Tire size designation, load-bearing
capacity, speed rating .................... 291
Tire tread ....................................... 278
Tire tread (definition) ..................... 295
Total load limit (definition) ............. 296
Traction (definition) ....................... 296
TWR (permissible trailer drawbar
noseweight) (definition) ................. 296
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (definition) .................... 294
Wear indicator (definition) ............. 296
Wheel and tire combination ........... 300
Wheel rim (definition) .................... 294
Wheel/tire combinations ............... 300
Tool
see Vehicle tool kit
Top Tether ............................................ 61
Tow-starting
Emergency engine starting ............ 276
Important safety notes .................. 274
Towing
If the vehicle is stuck ..................... 276
Installing/removing the towing
eye ................................................. 275
Towing a trailer
Active Parking Assist ..................... 154
Axle load, permissible .................... 314
Cleaning the trailer tow hitch ......... 267
Coupling up a trailer ...................... 165
Decoupling a trailer ....................... 167
Driving tips .................................... 163
Notes on retrofitting ...................... 313
Power supply ................................. 168
Trailer loads ................................... 314
Towing away
Important safety guidelines ........... 274
With both axles on the ground ....... 276
With the rear axle raised ................ 275
Towing eye ......................................... 270
Trailer coupling
see Towing a trailer
Trailer loads and drawbar nose-
weights ............................................... 167
Trailer operation
Lights display messages (vehicle
with steering wheel buttons) ......... 209
Lights display messages (vehicle
without steering wheel buttons) .... 196Trai
ler towing
Blind Spot Assist ............................ 148
ESP
®................................................ 67
PARKTRONIC ................................. 154
Permissible trailer loads and
drawbar noseweights ..................... 167
Transmission
see Automatic transmission
Transmission oil ........................ 308, 309
Transmission positions
Automatic transmission ................. 127
Display (DIRECT SELECT lever) ...... 128
Transport
Lashing straps ............................... 245
Loading guidelines ......................... 242
Stickers ......................................... 245
Vehicle ........................................... 276
Transport by rail ................................ 137
Transportation
Rail ................................................ 137
Transportation aids
Load protection net ....................... 247
Transporting
Cargo compartment variations ...... 244
Load distribution ............................ 243
Securing a load .............................. 244
Trim pieces (cleaning instruc-
tions) .................................................. 268
Trip computer
Displaying (vehicle with steering
wheel buttons) ............................... 179
Displaying (vehicle without steer-
ing wheel buttons) ......................... 172
Resetting (vehicle with steering
wheel buttons) ............................... 179
Resetting (vehicle without steer-
ing wheel buttons) ......................... 172
Selecting the display units (vehi-
cle with steering wheel buttons) .... 186
Selecting the display units (vehi-
cle without steering wheel but-
tons) .............................................. 175
Trip odometer
Displaying (vehicle with steering
wheel buttons) ............................... 178
Displaying (vehicle without steer-
ing wheel buttons) ......................... 172
Index23
put is also modified to keep the vehicle on the
desired course within physical limits. ESP®can
also stabilize the vehicle during braking.
ESP
®also monitors traction, i.e. power trans-
mission between the tires and the road surface.
The integrated traction control supports you
when pulling away or accelerating on wet, slip-
pery or slick roads. Should the drive wheels spin,
traction control brakes them individually. In
addition, greater drive torque is transmitted to
the wheel or wheels with traction. If traction on
the road surface is not sufficient, even ESP
®will
not allow you to pull away without difficulty. The
type of tires and total weight of the vehicle as
well as the gradient of the road also play a cru-
cial role. Traction control remains active if you
deactivate ESP
®.
If the h warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter goes out before beginning the journey, ESP
®
is automatically active.
The h warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes when ESP
®intervenes:
XDo not deactivate ESP®under any circum-
stances.
Xwhen driving off, apply as little throttle as
possible.
Xadapt your speed and driving style to the pre-
vailing road conditions.
Important safety notes
Observe the important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (Ypage 64).
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning it will not provide
any vehicle stabilization. There is an increased
risk of skidding or of an accident.
Exercise caution when continuing to drive.
Have ESP
®checked at a qualified specialist
workshop.
!Do not run the vehicle on a roller dynamom-
eter (e.g. for performance tests). If you must
operate the vehicle on a roller dynamometer,
please consult a qualified specialist workshop
in advance. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, the hwarning
lamp (Ypage 222) lights up continuously while the engine is running and the display shows a
message.
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 194)
Ron vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 208)
ESP®is deactivated if the åwarning lamp in
the instrument cluster is lit when the engine is
running.
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP
®function properly.
Deactivating or activating ESP®
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®, ESP®no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Activate ESP®as soon as the situations descri-
bed above no longer apply. Otherwise, ESP®
assistance for stabilizing the vehicle will remain significantly reduced, even if the vehicle starts
to skid.
If you deactivate ESP
®:
Rthe å warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter lights up
Rthe ÷ warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes if the wheels are spinning
RESP®assistance for stabilizing the vehicle in
the lower speed range up to approximately
37 mph (60 km/h) is significantly reduced
Rengine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in a cutting action for bet-
ter traction on loose surfaces
Rtraction control is still activated
RESP®still provides support when you brake
66Driving safety systems
Safety
Steering wheel
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If the steering wheel is unlocked while the
vehicle is in motion, it could change position
unexpectedly. This could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an
accident.
Before starting off, make sure the steering
wheel is locked. Never unlock the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in motion.
GWARNING
Children could injure themselves if they
adjust the steering wheel. There is a risk of
injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The steering wheel can still be adjusted if the
key has been removed.
Adjusting the steering wheel
:
Steering column height
;Lever
XTo adjust the steering wheel: pull lever;
up and hold it.
The steering wheel is unlocked.
XMove the steering wheel to the desired posi-
tion.
XLet go of lever ;.
The steering wheel engages and is locked
again.
Mirrors
Important safety notes
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
The exterior mirror on the front-passenger
side reduces the size of the image. Visible
objects are actually closer than they appear.
This means that you could misjudge the dis-
tance from road users traveling behind, e.g.
when changing lane. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Mirrors91
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
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
into account road, weather or traffic conditions.
The distance warning function 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 the distance warning feature may
be impaired. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
may then detect a malfunction and switch itself
off.
Operation
XTo activate/deactivate: activate or deacti-
vate the distance warning function in the on-
board computer (
Ypage 185).
If the distance warning function of COLLISION
PREVENTION ASSIST is activated, the display
shows the Äsymbol:
Rin the header
Rin the Status Overviewof the Assist.menu (Ypage 184)
At speeds up to approx 20 mph (30 km/h) the
display in vehicles with Active Parking Assist
first shows the ístatus indicator. Only up to
a speed of about 20 mph (30 km/h) does the display show the Äsymbol instead of the
í status indicator.
The distance warning function can help you to
minimize the risk of a front-end collision with a
vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of such a
collision. With the help of the radar sensor sys-
tem, the distance warning function can detect
obstacles that are in the path of your vehicle for
an extended period of time. If the distance warn-
ing function detects that there is a risk of a col-
lision, you will be warned visually and, where
necessary, acoustically. Without your interven-
tion, the distance warning function cannot pre-
vent a collision.
The distance warning function issues a warning
at speeds:
Rfrom about 4 mph (7 km/h) if you approach a
vehicle traveling in front or a stationary vehi-
cle too quickly. The ·warning lamp in the instrument cluster then lights up and an inter-
mittent warning tone also sounds.
At speeds up to about 45 mph (70 km/h), the
system also detects stationary obstacles, for
example stopped or parked vehicles.
XBrake immediately until the distance from the
obstacle increases and the risk of a front-end
collision passes.
or
XTake evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
Adaptive Brake Assist
General notes
Adaptive Brake Assist evaluates the traffic sit-
uation with the help of the radar sensor system and can detect obstacles which have been in
your vehicle's path for an extended period of
time. From speeds above 4 mph (7 km/h), Adap-
tive Brake Assist aids you in braking during haz-
ardous situations.
Up to a speed of approximately 125 mph
(200 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assist is capable of
reacting to moving obstacles that have already
been detected as such at least once over the
period of observation.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rto stationary obstacles
Rwhen cornering
As a result, the Adaptive Brake Assist may not
intervene in all critical conditions. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
Driving systems145
Driving and parking
Z
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
For vehicles with a trailer coupling installed, the
minimum length for parking spaces will be
slightly increased.
If you have attached a trailer to your vehicle, you
should not use Active Parking Assist. Once the
electrical connection is established between
your vehicle and the trailer, Active Parking
Assist is no longer available. PARKTRONIC is
then deactivated for the rear area.
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.
Active Parking Assist may also display spaces
not suitable for parking, e.g.:
Rin a zone where parking or stopping is pro-
hibited
Rin front of driveways or entrances and exits
Ron unsuitable surfaces
Parking tips:
Ron narrow roads, drive as closely as possible
past the parking space.
Rparking spaces that are littered or overgrown
might be identified or measured incorrectly.
Rparking spaces that are partially occupied by
trailer drawbars might not be identified as
such or be measured incorrectly.
Rsnowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
Rwhen transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use Active
Parking Assist.
Rnever use Active Parking Assist when snow
chains are installed.
Ralways ensure that the tire pressure is cor-
rect. This has a direct influence on the parking
characteristics of the vehicle.
Rif you mount w heels with a different wheel
size, this will have a direct influence on the
parking result.
Rif you mount tires from another manufacturer,
this may have an influence on the parking
result.
Rif you drive slowly past the parking space, a
better parking result is achieved.
Rpay attention to the PARKTRONIC warning
messages (Ypage 153) during the parking
procedure.
Ryou can intervene in the steering procedure to
correct it at any time. Parking assistance will
then be canceled and Active Parking Assist
stopped.
Use Active Parking Assist for parking spaces
that are:
Rparallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel.
Ron straight roads, not bends.
Ron the same level as the road, e.g. not on the
pavement.
Detecting parking spaces
GWARNING
If there are objects above the detection range:
RActive Park Assist may steer too early
Rthe vehicle may not stop in front of these
objects
You may cause a collision as a result. There is
a risk of an accident.
If objects are located above the detection
range, stop and deactivate Active Parking
Assist.
Objects located above the height range of Active
Parking Assist will not be detected when the
parking space is measured. These are not taken
into account when the parking procedure is cal-
culated, e.g. overhanging loads, overhangs or
truck loading ramps.
For further information on the detection range
(
Ypage 152).
Driving systems155
Driving and parking
Z
The message displays depend on the language
setting of the audio system. The following rear
view camera displays are examples.
Important safety notes
!Objects that are not at ground level appear
further away than they actually are, for exam-
ple:
Rthe bumper of the vehicle parked behind
Rthe drawbar of a trailer
Rthe ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
Rthe tail-end of a truck
Rslanted posts
Only use the camera guide lines for orienta-
tion. Do not get any closer to objects than the
lowest horizontal guide line. You may other-
wise damage your vehicle and/or the object.
The rear view camera is only an aid. It cannot
replace your own awareness of the immediate
surroundings. You are responsible for safe
maneuvering and parking. Make sure that there
are no persons, animals or objects in the maneu- vering area while maneuvering and parking in
parking spaces.
The rear view camera may show obstacles in
perspectival distortion, incorrectly or not at all.
The rear view camera cannot display all objects
located very near and/or under the rear
bumper. It does not warn you of a collision, per-
sons or objects.
Under the following circumstances, the rear
view camera will not function, or will function in
a limited manner:
Rif the tailgate or rear door is open.
Rif it is raining very heavily or snowing, or it is
foggy.
Rat night or in very dark places.
Rif the camera is exposed to very bright light.
White lines may appear in the camera image.
Rif the area is lit by fluorescent light or LED
lighting. The camera image may flicker.
Rif the camera lens fogs up, e.g. when driving
into a heated garage in winter, causing a rapid
change in temperature.
Rif the camera lens is dirty or obstructed.
Observe the notes on cleaning (Ypage 267).
Rif the rear of the vehicle is damaged. In this
case, have the camera position and setting
checked at a qualified specialist workshop. Do not use the rear view camera in these situa-
tions. You could otherwise injure others or dam-
age objects and the vehicle while parking and
maneuvering.
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, rear-mount
ed bicycle
rack).
Guide lines are always shown at road level. In
trailer mode, the guide lines are shown at the
level of the trailer coupling.
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 rear
view camera cannot be precisely calibrated. The
guide lines at road level or at the level of the
trailer tow hitch will not be displayed correctly.
In vehicles with a tailgate, the rear view camera
is protected from raindrops and dust by means
of a flap. When the rear view camera is activa-
ted, this flap opens.
The flap closes again when:
Ryou have finished the maneuvering process
Ryou switch off the engine
For technical reasons, the flap may remain open
briefly after the rear view camera has been
deactivated.
Switching the rear view camera on or
off
XTo switch on: make sure that the key is in
position 2in the ignition lock.
XShift the transmission to position R.
On vehicles with a tailgate, the rear view cam-
era flap opens. The audio display shows the
area behind the vehicle. The rear area shown
is divided by guide lines.
Driving systems159
Driving and parking
Z