178Driving and operating● Special programmesautomatically adapt the shiftingpoints when driving up inclines or
down hills.
● In snowy or icy conditions or on other slippery surfaces, the
electronic transmission control
enables the driver to manually
select first, second or third gear
for starting off.
Kickdown
Pressing down the accelerator pedal
beyond the kickdown detent will lead
to maximum acceleration even in manual mode. The transmission
shifts to a lower gear depending on
engine speed and shifts to a higher
gear at high engine revolutions.
Overheat protection
In the event of transmission-
overheating due to high outside
temperatures or sporty driving style,
the torque and the maximum speed of the engine can be temporarily
reduced.Fault
In the event of a fault a vehicle
message is displayed in the Driver
Information Centre. Vehicle
messages 3 125.
6-gear automatic transmission:
electronic transmission control
enables only fourth gear; 8-gear
automatic transmission: electronic
transmission control enables only
third gear. The transmission no
longer shifts automatically.
Have the cause of the fault remedied by a workshop.
Interruption of power supply
In the event of an interruption of
power supply, the selector lever
cannot be moved out of the P
position.
If the vehicle battery is discharged,
start the vehicle using jump leads
3 278.
If the vehicle battery is not the cause
of the fault, release the selector lever.
1. Apply parking brake.
2. Release the selector lever trim from the centre console. Poke
with a finger into the leather
socket beside the selector lever
and pull the trim up carefully, there
is a cable attached to it. Slide trim slightly forward as it is hinged on
its rear side. Tilt loose trim to the
left side to aviod tensioning the
cable.
182Driving and operatingThe electric parking brake can always
be activated, even if the ignition is off.
Do not operate electric parking brake
system too often without engine
running as this will discharge the vehicle battery.
Releasing
Switch on ignition. Keep foot brake
pedal depressed and then push
switch m.
Drive away function
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Depressing the clutch pedal and then
slightly releasing the clutch pedal and slightly depressing the accelerator
pedal releases the electric parking
brake automatically. This is not
possible when switch m is pulled at
the same time.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: Engaging D and then depressing the
accelerator pedal releases the
electric parking brake automatically.
This is not possible when switch m is
pulled at the same time.Dynamic braking when vehicle is
moving
When the vehicle is moving and the
switch m is kept pulled, the electric
parking brake system will decelerate
the vehicle, but will not apply
statically.
As soon as the switch m is released,
dynamic braking will be stopped.
Automatic applying
If the vehicle is equipped with
automatic transmission and adaptive
cruise control is active, electric
parking brake is applied automatically
when vehicle is stopped by the
system for more than two minutes.
Parking brake releases automatically
after moving off.
Functionality check
When the vehicle is not moving, the
electric parking brake might be
applied automatically. This is done to
check the system.Fault
Failure mode of electric parking brake is indicated by a control indicator j
and by a vehicle message which is
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre. Vehicle messages 3 125.
Apply electric parking brake: pull and
hold the switch m for more than
five seconds. If control indicator m
illuminates, electric parking brake is
applied.
Release electric parking brake: push and hold the switch m for more than
two seconds. If control indicator m
extinguishes, electric parking brake is
released.
Control indicator m flashes: electric
parking brake is not fully applied or
released. When continuously
flashing, release electric parking
brake and retry applying.
Brake assist If brake pedal is depressed quickly
and forcefully, maximum brake force
is automatically applied.
Driving and operating183Operation of brake assist might
become apparent by a pulse in the
brake pedal and a greater resistance
when depressing the brake pedal.
Maintain steady pressure on the
brake pedal as long as full braking is
required. Maximum brake force is
automatically reduced when brake pedal is released.
Hill start assist The system helps preventing
unintended movement when driving
away on inclines.
When releasing the brake pedal after
stopping on an incline, brakes remain
on for further two seconds. The
brakes release automatically as soon
as the vehicle begins to accelerate.
The hill start assist will not activate if
one of the following conditions
occurs:
● forward gear is engaged when facing downhill
● reverse gear is engaged when facing uphill● driver seat belt is unfastened
● driver's door is open
Extended hold hill start assist Vehicles with automatic transmissionare additionally equipped with the
extended hold hill start assist. This
function holds the vehicle stationary
for up to five minutes after the brake
pedal is released.
The electric parking brake will be
automatically activated to prevent
vehicle movement when one of the
following conditions occurs:
● extended hold hill start assist is deactivated after five minutes
● ignition is switched off
● driver's exit is detected
Hill start assist or extended hold hill
start assist can be selected in the
vehicle personalisation. 3 127
Note
Hill start assist and extended hold
hill start assist will not be activated in
neutral gear. If neutral gear isselected during an active hold,
assists will deactivate and vehicle may start moving.
186Driving and operating
● To deactivate only Tractioncontrol system press button t
briefly: TC is inactive but ESC
remains active, k illuminates. A
status message appears in the
Driver Information Centre when
TC is deactivated.
ESC is reactivated by pressing the t
button again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated. k and t
extinguishes when TC and ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Fault
If there is a fault in the system the
control indicator b illuminates
continuously and a message appears in the Driver Information Centre. The
system is not operational.
Have the cause of the fault remedied by a workshop.
Interactive driving system Flex RideFlex Ride driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
● SPORT mode: press SPORT,
LED illuminates.
● TOUR mode: press TOUR, LED
illuminates.
● AUTO or Standard / Normal mode: neither SPORT nor
TOUR is pressed, no LED
illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode or TOUR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode Flex Ride adjusts the following electronic
systems:
● electronic damping control
● accelerator pedal control
● electronic power steering control
● automatic transmission● adaptive cruise control
● all-wheel drive
● engine sound enhancement
● instrument cluster theme
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adjusted for a sportier driving style:
● Damping of shock absorbers is set up for increased handling andagility.
● The engine reacts more quickly to accelerator pedal changes.
● Steering support is sportier.
Driving and operating187● Automatic transmission shiftpoints optimised for sporty
driving.
● Adaptive cruise control is adjusted for a sportier driving
style.
● All-wheel drive supports active sporty driving of the vehicle.
● Engine sound enhancement intensifies interior engine sound
in a sporty manner.
● Cluster theme changes to sport.
TOUR modeTOUR mode adjusts the settings of
the systems for a comfortable driving
style.
● Damping of shock absorbers is adapted for increased driving
comfort.
● Steering efforts are reduced. ● Adaptive cruise control is adjusted for a more relaxed
driving style.
AUTO mode
All versions except GSi: All settings of the systems are preset to standard
values optimised for daily driving
(default mode). This is the fully
adaptive mode, adjusting systems to
both comfort and sport settings
depending on driving style and driving
situation.
Normal mode
GSi versions only: All settings of the
systems are preset to standard
values optimised for daily driving
(default mode). This mode keeps the
standard values independent of
driving style or driving situation.Adaptive drive mode control
Within each manually selected driving
mode SPORT , TOUR or AUTO , Drive
Mode Control (DMC) detects and
analyses continuously the driving
situation and the driver's driving style. If necessary, DMC automatically
adjusts damping and steering for the
duration of the occuring situation.
If, for example, normal settings are
active in AUTO mode and DMC
detects a sporty driving behaviour, it
automatically changes systems into
sporty settings unless the driver
deselects sporty damping or steering
in the Sport Mode Customisation .
If, for another example, comfort
settings are active in TOUR mode
and whilst driving on a winding road a sudden hard brake is necessary,DMC will detect the dynamic vehicle
condition and changes the settings
for suspension back to normal
(default) setting to enhance vehicle
stability.
When the driving characteristic or the
dynamic vehicle state returns to the
former state, DMC will change to
preselected settings.
192Driving and operatingRelease the accelerator pedal and
the speed limiter function is
reactivated once a speed lower than the limit speed is obtained.
Deactivation Press y: speed limiter is deactivated
and the vehicle can be driven without
speed limit.
On Baselevel display the stored
limited speed is indicated in brackets.
On Mid- or Uplevel display L
changes to white.
Additionally, a corresponding
message appears.
Speed limiter is deactivated, but not
switched off. Last stored speed
remains in memory for later speed
resume.
Resume limit speed
Turn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained
and is indicated without brackets in
the Driver Information Centre.
Switching off
Press L, the speed limit indication
extinguishes in the Driver Information Centre. The stored speed is deleted.
By pressing m to activate cruise
control or adaptive cruise control, speed limiter is also deactivated and
the stored speed is deleted.
By switching off the ignition, speed
limiter is also deactivated, but the
speed limit will be stored for next
speed limiter activation.
Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control is an
enhancement to conventional cruise control with the additional feature ofmaintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead.Adaptive cruise control automaticallydecelerates the vehicle when
approaching a slower moving vehicle. It then adjusts the vehicle speed to
follow the vehicle ahead at the
selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases
to follow the vehicle in front, but will
not exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
To facilitate overtaking a vehicle on
the motorway, the activation of the
turn signal reduces the following
distance for a short time. This function is implemented only on the respective
driver's side depending on left or right
hand drive vehicle configuration.
The adaptive cruise control can store set speed over 30 km/h for manual
transmission. On vehicles with
automatic transmissions the system
can brake until a full stop and drive off
from a stop.
Driving and operating193
Adaptive cruise control uses radar
and camera sensors to detect the
vehicles ahead. If no vehicle is
detected in the driving path, the
adaptive cruise control will behave
like a conventional cruise control.
Adaptive cruise control is mainly
advised to be used on long straight
roads like highways or country roads
with steady traffic. Do not use the
system if it is not advisable to
maintain a constant speed.
Control indicator A 3 113, C 3 113.
9 Warning
The complete driver attention is
always required while driving with adaptive cruise control. The driver
stays fully in control of the vehicle
because the brake pedal, the
accelerator pedal and the cancel
switch have priority over any
adaptive cruise control operation.
Switching on the system
Illustrations show different versions.
Press C to switch on adaptive cruise
control. C appears in the Driver
Information Centre.
Activation of the functionality by
setting the speed
Adaptive cruise control can be
activated at speeds above 25 km/h on
vehicles with automatic transmission
or 30 km/h on vehicles with manual
transmission. The upper speed limit is 180 km/h.
Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the
current speed is stored and
maintained.
194Driving and operating
The adaptive cruise control symbol
C , the following distance setting and
set speed are indicated in the Driver
Information Centre.
The accelerator pedal can be
released. Adaptive cruise control
remains activated during gear
shifting.
Overriding set speed
It is always possible to drive faster
than the selected set speed by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the vehicle returns to the
desired distance if a slower vehicle is ahead. Otherwise it returns to the
stored speed.
Once the system is activated,
adaptive cruise control decelerates or
brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead,
which is slower or closer than the
desired following distance.9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates automatic braking by
the system. This is indicated as a
pop-up warning in the Driver
Information Centre or by the
adaptive cruise control symbol
turning blue.
Take over current speed
If the accelerator pedal is pressed,
the current vehicle speed is taken
over as stored speed. This is also
valid, if the current vehicle speed is
lower than the Set Speed.
Increase speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold RES/+ to increase speed
continuously. Push RES/+ repeatedly
to increase speed in small
increments.
Reduce speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold SET/- to decrease speed
continuously. Push SET/- repeatedly
to decrease speed in small
increments.
Resume stored speed
If the system is switched on but
inactive and a speed was stored
before, turn thumb wheel to RES/+ at
a speed above 5 km/h (with automatic transmission) or above 30 km/h (with
manual transmission) to resume the stored speed.
Full speed range adaptive cruise
control on vehicles with automatic
transmission
Full speed range adaptive cruisecontrol will maintain a following
distance behind a detected vehicle
and slow your vehicle to a stop behind
that vehicle.
When the vehicle ahead accelerates
after a brief stop, the adaptive cruise
control will drive off automatically
without driver action. If necessary,