vice or maintenance work. There is a risk of
injury.
Always secure the engine against uninten-
tional starting before carrying out mainte-
nance or repair work.
Make sure that the engine cannot be started via
your smartphone before carrying out mainte-
nance or repairs. You can prevent an engine
start via your smartphone, for example, if you:
Rswitch on the hazard warning lamps
Rdo not lock the doors
Ropen the hood
Pulling away
General notes
GWARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position 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.
Depress the accelerator carefully when pulling
away.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have pulled
away. The locking knobs in the doors drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking
feature (
Ypage 184).
It is only possible to shift the transmission from
position Pto the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then can the parking lock
be deactivated.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): if you do not depress the brake pedal, the
DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved but the
parking lock remains engaged.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: if you do not depress
the brake pedal, the selector lever can still be
moved but the parking lock remains engaged.
At transmission fluid temperatures below Ò4 ‡
(Ò20 †), you can only shift out of park position Pinto another transmission position when the
engine is running.
iUpshifts take place at higher engine speeds
after a cold start. This helps the catalytic con-
verter to reach its operating temperature
more quickly.
Information on the automatic release of the
electric parking brake (
Ypage 142).
Hill start assist
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away for-
wards 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 lon-
ger brake your vehicle and it could roll 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 are pulling away on a level road or on a
downhill gradient.
Rthe transmission is in position N.
Rthe electric parking brake is applied.
RESP®is malfunctioning.
Further information on holding the vehicle sta-
tionary on uphill gradients (
Ypage 133).
ECO start/stop function
Introduction
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle is stopped
under certain conditions.
The engine starts automatically when the driver
wants to pull away again. The ECO start/stop
function thereby helps you to reduce the fuel
consumption and emissions of your vehicle.
124Driving
Driving and parking
At transmission fluid temperatures belowÒ4 ‡
( Ò20†), you can only shift out of park position P
into another transmission position when the
engine is running.
In order to shift from park position Pdirectly into
R or D:
Rdepress the brake pedal and
Rpush the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down
past the first point of resistance
Engaging park position P automatically
Park position Pis automatically engaged if:
Ryou switch off the engine using the SmartKey
and remove the SmartKey
Ryou switch off the engine using the SmartKey
or using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door
Ryou open the driver's door when the vehicle is
stationary or when driving at a very low speed
and the transmission is in position Dor R
Under certain conditions, the automatic trans-
mission shifts automatically to transmission
position Pif the HOLD function or Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is activated. Observe the informa-
tion on the HOLD function (
Ypage 156) and on
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (Ypage 153).
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only shift the automatic transmission to R
when the vehicle is stationary.
XDepress the brake and keep it pressed.
XPush the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the
first point of resistance.
The ECO start/stop function is not available
when reverse gear is engaged. Further informa-
tion on the ECO start/stop function
(
Ypage 125).
Shifting to neutral N
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 vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
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.
XIf the transmission is in position Dor R: push
the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to the
first point of resistance.
XIf the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to the first point of resist-
ance.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position Ror D, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the driv-
er's door or the front-passenger door or remove the SmartKey from the ignition, the automatic
transmission shifts to Pautomatically.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then open
the driver's door or the front-passenger door,
the automatic transmission shifts to Pautomat-
ically.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral N,e.g. w
hen having the vehicle
cleaned in an automatic car wash with a towing system:
XVehicles with the Start-Stop button:
remove the Start-Stop button from the igni-
tion lock.
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
XAll vehicles: switch the ignition on.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
130Automatic transmission
Driving and parking
Holding the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients
GWARNING
If the clutch overheats, the electronic man-
agement system is automatically deactivated. This interrupts the power transmission. The
vehicle may, for example, roll backwards on
gradients. There is a risk of an accident.
Never hold the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients by depressing the accelerator.
The clutch may overheat if you hold the vehicle
stationary on uphill gradients by depressing the
accelerator pedal. If the clutch overheats, a
warning tone sounds.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): theStop Vehicle Shift to 'P'
Leave Engine Runningdisplay message
appears in the multifunction display. You will
only be able to continue your journey once the
clutch has cooled down and the display mes-
sage in the multifunction display has disap-
peared.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: theTrans. Oil
Overheated Drive on with Caredisplay
message appears in the multifunction display.
Do not hold the vehicle stationary on uphill gra-
dients by depressing the accelerator pedal.
Instead, only ever hold the vehicle stationary on uphill gradients by:
Rdepressing the brake pedal
Ractivating the HOLD function
Rengaging the electric parking brake
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
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.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: it is only possible to
use kickdown in the automatic drive program
and the temporary manual drive program M.
When manual drive program Mis permanently
activated, kickdown is not possible. For further information on kickdown in manual
drive program
M(
Ypage 137).
Rocking the vehicle free
Shifting the transmission repeatedly between
gears Dand Rmay help to free the vehicle if it
has become stuck in slush or snow. The vehi-
cle's engine management system limits the
speed to a maximum of 5 mph (9 km/h) when
shifting back and forth. To shift back and forth
between transmission positions Dand R, move
the DIRECT SELECT lever up and down past the
point of resistance.
Drive programs
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG
vehicles)
Drive program C (Comfort)
Drive program Cis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicle delivers comfortable, economical
handling characteristics.
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently in forward
and reverse gears, unless the accelerator
pedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle has improved driving stability, for
example on slippery road surfaces.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
The vehicle is driven in the low engine speed
range and the wheels are less likely to spin.
Drive program S (Sport)
Drive program Sis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rsporty engine settings.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.
The fuel consumption possibly being higher
as a result of the later automatic transmission
shift points.
Automatic transmission133
Driving and parking
Z
Drive programI(Individual)
In drive progra mIth efollowing properties of th e
drive progra mcan be selected:
Rthedrive (engin eand transmissio nmanage-
ment)
Rth esuspensio n(vehicles wit hdampin gsys-
te m or AM Gadaptive sport suspensio nsys-
tem)
Rth esteerin g
Rtheavailabilit yof th eECO start/sto pfunction
Rth eclimat econtrol
Information about configurin gdrive progra mI
wit hth emultimedia system can be found in th e
Digital Operator' sManual.
iTo permanentl yselect th egear sin drive
progra mIusin gth esteerin gwhee lpaddl e
shifters ,select th eM (manual) setting fo rth e
drive.
Drive program E(Economy)
Drive progra mEis characterized by th efollow-
ing:
Rcomfort-oriented engin esettings.
Roptimal fue lconsumption resultin gfrom th e
automati ctransmissio nshiftin gup sooner.
Rth evehicl epulls away mor egentl yin forwar d
and revers egears, unless th eaccelerato r
peda lis depressed fully.
Rth evehicl ehas improved drivin gstability, fo r
exampl eon slipper yroa dsurfaces.
Rth eautomati ctransmissio nshiftin gup
sooner. This result sin th evehicl ebein gdriven
at lowe ren gin
es
peeds and th ewheels bein g
less likely to spin .
Rglidingmod eis activated automatically when
engine-internal condition sare fulfilled and
th eaccelerato ris no tdepressed. At th esam e
time th etransmission’s clutc hopens and th e
vehicl erolls freely usin gits kineti cenergy. As
a result great distances can be completed
without th eengin ebrak eand fue lconsump-
tion reduced.
iThe availabilit yof glidin gmod edepend son
various factors ,includin gth efollowing :
Rtheengin eand transmissio ntemperature
Rth edownhill gradien t
Rthevehicl espeed
Rperformin gregular adaptation function sWhe
nyou depress th ebrak epedal, glidin g
mod eis deactivated, dependin gon peda l
pressure.
Whe nyou activat ecruise control or Distanc e
Pilo tDISTRONIC, glidin gmod eis no tavaila-
ble.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles
Drive program I(Individual)
In drive progra mIth efollowing properties of th e
drive progra mcan be selected:
Rthedrive (engin emanagement)
Rth etransmissio nmanagemen t
Rthesuspensio n(vehicles wit hAM Gadaptive
sport suspensio nsystem)
RES P®
Information about configurin gdrive progra mI
wit hth emultimedia system can be found in th e
Digital Operator' sManual.
Drive program C(Comfort)
Drive progra mCis characterized by th efollow-
ing:
Rth evehicl edeliver scomfortable, economical
handlin gcharacteristics .
Rthevehicl epulls away mor egentl yin forwar d
and revers egears, unless th eaccelerato r
peda lis depressed fully.
Rth evehicl ehas improved drivin gstability, fo r
exampl eon slipper yroa dsurfaces.
Roptimal fue lconsumption resultin gfrom th e
automati ctransmissio nshiftin gup sooner.
The vehicl eis driven in th elow engin espeed
range and th ewheels are less likely to spin .
Rglidingmod eis available.
Rth eECO start/sto pfunction is available.
Drive program S(Sport)
Drive progra mSis characterized by th efollow-
ing:
Rth evehicl eexhibits sport ydrivin gcharacter-
istics .
Rtheautomati ctransmissio nshift sup later.
The fue lconsumption possibl ybein ghigher
as aresult of th elater automati ctransmissio n
shift points .
Rthesuspensio nexhibits stiff springin gand
dampin gsetting s(vehicles wit hAI R adaptive
sport suspensio nsystem) .
134Automatic transmission
Driving and parking
You must make sure that fuel does not comeinto contact with your skin, eyes or clothing
and that it is not swallowed. Do not inhale fuel
vapors. Keep fuel away from children.
If you or others come into contact with fuel,
observe the following:
RWash away fuel from skin immediately
using soap and water.
RIf fuel comes into contact with your eyes,
immediately rinse them thoroughly with
clean water. Seek medical assistance with-
out delay.
RIf fuel is swallowed, seek medical assis-
tance without delay. Do not induce vomit-
ing.
RImmediately change out of clothing which
has come into contact with fuel.
GWARNING
Electrostatic buildup can create sparks and
ignite fuel vapors. There is a risk of fire and
explosion.
Always touch the vehicle body before opening
the fuel filler flap or touching the fuel pump
nozzle. Any existing electrostatic buildup is
thereby discharged.
!Do not use diesel to refuel vehicles with a
gasoline engine. Do not switch on the ignition
if you accidentally refuel with the wrong fuel.
Otherwise, the fuel will enter the fuel system. Even small amounts of the wrong fuel could
result in damage to the fuel system and the
engine. Notify a qualified specialist workshop
and have the fuel tank and fuel lines drained
completely.
!Overfilling the fuel tank could damage the
fuel system.
!Take care not to spill any fuel on painted
surfaces. You could otherwise damage the
paintwork.
!Use a filter when adding fuel from a fuel can.
The fuel lines and/or the fuel injection system
could otherwise be blocked by particles from
the fuel can. Do not get into the vehicle again during the refu-
eling process. Otherwise, electrostatic charge
could build up again.
If you overfill the fuel tank, fuel could spray out
when the fuel pump nozzle is removed.
For further information on fuel and fuel quality
(
Ypage 309).
Refueling
General information
Pay attention to the important safety notes
(Ypage 137).
The fuel filler flap is unlocked/locked automat-
ically when you unlock/lock the vehicle with the
SmartKey.
The position of the fuel filler cap is displayed
æ in the instrument cluster. The arrow on the
filling pump indicates the side of the vehicle.
Opening the fuel filler flap
:To open the fuel filler flap
;Tire pressure table
=To insert the fuel filler cap
?Instruction label for fuel type to be refueled
XSwitch off the engine.
XRemove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
or, in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS‑ GO
XOpen the driver's door.
The vehicle electronics now have status 0.
This is the same as the SmartKey having been
removed.
XPress the fuel filler flap in the direction of
arrow :.
The fuel filler flap swings up.
138Refueling
Driving and parking
Applying automatically
The electric parking brakeis automatically
applie dwhen th etransmission is in position P
and :
Rtheengin eis switched off or
Rth edriver is no twearing aseat belt and th e
driver's door is opened
To preven tth eelectric parking brak efrom bein g
automatically applied, pull handle :.
The electric parking brak eis also engage dauto -
matically if:
RDistanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cbring sth evehicl e
to astandstill or
Rth eHOLD function is keepin gth evehicl esta-
tionary
RParking Pilo tis keepin gth evehicl estationary
In addition ,at least on eof th efollowin gcondi-
tion smus tbe fulfilled :
Rtheengin eis switched off
Rth edriver is no twearing aseat belt and th e
driver's door is opened
Rthere is asystem malfunction
Rth epowe rsupply is insufficien t
Rthevehicl eis stationary for alengthy period
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada only)
indicator lamp in th einstrumen tcluste rgoe s
out .
The electric parking brak eis no tautomatically
engage dif th eengin eis switched off by th eECO
start/sto pfunction .
Releasing automatically
Your vehicle's electric parking brak eis auto -
matically release dif all of th efollowin gcondi-
tion sare met :
Rtheengin eis running.
Rth etransmission is in position Dor R.
Rth eseat belt has been fastened.
Ryou depress th eaccelerato rpedal .
If th etransmission is in position R,th etrunk lid
mus tbe closed. If your seat belt is no
tfastened, th efollowin g
condition smus tbe fulfilled to automatically
release th eelectric parking brake:
Rth edriver's door is closed.
Ryou hav eshifte dout of transmission position
P or you hav epreviously driven faste rthan
2 mph (3 km/h).
Ensur ethat you do no tdepress th eaccelerato r
pedal unintentionally. Otherwise th eparking
brak ewill be release dand th evehicl ewill start
to move.
Eme rgency braking
The vehicl ecan also be braked during an emer-
gency by usin gth eelectric parking brake.
XWhil edriving, push handle :of th eelectric
parking brak e (Ypage 141).
The vehicl eis braked as lon gas you keep
handle :of th eelectric parking brak e
pressed. The longer th eelectric parking brak e
handle :is depressed, th egreate rth ebrak -
ing force .
During braking :
Rawarning tone sounds
Rth eReleas eParkin gBrakemessage
appear s
Rthered F (USAonly) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in th einstrumen tcluste r
flashes
When th evehicl ehas been braked to astand -
still, th eelectric parking brak eis engaged.
Park ing the vehicle for a long period
If you leav eth evehicl eparked for longer than
four weeks, th ebattery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leav eth evehicl eparked for longer than six
weeks, th evehicl emay suffer damag eas a
result of lack of use.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop and see k
advice .
iYou can obtain information about trickle
chargers from aqualified specialist work-
shop.
142Parking
Driving and parking
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heatingrunning, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a
window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road sur-
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and
braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise control or Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the transmission to position N.
XTry to bring the vehicle under control using
corrective steering.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (
Ypage 285).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see (
Ypage 284).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec-
tion (
Ypage 284).
Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains a constant road speed
for you. It brakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed. On long and steep
downhill gradients, especially if the vehicle is
laden, you must select a low gear in good time.
You need to have selected manual drive pro-
gram M(
Ypage 135). By doing so, you will make
use of the braking effect of the engine. This relieves the load on the brake system and pre-
vents the brakes from overheating and wearing
too quickly.
When the engine is running, you can use the
cruise control lever to limit the speed to any
speed between 20 mph (30 km/h) and the tech-
nically permitted maximum speed of the vehicle.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a steady
speed for a prolonged period.
The speed indicated in the speedometer may
differ slightly from the speed stored.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the laws of physics. Cruise control
cannot take into account the road, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise control 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 cruise control:
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
Rin poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Activates or increases speed
;Activates or reduces speed
148Driving 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