DRIVER SUPPORT
* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
172
Active chassis * (Four C)
Active chassis, Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept), regulates the characteristicsof the shock absorbers so that the vehicle's driv-ing characteristics can be adjusted. There arethree settings: Comfort, Sport and Advanced.
Operation
Chassis settings
Use the buttons in the center console to change setting. The setting in use when the engine isswitched off is activated the next time the engineis started.
Comfort
Comfort mode offers a somewhat softer ride and the transmission shifts gears at lower rpm. Thismode is particularly suitable for long-distancehighway driving. The indicator light in the buttonwill be on when this mode is selected.
Sport
In this mode, the vehicle's body sway is reduced during cornering and steering response is moreimmediate. The transmission shifts up at higherrpm for sportier driving. The indicator light in thebutton will be on to indicate that Sport mode hasbeen selected.
Advanced
In this mode, body sway in curves is minimal and steering response is very direct. Gear shifting isdone at high rpm in each gear for dynamic andactive driving.
Related information
• Adjustable steering force
* (p. 177)
Stability system – introduction The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system consists of a number of functions designed tohelp reduce wheel spin, counteract skidding andto generally help improve directional stability.
A pulsating sound will be audible when the system is actively operating and isnormal. Acceleration will also beslightly slower than normal.
WARNING
ESC is a supplementary aid and cannot deal with all situations or road conditions. The driver is always responsible for operating the vehicle in a safe manner in accordancewith current traffic regulations.
ESC consists of the following functions: • Traction control
• Spin control
• Active Yaw Control
• Engine Drag Control
• Corner Traction Control
Traction Control (TC)
This function is designed to help reduce wheel spin at low speeds by transferring power from adrive wheel that begins to lose traction to thewheel on the opposite side of the vehicle (on thesame axle).
STARTING AND DRIVING
259
WARNING
•Always remove the remote key from the ignition slot when leaving the vehicle and ensure that the ignition in mode
0 (see
Ignition modes (p. 80) for information about the ignition modes).
• On vehicles with the optional keylessdrive, never remove the remote key fromthe vehicle while it is being driven ortowed.
• Always place the gear selector in Parkand apply the parking brake before leav-ing the vehicle. Never leave the vehicleunattended with the engine running.
• Always open garage doors fully beforestarting the engine inside a garage toensure adequate ventilation. The exhaustgases contain carbon monoxide, which isinvisible and odorless but very poisonous.
NOTE
•After a cold start, idle speed may be noticeably higher than normal for a shortperiod. This is done to help bring compo-nents in the emission control system totheir normal operating temperature asquickly as possible, which enables themto control emissions and help reduce the vehicle's impact on the environment 3
.
CAUTION
• When starting in cold weather, the auto- matic transmission may shift up at slightlyhigher engine speeds than normal untilthe automatic transmission fluid reachesnormal operating temperature.
• Do not race a cold engine immediatelyafter starting. Oil flow may not reachsome lubrication points fast enough toprevent engine damage.
• The engine should be idling when youmove the gear selector. Never accelerateuntil after you feel the transmissionengage. Accelerating immediately afterselecting a gear will cause harsh engage-ment and premature transmission wear.
• Selecting
P or N when idling at a stand-
still for prolonged periods of time will helpprevent overheating of the automatictransmission fluid.
Related information
• Switching off the engine (p. 259)
Switching off the engine Switch off the engine by pressing the
START/
STOP ENGINE button.
If the gear selector is not in the P position or if
the vehicle is moving, press the START/STOP
ENGINE button twice or press and hold it in until
the engine switches off.
Related information
• Ignition modes (p. 80)
3
If the gear selector is in the D or R positions and the car is not moving, engine speed (rpm) will be lower and it will take longer for the engine to reach normal operating temperature.
||
STARTING AND DRIVING
2623. Fold back the cover over the positive (+) ter-
minal on your vehicle's battery (2), marked with a "+" sign, located under a folding cover.
4. Connect the black jumper cable to the auxili- ary battery's negative (–) terminal (3) and tothe ground point in your vehicle's enginecompartment (right engine mount at the top,on the outer screw) (4).
5. Start the engine in the assisting vehicle, then start the engine in the vehicle with dead bat-tery.
6. After the engine has started, first remove the negative (–) terminal jumper cable (black).Then remove the positive (+) terminal jumpercable (red).
WARNING
PROPOSITION 65 WARNING! Battery posts, terminals, and related accesso- ries contain lead and lead compounds, chemi-cals known to the state of California to causecancer and reproductive harm. Wash handsafter handling.
CAUTION
Connect the jumper cables carefully to avoid short circuits with other components in theengine compartment.
WARNING
• Do not connect the jumper cable to any part of the fuel system or to any movingparts. Avoid touching hot manifolds.
• Batteries generate hydrogen gas, whichis flammable and explosive.
• Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do notallow battery fluid to contact eyes, skin,fabrics or painted surfaces. If contactoccurs, flush the affected area immedi-ately with water. Obtain medical helpimmediately if eyes are affected.
• Never expose the battery to open flameor electric spark.
• Do not smoke near the battery.
• Failure to follow the instructions for jumpstarting can lead to injury.
Related information
• Starting the engine (p. 258)
Transmission – general information The transmission automatically shifts between the various forward gears, based on the level ofacceleration and speed.
G021351
Shiftgate positions
Depress the button on the front of the gear selector knob to move the gear selector between the
R, N , D , and P positions.
The gear selector can be moved freely betweenthe Geartronic (manual shifting) and Drive ( D)
positions while driving.
STARTING AND DRIVING
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263
CAUTION
The transmission
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STARTING AND DRIVING
* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
264
Neutral: position NNo gear is engaged and the engine can be started with the gear selector in this position.Apply the parking brake if the vehicle is stationary with the gear selector in position N. In order to
move the gear selector from the N position, the
brake pedal must be depressed and the ignitionmust be in at least mode II.
Drive: position DD is the normal driving position. The car automat-
ically shifts between the various forward gears, based on the level of acceleration and speed.The car must be at a standstill when shifting from position R to position D.
Related information
• Transmission – general information (p. 262)
• Transmission – Geartronic (p. 264)
• Transmission – shiftlock override (p. 267)
• Fuel tank volume – specification and volume (p. 387)
Transmission – Geartronic
Geartronic allows you to manually shift among your vehicle's forward gears. The manual posi-tion ( +S–) can be selected at any time.
Geartronic: manual shifting (+S–)To shift gears manually, move the gear selector to the side from D toward
+S– . The +S– symbol in the instrument
panel will change from white to
orange and the number of the gear currently
being used (
1, 2, 3, etc.) will be displayed (see
the following illustration) 5
.
• To return to automatic shifting mode from +S–
, move the gear selector to the side
toward D.
Gear shift indicator *
Gear shift indicator in a digital instrument panel *6
This option indicates when to shift up or down to help conserve fuel. A white arrow will appearabove or below the number of the current gear toprompt the driver to shift up or down.
5
If Sport mode is being used, the symbol will change to "S".
6 Analog instrument panel: the gear shift indicator is displayed in the center of the speedometer.
STARTING AND DRIVING
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* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.265
While driving
•If you select the manual shifting position while driving, the gear that was being used inthe Drive position will also initially beselected in the manual shifting position.
• Move the gear selector forward (toward
+) to
shift to a higher gear or rearward (toward –)
to shift to a lower gear.
• If you hold the gear selector toward "
–", the
transmission will downshift one gear at atime and will utilize the braking power of theengine. If the current speed is too high forusing a lower gear, the downshift will notoccur until the speed has decreased enoughto allow the lower gear to be used.
• If you slow to a very low speed, the transmis-sion will automatically shift down.
Shiftlock: Neutral (N)
If the gear selector is in the
N position and the
vehicle has been stationary for at least 3 seconds (irrespective of whether the engine is running)then the gear selector is locked. In order to move the gear selector from N to
another gear position, the brake pedal must be depressed and the ignition must be in at least position II, see Ignition modes (p. 80).
Geartronic : steering wheel paddles *
In addition to the manual gearshift function using the gear selector, this option makes it possible tomanually shift gears from the steering wheel.
Steering-wheel mounted gear shift paddles
"– ": Shift down to a lower gear.
"+ ": Shift up to a higher gear.
In order to shift gears with the paddles, they have to first be activated. The gear selector can be
in either the D or S position. Activating the paddles:
• Pull either paddle toward the steering wheel and release it; the
D in the instrument panel
will change to the number of the gear cur- rently being used. Shifting gears:
• Pull the paddle toward the steering wheeland release it.
Deactivating the paddles:
• Hold the "
+" paddle for approximately
3 seconds.
NOTE
If the gear selector was in D when paddle
shifting was activated ( D changed to the
number of the gear being used), the transmis- sion will automatically revert to D after
approximately 5 seconds if the paddles are not used to shift gears. This will not occur:
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STARTING AND DRIVING
266
•during active driving (e.g., on a winding road, while accelerating, etc)
• if the gear selector was in
S when the
paddles were activated
If the transmission reverts to D, the paddles
will have to be reactivated (pull either paddletoward the steering wheel and release it)before they can be used to shift gears again. The paddles can also be manually deactivated by pulling both paddles toward the steeringwheel and holding them until the gear num-ber shown in the instrument panel changes to D .
Geartronic : Sport mode ( S)7
This transmission mode provides sportier shifting characteristics and enables a more active drivingstyle by making it possible to drive at higher rpmin each gear before shifting up. The engine alsoresponds faster when the accelerator pedal ispressed. To access Sport mode from Drive (
D), move the
gear selector to the left. The transmission will not switch to manual shifting mode until the gearselector is moved forward or rearward toward +or –. Sport mode can be selected any time.
NOTE
• On vehicles equipped with Sport mode, the transmission symbol in the main instrument panel will change from
D to S
when the gear selector is moved to the manual shifting mode. If the gear selectoris moved toward "+" or "-", the number ofthe gear currently being used will be dis-played, see Information displays – intro-duction (p. 69).
• Please be aware that using Sport modemay result in a slight decrease in fuel economy. Driving in
D can help improve
fuel economy.
Geartronic : starting on slippery surfaces
Selecting 3rd gear in Geartronic
STARTING AND DRIVING
267
Transmission – shiftlock override
If the vehicle cannot be driven, for example because of a dead battery, the gear selectormust be moved from the P position before the
vehicle can be moved 8
.
Shiftlock override
Lift away the rubber mat on the floor of the storage compartment behind the center con-sole to expose the small opening for overrid-ing the shiftlock system.
Insert the key blade into the opening. Press the key blade down as far as possible andkeep it held down.
Move the gear selector from the P position.
For information on the key blade, see Detachable key blade – general information(p. 155).
Related information
• Transmission – general information (p. 262)
• Transmission – positions (p. 263)
• Transmission – Geartronic (p. 264)
• Fuel tank volume – specification and volume(p. 387)
Start/Stop – Hill Start Assist (HSA)
When starting on steep hills, HSA (see Transmis- sion – general information (p. 262)) retains pres-sure on the brake pedal for several seconds afterthe pedal has been released in order to keep thevehicle at a standstill. The brakes will be releasedafter several seconds or when the driver pressesthe accelerator pedal. The pedal will return to itsnormal position somewhat slower than normal.
Related information
• Start/Stop – introduction (p. 268)
• Start/Stop – function (p. 268)
• Start/Stop – settings (p. 271)
• Start/Stop – Auto-stop exceptions (p. 269)
• Start/Stop – Auto-start exceptions (p. 270)
• Start/Stop – symbols and messages(p. 272)
8
If the battery is dead, the electric parking brake cannot be applied or released. Connect an auxiliary battery if the battery voltage is too low, see Jump starting (p. 261).