
In addition, at least one of the following condi-
tions must be fulfilled:
Rthere is a system malfunction
Rthe power supply is insufficient
Rthe vehicle is stationary for a lengthy period
The red F(USA only) or !(Canada only)
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up.
The electric parking brake is not automatically
engaged if the engine is switched off by the ECO
start/stop function.
Releasing automatically
The electric parking brake is released when the
following conditions are fulfilled:
Rthe engine is running
Rthe seat belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle
Rthe transmission is in position hork and
you depress the accelerator pedal or shift
from position jtoh ork
Rif the transmission is in position k, the tail-
gate must be closed
If the seat belt tongue is not engaged in the seat
belt buckle, the following conditions must be
fulfilled:
Rthe driver's door and front-passenger door
are closed
Ryou move the transmission out of position j
or you have previously driven at a speed
above 2 mph (3 km/h)
Rif the transmission is in position k, the tail-
gate must be closed
When the electric parking brake is released, the red F (USA only) or !(Canada only) indi-
cator lamp goes out in the instrument cluster.
Emergency braking
The vehicle can also be braked during an emer-
gency by using the electric parking brake.
XWhile driving, push handle :of the electric
parking brake (Ypage 124).
The vehicle is braked as long as you keep
handle :of the electric parking brake
pressed. The longer electric parking brake
handle :is depressed, the greater the brak-
ing force. During braking:
Ra warning tone sounds
Rthe
Please Release Parking Brakemes-
sage appears
Rthe red F(USA only) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes
When the vehicle has been braked to a stand-
still, the electric parking brake is engaged.
Parking the vehicle for a long period
General notes
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than
four weeks, the battery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than six
weeks, the vehicle may suffer damage as a
result of lack of use.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop and seek
advice.
Trickle charging the on-board electrical
system battery
The battery may drain if the vehicle is left sta-
tionary for long periods. In this case, Mercedes-
Benz recommends attaching the trickle charger
to 12 V socket :in the cargo compartment.
iA trickle charger and further information
can be obtained from a qualified specialist
workshop.
XSwitch the ignition off.
XOpen the tailgate.
Parking125
Driving and parking
Z

Drivingon wet road s
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to acertain dept hon
th eroad surface, there is adanger of hydro-
planin goccurring, eve nif:
Ryou drive at low speeds
Rth etires hav eadequat etread dept h
Fo rthis reason ,in th eevent of heav yrain or in
condition sin whic hhydroplaning may occur ,
you mus tdrive in th efollowin gmanner:
Rlowe ryour speed
Ravoid rut s
Ravoid sudden steerin gmovements
Rbrake carefully
Drivin gon flooded road s
!Do notdrive through floode dareas. Chec k
th edept hof any water befor edrivin gthrough
it .Drive slowly through standin gwater. Oth-
erwise ,water may ente rth evehicle interio ror
th eengin ecompartment. Thi scan damage
th eelectronic component sin th eengin eor
th eautomatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by th eengine's air suction nozzles
and this can cause engin edamage.
Winte rdrivin g
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslipper yroad surfac ein
an attempt to increase th eengine's braking
effect ,th edrive wheels could los etheir grip.
There is an increase ddanger of skidding and
accidents .
Do no tshift down fo radditional engin ebrak-
in g on aslipper yroad surface.
GDANGER
If th eexhaus tpipe is blocke dor adequat e
ventilation is no tpossible, poisonous gases
suc has carbon monoxide (CO) may ente rth e
vehicle. Thi sis th ecase, e.g. if th evehicle
becomes trappe din snow. There is aris kof
fatal injury.
If you leav eth eengin eor th eauxiliar yheatin g
running ,mak esur eth eexhaus tpipe and are a
around th evehicle are clear of snow. To
ensur ean adequat esupply of fresh air, ope n a
window on th esid eof th evehicle that is no t
facin ginto th ewind.
Hav eyour vehicle winter-proofed at aqualified
specialis tworkshop at th eonset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slipper yroad sur -
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration ,steerin gand
braking maneuvers .Do no tuse cruise control.
If th evehicle threatens to skid or canno tbe
stopped when movin gat low speed:
XShift th etransmissio nto position i.
The outsid etemperature indicator is no t
designed to serve as an ice-warnin gdevic eand
is therefore unsuitable fo rthat purpose.
Changes in th eoutsid etemperature are dis -
playe dafter ashort delay.
Indicated temperature sjust abov eth efreezin g
poin tdo no tguarantee that th eroad surfac eis
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 gstyle. Always
adapt your drivin gstyle and drive at aspeed to
suit th eprevailin gweather co ndi
tions.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tion swhen temperature sare around freezin g
point.
Further information on drivin gwit hsnow chain s
(
Ypage 260).
Further information on drivin gwit hsummer
tires (
Ypage 260).
Observ eth enote sin th e"Winte roperation "sec -
tion (
Ypage 260).
Drivin gsystems
Cruis econtro l
General notes
Cruise contro lmaintain s aconstant road speed
fo ryou. It brake sautomatically in order to avoid
exceedin gth eset speed. Change into alowe r
gear in goo dtime on lon gand steep downhill
gradients. Thi sis especially important if th e
vehicle is laden. By doin gso, you will mak euse
of th ebraking effect of th eengine. Thi srelieves
th eload on th ebrake system and prevents th e
Driving systems129
Driving an d parking
Z

Setting a speed
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
XPress the cruise control lever up:for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;
beyond the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you acceler-
ate to overtake, cruise control adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored after
you have finished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise con-
trol:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated
under the following conditions:
Rthe electric parking brake is applied.
Ryou are driving slower than 20 mph
(30 km/h).
Rif ESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®.
Ryou shift the transmission to position i
while driving.
If cruise control is deactivated, a warning tone
sounds. You will see the Cruise Control Off
message in the multifunction display for approx-
imately five seconds.
iWhen you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
General notes
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC regulates the speed
and automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. Vehicles
are detected with the aid of the radar sensor
system. Distance Pilot DISTRONIC brakes auto-
matically so that the set speed is not exceeded.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. This is especially
important if the vehicle is laden. By doing so, you
will make use of the braking effect of the engine.
This relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and wear-
ing too quickly.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects that there is a risk of a collision, you will be warned visually
and acoustically. Without your intervention, Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot prevent a colli-
sion. An intermittent warning tone will then
sound and the distance warning lamp will light
up in the instrument cluster. Brake immediately in order to increase the distance to the vehicle in
front or take evasive action provided it is safe to
do so.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC operates in the range
between 0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph
(200 km/ h).
Driving system s131
Driving an d parking
Z

Do not use Distance Pilot DISTRONIC:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, for
example in heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could 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
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may not detect nar-
row vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on a different line.
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
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC no longer detects a
vehicle in front, it may unexpectedly accelerate
to the speed stored.
This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a turning lane
or an exit lane
Rbe so high in the right lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the left (in countries where
they drive on the right)
Rbe so high in the left lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the right (right-hand drive
countries)
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Activates or increases speed
;Activates or reduces speed
=Deactivates Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
?Activates at the current speed/last stored
speed
ASets a specified minimum distance
Activating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Activation conditions
To activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up to two minutes of driving before Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is ready for use.
Rthe electric parking brake must be released.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
Rthe transmission must be in position h.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift from jtoh or your seat belt must be
fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
Activating
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;, up :or down =.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :to the pressure
point for a higher speed, or down =for a
lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up or down, the last speed stored is increased
or reduced.
or
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :beyond the
Driving systems133
Driving and parking
Z

Changing lanes
If you change to the overtaking lane, Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC supports you if:
Ryou are driving at a speed greater than
45 mph (70 km/h)
Ryou switch on the appropriate turn signal
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC does not currently
detect a danger of collision
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted if
changing lanes takes too long or if the distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
becomes too small.
iWhen you change lanes, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC monitors the left lane.
Stopping
GWARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, it could
roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is switched off
using the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
Rthe vehicle is accelerated, e.g. by a vehicle
occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
Further information on deactivating Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC (
Ypage 136).
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects that the
vehicle in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle
to a stop.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
iAfter a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
iDepending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at
a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in
front. The specified minimum distance is set
using the control on the cruise control lever.
The elect
ric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated when the vehicle is stationary and:
Rthe driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
Ra system malfunction occurs
Rthe power supply is insufficient
If a malfunction occurs, the transmission may
also shift to position jautomatically.
Setting a speed
XPress the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;
beyond the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;, the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
Driving systems135
Driving and parking
Z

iIf you accelerate to overtake, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC adjusts the vehicle's speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting a specified minimum distance
You can set the specified minimum distance for
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC by varying the time
span between one and two seconds. With this
function you can set the minimum distance that
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC maintains to the vehi-
cle in front, dependent on vehicle speed. You
can see this distance in the multifunction dis-
play (
Ypage 137).
iMake sure that you maintain the minimum
distance to the vehicle in front as required by
law. Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front
if necessary.
XTo increase: turn control;in direction =.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC then maintains a
greater distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front.
XTo decrease: turn control;in direction :.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC then maintains a
shorter distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front.
Deactivating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
There are several ways to deactivate Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake, unless the vehicle is stationary
When you deactivate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC,
the Distance Pilot Off
message appears in
the multifunction display for approximately five
seconds.
iThe last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
iDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is not deactivated
if you depress the accelerator pedal.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically deac-
tivated if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake or if the
vehicle is automatically secured with the elec-
tric parking brake
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe transmission is in position j,kori
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards you
in order to pull away and the front-passenger
door or one of the rear doors is open
Rthe vehicle has skidded
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated, you
will hear a warning tone. You will see the Dis‐
tance Pilot Offmessage on the multifunc-
tion display for approximately five seconds.
136Driving systems
Driving and parking

Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may mistakenly
detect vehicles that are crossing your lane. Acti-
vating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC at, for exam-
ple, a traffic light with crossing traffic, could
cause your vehicle to pull away at the wrong
time.
HOLD
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the vehicle is only braked using the HOLD
function, the vehicle may roll away in the fol-
lowing situations when you leave the vehicle:
Rif there is a malfunction in the system or in the voltage supply
Rif the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator pedal or brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant
Rif the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with or the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Always deactivate the HOLD function and
secure the vehicle against rolling away before
you leave it.
!When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations. To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivate the HOLD function (
Ypage 140).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if all of the
following conditions are fulfilled:
Rthe vehicle is stationary.
Rthe engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
Rthe driver's door is closed or your seat belt is
fastened.
Rthe electric parking brake is released.
Rthe transmission is in position h,kori.
Activating the HOLD function
XMake sure that the activation conditions are
met.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XQuickly depress the brake pedal further until
HOLD: appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
iIf depressing the brake pedal the first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Driving system s139
Driving an d parking
Z

Activating RACE START (AMGGTS)
iWhen manual mod e (Ypage 118) is active ,
th etransmission automatically shifts up in
th eRACE START drive program .This function
support smaximum acceleration wit hRACE
START .Afte rgoin gthroug han accelerating
process once from astationary position ,this
function is automatically deactivated.
XDepress th ebrak epedal wit hyour lef tfoo t
and keep it depressed.
XPull and hold bot hsteering whee lpaddl eshift-
ers .
The RACESTART Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel :Paddle DOW Nmessage appear sin
th emultifunction display.
XReleas ebot hsteering whee lpaddl eshifters.
iIf th eactivation condition sare no longer ful-
filled, RACE START is canceled. The RACE
START Not Possible See Operator' sManualmessage appearson th emultifunc-
tion display.
XTo cancel: pull theleft-han dsteering whee l
paddl eshifte r (Ypage 116).
or
XTo confirm: pull theright-hand steering
whee lpaddl eshifte r (Ypage 116).
The RACESTARTAvailableDepres sgaspedal.message appear son th emultifunc-
tion display.
iIf you do no tdepress th eaccelerato rpedal
within afew seconds, RACE START is can -
celed. The RACESTART Canceled
message
appear son th emultifunction display.
XFull ydepress th eaccelerato rpedal .
The engin espee dis increased.
The RACE
STARTReleas ebraketostartmessage appear sin th emultifunction display.
iIf you do no trelease th ebrak epedal within
a short time, RACE START will be canceled.
The RACESTART Canceled
message
appear son th emultifunction display.
XTak eyour foo toff th ebrake, but keep th e
accelerato rpedal depressed.
The vehicl epulls away at maximum acceler -
ation .
The RACE
STARTActivemessage appear sin
th emultifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when th evehicl e
reaches aspee dof approximately 30 mph (Can -
ada: 50 km/h). RACE START is deactivated immediately if you
release th
eaccelerato rpedal during RACE
START or if any of th eactivation condition sare
no longer fulfilled .The RACESTART Not Pos ‐
sible See Operator' sManualor RAC ESTART Canceledmessage appear sin th emul-
tifunction display.
iIf RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available again
after th evehicl ehas been driven acertain
distance.
Activating RACE START (AMG GTC)
iWhen manual mod e (Ypage 118) is active ,
th etransmission automatically shifts up in
th eRACE START drive program .This function
support smaximum acceleration wit hRACE
START .Afte rgoin gthroug han accelerating
process once from astationary position ,this
function is automatically deactivated.
XDepress th ebrak epedal wit hyour lef tfoo t
and keep it depressed.
XFull ydepress th eaccelerato rpedal .
The engin espee dis increased.
The RACE
STARTReleas ebraketostartmessage appear sin th emultifunction display.
XTo adjust RACE START :pull th eleft-han dor
right-hand steering whee lpaddl eshifter.
Rleft-han dpaddl eshifter: to reduce engin e
spee d
Rright-hand paddl eshifter: to increas e
engin espee d
The engin espee dis adjusted.
The segments in th emultifunction display
flicke rrapidly.
iIf you do no trelease th ebrak epedal within
a short time, RACE START will be canceled.
The RACESTART Canceled
message
appear son th emultifunction display.
XTak eyour foo toff th ebrake, but keep th e
accelerato rpedal depressed.
The vehicl epulls away at maximum acceler -
ation .
The RACE
STARTActivemessage appear sin
th emultifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when th evehicl e
reaches aspee dof approximately 30 mph (Can -
ada: 50 km/h).
RACE START is deactivated immediately if you
release th eaccelerato rpedal during RACE
Driving systems141
Driving and parking
Z