This enables you to gain experience and get
used to the new handling characteristics.
RBefore driving, check:
-that the trailer tow hitch and ball coupling
are secure
-that the safety switch for a braked trailer is
functioning properly
-that the safety chains are secure and not
damaged
-that the electrical connections are secure
-that the lights are working
-that the wheels are in good order and the
tire pressure is correct
RAdjust the exterior mirrors to provide an
unobstructed view of the rear section of the
trailer.
RIf the trailer is equipped with a separate func-
tional braking system, check before each
journey whether the brakes are functioning
correctly.
RSecure the load on the trailer according to the
applicable specifications and current stand-
ards on securing loads (
Ypage 246).
RWhen driving with a trailer, check at regular
intervals that the load is secured and that the
brakes and lights are working.
RBear in mind that the handling will be less
stable when towing a trailer than when driving
without one. Avoid sudden steering move-
ments.
RThe vehicle/trailer combination is heavier,
accelerates more slowly and has a decreased
gradient climbing capability and a longer
braking distance.
It is more susceptible to crosswinds and
requires cautious steering.
RIf possible, do not brake suddenly, but rather
moderately at first so that the trailer can acti-
vate its brakes. Then increase the force on the
brake pedal.
RIf the automatic transmission repeatedly
shifts between gears when driving on inclines,
restrict the shift range. Select shift range 4,3,
2 or 1.
Driving in a low gear and at a low speed
reduces the risk of damaging the engine.
RWhen driving on a downhill gradient, shift to a
low gear and take advantage of the engine's
braking effect. Avoid continuous brake application as this
may overheat the vehicle brakes and, if instal-
led, the trailer brakes.
RIf the coolant temperature increases dramat-
ically while the air-conditioning system is
switched on, switch off the air-conditioning
system.
Coolant heat can also be dissipated by
switching the airflow and the temperature of
the air conditioning to the
maximum level.
Open t
he windows if necessary.
RWhen overtaking, pay particular attention to
the extended length of your vehicle/trailer
combination.
Due to the length of your vehicle/trailer com-
bination you need an additional distance
before you can return to your original lane.
Uncoupling a trailer
GWARNING
If you uncouple a trailer with the overrun
brake engaged, you could trap your hand
between the vehicle and the trailer drawbar.
There is a risk of injury.
Do not uncouple a trailer if the overrun brake
is engaged.
!Do not disconnect a trailer with an engaged
overrun brake. Otherwise, your vehicle could
be damaged by the rebounding of the overrun
brake.
XMake sure that the selector lever of the auto-
matic transmission is in position P.
XEngage the vehicle's parking brake.
XClose all doors.
XApply the parking brake of the trailer.
XIn addition, secure the trailer against rolling
away with a wheel chock or similar object.
XRemove the trailer cable and safety chains
and decouple the trailer.
168Towing a trailer
Driving and parking
Useful information
This Operator's Manual describes all models as
well as standard and optional equipment of your
vehicle that were available at the time of going
to print. Country-specific variations are possi-
ble. Note that your vehicle may not be equipped
with all of the described functions. This also
applies to systems and functions relevant to
safety.
Read the information on qualified specialist
workshops (
Ypage 31).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you operate information systems and com-
munication equipment integrated in the vehi-
cle while driving, you will be distracted from
traffic conditions. You could also lose control
of the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Only operate the equipment when the traffic
situation permits. If you are not sure that this
is possible, park the vehicle paying attention
to traffic conditions and operate the equip-
ment when the vehicle is stationary.
GWARNING
If you are driving and reach through the steer- ing wheel to operate the adjustment knob,
you could lose control of the vehicle. There is
a risk of an accident and injury.
Only operate the adjustment knobs when thevehicle is stationary. Do not reach through the
steering wheel when driving.
You must observe the legal requirements for the
country in which you are currently driving when
operating the on-board computer.
GWARNING
If the instrument cluster has failed or mal-
functioned, you may not recognize function
restrictions in systems relevant to safety. The
operating safety of your vehicle may be
impaired. There is a risk of an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have the vehicle checked
at a qualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
The on-board computer display only shows mes-
sages and warnings from certain systems. You
should therefore make sure your vehicle is oper-
ating safely at all times. If the operating safety of
your vehicle is impaired, stop the vehicle as
soon as possible, paying attention to road and
traffic conditions. Then consult a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
The accuracy of the speedometer and odometer
displays is legally prescribed. Determining the
speed is dependent on the wheel size or the
rolling circumference of the wheels. If you
change the wheel size on your vehicle, make
sure it is assigned to the correct wheel size cat-
egory (
Ypage 279). If you change wheel size
category without recoding the control unit, the
speedometer indication will be inaccurate. Driv-
ing safety and driving systems may be impaired
or detect a malfunction and shut down.
An overview of the instrument cluster can be
found under "Instrument cluster":
Rfor vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 37)
Rfor vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 39)
Display and operation
Instrument lighting
Brightness control knob (example: vehicle with
steering wheel buttons)
In daylight, the displays in the instrument cluster
are illuminated. A dimming function is not pos-
sible in daylight.
Display and operation171
On-board computer and displays
Z
On vehicles with steering wheel buttons, the
light sensor in the instrument cluster automati-
cally controls the brightness of the display light-
ing.
While the lights are on, the brightness is depend-
ent upon the brightness of the ambient light.
You can also adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment lighting and the display lighting
Rby pressing thefand gbuttons on the
instrument cluster on vehicles without steer-
ing wheel buttons (not in the Settings
menu)
Rby turning brightness control knob :on vehi-
cles with steering wheel buttons
Speedometer
If you change the wheel size on your vehicle,
make sure it is assigned to the correct wheel
size category (
Ypage 279). If you change wheel
size category without recoding the control unit,
the speedometer indication will be inaccurate.
The current vehicle speed may then be higher
than the speed displayed in the speedometer.
The speed can also be shown in the display in
the form of a digital speedometer:
ROn vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 175)
ROn vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 181)
iIn some countries, a warning sounds and/or
the display shows a message when the vehi-
cle reaches the maximum legally permissible speed limit, e.g. at 75 mph (120 km/h).
Tachometer
!
Do not drive in the overrevving range, as this
could damage the engine.
HEnvironmental note
Avoid driving at high engine speeds. This
unnecessarily increases the fuel consumption
of your vehicle and harms the environment as
a result of increased emissions.
The red band in the tachometer indicates the
engine's overrevving range.
To protect the engine, the fuel supply is inter-
rupted when the red band is reached.
Outside temperature display
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
Please bear in mind that the outside tempera-
ture display shows the air temperature meas-
ured and not the road temperature.
The display shows the outside temperature in
the header:
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 173)
Ron vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 179)
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Coolant temperature gauge
GWARNING
Opening the hood when the engine is over-
heated or when there is a fire in the engine
compartment could expose you to hot gases
or other service products. There is a risk of
injury.
Let an overheated engine cool down before
opening the hood. If there is a fire in the
engine compartment, keep the hood closed
and contact the fire department.
On vehicles without steering wheel buttons, you
can have the coolant temperature shown in the
display (
Ypage 175).
On vehicles with steering wheel buttons, an ana-
log coolant temperature gage is located in the
tachometer in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 39).
Under normal operating conditions and with the
specified coolant level, the gauge may rise to
248 ‡ (120 †).
172Display and operation
On-board computer and displays
On-board computer (vehicles without
steering wheel buttons)
Operating the on-board computer
Overview
:È and 3buttons
;Display
=f and gbuttons
XTo activate the on-board computer: turn
the SmartKey to position 1in the ignition lock.
If you remove the SmartKey, then quickly re-
insert it and turn to position 1, the on-board
computer and instrument cluster are not acti-
vated.
You can control the display and the settings in
the on-board computer with buttons :and =
on the instrument cluster.
Buttons on the instrument cluster
GWARNING
If you are driving and reach through the steer- ing wheel to operate the adjustment knob,
you could lose control of the vehicle. There is
a risk of an accident and injury.
Only operate the adjustment knobs when thevehicle is stationary. Do not reach through the
steering wheel when driving.
ÈPress briefly:
RSelects the menu or display
RIn the Settingsmenu: exits the
submenu without adopting the last
setting and returns to the menu's
start screen
ÈPress and hold:
RReturns to the standard display or the Distance menu without adopt-
ing the last setting
3Press briefly:
RSelects a submenu or function
RConfirms the selected entry in the
list or the display, or confirms the
setting
3Press and hold:
RResets the trip odometer and trip
computer values
RIn the start screen of the Settingsmenu: resets settings to the fac-
tory settings
RIn theSettingsmenu: resets val-
ues and returns to the menu's start
screen
f
gRSets the instrument cluster light-
ing (not in the Settingsmenu)
RScrolls through lists
RChanges values or settings
Display
Instrument cluster display
:
Clock (Ypage 189)
V Cruise control (
Ypage 144)
;Permanent display: outside temperature or
speed (Ypage 177)
On-board computer (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)173
On-board computer and displays
Z
120km/h!(only for certain countries) max-
imum permissible speed exceeded
=Display panel for display messages, menus
and menu bar
?Transmission position (Ypage 129)
AFuel level
Bè ECO start/stop function
(Ypage 125)
Cè Rear window wiper (Ypage 106)
Display panel =shows the selected menu or
submenu and display messages.
Menu overview
The Settingsmenu is only displayed when the
vehicle is stationary. You can think of the order
of the menus and functions as a circle. Press È
on the instrument cluster to scroll through the
menus.
If you scroll forward in the Settings
menu using
3, the setting from the previous submenu or
function is adopted.
If you press Èin a submenu, the submenu or
function is exited without adopting the setting.
The display then shows the start screen of the
Settings
menu.
Operation information can be found under
"Operating the on-board computer"
(
Ypage 173).
Depending on the vehicle equipment, you can
call up the following menus, displays or func-
tions:
Rtrip odometer and odometer display
(Ypage 174)
Rtrip computer display (Ypage 174)
Rcurrent range display (Ypage 175)
Rcurrent fuel consumption display
(Ypage 175)
Rdigital speedometer (Ypage 175)
Rcoolant temperature gage (Ypage 175)
Rdisplay messages in the message memory
(Ypage 191)
The following menus, displays and functions are only displayed when the vehicle is stationary:
Rnext service due date display (Ypage 260)
Rtire pressure monitor restart (Ypage 286)
RSettingsmenu for setting or activating/
deactivating driving and driver assistance systems as well as display options
(
Ypage 176)
Distance menu
Odometer
If the display shows the speed in the header, the
display beside trip odometer
:also shows the
outside temperature.
You can switch the permanent display in the
header (
Ypage 177).
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
XTo display: press and hold Èuntil the dis-
play shows trip odometer :and odome-
ter ;.
XTo reset: press and hold 3until the trip
odometer is reset to 0.0
.
You can set the unit of measurement for the trip odometer in the Distance Unit:
submenu
(Ypage 177).
Trip computer menu
Trip computer
:
Distance
;Length of journey
=Average fuel consumption
?Average speed
174On-board computer (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)
On-board computer and displays
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
XTo display:pressÈto select the trip com-
puter display.
The values displayed relate to those meas-
ured since the trip computer was last reset.
XTo reset values: press and hold3until all
values are reset.
The trip computer is automatically reset if the
value exceeds 9,999 hours or 99,999 miles.
You can set the unit of measurement for con-
sumption and distance in the Distance Unit:
submenu (Ypage 177).
Range menu
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
XPressÈto select the Rangedisplay.
The approximate range that can be covered is calculated according to your current driving
style and the amount of fuel in the tank. If
there is only a small amount of fuel left in the
fuel tank, the display shows a vehicle being
refueled Ïinstead of the approximate
range.
You can set the unit of measurement for dis-
tance in the Distance Unit:
submenu
(Ypage 177).
Current fuel consumption menu
:Recuperation display
;Range Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
XPress
Èto select the fuel consumption bar
display.
Recuperation display :shows whether, and, if
so, how much kinetic energy is being trans-
formed into electric current whilst the vehicle is
coasting. The recuperated energy is then stored in the starter battery. Recuperation display :is
dependent on the engine installed and is there-
fore not available in all vehicles.
You can set the unit of measurement for con-
sumption in the Distance Unit:
submenu
(Ypage 177).
Digital speedometer menu
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
XPress Èto select the speed display.
You can set the unit for the digital speedometer
in the Distance
Unit:submenu (Ypage 177).
Coolant temperature menu
GWARNING
Opening the hood when the engine is over-
heated or when there is a fire in the engine
compartment could expose you to hot gases
or other service products. There is a risk of
injury.
Let an overheated engine cool down before
opening the hood. If there is a fire in the
engine compartment, keep the hood closed
and contact the fire department.
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
XPress Èto select the ?coolant temper-
ature bar display.
Under normal operating conditions and with the
specified coolant level, the gauge may rise to
248 ‡ (120 †).
On-board computer (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)175
On-board computer and displays
Z
Settings menu
Introduction
Settings menu start screen
The vehicle must be stationary. Use the buttons
in the instrument cluster.
XTo display: pressÈto select the Settingsmenu.
The Settings
menu is only displayed when the
vehicle is stationary. You can think of the order
of the submenus and functions as a circle. Press
3 on the instrument cluster to scroll through
the menu, starting with its start screen and
select its submenus or functions successively.
If you scroll forward using 3, the setting from
the previous submenu or function is adopted.
If you press Èin a submenu, the submenu or
function is exited without adopting the setting.
The display then shows the start screen of the
Settings
menu.
Depending on the vehicle’s equipment, you have the following options in the Settings
menu:
RSetting the language for the display messages
and displays (Ypage 176)
RDeactivating and activating ESP®
(Ypage 176)
RSetting the sensitivity of the rain sensor
(Ypage 177)
RActivating and deactivating ATTENTION
ASSIST (Ypage 177)
RSelecting the permanent display in the header
of the display (Ypage 177)
RSetting the unit for distance, consumption
and speed displays (Ypage 177)
RSetting the time and date (Ypage 178)
XTo reset settings to the factory settings:
turn the SmartKey to position 1in the ignition
lock and press and hold 3in the Settings
menu for at least five seconds.
For safety reasons, not all functions are reset.
Setting the display language
The vehicle must be stationary. Use the buttons
in the instrument cluster.
XPress Èto select the Settingsmenu.
XPress3to select the Languagesubmenu.
The display shows the current language selec- tion.
XPress forg to set the language for all dis-
play messages.
XPress 3to confirm.
The next submenu is shown in the display.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
This menu is only available on vehicles without
the å button on the center console.
Please observe the important safety notes
under "ESP
®(Electronic Stability Program)"
(Ypage 66).
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®, ESP®no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Further information can be found under "ESP®
(Electronic Stability Program)" (Ypage 66).
The vehicle must be stationary and the engine
must be running. Use the buttons in the instru-
ment cluster.
XPress Èto select the Settingsmenu.
XPress3to select the ESPsubmenu.
The display shows the current status.
If the display shows the Oper.
OnlyPoss.WithEngineOnmessage, confirm the mes-
sage with 3and start the engine. The display
then shows the ESP
submenu and the ESP®
status.
If theESP
Inoperativemessage is shown in
the display, ESP is not available due to a mal-
function and is deactivated. If you confirm the
176On-board computer (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)
On-board computer and displays
message with3, the display shows the next
submenu.
XPress forg to activate or deactivate ESP.
XPress 3to confirm.
The next submenu is shown in the display.
If the å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the vehicle is ready to
drive, ESP
®is deactivated.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 224) and display messages
(Ypage 196).
Setting the sensitivity of the rain sensor
The vehicle must be stationary. Use the buttons
in the instrument cluster.
XPress Èto select the Settingsmenu.
XPress3to select the Rain Sensorsub-
menu.
The display shows the current sensitivity set-
ting.
XPress forg to select the Low,Standardor
Sensitivesetting. This setting controls the
rain sensor's sensitivity to precipitation. The
windshield wiper will then wipe more or less
frequently at the same precipitation intensity.
XPress 3to confirm.
The next submenu is shown in the display.
You can find further information under "Wind-
shield wiper" (
Ypage 106).
Activating/deactivating ATTENTION
ASSIST
The vehicle must be stationary. Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
XPress Èto select the Settingsmenu.
XPress3to select the Attention Assistsubmenu.
The display shows the current status.
If theAttention Assist Inoperative
message is shown in the display, ATTENTION
ASSIST is not available due to a malfunction
and is deactivated. If you confirm the mes-
sage with 3, the display shows the next sub-
menu.
XPress forg to activate or deactivate
ATTENTION ASSIST.
XPress 3to confirm.
The next submenu is shown in the display. Further information can be found under "ATTEN-
TION ASSIST" (
Ypage 152).
Selecting the permanent display func-
tion
With the
Permanent Display:function, you
can switch the display in the header between
outside temperature and speed.
If the display shows the speed in the header, the
outside temperature is shown with the odome-
ters (
Ypage 174).
The additional speedometer unit in the header is
always inverse to the speedometer unit.
The vehicle must be stationary. Use the buttons
in the instrument cluster.
XUsing Èselect the Settingsmenu.
XUsing3select the Permanent Display:submenu.
The display indicates the selected setting of
Outside Temp.
orSpeedometer.
XChange the setting by pressing forg.
XPress 3to confirm.
The next submenu is shown in the display.
Selecting the unit for the distance
In the Distance Unit:submenu, you can
select whether the display shows certain infor-
mation in kilometers or miles.
The vehicle must be stationary. Use the buttons
in the instrument cluster.
XPress Èto select the Settingsmenu.
XPress3to select the Distance Unit:sub-
menu.
The display indicates the selected setting of
km
or Miles.
XChange the setting by pressing forg.
XPress 3to confirm.
The display shows the next submenu or the
Settings
menu again.
The selected distance units are used for the dis- plays:
RDigital speedometer
ROdometer and trip odometer
RTrip computer
RRange
RCurrent consumption
RCruise control
RService intervals
On-board computer (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)177
On-board computer and displays
Z