
tion with other information (if necessary, under
consultation with an authorized expert), could
be traced to a person.
Examples include:
Raccident reports
Rdamage to the vehicle
Rwitness statements
Further additional functions that have been con-
tractually agreed upon with the customer allow
certain vehicle data to be conveyed by the vehi-
cle as well. The additional functions include, for
example, vehicle location in case of an emer-
gency.
COMAND/mbrace
If the vehicle is equipped with COMAND or
mbrace, additional data about the vehicle's
operation, the use of the vehicle in certain sit-
uations, and the location of the vehicle may be
compiled through COMAND or the mbrace sys-
tem.
For additional information, please refer to the
COMAND User Manual or Digital Operator's
Manual and/or the mbrace Terms and Condi-
tions.
Event data recorders
This vehicle is equipped with an event data
recorder (EDR). This vehicle is equipped with an
event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of
an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near
crash-like situations, such as an air bag deploy-
ment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a vehicle's systems
performed. The EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems
for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds
or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record
such data as:
RHow various systems in your vehicle were
operating
RWhether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened
RHow far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal and
RHow fast the vehicle was traveling These data can help provide a better under-
standing of the circumstances in which crashes
and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded
by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situa-
tion occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR
under normal driving conditions and no personal
data (e.g. name, gender, age and crash locati on)
a
re recorded. However, other parties, such as
law enforcement could combine the EDR data
with the type of personally identifying data rou-
tinely acquired during a crash investigation.
Access to the vehicle and/or the EDR is needed
to read data that is recorded by an EDR, and
special equipment is required. In addition to the
vehicle manufacturer, other parties that have
the special equipment, such as law enforce-
ment, can read the information by accessing the
vehicle or the EDR.
EDR data may be used in civil and criminal mat- ters as a tool in accident reconstruction, acci-
dent claims and vehicle safety. Since the Crash
Data Retrieval CDR tool that is used to extract
data from the EDR is commercially available,
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC ("MBUSA") expressly
disclaims any and all liability arising from the
extraction of this information by unauthorized
Mercedes-Benz personnel.
MBUSA will not share EDR data with others
without the consent of the vehicle owners or, if
the vehicle is leased, without the consent of the
lessee. Exceptions to this representation
include responses to subpoenas by law enforce- ment; by federal, state or local government; in
conne ction w
ith or arising out of litigation involv-
ing MBUSA or its subsidiaries and affiliates; or,
as required by law.
Warning: The EDR is a component of the
Restraint System Module. Tampering with, alter-
ing, modifying or removing the EDR component
may result in a malfunction of the Restraint Sys-
tem Module and other systems.
State laws or regulations regarding EDRs that
conflict with federal regulation are pre-empted.
This means that in the event of such conflict, the
federal regulation governs. As of February 2013, 13 states have enacted laws relating to EDRs.
Information on copyright
Free and open-source software
Information on license for free and open-source
software used in your vehicle can be found on
Information on copyright29
Introduction
Z

lant gas if a second deployment threshold is
reached within a few milliseconds.
The activation threshold of the Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices and the air bags is determined
by evaluating the rate of vehicle deceleration or
acceleration which occurs at various points in
the vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in
nature. Deployment should take place in good
time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or acceleration
and the direction of the force are essentially
determined by:
Rthe distribution of forces during the collision
Rthe collision angle
Rthe deformation characteristics of the vehicle
Rthe characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a deci-
sive role in the deployment of an air bag. Nor do
they provide an indication of air bag deploy-
ment.
The vehicle can be deformed considerably, with-
out an air bag being deployed. This is the case if
only parts which are relatively easily deformed
are affected and the rate of deceleration is not
high. Conversely, air bags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor deforma-
tion. This is the case if, for example, very rigid
vehicle parts such as longitudinal body mem-
bers are hit, and sufficient deceleration occurs
as a result.
If the restraint system control unit detects a side
impact or if the vehicle rolls over, the applicable
components of the restraint system are
deployed independently of each other depend-
ing on the apparent type of accident.
RSide impact air bag and pelvis air bag on the
side on which an impact occurs, independen t
from t
he Emergency Tensioning Device and
seat belt usage
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys under the following
conditions:
-BabySmart™ detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
-the seat belt buckle tongue is engaged in
the belt buckle of the front-passenger seat
RWindow curtain air bag on the side of impact, independently of the use of the seat belt and
independently of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied
REmergency Tensioning Devices, if the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection in this situation
RWindow curtain air bags on the driver's and
front-passenger side in certain situations
when the vehicle rolls over, if the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection to that provided by the seat
belt
iNot all air bags are deployed in an accident.
The different air bag systems work independ- ently of each other.
How the air bag system works is determined
by the severity of the accident detected,
especially the vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration and the apparent type of accident:
RFrontal collision
RSide impact
RRollover
NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-
PRO luxury head restraints
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The function of the head restraint may be
impaired if you:
Rattach objects such as coat hangers to the
head restraints, for example
Ruse head restraint covers
If you do so, the head restraints cannot fulfill
their intended protective function in the event of an accident. In addition, objects attached
to the head restraints could endanger other
vehicle occupants. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Do not attach any objects to the head
restraints and do not use head restraint cov-
ers.
Method of operation
NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury
head restraints offer additional protection
against head and neck injuries. In the event of a
rear collision of a certain severity, the NECK-
PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head
48Occupant safety
Safety

As a result, they could:
Ractivate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
Ractivate or deactivate systems, thereby
endangering other road users
Unsecured animals could also be flung around
the vehicle in the event of an accident or sud-
den steering or braking, thereby injuring vehi- cle occupants. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Never leave animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Always secure animals properly during
the journey, e.g. use a suitable animal trans-
port box.
Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
RABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
(Ypage 58)
RBAS ( Brake Assist System) (Ypage 59)
RESP®(E lectronic StabilityProgram)
(Ypage 59)
REBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
(Ypage 61)
RADAPTIVE BRAKE (Ypage 61)
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are
inattentive, the driving safety systems can nei-
ther reduce the risk of an accident nor override
the laws of physics. Driving safety systems are
merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible for maintaining the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good time, and for staying in lane. Always adapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road and weather conditions and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The driving safety systems described only work as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quate contact between the tires and the road
surface. Pay particular attention to the informa-
tion regarding tires, recommended minimum tire tread depths etc. in the "Wheels and tires"
section (
Ypage 257).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tires (M+S tires) and if necessary, snow chains.
Only in this way will the driving safety systems
described in this section work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way that the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allows you to continue steering the vehicle when
braking.
The yellow !ABS warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on. It goes out when the engine is run- ning.
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you
only brake gently.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 58).
GWARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 194) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 175).
58Driving safety systems
Safety

the ignition, the automatic headlamp cleaning
system is reset and counting is resumed from 0.
Combination switch
:High-beam headlamps
;Turn signal, right
=High-beam flasher
?Turn signal, left
XTo indicate briefly:press the combination
switch briefly to the pressure point in the
direction of arrow ;or?.
The corresponding turn signal flashes three
times.
XTo indicate: press the combination switch
beyond the pressure point in the direction of
arrow ;or?.
XTo switch on the high-beam headlamps:
turn the light switch to the LorÃ
position.
XPress the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of arrow :.
In the Ãposition, the high-beam head-
lamps are switched on only when it is dark and the engine is running.
The blue Kindicator lamp on the instru-
ment cluster lights up when the high-beam
headlamps are switched on.
XTo switch off the high-beam headlamps:
move the combination switch back to its nor-
mal position.
The blue Kindicator lamp on the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
XHigh-beam flasher: pull the combination
switch in the direction of arrow =.
Hazard warning lamps
XTo switch the hazard warning lamps on/
off:press button :.
The turn signal lamps flash when the hazard
warning lamps are switched on. If you now
switch on a turn signal lamp using the com-
bination switch, only the turn signal lamp on
the corresponding side of the vehicle will
flash.
The hazard warning lamps automatically switch
on if:
Ran air bag is deployed or
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices are trig-
gered, or
Rthe vehicle decelerates rapidly from a speed
of above 45 mph (70 km/h) and comes to a
standstill
The hazard warning lamps switch off automati-
cally if the vehicle reaches a speed of above
6 mph (10 km/h) again after a full brake appli-
cation.
The hazard warning lamps still operate if the
ignition is switched off.
Headlamps fogged up on the inside
Certain climatic and physical conditions may
cause moisture to form in the headlamp. This
moisture does not affect the functionality of the
headlamp.
88Exterior lighting
Lights and windshield wiper s

Overview of the climate control sys-
tem
General notes
Observe the settings recommended on the fol-
lowing pages. The windows could otherwise fog
up.
To prevent the windows from fogging up:
Rswitch off climate control only briefly
Rswitch on air-recirculation mode only briefly
Rswitch on the cooling with air dehumidifica-
tion function
Ractivate the "Windshield defrosting" function
briefly, if required
Climate control regulates the temperature and
the humidity in the vehicle interior and filters
undesirable substances out of the air.
The "Cooling with air dehumidification" function
is only available when the engine is running.
Optimum operation is only achieved when the
side windows and the sliding sunroof are closed. The climatic comfort deteriorates whilst the slid-
ing sunroof is open. Set the temperature man-
ually if the sliding sunroof is open.
The residual heat function can only be activated
or deactivated with the ignition switched off
(
Ypage 102).
The integrated filter can filter out most particles
of dust and completely filters out pollen. A clog-
ged filter reduces the amount of air supplied to
the vehicle interior. Depending on the operating
conditions and environmental influences, the
interval for replacing the filter may be shorter
than specified.
iVentilate the vehicle for a brief period during
warm weather, e.g. using the convenience
opening feature (
Ypage 70). This will speed
up the cooling process and the desired vehi-
cle interior temperature will be reached more
quickly.
Control panel for dual-zone automatic climate control
Control panel (Canada only)
:
Sets the temperature, left (Ypage 99)
;Defrosts the windshield (Ypage 100)
=Switches the ZONE function on/off (Ypage 100)
?Switches cooling with air dehumidification on/off (Ypage 98)
Switches the residual heat on/off (
Ypage 102)
ASwitches the rear window defroster on/off (Ypage 101)
BSets the temperature, right (Ypage 99)
96Overview of the climate control system
Climate control

Deactivating/activating theECO start/
stop function
XTo activate :press butto n:.
Indicator lamp ;on butto n: and th eè
EC Osymbol in th emultifunction display go
out .
Selecting drive program Sor Min Mercedes -
AM Gvehicles automatically deactivates th e
EC Ostart/sto pfunction .
XTo activate :press butto n:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles :if drive program S
or Mis active ,th eautomatic transmissio n
switches to drive program C.
If all condition sfo rautomatic engin eswitch -
of f (
Ypage 108) are fulfilled, th eè sym-
bol is shown in green in th emultifunction dis -
play.
If th econdition sfo rautomatic engin eswitch -
of fare no tall fulfille d (
Ypage 108), th eè
EC Osymbol is lit yellow. If this is th ecase, th e
EC Ostart/sto pfunction is no tavailable .
iIf indicator lamp ;is off, th eEC Ostart /
stop function has bee ndeactivated manually
or as th eresult of amalfunction .The engin e
will then no tbe switched of fautomatically
when th evehicle stops .
Automatic engin eswitch-off
If th evehicle is brake dto astandstill wit hth e
transmissio nin h ori ,th eEC Ostart/sto p
function switches of fth eengin eautomatically. The EC
Ostart/sto pfunction is operational and
th eè ECOsymbol is shown in green in th e
multifunction display, if:
Rth eindicator lamp in th eè ECObutto nis
lit green
Rth etransfe rcas eis in th eHIG HRANGE on-
road position
Rth evehicle is stationary
Rth eoutsid etemperature and th eatmospheri c
air pressure is within th erange that is suitable
fo rth esyste m
Rtheengin eis at normal operatin gtemperature
Rth eset temperature fo rth evehicle interio r
has bee nreached
Rth ebattery is sufficientl ycharged
Rth esyste mdetects that th ewindshield is no t
fogge dup when th eair-conditionin gsystem is
switched on
Rth ehoo dis close d
Rthedriver's doo ris close dand th edriver's
seat belt is fastene d
If th econdition sfo rautomatic engin eswitch-off
are no tall fulfilled, th eè ECOsymbol is
shown in yellow.
iIf you shift th etransmissio nfrom Rto D, the
EC Ostart/sto pfunction is avai lable again
once th eè ECOsymbol reappears in
green in th emultifunction display.
iThe engin ecan be automatically switched
of fan unlimite dnumber of times .
iYou can still activat eth eHOLD function
when th evehicle is stationary, eve nif th e
engin ehas bee nswitched of fautomatically. It
is then no tnecessary to continue applyin gth e
brake sdurin gth eautomatic stop phase.
Whe nyou depress th eaccelerator pedal, th e
engin estart sautomatically and th ebraking
effect of th eHOLD function is deactivated.
Depress th eaccelerator peda lcarefully, as
th eengin emus tbe started first .
iDuringautomatic engin eswitch-off ,th ecli-
mat econtro lsystem only operates at a
reduce dcapacity. If you require full climat e
contro lcapacity, th eEC Ostart/sto pfunction
can be deactivated by pressing th eEC Obut -
to n (
Ypage 108).
108Driving
Driving and parking

Automa tic engine start
The engin estart sautomatically if:
RIn general :
-you switch off th eECO start/sto pfunction
by pressing th eECO butto n
-you release th ebrakes when in transmis -
sion position hori, when th eHOLD
function is inactive
RBy th edriver :
-you release th ebrakes when in transmis -
sion position hori
-you depress th eaccelerato rpedal
-you engage revers egear k
-you mov eth etransmission out of position
j
-you switch to drive program Sor M
(Mercedes-AM Gvehicles)
-you unfasten your seat belt or open th e
driver's door
RBy th esystem:
-th evehicl estart sto rol l
-thebrak esystem require sthis
-th etemperature in th evehicl einterior devi-
ate sfrom th eset range
-th esystem detects moisture on th ewind-
shield when th eair-conditioning system is
switched on
-th econdition of charge of th ebattery is to o
low
iShifting th etransmission to position j
does no tstart th eengine.
Driving109
Driving and parking
Z

This also applies if cruise control or DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated.
Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
!Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately. Drive
on for a short while. This allows the airflow to
cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If driving in heavy rain for a prolonged period of
time without braking, there may be a delayed
reaction from the brakes when braking for the
first time. This may also occur after the vehicle
has been washed.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly while paying attention to
the traffic conditions. This will warm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt resi-
due may form on the brake discs and brake
pads. This can result in a significantly longer
braking distance.
RIn order to prevent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to
the traffic conditions.
RCarefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
RMaintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes
!The brake fluid level may be too low, if:
Rif the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster and
Ryou hear a warning tone while the engine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to
brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immediately. Consult a qualified specialist workshop to
arrange this.
!If the brake warning lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster and you hear a warning
tone even though the parking brake has been released, the brake fluid level may be too low.
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to
brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immediately. This work should be carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
!A function or performance test should only
be carried out on a 2-axle dynamometer. If
you wish to operate the vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult a qualified spe-
cialist workshop in advance. You could oth-
erwise damage the drive train or the brake
system.
!The ESP®system operates automatically. If
the parking brake is tested on a brake dyna-
mometer (for a maximum of ten seconds), the
engine and the ignition must be switched off.
Braking triggered automatically by ESP
®may
otherwise cause severe damage to the brake
system.
All checks and maintenance work on the brake
system must be carried out at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
126Driving tips
Driving and parking