Drivingtips
General notes
Important safet ynotes
GWARNING
If you switch of fthe ignition whil edriving,
safety-relevant function sare only available
wit hlimitations, or no tatall. Thi scould affect,
fo re xample, th epowe rsteerin gand th ebrake
boostin geffect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake .There is arisk
of an accident.
Do no tswitch of fthe ignition whil edriving.
GWARNING
If you operat emobile communication equip -
men twhen driving, you may be distracted
from th etraffic situation .You could also los e
contro lofthevehicle. There is ariskofa n
accident.
Only operat ethise quipmen twhen th evehicle
is stationary.
Observ ethe lega lrequirements fo rthe country
in whic hyou are driving. Some jurisdiction spro-
hibi tthe driver from usin gamobile phone whil e
drivin gavehicle.
If you mak eacallw hiled riving, always use
hands-free mode. Only operat ethe telephon e
when th etraffic situation permits. If you are
unsure ,pull over to asafel ocation and stop
befor eoperatin gthe telephone.
Bear in min dthatatas peed of only 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), th evehicle cover sa
distanc eof44f t(approximately 14 m)per sec-
ond.
Drive sensibly –save fuel
Observe the following tips to save fuel:
RThe tires should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tire pressure.
RRemove unnecessary loads.
RRemove roof racksw hen they are not needed.
RWarm up the engineatlow engin espeeds.
RAvoid frequenta cceleration or braking.
RHave all maintenanc ework carried out as
indicated by the servicei ntervals in the Main- tenance Booklet or by the servicei
nterval dis-
play.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in cold weather, in stop-start traffic and in hilly ter-
rain.
Drinking and driving
GWARNING
Drinkin gand driving and/or takin gdrugs and
driving are very dangerous combinations.
Even asmall amount of alcohol or drugs can
affect your reflexes, perceptions and judg-
ment.
The possibility of aserious or even fatal acci-
dent is greatly increased when you drink or
take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or tak-
ing drugs.
Emission control
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is ar isk of fatal injury. Thereforen ever leave
the engin erunning in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficientv entilation.
Certain engin esystems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous component sinexhaust
fumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance with the
manufacturer's specifications .Always have
work on the engin ecarried out at aqualified
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use an authorized Mercedes-
BenzC enter for this purpose. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related systems
must be carried out at aqualified specialist
workshop.
The engin esettings must not be changed under
any circumstances. Furthermore, all specific
servicew ork must be carried out at regular
intervals and in accordance with the Mercedes-
Benzs ervicer equirements. Details can be found
in the Maintenance Booklet.
144Driving tips
Driving and parking
ECO display
The ECO display showsyou how economical
your driving style is. The ECO display assists you
in achievin gthe mos teconomical driving style
for th eselecte dsettings and prevailingc ondi-
tions .Your driving style can significantly influ-
enc ethe vehicle's consumption.
:Acceleration
;Coasting
=Constant
?Additional range achieved
Range ?is shownu nderBonus
fr.Startand
represents th eadditional range achieve dsince
th eb eginnin gofthejourney as aresult of an
adapted driving style.
If th efuel leve lhas dropped int othe reserve
range, the FuelLow
message is shownint he
multifunction display instead of range ?.The
8 warning lamp in th einstrumen tcluster
also lightsup(
Ypage 224). The ECO display consistsoft
hree sections ,with
an inner and outer area. The sections corre-
spondtot hefollowingt hree categories:
:Acceleration (evaluationofthe
acceleratio nprocesses):
Rtheo uter area fills up and th einner
area lightsupg reen: moderate
acceleration, especiall yathigher
speeds
Rth eo uter area empties and the
inner area is gray: sporty acceler-
ation
;Coasting (evaluationofall decelera-
tio np rocesses):
Rtheo uter area fills up and th einner
area lightsupg reen: anticipatory
driving ,kee pingy our distanc eand
early release of th eaccelerator.
The vehicle can coas twithout use
of th ebrakes.
Rtheo uter area empties and the
inner area is gray: frequenth eavy
braking
=Constant (continuous evaluation
ove rthe entire journey):
Rtheo uter area fills up and th einner
area lightsupg reen: constant
speeda nd avoidanc eofunneces-
sary acceleratio nand deceleration
Rtheo uter area empties and the
inner area is gray: fluctuationsi n
speed
The three inner areas display th ecurren tdriving
style and light up green as aresult of aparticu-
larly economical driving style. Dependingont he
driving situation, up to two areas may light up
simultaneously.
At th ebeginnin gofthejourney, th ethree outer
areas are emptya nd fill up asaresult of eco-
nomical driving .Ahigher leve lindicates amore
economical driving style. If th ethree outer areas
are completely fille datthesame time, th edriver
has adopted th emoste conomical driving style
for th eselecte dsettings and prevailingc ondi-
tions .The ECO display border lightsu p.
The ECO display does no tindicat ethe actual fuel
consumption. The additionally achieve drange
displayed under Bonus fr. Start
does not
indicat eafixed consumptio nreduction.
Driving tips145
Driving and parking
Z
In addition to driving style, the actual consump-
tion is affected by other factors, such as:
RLoad
RTire pressure
RCold start
RChoice of route
RActive electrical consumers
These factors are not includedint he ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving ahigher valu einthe categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant":
Robserve the gearshift recommendations.
Rdrive the vehicle in drive program Cor E
(vehicles with aDYNAMIC SELECT button).
On long journeys at aconstant speed,e .g. on the
highway, only the outer area for "constant" will
change.
The ECO display summarizes the driving style
from the start of the journey to its completion.
Therefore, there are more marked changes in
the outer areasatt he start ofajourney. On lon-
ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform amanua lrest
(
Ypage 181).
For more information on the ECO display, see
(
Ypage 180).
Braking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheelsc ould lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
!On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting to a
lowerg ear in good time. This allows you to
take advantage of engine braking. For this you
must first activate manua lgearshifting. This helps you to avoid overheating the brakes and
wearing them out excessively.
When you take advantage of engine braking, it
is possible that
adrive wheel willn ot rotate for
some time, e.g. on aslippery road surface.
This could cause damage to the drive train.
This type of damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Briefly depressing the accelerator pedalo n
downhill gradients whilet he manualdrive pro-
gram Mis temporarilya ctivated: the automatic
transmission may switch to the last active auto-
matic drive program Eor S.T he automatic trans-
missionm ay shift to ahigherg ear. This can
reduce the engine's braking effect.
Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest you rfoot on the brake pedalw hile
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail.T here is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedalasaf ootrest. Never
depresst he brake pedala nd the accelerator
pedalatt he same time.
!Depressing the brake pedalc onstantly
results in excessive and premature weart o
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load,don ot stop the vehicle immediately.D rive
on for ashort while. This allows the airflow to
cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If you have driven for along time in heavy rain
withoutb raking, there may be adelayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You have to depresst he brake pedalmore
firmly.M aintainagreater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on awet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This willw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
146Driving tips
Driving and parking
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you driveonsalted roads,alayer of salt resi-
due may for monthebraked iscsand brake
pads. This can result in asignificantly longer
braking distance.
RIn ordertop revent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to th et raffic conditions.
RCarefully depress th ebrakep edal and the
beginnin gand end of ajou rney.
RMaintain agreater distanc etothevehicle
ahead.
Servicing th ebrakes
!The brakef luid level may be to olow, if:
Rif th ered brakew arning lamp lightsupi n
th ei nstrumentc luster and
Ryou hearawarning tone while th eengine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brakef luid level may be to olow due to
brak epad wear or leaking brak elines.
Hav ethe brakes ystem checked immediately.
Consult aqualifie dspecialist workshop to
arrange this.
!Af unction or performanc etests hould only
be carried out on a2-axle dynamometer. If
you wish to operate th evehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aqualifie dspe-
cialis tworkshop in advance. You could oth-
erwis edamage th edrivet rain or th ebrake
system.
!As th eESP®system operates automatically,
th ee ngine and th eignitio nmust be switched
off (th eSmartKey must be in position uor
1 in th eignitio nlock), if th eelectric parking
brakeist ested onabraking dynamometer
(maximum 10 seconds).
Brakin gtriggered automatically by ESP
®may
cause severe damage to th ebrakes ystem.
All check sand maintenanc ework on th ebrake
system must be carried out at aqualifie dspe-
cialis tworkshop.
Hav ebrakep ads installe dand brakef luid
replaced at aqualifie dspecialist workshop. If th
ebrakes ystem has onl ybeen subject to
moderatel oads, you should tes tthe functional-
ity of your brakes at regular intervals.
You can fin dadescription of Brake Assist (BAS
)
on (Ypage 61).
Mercedes-Ben zrecommend stha tyou onl yhave
brak epads/linings installe donyour vehicle
whichh ave been approved for Mercedes-Benz
vehicle sorwhichcorrespondtoane quivalent
qualitys tandard. Brake pads/linings whichh ave
not been approved for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles
or whicha re not of an equivalent qualityc ould
affect your vehicle's operatin gsafety.
Mercedes-Ben zrecommend sthaty ou onl yuse
brakef luid that has been specially approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or whichc orre-
sponds to an equivalent qualitys tandard. Brake
fluid whichh as not been approved for
Mercedes-Ben zvehicle sorw hichisn ot of an
equivalent qualityc ould affect your vehicle's
operatin gsafety.
Checkingb rake lining thickness
You can measure th ebreak pad/linin gthick-
nes susingat estg age. Color-coding( green or
red) on th etestg age allows you to determine
whether th ebrakep ad/linin gthicknes sisstill
sufficient .The tes tgage is in th evehicle docu-
mentw allet in th egloveb ox.
Front wheel
Driving tips147
Driving and parking
Z
iAfteratime ,the electri cparking brake
secures the vehicl eand relieves the service
brake.
Whe nthe HOLD functio nisa ctivated,t he trans-
mission is automaticall yshifted to position j
if:
Rthe driver's sea tbeltisn ot fasteneda nd the
driver's door is open.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
maticall yswitched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
The electri cparking brake secures the vehicle
automaticall yifthe HOLD functio nisa ctivated
when the vehicl eisstationar yand:
Ras ystem malfunctio noccurs.
Rthe powe rsuppl yisi nsufficient.
Start-off Assist (except Mercedes-
AMGvehicles)
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If yo uusestart-off assist, individual wheels
mays tart to spi nand the vehicl emayskid. If
ESP
®is deactivated,t hereisag reaterdanger
of skidding and having an accident. Make sure
thatnop ersons or obstacle sarein the vicinity
of the vehicle.
Start-off assist enables optimu macceleration
from astandstill .For this, asuitabl yhigh-grip
roads urface is required ,along with the tire sand
vehicl ebeing in prope roperating condition.
Do not activate start-off assist on public roads.
Observ ethe safety notes on driving safety sys-
tems (
Ypage 61).
Be sure to rea dthe safety notes and information
on ESP
®(Ypage 64).
Activatin gstart-off assist
XDeactivate ESP®(Ypage 185).
XTurn the steering whee ltothe straight-ahead
position.
XDepres sthe brake peda lhardw ithy ourleft
foo tand kee pitdepressed.
XShift the transmission to position D.
XUse the DYNAMIC SELECTb utton to select
the Sdrive program(Ypage 128).
XQuickly depress the accelerator peda lfully.
XTake your foo toff the brake, bu tkeept he
accelerator peda ldep ressed.
The vehicl epulls away at maximu macceler-
ation.
iActivate ESP®as soo nasthe acceleration
proces shasended .ESP®will otherwise not
be able to stabilize the vehicl eifthe vehicle
starts to skidoraw heelstarts to spin.
Canceling start-off assist
XRemove your foo tfrom the accelerator pedal.
XReactivate ESP®.
RAC ESTART (Mercedes-AM Gvehi-
cles)
Important safety notes
iRAC ESTARTm ustn ot be used on normal
roads. RAC ESTARTm usto nlybea ctivated
and used on dedicate droadc ircuits, outside
of public roadu se.
iRAC ESTARTiso nlyavailable in
Mercedes‑AM Gvehicles.
GWARNING
If yo uuseRAC ESTART, individual tire smay
start to spi nand the vehicl ecould skid.
Depending on the selecte dESP
®mode, there
is an increased ris kofskidding and having an
accident. Make sure thatnop ersons, animals
or obstacle sarewithinr ange of the vehicle.
RAC ESTARTe nables optima lacceleratio nfrom
as tanding start. For this, asuitabl yhigh-grip
roads urface is required and the vehicl eand tires
must be in goo dworking order.
iObserv ethe safety notes on driving safety
system s(Ypage 61).
Be sure to rea dthe safety notes and informa-
tio nonE SP
®(Ypage 64).
158Driving systems
Driving an dparking
Conditions for activation
You can activateRACE START if:
Rthed oors, hood and th etrunk lid are closed.
Rthee ngineisr unningand th etransmission,
all-wheel driv eclutch and th eenginea re at
operatin gtem perature.
Rthes teering wheel is in th estraight-ahead
position.
Rth ev ehicle is stationar yand th ebrak epedal is
depressed (leftf oot).
Rthet ransmission is in position h.
Rdriveprogram S,S+ orRACE is selected
(Ypage 129)
Activating RACE START
XDepres sthe brak epedal withy our left foot
and keep it depressed.
XPull and hold boths teering wheel paddle shift-
ers.
XThe RACES TART Confirm: Paddle UPCancel:P addle DOWNmessage appearsi n
th em ultifunction display.
XRelease boths teering wheel paddle shifters.
iIf th eactivation conditionsa re no longer ful-
filled, RACE START is canceled. The RACE
START Not Possible See Operator'sManualmessage appearsinthemultifunction
display.
XTo cancel: pull theleft steering wheel paddle
shifte r(Ypage 136).
or
XTo confirm: pull therigh tsteering wheel pad-
dle shifte r(Ypage 136).
The RACESTARTAvailableDepressgaspedalmessage appearsint hemultifunction
display.
iIf you do no tdepress th eaccelerato rpedal
within afew seconds, RACE START is can-
celed. The multifunction display shows the
RACES TART Canceled
message.
XFully depress th eaccelerato rpedal.
The engines peedisincreased.
The RACE
STARTReleasebraketostartmessage appearsint hemultifunction display.
iIf you do no trelease th ebrak epedal within
as hort time, RACE START will be canceled. The multifunction display shows the
RACE
START Canceledmessage.
XTakeyour foo toff th ebrake, but keep the
accelerato rpedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
The RACE
STARTActivemessage appearsi n
th em ultifunction display.
RACE START is deactivate dwhen th evehicle
reaches aspeedofa pproximately 50 km/h.
RACE START is deactivate dimmediately if you
release th eaccelerato rpedal durin gRACE
START or if any of th eactivation conditionsa re
no longer fulfilled. The RACESTART Not Pos‐
sible See Operator'sM anualorRACESTART Canceledmessage appearsint hemul-
tifunctio ndisplay.
iIf RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available again
after th evehicle has been driven acertain
distance.
AMG adaptiv esport suspension sys-
tem
General notes
The electronicall ycontrolled damping system
work scontinuously. This improve sdriving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each wheel
and depends on:
Ryour driving style, e.g .sporty
Rther oad surface condition,e .g.b umps
Ryour individua lselectio nofSport orComfort
The suspension settin gisadjusted usingt he
correspondingb uttonint hecente rconsole.
iThe mod ecan also be set usingt heAMG
DYNAMIC SELECT controller (Ypage 129).
Eac htimey ou start th eenginew iththeSmart-
Key or th eStart/Sto pbutton, Comfort modeis
activated. For further informatio nabout starting
th ee ngine, see (
Ypage 125).
Driving systems159
Driving and parking
Z
Sport mode
The firmer settingofthe suspension tuning in
Sport mode ensures even better contact with
the road. Select this mode when employing a
sporty driving style, e.g. on winding country
roads.
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. You have selected
Sport mode.
The AMG Suspension System SPORT
mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Comfort mode
In Comfort mode, the driving characteristics of
your vehicle are more comfortable. Select this
mode if you favor amore comfortable driving
style, but also when driving fast on straight
roads, e.g. highways.
XPress button :again so that indicator
lamp ;goes out.
You have selected Comfortmode.
The AMG
SuspensionSystemCOMFORTmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
4MATIC
!
Never tow the vehicle with one axle raised.
This may damage the differential. Damage of
this sort is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty. All wheels must remain
either on the ground or be fully raised.
Observe the instructions for towing the vehi-
cle with all wheels in full contact with the
ground.
4MATIC, together with ESP
®,i mproves the trac-
tion of your vehicle whenever adrive wheel
spins due to insufficient grip. If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor override
the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic conditions.
4MATIC is only an aid. You are responsible for
the distance to the vehicle in front,f or vehicle
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
If ad rive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
ROnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
RAccelerate less when driving.
iIn wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if you
use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow chains
if necessary.
DYNAMIC BODY CONTROL
General notes
DYNAMICB ODY CONTROL offers improved
driving comfort and continuously controls the
calibration of the dampers. The
damping characteristics adapt to the current
operating and driving situation.
The damping is tuned individually to each wheel
and depends on:
Ryour driving style, e.g. sporty
Rthe road surface conditions
Rthe drive program selected
The drive program can be set using the
DYNAMICS ELECT button (
Ypage 128).
Selecting Comfort mode
In theComfort drive program, the driving char-
acteristic sofyour vehicle are more comforta-
ble. Therefore, select this drive program if you
prefer amore comfortable driving style. Also
select the Comfortdrive program when driving
fast on straight roads, e.g. on straight stretches of highway.
XPress DYNAMICS ELECT button (Ypage 128)
as many times as necessary until the Com-
fort drive program is selected.
160Driving systems
Driving and parking
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Â
ObtainaNew Key
The SmartKey needs to be replaced.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
Â
ReplaceKey Batter y
The SmartKey battery is discharged.
XChange thebattery (Ypage 73) .
Â
Don't Forget You rKey
The display message is shown for amaximum of 60 seconds and is
only areminder.
You hav eopened th edriver's door wit hthe engin eswitched off .The
SmartKey is no tintheignition lock. Awarning tone sounds.
XTakethe SmartKey wit hyou when you leav ethe vehicle.
Â
Key Not Detected(redd isplay message )
The SmartKey is no tinthevehicle.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
If th eengineiss witched off ,you can no longer loc kthe vehicl ecen-
trally or start th eengine.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo naspossible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur ethe vehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 141).
XLocate th eSmartKey.
Becaus ethe re is interferenc efromas tron gs ource of radi owaves, th e
SmartKey is no tdetecte dwhilstthe engin eisrunning.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo naspossible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur ethe vehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 141).
XInser tthe SmartKey int othe ignition loc kand drive in SmartKey
mode.
Â
Key Not Detected(whit edisplay message )
The SmartKey is currentl yundetected.
XChange th elocation of th eSmartKey in th evehicle.
If th eSmartKey still canno tbedetected:
XOperat ethe vehicl ewitht he SmartKey in th eignition lock.
Â
Remove 'Start 'But‐ton and Insert Key
The SmartKey is continually undetected.
The SmartKey detection function has atem porar ymalfunction or is
faulty. Awarning tone also sounds.
XInser tthe SmartKey int othe ignition loc kand tur nittot hedesire d
position .
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
Display messages217
On-boardc omputer andd isplays
Z