated, there is a greater danger
of skidding and having an accident. Make sure
that no persons or obstacles are in the vicinity
of the vehicle.
Start-off assist enables optimum acceleration
from a standstill. For this, a suitably high-grip
road surface is required, along with the tires and vehicle being in proper operating condition.
Do not activate start-off assist on public roads.
Observe the safety notes on driving safety sys-
tems (
Ypage 60).
Be sure to read the safety notes and information
on ESP
®(Ypage 63).
Activating start-off assist
XDeactivate ESP®(Ypage 182).
XTurn the steering wheel to the straight-ahead
position.
XDepress the brake pedal hard with your left
foot and keep it depressed.
XShift the transmission to position D.
XUse the DYNAMIC SELECT button to select
the Sdrive program (Ypage 127).
XQuickly depress the accelerator pedal fully.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the acceleration
process has ended. ESP®will otherwise not
be able to stabilize the vehicle if the vehicle
starts to skid or a wheel starts to spin.
Canceling start-off assist
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
XReactivate ESP®.
RACE START (Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles)
Important safety notes
iRACE START must not be used on normal
roads. RACE START must only be activated
and used on dedicated road circuits, outside
of public road use.
iRACE START is only available in
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles.
GWARNING
If you use RACE START, individual tires may
start to spin and the vehicle could skid.
Depending on the selected ESP
®mode, there
is an increased risk of skidding and having an accident. Make sure that no persons, animals
or obstacles are within range of the vehicle.
RACE START enables optimal acceleration from
a standing start. For this, a suitably high-grip
road surface is required, along with the tires and
vehicle being in proper operating condition.
iObserve the safety notes on driving safety
systems (Ypage 60).
Be sure to read the safety notes and informa- tion on ESP
®(Ypage 63).
Conditions for activation
You can activate RACE START if:
Rthe doors, hood and the trunk lid are closed.
Rthe engine is running and the transmission,
all-wheel drive clutch and the engine are at
operating temperature.
Driving systems157
Driving an d parking
Z

Rthe steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
Rthe vehicle is stationary and the brake pedal is
depressed (left foot).
Rthe transmission is in positionD.
Rone of the drive programs S,S+ orRACE is
selected. (Ypage 128)
Activating RACE START
XDepress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
XPull and hold both steering wheel paddle shift-
ers.
XThe RACE START Confirm: Paddle UPCancel: Paddle DOWNmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
XRelease both steering wheel paddle shifters.
iIf the activation conditions are no longer ful-
filled, RACE START is canceled. The RACE
START Not Possible See Operator'sManualmessage appears in the multifunction
display.
XTo cancel: pull the left steering wheel paddle
shifter (Ypage 135).
or
XTo confirm: pull the right steering wheel pad-
dle shifter (Ypage 135).
The RACESTARTAvailableDepressgaspedalmessage appears in the multifunction
display.
iIf you do not depress the accelerator pedal
within a few seconds, RACE START is can-
celed. The multifunction display shows the
RACE START Canceled
message.
XFully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed is increased.
The RACE
STARTReleasebraketostartmessage appears in the multifunction display.
iIf you do not release the brake pedal within
a short time, RACE START will be canceled.
The multifunction display shows the RACE
START Canceledmessage.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
TheRACE
STARTActivemessage appears in
the multifunction display. RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 50 km/h.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if you
release the accelerator pedal during RACE
START or if any of the activation conditions are
no longer fulfilled. The
RACE START Not Pos‐
sibleorRACE START Canceledmessage
appears in the multifunction display.
iIf RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available again
after the vehicle has been driven a certain
distance.
AMG adaptive sport suspension sys-
tem
General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each wheel
and depends on:
Ryour driving style, e.g. sporty
Rthe road surface condition, e.g. bumps
Ryour individual selection of "Sport" or "Com-
fort"
The suspension setting is adjusted using the
corresponding button in the center console.
iThe mode can also be set using the AMG
DYNAMIC SELECT controller (Ypage 128).
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-
Key or the Start/Stop button, Comfort mode is
activated. For further information about starting
the engine, see (
Ypage 122).
Sport mode
158Driving system s
Driving an d parking