Tips for driving with Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC
General notes
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
RCornering, entering and exiting a bend: the
ability of Distance Pilot DISTRONIC to detect
vehicles during cornering is limited. Your vehi-
cle may brake unexpectedly or late.
RDriving on a different line: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC may not detect vehicles which are
not driving in the middle of their lane. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
ROther vehicles changing lanes: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC has not detected the vehicle cut-
ting in yet. The distance to this vehicle will be
too short.
RNarrow vehicles: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
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 willbe too short.
RObstacles and stationary vehicles: Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC does not brake for obstacles
or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and an obsta-cle or stationary vehicle is then revealed, Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC will not brake for
them.
RCrossing traffic: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
may mistakenly detect vehicles that are
crossing your lane. Activating Distance Pil
ot
DISTRONIC at, for example, a traffic light with
crossing traffic, could cause your vehicle to
pull away at the wrong time.
In such situations, brake if necessary. Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC will then be deactivated.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering
Pilot
General notes
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering Pilot
aids you in keeping the vehicle in the center of
the driving lane by means of moderate steering
interventions in a speed range from 0 - 125 mph (0 - 200 km/h).
It monitors the area in front of your vehicle by
means of camera system :at the top of the
windshield.
In a speed range from 0 - 37 mph (0 - 60 km/h),
the advanced automatic pulling away function
focuses on the vehicle in front, taking into
account lane markings, e.g. when following vehi-
cles in a traffic jam.
At speeds of more than 37 mph (60 km/h),
Steering Pilot focuses on clear lane markings
(left and right), only focusing on the vehicle in
front if clear lane markings are not present.
If these conditions are not present, Steering
Pilot cannot provide assistance.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC must be active in
order for the function to be available.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC and Steering Pilot can neither
reduce the risk of an accident nor override the
laws of physics. It cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering Pilot 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.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering Pilot
does not detect road and traffic conditions and
does not detect all road users. If you are follow-
ing a vehicle which is driving towards the edge of
the road, your vehicle could come into contact
174Driving system s
Driving an d parking
the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. You
could damage the vehicle or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic car
wash, the compressed-air brakes on a truck
or a pneumatic drill could cause PARKTRONIC
to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
!Fold in the ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitch is not required. PARKTRONIC measures
the minimum detection range to an obstacle
from the bumper, not the ball coupling.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactivated for
the rear area when you establish an electrical
connection between your vehicle and a trailer.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is activated auto-
matically when you:
Rswitch on the ignition
Rshift the transmission to position D,R or N
Rrelease the electric parking brake
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactivated at
speeds above 11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactiva-
ted at lower speeds.
Range of the sensors
General notes
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC does not take into
account obstacles located:
Rbelow the detection range, e.g. people, ani-
mals or objects.
Rabove the detection range, e.g. overhanging
loads, truck overhangs or loading ramps.
:Sensors in the front bumper, left-hand side
(example) The sensors must be free from dirt, ice or slush.
They can otherwise not function correctly. Clean
the sensors regularly, taking care not to scratch
or damage them (
Ypage 323).
Range
Front sensors
CenterApprox. 40 in (approx.
100 cm)
CornersApprox. 24 in (approx.
60 cm)
Rear sensors
CenterApprox. 48 in (approx.
120 cm)
CornersApprox. 32 in (approx.
80 cm)
Minimum distance
CenterApprox. 8 in (approx. 20 cm)
CornersApprox. 6 in (approx. 15 cm)
If there is an obstacle within this range, the rel-
evant warning displays light up and a warning
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Problems with Parking Assist PARKTRONIC
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Only the red segments in
the Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC warning
displays are lit. You also
hear a warning tone for
approximately two sec-
onds.
Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately five seconds,
and the indicator lamp in
the Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC button
lights up.Parking Assist PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has been deacti-
vated.
XIf problems persist, have Parking Assist PARKTRONIC checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Only the red segments in
the Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC warning
displays are lit. Parking
Assist PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately five sec-
onds.The Parking Assist PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is inter-
ference.
XClean the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC sensors (Ypage 323).
XSwitch the ignition back on.
The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or ultra-
sound waves.
XCheck to see if Parking Assist PARKTRONIC works at a different
location.
Parking Pilot
General notes
Parking Pilot is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasound. It measures the road on both sides
of the vehicle. A parking symbol indicates a suit-
able parking space. Active steering intervention
and brake application can assist you during
parking. Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is also
available (
Ypage 184).
Important safety notes
Parking Pilot is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate sur-
roundings. You are always responsible for safe
maneuvering, parking and exiting a parking
space. Make sure that no persons, animals or
objects are in the maneuvering range.
When Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactiva-
ted, Parking Pilot is also unavailable.
GWARNING
While parking or pulling out of a parking
space, the vehicle swings out and can drive
onto areas of the oncoming lane. This could
result in a collision with another road user.
There is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to other road users. Stop the
vehicle if necessary or cancel the Active Park- ing Assist parking procedure.
!If unavoidable, you should drive over obsta-
cles such as curbs slowly and not at a sharp
angle. Otherwise, you may damage the
wheels or tires.
Parking Pilot may show parking spaces which
are not suitable for parking, e.g.:
Rwhere parking or stopping is prohibited
Rin front of driveways or entrances and exits
Ron unsuitable surfaces
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Driving and parking
Z
Canceling Parking Pilot
XStop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Parking Pilot is immediately canceled. The
Parking
PilotCanceledmessage appears
in the multifunction display.
or
XPress the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC button
(Ypage 186).
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is switched off
and Parking Pilot is immediately canceled.
The Parking Pilot Canceled
message
appears in the multifunction display.
Parking Pilot is canceled automatically if:
Rthe electric parking brake is engaged
Rtransmission position Pis selected
Rparking using Parking Pilot is no longer pos-
sible
Ryou are driving faster than 6 mph (10 km/h)
Ra wheel spins, ESP®intervenes or fails. The
÷ warning lamp lights up in the instrument
cluster
A warning tone sounds. The parking symbol dis-
appears and the multifunction display shows the
Parking Pilot Canceled
message.
When Parking Pilot is canceled, you must steer
and brake again yourself.
If a system malfunction occurs, the vehicle is
braked to a standstill. To drive on, depress the
accelerator again.
Rear view camera
General notes
Rear view camera :is an optical parking and
maneuvering aid. It shows the area behind your vehicle with guide lines in the multimedia sys-
tem.
The area behind the vehicle is displayed as a
mirror image, as in the rear view mirror.
iThe text shown in the multimedia system
display depends on the language setting. The
following are examples of rear view camera
displays in the multimedia system.
Important safety notes
The rear view camera is only an aid. It is not a
replacement for your attention to your immedi-
ate surroundings. You are always responsible
for safe maneuvering and parking. When maneu-
vering or parking, make sure that there are no
persons, animals or objects in the area in which you are maneuvering.
Under the following circumstances, the rear
view camera will not function, or will function in
a limited manner:
Rif the trunk lid is open
Rin heavy rain, snow or fog
Rat night or in very dark places
Rif the camera is exposed to very bright light
Rif the area is lit by fluorescent bulbs or LED
lighting (the display may flicker)
Rif there is a sudden change in temperature,
e.g. when driving into a heated garage in win- ter
Rif the camera lens is dirty or obstructed
Observe the notes on cleaning
(
Ypage 323)
Rif the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In this
event, have the camera position and setting
checked at a qualified specialist workshop
The field of vision and other functions of the rear
view camera may be restricted due to additional
accessories on the rear of the vehicle (e.g.
license plate holder, bicycle rack).
For technical reasons, leaving the standard
height can result in inaccuracies in the guide
lines on vehicles with a height-adjustable chas-
sis.
iThe rear view camera is protected from rain-
drops and dust by means of a flap. When the
rear view camera is activated, this flap opens.
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Driving and parking
Z
Towing a trailer
When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. In this event, Blind Spot Assist is deac-tivated. The indicator lamp lights up yellow in
the exterior mirrors and the Blind Spot
Assist Not Available When Towing aTrailer See Operator's Manualmessage
appears in the multifunction display.
iYou can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, switch off Blind Spot Assist when:
Rthe SmartKey is in position 2in the ignition
lock
Rthe engine is not running
Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
:Lane Keeping Assist camera
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicle with camera :, which is mounted
at the top of the windshield. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally.
This function is available in the range between
40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and 200 km/h).
A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel for
up to 1.5 second s.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Lane Keeping Assist may not always clearly
recognize lane markings.
In this case, Lane Keeping Assist may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and stay in lane, in particular if
warned by Lane Keeping Assist.
GWARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning does not
return the vehicle to the original lane. There is
a risk of an accident.
You should always steer, brake or accelerate
yourself, in particular if warned by Lane Keep-
ing Assist.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lane Keep-
ing Assist can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Lane
Keeping Assist cannot take into account the
road, traffic and weather conditions. Lane Keep- ing Assist is merely an aid. You are responsible
for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehi-
cle speed, for braking in good time and for stay-
ing in your lane.
The Lane Keeping Assist does not keep the vehi-
cle in the lane.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
Rthere are no, several or unclear lane markings
for a lane, e.g. in areas with road construction
work
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge
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Z
Rthe road is narrow and winding
Rthere are strong shadows cast on the road
Switching on Lane Keeping Assist
XSwitch on Active Lane Keeping Assist using
the on-board computer; to do so, select
Standard
orAdaptive(Ypage 232).
If you drive at speeds above 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected,
the lines in the assistance graphics display
(
Ypage 231) are shown in green. Lane Keep-
ing Assist is ready for use.
Standard
If Standardis selected, no warning vibration
occurs if:
Ryou switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP®.
Adaptive
When Adaptiveis selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
Ryou switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ABS,
BAS or ESP®.
Ryou accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
Ryou brake hard.
Ryou steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lanes quickly.
Ryou cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when neces-
sary and in good time if you cross the lane mark-
ing, the system recognizes certain conditions
and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
Ryou approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
Rthe road has very wide lanes, e.g. a highway.
Rthe system recognizes solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
Rthe road has narrow lanes.
Ryou cut the corner on a bend.
Driving Assistance PLUS package
General notes
The Driving Assistance Plus package consists of
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (Ypage 168), Active
Blind Spot Assist (Ypage 204) and Active Lane
Keeping Assist (Ypage 207).
Active Blind Spot Assist
General notes
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the areas on
either side of the vehicle that are not directly
visible to the driver with two lateral, rear-facing
radar sensors. A warning lamp lights up in the
exterior mirrors and draws your attention to
vehicles detected in the monitored area. If you
then switch on the corresponding turn signal to change lanes, you will also receive a visual and
audible collision warning. If a risk of lateral col-
lision is detected, corrective braking may help
you avoid a collision. Before a course-correcting
brake application, Active Blind Spot Assist eval-
uates the space in the direction of travel and at the sides of the vehicle. For this, Active Blind
Spot Assist uses the forward-facing radar sen-
sors.
Active Blind Spot Assist supports you from a
speed of approximately 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid and is not
a substitute for attentive driving.
GWARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not react to:
Rvehicles overtaken too closely on the side,
placing them in the blind spot area
Rvehicles which approach with a large speed
differential and overtake your vehicle
As a result, Active Blind Spot Assist may nei-
ther give warnings nor intervene in such sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Always observe the traffic conditions care-
fully, and maintain a safe lateral distance.
iUSA only: This device has been approved by
the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor is intended for use in an auto-
motive radar system only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of the device will void any war-
204Driving system s
Driving an d parking
Indicator and warning display
:Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
Active BlindSpo t Assist isnot active at speeds
below approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). Vehi-
cles inthe monitoring range are then not ind i-
cated.
When Active BlindSpo t Assist isactivated, ind i-
cator lamp :inthe exterior mirrors lights up
yellow at speeds of up to 20 mph (30 km /h). At
speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h), the indicator
lamp goes out and Active BlindSpo t Assist is
operational.
If a veh icle is detected within the monitoring
range at speeds aboveapproximately 20 mph
(30 km/h), warning lamp :on the correspond-
ing side lights up red. This warning lamp always
lights up when a veh icleenters the blind spot
monitoring range from behind or from the side.
When you overtake a veh icle with adifference in
speed of less than 7 mph (12 km /h), a delayed
warning occurs.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out ifreverse
gear isengaged. Active BlindSpo t Assist isnot
operational.
The brightness of the indicator/warning lamps
is adjusted automatical lyaccording to the
brig htness of the surroundin gs.
Visual and acoustic collision warning
Ifyou switch on the turn signals to change lanes
and a veh icle isdetected inthe side monitoring
range, you receive a visual and acoustic collisio n
warning. You then hear a double
war
ning tone
and red warning lamp :flashes. Ifthe turn sig-
nal remains on, detected veh icles are indicated
by the flashing of red warning lamp :. There are
no further warning tones.
Course-correcting brake application
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a lat-
eral collision in the monitoring range, a course-
correcting brake application is carried out. This
is meant to assist you inavoiding a collision.
GWARNING
A course-correcting brake application cannot always prevent a collision. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Blind Spot Assist warns
you or makes a course-correcting brake appli-
cation. Always maintain a safe distance at the
sides.
If a course-correcting brake application occurs,
red warning lamp :flashes inthe exterior mir-
ror and a dual warning tone sounds. In addition,
disp lay underlining the danger of a side collision
appears in the multifunction display.
In very rare cases, the system may make an
inappropriate brake application. A course-cor-
recting brake application may beinterrupted at
any time ifyou steer slightly in the opposite
dire ction or accelerate.
The course-correcting brake application is avail-
able in the speed range between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 120 mph (200 km/h).
Either no braking application, or a course-cor-
recting brake application adapted to the driving
situation occurs if:
Rthere are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, close to both sides of your vehicle.
Ra vehicle approaches you too closely at the
side.
Ryou have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds.
Ryou brake or accelerate significantly.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ESP®
or PRE-SAFE®Brake.
RESP®is swit ched off.
Rthe offroad program is activated (vehicles
without the Offroad Engineering package).
Rthe Offroad or Offroad Plus drive program is
activated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engi-
neering package).
206Driving systems
Driving and parking
Rthe LOW RANGE offroad gear is activated
(vehicles with the Offroad Engineering pack-
age).
Ra loss of tire pressure or a defective tire is
detected.
Switching on Active Blind Spot Assist
XMake sure that Active Blind Spot Assist is
activated in the on-board computer
(
Ypage 232).
XTurn the SmartKey to position2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors light
up red for approximately 1.5 seconds and
then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is then deacti-
vated. The indicator lamp lights up yellow in the
exterior mirrors and the Active Blind Spot
Asst. Not Available When Towing aTrailer See Operator's Manualmessage
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of multifunction
camera :at the top of the windshield. Various
different areas to the front, rear and side of your
vehicle are also monitored with the aid of the
radar sensor system. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. If you do not react to the warning, a lane-correcting application of the brakes can
bring the vehicle back into the original lane.
This function is available in a speed range
between 40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and
200 km/h).
For Active Lane Keeping Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active Lane
Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of
accident nor override the laws of physics. Active
Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in your lane.
Active
Lane Ke
eping Assist cannot continuously
keep your vehicle in its lane.
GWARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle
Rnot give a warning or intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
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