Drivin g
Points to remember
General notes Hybrid technolog y combine s a fue l efficien t
internal combustion engin e wit h a powerful
electric motor. In HYBRID mode, th e hybrid
drive syste m automatically selects th e most effi-
cien t operatin g mode fo r every drivin g situation .
Drive th e vehicle in th e usual manner.
To sav e fue l in HYBRID mode, th e hybrid drive
syste m switches of f th e combustion engin e as
ofte n as possible durin g th e journey when powe r
output requirements are low. Whe n powe r out -
put requirements are low, th e electric moto r
powers th e vehicle. The engin e is switched on ,
eve n whil e th e vehicle is in motion , when a
higher powe r output is required. The engin e is
usually switched of f when th e vehicle is station -
ary. Consequently, there is usually no engin e
idlin g as wit h combustion engin e vehicles .
Fo r pulling away and accelerating, th e electric
moto r supports th e internal combustion engin e
usin g th e powe r stored in th e high-voltage bat -
tery. In addition , th e powe r is used fo r electric
driving, operation of th e electric refrigerant
compressor and to supply th e 12 V on-boar d
electrical system. In this way th e hybrid drive
s y ste m helps to reduce your vehicle' s fue l con-
sumption .
Observ e th e drivin g tips on plug-i n hybrid oper-
ation ( Y
page 26).
Recuperative Brak e Syste mIf you release th e accelerator peda l when th e
vehicle is in motion , overrun recuperation is ini-
tiated. The electric moto r is operated as a gen -
erato r when in overrun mode and when you
brake . Hybrid technolog y convert s th e kineti c
energ y of th e vehicle into electricit y and stores
it in th e high-voltage battery.
Observ e th e important safet y note s fo r th e
Recuperative Brak e Syste m ( Y
page 11) . Important safet y notesIf th e engin e is switched of f by th e EC O start /
stop function , you ope n th e driver's doo r and
unfasten your seat belt :R
a messag e appears in th e multifunction dis -
play and R
a warnin g tone sounds
Further information ( Y
page 45) .
Al l of th e vehicle' s systems remain active , if:R
th e vehicle is stationary R
th e combustion engin e is switched of f andR
th e READY indicator in th e instrumen t cluster
lights up
If you remov e your foot from th e brake peda l
whil e in transmissio n position D or R, th e vehicle
may pull away automatically.
Observ e th e note s on th e READY display of th e
EC O start/sto p function ( Y
page 23).
Vehicles wit h an electric moto r generate muc h
les s drivin g noise than vehicles wit h internal
combustion engines. As a result , your vehicle
may no t be hear d by other road user s in certain
situations.
Dependin g on th e vehicle' s equipmen t and
country-specific regulations, th e vehicle can be
equipped wit h Acoustic Vehicle Indication .
Acoustic Vehicle Indication generate s a certain
soun d at a speed between 0 and 20 mph
(30 km/h). Thi s helps other road users, par tic-
u l arly pedestrian s and cyclists, to hear your
vehicle better. The soun d can also be hear d
insid e th e vehicle.
The volume depend s on th e engin e speed. The
faste r you accelerate, th e louder th e soun d is. At
a speed of over 20 mph (30 km/ h) the sound is
switched off. Above this speed, the natural
sounds from the vehicle are sufficient that it can
be heard in good time by other road users.20
Driving
Dr ivi ng an d parking
Available drive programs:
Individual R
Indivi dual settings
Sp ort R
Spo rty driv ing style wit h
increased boost mode R
Electric-only operation is
not poss ible
Comfort R
Comfortable, economical
driv ing style R
Electric-only operation is
poss ible
Slippery R
Optimal driv ing charac-
teristics on slipp ery or
snow-covered roads R
Electric-only operation is
poss ible
Further information on the driv e program (see
the veh icle Operator's Manual).
Using the steering wheel paddle shifters, you
can temporar ily change gears yourself. For fur-
ther information on the manual driv e program
( Y
page 23).
Manual gear shifting Using the steering wheel paddle shifters, you
can temporar ily change gears yourself. The
transmission must be in position D . When you
activate manual gearshifting, the combustion
engine is automatically swit ched on.X
To activate: pull the left or right steering
wheel paddle shifter.
Manual gearshifting is activated temporar ily.
The selected gear and M appear in the mult i-
function display.
The ECO start /s top function is not availab le
when manually changing gear.
Further information on manual gearshifting (see
the veh icle Operator's Manual).
ECO start/stop function
General notes
The ECO start/stop function swit ches the com-
bustion engine off automatically when the veh i-
cle stops moving and at spee ds below 80 mph
(13 0 km/ h) ( Y
page 24). All vehicle systems remain active, e.g. the auto-
matic climate control.
The ECO start/stop function is neither available
in the Sport drive program nor during manual
shifting.
Automatic engine switch-off The engine is switched off automatically, includ-
ing when: R
the driver removes his/her foot from the
accelerator in the Comfort drive program and
a speed of 80 mph (130 km/h) is not excee-
ded ( Y
page 24) R
the engine has reached its operating temper-
ature R
the driver’s seat belt is fastened and the
driver’s door is closed R
the driver only slightly depresses the accel-
erator pedal in order to, for example, maintain
the current speed for a limited distance R
the hood is closed and engaged properly R
the high-voltage battery is charged suffi-
ciently R
no malfunctions are present in the hybrid
drive system
The internal combustion engine will not be
switched off automatically, if: R
the self-diagnosis function of the engine man-
agement is active R
there is a malfunction in the hybrid drive sys-
tem R
the climate control of the vehicle requires it R
the high-voltage battery is charging
( Y
page 40).
Automatic engine start The automatically switched-off internal combus-
tion engine starts automatically in certain situa-
tions, if: R
the power demand from the driver via the
accelerator pedal is greater than the electric
motor alone can provide R
the driver switches to the Sport drive pro-
gram or to manual gearshifting R
the condition of charge of the high-voltage
battery has reached the lower limit R
the driver has selected the CHARGE operating
mode Driving 23
Driving and parking