Important safety notes
G WAR NING
Blin d Spo t Assist does not react to:R
veh icle s overtaken too closely on the side ,
plac ing them in the blin d spot areaR
veh icle s whic h appr oach wit h a large speed
diff erential and overtake your veh icle
As a result, Blin d Spo t Assist may not give
warnings in such situations. There is a risk of
an acc iden t.
Always observe the traff ic conditions care-
fully, and maintain a safe lateral dist ance.
Blin d Spo t Assist is on ly an aid. It may fail to
detect some vehicles and is no substitute for
attentive driv ing. Always ensure that there is
suff icie nt dist ance to the side for other road
users and obstacles.
i USA only:
This device has been appr oved by the FCC as
a "Vehicular Radar System". The radar sensor
is intended for use in an automotive radar
system only. Removing, tampering wit h, or
altering the device will void any warranties,
and is not permitted by the FCC. Do not tam-
per wit h, alter, or use in any non- appr oved
way.
Any unauthorized mod ific ation to th is device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipm ent.
Radar sensors The radar sensors for Blin d Spo t Assist are inte-
grated into the rear bumper. Make sure that the
bumpers are free from dirt , ice or slush. The
sensors must not be covered, for example by
cyc le r acks or overhanging loads. Fol l
owin g a
severe impact or in the event of damage to the
bumpers, have the function of the radar sensors
checked at a qualif ied spec ialist worksho p.
Blin d Spo t Assist may no longer work properly.
Monitoring area
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if: R
there is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors R
there is poor vis ibilit y, e.g. due to fog, heavy
rain, snow or spray R
there are narrow vehicles, e.g. motorcycles or
bic ycles R
the road has very wide lanesR
the road has narrow lanes R
you are not driving in the middle of the laneR
there are barriers or similar lane borders
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
indicated.
At a distance of around 1.6 ft (0.5 m) D from the
vehicle, Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up
to 10 ft (3 m) next to
Drivin g Assistance Plu s package
General notes The Driving Assistanc e Plus package consist s of
Distanc e Pilo t DISTRONIC ( Y
page 176), Active
Blin d Spot Assis t ( Y
page 213) and Active Lan e
Keepin g Assis t ( Y
page 215).
Active Blind Spot Assist General notes Active Blin d Spot Assis t monitors th e areas on
either sid e of th e vehicle that are no t directl y
visible to th e driver wit h tw o lateral, rear-facin g
radar sensors. A warnin g lamp lights up in th e
exterio r mirrors and draws your attention to
vehicles detecte d in th e monitored area. If you
then switch on th e correspondin g turn signal to
chang e lanes, you will also receiv e a visual and
audible collision warning. If a ris k of latera l col-
lision is detected, corrective braking may hel p
you avoid a collision . Before a course-correcting
brake application , Active Blin d Spot Assis t eval-
uates th e spac e in th e direction of trave l and at
th e sides of th e vehicle. Fo r this, Active Blin d
Spot Assis t uses th e forward-facin g radar sen -
sors.
Active Blin d Spot Assis t supports you from a
speed of approximately 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safet y notesActive Blin d Spot Assis t is only an aid and is no t
a substitute fo r attentive driving.
G WARNING
Active Blin d Spot Assis t doe s no t react to :R
vehicles overtaken to o closely on th e side,
placin g them in th e blin d spo t are aR
vehicles whic h approac h wit h a larg e speed
differential and overtak e your vehicle
As a result , Active Blin d Spot Assis t may nei-
ther giv e warnings no r interven e in suc h sit -
uations. There is a ris k of an accident.
Always observ e th e traffic condition s care-
fully, and maintain a saf e latera l distance.
i US A only: Thi s devic e has bee n approved by
th e FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor is intended fo r use in an auto-
motive radar syste m only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of th e devic e will void any war- ranties, and is no t permitte d by th e FCC. Do
no t tampe r with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
An y unauthorized modification to this devic e
could void th e user's authorit y to operat e th e
equipment.
i Canada only: Thi s devic e complies wit h
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subjec t to th e followin g tw o conditions:
1. Thi s devic e may no t cause interference,
and
2. Thi s devic e mus t accept any interf erenc e
re c
eived, includin g interferenc e that may
cause undesired operation of th e device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of th e devic e
will void any warranties , and is no t permitted.
Do no t tampe r with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
An y unauthorized modification to this devic e
could void th e user's authorit y to operat e th e
equipment.
Rada r sensor sThe Active Blind Spot Assis t radar sensor s are
integrated into th e fron t and rea r bumper s and
behin d a cover in th e radiator trim. Mak e sur e
that th e bumper s and th e cover in th e radiator
grill are free of dirt, ic e or slush. The sensor s
mus t no t be covered, fo r example by cycle racks
or overhangin g loads. Followin g an acciden t or
in th e event of damage to th e bumpers, hav e th e
function of th e radar sensor s checke d at a quali-
fie d specialis t workshop . Active Blin d Spot
Assis t may otherwise no longer wor k properly.
Monitoring area
G WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assis t doe s no t detec t all
traffic situation s and road users. There is a
ris k of an accident.
Always mak e sur e that there is sufficien t dis -
tanc e on th e sid e fo r other traffic or obstacles.Driving systems 21 3
Driving an d parking Z
Course-correcting brake application If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a lat-
eral collision in the monitoring range, a course-
correcting brake application is carried out. This
is meant to assist you in avoiding a collision.
G WARNING
A course-correcting brake application cannot
always prevent a collision. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Blind Spot Assist warns
you or makes a course-correcting brake appli-
cation. Always maintain a safe distance at the
sides.
If a course-correcting brake application occurs,
red warning lamp C flashes in the exterior mir-
ror and a double warning tone sounds. In addi-
tion, a display underlining the danger of a side
collision appears in the multifunction display.
In very rare cases, the system may make an
inappropriate brake application. A course-cor-
recting brake application may be interrupted at
any time by countersteering slightly or acceler-
ating.
The course-correcting brake application is avail-
able in the speed range between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 120 mph (20 0 km/ h) .
Either no braking application, or a course-cor-
recting brake application adapted to the driving
situation occurs if: R
there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, located on both sides of your vehicle. R
a vehicle approaches you too closely at the
side. R
you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds. R
you clearly brake or accelerate. R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake.R
ESP ®
is switched off.R
the offroad program is activated (vehicles
without the Offroad Engineering package). R
the Offroad or Offroad Plus drive program is
activated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engi-
neering package). R
the LOW RANGE offroad gear is activated
(vehicles with the Offroad Engineering pack-
age). R
a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire is
detected.
Switching on Active Blind Spot Assist X
Make sure that Active Blind Spot Assist
( Y
page 242) is activated in the on-board
computer. X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock.
Warning lamps C in the exterior mirrors light
up red for approximately 1.5 seconds an d
then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is then deacti-
vated. The indicator lamp lights up yellow in the
exterior mirrors and the Active Blind Spot
Asst. Not Available When Towing a
Trailer See Operator's Manual message
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of multifunction
camera C at the top of the windshield. Various
different areas to the front, rear and side of your
vehicle are also monitored with the aid of the
radar sensor system. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. If you do not react to the warning, aDriving system s 215
Dr ivi ng an d parking Z
lane-correcting application of the brakes can
bring the vehicle back into the original lane.
This function is available in a speed range
between 40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and
200 km/h).
For Active Lane Keeping Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active Lane
Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of
accident nor override the laws of physics. Active
Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in your lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot continuously
keep your vehicle in its lane.
G WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can: R
give an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle R
not give a warning or intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if: R
there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or heavy spray R
there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet) R
the windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera R
there are no or several unclear lane markings
for one lane, e.g. roadworks R
the lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow R
the distance to the vehicle in front is too short
and thus the lane markings cannot be detec-
ted R
the lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge R
the road is narrow and winding R
there are highly variable shade conditions on
the roadway R
no vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane and
there are broken lane markings
Warning vibration in the steering wheel A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by mean s of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel for
up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when neces-
sary and in good time if you cross the lane mark-
ing, the system detects certain conditions and
warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if: R
you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend R
the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a freeway R
the system detects solid lane markings
The warning vibration occurs later if: R
the road has narrow lanes R
you cut the corner on a bend
Lane-correcting brake application
G WARNING
A lane-correcting brake application cannot
always bring the vehicle back into the original
lane. There is a risk of an accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Lane Keeping Assist warns
you or makes a lane-correcting brake appli-
cation.
G WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
traffic conditions or road users. In very rare
cases, the system may make an inappropriate
brake application, e.g. after intentionally driv-216
Driving systems
Driving and parking
Important safety notes
G WARNIN G
If you operate information systems and com-
munication equipmen t integrate d in th e vehi-
cle when driving , you may be distracte d from
th e traffic situation . You could also lose con-
trol of th e vehicle. Ther e is a ris k of an acci-
dent.
Only operate this equipmen t when th e traffic
situation permits. If you are no t sur e that this
is possible , park th e vehicl e payin g attention
to traffic condition s and operate th e equip-
men t when th e vehicl e is stationary.
You must observ e th e legal requirements for th e
country in whic h you are currentl y driving when
operating th e on-board computer.
G WARNIN G
If th e instrumen t cluste r has faile d or mal-
functioned, you may no t recognize function
restriction s in systems relevan t to safety. The
operating safet y of your vehicl e may be
impaired . Ther e is a ris k of an accident.
Drive on carefully. Hav e th e vehicl e checke d
at a qualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
If th e operating safet y of your vehicl e is
impaired , pull ove r as soo n as it is saf e to do so.
Contac t a qualified specialist workshop.
The on-board computer only shows message s or
warning s from certain systems in th e multifunc-
tion display. You should therefor e mak e sur e
your vehicl e is operating safely at all times .
Fo r an overview, see th e instrumen t panel illus-
tration ( Y
page 37).
Displays and operation
Instrument cluster lighting
The lighting in th e instrumen t cluster, in th e dis-
plays and th e control s in th e vehicl e interior can
be adjusted usin g th e brightness control knob.
The brightness control knob is locate d on th e
botto m lef t of th e instrumen t cluste r
( Y
page 37). X
Turn th e brightness control knob clockwise or
counter-clockwise.
If you tur n th e ligh t switch to X , ` or
X , th e brightness is dependen t upon th e
brightness of th e ambien t light.
i The ligh t sensor in th e instrumen t cluste r
automatically control s th e brightness of th e
multifunction display.
In daylight, th e displays in th e instrumen t
cluste r are no t illuminated.
Speedometer with segments The segments in th e speedometer indicat e
whic h spee d range is available. R
Cruis e control activated ( Y
page 174):
The segments ligh t up from th e store d spee d
to th e maximum speed. R
Distanc e Pilot DISTRONI C is activated
( Y
page 176):
On e or two segments in th e set spee d range
ligh t up. R
Distanc e Pilot DISTRONI C detects a vehicl e in
fron t moving mor e slowly than th e store d
speed:
The segments between th e spee d of th e vehi-
cle in fron t and th e store d spee d ligh t up.
Tachometer
! Do no t driv e in th e overrevving range, as this
could damag e th e engine.
The red ban d in th e tachometer indicates th e
engine's overrevving range.
The fuel suppl y is interrupted to protect th e
engin e when th e red ban d is reached.
Outside temperature display You should pay special attention to road condi-
tion s when temperatures are aroun d freezing
point.
Bea r in min d that th e outside temperature dis-
play indicates th e temperature measured and
does no t record th e road temperature.
The outside temperature display is in th e multi-
function display ( Y
page 235).Displays and operation 233
On-board computer and displays Z