2017 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class CABRIOLET Owner's Manual

iObserve the restrictions described in the
"Important safety notes" section
(
Ypage 63).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
BAS PLUS cannot always clearly identify
objects and complex traffic situations.
In such cases, BAS PLUS may:
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.
GWARNING
BAS PLUS cannot always clearly identify peo- ple, this is especially the case if they are mov-
ing. BAS PLUS cannot intervene in these
cases. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
BAS PLUS does not react:
Rto small people, e.g. children
Rto animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rwhen cornering
As a result, BAS PLUS may not intervene in all
critical situations. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
In the event of snowfall or heavy rain, the rec-
ognition can be impaired.
Recognition by the radar sensor system is also
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle is traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle is traveling in front on a different line
Rvehicles quickly move into the radar sensor
system detection range
Recognition by the camera system is also
impaired in the event of:
Rdirt on the camera or if the camera is covered
Rglare on the camera system, e.g. from the sun being low in the sky
Rdarkness
Ror if:
-pedestrians move quickly, e.g. into the path
of the vehicle
-the camera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as a person due to special cloth-
ing or other objects
-a pedestrian is concealed by other objects
-the typical outline of a person is not distin-
guishable from the background
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensors 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.
Following damage to the windshield, have the
configuration and operation of the camera sys-
tem checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Function
To avoid a collision, BAS PLUS calculates the
brake force necessary if:
Ryou approach an obstacle, and
RBAS PLUS has detected a risk of collision
When driving at a speed
under20 mph(30 km/h): if you depress the
brake pedal, BAS PLUS is activated. The
increase in brake pressure will be carried out at the last possible moment.
When driving at a speed
above20 mph(30 km/h): if you depress the
brake pedal sharply, BAS PLUS automatically
raises the brake pressure to a value adapted to
the traffic situation.
BAS PLUS provides braking assistance in haz-
ardous situations with vehicles in front within a
speed range between 4 mph (7 km/h) and
155 mph (250 km/h).
Driving safety systems63
Safety
Z

At speeds of up to approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), BAS PLUS can react to:
Rstationary objects in the path of your vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
Rpedestrians in the path of your vehicle
Robstacles crossing your path, which move in
the detection range of the sensors and are
recognized by them
iIf BAS PLUS demands particularly high brak-
ing force, preventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-SAFE
®) are activated simulta-
neously (Ypage 56).
XKeep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
BAS PLUS is deactivated and the brakes func-
tion as usual, if:
Ryou release the brake pedal.
Rthere is no longer a risk of collision.
Rno obstacle is detected in front of your vehi-
cle.
Ryou depress the accelerator pedal.
Ryou activate kickdown.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
PLUS
General information
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS consists
of a distance warning function with an autono-
mous braking function and Adaptive Brake
Assist.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS can help
you to minimize the risk of a front-end collision
with a vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of
such a collision.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS
detects that there is a risk of a collision, you will
be warned visually and acoustically. If you do not
react to the visual and audible collision warning,
autonomous braking can be initiated in critical
situations. If you apply the brake yourself in a
critical situation, the COLLISION PREVENTION
ASSIST PLUS adaptive Brake Assist assists you.
Important safety notes
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 exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle is traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle is traveling in front on a different line
Rthe vehicle is new or after a service on the
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS sys-
tem
Observe the notes in the section on breaking-
in (
Ypage 123).
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.
Activating/deactivating
The COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS is
automatically active after switching on the igni-
tion.
You can activate or deactivate COLLISION PRE-
VENTION ASSIST PLUS in the on-board com-
puter (
Ypage 199). When deactivated, the dis-
tance warning function and the autonomous
braking function are also deactivated.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS is
deactivated, the æsymbol appears in the
assistance graphics display.
Distance warning function
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Ypage 61).
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 system, the
distance warning function can detect obstacles
that are in the path of your vehicle for an exten-
ded period of time.
64Driving safety systems
Safety

If the distance warning function detects that
there is a risk of a collision, you will be warned
visually and acoustically.
Starting at a speed of approximately 4 mph
(7 km/h), the distance warning function warns
you if you rapidly approach a vehicle in front. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound, and
the· distance warning lamp will light up in
the instrument cluster.
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), the distance warning function can
also react to stationary obstacles, such as stop-
ped or parked vehicles.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus, the distance warning function cannot
provide a warning in all critical situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
The distance warning function cannot always
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and do not rely solely on the distance
warning function.
XBrake immediately in order to increase the
distance from the vehicle in front.
or
XTake evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so. Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may also cause the system to display a warning.
Autonomous braking function
If the driver does not react to the distance warn-
ing signal in a critical situation, COLLISION PRE-
VENTION ASSIST PLUS can assist with the
autonomous braking function.
The autonomous braking function is available in
the following speed ranges:
Rfrom 4 mph (7 km/h) to approx. 65 mph
(105 km/h) for moving objects
Rfrom 4 mph (7 km/h) to approx. 31 mph
(50 km/h) for stationary objects
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may also cause the Autonomous Braking Func-
tion to intervene.
If the autonomous braking function requires a
particularly high braking force, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)
are activated simultaneously (Ypage 56).
Adaptive Brake Assist
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 61).
With the help of adaptive Brake Assist, the dis-
tance warning signal can detect obstacles that
are in the path of your vehicle for an extended
period of time.
If adaptive Brake Assist detects a risk of colli-
sion with the vehicle in front, it calculates the
braking force necessary to avoid a collision. If
you apply the brakes forcefully, adaptive Brake
Assist will automatically increase the braking
force to a level suitable for the traffic conditions.
Adaptive Brake Assist provides braking assis-
tance in hazardous situations at speeds above
4 mph (7 km/h). It uses radar sensor technology
to assess the traffic situation.
Up to a speed of approximately 155 mph
(250 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assist is capable of
reacting to moving objects that have already
been detected as such at least once over the
period of observation.
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assist reacts to sta-
tionary obstacles.
Driving safety systems65
Safety
Z

If adaptive Brake Assist demands particularly
high braking force, preventative passenger pro-
tection measures (PRE-SAFE
®) are activated
simultaneously (Ypage 56).
XKeep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if:
Ryou release the brake pedal.
Rthere is no longer any danger of a collision.
Rno obstacle is detected in front of your vehi-
cle.
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
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.
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
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.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may also cause Brake Assist to intervene.
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.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 61).
ESP
®monitors driving stability and traction, i.e.
power transmission between the tires and the
road surface.
If ESP
®detects that the vehicle is deviating from
the direction desired by the driver, one or more
wheels are braked to stabilize the vehicle. The
engine output is also modified to keep the vehi-
cle on the desired course within physical limits.
ESP
®assists the driver when pulling away on
wet or slippery roads. ESP®can also stabilize
the vehicle during braking.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 61).
ETS traction control is part of ESP
®. On vehicles
with 4MATIC, 4ETS is part of ESP®.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. In addition, more drive torque is transfer-
red to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP
®.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv-
ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP
®checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
If the å ESP
®OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, then ESP®is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP®warning lamp lights up contin-
uously, ESP®is not available due to a malfunc-
tion.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 235) and display messages which may
66Driving safety systems
Safety

be shown in the instrument cluster
(Ypage 205).
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP
®function properly.
Characteristics of ESP®
General information
If the ÷ ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP®is automatically
active.
If ESP
®intervenes, the ÷ESP®warning lamp
flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP
®intervenes:
XDo not deactivate ESP®under any circum-
stances.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
XAdapt your driving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle stops
moving. The engine starts automatically when
the driver wants to pull away again. ESP
®
remains in its previously selected status, e.g. if
ESP®was deactivated before the engine was
automatically switched off.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 61).
You can select between the following states of
ESP
®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
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
Spinning the wheels results in a cutting action
which provides better grip.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehicle if
the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to
spin.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
You can deactivate or activate ESP®via the on-
board computer (Ypage 198).
ESP®deactivated:
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
ESP
®activated:
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
Characteristics when ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in the
instrument cluster flashes. In such situations,
ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
RTraction control is still activated.
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no longer
available; nor is it activated if you brake firmly
with assistance from ESP
®.
RPRE-SAFE®is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP®inter-
venes.
RPRE-SAFE®Brake is no longer available, it is
also not activated if you brake firmly and ESP®
intervenes.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Driving safety systems67
Safety
Z

Crosswind Assist
General information
Strong crosswind gusts can impair the ability of
your vehicle to drive straight ahead. The cross-
wind driving assistance function integrated in
ESP
®noticeably reduces these impairments.
ESP®intervenes automatically according to the
direction and intensity of the crosswinds affect- ing your vehicle.
ESP
®intervenes with stabilizing braking to
assist you in keeping the vehicle in the lane.
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle speeds
above 50 mph (80 km/h)when driving straight
ahead or cornering gently.
Important safety notes
Crosswind Assist does not work if ESP®is
switched off or deactivated because of a mal-
function.
EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information
EBD monitors and controls the brake pressure
on the rear wheels to improve driving stability
while braking.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 61).
GWARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the
risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (
Ypage 235) as well as display
messages (Ypage 207).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety and
offers increased braking comfort. In addition to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE also has
the HOLD function (
Ypage 158) and hill start
assist (Ypage 127).
PRE-SAFE®Brake
General information
PRE-SAFE®Brake can help you to minimize the
risk of a collision with a vehicle ahead or a
pedestrian, and reduce the effects of such a
collision. If PRE-SAFE
®Brake has detected a risk
of collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically as well as by automatic braking.
iPay attention to the important safety notes
in the "Driving safety systems" section
(
Ypage 61).
PRE ‑SAFE
®Brake is only available in vehicles
with the Driving Assistance Plus package.
For PRE-SAFE
®Brake to assist you when driving,
the radar sensor system and the camera system
must be switched on and be operational.
With the help of the radar sensor system and the
camera system, PRE-SAFE
®Brake can detect
obstacles that are in front of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
In addition, pedestrians in the path of your vehi-
cle can be detected.
PRE-SAFE
®Brake detects pedestrians using
typical characteristics such as the body con-
tours and posture of a person standing upright.
iObserve the restrictions described in the
"Important safety notes" section
(
Ypage 68).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake will initially brake your vehi-
cle by a partial application of the brakes if a
danger of collision is detected. There may be
a collision unless you brake yourself. Even
after subsequent full application of the brakes
a collision cannot always be avoided, partic-
68Driving safety systems
Safety

ularly whenapproaching at too high a speed.
There isa risk of an acc ident.
Alwa ysapply the brakes yourself and try to
take evasive action, provide dit is safe to do
so.
In the event of a partial application of the brakes,
the veh icle isbraked with up to 50% of the full
braking pressure.
GWAR NING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot always clearly iden-
tify objects and co mplex traff icconditions.
In these cases, PRE-SAFE
®Brake may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the veh icle
Rnot give a warning or intervene
There isa risk of an acc ident.
Alwa ys pay particular attention to the traff ic
situation and beready to brake, especially if
PRE-SAFE
®Brake warns you. Terminate the
intervention ina non-critical driving situation.
GWAR NING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot always clearly iden-
tify people, especially ifthey are moving. In
these cases, PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot inter-
vene. There isa risk of an acc ident.
Alwa ys pay particular attention to the traff ic
situation and beready to brake, especially if
PRE-SAFE
®Brake warns you.
In order to maintain the appropriate distance to
the veh icle infront and thus prevent a co llision,
you must applythe brakes yourself.
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake does not react:
Rto small people, e.g. ch ildren
Rto animals
Rto oncoming veh icles
Rto crossing traff ic
Rwhen cornering
As a result, PRE-SAFE®Brake may neither
give warnings nor intervene inall critical sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Alwa ys pay careful attention to the traff icsit-
uation and be ready to brake.
In the event of snowfall or heavy rain, the rec-
ognition can be impaired.
Recognition bythe radar sensor system is also
impaired if:
Rthere isdirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle istraveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle istraveling in front on a different line
relative to the center of your vehicle
Recognition bythe camera system isalso
impaired in the event of:
Rdirt on the camera or if the camera iscovered
Rglare on the camera system, e.g. from the sun
being low inthe sky
Rdarkness
Ror if:
-pedestrians move quickly, e.g. into the path
of the vehicle
-the camera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as a person due to special cloth-
ing or other objects
-a pedestrian isconcealed by other objects
-the typical outline of a person isnot distin-
guishable from the background
Fol lowin g damage to t
he front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there isno vis ibledamage to the
front of the vehicle.
Fol lowin g damage to the windshield, have the
configuration and operation of the camera sys-
tem checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Driving safety systems69
Safety
Z

Function
XTo activate/deactivate:activateor deacti -
vat ePRE-SAF E®Brake in th eon-board com-
puter (Ypage 200).
If th ePRE-SAF E®Brake is no tactivated, th e
æ symbol appear sin th emultifunction dis-
play.
Starting at aspee dof aroun d 4mph (7 km/h),
this function warn syou if you rapidly approac h a
vehicl ein front. An intermittent warning tone
will then soun dand th e· distanc ewarning
lamp will ligh tup in th einstrumen tcluster.
XBrake immediately to defuse th esituation .
or
XTak eevasive action provide dit is saf eto do
so.
PRE-SAF E
®Brake can also brak eth evehicl e
automatically under th efollowin gconditions:
Rth edriver and fron tpassenger have their seat
belt sfastene d
Rthevehicl espee dis between approximately
4 mph (7 km/ h) and 124 mph (200 km/h)
At speeds of up to approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h) PRE-SAFE
®Brake can also detect:
Rstationary objects in the path of your vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
Rpedestrians in the path of your vehicle
iIf there is an increased risk of a collision,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAFE
®) are triggered (Ypage 56).
If the risk of collision with the vehicle in front
remains and you do not brake, take evasive
action or accelerate significantly, the vehicle
may perform automatic emergency braking, up
to the point of ful l bra
ke application. Automatic
emergency braking is not performed until imme-
diately prior to an imminent accident.
You can prevent the intervention of the PRE-
SAFE
®Brake at any time by:
Rdepressing the accelerator pedal further.
Ractivating kickdown.
Rreleasing the brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE®Brake is ended
automatically if:
Ryou maneuver to avoid the obstacle.
Rthere is no longer a risk of collision.
Rthere is no longer an obstacle detected in
front of your vehicle.
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering wheel
in the direction required for vehicle stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in particular
if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on a
wet or slippery road surface when you brake
Rthe vehicle starts to skid
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 61).
No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
RESP®is deactivated
RESP®is malfunctioning
Rthe steering is faulty
Power steering will, however, continue to func-
tion.
Protection against theft
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey.
XTo activate with the SmartKey: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XTo activate with KEYLESS-GO start-func-
tion or KEYLESS-GO: switch the ignition off
and open the driver's door.
XTo deactivate: switch on the ignition.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Anyone can start the engine if a valid SmartKey has been
left inside the vehicle.
iThe immobilizer is always deactivated when
you start the engine.
In the event that the engine cannot be started
(yet the vehicle's battery is charged), the sys-
tem is not operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA) or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
70Protection against theft
Safety