Drivin gonw et road s
Hydroplaning If water has accumulated to ac ertai nd ept ho n
th er oa ds urface, there is ad anger of hydro-
planin go cc urring, eve ni f:R
you drive at low speeds R
th et ir es hav ea dequat et re ad dept h
Fo rt hi sr eason ,int he event of heav yr ain or in
condition sinw hic hh ydroplaning may occur ,
you mus td rive in th ef ol lowin gm anner:R
lowe ry our speedR
avoid rut sR
avoid sudden steerin gm ov ementsR
brake carefully
Drivin gonf looded road s
! Do no td rive through floode da reas. Chec k
th ed ept hofa ny water befor ed rivin gt hrou gh
it .D ri ve slowly through standin gw ater. Oth-
erwise ,w ater may ente rt he vehicle interio ro r
th ee ng in ec om partment. Thi sc an damage
th ee lectronic component sint he engin eo r
th ea utomatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by th ee ng ine's air suction nozzles
and this can cause engin ed amage.
Winte rd ri vin g
G WARNING
If you shift down on as lipper yr oa ds urfac ei n
an attempt to increase th ee ng ine's braking
effect ,t he drive wheels could los et he ir grip.
There is an increase dd anger of skidding and
accidents .
Do no ts hift down fo ra dditional engin eb rak-
in gonas lipper yr oa ds urface.
G DANGER
If th ee xh aus tp ipe is blocke dora dequat e
ventilation is no tp ossible, poisonous gases
suc hasc arbon monoxide (CO) may ente rt he
vehicle. Thi sist he case, e.g. if th ev ehicle
becomes trappe dins no w. There is ar is ko f
fatal injury. If you leav et he engin eort he auxiliar yh eatin g
running ,m ak es ur et he exhaus tp ipe and are a
around th ev ehicle are clear of snow. To
ensur eana dequat es upply of fresh air, ope na
window on th es id eoft he vehicle that is no t
facin gi nt ot he wind.
Hav ey our vehicle winter-proofed at aq ualified
specialis tw orkshop at th eo ns et of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slipper yr oa ds ur -
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration ,s te erin ga nd
braking maneuvers .Don ot use cruise control.
If th ev ehicle threatens to skid or canno tb e
stopped when movin gatl ow speed:X
Shift th et ra nsmissio ntop osition N .
The outsid et em perature indicator is no t
designed to serve as an ice-warnin gd evic ea nd
is therefore unsuitable fo rt ha tp urpose.
Changes in th eo utsid et em perature are dis -
playe da fter as hort delay.
Indicated temperature sj us ta bov et he freezin g
poin tdon ot guarantee that th er oa ds urfac ei s
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges. The vehicle could
skid if you fail to adapt your drivin gs ty le. Always
adapt your drivin gs ty le and drive at as peed to
suit th ep revailin gw eather conditions.
You should pay spe cia l attention to road condi-
ti on sw hen temperature sa re around freezin g
point.
Fo rm or ei nformati on on drivin gw it hs no w
chains, see ( Y
page 257).
Fo rm or ei nformat ion on drivin gw it hs ummer
tires ,s ee ( Y
page 257).
Observ et he note sint he "Winte ro peration "s ec -
tion ( Y
page 257).
Drivin gs ystems
Cruis ec ontro l
General notes
Cruise contro lm aintain sac onstan tr oa ds peed
fo ry ou. It brake sa utomatically in order to avoid
exceedin gt he set speed. On lon ga nd steep
downhill gradients, especially if th ev ehicle is
laden, you mus ts elec tal owe rg ear in goo dt im e.
By doin gs o, you will mak eu se of th eb raking
effect of th ee ng ine. Thi sr elieves th el oad on th e138
Driving systems
Driving an dp arking
Setting as peed
G WARNING
Keep in mind that it may take ab rief moment
until the vehicle has made the necessary
adjustments.
Increase or decrease the set vehicle speed to
av alue that the prevailing road condition sa nd
legal speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden
and unexpected acceleration or deceleration
of the vehicle could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others. X
To adjust the set speed in 1m ph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up C to the pressure
point for ah igher speed, or down
importan tift he vehicle is laden. By doing so, you
will make use of the braking effect of the engine.
This relieves the load on the brak es ystem and
prevent st he brakes fro mo verheatin ga nd wear-
ing too quickly.
If Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC detect st hat there is
ar isk of ac ollision, you will be warne dv isually
and acoustically. Without your intervention, Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot prevent ac olli-
sion .Ani ntermitten tw arnin gt on ew ill then
sound and the distanc ew arnin gl amp will light
up in the instrumen tc luster. Brak ei mmediately
in order to increase the distanc ef ro mt he vehi-
cle in front ,ort ak ee vasiv ea ction, provided it is
safe to do so.
For Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC operates in the range
betwee n0m ph (0 km/h) and 120 mph
(200 km/h).
Do not use Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC on roads
with steep gradients.
As Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC transmits radar
waves, it can resemble the radar detectors of
the responsible authorities .Y ou can refe rtot he
relevant chapter in the Operator's Manual if
questions are asked about this.
i USA only: This devic eh as 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 devic ew ill void any war-
ranties, and is not permitted by the FCC. Do
not tamper with, alter ,oru se in any non-
approved way.
An yu nauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operat et he
equipment.
i Canada only: This devic ec omplies with
RS S-210 of Industr yC anada. Operation is
subject to the followin gt wo conditions:
1. This devic em ay not cause harmful inter-
ference, and
2. This devic em ust accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device
will void any warranties ,a nd is not permitted.
Do not tamper with, alter ,oru se in any non-
approved way. An yu nauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operat et he
equipment.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC does not react to: R
people or animals R
stationar yo bject sont he road, e.g. stopped
or parked vehicles R
oncomin gv ehicles and crossin gt ra ffic
As ar esult ,D istanc eP ilot DISTRONIC may
neither give warnings nor intervene in such
situations .T here is ar isk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
G WARNING
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC cannot always
clearly identify other road users and complex
traffic situations.
In such cases ,D istanc eP ilot DISTRONIC may:R
give an unnecessary warnin ga nd then
brak et he vehicle R
neither give aw arnin gn or interveneR
accelerat eorb rak eu nexpectedly
There is ar isk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, especially if Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC
warns you.
G WARNING
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC brakes your vehicle
with up to 50% of the maximum possible
deceleration. If this deceleratio nisn ot suffi-
cient, Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC alert sy ou
with av isual and acoustic warning. There is a
risk of an accident.
Apply the brakes yourself in these situations
and tr yt ot ak ee vasiv ea ction.
! When Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC or the
HOL Df unction is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.Driving systems 141
Driving and parking Z
Changing lanes If you want to change to th eo vertakin gl ane on
multi-lan er oads ,D istance Pilot DISTRONIC sup-
port sy ou ifR
you are driving faster than 45 mph (70 km/h) R
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is maintaining the
distanc etoav ehicle in frontR
you switch on th ea ppropriat et ur ns ignalR
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC does no tc urrently
detect ad anger of collision
If these condition sa re fulfilled, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupte di f
changin gl ane st akes to ol on gorift he distance
between your vehicle and th ev ehicle in front
become st oo small.
i When you change lanes, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC monitors th el eft lane (on left-
hand-driv ev ehicles) or th er igh tl ane (on right-
hand-driv ev ehicles).
Stopping
G WARNING
If you leave th ev ehicle when it is only being
braked by Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, it could
roll away if: R
there is am alfunctio nint he system or in
th ev oltage supply.R
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is switche do ff
usin gt he cruise control lever, e.g .bya vehi-
cle occupant or from outside th ev ehicleR
th ee lectrical system in th ee ngine com-
partment, th eb attery or th ef use sa re tam-
pere dw ith.R
th eb attery is disconnectedR
th ev ehicle is accelerated, e.g .bya vehicle
occupant.
Ther eisar isk of an accident.
Before leavin gt he vehicle ,a lways deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
Further informatio nond eactivatin gD istance
Pilot DISTRONIC ( Y
page 146).
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detect st ha tt he
vehicle in fron tiss to pping, it brakes your vehicle
until it is stationary. Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionar ya nd you do no tn ee dtod epress the
brake.
i Afte rat ime, th ee lectric parking brake
secures th ev ehicle and relieves th es ervice
brake.
i Dependin gont he specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will com etoas ta ndstil la t
as ufficient distanc eb ehin dt he vehicle in
front. The specified minimum distanc eiss et
usin gt he control on th ec ru ise control lever.
When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is act ivated,
t h et ra n
smission is shifte da utomatically to
position P if: R
th ed river' ss eat belt is no tf astene da nd the
driver' sd oor is open. R
th ee ngine is switched off ,u nless it is auto-
matically switched off by th eE CO start/stop
function.
The electric parking brak es ecures th ev ehicle
automatically if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated when th ev ehicle is stationar ya nd:R
as ystem malfunctio no ccurs.R
th ep ower supply is no ts ufficient.
If am alfunctio no ccurs, th et ra nsmission may
also shif ti nt op osition P automatically.
Settin gas peedKeep in min dt ha titm ay tak eab rie fm oment
until th ev ehicle has accelerate dorb raked to
th es pee ds et. X
To adjust th es et spee di n1m ph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
th ec ru ise control leve ru p C to th ep ressure
poin tf or ah igher speed, or down D for a
lower speed.
Every tim et he cruise control leve risp ressed
up or down ,t he last spee ds to re disi ncreased
or reduced. X
To adjust th es et spee di n5m ph incre-
ments (1 0k m/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up C past the pres-
sure point for ah igher speed, or down D for
al ower speed.
Ever yt ime the cruise control lever is pressed
up or down, the last speed stored is increased
or reduced.144
Driving systems
Driving and parking
HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the drive rint he
following situations: R
when pulling away, especially on steep slopes R
when maneuvering on steep slopes R
when waiting in traffic
The vehicl eisk ept stationary without the driver
having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancele da nd the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator peda ltop ul la way.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away
despite being braked by the HOLD function if: R
there is am alfunction in the system or in
the voltag es upply.R
the HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator peda lort he brake
pedal, e.g. by av ehicl eo ccupant.R
the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuse sh ave
been tampere dw ith.R
the battery is disconnected
There is ar isk of an accident.
If you wis htoe xit the vehicle, alway st urn off
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
! When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoi dd amage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations: R
when towing the vehicle R
in the car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function ( Y
pag e1 48). Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if all of the
following conditions are fulfilled: R
the vehicl eiss tationary. R
the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function. R
the driver's door is closed or you rs eat bel ti s
fastened. R
the electric parking brake is released. R
the transmission is in position D , R or N .R
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions are
met. X
Depress the brake pedal. X
Quickly depress the brake peda lf urther
until C appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake peda lt he first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivatin gt he HOLD functionThe HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if: R
you accelerate and the transmission is in
position D or R . R
you shift the transmission to position P .R
you apply the brakes again with ac ertain
amount of pressure until HOLD disappears
from the multifunction display. R
you secure the vehicl eu sing the electric park-
ing brake. R
you activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
i After at ime, the electric parking brake
secure st he vehicl ea nd relieves the service
brake.148
Driving systems
Driving and parking
! When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such as
flower pots or trailer drawbars. PARKTRONIC
does not detect such objects when they are in
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 at ruck
or ap neumatic drill could cause PARKTRONIC
to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
PARKTRONIC is activated automaticall yw hen
you: R
switch on the ignition R
shift the transmission to position D , R or NR
release the electric parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
Range of the sensors
General notes PARKTRONIC does not take objects into con-
sideration that are: R
below the detection range, e.g. people, ani-
mals or objects. R
above the detection range, e.g. overhanging
loads, truck overhangs or loading ramps.
C
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 ( Y
page 240). Range
Front sensors
Center Approx. 40 in (approx.
100 cm)
Corners Approx. 24 in (approx.
60 cm)
Rear sensors
Center Approx. 48 in (approx.
120 cm)
Corners Approx. 32 in (approx.
80 cm)
Minimum distance
Center Approx. 8i n( approx. 20 cm)
Corners Approx. 6i n( approx. 15 cm)
If there is an obstacle within this range, the rel-
evant warning displays light up and aw arning
tone sounds. If the distance falls below the min-
imum, the distance may no longer be shown.150
Driving systems
Driving and parking