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
When you activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC,
the stored speed will appear on the multifunc-
tion display for five seconds.
Speedometer with segments: when Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC is activated, the segments of
the stored speed light up to the end of the scale
or to a permanently set speed limit.
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 activated, but not intervening
at present.
RParking Pilot must not be activated.
Rthe transmission must be in position h.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift the transmission from positionjtoh
or your seat belt must be fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
Rthe vehicle must not slide.
Activating
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?or push it up :or down ;.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the Distance
PilotSuspendedmes-
sage appears on 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 push 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 systems173
Driving and parking
Z
When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated,
the transmission shifts automatically to position
jif:
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.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated when the vehicle is stationary and:
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is insufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, the transmission may
also be shifted to position jautomatically.
Setting a speed
XPush 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 push
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 push
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.
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, depending on vehicle speed. You
can see this distance in the multifunction dis-
play (
Ypage 176).
Make sure that you maintain the minimum dis-
tance to the vehicle in front as required by law. Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front if nec-
essary.
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.
Displays in the instrument cluster
Displays in the speedometer
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a vehicle in
front, segments between speed of the vehicle in
front :and stored speed ;light up.
Vehicles with the Driving Assistance Plus
package: the segments likewise light up if a
vehicle in front is detected in the fast lane.
For design reasons, the speed displayed in the
speedometer may differ slightly from the speed
set for Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
Driving systems175
Driving and parking
Z
Information in the multifunction display
If Steering Pilot isactivated but not ready for a
steering intervention, steering wheel symbol :
appears ingray. Ifthe system provide s youwith
support bymeans of steering interventions,
symbol :isshown in green.
Deactivating Steering Pilot
XPress button ;.
Indic ator lamp :goes out. The Steering
Pilot Offmessage appears on the mult i-
function display.Steering pilot is deactivate d.
When Distance Pilot DI STRONIC isdeactivated
or not available, Steering Pilot isdeactivated
automatically.
HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driverinthe
fol lowin g situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especial lyon steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waitingintraff ic
The veh icle iskept stationary without the driver
having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect iscanceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pullaway.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked bythe HOLD function if:
Rthere isa malfunction inthe system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
Rthe electrical system inthe engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
There isa risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
!When DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD func-
tion isactivated, the vehicle brakes automat-
ically incertain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
DI ST RONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the fol lowing or similar situations:
Rwhen to wing the vehicle
Rinthe car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function (
Ypage 180).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function ifall of the
fol lowin g conditions are fulfilled:
Rthe vehicle isstationary.
Rthe engine is running or if ithas been auto-
matical ly switched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
Rthe driver's door isclosed or your seat belt is
fastened.
Rthe electr icparking brake isreleased.
Rthe transmission isin position h,kori.
RDIST RONIC PLUS is deactivate d.
Driving systems179
Driving and parking
Z
Activating the HOLD function
XMakesur ethat th eactivation condition sare
met .
XDepress th ebrak epedal .
XQuickl ydepress th ebrak epedal further
until :appear sin th emultifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release th ebrak epedal .
If depressing th ebrak epedal th efirst time does
no tactivat eth eHOLD function ,wait briefl yand
then tr yagain .
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
Ryou depress th eaccelerato rand th etrans -
mission is in position hork
Rthetransmission is in position j
Ryou depress thebrak epedal again wit h acer-
tai namount of pressur euntil display ë
disappear sfrom th emultifunction display
Ryou secure th evehicl eusin gth eelectric park -
ing brake.
Ryou activat eDISTRONI CPLU S
Afte r atime, th eelectric parking brak esecures
th evehicl eand relieves th eservic ebrake.
When th eHOLD function is activated, th etrans -
mission is shifte dautomatically to position j
if:
Rth edriver's seat belt is no tfastene dand th e
driver's door is open .
Rtheengin eis switched off ,unless it is auto -
matically switched off by th eECO start/sto p
function . The electric parking brak
esecures th evehicl e
automatically if th eHOLD function is activated
when th evehicl eis stationary and :
Rasystem malfunction occurs.
Rth epowe rsupply is insufficient.
If amalfunction occurs, th etransmission may
also be shifte dto position jautomatically.
RACE START
Import ant safety notes
iRACE START mus tno tbe used on normal
roads. RACE START mus tonly be activated
and used on dedicated road circuits, outside
of public road use.
iRACE START is only available for Mercedes-
AM Gvehicles except Mercedes-AM G C43
4MATIC.
RACE START enables optimal acceleration from
a standing start .Fo rthis, asuitably high-grip
road surfac eis require dand th evehicl eand tires
mus tbe in goo dworking order.
GWARNIN G
If you use RACE START ,individual tires may
start to spin and th evehicl ecould skid.
Dependin gon th eselected ES P
®mode, there
is an increased ris kof skiddin gand having an
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 65).
Be sur eto read th esafet ynote sand informa-
tion on ES P
®(Ypage 69).
Conditions for activati on
You can activateRACE START if:
Rth edoor sare closed.
Rth eengin eis runnin gand it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
16 0 ‡ (71 †). This is th ecas ewhen th eoil
temperature gauge in th emultifunction dis-
play is shown in white.
Rth edrive program S,S+ orRace is selected.
(Ypage 144)
Rth esteering whee lis in th estraight-ahead
position .
180Driving systems
Driving and parking
Rthe vehicle is stationary and the brake pedal is
depressed (left foot).
Rthe transmission is in positionh
Activating RACE START
iWhen manual mode (Ypage 152) is active,
the transmission automatically shifts up to
RACE START in the drive program. This func-
tion supports maximum acceleration with
RACE START. After going through an acceler-
ating process once from a stationary position, this function is automatically deactivated.
XDepress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
XPull and hold both steering wheel paddle shift-
ers (Ypage 152).
The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWNmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
XRelease both steering wheel paddle shifters
(Ypage 152).
iIf the activation conditions are no longer ful-
filled, RACE START is canceled. The RACE
START Canceledmessage appears in the
multifunction display.
XTo cancel: pull the left steering wheel paddle
shifter (Ypage 152).
or
XTo confirm: pull the right steering wheel pad- dle shifter (Ypage 152).
The RACESTARTAvailableDepressgaspedal.message appears in the multifunction
display.
iIf you do not depress the accelerator pedal
fully within two seconds, RACE START is can-
celed. The RACE
STARTNotPossibleSeeOperator'sManualmessage appears in the
multifunction display.
XDepress the accelerator pedal completely,
until the engine speed stops increasing.
The RACE
STARTReleasebraketostartmessage appears in the multifunction display.
iIf you do not release the brake pedal within
five seconds, RACE START is canceled. The
RACE START Canceled
message appears in
the multifunction display.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation. The
RACE
STARTActivemessage appears in
the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 30 mph (Can-
ada: 50 km/h).
RACE START is deactivated immediately if you
release the accelerator pedal during RACE
START or if any of the activation conditions are
no longer fulfilled. The RACE START Not Pos‐
sible See Operator's ManualorRACESTART Canceledmessage appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
iIf RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available again
after the vehicle has been driven a certain
distance.
AIRMATIC
General notes
AIRMATIC is an air suspension with variable
damping for improved driving comfort. All-round
level control ensures the best possible suspen-
sion and constant ground clearance, even with a
laden vehicle. When you drive fast, the vehicle is
lowered automatically to improve driving safety
and to reduce fuel consumption. There is also
the option to manually adjust the vehicle level.
AIRMATIC consists of level setting, level control
and ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping System with
continuous damping adjustment).
The vehicle level can be set using the DYNAMIC
SELECT switch (
Ypage 144) or the level button
(Ypage 182). The setting always corresponds
to the last selected function.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or
in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered.
iIf one of the doors is open, the vehicle is not
lowered.
Driving system s181
Driving an d parking
Z
status indicator on the instrument cluster. When
a parking space has been detected, an arrow
towards the right or the left also appears. Park-
ing Pilot only displays parking spaces on the
front-passenger side as standard. Parking
spaces on the driver's side are displayed as
soon as the turn signal on the driver's side is
activated. When parking on the driver's side,
this must remain activated until you confirm the use of Parking Pilot by pressing the abutton
on the multifunction steering wheel. The system
automatically determines whether the parking
space is parallel or at right angles to the direc-
tion of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are driv- ing past it, and until you are approximately 50 ft
(15 m) away from it.
Parking
GWARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Parking Pilot, it could roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
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 secure it
against rolling away.
iIf Parking Assist PARKTRONIC detects
obstacles, Parking Pilot brakes automatically
whilst the vehicle is being parked. You are
responsible for braking in good time.
XStop the vehicle when the parking space sym- bol shows the desired parking space in the
instrument cluster.
XShift the transmission to position k.
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
XParking using Parking Pilot: press button
a on the multifunction steering wheel.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and BrakeObserve Surroundingsmes-
sage appears on the multifunction display.
XLet go of the multifunction steering wheel.
XBack up the vehicle, being ready to brake at all
times. When backing up, drive at a speed
below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwise, Parking Pilot is canceled immediately. Parking Pilot brakes the vehicle to a standstill
when the vehicle approaches the rear border
of the parking space.
Maneuvering may be required in tight parking spaces.
The Parking Pilot Active Select D
Observe Surroundingsmessage appears on
the multifunction display.
XShift the transmission to position hwhen
the vehicle is stationary.
Parking Pilot immediately steers in the other
direction.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and BrakeObserve Surroundingsmes-
sage appears on the multifunction display.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
XDrive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
Parking Pilot brakes the vehicle to a standstill when the vehicle approaches the front border
of the parking space.
Maneuvering may be required in tight parking spaces.
The Parking Pilot Active Select R
Observe Surroundingsmessage appears on
the multifunction display.
As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
the Parking Pilot Finished
message
appears and a warning tone sounds. The vehicle
is now parked.
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal. The braking
effect is canceled when you depress the accel-
erator pedal.
186Driving 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
Canceling Active Parking Pilot
XStop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Parking Pilot is canceled immediately. The
Parking
PilotCanceledmessage appears
on the multifunction display.
or
XPress the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC button
(Ypage 190).
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is switched off
and Parking Pilot is immediately canceled.
The Parking Pilot Canceled
message
appears on the multifunction display.
Parking Pilot is canceled automatically when:
Rthe electric parking brake is engaged
Rtransmission position jis selected
Rparking using Parking Pilot is no longer pos-
sible
Ryou are driving faster than 6 mph (10 km/h)
Ra wheel spins, ESP®intervenes or fails. In
such cases the ÷warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster
A warning tone sounds. The parking symbol dis-
appears and the multifunction display shows the
Parking Pilot Canceled
message.
When Parking Pilot is canceled, you must steer
and brake again yourself.
If a system malfunction occurs, the vehicle is
braked to a standstill. To drive on, depress the
accelerator again.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is an electronic
parking aid with ultrasound. It monitors the area
around your vehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. Parking Assist PARKTRONIC visually
and audibly indicates the distance between your
vehicle and an object.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is
not a replacement for your attention to your
immediate surroundings. You are always
responsible for safe maneuvering, parking and
exiting a parking space. Make sure that there
are no persons, animals or objects in the maneu- vering area while maneuvering and parking in/
leaving parking spaces.
!When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such as
flower pots or trailer drawbars. Parking Assist PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of the
vehicle. You could damage the vehicle or the
objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic car
wash, the compressed-air brakes of a truck or
a pneumatic drill could cause Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC to malfunction.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC may not function
correctly on uneven terrain.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is activated auto-
matically when you:
Rswitch on the ignition
Rshift the transmission to position h,k or
i
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactivated at
speeds above 11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactiva-
ted at lower speeds.
Range of the sensors
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC does not take into
account obstacles located:
Rbelow the detection range, e.g. people, ani-
mals or objects.
Rabove the detection range, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of trucks.
:Sensors in the front bumper, left-hand side
(example)
188Driving systems
Driving and parking