
%
When ESP ®
is deactivated, you are still assis‐
te dby ESP ®
when braking.
ESP ®
is inter vening if the ESP ®
÷ warning
lamp flashes in the instrument clus ter:
R Do not deacti vate ESP ®
.
R Only depress the accelera tor pedal as far as
is necessar y.
R Adapt your driving style to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
Deactivate ESP ®
in thefo llowing situations to
impr ovetraction:
R When using snow chains. R
In deep sn ow.
R On sand or gr avel.
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action which pr ovides better grip.
If th e ESP ®
÷ warning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP ®
is not available due toa malfunction.
Obse rveth efo llowing information:
R Warning and indicator lamps (→ page 438)
R Display messages (→ page 381)
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4E TStraction control is pa rtof ESP ®
and
makes it possible topull away and accelerate on
a slippe rycar riag ew ay. ETS/4ETS can impr
ovetheve hicle's traction by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R The drive wheels are braked individually if
they spin.
R More drive torque is transferred tothe wheel
or wheels with traction.
Influence of drive prog rams on ESP ®
The drive programs enable ESP ®
to adapt todif‐
fe re nt we ather and road conditions as well as
th e driver's prefer red driving style. You can
select the drive prog rams using theDY NA MIC
SELECT switch (→ page170). Driving and pa
rking 19 3

Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) Multimedia sy
stem:
, Vehicle .
Assistance .
Electronic Sta-
bility Program
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles: always obser vethe
no tes in the Supplement. Otherwise, you may
fa ilto recognise dangers. #
Activate or deacti vate the function.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter. Fu
nctions of ESP ®
Crosswind Assist ESP
®
Crosswind Assist de tects sudden gu sts of
side wind and helps the driver tokeep theve hi‐
cle in the lane:
R ESP ®
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle
speeds between 80 km/h and 200 km/h
when driving stra ight ahead or cornering
slightly.
R The vehicle is stabilised bymeans of individ‐
ual brake application on one side. Fu
nctions of ESP ®
trailer stabilisation &
WARNING Risk of accident in poor road
and weather conditions
In poor road and weather conditions, the
trailer stabilisation cannot pr event lu rching of
th eve hicle/trailer combination. Trailers with
a high centre of gr avity may tip over before
ESP ®
de tects this. #
Alw ays adapt your driving style to suit
th e cur rent road and weather condi‐
tions. When driving with a trailer, ESP
®
can stabilise
yo ur vehicle if the trailer begins toswer vefrom
side toside:
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation is active abo ve
speeds of 65 km/h.
R Slight swerving is reduced bymeans of a tar‐
ge ted, individual brake application on one
side.
R Intheeve nt of se vere swerving, the engine
output is also reduced and all wheels are
braked.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation may be impaired or
may not function if:
R The trailer is not connec ted cor rectly or is
not de tected prope rly by theve hicle. Driving and parking
19 5

Fu
nction of EBD (Electronic Brake forc e Dis‐
tribution) EBD is
characterised bythefo llowing:
R Monitoring and regulating the brake pressure
on there ar wheels.
R Impr oved driving stability when braking,
especially on bends. ST
EER CONT ROL function ST
EER CONT ROL helps youby transmitting a
noticeable steering forc eto thesteering wheel in
th e direction requiredforve hicle stabilisation.
This steering recommendation is given pa rticu‐
lar lyin thefo llowing situations:
R Both right wheels or bo thleft wheels are on
a we t or slippe ryroad sur face when you
brake.
R The vehicle starts toskid. Sy
stem limitations
ST EER CONTROL may be impaired or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R ESP ®
is deactivated.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning.
R The steering is malfunctioning.
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, you will be assis ted
fur ther by the electric po werst eering. Fu
nction of Active Brake Assi st Ac
tive Brake Assi stconsi sts of:
R Distance warning function
R Autonomous braking function
R Situation-dependent braking assi stance
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Evasi veSteering Assist
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimise the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles or pedestrians or
to reduce the ef fects of su cha collision. If
Ac tive Brake Assi sthas de tected a risk of colli‐
sion, you will be warned visually and acousti‐
call y.
If yo u do not react tothe visual or acoustic warn‐
ing, autonomous braking can be initiated in criti‐
cal situations.
In especially critical situations, Active Brake
Assi stcan initia teautonomous braking direct ly.
In this case, the visual and acoustic warning
occurs simultaneously with the braking applica‐
tion.
If yo u apply the brake yourself in a critical situa‐
tion or apply the brake during autonomous brak‐
ing, situation-dependent braking assis tance
occu rs. The brake pressure increases up tomax‐
imum full-s top braking if necessar y.
If th e autonomous braking function or the situa‐
tion-dependent braking assis tance is trig gered,
additional pr eventive measu resfo r occupant
pr otection (PRE-SAFE ®
) may also be initiated, if
th eve hicle is equipped with these. 19 6
Driving and pa rking

If
yo u accelerate toove rtake, forex ample, the
st ored speed is not dele ted. If youre mo veyour
fo ot from the accelerator pedal af terove rtaking,
cruise control will resume speed regulation back
to thestored speed.
Yo u can operate cruise cont rol with the cruise
control le ver.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, cruise con‐
trol can neither reduce therisk of an accident
nor override the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take
into account road, weather or traf fic conditions.
Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible
fo rth e dis tance totheve hicle in front, forve hi‐
cle speed, for braking in good time and forst ay‐
ing in lane.
Sy stem limitations
Cruise control may be unable tomaintain the
st ored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed when the gradient evens out.
Change into a lo werge ar in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular
no te ofthis when driving a laden vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking ef fect
of the engine. This relie vesth e load on the brake sy
stem and pr events the brakes from overheat‐
ing and wearing tooqu ickl y.
Do not use cruise control in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R In traf fic situations whi chrequ ire frequent
ch anges of speed, e.g. in heavy traf fic, on
winding roads.
R On slippe ryroads. Accelerating can cause
th e drive wheels tolose traction and the
ve hicle could then skid.
R Ifyo u are driving when visibility is poor.
Fu nction of the limi ter
The limiter restricts the speed of theve hicle. To
re duce the speed swiftly tothe set speed, the
limiter applies the brakes automaticall y.
Yo u can limit the speed as follo ws:
R Variable: for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas.
R Perm anen t:for long-term speed restrictions,
e.g. when driving wi thwinter tyres fitted.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, the limiter
can neither reduce therisk of an accident nor ov
erride the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take into
account road, weather or traf fic conditions. The
limiter is only an aid. You are responsible forthe
dis tance totheve hicle in front, forve hicle
speed, for braking in good time and forst ay ing
in lane.
Yo u can operate theva riable limiter with the
cruise control le ver.Yo u can store any road
speed abo ve20 km/h. You can also per form
settings while theve hicle is stationary if the
ve hicle has been star ted.
Kickdown
If yo u depress the accelera tor pedal be yond the
pressure point (kickdown), the limiter switches
to passive mode. The Limiter passivemessage
appears in the multifunction displa y.
Af ter completion of kickdown, theva riable lim‐
iter is activated again in thefo llowing situations:
R Ifth e driven speed drops below thestored
speed.
R Ifth estored speed is called up.
R Ifyo ustore a new speed. 202
Driving and parking

If
yo u activate the turn signal indicator tochange
lanes, theve hicle will accelerate more briskly to
th e set speed under thefo llowing conditions:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d.
R Ifth e driving speed is higher than 70 km/h.
R Ifth e driven speed drops below thestored
speed.
R The sy stem cann otdetect a vehicle in there l‐
ev ant area of theov ertak ing lane.
Drive prog ram
The DYNA MIC SELECT switch allo wsyouto
ch ange the driving style of Active Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC. Depending on which drive
program is selected, the driving characteristics
can be geared towa rds fuel econom y,comfort or
dynamic per form ance (→ page170).
Sy stem limitations
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti vein
th e 0 km/h to200 km/h speed range.
Ve hicles with the Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti ve
in the 0 km/h to210 km/h speed range. The sy
stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances, forex ample:
R In sn ow,ra in, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in great lyvarying
light conditions.
R The windsc reen in the area of the camera is
dirty, mis ted up, damaged or co vered.
R Ifth era dar sensors are dirty or co vered.
R On slippery roads, braking or accelerating
can cause the drive wheels tolose traction
and theve hicle could then skid.
R In multi-s torey car par ks,to llst ations or on
ro ads with steep uphill or downhill gradients.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC in
th ese situations.
Tips
Pa y particular attention in thefo llowing traf fic
situations. In such situations, brake if necessar y.
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is then deacti‐
va ted:
R When cornering, entering and exiting a bend.
R When not driving in the cent reofthe lane. R
When other vehicles are changing lane.
R Ifth ere are nar row vehicles.
R Ifth ere are obs tacles and stationary vehi‐
cles.
R Ifth ere are crossing vehicles, pedestrians,
mo torcyc lists or cyclists.
Display of Active Di stance Assist DIST RONIC
in the assistance graphic and in the speed‐
ome ter 1
Vehicle ahead
2 Distance indica tor 206
Driving and parking

#
Brief lypull the cruise control le verto wa rds
yo u3.
or #
Accelerate brie fly.
Yo ur vehicle pulls away and adapts its speed
to that of theve hicle in front. If no vehicle is
de tected in front, your vehicle accelerates to
th e set speed.
Collision warning
If Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is unable to
suf ficiently decele rate theve hicle in order to
pr eve nt it from approa ching theve hicle in front,
yo u will be warned visually and acousticall y.An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and
th e dis tance warning lamp will light up in the
instrument clus ter. #
Brake immediately in order toinc rease the
dis tance from theve hicle in front.
or #
Take evasive action pr ovided it is safe todo
so. Ac
tive Steering Assist Fu
nction of Active Steering Assist
Ac tive Steering Assist is only available for
ve hicles with the Driving Assistance Pack‐
age.
R Active Steering Assist is operational at
speeds up to210 km/h and helps youto stay
in the cent reofthe lane bymeans of moder‐
ate steering inter ventions.
R It uses theve hicle in front and the lane mark‐
ings as a refere nce depending on the driven
speed.
R Active Steering Assist requ ires you as the
driver, tokeep your hands on thesteering
wheel at all times so that you are able to
inter vene at any time tocor rect the course of
th eve hicle and keep it in lane.
R Active Steering Assist can be overridden at
any time bysteering theve hicle yourself.
R When the sy stem is actively steering, the
è symbol is shown in green in the multi‐
function displa y. Sy
stem limitations of Active Steering Assist
Ac tive Steering Assist has a limited steering tor‐
qu efo r lateral guidance. In some cases, the
st eering inter vention is not su fficient tokeep the
ve hicle in the lane.
If th e de tection of lane markings and vehicles
ahead is impaired, Active Steering Assist
switches topassive mode. The sy stem pr ovides
no support in this case. During the transition
from the active topassive status, theè sym‐
bol is shown as enlar ged and flashes yello w.
Once the sy stem is passive theè symbol is
shown as gr eyinthe multifunction displa y.
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
R Ifth ere is poor visibility, e.g. due toinsuf fi‐
cient illumination of thero ad, or due tosno w,
ra in, fog or heavy spr ay.
R Ifth ere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traf fic,
di re ct sunlight or reflection from other vehi‐
cles (e.g. if the car riag ewa y is wet).
R Ifth e windscreen is dirty, mis ted up, dam‐
aged or co vered, for ins tance byast icke r,in
th e vicinity of the camera. 210
Driving and pa rking

The HOLD function is deactivated in
thefo llow‐
ing situations:
R When Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is
acti vated.
R Vehicles with automatic transmission:
when transmission position jis selected.
R When theve hicle is secured with the electric
parking brake.
In thefo llowing situations, theve hicle is held by
th e transmission position jorby the electric
parking brake:
R When the seat belt is unfas tened and the
driver's door is opened.
R When the engine is switched off.
R When there is a malfunction in the sy stem or
if th e po wer supply is insuf ficient.
Ve hicles with manual transmission:
The Brake immediately message may also
appear in the multifunction displa y:#
Immedia tely depress the brake pedal firm ly
until thewa rning message disappears.
The HOLD function is deactivated. A horn sounds at
regular inter vals if you turn off
th e engine, remo veyour seat belt and open the
driver's door while the HOLD function is activa‐
te d. If you attem pttolock theve hicle, the horn
to ne becomes louder. The vehicle cannot be
loc ked until you ha vedeactivated the HOLD
function.
% Once you ha veswitched off the engine, you
cannot restart the engine until you ha ve
deactivated the HOLD function. DY
NA MIC BODY CONT ROL DY
NA MIC BODY CONTROL has thefo llowing
ch aracteristics:
R Variable damping characteristics
R Continual adjustment of the damping forc es
The damping characteristics adapt tothe cur rent
operating and driving situation.
The da mping is tuned individually for each wheel
and is af fected bythefo llowing factors:
R The road sur face conditions
R Vehicle load R
The drive program selected
The drive program can be adjus ted using the
DY NA MIC SELECT switch. AIR
BODY CONT ROL AIR
BODY CONT ROL function
AIR BODY CONTROL is an air suspension sy stem
with variable damping for impr oved driving com‐
fo rt. The all-round le vel control sy stem ensures
th e best possible suspension and const ant
ground clea rance, even wi tha laden vehicle.
When driving at speed, theve hicle is lo wered
automatically toimpr ovedriving saf ety and to
re duce fuel consum ption. The option of manually
adjusting theve hicle le vel is also available.
AIR BODY CONTROL comprises:
R Air suspension with variable spring rate
R Automatic le vel control sy stem
R Speed-dependent lo wering toreduce fuel
consum ption
R Manually selec table high-le vel setting for
grea ter ground clea rance Driving and pa
rking 213

Setting
theve hicle le vel &
WARNING Risk of accident because
ve hicle le vel is too high
If yo u drive at a higher vehicle le vel,th e driv‐
ing characteristics may be impaired due to
th e higher vehicle centre of gravity.
The vehicle can drift outwards, forex ample,
when steering or cornering. #
Alw aysch oose a vehicle le vel which is
suited tothe driving style and thero ad
sur face conditions. &
WARNING Risk of entrapment from vehi‐
cle lo wering
When lo wering theve hicle, other people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure no one is underneath the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of
th e wheel ar ches when you lo werthe
ve hicle. &
WARNING Risk of entrapment from vehi‐
cle lo wering
Ve hicles with AIR BODY CONT ROL or
le ve l control sy stem: When you unload lug‐
ga ge or lea vetheve hicle, theve hicle first
ri ses slightly and then returns tothe set le vel
shortly af terw ards.
Yo u or an yone else in the vicinity of the
wheel ar ches or the underbody could thus
become trapped.
The vehicle can also be lo wered af ter being
loc ked. #
When leaving theve hicle, make sure
th at nobody is in the vicinity of the
wheel ar ches or the underbody. Re
quirements:
R The vehicle has been star ted.
R The vehicle must not be moving fasterthan
60 km/h. Ra
ising theve hicle #
Press button 1.
Indica tor lamp 2lights up.
The vehicle is set tothe high le vel.
Yo ur selection is sa ved. Driving and parking
215