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RTake care when turning on an uphill or down-hill slope or when driving across a slope. The
vehicle could otherwise tip over.
RAlways keep the side windows and the pano-
rama roof with power tilt/sliding panel closed
during the journey.
RDo not deviate from marked routes.
Do not use the HOLD function when driving off-
road, on steep uphill or downhill gradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot hold the vehicle on such surfaces.
Checklist before driving off-road
XEngine oil level: check the engine oil level
and add oil if necessary.
When driving on steep gradients, the engine
oil level must be sufficiently high to ensure a
correct oil supply in the vehicle.
XWheels and tires: check the tire tread depth
and tire pressure.
XCheck for damage and remove any foreign
objects, e.g. small stones, from the wheels/
tires.
XReplace any missing valve caps.
XReplace dented or damaged wheels.
XRims: dented or bent rims can result in a loss
of tire pressure and damage the tire bead.
Before driving off-road, check the wheels and replace them if necessary.
Checklist after driving off-road
!If you detect damage to the vehicle after
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
XDeactivate off-road program (Ypage 181).
XDeactivate DSR (Ypage 180).
XClean the headlamps and rear lights and
check for damage.
XClean the front and rear license plates.
XClean the wheels/tires with a water jet and
remove any foreign objects.
XClean the wheels, wheel housings and the
vehicle underside with a water jet; check for
any foreign objects and damage.
XCheck whether twigs or other parts of plants
have become trapped. These increase the risk
of fire and can damage fuel pipes, brake hoses or the rubber bellows of the axle joints
and propeller shafts.
XAfter the trip, examine without fail the entire
undercarriage, wheels, tires, brakes, body-
work structure, steering, chassis and exhaust
system for damage.
XAfter driving in sand, mud, gravel, water or
similar dirty conditions, have the following
checked and cleaned:
Rbrake discs
Rwheels
Rbrake pads
Raxle joints
XIf you detect strong vibrations after off-road
travel, check for foreign objects in the wheels
and drive train and remove them if necessary.
Foreign objects can disturb the balance and
cause vibrations.
Driving over poor road surfaces places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on normal
roads. After driving off-road, check the vehicle.
This allows you to detect damage promptly and
reduce the risk of an accident to yourself and
other road users.
Driving on sand
Observe the following rules when driving on
sand:
RSelect the off-road program (Ypage 181).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate to
the terrain.
RDrive quickly to overcome the rolling resist-
ance. Otherwise the vehicle's wheels could
become stuck in loose ground.
RDrive in the tracks of other vehicles if possi-
ble. Make sure that:
-the tire ruts are not too deep.
-the sand is sufficiently firm.
-the ground clearance of the vehicle is suf-
ficient.
Tire ruts and gravel roads
!Check that the ruts are not too deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged or
bottom out and get stuck.
Driving tips167
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Observe the following rules when driving along
ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with loose
gravel:
RActivate the off-road program (Ypage 181).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter.
RDrive slowly.
RWhere ruts are too deep, drive with the
wheels of one side on the center grassy area,
if possible.
Traveling uphill
Approach/departure angle
GWARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
RObserve the warnings for off-road driving
(Ypage 165).
RFollow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
RBefore driving on extreme uphill and downhillgradients, select the off-road program
(
Ypage 181).
RDrive slowly.
RAccelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
RAvoid high engine speeds, except when driv-
ing on sandy and muddy routes with high driv-
ing resistance.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate to
the gradient.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift into a lower gear in good time
on long and steep downhill gradients.
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away on a hill. For further information about hill start
assist, see (
Ypage 140).
Do not shift into transmission position iwhen
driving off-road. You could lose control of the vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehicle using
the service brake. If the gradient is too steep for
your vehicle, drive back down in reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure angle
values (
Ypage 384).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climbing
ability values (Ypage 384).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immediately
before reaching the brow of the hill. Make use of
the vehicle's own impetus to travel over the
brow.
This style of driving prevents:
Rthe vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of a hill
Rthe vehicle from traveling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill
RDrive slowly.
RDo not drive at an angle down steep inclines.
Steer into the line of fall and drive with the
front wheels aligned straight. Otherwise, the
vehicle could slip sideways, tip and rollover.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter before tackling steep
downhill gradients.
RActivate DSR. If this is not sufficient, brake
gently. When doing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line of
fall.
RCheck that the brakes are working normally
after a long downhill stretch.
Off-road ABS is activated when the off-road pro-
gram is selected.
At speeds below 18 mph (30 km/h), the front
wheels lock cyclically during braking. The dig-
ging-in effect achieved in the process reduces
the stopping distance on off-road terrain. The
steerability of the vehicle is considerably
reduced if the wheels lock.
168Driving tips
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Drivingsystems
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive
Mercedes-Ben zIntelligen tDrive stand sfo rinno -
vative driver assistanc eand safet ysystems
whic henhance comfor tand suppor tth edriver in
critical situations. Wit hthese intelligen tcoordi-
nated systems Mercedes-Ben zhas set amile-
ston eon th epat htoward sautonomous driving.
Mercedes-Ben zIntelligen tDrive embraces all
elements of active and passive safet yin on ewell
though tout syste m –forth esafet yof th evehi-
cl e occupant sand that of other road users.
Further information on drivin gsafet ysystems
(
Ypage 66).
Cruis econtro l
General notes
Cruise contro lmaintain s aconstant road speed
fo ryou. It brake sautomatically in order to avoid
exceedin gth eset speed. Change into alowe r
gear in goo dtime on lon gand steep downhill
gradients. Thi sis especially important if th e
vehicle is lade nor towin g atrailer .By doin gso,
you will mak euse of th ebraking effect of th e
engine. Thi srelieves th eload on th ebrake sys -
te m and prevents th ebrake sfrom overheatin g
and wearin gto oquickly.
Use cruise contro lonly if road and traffic con-
dition smak eit appropriat eto maintain asteady
speed fo r aprolonged period. You can stor eany
road speed abov e20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safet ynotes
Cruise contro lcan neither reduce th eris kof an
acciden tif you fai lto adapt your drivin gstyle no r
override th elaws of physics. Cruise contro lcan -
no ttake into accoun tth eroad, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise contro lis only an
aid. You are responsible fo rmaintainin g asafe
distanc eto th evehicle in front, fo rvehicle
speed, fo rbraking in goo dtime and fo rstayin gin
lane. Do no
tuse cruise control:
Rin road and traffic condition swhic hdo no t
allow you to maintain aconstant speed, e.g. in
heav ytraffic or on windin groads
Ron slipper yroad surfaces. Brakin gor accel-
erating could cause th edrive wheels to los e
traction and th evehicle could then skid
Rwhen there is poo rvisibility, e.g. due to fog,
heav yrain or snow
If there is achang eof drivers, advise th ene w
driver of th espeed stored.
iThe speed indicated in th espeedometer
may diffe rslightly from th espeed stored.
Cruis econtro llever
:Activates or increase sspeed
;Activates or reduce sspeed
=Deactivates cruise contro l
?Activates at thecurren tspeed/last stored
speed
Whe nyou activat ecruise control, th estored
speed is shown in th emultifunction display fo r
fiv eseconds. The ésymbol appears on th e
multifunction display.
Speedometer wit hsegments: when cruise
contro lis activated, th esegments from th e
stored speed to th een dof th escale ligh tup.
Storing an dmaintaining th ecurrent
speed
You can stor eth ecurren tspeed if you are driv-
in g faste rthan 20 mph (30 km/h).
Driving systems16 9
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XAccelerate the vehicle to the desired speed.
XBriefly press the cruise control lever up:or
down ;.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle auto-
matically maintains the stored speed.
iCruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by auto-
matically applying the brakes.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it is lower
than the current speed, the vehicle deceler-
ates. If you do not know the stored speed, the vehicle could decelerate unexpectedly. There
is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated, it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously stored
speed.
Setting a speed
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
XPress the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly pressthe cruise control lever up
:or down ;to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up :or down ;
beyond the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you acceler-
ate to overtake, cruise control adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored after
you have finished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise con-
trol:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever forward
=.
or
XBrake.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake
Ryou are driving at less than 20 mph (30 km/h)
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Ryou shift the transmission to position i
while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, a warning tone
sounds. You will see the Cruise Control Off
message in the multifunction display for approx-
imately five seconds. The message on the mul-
tifunction display disappears and the segments
on the speedometer go out.
iWhen you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
General notes
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC regulates the speed
and automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. Vehicles
are detected with the aid of the radar sensor
system. Distance Pilot DISTRONIC brakes auto-
matically so that the set speed is not exceeded.
170Driving systems
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Change into a lower gearingood time on long
and steep downhillgradients. This isespecially
impo rtant ifthe veh icle isladen. By doing so, you
will make use of the braking effect of the engine.
This relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and wear-
ing too quickly.
If Distance Pilot DI STRONIC detects that there is
a risk of a co llision, you will be warned visually
and acoustically. Without your intervention, Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot prevent a co lli-
sion. An intermittent warning tone willthen
sound and the distance warning lamp willlight
up inthe instrument cluster. Brake immediately
in order to increase the distance to the veh icle in
front or take evasive action pro videdit is safe to
do so.
Distance Pilot DI STRONIC operates inthe range
between 0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph
(200 km/h).
Do not use Distance Pilot DI STRONIC while driv -
ing on roads with steep gradients.
Sin ce Distance Pilot DI STRONIC transmits radar
waves, itcan resemble the radar detectors of
the responsible authorities. You can refer to the
relevant chapter inthe Operator's Manual if
questions are asked about this.
iUSA only: This device has been approved by
the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor isintended for use in
an aut
o-
motive radar system only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of the device willvoid any war-
ranties, and isnot permitted bythe FCC. Do
not tamper with, alter, or use inany non-
approved way.
Any unauthorized mod ification to th isdevice
could void the user's authority to operate the
equipm ent.
iCanada only: This device co mplieswit h
RSS -210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the foll owing two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference,
and
2. This device must accept any interference
receive d,inc ludin g interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device
will void any warranties, and isnot permitte d.
Do not tamper with, alter, or use inany non-
approved way. Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Distance Pilot DI STRONIC does not react to:
Rpeople or animals
Rstationary objects on the road, e.g. stoppe d
or parked vehicles
Roncoming vehicles and crossing traffic
As a result, Distance Pilot DI STRONIC may
neither givewarnings nor intervene insuch
situations. There isa risk of an accident.
Alwa ys pay careful attention to the traff icsit-
uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
Distance Pilot DI STRONIC cannot always
clearly identify other road users and co mplex
traff icsituations.
In such cases, Distance Pilot DI STRONIC may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
Rneither givea warning nor intervene
Raccelerate or brake unexpect edly
There isa risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, especially if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
warns you.
GWARNING
Distance Pilot DI STRONIC brakes your vehicle
with up to 50% of the maximum possible
deceleration. If this deceleration isnot suffi-
cient, Distance Pilot DI STRONIC alerts you
wit h a visual and acoustic warning. There is a
risk of an accident.
Apply the brakes yourself inthese situations
and try to take evasive action.
!When Distance Pilot DI STRONIC or the
HOLD function are activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
Driving systems171
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To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
these systems in the following or similar sit-
uations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC can neither reduce
the risk of an accident if you fail to adapt your
driving style nor override the laws of physics.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot take into
account road, weather or traffic conditions. Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC is only an aid. You are
responsible for maintaining a safe distance to
the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brak-
ing in good time and for staying in lane.
Do not use Distance Pilot DISTRONIC:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
Rin poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may not detect nar-
row vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC no longer detects a
vehicle in front, it may unexpectedly accelerate
to the speed stored.
This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a turning lane
or an exit lane
Rbe so high in the right lane that you pass vehi- cles driving on the left (in countries where
they drive on the right)
Rbe so high in the left lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the right (in countries where
they drive on the left)
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Activates or increases speed
;Activates or reduces speed
=Deactivates Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
?Activates at the current speed/last stored
speed
ASets a specified minimum distance
When you activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC,
the stored speed will appear on the multifunc-
tion display for five seconds.
Speedometer with segments: when Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC is activated, the segments of
the stored speed light up to the end of the scale
or to a permanently set speed limit.
Activating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Activation conditions
To activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up to
two minutes of driving before Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is ready for use.
Rthe electric parking brake must be released.
RESP®must be activated, but not intervening
at present.
RParking Pilot must not be activated.
Rthe transmission must be in position h.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift the transmission from positionjtoh
or your seat belt must be fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
Ron vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering
package, DSR and the Gradientoff-road pro-
gram must not be activated.
Rthe vehicle must not slide.
172Driving systems
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Activating
XBrieflypull th ecruise control leve rtowards
you ?or push it up :or down ;.
Distance Pilot DISTRONI Cis activated.
XRemove your foo tfrom th eaccelerato rpedal.
The vehicl eadapt sits spee dto that of th e
vehicl ein front, but only up to th edesired
store dspeed.
If you do no tfully release th eaccelerato r
pedal, th eDistance
PilotSuspendedmes -
sage appear son th emultifunction display.
The set distanc eto aslower-moving vehicl ein
fron twill then no tbe maintained. You will be
driving at th espee dyou determine by th e
positio nof th eaccelerato rpedal.
You can also activat eDistance Pilot DISTRONI C
when stationary. The lowes tspee dthat can be
set is 20 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefl ypull th ecruise control leve rtowards
you ?or push it up :or down ;.
Distance Pilot DISTRONI Cis activated.
Activating at the current speed/last
store d speed
GWARNIN G
If you call up th estore dspee dand it differs
from th ecurren tspeed, th evehicl eacceler -
ate sor decelerates. If you do no tknow th e
store dspeed, th evehicl ecould accelerate or
brak eune xpectedly. Ther eis aris kof an acci-
dent.
Pay attentio nto th eroad and traffic condi-
tions before calling up th estore dspeed. If you
do no tknow th estore dspeed, store th e
desired spee dagain .
XBrieflypull th ecruise control leve rtowards
you ?.
XRemove your foo tfrom th eaccelerato rpedal.
The first tim eDistance Pilot DISTRONI Cis
activated, it store sth ecurren tspee dor reg -
ulates th espee dof th evehicl eto th eprevi-
ously store dspeed.
Driving with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Pulling away and driving
XTo pull awa ywith Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC: remove your foo tfrom th ebrak e
pedal.
XBriefl ypull th ecruise control leve rtowards
you ?.
or
XAccelerat ebriefly.
The vehicl epulls away and adapt sits spee dto
that of th evehicl ein front. If no vehicl eis
detected in front, your vehicl eaccelerate sto
th estore dspeed.
The vehicl ecan also pull away when it is facing
an unidentified obstacle or is driving on adiffer-
en tlin efrom another vehicle. The vehicl ethen
brakes automatically.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONI Cdoes no tdetect a
vehicl ein front, th esystem operate slik ecruise
control .
If Distance Pilot DISTRONI Cdetect sthat th e
vehicl ein fron thas slowe ddown ,it brakes th e
vehicle. In this way, th especifie dminimum dis-
tance you have selected is maintained.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONI Cdetect s afaster-
moving vehicl ein front, it increases th edriving
spee dto th eset speed.
Selecting the drive program
Distance Pilot DISTRONI Csupport s asporty
driving style when you have selected th eS or S+
driv eprogram (
Ypage 150). Acceleration
behind th evehicl ein fron tor to th eset spee dis
then noticeably mor edynamic .If you have
selected th eC or Edriving program ,th
eve
hicl e
accelerate smor egently. This settin gis recom-
mended in stop-and-star ttraffic.
Changing lanes
If you chang eto th eovertaking lane ,Distance
Pilot DISTRONI Csupport syou if:
Ryou are driving faste rthan 45 mph (70 km/h)
Ryou switch on th eappropriat etur nsignal
RDistanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cdoes no tcurrentl y
detec t adanger of collision
If these condition sare fulfilled ,your vehicl eis
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted if
changin glanes takes to olon gor if th edistanc e
between your vehicl eand th evehicl ein fron t
become sto osmall.
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When you change lanes, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC monitors the left lane (on left-hand-
drive vehicles) or the right lane (on right-hand-
drive vehicles).
Stopping
GWARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, it could
roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is switched off
using the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
Rthe vehicle is accelerated, e.g. by a vehicle
occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
Further information on deactivating Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC (
Ypage 176).
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects that the
vehicle in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle
to a stop.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
After a time, the electric parking brake secures
the vehicle and relieves the service brake.
Depending on the specified minimum distance,
your vehicle will come to a standstill at a suffi-
cient distance behind the vehicle in front. The
specified minimum distance is set using the
control on the cruise control lever. When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated,
the transmission shifts automatically to position
j
if:
Rthe driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated when the vehicle is stationary and:
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is insufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, the transmission may
also be shifted to position jautomatically.
Setting a speed
XPush cruise control lever up :for a higher
speed or down ;for a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly push
the cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly push
the cruise control lever up :or down ;
beyond the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up : or down ;, the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
iIf you accelerate to overtake, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC adjusts the vehicle's speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting a specified minimum distance
You can set the specified minimum distance for
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC by varying the time
span between one and two seconds. With this
function you can set the minimum distance that
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC maintains to the vehi-
cle in front, depending on vehicle speed. You
can see this distance in the multifunction dis-
play (
Ypage 175).
Make sure that you maintain the minimum dis-
tance to the vehicle in front as required by law.
174Driving systems
Driving and parking