2018 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS CABRIOLET warning light

BAS suppo rts yo ur eme rgency braking situation
with additional brake forc e.
If yo udepr essthe brake pedal quickl y,BA S is
acti vated:
RBA S au tomatical lyboosts the brake pres‐
sure.
RBA S can short enthe braking dis tance.
RABS pr events the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
re lease the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
Functions of ESP®(Electronic Stability Pro‐
gr am)
&
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP®is
malfunctioning
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilization. In addition, other
driving saf etysy stems are switched off.
#Drive on carefull y.
#Have ESP®checked at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop.
&
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP®is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP
®, ESP®cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilization.
#ESP®should only be deactivated in the
fo llowing situations.
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles: observeth e no tes in
th e Supplement. Otherwise, you may failto rec‐
ognize dangers.
ESP
®can monito r and improvedriving stability
and traction in thefo llowing situations, within
ph ysical limits:
RWhen pulling away on wet or slippe ryroads.
RWhen braking.
RIn stro ng side winds when you are driving
fast erthan 50 mph (80 km/h). If
th eve hicle deviates from the direction desired
by the driver, ESP
®can stabilize theve hicle by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
ROne or more wheels are braked.
RThe engine output is adap ted according to
th e situation.
ESP
®is deactivated if theå ESP®OFFwarn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter:
RDriving stability will no longe r be improved.
RCrosswind Assist is no longer active.
RThe drive wheels could spin.
RETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
% When ESP
®is deactivated, you are still assis‐
te dby ESP®when braking.
ESP
®is inter vening if the÷ ESP®warning
lamp flashes in the instrument clus ter:
RDo not deacti vate ESP®.
ROnly depress the accelera tor pedal as far as
is necessar y.
152
Driving and pa rking

RAdapt your drivin gst yle to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
It can make sense todeactivate ESP
®inthefo l‐
lowing situations toimpr ovetraction:
RWhen using snow chains.
RIn deep snow .
ROn sand or gr avel.
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action which pr ovides better grip.
If th e÷ ESP
®warning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP®is not available due toa malfunction. Observ
eth efo llowing information:
RWa rning and indicator lamps (→page 445)
RDispl aymessage s (→page 404)
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4E TStraction control is pa rtof ESP
®and
makes it possible topull away or accelerate on a
slippery sur face.
ETS/4ETS can impr ovetheve hicle's traction by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
RThe drive wheels are braked individually if
they spin.
RMore drive torque is transferred tothe wheel
or wheels with traction.
Influence of drive prog rams on ESP
®
The drive prog rams enable ESP®to adapt todif‐
fe re nt we ather and road conditions as well as
th e driver's prefer red driving style. You can
select the drive prog rams using theDY NA MIC
SELECT switch (
→page 136).
Driving and pa rking 15
3

ESP®characteristics per drive prog ram
Driv eprog ram
ESP®mode Chara
cteristics
C (Sport)
ESP
®Sport This drive program continues
toofferst ability
but with a sporty setup which allo wsthe enthu‐
siastic driver a more active driving style.
Only select drive program Cin good road
conditions, forex ample on dry roads and clear
st re tches of road.
A (Comfort)
Ve hicles with MAGIC BODY CONT ROL:N
(CURVE)
; (Econo my) ESP
®Comfort
These drive prog
rams pr ovide the ideal balance
between traction and stability.
Select drive program A,Nor; in dif‐
fi cult road conditions, such as snow or ice, or
when thero ad is wet from rain.
Ac tivating/deactivating ESP®(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram)
Multimedia sy stem:
,Vehicle.k Assistance.ESP
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles: observeth e no tes in
th e Supplement. Otherwise, you may not recog‐
nize dangers.
#Ac tivate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
ESP
®is deactivated if theå ESP®OFFwarn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter.
Fu nctions of ESP®Crosswind Assist
ESP®Crosswind Assist de tects sudden gust s of
side wind and helps the driver tokeep theve hi‐
cle in the lane:
RESP®Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle
speeds between 50 mph(8 0 km/h) and
15 4
Driving and pa rking

125mp h(2 00 km/h) when driving stra ight
ahead or cornering slightly.
RThe vehicle is stabilized bymeans of individ‐
ual brake application on one side.
Fu nction of EBD (Electronic Brake forc e Dis‐
tribution)
EBD is characterized bythefo llowing:
RMonitoring and regulating the brake pressure
on there ar wheels.
RImpr oved driving stability when braking,
especially on bends.
ST EER CONT ROL function
STEER CONTROL helps youby transmitting a
noticeable steering forc eto thesteering wheel in
th e direction requiredforve hicle stabilization.
This steering recommendation is given part icu‐
lar lyin thefo llowing situations:
RBo th right wheels or bo thleft wheels are on
a we t or slippe ryroad sur face when you
brake.
RThe vehicle starts toskid.
Sy stem limitations
ST EER CONTROL may be impaired or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
RESP®is deactivated.
RESP®is malfunctioning.
RThe steering is malfunctioning.
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, you will beassis ted
fur ther by the electric po werst eering.
Fu nction of Active Brake Assi st
Active Brake Assi stconsist s of:
RDistance warning function
RAu tonomous braking function
RSituation-dependent braking assist ance
RVehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Evasi veSteering Assist
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimize the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles or pedestrians or
to reduce the ef fects of such a collision. If
Ac tive Brake Assi sthas de tected a risk of colli‐
sion, youwill bewarned visually and acousti‐
cally.
If yo udo not react tothe visual or acoustic warn‐
ing, autonomous braking can be initiated in criti‐
cal situations.
In especially critical situations, Active Brake
Assi stcan initiate autonomous braking direct ly.
In this case, the visual and acoustic warning
occurs simultaneously with the braking applica‐
tion.
If yo uappl yth e brake yourself in a critical situa‐
tion or applyth e brake during autonomous brak‐
ing, situation-dependent braking assis tance
occurs . This increases the brake pressure up to
maximum full-s top braking if necessar y.
If th e autonomous braking function or the situa‐
tion-dependent braking assis tance is trig gered,
additional pr eventive measure sfo r occupant
pr otection (PRE-SAFE®) may also be initiated, if
th eve hicle is equipped with these.
Driving and parking 15
5

&WARNING Risk of an accident caused by
limited de tection per form ance of Active
Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stcannot al ways clear ly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
In such cases,Active Brake Assi stmight:
RGive a warning or brake without reason
RNo t give a warning or not brake
#Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Active Brake
Assi stalone. Active Brake Assi stis only
an aid. The driver is responsible for
maintaining a sui table dis tance tothe
ve hicle in front, vehicle speed and for
braking in good time.
#Be prepared tobrake or swer veif nec‐
essar y.
Also obser vethe sy stem limitations of Active
Brake Assi st.
The individual subfunctions are available in
th efo llowing speed ranges:
Distance warning function The dis
tance warning function issues a warning
at speeds:
RFr om appr oximately 4 mph (7 km/h), if your
ve hicle is critically close toave hicle or
pedestrian. An intermittent warning tone
sounds and the· distance warning lamp
lights up in the instrument clus ter.
Brake immediately or take evasive action, pr ovi‐
ded it is safe todo so and the traf fic situation
allo wsthis.
The distance warning function can aid you in thefo llowing situations with an intermit tent wa rning tone and a warning lamp:
Ve hicles tr aveling in
front St
ationary vehicles Crossing vehicles Crossing pedestrians Stationary pedes‐
trians
Ve hicles without Driv‐
ing Assis tance Pack‐
age up
toappr ox.15 5mp h
(250 km/h) up
toappr ox. 50 mph
(80 km/h) no
reaction uptoappr ox.37 mph
(60 km/h) no
reaction
Ve hicles with Driving
Assis tance Package up
toappr ox.15 5mp h
(250 km/h) up
toappr ox. 62 mph
(100 km/h) up
toappr ox. 43 mph
(70 km/h) up
toappr ox. 43 mph
(70 km/h) up
toappr ox. 43 mph
(70 km/h)
15 6
Driving and pa rking

Canceling a brake application ofActive Brake
Assi st
Yo u can cancel a brake applic ation of Active
Brake Assi stat any time by:
RDep ressing the accelera tor pedal fully.
RRe leasing the brake pedal.
Ac tive Brake Assi stmay cancel the brake appli‐
cation when one of thefo llowing conditions is
fulfilled:
RYo u maneuver to avoidthe obs tacle.
RThere is no longer a risk of collision.
RAn obs tacle is no longer de tected in front of
yo ur vehicle.
Evasive Steering Assist (only vehicles with
Driving Assistance Package)
Evasi veSteering Assist has thefo llowing charac‐
te rist ics:
RCan de tect stationary or crossing pedes‐
trians.
RCan assist the driver with additional steering
assis tance if it de tects a swerving maneuver.
RCan be acti vatedby an abrupt steering mo ve‐
ment during a swerving maneu ver.
RCan assist during swerving and stra ightening
of theve hicle.
RCan react from a speed of appr oximately
12 mp h(2 0 km/h) up toa speed of appr ox‐
imately 43 mph(7 0 km/h).
RYo u can preve ntthe assis tance at any time
by actively steering.
&
WARNING Risk of an accident despite
Evasive Steering Assist
Evasive Steering Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
In addition, thesteering support of Evasive
St eering Assist is generally not suff icientto
av oid a collision.
In such cases Evasive Steering Assist can:
Rgive an unnecessary warning or pr ovide
assis tance
Rnot give awa rning or not pr ovide assis‐
ta nce
#Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Ev asive
St eering Assist alone.
#Be ready tobrake and take evasive
action if necessar y.
#Preve ntthe assis tance byactively steer‐
ing in non-critical driving situations.
#Drive at an appropriate speed if pedes‐
trians are close tothe path of your vehi‐
cle.
Also obser vethe sy stem limitations of Evasive
St eering Assist.
Sy stem limitations
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing situations:
RIn sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatlyvarying
ambient light.
RIf th e sensors are dirty, fogged up, damaged
or co vered.
15 8
Driving and pa rking

Cruise cont rol is operated using the cor respond‐
ing steering wheel buttons. You can store any
ro ad speed abo ve15 mp h (20 km/h) up tothe
maximum speed.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your drivin gst yle, cruise con‐
trol can neither reduce therisk of an accident
nor override the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take
into account road, weather or traf fic conditions.
Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible
fo rth e dis tance totheve hicle in front, forve hi‐
cle speed, for braking in good time and forst ay ‐
ing in lane.
Displa ysinthe multifunction display
The status of cruise control and thestored
speed are shown in the multifunction displa y.
1Cruise cont rol is selecte d
2Speed is sa ved, cruise control is deactivated
3Speed is sa ved, cruise control is activated
% The segments between thestored speed and
th e end of the segment display light up in
th e speedome ter.
Sy stem limitations
Cruise control may be unable tomaintain the
st ored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed when the gradient evens out.
Change into a lo werge ar in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular
no te ofthis when driving a laden vehicle. By doing so,
youwill make use of the braking ef fect
of the engine. This relie vesth e load on the brake
sy stem and pr events the brakes from overheat‐
ing and wearing tooqu ickl y.
Do not use cruise control in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
RIn traf fic situations whi chrequ ire frequent
ch anges of speed, e.g. in heavy traf fic, on
winding roads.
ROn slippery roads. Accelerating can cause
th e drive wheels tolose traction and the
ve hicle could then skid.
RIfyo u are driving when visibility is poor.
Ope rating cruise control
&
WARNING Risk of accident due tostored
speed
If yo u call up thestored speed and this is
lo we rth an your cur rent speed, theve hicle
decelerates.
#Ta ke into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed.
16 0
Driving and pa rking

Active Di stance Assist DI STRONIC
Function of Active Di stance Assist
DI STRO NIC
Active Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC maintains the
set speed on free-flowing roads. If vehicles
ahead are de tected, the set dis tance is main‐
ta ined, if necessar y,unt ilth eve hicle comes toa
halt. The vehicle accelerates or brakes depend‐
ing on the dis tance totheve hicle in front and
th e set speed. Speed (in thera nge between
15 mp h(2 0 km/h) and 130mp h(210 km/h))
and the dis tance totheve hicle ahead are set
and sa ved on thesteering wheel. Other
features of Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC:
RAd justs the driving style depending on the
selected drive program (fuel-saving, comfort‐
able or dynamic) (
→page 136)
RRe acts tostationary vehicles in urban speed
ra nges (e xcept bicycles and mo torcyc les) if
conditions are suf ficient toenable de tection.
It also does not de tect pedestrians.
RInitiates rapid acceleration tothestored
speed, if the turn signal indicator is switched
on tochange totheove rtaking lane.
RTa ke s one-sided overtaking restrictions into
account on highw ays or on multi-lane roads
with separate roadw ays.
Ve hicles with Active Parking Assis t:ifth eve hicle
has been braked toast andstill on a multi-lane,
separate roadw ay by Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC, it can au tomatical lyfollow th
eve hi‐
cle in front driving off again within 30 seconds. If
a crit

ical situation is de tected when driving off, a
visual and acoustic warning is given indicating
th at the driver must now take control of theve hi‐
cle. The vehicle is not accelerated any fur ther. Ac
tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is only an aid.
The driver is responsible forke eping a safe dis‐
ta nce totheve hicle in front, forve hicle speed
and for braking in good time.
Sy stem limitations
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances, forex ample:
RIn snow ,ra in, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatly varying
ambient light.
RThe windshield in the area of the camera is
dirty, fogged up, damaged or co vered.
RIfth era dar sensors are dirty or co vered.
ROn slippery roads, braking or accelerating
can cause the drive wheels tolose traction
and theve hicle could then skid.
RIn parking garage s or on roads with steep
uphill or downhill gradients.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC in
th ese situations.
16 2
Driving and pa rking