2018 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA steering

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

i After at ime ,t he electri cp ar king brake
secures the vehicl ea nd relieves the service
brake.
Whe nt he HOLD functio ni sa ctivated ,t he trans-
mission is automaticall ys hifted to position ]
if: R
the driver's sea tb el tisn ot fastene da nd the
driver's door is open. R
the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
maticall ys wi tched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
The electri cp ar king brake secures the vehicle
automaticall yift he HOLD functio ni sa ctivated
when the vehicl eiss tationar ya nd:R
as ys tem malfunctio no ccurs.R
the powe rs uppl yisi nsufficient.
Start-off Assist (except Mercedes-
AM Gv eh icles)
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If yo uu se start-off assist, individual wheels
ma ys tart to spi na nd the vehicl em ay skid. If
ESP ®
is deactivated ,t her eisag reate rd an ger
of skidding and having an accident. Make sure
tha tnop er sons or obstacle sa re in the vicinity
of the vehicle.
Start-off assist enables optimu ma cceleration
from as tandstill .F or this, as ui tabl yh ig h-grip
roa ds ur face is required ,a lo ng with the tire sa nd
vehicl eb ei ng in prope ro pe rating condition.
Do not activate start-off assist on public roads.
Observ et he safety notes on driving safety sys-
tems ( Y
page 61).
Be sure to rea dt he safety notes and information
on ESP ®
( Y
page 64).
Activatin gs tart-off assistX
Deactivate ESP ®
( Y
page 185).X
Turn the steering whee ltot he straight-ahead
position. X
Depres st he brake peda lh ar dw it hy ou rl ef t
foo ta nd kee pitd ep ressed.X
Shift the transmission to position D . X
Use the DYNAMIC SELEC Tb ut ton to select
the S drive progra m( Y
page 128).X
Quickly depress the accelerator peda lf ully.X
Take your foo to ff the brake, bu tk ee pt he
accelerator peda ld ep ressed.
The vehicl ep ulls away at maximu ma cceler-
ation.
i Activate ESP ®
as soo na st he acceleration
proces sh as ended .E SP ®
will otherwise not
be able to stabilize the vehicl eift he vehicle
starts to ski doraw heel starts to spin.
Canceling start-off assist X
Remove your foo tf rom the accelerator pedal.X
Reactivate ESP ®
.
RAC ES TART (Mercedes-AM Gv eh i-
cles)
Important safety notes
i RAC ES TAR Tm us tn ot be used on normal
roads. RAC ES TAR Tm us to nl ybea ctivated
and used on dedicate dr oa dc ircuits, outside
of public roa du se .
i RAC ES TAR Tiso nl ya vailable in
Mercedes ‑ AM Gv ehicles.
G WARNING
If yo uu se RAC ES TART, individual tire sm ay
start to spi na nd the vehicl ec ould skid.
Depending on the selecte dE SP ®
mode, there
is an increased ris kofs kidding and having an
accident. Make sure tha tnop er sons, animals
or obstacle sa re withi nr an ge of the vehicle.
RAC ES TAR Te nables optima la cceleratio nf rom
as tanding start. For this, as ui tabl yh ig h-grip
roa ds ur face is required and the vehicl ea nd tires
must be in goo dw or king order.
i Observ et he safety notes on driving safety
system s( Y
page 61).
Be sure to rea dt he safety notes and informa-
tio nonE SP ®
( Y
page 64).158
Driving systems
Driving an dp arking

Conditions for activation You can activat eR ACE START if:R
th ed oors, hood and th et ru nk lid are closed.R
th ee ng in eisr unnin ga nd th et ra nsmission,
all-wheel driv ec lutch and th ee ng in ea re at
operatin gt em perature.R
th es te ering wheel is in th es tr aight-ahead
position. R
th ev ehicle is stationar ya nd th eb rak ep edal is
depressed (lef tf oot).R
th et ra nsmission is in position [ .R
driv ep rogram S , S+ or RACE is selected
( Y
page 129)
Activating RACE START X
Depres st he brak ep edal wit hy our left foot
and keep it depressed. X
Pull and hold bot hs te ering wheel paddle shift-
ers. X
The RAC ES TART Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel :P addle DOWN message appear si n
th em ultifunction display.X
Release bot hs te ering wheel paddle shifters.
i If th ea ctivation condition sa re no longer ful-
filled, RACE START is canceled. The RACE
START Not Possible See Operator's
Manual message appear sint he multifunction
display. X
To cancel: pull th el eft steering wheel paddle
shifte r( Y
page 136).
or X
To confirm: pull th er igh ts te ering wheel pad-
dle shifte r( Y
page 136).
The RACE START Available Depress gas
pedal message appear sint he multifunction
display.
i If you do no td epress th ea ccelerato rp edal
within af ew seconds, RACE START is can-
celed. The multifunction display shows the
RAC ES TART Canceled message.X
Fully depress th ea ccelerato rp edal.
The engin es pee disi ncreased.
The RACE START Release brake to start
message appear sint he multifunction display.
i If you do no tr elease th eb rak ep edal within
as hort time, RACE START will be canceled. The multifunction display shows the RACE
START Canceled message.X
Tak ey our foo to ff th eb rake, but keep the
accelerato rp edal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
The RACE START Active message appear si n
th em ultifunction display.
RACE START is deactivate dw hen th ev ehicle
reaches as pee dofa pproximately 50 km/h.
RACE START is deactivate di mmediately if you
release th ea ccelerato rp edal durin gR ACE
START or if any of th ea ctivation condition sa re
no longer fulfilled. The RAC ES TART Not Pos‐
sible See Operator' sM anual or RACE
START Canceled message appear sint he mul-
tifunctio nd isplay.
i If RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available again
after th ev ehicle has been driven ac ertain
distance.
AMG adaptiv es port suspension sys-
tem
General notes The electronicall yc ontrolled damping system
work sc ontinuously. This improve sd riving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each wheel
and depends on: R
your driving style, e.g .s portyR
th er oad surface condition ,e .g .b umpsR
your individua ls electio no f Sport or Comfort
The suspension settin gisa djusted usin gt he
correspondin gb utto nint he cente rc onsole.
i The mod ec an also be set usin gt he AMG
DYNAMIC SELECT controller ( Y
page 129).
Eac ht im ey ou start th ee ng in ew it ht he Smart-
Key or th eS ta rt/Sto pb utton, Comfort mod ei s
activated. For further informatio na bout starting
th ee ng ine, see ( Y
page 125).Driving systems 159
Driving and parking Z

Parking Pilot
General notes Parking Pilot is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasound. It measures the road on both sides
of the vehicle. Ap arking symbol indicates as uit-
able parking space. Active steering intervention
and brake application can assist you during
parking and when exiting ap arking space. Park-
ing Assist PARKTRONIC is also available
( Y
page 161).
Important safety notes Parking Pilot is only an aid. It is not ar eplace-
ment for your attention to your immediate sur-
roundings. You are always responsible for safe
maneuvering, parking and exiting ap arking
space. Make sure that no persons, animals or
object sa re in the maneuvering range.
When Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactiva-
ted, Parking Pilot is also unavailable.
G WARNING
While parking or pulling out of ap arking
space, the vehicle swings out and can drive
onto areas of the oncomin gl ane. This could
result in ac ollision with another road user.
There is ar isk of an accident.
Pay attention to other road users. Stop the
vehicle if necessary or cancel the Parking Pilot
parking procedure.
! If unavoidable ,y ou should drive over obsta-
cles such as curbs slowly and not at as harp
angle. Otherwise, you may damage the
wheels or tires.
Parking Pilot may also display spaces not suita-
ble for parking, e.g.: R
where parking or stopping is prohibited R
in front of driveways or entrances and exits R
on unsuitable surfaces
Parking tips: R
On narrow roads, drive as close to the parking
space as possible. R
Parking spaces that are littered or overgrown
might be identified or measured incorrectly. R
Parking spaces that are partially occupied by
trailer drawbars might not be identified as
such or be measured incorrectly. R
Snowfall or heavy rain may lead to ap arking
space being measured inaccurately. R
Pay attention to the warning messages of
Parking Pilot PARKTRONIC during the parking
procedure ( Y
page 162). R
You can intervene to correct the steering pro-
cedure at any time. Parking Pilot will then be
canceled. R
When transporting al oad that protrudes from
your vehicle, you must not use Parking Pilot. R
Never use Parking Pilot when snow chains are
mounted. R
Make sure that the tire pressures are always
correct .T his has ad irect influence on the
parking characteristics of the vehicle.
Use Parking Pilot for parking spaces that are: R
that are paralle loratr ight-angles to the direc-
tion of travel R
on straight roads, not bends R
on the same level as the road, e.g. not on the
pavement
Detecting parking spaces Object sl ocated above the detection range of
Parking Pilot will not be detected when the park-
ing space is measured. These are not taken into
account when the parking procedure is calcula-
ted, e.g. overhanging loads, truck overhangs or
loading ramps. Parking Pilot may therefore
guide you into the parking space too early.
Parking Pilot does not assist you parking in
spaces perpendicular to the direction of travel if: R
two parking spaces are located directly next
to one another R
the parking space is directly next to al ow
obstacle such as al ow curbR
you forward-park
Parking Pilot does not assist you parking in
spaces paralle lorp erpendicular to the direction
of travel if: R
the parking space is on ac urbR
the system reads the parking space as being
blocked, for example by foliage or grass pav-
ing blocks R
the area is too small for the vehicle to maneu-
ver into R
the parking space is bordered by an obstacle,
e.g. at ree, ap ost or at railer
For further information on the detection range
( Y
page 161).164
Driving systems
Driving and parking

X
Let go of the multifunction steering wheel. X
Back up the vehicle ,b eing ready to brake at all
times. When backing up, drive at as peed
belo wa pproximately 6m ph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwise, Parking Pilo tisc anceled immediately.
Parking Pilo tb rakes the vehicle to as tandstill
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 Surroundings messag ea ppears in
the multifunction display. X
Shift the transmission to position [ while
the vehicle is stationary.
Parking Pilo ti mmediately steers in the other
direction.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and Brake Observe Surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i You wil la chieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away. X
Drive forward sa nd be ready to brake at all
times.
Parking Pilo tb rakes the vehicle to as tandstill
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 Surroundings messag ea ppears in
the multifunction display.
As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
the Parking Pilot Finished message
appears and aw arning tone sounds. The vehicle
is now parked.
The vehicle is kept stationary withou tt he driver
having to depres st he brake pedal. The braking
effect is canceled when you depres st he accel-
erator pedal.
Parking Pilo tnol onger supports you with steer-
ing interventions and brake applications. When
Parking Pilo tisf inished ,y ou must steer and
brake again yourself. Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips: R
The way you rv ehicle is positioned in the park-
ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the positio na nd
shape of the vehicle sp arked in front and behind it and the conditions of the location. It
may be the case that Parking Pilo tg uides you
too far into ap arking space, or not far enough
into it. In some cases, it may also lea dy ou
across or onto the curb. If necessary ,y ou
shoul dc ancel the parking procedure with
Parking Pilot. R
You can also preselect transmission position
[ .T he 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. As ensible
parking positio nc an no longer be achieved
from this position.
Exitin gap arking spaceIn order for Parking Pilo ttos upport you when
exiting the parking space: R
you need to have parked using Parking Pilot. R
the border of the parking space must be high
enough at the front and the rear. Ac urb stone
is too small ,f or example. R
the border of the parking space must not be
too wide, as the positio noft he vehicle must
not exceed an angle of 45° to the starting
positio nasitism aneuvered into the parking
space. R
am aneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available.
Parking Pilo tc an assist you with exiting ap ark-
ing space only if you have parked the vehicle
parallel to the direction of travel using Parking
Pilot.
i If Parking Assist PARKTRONIC detects
obstacles, Parking Pilo tb rakes automatically
whilst the vehicle is exiting the parking space.
You are responsible for braking in good time. X
Start the engine. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Switch on the turn signal in the direction you
wil ld rive out of the parking space. X
Shift the transmission to position [ or ^ .
The Start Parking Pilot? Yes: OK No:
8 messag ea ppears in the multifunction
display. X
To cancel the procedure: press the 8
button on the multifunction steering whee lo r
pul la way.
or166
Driving systems
Driving and parking

X
To exit ap arking spac eu sing Parking
Pilot: press the v button on the multi-
functio ns teering wheel.
The Parkin gP ilot Active Accelerate
and Brake Observ eS urroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunctio nd is play.X
Let go of the multifunctio ns teering wheel.X
Pull away ,b ei ng ready to brake at al lt imes. Do
not exceed am ax imu ms peed of approx-
imatel y6m ph (10 km/h )w he ne xiting ap ar k-
ing space. Otherwise, Parking Pilo ti sc an-
celed immediately. X
Depending on the message or as required,
shift the transmission to position [ or ^ .
Parking Pilo ti mmediatel ys teers in the other
direction. The Parkin gP ilot Active
Accelerat ea nd Brake Observ eS ur‐
roundings message appears in the multi-
functio nd is play.
i Yo uw il la chieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedur etoc omplete before
pulling away.
If yo ub ac ku pa fte ra ctivation, the steering
whee lism ove dtot he straight-ahea dp osi-
tion. X
Driv ef orward sa nd reverse as prompte db y
the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC warning dis-
plays, severa lt ime sifn ecessary.
Once yo uh av ee xited the parking space com-
pletely, the steering whee lism ove dtot he
straight-ahea dp osition. Yo uh ea rat one and the
Parking Pilot Finished message appears in
the multifunctio nd is play .Y ou will then have to
stee ra nd merge into traffic on your own. Park-
ing Assist PARKTRONIC is stil la vailable .Y ou can
take ove rt he steering before the vehicl eh as
exited the parking space completely. Thi si s
useful, for exampl ew he ny ou recognize tha titi s
already possibl etop ul lo ut of the parking space.
Canceling Parking Pilot X
Stop the movement of the multifunction
steering whee lors tee ry ours elf.
Parking Pilo ti sc ancele di mmediately. The
Parking Pilot Canceled message appears
in the multifunctio nd is play.
or X
Press the PARKTRONIC button ( Y
page 163).
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is switched off
and Parking Pilo ti si mmediatel yc anceled.
The Parkin gP ilot Canceled message
appears in the multifunctio nd is play. Parking Pilo ti sc ancele da ut omaticall yw he n:R
the electri cp ar king brake is engaged R
transmission position ] is selectedR
parking using Parking Pilo ti snol on ger pos-
sible R
yo ua re driving faster tha n6 mph (10 km/h)R
aw heel spins, ESP ®
intervene sorf ails .I n
such cases the

for safe maneuvering and parking. Make sure
that there are no persons, animals or objects in
the maneuvering area while maneuvering and
parking in parking spaces.
Under the following circumstances, the rear
view camera wil ln ot function, or wil lf unction in
al imited manner: R
if the trunk lid is open R
in heavy rain, snow or fog R
at night or in very dark places R
if the camera is expose dtov ery bright lightR
if the area is lit by fluorescent bulbs or LED
lighting (the display may flicker) R
if there is as udden change in temperature,
e.g. when driving into ah eated garage in win-
ter R
if the camera lens is dirty or obstructed.
Observe the notes on cleaning
( Y
pag e2 65)R
if the rear of you rv ehicl eisd amaged. In this
case, have the camera position and setting
checked at aq ualified specialist workshop
The fiel dofv ision and other functions of the rear
view camera may be restricted due to additional
accessories on the rear of the vehicl e( e.g.
license plate holder, rear bicycle rack).
Activating/deactivating the rear view
camera X
To activate: make sure that the SmartKey is
in position H in the ignition lock.X
Make sure that the Activation by Rg ear
function is selected in the multimedi as ystem;
see the Digita lO perator's Manual.X
Engage reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicl eiss how nw ith
guide lines in the multimedi as ystem display.
The image from the rear view camera is avail-
abl et hroughou tt he maneuvering process.
To deactivate: the rear view camera deacti-
vates if you shift the transmission to ] or after
driving forwards as hort distance. Messages in the multimedia system dis-
play The rear view camera may show ad istorted view
of obstacles, show them incorrectly or not at all.
The rear view camera does not show objects in
the following positions: R
very close to the rear bumper R
under the rear bumper R
in close range above the handl eont he trunk
lid
! Objects not at ground leve lm ay appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g.: R
the bumper of ap arked vehicleR
the drawbar of at railerR
the bal lc oupling of at railer tow hitchR
the rear section of an HGV R
as lanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.
Approach objects no further than the bottom-
most guideline.
C
Yellow guide line at ad istance of approx-
imately 13 ft (4.0 m) from the rear of the
vehicle D
White guide line without steering inpu t–
vehicl ew idth including the exterior mirrors
(static)

Reverse perpendicular parkin gw it hs teer-
in gi np ut
C
Parking space markingD
Yellow guid el in ef or the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic) X
Drive past the parking space and bring the
vehicle to as tandstill.X
Make sure that the rea rv ie wc amera is
switched on ( Y
page 168).
The lane and the guid el in es are shown.X
While the vehicle is at as tandstill, turn the
steering wheel in the direction of the parking
space unti ly ello wg uide line D reaches park-
ing space marking C .X
Maintain the steering input and reverse care-
fully.
C
Yellow guid el in ef or the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic) X
Stop the vehicle whe nitisa lm ost exactly in
front of the parking space.
The white lane shoul dbeasc lose to parallel
with the parking space marking as possible. C
White guid el in ef or current steering inputD
Parking space marking X
Turn the steering wheel to the center position
while the vehicle is stationary.
C
Re dg uide line at ad is tance of approximately
12 in (0.30 m) from the rea roft he vehicleD
White guid el in ew it hou ts teering input