The drive program display showsMand the
transmission position indicator shows the selec-
ted gear.
XTo shift up: briefly pull right-hand steering
wheel paddle shifter ;.
If the engine speed is sufficient, the automatic
transmission shifts up to the next gear.
If the maximum engine speed is reached in
the currently engaged gear and you continue
to accelerate, the automatic transmission will
not shift up automatically. Always make sure
that the engine speed does not reach the red
area of the tachometer. Observe the gearshift
recommendation in the display (
Ypage 133).
When the engine reaches its maximum speed, the fuel supply is cut to prevent the engine
from overrevving.
XTo shift down: pull briefly on left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter :.
Provided that the engine will not exceed its
maximum speed when shifting down, the
automatic transmission shifts down to the
next gear.
or
XPull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter until the automatic transmission
selects the optimum gear for the current
speed.
iWhen coasting, the automatic transmission
shifts down automatically.
Gearshift recommendation
:Gearshift direction
;Recommended gear
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style.
XWhen the display shows the gearshift recom-
mendation, shift to recommended gear ;.
Automatic transmission133
Driving and parking
Z
!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. The brakes are cooled down
more quickly in the airflow.
Wet road surfaces
If you have been driving for a long time in heavy
rain without braking, there may be a delayed
response when you first apply the brakes. This
may also occur after driving through a car wash
or deep water.
You must depress the brake pedal more firmly.
Maintain a longer distance to the vehicle in
front.
While paying attention to the traffic conditions,
you should brake the vehicle firmly after driving
on a wet road surface or through a car wash. This
heats the brake discs, so that they dry more
quickly, which protects them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
When driving on salted roads, salt may start to
build up on the brake disks and brake pads. This can increase braking distances considerably.
Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle in
front.
To remove any build-up of salt that may have
formed:
XApply the brakes at the start of the journey,
occasionally during journey and at the end of
the journey. Make sure that you do not endan-
ger other road users when doing so.
Checking the brake pad thickness
In addition to monitoring using the brake pad
wear sensor, regularly monitor and check all of
the brake pads by performing a visual inspection
to look for pad material wear.
If you are unable to check the brake wear on the
inside of the wheels, remove the wheels with the tools provided.
Make sure that the brake pad material thickness
never falls below 0.12 in (3 mm). Have the brake pads checked and replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop, if necessary. Do not solely rely on the brake pad wear sensor.
It is strongly recommended that you have the
brake pads checked at a qualified specialist
workshop at every service displayed in the main-
tenance interval indicator, prior to long journeys
and whenever the wheels are removed.
New brake discs and brake pads/
linings
New brake pads and brake discs only reach their
optimal braking effect after about 60 miles
(100 kilometers). Until then, compensate for
this by applying greater force to the brake pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends only installing the following brake discs
and brake pads/linings:
Rbrake discs that have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz
Rbrake pads/linings that have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz or are of an equivalent
standard of quality
Other brake discs or brake pads/linings can
compromise the safety of your vehicle.
Always replace all brake discs or brake pads/
linings on an axle at the same time and only have
them replaced at a qualified specialist work-
shop. When replacing the brake discs, always
have the brake pads/linings replaced at the
same time.
Parking brake
GWARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels could lock. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi-
cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly. If the
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begin turning again.
When driving on wet roads or dirt-covered sur-
faces, road salt and/or dirt may get into the
parking brake. This causes corrosion and a
reduction of braking force.
In order to prevent this, drive with the parking
brake lightly applied from time to time. When
doing so, drive for a distance of approximately
140Driving tips
Driving and parking
When driving at altitudes of 2700 yds (2500m)
above sea level, the ECO start/stop function is
no longer available.
Notes on braking on downhill gradients can be
found in the "Braking" section (
Ypage 139).
Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains the speed of the vehi-
cle for you. It brakes automatically in order to
avoid exceeding the set speed.
Use cruise control if road and traffic conditions
make it appropriate to maintain a steady speed
for a prolonged period. You can set any speed
from 30 km/h upwards in increments of 1 km/h
and 10 km/h.
If you have set Miles
as the unit for the digital
speedometer, you can set any speed above
20 mph in increments of 1 mph and 5 mph.
Changing the display unit for the digital speed-
ometer and the distance:
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 177)
Ron vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 188)
Cruise control should not be activated when
driving off-road or on construction sites.
Cruise control may be unable to maintain the
stored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed if the uphill gradient evens out
and the vehicle's speed does not fall below
20 mph (30 km/ h). Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by automat-
ically applying the brakes. Observe the addi-
tional driving tips (
Ypage 139).
Important safety notes
Observe the notes on braking (Ypage 139).
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are inattentive, cruise control can neither reduce
the risk of an accident nor override the laws of
physics. Cruise control cannot take road,
weather and traffic conditions into account.
Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible
for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehi-
cle speed, for braking in good time and for stay-
ing in lane. If you change wheel size, make sure they corre-
spond to the correct wheel size category
(
Ypage 279). If the category is changed without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the
functioning of cruise control may be impaired.
Do not use cruise control:
Rin traffic conditions that are unsuitable for
driving at a constant speed, e.g. in heavy traf-
fic, on winding roads or off-road.
Ron slippery roads. Braking or accelerating
may cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle could then skid.
Rwhen there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow.
If there is a change of drivers, make sure that
you inform the new driver about the set cruise
speed.
Cruise control lever and display
:To activate and store the current speed or a
higher speed
;To activate at the last stored speed
=To activate and store the current speed or a
lower speed
?To deactivate cruise control
The cruise control lever is the lower lever on the
left of the steering column.
When you activate cruise control, the display
briefly shows the Cruise Control
message
and the stored speed.
The display also shows the Vsymbol and the
stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 173)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 179)
144Driving systems
Driving and parking
Activationconditions
To activat ecruise control ,all of th efollowin g
activation condition smus tbe fulfilled :
Rtheparking brak emus tbe released. The F
(only USA) or J(only Canada) indicator
lamp in th einstrumen tcluste rgoe sout
RES P®mus tbe switched on ,but no tcurrentl y
intervening or performin g acontrol action
Ryou are drivin gfaste rthan 20 mph (30 km/h)
Rthe brake pedal is not depressed
Storing and maintaining the current
speed
XAccelerate the vehicle to the desired speed
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefly push the cruise control lever up :or
down =.
XRelease the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The current speed
is stored and shown briefly in the display's
text field.
The display also shows the Vsymbol and
the stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 173)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 179)
Resuming the stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
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 ;.
XRelease the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated and resumes the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored. The stored speed is shown briefly in the dis-
play.
The display also shows the
Vsymbol and
the stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 173)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 179)
iWhen you pull the cruise control lever
towards you for the first time after starting the
engine, cruise control adopts the current
speed.
Setting the speed
It may be a moment before the vehicle starts to
accelerate or brake to the set speed. Take this
delay into account when setting the speed.
XPress the cruise control lever up :to
increase the speed or down =to reduce the
speed.
The vehicle will accelerate or decelerate. The
speed is shown in the display.
XRelease the cruise control lever once the
desired speed is reached.
The displayed speed is stored.
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever as far as
the 1st pressure point up :or down =.
The last speed stored is increased/reduced in
increments of 1 mph (1 km/h).
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever beyond
the pressure point up :or down =.
The last speed stored is increased/reduced in
increments of 5 mph (10 km/h).
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you acceler-
ate briefly to overtake, for example, cruise
control resumes the vehicle’s speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Deactivating cruise control
There are various ways to deactivate cruise con- trol:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards ?.
or
XApply the brakes.
Driving system s145
Driving an d parking
Z
The last speed set remains stored. The last
speed stored is deleted when you switch off the
engine.
Cruise control is deactivated automatically
when:
Ryou apply the brakes
Ryou apply the parking brake and theF
(only USA) or J(only Canada) indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up
Ryou are driving slower than 20 mph (30 km/h)
Ryou shift to neutral iwhile th evehicl eis in
motion
RES P®intervenes or you deactivat eES P®
Rthere is amalfunction in th eES P®or AB Ssys-
te m
If cruise control automatically deactivates, a
warnin gtone sounds and th eCruise
Contro lOffmessage appears briefl yin th edisplay.
The V symbol and th edisplay of th estore d
speed in th eheader or in th estatu sarea of th e
display are then no tshown.
Problems with cruise contro l
The speed cannotbe set when cruise control is
activated.
The display is showin g amessage of high priority
and canno ttherefor esho w a chang ein speed.
XProceed as instructe dby th emessage in th e
display.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
Gene ral notes
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST help syou:
Rto minimiz eth eris kof afront-en dcollision
wit h a detecte dobstacle in th epat hof your
vehicl e
Rto reduce th econsequence sof acollision
wit hth evehicl ein fron t
The system uses rada rsensor sto detec tvehi-
cle sin front.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consist sof th e
distanc ewarnin gfunction and Adaptive Brake
Assist.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is malfunc -
tioning, th edisplay shows acorrespondin gmes -
sage (
Ypage 216).
Distance warning function
Important safety notes
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarnin gfunction does no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossin gtraffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus ,th edistanc ewarnin gfunction canno t
provid e awarnin gin all critica lsituations.
There is aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and be read yto brake.
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarnin gfunction canno talways
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In suc hcases, th edistanc ewarnin gfunction
may:
Rgiv ean unnecessary warnin g
Rnotgiv e a warnin g
There is aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and do no trel ysolely on th edistanc e
warnin gfunction .
In particular, th edetection of obstacles can be
impaire din th ecas eof:
Rdir ton th esensor sor anythin gelse coverin g
th esensor s
Rsnow or heav yrain
Rinterferenc efrom other rada rsource s
Rstrongrada rreflections, for example, in park -
in g garages
Ranarrow vehicl etravelin gin front, e.g. a
motorbik e
Ravehicl etravelin gin fron ton adifferen tlin e
Due to th enature of th esystem, particularly
complicate dbut non-critica ldrivin gcondition s
may also caus eth esystem to display awarning.
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle, th edis-
tance warnin gfunction can neither reduce th e
ris kof an acciden tno roverride th elaws of phys -
ics .The distanc ewarnin gfunction canno ttak e
146Driving systems
Driving and parking
into account road, weather or traffic conditions.
The distance warning function is only an aid. You
are responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensor checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
If you change wheel size, make sure they corre- spond to the correct wheel size category
(
Ypage 279). If the category is changed without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the
functioning of the distance warning feature may
be impaired. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
may then detect a malfunction and switch itself
off.
Operation
XTo activate/deactivate: activate or deacti-
vate the distance warning function in the on-
board computer (
Ypage 187).
If the distance warning function of COLLISION
PREVENTION ASSIST is activated, the display
shows the Äsymbol:
Rin the header
Rin the Status Overviewof the Assist.menu (Ypage 186)
At speeds up to approx 20 mph (30 km/h) the
display in vehicles with Active Parking Assist
first shows the ístatus indicator. Only up to
a speed of about 20 mph (30 km/h) does the display show the Äsymbol instead of the
í status indicator.
The distance warning function can help you to
minimize the risk of a front-end collision with a
vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of such a
collision. With the help of the radar sensor sys-
tem, the distance warning function can detect
obstacles that are in the path of your vehicle for
an extended period of time. If the distance warn-
ing function detects that there is a risk of a col-
lision, you will be warned visually and, where
necessary, acoustically. Without your interven-
tion, the distance warning function cannot pre-
vent a collision.
The distance warning function issues a warning
at speeds:
Rfrom about 4 mph (7 km/h) if you approach a
vehicle traveling in front or a stationary vehi-
cle too quickly. The ·warning lamp in the instrument cluster then lights up and an inter-
mittent warning tone also sounds.
At speeds up to about 45 mph (70 km/h), the
system also detects stationary obstacles, for
example stopped or parked vehicles.
XBrake immediately until the distance from the
obstacle increases and the risk of a front-end
collision passes.
or
XTake evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
Adaptive Brake Assist
General notes
Adaptive Brake Assist evaluates the traffic sit-
uation with the help of the radar sensor system and can detect obstacles which have been in
your vehicle's path for an extended period of
time. From speeds above 4 mph (7 km/h), Adap-
tive Brake Assist aids you in braking during haz-
ardous situations.
Up to a speed of approximately 125 mph
(200 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assist is capable of
reacting to moving obstacles that have already
been detected as such at least once over the
period of observation.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rto stationary obstacles
Rwhen cornering
As a result, the Adaptive Brake Assist may not
intervene in all critical conditions. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
Driving systems147
Driving and parking
Z
In such cases, Adaptive Brake Assist can:
Rintervene unnecessarily
Rnot intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired in the case of:
Rdirt on the sensors or anything else covering
the sensors
Rsnow or heavy rain
Rinterference from other radar sources
Rstrong radar reflections, for example, in park-
ing garages
Ra narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle traveling in front on a different line
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may also cause Adaptive Brake Assist to inter-
vene.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Adaptive
Brake Assist can neither reduce the risk of acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Adaptive
Brake Assist cannot take into account road,
weather or traffic conditions. Adaptive Brake
Assist is only an aid. You are responsible for the
distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensor checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
If you change wheel size, make sure they corre- spond to the correct wheel size category
(
Ypage 279). If the category is changed without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the
functioning of Adaptive Brake Assist may be
impaired. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST may
then detect a malfunction and switch itself off.
If Adaptive Brake Assist is not available due to a
malfunction in the radar sensor system, the
brake system remains available with full brake
boosting effect and BAS.
Operation
With the help of the radar sensor system, Adap-
tive Brake Assist can detect obstacles that have been in the path of your vehicle for an extended
period of time. Ada
ptive Brake Assist does not
react to stationary obstacles. If Adaptive Brake
Assist detects a risk of collision with a vehicle
traveling in front or with a stationary obstacle,
the system calculates the braking force neces-
sary to avoid this collision. If you apply the
brakes forcefully, Adaptive Brake Assist will
automatically increase the braking force to a
level suitable for the traffic conditions.
XBrake until the distance to the obstacle
increases and the risk of a collision passes.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes function as usual again if:
Ryou release the brake pedal
Rthere is no longer any danger of a collision
Rno obstacle is detected in front of your vehicle
Braking assistance is then ended.
Blind Spot Assist
General notes
Blind Spot Assist monitors the areas on either
side of the vehicle that are not visible to the
driver with two lateral, rear-facing radar sensors
in the bumper. It supports you from speeds of
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). A warning
display in the exterior mirrors draws your atten-
tion to vehicles detected in the monitored area.
If you then switch on the corresponding turn
signal to change lane, you will also receive an
optical and audible collision warning.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Blind Spot Assist does not react to:
Rvehicles overtaken too closely on the side,
placing them in the blind spot area
Rvehicles which approach with a large speed
differential and overtake your vehicle
As a result, Blind Spot Assist may not give
warnings in such situations. There is a risk of
an accident.
148Driving systems
Driving and parking
Warning display
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). Vehicles in
the monitoring range are then not indicated.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h), warning
lamp:lights up red in the exterior mirror on
the corresponding side. Warning lamp :
always lights up when a vehicle enters the blind
spot monitoring range from behind or from the
side. When you overtake a vehicle, the warning
only occurs if the difference in speed is less than
7 mph (11 km/h).
If you select reverse gear, Blind Spot Assist is
inactive.
The intensity of warning lamps :depends on
the brightness of the ambient light and is con-
trolled automatically.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range of
Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the corre-
sponding turn signal, a double warning tone
sounds once. The warning lamp in the corre-
sponding exterior mirror flashes. If the turn sig-
nal remains on, detected vehicles are indicated
by the flashing of the warning lamp in the exte-
rior mirror. There are no further warning tones.
Activating Blind Spot Assist
XMake sure that Blind Spot Assist is activated
in the on-board computer (Ypage 187).
XTurn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
The warning lamps in the exterior mirrors light
up for approximately 1.5 seconds.
Status indicators in the status overview submenu
If Blind Spot Assist is activated, the display
shows symbol :in the StatusOverviewsub-
menu of the on-board computer (Ypage 186). If
you are driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h),
the symbol also shows radar waves ;between
the two vehicles. Blind Spot Assist is then ready
for use.
Towing a trailer
If you attach a trailer, make sure that you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. Blind Spot Assist is then deactivated
and the Blind Spot Assist Currently
Unavail. See Operator's Manualmessage
appears in the display.
Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicle by means of camera :which is
mounted at the top of the windshield. Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
road and can warn you before you leave your
lane unintentionally.
This function is available in the range between
40 mph (60 km/h) and 125 mph (200 km/h).
A warning may be given if a front wheel touches a lane marking. It will warn you by means of
150Driving systems
Driving and parking