2018 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA Owners Manual

Applyin ga ut om aticallyThe electric parking brak eisa utomatically
applie dw hen th et ra nsmission is in position ]
and : R
th ee ng in eiss witched off orR
th ed river is no tw earing as eat belt and th e
driver's door is opened
To preven tt he electric parking brak ef ro mb ein g
automatically applied, pull handle C .
The electric parking brak eisa lso engage da uto -
matically if: R
Distanc eP ilo tD ISTR ONI Cb ring st he vehicl e
to as ta ndstill orR
th eH OL Df unction is keepin gt he vehicl es ta -
tionary R
Parking Pilo tisk ee pin gt he vehicl es ta tionary
In addition ,atl east on eoft he followin gc ondi -
tion sm us tbef ulfilled :R
th ee ng in eiss witched offR
th ed river is no tw earing as eat belt and th e
driver's door is opened R
there is as ystem malfunctionR
th ep owe rs upply is insufficien tR
th ev ehicl eiss ta tionary for al engthy period
The red I (US Ao nl y) or $ (Canada only)
indicator lamp in th ei nstrumen tc luste rg oe s
out .
The electric parking brak eisn ot automatically
engage dift he engin eiss witched off by th eE CO
start/sto pf unction .
Releasing automatically Your vehicle's electric parking brak eisa uto -
matically release difa ll of th ef ollowin gc ondi -
tion sa re met :R
th ee ng in eisr unnin gR
th et ra nsmission is in position [ or ^ and
you depress th ea ccelerato rp edal or shif t
from position ] to [ or ^R
th es eat belt has been fastene d
if th et ra nsmission is in position ^ ,t he trunk lid
mus tbec losed. If your seat belt is no tf astened, th ef ollowin g
condition sm us tbef ulfilled to automatically
release th ee lectric parking brake: R
th ed river's door is closed R
you are shifting from transmission position
] or hav ep reviously driven at speeds
greate rt ha n2m ph (3 km/ h)
Ensure tha ty ou do not depress the accelerator
peda lu nintentionally. Otherwise, the parking
brake will be released and the vehicl ew il ls tart
to move.
Emergenc yb rakingThe vehicl ec an also be braked durin gane mer-
gency by using the electri cp ar kin gb rake.X
Whil ed riving, push handle C of the electric
parkin gb rake ( Y
page 142).
The vehicl eisb raked as long as yo uk eep
handle C of the electri cp ar kin gb rake
pressed. The longe rt he electri cp ar kin gb rake
handle C is depressed, the greate rt he brak-
ing force.
During braking: R
aw ar ning tone sounds R
the Releas eP arkin gB rake message
appears R
the red I (USA only) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes
When the vehicl eh as been braked to as tand-
still ,t he electri cp ar kin gb rake is engaged.
Parking the vehicle fo ral on gp eriodIf yo ul eave the vehicl ep ar ked for longe rt han
fou rw ee ks ,t he battery ma ybed amaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If yo ul eave the vehicl ep ar ked for longe rt ha ns ix
weeks ,t he vehicl em ay suffe rd amag easa
resul tofl ac kofu se . X
Visi taq uali fied specialis tw or kshop and seek
advice.
i Yo uc an obtai ni nformatio na bout trickle
chargers fro maq uali fied specialis tw or k-
shop. Parking 143
Driving an dp arking Z

Drivin gt ip s
General notes
Important safet yn otes
G WARNING
If you switch of ft he ignition whil ed riving,
safety-relevant function sa re only available
wit hl imitations, or no tata ll. Thi sc ou ld affect,
fo re xa mple, th ep owe rs te erin ga nd th eb rake
boostin ge ffect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake .T here is ar is k
of an accident.
Do no ts witch of ft he ignition whil ed riving.
G WARNING
If you operat em ob ile communication equip -
men tw hen driving, you may be distracted
from th et ra ffic situation .Y ou could also los e
contro loft he vehicle. There is ar is kofa n
accident.
Only operat et hi se quipmen tw hen th ev ehicle
is stationary.
Observ et he lega lr equirements fo rt he country
in whic hy ou are driving. Some jurisdiction sp ro -
hibi tt he driver from usin gam ob ile phone whil e
drivin gav ehicle.
If you mak eac al lw hil ed riving, always use
hands-free mode. Only operat et he telephon e
when th et ra ffic situation permits. If you are
unsure ,p ull over to as af el ocation and stop
befor eo peratin gt he telephone.
Bear in min dt ha tatas peed of only 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), th ev ehicle cover sa
distanc eo f4 4f t( approximately 14 m) per sec-
ond.
Drive sensibly –s ave fuelObserve the following tips to save fuel: R
The tires should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tire pressure. R
Remove unnecessary loads. R
Remove roof rack sw hen they are not needed.R
Warm up the engin eatl ow engin es peeds.R
Avoid frequen ta cceleration or braking.R
Have all maintenanc ew ork carried out as
indicated by the servic ei ntervals in the Main- tenance Booklet or by the servic ei nterval dis-
play.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffic and in hilly ter-
rain.
Drinking and driving
G WARNING
Drinkin ga nd driving and/or takin gd rugs and
driving are very dangerous combinations.
Even as mall amount of alcohol or drugs can
affect your reflexes, perceptions and judg-
ment.
The possibility of as erious 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
G WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is ar isk of fatal injury. Therefor en ever leave
the engin er unning in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficien tv entilation.
Certain engin es ystems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous component sine xhaust
fumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance with the
manufacturer's specifications .A lways have
work on the engin ec arried out at aq ualified
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use an authorized Mercedes-
Ben zC enter for this purpose. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related systems
must be carried out at aq ualified specialist
workshop.
The engin es ettings must not be changed under
any circumstances. Furthermore, all specific
servic ew ork must be carried out at regular
intervals and in accordance with the Mercedes-
Ben zs ervic er equirements. Details can be found
in the Maintenance Booklet.144
Driving tips
Driving and parking

ECO display The ECO display show sy ou how economical
your driving style is. The ECO display assists you
in achievin gt he mos te conomical driving style
for th es electe ds ettings and prevailin gc ondi-
tions .Y our driving style can significantly influ-
enc et he vehicle's consumption.
C
AccelerationD
Coasting

In addition to driving style, the actual consump-
tion is affected by other factors, such as: R
Load R
Tire pressure R
Cold start R
Choice of route R
Active electrical consumers
These factors are not include dint he ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving ah igher valu eint he categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant": R
observe the gearshift recommendations. R
drive the vehicle in drive program C or E
(vehicles with aD YNAMIC SELECT button).
On long journeys at ac onstant 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 area satt he start of aj ourney. On lon-
ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform am anua lr est
( Y
page 181).
For more information on the ECO display, see
( Y
page 180).
Braking
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If you shift down on as lippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheel sc ould lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on as lippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
! On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting to a
lowe rg ear in good time. This allows you to
take advantage of engine braking. For this you
must first activate manua lg earshifting. This helps you to avoid overheating the brakes and
wearing them out excessively.
When you take advantage of engine braking, it
is possible that ad rive wheel wil ln ot rotate for
some time, e.g. on as lippery 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 peda lo n
downhill gradients whil et he manua ld rive pro-
gram M is temporaril ya ctivated: the automatic
transmission may switch to the last active auto-
matic drive program E or S .T he automatic trans-
missio nm ay shift to ah ighe rg ear. This can
reduce the engine's braking effect.
Heavy and light loads
G WARNING
If you rest you rf oot on the brake peda lw 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 peda lasaf ootrest. Never
depres st he brake peda la nd the accelerator
peda latt he same time.
! Depressing the brake peda lc onstantly
results in excessive and premature wea rt o
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to ah eavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicle immediately .D rive
on for as hort while. This allows the airflow to
cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads If you have driven for al ong time in heavy rain
withou tb raking, there may be ad elayed 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 depres st he brake peda lm ore
firmly .M aintai nag reater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on aw et road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whil ep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This wil lw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.146
Driving tips
Driving and parking

Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you driv eons alted roads ,al ayer of salt resi-
due may for mont he brak ed isc sa nd brake
pads. This can result in as ignificantly longer
braking distance. R
In orde rtop revent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to
th et ra ffic conditions.R
Carefully depress th eb rak ep edal and the
beginnin ga nd end of aj ou rney.R
Maintain ag reater distanc etot he vehicle
ahead.
Servicing th eb rakes
! The brak ef luid level may be to ol ow, if:R
if th er ed brak ew arning lamp light supi n
th ei nstrumen tc luster andR
you hear aw arning tone while th ee ngine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brak ef luid level may be to ol ow due to
brak ep ad wear or leaking brak el ines.
Hav et he brak es ystem checked immediately.
Consult aq ualifie ds pecialist workshop to
arrange this.
! Af unction or performanc et es ts hould only
be carried out on a2 -a xle dynamometer. If
you wish to operate th ev ehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aq ualifie ds pe-
cialis tw orkshop in advance. You could oth-
erwis ed amage th ed riv et ra in or th eb rake
system.
! As th eE SP ®
system operates automatically,
th ee ngine and th ei gnitio nm ust be switched
off (th eS ma rtKey must be in position

Rear whee lX
Bring th ev ehicl ea nd wheels int oas uitable
position so that you can attach test gage

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 you rv ehicle winter-proofed at aq ualified
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 Pilo tD ISTRONIC.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed: X
Shift the transmission to position N .X
Try to bring the vehicle under control using
corrective steering.
The outsid et emperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outsid et emperature are dis-
played after as hort delay.
Indicated temperature sj ust above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
woode da rea soronb ridges.
You shoul dp ay specia la ttention to road condi-
tions when temperature sa re around freezing
point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see ( Y
page 290).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see ( Y
page 289).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec-
tion ( Y
page 289).
Drivin gs ystems
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains ac onstant road speed
for you .Itb rakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed .Onl ong and steep
downhill gradients, especially if the vehicle is
laden, you must select al ow gear in good time.
You need to shift manually using the steering
wheel paddle shifters beforehand. By doing so,
you wil lm ake use of the braking effect of the engine. This relieves the load on the brake sys-
tem and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly.
When the engine is running, you can use the
cruise control lever to limi tt he speed to any
speed betwee n20m ph (30 km/h )a nd the tech-
nicall yp ermitted maximum speed of the vehicle.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain as teady
speed for ap rolonge dp eriod.
The speed indicated in the speedometer may
differ slightly from the speed stored.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt you rd riving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the law sofp hysics. Cruise control
cannot take into account the road, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise control is only an
aid .Y ou are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed ,f or braking in
good time and for staying in you rl ane.
Do not use cruise control: R
in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain ac onstant speed ,e .g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads R
on slippery road surfaces .B raking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheel stol ose
traction and the vehicle could then skid R
in poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
If there is ac hange of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
C
Activates or increases speed
D
Activates or reduces speedDriving systems 149
Driving and parking Z