2018 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS SEDAN brake

ESP®can monitor and impr ovedriving stability
and traction in thefo llowing situations, within
ph ysical limits:
RWhen pulling away on a wet or slippe ryroad.
RWhen braking.
RIn stro ng sidewinds 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 the ESP®OFF å warn‐
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RCrosswind Assist is no longer active.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.
RAdapt your drivin gst yle to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
Deactivate ESP
®in thefo llowing situations to
impr 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 501)
RDisplay messages (→page 457)
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4ETS traction control is pa rtof ESP
®and
makes it possible topull away or accelerate on a
slippery sur face.
ETS/4ETS can impr oveth eve 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 programs 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 programs using theDY NA MIC
SELECT switch (
→page 173).
19 0
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.
Fu nction of STEER CONT ROL
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, youwill be assis 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, you will be warned 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 measures for occupant
pr otection (PRE-SAFE®) may also be initiated, if
th eve hicle is equipped with these.
19 2
Driving and pa rking

&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 pa ck‐
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 pa ckage 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)
Driving and parking 19
3

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 stcancels the inter vention
when at least 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 pac kage)
Evasive Steering 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 active 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.
Driving and parking 19
5

RIfth e sensors malfunction due to otherradar
source inter fere nce, forex ample strongradar
re flections in parking garage s.
RIf a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire
has been de tected and displ ayed.
The sy stem may not react cor rectly:
RIn complex traffic st ations where objects
cannot alw ays be clearly identified.
RTo pedestrians or vehicles if they mo ve
qu ickly into the sensor de tection range.
RTo pedestrians who are hidden by other
objects.
RIf th e typical outline of a pedestrian cannot
be distinguished from the bac kground.
RIfa pedestrian isnot recognized as such , e.g.
due tospecial clo thing or other objects.
ROn bends with a tight radius.
Setting Active Brake Assi st
Multimedia system:
,9HKLFOH.k $VVLVWDQFH.$FWLYH
%UDNH $VVLVW
Ve hicles without Driving Assistance pack‐
age: The settings can be made af terst arting the
ve hicle.
Ve hicles with Driving Assistance pac kage:
The settings can be made when the ignition is
switched on.
% It is recommended that you alw ays lea ve
Ac tive Brake Assi stswitched on.
Select one of thefo llowing settings:
#(DUO\ :yo ur selection isretained when the
ve hicle is next star ted.
#0HGLXP :yo ur selection isretained when the
ve hicle is next star ted.
#/DWH: your selection isretained when the
ve hicle is next star ted.
#2II:
Ve hicles without Driving Assistance pack‐
age: The dis tance warning function and the
autonomous braking function are deactiva‐
ted. When theve hicle is next star ted, the
middle setting is auto matically selected.
Ve hicles with Driving Assistance pack‐
age: The dis tance warning function and the
autonomous braking function are deactiva‐
te d. Evasive Steering Assist is una vailable.
When the ignition is next star ted, the middle
setting is selected automatically and Evasive
St eering Assist is available.
% When Active Brake Assi stis deactivated, the
æ symbol appears inthe assis tance
graphic in the multifunction displa y.
Speed control cruise control
Function of cruise control
Cruise cont rol accelerates and brakes theve hi‐
cle automatically in order tomaintain a pr evi‐
ously stored speed.
If yo u accelerate toove rtake, forex ample, the
st ored speed is not dele ted. If youre mo veyour
fo ot from the accelerator pedal af terove rtaking,
cruise control will resume speed regulation back
to thestored speed.
19 6
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).
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 control 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
RWhen visibility is poor
Operating 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.
Driving and parking 19
7

Requirements:RESP®must be activated, but not inter vening.
RThe driving speed is at least 15mp h
(20 km/h).
#To switch on cruise control: pushrocker
switch 1up.
#Toactivate cruise control: pushrock er
switch 2up (SET+) or down (SET-).
#Remo veyour foot from the accelerator pedal.
The cur rent speed is stored and maintained
by theve hicle.
#To increase/reduce speed: pressrock er
switch 2up/down.
The stored speed is increased or reduced by
1 mp h(1 km/h).
or
#Press rocker switch 2beyond the pressure
point.
The stored speed is increased or reduced by
5 mp h(1 0 km/h).
or
#Ac celerate theve hicle tothe desired speed.
#Push rocker switch 2up.
If cruise control is activated and Traf fic Sign
Assist has detected speed restriction signs, and
th ese maximum permissible speeds are dis‐
pla yed in the instrument clus ter:
#To adopt the de tected speed: pushrocker
switch 3up.
The maximum permissible speed shown by
th e traf fic sign is stored and theve hicle
maintains this speed.
#To deactivate cruise control:
push rocker switch 3(CNCL) down.
When cruise control is deactivated:
RRo cker switch 2(SET+) or (SET-) sa vesth e
cur rently driven speed and theve hicle main‐
ta ins this speed.
RRo cker switch 3(RES) calls up the speed
last stored and theve hicle maintains this
speed.
#To switch off cruise control: pushrock er
switch 1down.
% Ifyo u brake, deactivate ESP
®or if ESP®
inter venes, cruise control is deacti vated.
When youswit choff theve hicle, the last
speed stored is cleared.
Setting the speed limit for winter tires
Multimedia sy stem:
,9HKLFOH.î 9HKLFOH 6HWWLQJV.:LQ
WHU 7LUHV /LPLW
#Select a speed or deactivate the function.
19 8
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 necessary until theve 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 172)
RRe sponds in urban speed ranges tostation‐
ary vehicles (e xcept bicycles, mo torcyc les
and pedestrians) if conditions are suf ficient
to enable de tection.
RInitiates rapid acceleration tothestored
speed, if the turn signal indicator is switched
on tochange totheov ertak ing lane.
RTake s one-sided overtaking restrictions into
account on free ways or on multi-lane roads
with separate car riag ewa ys.
Ve hicles with Active Parking Assis t:ifth eve hicle
has been braked toast andstill on multi-lane,
separate car riag ewa ysby Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC, it can au tomatically follow theve 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 forth e dis tance tothe
ve 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.
Driving and parking 19
9