134Driving and operatingDriving and
operatingDriving hints ............................... 135
Control of the vehicle ...............135
Starting and operating ...............135
New vehicle running-in ............135
Ignition switch positions ...........135
Retained power off ..................136
Starting the engine ..................136
Overrun cut-off ........................ 137
Stop-start system ....................137
Parking .................................... 140
Engine exhaust .......................... 141
Diesel particle filter ..................141
Catalytic converter ...................142
Automatic transmission ..............142
Transmission display ...............142
Selector lever .......................... 143
Manual mode ........................... 144
Electronic driving programmes 144
Fault ........................................ 145
Interruption of power supply ....145
Manual transmission ..................146Manual transmission automa‐
ted .............................................. 146
Transmission display ...............147
Starting the engine ..................147
Selector lever .......................... 147
Manual mode ........................... 149
Electronic driving programmes 149
Fault ........................................ 149
Brakes ........................................ 150
Antilock brake system .............150
Parking brake .......................... 151
Brake assist ............................. 151
Hill start assist ......................... 151
Ride control systems .................152
Traction Control system ..........152
Electronic Stability Control ......153
City mode ................................ 154
Driver assistance systems .........155
Cruise control .......................... 155
Speed limiter ........................... 157
Forward collision alert .............158
Following distance indication ...161
Parking assist .......................... 161
Side blind spot alert .................172
Rear view camera ...................173
Traffic sign assistant ................175
Lane departure warning ..........178
Fuel ............................................ 179
Fuel for petrol engines .............179Fuel for diesel engines ............180
Fuel for liquid gas operation ....180
Refuelling ................................ 181
Fuel consumption - CO 2-
Emissions .............................. 184
Trailer hitch ................................ 185
General information .................185
Driving characteristics and towing tips .............................. 185
Trailer towing ........................... 185
Towing equipment ...................186
Trailer stability assist ...............189
Driving and operating139Otherwise an Autostop will be
inhibited.
Certain settings of the climate control
system may inhibit an Autostop. See
'Climate control' chapter for further
information 3 127.
Immediately after motorway driving
an Autostop may be inhibited.
New vehicle running-in 3 135.
Vehicle battery discharge protection
To ensure reliable engine restarts,
several vehicle battery discharge
protection features are implemented
as part of the stop-start system.
Power saving measures
During an Autostop, several electrical
features, e.g. the rear window
heating, are disabled or switched into
a power saving mode. The fan speed of the climate control system is
reduced to save power.
Restart of the engine by the driverVehicles with manual transmission
Depress the clutch pedal to restart the
engine.When the engine is restarted, control
indicator D in the Driver Information
Centre extinguishes.
If the selector lever is shifted out of
neutral before depressing the clutch
pedal first, control indicator -
illuminates or is shown as a symbol in
the Driver Information Centre.
Control indicator - 3 93.Vehicles with manual transmission
automated
Release the brake pedal or move
selector lever out of D to restart the
engine.
When the engine is restarted, control
indicator D in the Driver Information
Centre extinguishes.
Restart of the engine by the stop-
start system
The selector lever must be in neutral
to enable an automatic restart.
If one of the following conditions occurs during an Autostop, the
engine will be restarted automatically
by the stop-start system:
● The stop-start system is manually deactivated.
● The bonnet is opened.
● The driver's seat belt is unfastened and the driver's door
is opened.
● The engine temperature is too low.
● The charging level of the vehicle battery is below a defined level.
● The brake vacuum is not sufficient.
● The vehicle is driven at least at walking speed.
● The climate control system requests an engine start.
● The air conditioning is manually switched on.
If the bonnet is not fully closed, a
warning message is displayed in the
Driver Information Centre.
If an electrical accessory, e.g. a
portable CD player, is connected to
the power outlet, a brief power drop
during restart might be noticeable.
142Driving and operatingCaution
If possible, do not interrupt
cleaning process. Drive until
cleaning is completed to avoid the need for service or repair by a
workshop.
Cleaning process not possible
If cleaning is not possible for anyreasons, control indicator Z
illuminates. Engine power may be
reduced. Seek the assistance of a
workshop immediately.
Catalytic converter
The catalytic converter reduces the
amount of harmful substances in the
exhaust gases.
Caution
Fuel grades other than those listed on pages 3 179, 3 246 could
damage the catalytic converter or
electronic components.
Unburnt petrol will overheat and
damage the catalytic converter.
Therefore avoid excessive use of the starter, running the fuel tank
dry and starting the engine by
pushing or towing.
In the event of misfiring, uneven
engine running, a reduction in engine performance or other unusual
problems, have the cause of the fault
rectified by a workshop as soon as
possible. In an emergency, driving
can be continued for a short period,
keeping vehicle speed and engine
speed low.
Automatic transmission
The automatic transmission permits
automatic gearshifting (automatic
mode) or manual gearshifting
(manual mode).
Manual shifting is possible in manual mode by pressing < or ] on the
selector lever 3 144.
Transmission display
The mode or selected gear is shown
in the Driver Information Centre.
In automatic mode, the driving
programme is indicated by D.
Driving and operating145Fault
In the event of a fault, control indicator g illuminates. Additionally, a
message is displayed in the Driver
Information Centre. Vehicle
messages 3 103.
The transmission no longer shifts
automatically. Continued travel is possible with manual shifting.
Only the highest gear is available.
Depending on the fault, 2nd gear may also be available in manual mode.
Shift only when the vehicle is at a
standstill.
Have the cause of the fault remedied by a workshop.
Interruption of power supply In the event of an interruption of
power supply, the selector lever
cannot be moved out of the P
position. The ignition key cannot be
removed from the ignition switch.
If the vehicle battery is discharged,
start the vehicle using jump leads
3 230.If the vehicle battery is not the cause
of the fault, release the selector lever.
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Release the selector lever trim from the centre console; Poke
with a finger into the leather
socket in front of the selector lever
and push the trim upwards at the
front rim from below, as shown in
the illustration. Rotate trim to the
left.
3. Push down the release lever and move the selector lever out of P or
N . If these positions are engaged
again, the selector lever will be
locked in position again. Have the cause of the power supply
interruption remedied by a
workshop.
4. Mount the selector lever trim onto
the centre console and refit.
Driving and operating147Transmission display
In automatic mode, the driving
programme is indicated by D in the
Driver Information Centre.
In manual mode, M and the number
of the selected gear is indicated.
R indicates reverse gear.
N indicates neutral.
Starting the engine
To start the engine, depress the brake
pedal, if transmission is not in position N .
Transmission automatically shifts to
N upon starting. There may be a slight
delay.
Starting is not possible if all brake
lights fail.
Stop-start-system
Autostop
If the vehicle is at a standstill and
brake pedal is operated, Autostop is
activated automatically.
The engine will be switched off while
the ignition stays on.
An Autostop is indicated by control
indicator D.
Autostart
Release the brake pedal or move selector lever out of D to restart the
engine.
When the engine is restarted, control
indicator D extinguishes in the Driver
Information Centre.
The stop-start system will be disabled
on inclines of 15% or more.
Stop-start-system 3 137.
Selector lever
Always move the selector lever in the
appropriate direction as far as it will
go. Upon release, it automatically
returns to the centre position.
148Driving and operatingNotice
Do not hold the selector lever in an
intermediate position. Not fully
engaging a gear may lead to
malfunction and the error code 81
may be displayed in the Driver
Information Centre.
Return the selector lever to the
centre position. After a short while N
will be displayed in the Driver
Information Centre and the system
will operate normally again.
Vehicle messages 3 103.N:neutral positionD/M:switch between automatic (D)
and manual (M) shift mode.
The transmission display
shows either D or M with the
selected gear<:upshifting in manual mode]:downshifting in manual modeR:reverse gear. Engage only
when vehicle is stationary
If selector lever is moved from R to the
left, D is directly engaged.
If selector lever is moved from D to
< or ], manual mode M is selected
and the transmission shifts.
Starting off
Depress the brake pedal and move
the selector lever to D/M or R. If D is
selected, transmission is in automatic
mode and first gear is engaged. If R
is selected, reverse gear is engaged.
The vehicle starts to move when the
brake pedal is released.
To start-off without depressing the
brake pedal, accelerate immediately
after engaging a gear as long as D or
R flashes.
If neither the accelerator nor the
brake pedal are depressed, no gear
is engaged and D or R flashes for a
brief time in the display.
Stopping the vehicle In D, first gear is engaged and the
clutch is released when the vehicle is
stopped. In R, reverse gear remains
engaged.Engine braking
Automatic mode
When driving downhill, the manual
transmission automated does not shift into higher gears until a fairly
high engine speed has been reached. It shifts down in good time when
braking.
Manual mode
To utilise the engine braking effect,
select a lower gear in good time when
driving downhill. Changing into
manual mode is only possible while the engine is running or during an
Autostop.
Rocking the vehicle Rocking the vehicle is only
permissible if the vehicle is stuck in
sand, mud or snow. Move the selector
lever between R and D in a repeat
pattern. Do not race the engine and
avoid sudden acceleration.
Driving and operating149ParkingThe most recently engaged gear (see
transmission display) remains
engaged when switching off ignition. With N, no gear is engaged.
Therefore always apply the parking
brake when switching off ignition. If
parking brake is not applied, P flashes
in the transmission display and the
key cannot be removed from the
ignition switch. P stops flashing in the
transmission display as soon as the
parking brake is slightly applied.
When the ignition is switched off, the
transmission no longer responds to
movement of the selector lever.
Tyre pressure monitoring system
To start the sensor matching process of the tyre pressure monitoring
system, the selector lever must be
moved and held in position N for
five seconds. P illuminates in the
transmission display to indicate that
the sensor matching process can be
started.
Tyre pressure monitoring system
3 215.Manual mode
If a higher gear is selected when theengine speed is too low, or a lower
gear when the speed is too high, the
shift is not executed. This prevents
the engine from running at too low or too high an engine speed. A warning
message is displayed in the Driver
Information Centre. Vehicle
messages 3 103.
If engine speed is too low, the
transmission automatically shifts to a
lower gear.
If engine speed is too high, the
transmission only switches to a higher gear via kickdown.
When + or - is selected in automatic
mode, the transmission switches to
manual mode and shifts accordingly.
Gear shift indication
The symbol R with a number
alongside it, is indicated when
gearshifting is recommended for fuel
saving reasons.
Shift indication appears only in
manual mode.Electronic driving
programmes
● Following a cold start, the operating temperature
programme increases engine
speed to quickly bring the
catalytic converter to the required
temperature.
● The adaptive programme tailors gearshifting to the driving
conditions, e.g. greater load or gradients.
Kickdown If the accelerator pedal is pressed
down completely in automatic mode, the transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on engine speed.
Fault
To prevent damage to the manual transmission automated, the clutch is
engaged automatically at high clutch
temperatures.
150Driving and operatingIn the event of a fault, control indicatorg illuminates. Additionally, a
warning message is displayed in the
Driver Information Centre. Vehicle
messages 3 103.
Continued driving is restricted or not possible, depending on the fault.
Have the cause of the fault remedied
by a workshop.Brakes
The brake system comprises two
independent brake circuits.
If a brake circuit fails, the vehicle can
still be braked using the other brake
circuit. However, braking effect is
achieved only when the brake pedal
is depressed firmly. Considerably
more force is needed for this. The braking distance is extended. Seek
the assistance of a workshop before
continuing the journey.
When the engine is not running, the
support of the brake servo unit
disappears once the brake pedal has been depressed once or twice.
Braking effect is not reduced, but
braking requires significantly greater
force. It is especially important to bear this in mind when being towed.
Control indicator R 3 93.
Antilock brake system
Antilock brake system (ABS)
prevents the wheels from locking.ABS starts to regulate brake pressure as soon as a wheel shows a tendency to lock. The vehicle remains
steerable, even during hard braking.
ABS control is made apparent
through a pulse in the brake pedal
and the noise of the regulation
process.
For optimum braking, keep the brake
pedal fully depressed throughout the
braking process, despite the fact that
the pedal is pulsating. Do not reduce
the pressure on the pedal.
After starting-off the system performs
a self-test which may be audible.
Control indicator u 3 93.
Adaptive brake light
During full braking, all three brake
lights flash for the duration of ABS
control.