2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class brake assist

Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged
or bottom out and get stuck.
Observe the following rules when driving
along ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with
loose gravel:
RActivate the off-road program
(
Ypage 157).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand
steering wheel paddle shifter.
RDrive slowly.
RWhere ruts are too deep, drive with the
wheels of one side on the center grassy
area, if possible.
Traveling uphill
Approach/departure angle
GWARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
RObserve the warnings for off-road driving
(
Ypage 180).
RFollow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
RBefore driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients, select the off-road program
(
Ypage 157).
RDrive slowly.
RAccelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
RAvoid high engine speeds, except when
driving on sandy and muddy routes with
high driving resistance.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate
to the gradient.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift into a lower gear in good time
on long and steep downhill gradients.
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away
on a hill. For further information about hill
start assist, see (
Ypage 153).
Do not switch to transmission position N
when driving off-road. If you try to brake the
vehicle using the service brake, you could
lose control of the vehicle. If the gradient is
too steep for your vehicle, drive back down in
reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure
angle values (
Ypage 384).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climb- ing ability values (
Ypage 384).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immedi-
ately before reaching the brow of the hill.
Make use of the vehicle's own impetus to
travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
Rthe vehicle from lifting off the ground on thebrow of a hill
Rthe vehicle from traveling too quickly downthe other side
Driving downhill
RDrive slowly.
RDo not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drivewith the front wheels aligned straight. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and rollover.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand
steering wheel paddle shifter before tack-
ling steep downhill gradients.
Driving tips183
Driving and parking
Z

To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style,
DISTRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk
of accident nor override the laws of physics.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take into account
the road, traffic and weather conditions.
DISTRONIC PLUS 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 DISTRONIC PLUS:
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
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow
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
example, in parking garages
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehi- cle in front, DISTRONIC PLUS may unexpect-
edly accelerate the vehicle to the stored
speed. 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 when driving in the left-hand lane
that you overtake vehicles in the right-hand
lane
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:To activate or increase speed
;To activate or reduce speed
=To deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
?To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
ATo set the specified minimum distance
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS
Activation conditions
To activate DISTRONIC PLUS, all of the fol-
lowing activation conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up
to two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
Rthe electric parking brake must be
released.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
RActive Parking Assist must not be activa-
ted.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Driving systems187
Driving and parking
Z

XSelect theAssistance Graphicfunction
using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 227).
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. DISTRONIC PLUS is then
deactivated.
Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle
may brake unexpectedly or late.
Vehicles traveling on a different line
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles
traveling on a different line. The distance to
the vehicle in front will be too short. Other vehicles changing lanes
DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle
will be too short.
Narrow vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS 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.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
192Driving systems
Driving and parking

detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals
an obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS may detect vehicles that
are crossing your lane by mistake. Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally.
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.
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-
tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function
(
Ypage 194).
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
RDISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated
Rthe transmission is in position D,Ror Non
vehicles with automatic transmission
Driving systems193
Driving and parking
Z

Activating the HOLD function
XMakesur ethat th eactivation condition s
are met .
XDepress th ebrak epedal .
XQuickl ydepress th ebrak epedal further
until :appear sin th emultifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release th ebrak epedal .
iIf depressing th ebrak epedal th efirst
time does no tactivat eth eHOLD function ,
wait briefly and then tr yagain .
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
callyif:
Ryou accelerate . Onvehicles wit hautomatic
transmission :only when th etransmission
is in position Dor R.
Rth etransmission is in position Pon vehicles
wit hautomatic transmission .
Ryou depress thebrak epedal again wit h a
certain amoun tof pressur euntil :disap -
pear sfrom th emultifunction display.
Ryou activat eDISTRONI CPLUS.
Ryou secure th evehicl eusin gth eelectric
parking brake.
iAfte r atime, th eelectric parking brak e
secures th evehicl eand relieves th eservic e
brake. When th
e HOLD function is activated, th e
transmission is shifte dautomatically to posi-
tion Pif:
Rthedriver' sseat belt is no tfastene dand th e
driver' sdoor is open .
Rtheengin eis switched off ,unless it is auto -
matically switched off by th eECO start/
stop function .
The electric parking brak esecures th evehicl e
automatically if th e HOLD function is activa-
te dwhen th evehicl eis stationary and :
Rasystem malfunction occur s.
Rthepower suppl yis no tsufficient.
Start-off assist (except Mercedes-
AMG vehicles)
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If you use start-off assist ,individual wheels
may start to spin and th evehicl emay skid. If
ES P
®is deactivated, there is agreate rdanger
of skiddin gand having an accident. Mak esur e
that no person sor obstacles are in th evicinity
of th evehicle.
Start-off assistenables optimum acceleration
from a standstill. Fo rthis, asuitably high-grip
road surfac eis required, alon gwit hth etires
and vehicl ebein gin proper operating condi-
tion .
Do no tactivat e start-off assiston public
road s.
Observ eth esafet ynote son driving safety
systems (
Ypage 65).
Be sure to read th e safetynote sand informa-
tion on ES P
®(Ypage 69).
Activating start-off assist
XDeactivat eES P®(Ypage 227).
XTurn th e steering whee lto th e straight -
ahead position .
194Driving systems
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XDepress the brake pedal firmly with your
left foot and keep the brake pedal
depressed.
XShift the transmission to positionD.
XUse the DYNAMIC SELECT button to select
the Sdrive program (
Ypage 157).
XQuickly depress the accelerator pedal fully.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
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 (AMG vehicles)
Important safety notes
iRACE START must not be used on normal
roads. RACE START must only be activated and used on dedicated road circuits, out-
side 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 65).
Be sure to read the safety notes and infor-
mation on ESP
®(Ypage 69).
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.
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 position D.
Rdrive program S,S+ orRACE is selected
(
Ypage 158).
Activating RACE START
XDepress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
XPull and hold both steering wheel paddle
shifters.
XThe RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWNmessage appears
in the multifunction display.
XRelease both steering wheel paddle shift-
ers.
iIf the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is canceled. The
RACE START Not Possible See Opera‐
tor's Manualmessage appears in the
multifunction display.
XTo cancel: pull the left steering wheel pad-
dle shifter (
Ypage 166).
or
XTo confirm: pull the right steering wheel
paddle shifter (
Ypage 166).
The RACE START Available Depress
gas pedalmessage appears in the multi-
function display.
Driving system s195
Driving an d parking
Z

XPress button:again so that indicator
lamp ;goes out.
You have selected Comfort mode.
The AMG Suspension System COMFORT
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
4MATIC
!
Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. This may damage the differential.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground or be fully raised. Observe the instructions for
towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
4MATIC, together with ESP
®, improves the
traction of your vehicle whenever a drive
wheel spins due to insufficient grip.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC
can neither reduce the risk of accident nor
override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot
take account of road, weather and traffic con- ditions. 4MATIC 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.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
ROnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
RAccelerate less when driving.
iIn wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow
chains if necessary.
DSR
General notes
iDSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) is only
available for vehicles with the Off-Road
Engineering package. DSR is an aid to assist you when driving down-
hill. It keeps the speed of travel at the speed
selected on the on-board computer. The
steeper the downhill gradient, the greater the
DSR braking effect on the vehicle. When driv-
ing on flat stretches of road or on an uphill
gradient, the DSR braking effect is minimal or
nonexistent.
DSR controls the vehicle’s speed when it is
activated and the transmission is in position
D
,R or N. You can drive at a higher or a lower
speed than that set on the on-board computer
at any time by accelerating or braking.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the speed driven and the set speed deviate and you activate DSR on a slippery road sur-
face, the wheels may lose traction. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Before switching DSR on, please take into
consideration the road surface and the differ- ence between driving speed and the set
speed.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DSR can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor over-
ride the laws of physics. DSR cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic condi-
tions. DSR 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.
You are always responsible for keeping con-
trol of the vehicle and for assessing whether
the downhill gradient can be managed. DSR
may not always be able to keep to the set
speed, depending on road surface and tire
conditions. Select a set speed suitable for the
prevailing conditions and when necessary,
apply the brakes manually.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 180).
Driving systems197
Driving and parking
Z

Displaying the assistance graphic
XSelect theAssistance Graphicfunction
using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 227).
When the off-road program is activated,
symbol :appears in the assistance
graphic display.
Driving dynamics display (vehicles
with Off-Road Engineering package)
General notes
The driving dynamics display allows you to
see the selected drive program and additional
information about the vehicle's operating sta-
tus in the Audio 20 or COMAND display.
Vehicles with Audio 20:
RDrive program selected
RAngle of inclination
RSteering angle
RUphill or downhill gradient in percentage
RDSR status indicator
Vehicles with COMAND:
RDrive program selected
RAccelerator pedal position shown in %
RBrake pedal position shown in %
RAngle of inclination
RSteering angle
RUphill or downhill gradient in percentage
RLevel control
RCompass with angle scale
RDSR status indicator
Activating the driving dynamics display
XSwitch on Audio 20 or COMAND; see the
separate Audio 20 or COMAND operating
instructions.
XPress button :.
The driving dynamics display appears in the
Audio 20 or COMAND display.
PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It monitors the area
around your vehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. PARKTRONIC indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate
surroundings. You are always responsible for
safe maneuvering, parking and exiting a park- ing space. When maneuvering, parking or
pulling out of a parking space, make sure that
there are no persons, animals or objects in
the area in which you are maneuvering.
!When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle
or the objects.
200Driving system s
Driving an d parking