drive over obstacles, have the front
passenger direct you.
iWe recommend that you additionally carry a
shovel and a recovery rope with shackle in the
vehicle.
REnsure that loads and items of luggage are
securely stowed or lashed down
(
Ypage 242).
RBefore driving off-road, stop the vehicle and
shift to a low gear.
RIf the surface requires, temporarily deactivate
ESP®when pulling away (Ypage 66).
ROnly drive off-road with the engine running
and a gear engaged.
RDrive slowly and smoothly. Walking pace is
necessary in many situations.
RAvoid spinning the drive wheels.
RMake sure that the wheels always remain in
contact with the ground.
RDrive with extreme care over unknown terrain
where you can only see for a short distance.
As a precaution, get out of the vehicle to take
a look at the route to be taken in advance.
RCheck the water depth before fording.
RWatch out for obstacles (e.g. rocks, holes,
tree stumps and ruts).
RAvoid edges where the surface could crumble
or break away.
Checklist after driving off-road
!If you detect damage to the vehicle after
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Off-road driving places a higher demand on your
vehicle than normal road operation. Check your
vehicle after driving on rough terrain. By doing
so you will notice any damage in good time and
reduce the risk of an accident for yourself and
other road users. Clean your vehicle thoroughly
before driving on public roads.
Observe the following points after driving off-
road, on construction sites and before driving on
public roads:
XActivate ESP®(Ypage 66).
XClean the headlamps and tail lamps and
check them for damage.
XClean the front and rear license plates.
XClean the windshield, windows and exterior
mirrors.
XClean the steps, door sills and grab handles.
This increases safety of footing.
XClean the wheels/tires, wheel housings and
the underbody of the vehicle with a water jet. This increases road grip, especially on wet
road surfaces.
XCheck the wheels/tires and wheel housings
for trapped foreign objects and remove them.
Trapped foreign objects can damage the
wheels/tires and may be flung out from the
vehicle when you continue driving.
XCheck the underbody for trapped branches or
other parts of plants and remove them.
Trapped branches or other parts of plants
increase the risk of fire and can cause dam-
age to fuel lines, brake hoses and the rubber
bellows of axle joints and drive shafts.
XClean the brake disks, brake pads and axle
joints, particularly after operation in sand,
mud, grit/gravel, water or similarly dirty con-
ditions.
XCheck the entire floor assembly, the tires,
wheels, bodywork structure, brakes, steering,
chassis and exhaust system for any damage.
XCheck the service brake for operating safety,
e.g. carry out a brake test.
XIf you notice strong vibrations after driving off-
road, check the wheels and drive train for for- eign objects again. Remove any foreign
objects which can lead to imbalances and
thus cause vibrations.
Driving in mountainous areas
When driving in mountainous areas, note that
the power output of the engine, and with it its
gradient climbing capability, decrease with
increasing altitude. Please take note of this par-
ticularly when driving with a trailer in mountain-ous areas.
The maximum permissible trailer loads are valid
for journeys at altitudes up to 1100 yds
(1000 m) above sea level with gradients up to
12%.
Information on maximum permissible trailer
loads can be found in your vehicle registration
papers and on the vehicle identification plate
(
Ypage 303) or under "Trailer loads"
(Ypage 314).
Driving tips141
Driving and parking
Z
When driving at altitudes of 2700 yds (2500m)
above sea level, the ECO start/stop function is
no longer available.
Notes on braking on downhill gradients can be
found in the "Braking" section (
Ypage 137).
Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains the speed of the vehi-
cle for you. It brakes automatically in order to
avoid exceeding the set speed.
Use cruise control if road and traffic conditions
make it appropriate to maintain a steady speed
for a prolonged period. You can set any speed
from 30 km/h upwards in increments of 1 km/h
and 10 km/h.
If you have set Miles
as the unit for the digital
speedometer, you can set any speed above
20 mph in increments of 1 mph and 5 mph.
Changing the display unit for the digital speed-
ometer and the distance:
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 175)
Ron vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 186)
Cruise control should not be activated when
driving off-road or on construction sites.
Cruise control may be unable to maintain the
stored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed if the uphill gradient evens out
and the vehicle's speed does not fall below
20 mph (30 km/ h). Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by automat-
ically applying the brakes. Observe the addi-
tional driving tips (
Ypage 137).
Important safety notes
Observe the notes on braking (Ypage 137).
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are inattentive, cruise control can neither reduce
the risk of an accident nor override the laws of
physics. Cruise control cannot take road,
weather and traffic conditions into account.
Cruise control is only 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 lane. If you change wheel size, make sure they corre-
spond to the correct wheel size category
(
Ypage 277). If the category is changed without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the
functioning of cruise control may be impaired.
Do not use cruise control:
Rin traffic conditions that are unsuitable for
driving at a constant speed, e.g. in heavy traf-
fic, on winding roads or off-road.
Ron slippery roads. Braking or accelerating
may 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.
If there is a change of drivers, make sure that
you inform the new driver about the set cruise
speed.
Cruise control lever and display
:To activate and store the current speed or a
higher speed
;To activate at the last stored speed
=To activate and store the current speed or a
lower speed
?To deactivate cruise control
The cruise control lever is the lower lever on the
left of the steering column.
When you activate cruise control, the display
briefly shows the Cruise Control
message
and the stored speed.
The display also shows the Vsymbol and the
stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 171)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 177)
142Driving systems
Driving and parking
Activationconditions
To activat ecruise control ,all of th efollowin g
activation condition smus tbe fulfilled :
Rtheparking brak emus tbe released. The F
(only USA) or J(only Canada) indicator
lamp in th einstrumen tcluste rgoe sout
RES P®mus tbe switched on ,but no tcurrentl y
intervening or performin g acontrol action
Ryou are drivin gfaste rthan 20 mph (30 km/h)
Rthe brake pedal is not depressed
Storing and maintaining the current
speed
XAccelerate the vehicle to the desired speed
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefly push the cruise control lever up :or
down =.
XRelease the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The current speed
is stored and shown briefly in the display's
text field.
The display also shows the Vsymbol and
the stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 171)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 177)
Resuming the stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;.
XRelease the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated and resumes the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored. The stored speed is shown briefly in the dis-
play.
The display also shows the
Vsymbol and
the stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 171)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 177)
iWhen you pull the cruise control lever
towards you for the first time after starting the
engine, cruise control adopts the current
speed.
Setting the speed
It may be a moment before the vehicle starts to
accelerate or brake to the set speed. Take this
delay into account when setting the speed.
XPress the cruise control lever up :to
increase the speed or down =to reduce the
speed.
The vehicle will accelerate or decelerate. The
speed is shown in the display.
XRelease the cruise control lever once the
desired speed is reached.
The displayed speed is stored.
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever as far as
the 1st pressure point up :or down =.
The last speed stored is increased/reduced in
increments of 1 mph (1 km/h).
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever beyond
the pressure point up :or down =.
The last speed stored is increased/reduced in
increments of 5 mph (10 km/h).
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you acceler-
ate briefly to overtake, for example, cruise
control resumes the vehicle’s speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Deactivating cruise control
There are various ways to deactivate cruise con- trol:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards ?.
or
XApply the brakes.
Driving system s143
Driving an d parking
Z
The last speed set remains stored. The last
speed stored is deleted when you switch off the
engine.
Cruise control is deactivated automatically
when:
Ryou apply the brakes
Ryou apply the parking brake and theF
(only USA) or J(only Canada) indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up
Ryou are driving slower than 20 mph (30 km/h)
Ryou shift th eautomati ctransmission to neu-
tral position Nwhile th evehicl eis in motion
RES P®intervenes or you deactivat eES P®
Rthere is amalfunction in th eES P®or AB Ssys-
te m
If cruise control automatically deactivates, a
warnin gtone sounds and th eCruise
Contro lOffmessage appears briefl yin th edisplay.
The V symbol and th edisplay of th estore d
speed in th eheader or in th estatu sarea of th e
display are then no tshown.
Problems with cruise contro l
The speed cannotbe set when cruise control is
activated.
The display is showin g amessage of high priority
and canno ttherefor esho w a chang ein speed.
XProceed as instructe dby th emessage in th e
display.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
Gene ral notes
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST help syou:
Rto minimiz eth eris kof afront-en dcollision
wit h a detecte dobstacle in th epat hof your
vehicl e
Rto reduce th econsequence sof afront-en d
collision
The system uses rada rsensor sto detec tvehi-
cle sin front.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consist sof th e
distanc ewarnin gfunction and Adaptive Brake
Assist.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is malfunc -
tioning, th edisplay shows acorrespondin gmes -
sage (
Ypage 214).
Distance warning function
Important safety notes
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarnin gfunction does no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossin gtraffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus ,th edistanc ewarnin gfunction canno t
provid e awarnin gin all critica lsituations.
There is aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and be read yto brake.
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarnin gfunction canno talways
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In suc hcases, th edistanc ewarnin gfunction
may:
Rgiv ean unnecessary warnin g
Rnotgiv e a warnin g
There is aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and do no trel ysolely on th edistanc e
warnin gfunction .
In particular, th edetection of obstacles can be
impaire din th ecas eof:
Rdir ton th esensor sor anythin gelse coverin g
th esensor s
Rsnow or heav yrain
Rinterferenc efrom other rada rsource s
Rstrongrada rreflections, for example, in park -
in g garages
Ranarrow vehicl etravelin gin front, e.g. a
motorbik e
Ravehicl etravelin gin fron ton adifferen tlin e
Due to th enature of th esystem, particularly
complicate dbut non-critica ldrivin gcondition s
may also caus eth esystem to display awarning.
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle, th edis-
tance warnin gfunction can neither reduce th e
ris kof an acciden tno roverride th elaws of phys -
ics .The distanc ewarnin gfunction canno ttak e
144Driving systems
Driving and parking
In such cases, Adaptive Brake Assist can:
Rintervene unnecessarily
Rnot intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired in the case of:
Rdirt on the sensors or anything else covering
the sensors
Rsnow or heavy rain
Rinterference from other radar sources
Rstrong radar reflections, for example, in park-
ing garages
Ra narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle traveling in front on a different line
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may also cause Adaptive Brake Assist to inter-
vene.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Adaptive
Brake Assist can neither reduce the risk of acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Adaptive
Brake Assist cannot take into account road,
weather or traffic conditions. Adaptive Brake
Assist is only an aid. You are responsible for the
distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensor checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
If you change wheel size, make sure they corre- spond to the correct wheel size category
(
Ypage 277). If the category is changed without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the
functioning of Adaptive Brake Assist may be
impaired. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST may
then detect a malfunction and switch itself off.
If Adaptive Brake Assist is not available due to a
malfunction in the radar sensor system, the
brake system remains available with full brake
boosting effect and BAS.
Operation
With the help of the radar sensor system, Adap-
tive Brake Assist can detect obstacles that have been in the path of your vehicle for an extended
period of time. Ada
ptive Brake Assist does not
react to stationary obstacles. If Adaptive Brake
Assist detects a risk of collision with a vehicle
traveling in front or with a stationary obstacle,
the system calculates the braking force neces-
sary to avoid this collision. If you apply the
brakes forcefully, Adaptive Brake Assist will
automatically increase the braking force to a
level suitable for the traffic conditions.
XBrake until the distance to the obstacle
increases and the risk of a collision passes.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes function as usual again if:
Ryou release the brake pedal
Rthere is no longer any danger of a collision
Rno obstacle is detected in front of your vehicle
Braking assistance is then ended.
Blind Spot Assist
General notes
Blind Spot Assist monitors the areas on either
side of the vehicle that are not visible to the
driver with two lateral, rear-facing radar sensors
in the bumper. It supports you from speeds of
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). A warning
display in the exterior mirrors draws your atten-
tion to vehicles detected in the monitored area.
If you then switch on the corresponding turn
signal to change lane, you will also receive an
optical and audible collision warning.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
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, Blind Spot Assist may not give
warnings in such situations. There is a risk of
an accident.
146Driving systems
Driving and parking
parking and pulling away. Make sure that there
are no persons, animals or objects in the maneu-
vering area while maneuvering and parking in/
leaving parking spaces.
!Pay particular attention to obstacles above
or below the sensors when parking, such as
flower pots or trailer towbars. PARKTRONIC
does not recognize such objects when they
are in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.
You could damage the vehicle or objects.
PARKTRONIC can suffer interference from:
Rultrasonic sources such as a truck's
compressed-air brakes, an automatic car
wash or a pneumatic drill
Rattachments to the vehicle, e.g. rear moun-
ted racks
Rnumber plates (vehicle license plates) that
are not affixed flat against the bumper
Rdirty or icy sensors
Remove a detachable trailer coupling if it is no
longer required. PARKTRONIC measures the
minimum detection range to an obstacle from
the bumper, not the ball coupling.
Range of the sensors
PARKTRONIC does not account for obstacles
that are:
Rbeneath its detection range, e.g. persons, ani-
mals or objects
Rabove its detection range, e.g. overhanging
loads, overhangs or truck loading ramps
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice or slush.
Otherwise, they cannot function correctly.
Clean the sensors regularly, taking care not to
scratch or damage them (
Ypage 266).
Front sensors
CenterApprox. 39 in
(100 cm)
CornersApprox. 24 in (60 cm)
Rear sensors
CenterApprox. 47 in
(120 cm)
CornersApprox. 31 in (80 cm)
Minimum distance
CenterApprox. 8 in (20 cm)
CornersApprox. 8 in (20 cm)
If an obstacle is within this range, the corre-
sponding segments of the warning displays light
up and you hear a warning tone. If the distance
falls below the minimum, the distance from an
obstacle may no longer be shown.
152Driving systems
Driving and parking
Active Parking Assist does not assist you park-
ing in spaces at right angles to the direction of
travel if:
Rtwo parking spaces are located directly next
to one another
Rthe parking space is directly next to a low
obstacle such as a low curb
Ryou forward park
Active Parking Assist does not assist you park-
ing in spaces that are parallel or at right angles
to the direction of travel if:
Rthe parking space is on a curb
Rthe system reads the parking space as being
blocked, for example by foliage or grass pav-
ing blocks
Rthe area is too small for the vehicle to maneu-
ver into
Rthe parking space is bordered by an obstacle,
e.g. a tree, a post or a trailer
:Detected parking space on the left
;Parking symbol
=Detected parking space on the right
If the driver's seat belt is fastened and all doors
are closed, Active Parking Assist is activated
automatically when driving forwards. The sys-
tem is operational at speeds of up to approx-
imately 22 mph (35 km/h). While in operation,
the system independently locates and meas-
ures parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
Rparallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel
Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel and are at least 59 in (1.5 m) wide
Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel and
at least 40 in (1.0 m) longer than your vehicle
Rthat are at right angles to the direction of
travel and at least 40 in (1.0 m) widerthan
your vehicle
iNote that Active Parking Assist cannot
measure the length of a parking space if it is at right angles to the direction of travel. You will
need to judge whether your vehicle will fit in
the parking space.
When the vehicle is driving at speeds of up to
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h), parking sym-
bol ;is shown as a status display in the header.
The syste m d
etects and differentiates between
parking spaces which are parallel or at right
angles to the direction of travel. When a parking
space is detected, an arrow appears next to
parking symbol ;to indicate which side the
parking space is on. The parking space is dis-
played while you are driving past it and until you
are approximately 50 ft (15 m) away from it.
Active Parking Assist displays parking spaces on
the passenger side as standard. The parking
spaces on the driver's side are only displayed if
you operate the turn signal on the driver's side.
When parking on the driver's side, you must
operate the turn signal until you have started
active parking assistance by pressing the a
button on the steering wheel.
Parking
GWARNING
If you leave the driver's seat when the vehicle is only being braked by Active Parking Assist,
the vehicle could roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected.
Rthe vehicle is accelerated, e.g. by a vehicle
occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the driver's seat, always secure the vehicle against rolling away.
If PARKTRONIC detects obstacles, Active Park-
ing Assist brakes automatically during the park- ing process. You are responsible for braking in
good time.
156Driving system s
Driving an d parking
XBring the vehicle safely to a stop when the
parking symbol shows the desired parking
space in the instrument cluster.
XShift the transmission to positionR.
The display shows the Start
ParkAssist?Yes: OKNo:%message and the location
of the parking space.
XTo cancel the process: press the%but-
ton on the steering wheel or drive off.
or
XTo park using active parking assistance:
press the abutton on the steering wheel.
The display shows the Park Assist
Active: Accelerate and BrakeObs.Surroundingsmessage.
XLet go of the steering wheel.
XReverse the vehicle, being ready to brake at
all times. Exit the parking space slowly and do
not drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwise parking assistance is canceled and
Active Parking Assist is stopped.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill when the vehicle approaches the
rear border of the parking space.
Maneuvering may be required in tight parking
spaces. The display shows the Park Assist
Active: Select DObs. Surroundingsmes-
sage.
XWhile the vehicle is stationary, shift the trans-
mission to position D.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. The display shows the
Park Assist Active: Accelerate and
BrakeObs. Surroundingsmessage.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
XDrive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill.
The Park Assist Active: Select R
Obs.Surroundingsmessage is shown in the display.
As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
the Park Assist Finished
message appears
in the display and a tone sounds. The parking
assistance function of Active Parking Assist is
stopped. The vehicle is parked and kept station-
ary without the driver having to depress the
brake pedal. The braking effect is canceled
when you depress the accelerator pedal. Active Parking Assist no longer supports you
with steering interventions and brake applica-
tions. Once active parking assistance has been
stopped, you must steer and brake again your-
self. PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips:
RThe way your vehicle is positioned in the park-
ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the position and
shape of the vehicles parked in front and
behind it and the conditions of the location. It
may be the case that Active Parking Assist
guides you too far into a parking space, or not
far enough into it. In some cases, it may also
lead you across or onto the curb. In this case,
cancel the active parking assistance.
RYou can also select transmission position D
prematurely. The vehicle redirects and does
not drive as far into the parking space. If you
change direction too early, parking assis-
tance is canceled and Active Parking Assist is
stopped. It is then not possible to achieve a
sensible parking position from the current
position.
Exiting a parking space
In order that Active Parking Assist can assist you
when exiting the parking space:
Rthe border of the parking space must be high
enough at the front and the rear. A curb is too
small, for example.
Rthe border of the parking space must not be
too wide. Your vehicle can be maneuvered
into a position at a maximum of 45° to the
starting position in the parking space.
Ra maneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available .
Active Parking Assist can only assist you with
exiting a parking space if you have parked the
vehicle parallel to the direction of travel using
Active Parking Assist.
If PARKTRONIC detects obstacles, Active Park-
ing Assist brakes automatically when exiting
from the parking space. You are responsible for
braking in good time.
XStart the engine.
XSwitch on the turn signal in the direction in
which you are pulling away.
XShift the transmission to position Dor R.
The display shows the Start
ParkAssist?Yes: OKNo:%message.
Driving systems157
Driving an d parking
Z