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
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.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
iIf you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DistancePilotSuspendedmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in
front will then not be maintained. You will be
driving at the speed you determine by the
position of the accelerator pedal.
You can also activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
when stationary. The lowest speed that can be
set is 20 mph (30 km/ h).
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;or press it up :or down =.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated.
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you :.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The first time Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated, it stores the current speed or reg-
ulates the speed of the vehicle to the previ-
ously stored speed.
Driving with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Pulling away and driving
XIf you want to pull away with Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC: remove your foot from the
brake pedal.
XBriefly pull cruise control ?lever towards
you.
or
XAccelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its speed
to that of the vehicle in front. If no vehicle is
detected in front, your vehicle accelerates to the set speed.
iThe vehicle can also pull away when it is
facing an unidentified obstacle or is driving on
a different line from another vehicle. The vehi-
cle then brakes automatically. There is a risk
of an accident. Be ready to brake at all times.
If there is no vehicle in front, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC operates in the same way as cruise
control.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a slower-
moving vehicle in front, it brakes your vehicle. In
this way, the distance you have selected is main-
tained.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a faster-
moving vehicle in front, it increases the driving
speed. However, the vehicle is only accelerated
up to the speed you have stored.
Selecting the drive program
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC supports a sporty
driving style when you have selected the Sor S+
drive program. Acceleration behind the vehicle
in front or to the set speed is then noticeably
more dynamic. When you select the Cdrive pro-
gram, the vehicle accelerates more gently. This
setting is recommended in stop-and-start traf-
fic.
Additional information on se
lecting the drive
program (Ypage 111).
134Driving systems
Driving and parking
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
Displaysin th einstrument cluste r
Displaysin th espeedometer
If Distanc ePilo tDISTRONIC detects avehicle in
front, segments between speed of th evehicle in
fron t: and stored speed ;ligh tup.
iFo rdesign reasons, th espeed displaye din
th espeedometer may diffe rslightly from th e
speed set fo rDistanc ePilo tDISTRONIC.
Display when Distance Pilo tDISTRONI Cis
deactivate d
On theon-boar dcomputer, you can selec tth e
assistanc egraphics display.
:Vehicle in front, if detecte d
;Distanceindicator ,curren tdistanc eto th e
vehicle in fron t
=Specified minimum distanc eto th evehicle
in front; adjustable
?Your vehicle
XSelec tth eAssistanc eGraphi cfunction
usin gth eon-boar dcompute r (Ypage 162).
Display when Distance Pilo tDISTRONI Cis
activate d
:DistancePilo tDISTRONIC active (tex tonly
appears when th ecruise contro llever is
actuated)
;Vehicle in front, if detecte d
=Specified minimum distanc eto th evehicle
in front; adjustable
?Your vehicle
XSelec tth eAssistanc eGraphi cfunction
usin gth eon-boar dcompute r (Ypage 162).
You will see th estored speed fo rapproximately
fiv eseconds when you activat eDistanc ePilo t
DISTRONIC.
Tips for drivin gwit hDistance Pilo t
DISTRONI C
General notes
Pay particular attention in th efollowin gtraffic
situations:
RCornering, going into and comin gout of a
ben d
RVehicles travelin gon adifferen tlin e
ROther vehicles changin glanes
RNarro wvehicles
RObstruction sand stationary vehicles
RCrossing vehicles
In suc hsituations, brake if necessary. Distanc e
Pilo tDISTRONIC will then be deactivated.
Driving systems13 7
Driving an d parking
Z
Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
The ability of Distance Pilot DISTRONIC to
detect vehicles when cornering is limited. Your
vehicle may brake unexpectedly or late.
Vehicles traveling on a different line
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may not detect vehi-
cles which are not driving in the middle of their
lane. The distance to the vehicle in front will be
too short.
Other vehicles changing lanes
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC has not detected the
vehicle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehi-
cle will be too short.
Narrow vehicles
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC has not yet detected
the vehicle in front on the edge of the road
because of its narrow width. The distance to the
vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC does not brake for
obstacles or stationary vehicles. If, for example,
the detected vehicle turns a corner and an
obstacle or stationary vehicle is then revealed,
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC will not brake for
them.
Crossing vehicles
138Driving 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
Deactivating theHOL Dfunction
The HOLD function is deactivated if:
Ryou depress th eaccelerator and th etrans -
missio nis in position hork
Ryou shift th etransmissio nto position j
Ryou apply th ebrake sagain wit h acertain
amount of pressure until th eHOL Ddisplay dis -
appears from th emultifunction display
Ryou secure th evehicle usin gth eelectric park-
in g brake
iAfte r atime, th eelectric parking brake
secure sth evehicle and relieves th eservic e
brake .
The electric parking brake secure sth evehicle
automatically if th eHOLD function is activated
when th evehicle is stationary and :
Rthedriver's seat belt is no tfastene dand th e
driver's doo ris ope n
Rtheengin eis switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched of fby th eEC Ostart/sto p
function
Ra syste mmalfunction occur s
Rthepowe rsupply is no tsufficien t
If th eelectric parking brake is no toperational, a
hor nwill soun dat regular intervals. The HOLD
function mus tthen be deactivated.
If amalfunction occurs, th etransmissio nmay
also be shifted to position jautomatically.
The Brake Immediately
messag emay also
appear in th emultifunction display.
XImmediately depress th ebrake firmly until th e
warnin gmessag ein th emultifunction display
goe sout .
The HOLD function is deactivated. If you turn of f
th eengine, take of fyour seat belt or ope nth e
driver's doo rwhen th eHOLD function is activa-
ted, ahor nwill soun dat regular intervals. The
soundin gof th ehor nalerts you to th efac tthat
th eHOLD function is still activated. If you
attempt to loc kth evehicle, th etone becomes
louder. The vehicle canno tbe locke duntil you
hav edeactivated th eHOLD function .
iAfterswitchin gof fth eengine, it can only be
started again once you hav edeactivated th e
HOLD function .
RACE START
Important safet ynotes
iRAC ESTART mus tno tbe used on normal
roads. RAC ESTART mus tonly be activated
and used on dedicated road circuits, outsid e
of publi croad use.
RAC ESTART enable soptimal acceleration from
a standin gstart .Fo rthis, asuitably high-grip
road surfac eis require dand th evehicle and tires
mus tbe in goo dworking order .
GWARNING
If you use RAC ESTART ,individual tires may
start to spi nand th evehicle could skid.
Dependin gon th eselecte dES P
®mode, there
is an increase dris kof skidding and havin gan
accident. Mak esur ethat no persons, animals
or obstacles are within range of th evehicle.
iObserv eth esafet ynote son drivin gsafet y
systems (Ypage 57).
Be sur eto rea dth esafet ynote sand informa-
tion on ES P
®(Ypage 61).
iObserveth especific servic erequirements
fo rracetrac kmode operation (Ypage 238).
Activation conditions
You can activateRAC ESTART under th efollow -
in g conditions:
Rth edoors are close d
Rtheengin eis running and th eengin eand
transmissio nare at operatin gtemperature .
Thi sis th ecas ewhen th eoil temperature dis -
play in th emultifunction display is shown in
whit e (
Ypage 165).
RESP®is functionin gcorrectl y (Ypage 61 )
Rthesteerin gwhee lis in th estraight-ahead
position
Rth evehicle is stationary and th ebrake peda lis
depressed sufficientl y(lef tfoot )
Rthetransmissio nis in position h
Rdrive program S,S+ orRAC Eis selecte d
(Ypage 111).
140Driving systems
Driving an d parking