Winter driving
GWARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
GDANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a
window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road sur-
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and
braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise control or
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the transmission to position i.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
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 driving style. Always
adapt your driving style and drive at a speed to
suit the prevailing weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point. For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (
Ypage 336).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see (
Ypage 335).
Observe the notes i n the "Winter operation" sec-
tion (
Ypage 335).
Driving systems
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive stands for inno-
vative driver assistance and safety systems
which enhance comfort and support the driver in
critical situations. With these intelligent co-ordi- nated systems Mercedes-Benz has set a mile-
stone on the path towards autonomous driving.
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive embraces all
elements of active and passive safety in one well thought out system – for the safety of the vehi-
cle occupants and that of other road users.
Further information on driving safety systems
(
Ypage 65).
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains a constant road speed
for you. It brakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed. 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 wearing too
quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a steady
speed for a prolonged period. You can store any
road speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safety notes
Cruise control can neither reduce the risk of an
accident if you fail to adapt your driving style nor
override the laws of physics. Cruise control can-
not take into account the road, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise control is only an
aid. You are responsible for maintaining a safe
distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
Driving systems169
Driving and parking
Z
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
lane.
Do not use cruise control:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. 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
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
iThe speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Activates or increases speed
;Activates or reduces speed
=Deactivates cruise control
?Activates at the current speed/last stored
speed
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display for
five seconds. The ésymbol appears on the
multifunction display.
Speedometer with segments: when cruise
control is activated, the segments from the
stored speed to the end of the scale light up.
Storing and maintaining the current
speed
You can store the current speed if you are driv-
ing faster than 20 mph (30 km/h).
XAccelerate the vehicle to the desired speed.
XBriefly press the cruise control lever up :or
down ;.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle auto-
matically maintains the stored speed.
iCruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by auto-
matically applying the brakes.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it is lower
than the current speed, the vehicle deceler-
ates. If you do not know the stored speed, the vehicle could decelerate unexpectedly. There
is a risk of an accident.
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 cruise control is activated, it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously stored
speed.
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
170Driving systems
Driving and parking
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC does not react to:
Rpeople or animals
Rstationary objects on the road, e.g. stopped
or parked vehicles
Roncoming vehicles and crossing traffic
As a result, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may
neither give warnings nor intervene in such
situations. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot always
clearly identify other road users and complex
traffic situations.
In such cases, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
Rneither give a warning nor intervene
Raccelerate or brake unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, especially if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
warns you.
GWARNING
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC brakes your vehicle with up to 50% of the maximum possible
deceleration. If this deceleration is not suffi-
cient, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC alerts you
with a visual and acoustic warning. There is a
risk of an accident.
Apply the brakes yourself in these situations
and try to take evasive action.
!When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function are activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations. To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
these systems in the following or similar sit-
uations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC can neither reduce
the risk of an accident if you fail to adapt your
driving style nor override the laws of physics.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot take into
account road, weather or traffic conditions. Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC is only an aid. You are
responsible for maintaining a safe distance to
the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brak-
ing in good time and for staying in lane.
Do not use Distance Pilot DISTRONIC:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. 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
Rin 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 (in countries where
they drive on the left)
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
172Driving systems
Driving an d parking
with the curb or other road boundaries. Be par-
ticularly aware of other road users, e.g. cyclists,
that are directly next to your vehicle.
Obstacles such as traffic markers on a con-
struction site that are on the lane or projecting
out into the lane are not detected.
An inappropriate steering intervention, e.g. afterintentionally driving over a lane marking, can be
corrected at any time if you steer slightly in theopposite direction.
DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Pilot cannot
continuously keep your vehicle in lane. In some
cases, steering intervention is not sufficient to
bring the vehicle back to the lane. In such cases,
you must steer the vehicle yourself to ensure
that it does not leave the lane.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
Rthere are no or several unclear lane markings
for one lane, e.g. roadworks
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too short
and thus the lane markings cannot be detec-
ted
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge
Rthe road is narrow and winding
Rthere are highly variable shade conditions on the roadway
The system is switched to passive and no longer
assists you by performing steering interventions
if:
Ryou actively change lane
Ryou switch on the turn signal
Ryou take your hands off the steering wheel or
do not steer for a prolonged period of time
After you have finished changing lanes, Steering
Pilot is automatically active once more. Steering Pilot cannot provide assistance:
Ron very sharp corners
Rwhen a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire
has been detected and displayed
Pay attention also to the important safety notes
on Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (
Ypage 172).
The steering interventions are carried out with a
limited steering moment. The system requires
the driver to keep his hands on the steering
wheel and to steer himself.
If you do not steer yourself or if you take your
hands off the steering wheel for a prolonged
period of time, the system will first alert you with
a visual warning. A steering wheel symbol
appears in the multifunction display. If you have still not started to steer and have not taken hold
of the steering wheel, a warning tone also
sounds to remind you to take control of the
vehicle after five seconds at the latest. Steering
Pilot is then switched to passive. Distan ce Pilot
D
ISTRONIC remains active.
Activating Steering Pilot
XPress button ;.
Indicator lamp :lights up. The Steering
PilotOnmessage appears on the multifunc-
tion display. Steering Pilot is activated.
178Driving systems
Driving and parking
Parking Pilot no longer supports you with steer-
ing interventions and brake applications. When
Parking Pilot is finished, you must steer and
brake again yourself. Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips:
RThe way your vehicle is positioned in the park-
ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the position and
shape of the vehicles parked in front and
behind it and the conditions of the location. It
may be the case that Parking Pilot guides you
too far into a parking space, or not far enough
into it. In some cases, it may also lead you
across or onto the curb. Cancel the parking
procedure with Parking Pilot if necessary.
RYou can also prematurely select transmission
positionh. The vehicle redirects and does
not drive as far into the parking space. Should
the transmission change take place too early, the parking procedure is canceled. A sensible
parking position can no longer be achieved
from this position.
Exiting a parking space
In order for Parking Pilot to support you when
exiting the parking space:
Rthe border of the parking space must be high enough at the front and the rear. A curb is too
small, for example.
Rthe border of the parking space must not be
too wide. Your vehicle can be maneuvered
into a position at a maximum of 45° to the
starting position in the parking space.
Ra maneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available.
Parking Pilot can assist you with exiting a park-
ing space only if you have parked the vehicle
parallel to the direction of travel using the Park-
ing Pilot.
iIf Parking Assist PARKTRONIC detects
obstacles, Parking Pilot brakes automatically
whilst the vehicle is exiting the parking space.
You are responsible for braking in good time.
XStart the engine.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch on the turn signal in the direction you
are pulling away.
XShift the transmission to position hork.
The Start Parking Pilot?Yes: OKNo:% message appears on the multifunction
display.
XTo cancel the procedure: press the%
button on the multifunction steering wheel or pull away.
or
XTo exit a parking space using Parking
Pilot: press the abutton on the multi-
function steering wheel.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and BrakeObserve Surroundingsmes-
sage appears on the multifunction display.
XLet go of the multifunction steering wheel.
XPull away, being ready to brake at all times. Do
not exceed a maximum speed of approx-
imately 6 mph (10 km/h) when exiting a park-
ing space. Otherwise, Parking Pilot is can-
celed immediately.
XDepending on the message or as required,
shift the transmission to position hork.
Parking Pilot immediately steers in the other
direction. The Parking Pilot Active
Accelerate and BrakeObserve Sur‐roundingsmessage appears on the multi-
function display.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
If you back up after activation, the steering
wheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
XDrive forwards and reverse as prompted by
the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC warning dis-
plays, several times if necessary.
Once you have exited the parking space com-
pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and the
Parking Pilot Finished
message appears
on the multifunction display. You will then have
to steer and merge into traffic on your own.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is still available.
You can take over the steering before the vehi-
cle has exited the parking space completely.
This is useful if you recognize that it is already
possible to pull out of the parking space.
Driving systems187
Driving and parking
Z
The system processes images from the follow-
ing cameras:
RRear view camera
RFront camera
RTwo side cameras in the exterior mirrors
The cameras cover the immediate surroundings
of the vehicle. The system supports you, for
example when parking or if vision is restricted at
an exit.
You can show images from the 360° camera in
full-screen mode or in six different split-screen
views on the multimedia system. A split-screen
view also includes a top view of the vehicle. This
view is calculated from the data supplied by the installed cameras (virtual camera).
The six split-screen views are:
RTop view and picture from the rear view cam-
era (130° viewing angle)
RTop view and image from the front camera
(130° viewing angle without displaying the
maximum steering wheel angle)
RTop view and enlarged rear view
RTop view and enlarged front view
RTop view and images from the rear-facing side
cameras (rear wheel view)
RTop view and images from the forward-facing
side cameras (front wheel view)
When the function is active and you shift the
transmission from hork toi, the guide
lines on the multimedia system are hidden.
When you shift between transmission positions
h and k, you see the previously selected front
or rear view.
Distances measured by Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC will also be optically displayed:
Rin split screen view as red or yellow brackets
around the vehicle icon in the top view, or
Rat the bottom right as red or yellow brackets
around the vehicle symbol in full-screen mode
The line thickness and color of the brackets
show how far the vehicle is from an object.
Ryellow brackets with thin lines: Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC is active
Ryellow brackets with normal lines: an object is present in close range of the vehicle
Rred line: an object is present in the immediate
close range of the vehicle
Important safety notes
The 360°camera is only an aid and may show a
distorted view of obstacles, show them incor-
rectly or not at all. The 360°camera is not a
substitute for attentive driving.
You are always responsible for safe maneuver-
ing and parking. Make sure that there are no
persons, animals or objects in the maneuvering
area while maneuvering and parking in parking
spaces.
You are always responsible for safety, and must
always pay attention to your surroundings when
parking and maneuvering. This applies to the
areas behind, in front of and beside the vehicle.
You could otherwise endanger yourself and oth-
ers.
The 360° camera will not function or will func-
tion in a limited manner:
Rif the doors are open
Rif the exterior mirrors are folded in
Rif the trunk lid is open
Rin heavy rain, snow or fog
Rat night or in very dark places
Rif the cameras are exposed to very bright light
Rif the area is lit by fluorescent bulbs or LED
lighting (the display may flicker)
Rif the camera lenses fog up, e.g. when driving
into a heated garage in winter, causing a rapid
change in temperature
Rif the camera lenses are dirty or covered
Rif the vehicle components in which the cam-
eras are installed are damaged. In this case,
have the camera position and setting checked
at a qualified specialist workshop
Do not use the 360° camera in this case. You
can otherwise injure others or cause damage to
objects or the vehicle.
The guide lines in the multimedia system display
show the distances to your vehicle. The distan-
ces only apply to road level.
The camera in the rear area is protected by
means of a flap. This flap opens when the 360° camera is activated. Observe the notes on
cleaning (
Ypage 313). For technical reasons,
the flap may remain open briefly after the 360°
camera has been deactivated.
The field of vision and other functions of the
camera system may be restricted due to addi-
tional attachments (e.g. license plate holder,
rear bicycle carrier).
Driving systems195
Driving and parking
Z
Rif you have adopted a sporty driving style withhigh cornering speeds or high rates of accel-
eration
Rif you are predominantly driving at a speed
below 37 mph (60 km/h) or above 124 mph
(200 km/h)
Rif you are driving with the Steering Pilot of
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC activated
Rif the time has been set incorrectly
Rin active driving situations, such as when you
change lanes or change your speed
The ATTENTION ASSIST tiredness assessment
is deleted and restarted when continuing the
journey, if:
Ryou switch off the engine
Ryou take off your seat belt and open the driv-
er's door, e.g. for a change of drivers or to
take a break
Displaying the attention level
In the Assistance menu (Ypage 222) of the on-
board computer, you can call up the current sta-
tus information.
XSelect the Assistance display for ATTENTION
ASSIST using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 221).
The following information appears:
RThe length of the journey since the last break.
Rthe attention level determined by ATTENTION ASSIST (Attention Level), displayed in a
bar display in five levels from high to low.
Rif ATTENTION ASSIST is unable to calculate
the attention level and cannot issue a warn-
ing, the System Suspended
message
appears. The bar display then changes the
display, e.g. if you are driving at a speed below
37 mph (60 km/h) or above 124 mph
(200 km/h).
Activating ATTENTION ASSIST
XActivate ATTENTION ASSIST using the on-
board computer (Ypage 223).
The system determines the attention level of
the driver depending on the setting selected:
Selection Standard
: the sensitivity with which
the system determines the attention level is set
to normal.
Selection Sensitive
: the sensitivity is set
higher. The attention level detected by Attention
Assist is adapted accordingly and the driver is
warned earlier.
When ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated, the
é symbol appears in the multifunction dis-
play in the assistance graphic display.
When ATTENTION ASSIST has been deactivated,
it is automatically reactivated after the engine
has been stopped. The sensitivity selected cor-
responds to the last selection activated (stand-
ard/sensitive).
Warning in the multifunction display
If fatigue or increasing lapses in concentration
are detected, a warning appears in the multi-
function display: ATTENTION ASSIST
Take aBreak!.
In addition to the message shown in the multi-
function display, you will then hear a warning
tone.
XIf necessary, take a break.
XConfirm the message by pressing the a
button on the steering wheel.
On long journeys, take regular breaks in good
time to allow yourself to rest properly. If you do
not take a break and ATTENTION ASSIST con-
tinues to detect increasing lapses in concentra-
tion, you will be warned again after 15 minutes
at the earliest. This will only happen if ATTEN-
TION ASSIST still detects typical indicators of
fatigue or increasing lapses in concentration.
Vehicles with COMAND multimedia system:
if a warning appears in the multifunction display, a service station search is performed in the mul-
timedia system. You can select a service station
and navigation to this service station will then
begin. This function can be activated and deac-
tivated in the COMAND multimedia system (see
the Digital Operator's Manual).
Driving systems199
Driving and parking
Z
Warning lamp
:Warning lamp
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). Vehicles in
the monitoring range are then not indicated.
If a vehicle is detected within the blind spot
monitoring range at speeds above 20 mph
(30 km/h), warning lamp :on the correspond-
ing side lights up red. This warning is always
emitted when a vehicle enters the blind spot
monitoring range from behind or from the side.
When you overtake a vehicle, the warning only
occurs if the difference in speed is less than
7 mph (12 km/h).
If you select the reverse gear, Blind Spot Assist is not operational.
The brightness of the warning lamps is auto-
matically adapted to the brightness of the sur-
roundings.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range of
Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the corre-
sponding turn signal, a double warning tone
sounds. The red warning lamp flashes on the
relevant exterior mirror. If the turn signal
remains on, detected vehicles are indicated by
the flashing of the red warning lamp on the exte-
rior mirror. There are no further warning tones.
Switching on Blind Spot Assist
XMake sure that Blind Spot Assist is activated
in the on-board computer (Ypage 223).
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
The red warning lamps on the exterior mirrors
light up until the engine is started.
Display in the assistance graphic
When Blind Spot Assist is activated, gray radar
waves propagating backwards appear next to
the vehicle in the assistance display in the mul-
tifunction display (
Ypage 221). Above a speed
of 20 mph (30 km/h), the color of the radar
waves in the assistance graphic changes to
green :. Blind Spot Assist is then ready for use.
Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicle by means of multifunction cam-
era:which is attached behind the top of the
windshield. Active Lane Keeping Assist detects
lane markings on the road and can warn you
before you leave your lane unintentionally.
This function is available in the range between
40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and 200 km/h).
A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel for
up to 1.5 seconds.
202Driving systems
Driving and parking