2018 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA automatic transmission

Permanent setting (Mercedes-AMG
vehicles) X
To activate: shift the selector lever to [ .X
Press button C .X
To deactivate: press button C .
or X
If position D( automatic transmission) is
selected for the transmission in drive pro-
gram I :s hift to drive program I with the
DYNAMI CS ELECT controller.
Shifting gears
! Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the automatic
transmission does not shift up automatically
even when the engine limiting speed for the
current gear is reached. When the engine lim-
iting speed is reached, the fuel supply is cut to
prevent the engine from overrevving. Always
make sure that the engine speed does not
reach the red area of the tachometer. There is
otherwise ar isk of engine damage.
X
To shift up: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter D .
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear. All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): if the maximum engine speed on the
currently engaged gear is reached and you
continue to accelerate, the automatic trans-
mission automatically shifts up in order to
prevent engine damage. X
To shift down: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter C .
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
Automatic down shifting occurs when coast-
ing.
If the engine exceeds the maximum engine
speed when shifting down, the automatic
transmission protect sa gainst engine damage
by not shifting down.
Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display. X
Shift to recommended gear D according to
gearshift recommendation C when shown in
the multifunction display.
Upshifting (Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
! In manual mode, the automatic transmis-
sion does not shift up automatically even
when the engine limiting speed for the current
gear is reached. When the engine limiting
speed is reached, the fuel supply is cut to
prevent the engine from overrevving. Always
make sure that the engine speed does not
reach the red area of the tachometer. There is
otherwise ar isk of engine damage.Automatic transmission 137
Driving and parking Z

Befor et he engine speed reaches the red area,
an upshift indicator will be show nint he multi-
function display. X
Shift to recommende dg ear C whe nm es-
sage D is show nint he multifunction display.
Kickdown X
For maximum acceleration, depress the
accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to al ower
gea rd epending on the engine speed.X
Shift back up once the desire ds peed is
reached. During kickdown, yo uc annot shift gears using
the steering wheel paddl es hifters.
If yo ua pply ful lt hrottle ,t he automatic trans-
missio ns hifts up to the next gea rw he nt he
maximum engine speed is reached .T hi sp re-
vents the engine from overrevving.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: it is only possible to
use kickdown in temporary manual drive pro-
gram M .W he nm anual drive program M is per-
manently activated, kickdown is not possible.
Problems with the transmission Problem
Possible causes/consequence sa nd P Solutions
The transmission has
problem ss hifting gear. The transmission is losing oil. X
Have the transmission checke dataq uali fied specialist workshop
immediately.
The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no lon-
ger shifts into al loft he
gears.
Revers eg ea rc an no lon-
ger be engaged. The transmission is in emergency mode. X
Stop the vehicle. X
Shift the transmission to position ] .X
Switch off the engine. X
Wait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine. X
Shift the transmission to position [ .X
Have the transmission checke dataq uali fied specialist workshop
immediately.
Refueling
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Fue lish ighly flammable. If yo uh andle fuel
incorrectly ,t here is ar is koff ire and explo-
sion. You mus ta void fire ,o pe nf lames, creating
sparks and smoking. Switch off the engine
and ,ifa ppli cable, the auxiliary heating before
refueling.
G WARNING
Fue lisp oisonou sa nd hazardou stoh ealth.
There is ar isk of injury.138
Refueling
Drivin ga nd parking

Parking
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is ar isk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rials come into contact with parts of the vehi-
cle which are hot. Take particular care not to
park on dry grassland or harvested grain
fields.
G WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example: R
release the parking brake. R
shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P .R
start the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is ar isk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
! Always secure the vehicle correctly against
rolling away .O therwise, the vehicle or its driv-
etrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally: R
the electric parking brake must be applied. R
the transmission must be in position ] and
the transmission position display must show
] in the multifunction display. R
the SmartKey must be removed from the igni-
tion lock. R
on uphill or downhill gradients, the front
wheels must be turned towards the curb. Switching off the engine
Important safety notes
G WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position N when you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away .T here is ar isk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P .P revent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Automatic transmission X
Apply the electric parking brake. X
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): shift the transmission to position ] .
X
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: press button C .X
With the SmartKey : turn the SmartKey to
position Z in the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated. X
With the Start/Stop button: press the
Start/Stop button ( Y
page 122).
The engine stops and all the indicator lamps in
the instrumen tc luster go out.
If the driver's door is closed, this is the same
as key position G .Ift he driver's door is open,
this is the same as key position Z ,i .e. the
SmartKey having been removed.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position ^ or [ ,t he automatic trans-
mission shifts to \\ automatically.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the driv-
er's door or the front-passenger door or remove Parking 141
Driving and parking Z

the SmartKe yf ro mt he ignition, the automatic
transmission shifts to ] automatically.
With the Start/Sto pb utton: if yo ut he no pe n
the driver's door or the front-passenge rd oo r,
the automatic transmission shifts to ] auto-
matically.
If yo uw an tt he automatic transmission to
remai ninn eutral \\ ,e .g .w he nh av in gt he vehi-
cle cleane dinana ut omatic car wash with a
towing system: X
Vehicle sw it ht he Start-Sto pb utton:
remove the Start-Stop button fro mt he igni-
tio nl oc k.X
Insert the SmartKe yi nto the ignition lock.X
Al lv eh icles: switch the ignition on.X
Depres st he brake peda la nd kee pi t
depressed. X
Engage neutral \\ .X
Releas et he brake pedal.X
Releas et he electri cp ar king brake.X
Switch off the ignition and leav et he SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
Electric parking brake
General notes
G WARNING
If yo ul eave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle ,t he yc ould se titinm otion by ,f or example:R
release the parking brake. R
shift the automatic transmission ou toft he
parking position P .R
start the engine.
In addition, the ym ay operate vehicl ee quip-
ment and become trapped .T here is ar is ko f
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKe yw it hy ou and lock the vehicle. Never
leav ec hildren unsupervised in the vehicle. The functio noft he electric parking brake is
dependent on the on-board voltage. If the on-
boar dv oltag eisl ow or there is am al functio ni n
the system, it ma yn ot be possibl etoa pply the
release dp ar king brake. X
If thi sist he case, onl yp ar kt he vehicl eo n
level ground and secur eittop revent it rolling
away. X
Shift the automatic transmission to position
] .
It ma yn ot be possibl etor elease an applied
parking brake if the on-board voltag eisl ow or
there is am al functio nint he system. Contact a
qualified specialis tw or kshop.
The electric parking brake performs af un ction
tes tatr egular intervals whil et he engine is
switched off .T he sound st ha tc an be he ar dw hile
thi siso ccurring ar en ormal.
Applyin gorr eleasing manually
X
To engage: push handle C .
When the electric parking brake is applied,
the red I (USA only) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp lights up in the instru-
ment cluster.
Th ee le ctric parking brake can also be applied
when the SmartKe yisr emoved.X
To release: pull handle C .
The red I (USA only) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
goes out.
Th ee le ctric parking brake can onl yb e
released: R
if the SmartKe yisinp osit ion G or H in
the ignition lock ( Y
page 122 )o rR
if the ignition wa ss wi tched on using the
Start/Stop button142
Parking
Driving an dp arking

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

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

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

accelerate sm or eg ently. This settin gisr ecom-
mended in stop-and-start traffic.
Changing lanes If when driving on multilane roads you wish to
chang etot he overtakin gl ane ,D istance Pilot
DISTRONIC support sy ou if:R
you are driving faster than 45 mph (70 km/ h)R
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ci sm ai ntaining the
distance to av ehicl einf rontR
yo us wi tch on the appropriate tur ns ig nalR
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cd oe sn ot currently
detect ad an ge rofc ollision
If these conditions ar ef ul filled ,y ou rv ehicl ei s
accelerated .A cceleratio nw il lbei nterrupte di f
changing lanes take st oo long or if the distance
between your vehicl ea nd the vehicl einf ront
become st oo small.
Stopping If Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cd et ects tha tt he
vehicl einf ront is stopping, it brakes your vehicle
unti litiss tationary.
Once your vehicl eiss tationary, it remains sta-
tionar ya nd yo udon ot nee dtod ep ress the
brake.
i After at ime ,t he electri cp ar kin gb rake
secures the vehicl ea nd relieves the service
brake.
i Depending on the specifie dm inimu md is -
tance ,y ou rv ehicl ew il lc ome to as tandstil la t
as uf ficient distance behind the vehicl ei n
front. The specifie dm inimu md is tance is set
using the contro lont he cruis ec o ntro ll ev e
r.
When Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ci sa ctivated,
the transmission is shifted automaticall yt o
position ] if:R
the driver's sea tb el tisn ot fastened and the
driver's door is open. R
the engine is switched off ,u nless it is auto-
maticall ys wi tched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
The electri cp ar kin gb rake secures the vehicle
automaticall yifD istance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ci s
activated when the vehicl eiss tationar ya nd:R
as ys tem malfunctio no ccurs.R
the powe rs uppl yisi nsufficient.
If am al functio no ccurs, the transmission may
also shift to position ] automatically. Settin gas peedKee pinm in dt ha titm ay take ab rief moment
unti lt he vehicl eh as accelerated or braked to
the spee ds et. X
Press the cruis ec ontro ll ev er up C for a
highe rs peed or down D for al ower speed.X
To adjus tt he se ts peed in 1m ph incre-
ments (1 km/ hi nc rements): briefl yp ress
the cruis ec ontro ll ev er up C or down D to
the pressure point.
The last stored spee di ncreases or decreases
in 1m ph (1 km/h )i ncrements.X
To adjus tt he se ts peed in 5m ph incre-
ments (1 0k m/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up C or down D
beyond the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 5m ph (10 km/h) increments.
i Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is not deactivated
if you depress the accelerator pedal. If you
accelerat etoo vertake, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC adjusts the vehicle's speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting as pecified minimum distanceYou can set the specified minimum distanc ef or
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC by varying the time
span between one and two seconds. With this
function you can set the minimum distanc et hat
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC maintains to the vehi-
cle in front, dependen tonv ehicle speed. You
can see this distanc eint he multifunction dis-
play ( Y
page 161).
The specified minimum distanc ec an be
changed while Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
switched on or off.
i Make sure that you maintain the minimum
distanc etot he vehicle in fron tasr equired by
law. Adjust the distanc etot he vehicle in front
if necessary.154
Driving systems
Driving and parking