2017 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA-Class Driving

GWARNING
Flammable materials introduced through
environmental influence or by animals can
ignite if in contact with the exhaust system 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.
General notes
During a cold start, the engine runs at higher
speeds to enable the catalytic converter to
reach its operating temperature. The sound of
the engine may change during this time.
Automatic transmission
XShift the transmission to position P
(Ypage 129).
The transmission position display in the mul-
tifunction display shows P(
Ypage 129).
iYou can start the engine in transmission
position Pand N.
Starting procedure with the SmartKey
To start the engine using the SmartKey instead
of the Start/Stop button, pull the Start/Stop
button out of the ignition lock.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 3in the ignition
lock and release it as soon as the engine is
running (
Ypage 121).
Starting procedure with the Start/Stop
button
The Start/Stop button can be used to start the
vehicle manually without inserting the SmartKey
into the ignition lock. The Start/Stop button
must be inserted in the ignition lock and the
SmartKey must be in the vehicle. This mode for
starting the engine operates independently of
the ECO start/stop automatic engine start func-
tion.
You can start the engine if a valid SmartKey is in the vehicle. Switch off the engine and always
take the SmartKey with you when leaving the vehicle, even if you only leave it for a short time.
Pay attention to the important safety notes.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XPress the Start/Stop button once
(Ypage 121).
The engine starts.
Starting procedure via smartphone
Observe the important safety notes on starting
the engine (Ypage 122).
You can also start your engine via your smart-
phone from outside the vehicle. In this case, the
previously selected climate control setting is
activated. In this way you can cool or heat the
interior of the vehicle before starting the jour-
ney.
Only start the engine via your smartphone if it is
safe to start and run the engine where your vehi-
cle is parked.
Observe the legal stipulations in the area where your vehicle is parked. Engine start via smart-
phone may be limited to certain countries or
regions.
You can execute a maximum of two consecutive
starting attempts via your smartphone. If you
insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock, you
can carry out two more starting attempts.
Once you have started the engine, you can
switch the engine off via your smartphone at any
time.
You can only start the engine via your smart-
phone if:
Rthe SmartKey is in the ignition lock
Rpark position Pis selected
Rthe accelerator pedal is not depressed
Rthe anti-theft alarm system is not activated
Rthe panic alarm is not activated
Rthe hazard warning lamps are switched off
Rthe hood is closed.
Rthe doors are closed and locked
Rthe windows and sliding sunroof are closed
Also make sure that:
Rthe fuel tank is sufficiently filled
Rthe starter battery is sufficiently charged
GWARNING
Limbs could be crushed or trapped if the
engine is started unintentionally during ser-
Driving123
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Z

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

Important safety notes
GWARNING
If th eengin eis switched off automatically and
you exit th evehicle, th eengin eis restarte d
automatically. The vehicl emay begi nmoving .
Ther eis aris kof acciden tand injury.
If you wish to exit th evehicle, always tur noff
th eignition and secure th evehicl eagainst
rollin gaway.
General notes
:ECO start/sto pdisplay
The ECO start/sto pfunction is activated when -
eve ryou start th eengin eusin gth eSmartKey or
th eStart/Sto pbutton.
If th eengin ehas been switched off automati-
call yby th eECO start/sto pfunction ,th eè
ECO symbol is shown in th emultifunction dis-
play.
Mercedes-AM Gvehicles: theECO start/sto p
function is only available in driv eprogram C.
Automatic engine switch-off
If thevehicl eis braked to astandstill in Dor N,
th eECO start/sto pfunction switches off th e
engin eautomatically.
The ECO start/sto pfunction is operational
when :
Rtheindicator lamp in th eECO butto nis lit
green .
Rtheoutside temperature is within th erange
that is suitable for th esystem.
Rth eengin eis at normal operating tempera-
ture.
Rth eset temperature for th evehicl einterior
has been reached.
Rth ebattery is sufficientl ycharged.
Rth esystem detects that th ewindshield is no t
fogged up when th eair-conditioning system is
switched on .
Rthehoo dis closed.
Rth edriver' sdoor is closed and th edriver' s
seat belt is fastened.
All of th evehicle's systems remain active when
th eengin eis stoppe dautomatically.
The HOLD function can also be activated if th e
engin ehas been switched off automatically. It is
then no tnecessar yto continue applyin gth e
brakes during th eautomatic stop phase. When
you depress th eaccelerato rpedal ,th eengin e
start sautomatically and th ebraking effec tof
th eHOLD function is deactivated.
Automatic engin eswitch-off can tak eplac e a
maximum of four times in arow (initial stop, then
three subsequen tstops ).
Automatic engine start
The engin
estart sautomatically if:
Ryou switch off th eECO start/sto pfunction by
pressin gth eECO butto n
Rin transmission position Dor Nthebrak e
pedal is release dand th eHOLD function is no t
active
Ryou depress th eaccelerato rpedal
Ryou engage revers egear R
Ryou mov eth etransmission out of position P
Ryou unfasten your seat belt or open th edriv -
er' sdoor
Rth evehicl estart sto rol l
Rthebrak esystem require sthis
Rth etemperature in th evehicl einterior devi-
ate sfrom th eset range
Rth esystem detects moisture on th ewind-
shield when th eair-conditioning system is
switched on
Rth ebattery's condition of charge is to olow
Shifting th etransmission to position Pdoes no t
start th eengine.
Driving125
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Z

Deactivating or activating theECO
start/stop function
XTo deactivate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;goe sout .
XTo activate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
If indicator lamp ;is off, th eEC Ostart/sto p
function has bee ndeactivated manually or as
th eresult of amalfunction .The engin ewill then
no tbe switched of fautomatically when th evehi-
cl e stops .
AMG Performance exhaust syste m
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles )
You can choosebetween differen tAM GPer -
formanc eexhaus tsystem volume susin gth e
position of th eexhaus tflap .
Each time you start th eengin ewit hth eSmart -
Key or th eStart/Sto pbutton, th equietest set -
ting is activated.
Settin gth evolume :
XPress butto n:.
If you selec tth eloudest setting ,indicator
lamp ;lights up.
Problem swit hth eengin e
ProblemPossible causes/consequences an dMSolutions
The engin edoe sno t
start .The HOLD function or Distanc ePilo tDISTRONIC is activated.
XDeactivat eth eHOLD function (Ypage 156) or Distanc ePilo t
DISTRONIC (Ypage 154).
XTryto start th eengin eagain .
The engin edoe sno t
start .The starter moto r
can be heard.RThere is amalfunction in th eengin eelectronics.
RThere is amalfunction in th efue lsupply.
Before attemptin gto start th eengin eagain :
XTurnth eSmartKey bac kto position 0in th eignition lock.
or
XPress th eStart/Sto pbutto nrepeatedly until all indicator lamp sin
th einstrumen tcluster go out .
XTryto start th eengin eagain (Ypage 122). Avoid excessivel ylon g
and frequent attempt sto start th eengin eas these will drain th e
battery.
If th eengin edoe sno tstart after severa lattempts:
XConsult aqualified specialis tworkshop .
126Driving
Driving and parking

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The engine does not
start. You cannot hear
the starter motor.The on-board voltage is too low because the battery is too weak or
discharged.
XJump-start the vehicle (Ypage 273).
If the engine does not start despite attempts to jump-start it:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The starter motor was exposed to a thermal load that was too high.
XAllow the starter motor to cool down for approximately two minutes.
XTry to start the engine again.
If the engine still does not start:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The engine is not running
smoothly and is misfir-
ing.There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic converter
and damage it.
XHave the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
The coolant temperature
gauge shows a value
above 248 ‡ (120 †).
The coolant warning
lamp may also be on and
a warning tone may
sound.The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine is no
longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 257). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
DYNAMIC SELECT button (all vehicles
except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Use the DYNAMIC SELECT button to change the
drive program. Depending on the drive program
selected the following vehicle characteristics
will change:
Rthe drive (engine and transmission manage-
ment)
Rthe suspension (vehicles with damping sys-
tem or AMG adaptive sport suspension sys-
tem)
Rthe steering.
Rthe availability of the ECO start/stop function
Rthe climate control
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-
Key or the Start/Stop button, drive program Cis
activated. For further information about starting
the engine, see (
Ypage 122).
XPress DYNAMIC SELECT button :as many
times as necessary until the desired drive
program is selected.
The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds the
display goes out and the status icon of the
selected drive program appears.
DYNAMIC SELECT button (all vehicles except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)127
Driving and parking
Z

In addition, the current drive program settings
are displayed briefly in the multimedia systemdisplay.
iIn a few countries, the ECO start/stop func-
tion is deactivated at the factory due to the
available fuel grade. In this case, the ECO
start/stop function is not available in any
drive program, regardless of the display in the
multimedia system display.
Available drive programs:
C ComfortComfortable and economi-
cal driving characteristics
SSportSporty driving characteris-
tics
IIndividualIndividual settings
E EconomyParticularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
(Ypage 133).
You can also change gear yourself using the
steering wheel paddle shifters. For further infor- mation on the manual drive program
(
Ypage 135).
DYNAMIC SELECT controller
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Use the DYNAMIC SELECT controller to change
the drive program. Depending on the drive pro-
gram selected the following vehicle character-
istics will change:
Rthe drive
Rthe transmission management
RESP®
Rthe suspension (vehicles with AMG adaptive
sport suspension system)
Rthe availability of the ECO start/stop function
Rthe availability of gliding mode
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-
Key or the Start/Stop button, drive program Cis
activated. For further information about starting
the engine, see (
Ypage 122).
XTurn DYNAMIC SELECT controller :as many
times as necessary until the desired drive
program is selected.
The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds the
display goes out and the status icon of the
selected drive program appears.
The drive program indicator on DYNAMIC
SELECT controller :lights up in red.
Available drive programs:
I IndividualIndividual settings
C ComfortComfort-oriented, opti-
mum-economy engine and
transmission settings
SSportSporty engine and trans-
mission settings
S+ Sport PlusParticularly sporty trans-
mission settings
RaceMaximum sportiness and
engine and transmission
settings suitable for the
racetrack
Additional information for drive programs
(Ypage 133).
You can also change gear yourself using the
steering wheel paddle shifters. For further infor- mation on the manual drive program
(
Ypage 135).
128DYNAMIC SELECT controller (Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Driving and parking

Automa tic trans mission
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If th eengin espee dis abov eth eidlin gspee d
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
th evehicl ecould pull away suddenly. There is
a ris kof an accident.
When engagin gtransmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress th ebrak epedal and do
no tsimultaneously accelerate .
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off th eengine.
The vehicl emay rol laway. There is aris kof an
accident.
Afte rswitching off th eengine, always switch
to parking position P.Preven tth eparked vehi-
cle from rollin gaway by applyin gth eparking
brake.
DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview oftrans mission positions
jPark position wit hparking loc k
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
All vehicles (excep tMercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): theDIRECT SELECT lever is on th eright of
th esteering column .
Fo rinformation on th eselector lever in
Mercedes-AM Gvehicles (
Ypage 131). The DIRECT SELECT lever always return
sto it s
original position .The curren ttransmission posi-
tion P,R,N or Dappear sin th etransmission
position display in th emultifunction display
(
Ypage 129).
Trans mission position and drive pr o-
gram display
The curren ttransmission position and drive pro -
gram appear in th emultifunction display.
:Transmission position
;Gear
=Drive program display
The arrows in th etransmission position display
sho whow and int owhic htransmission position s
you can shif tusin gth eDIRECT SELECT lever.
If th etransmission position display in th emul-
tifunction display is no tworking ,you should pull
away carefully to chec kwhether th edesired
transmission position is engaged. Ideally, you
should select transmission position Dand drive
program Eor S.
Engaging pa rkposition P
!If th eengin espee dis to ohigh or th evehicl e
is moving ,do no tshif tth eautomatic trans -
mission directl yfrom Dto R,from Rto Dor
directl yto P. The automatic transmission
could otherwise be damaged.
XPush th eDIRECT SELECT lever in th edirection
of arrow P.
Transmission position display Pis shown in
th emultifunction display.
When you hav eengage dpark position P,mak e
sur ethat th etransmission position display
shows Pin th emultifunction display.
You can only engage park position Pwhen th e
vehicl eis stationary.
Depressing th ebrak eand pushing th eDIRECT
SELECT lever up or down disengages th epark -
ing lock. The transmission is in Nneutral.
Automatic transmission12 9
Driving an d parking
Z

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