GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact
with hot parts of the exhaust system. There
is a risk of fire.
When driving on an unpaved road or off-
road, check the vehicle underside regularly.
In particular, remove trapped plant parts or
other flammable material. Contact a quali-
fied specialist workshop immediately if dam-
age is detected.
!There is a risk of damage to the vehicle if:
Rthe vehicle becomes stuck, e.g. on a highcurb or an unpaved road
Ryou drive too fast over an obstacle, e.g. acurb, a speed bump or a pothole in theroad
Ra heavy object strikes the underbody orparts of the chassis
In situations like this, the body, the under-body, chassis parts, wheels or tires could bedamaged without the damage being visible.Components damaged in this way can unex-pectedly fail or, in the case of an accident,no longer withstand the loads they aredesigned to.
If the underbody paneling is damaged, com-bustible materials such as leaves, grass ortwigs can gather between the underbodyand the underbody paneling. If these materi-als come in contact with hot parts of theexhaust system, they can catch fire.
In such situations, have the vehicle checkedand repaired immediately at a qualified spe-cialist workshop. If on continuing your jour-ney you notice that driving safety isimpaired, pull over and stop the vehicleimmediately, paying attention to road andtraffic conditions. In such cases, consult aqualified specialist workshop.
The vehicle is only designed for easily negotia-ble off-road terrain and poor road surfaces.
When driving off-road, substances such assand, mud and water or water mixed with oilmay get into the brakes. This could result in areduced braking effect or in total brake failureand also in increased wear and tear. The brak-ing characteristics change depending on thematerial entering the brakes. Clean the brakesafter driving off-road. If you detect a reduced
braking effect or grinding noises, have thebrake system checked in a qualified specialistworkshop as soon as possible. Adapt yourdriving style to the different braking character-istics.
Driving off-road increases the likelihood ofdamage to the vehicle, which, in turn, can leadto failure of the mechanical assembly or sys-tems. Adapt your driving style to suit the ter-rain conditions. Drive carefully. Have damageto the vehicle rectified immediately at a quali-fied specialist workshop.
Do not shift into transmission position \\when driving off-road. You could lose controlof the vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehi-cle using the service brake. If the gradient istoo steep for your vehicle, drive back down inreverse gear.
General notes
HEnvironmental note
Protection of the environment is of primary
importance. Treat nature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Read this section carefully before driving yourvehicle off-road.
Off-road driving is only possible with theON&OFFROAD package.
The following driving systems are speciallyadapted for driving over easily negotiable off-road terrain:
ROff-road program (Ypage 170)
ROff-road ABS (Ypage 60)
ROff-road 4ETS (Ypage 64)
ROff-road ESP®(Ypage 66)
RDSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)(Ypage 169)
Observe the following notes:
RStop the vehicle before starting to drivealong an off-road route. If necessary, acti-vate the off-road program (Ypage 132).
RTo avoid damaging the vehicle, make surethere is always sufficient ground clearance.
RCheck that items of luggage and loads arestowed safely and are well secured(Ypage 255).
RAlways keep the engine running and in gearwhen driving on a downhill gradient. Acti-vate DSR (Ypage 169).
154Driving tips
Driving and parking
Selecting the drive program
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC supports asporty driving style when you select theS+drive program (Ypage 138) or the manualdrive program (Ypage 140). Accelerationbehind the vehicle in front or to the set speedis then noticeably more dynamic. If you haveselected theE(Mercedes-AMG vehicles:C)drive program, the vehicle accelerates moregently. This setting is recommended in stop-and-start traffic.
Changing lanes
If you want to change to the overtaking laneon multi-lane roads, Active Distance AssistDISTRONIC supports you if:
Ryou are driving faster than 45 mph(70 km/h)
RActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC is main-taining the distance to a vehicle in front
Ryou switch on the appropriate turn signal
RActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC does notcurrently detect a danger of collision
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle isaccelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted ifchanging lanes takes too long or if the dis-tance between your vehicle and the vehicle infront becomes too small.
Stopping
If Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC detectsthat the vehicle in front is stopping, it brakesyour vehicle until it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-tionary and you do not need to depress thebrake.
iAfter a time, the electric parking brakesecures the vehicle and relieves the servicebrake.
iDepending on the specified minimum dis-tance, your vehicle will come to a standstillat a sufficient distance behind the vehicle infront. The specified minimum distance is setusing the control on the cruise control lever.
When Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC isactivated, the transmission is shifted automati-cally to position ]if:
Rthe driver's seat belt is not fastened and thedriver's door is open.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-matically switched off by the ECO start/stop function.
The electric parking brake is applied automati-cally if Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC isactive when the vehicle is stationary and:
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is insufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, the transmission mayalso shift to position ]automatically.
Setting a speed
Keep in mind that it may take a brief momentuntil the vehicle has accelerated or braked tothe speed set.
XPress the cruise control lever up Cfor ahigher speed or down Dfor a lower speed.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-ments (1 km/h increments):briefly pushthe cruise control lever up Cor down Dtothe pressure point.The last stored speed increases or decrea-ses in 1 mph (1 km/h) increments.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-ments (10 km/h increments):briefly pushthe cruise control lever up Cor down Dbeyond the pressure point.The last stored speed increases or decrea-ses in 5 mph (10 km/h) increments.
iActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC is notdeactivated if you depress the acceleratorpedal. If you accelerate to overtake, ActiveDistance Assist DISTRONIC adjusts the vehi-cle's speed to the last speed stored, afteryou have finished overtaking.
Setting a specified minimum distance
You can set the specified minimum distancefor Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC by vary-ing the time span between one and two sec-onds. This determines the distance that ActiveDistance Assist DISTRONIC is to maintain fromthe vehicle in front, depending on the roadspeed. You can see this distance in the multi-function display (Ypage 164).
162Driving systems
Driving and parking
in front on the edge of the road because ofits narrow width. The distance to the vehiclein front will be too short.
RObstacles and stationary vehicles: ActiveDistance Assist DISTRONIC does not brakefor obstacles or stationary vehicles. If, forexample, the detected vehicle turns a cor-ner and an obstacle or stationary vehicle isrevealed, Active Distance Assist DISTRONICwill not brake for them.
RActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC may mis-takenly detect vehicles that are crossingyour lane. If you activate Active DistanceAssist DISTRONIC under the following condi-tions, the vehicle could pull away uninten-tionally:
-at traffic lights with crossing traffic, forexample
-if there is a vehicle in front, after a cross-ing, with the HOLD function activated
In such situations, brake if necessary. ActiveDistance Assist DISTRONIC will then be deacti-vated.
HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in thefollowing situations:
RWhen pulling away, especially on steepslopes
RWhen maneuvering on steep slopes
RWhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without thedriver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLDfunction deactivated when you depress theaccelerator pedal to pull away.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the vehicle is only braked using the HOLD
function, the vehicle may roll away in the fol-
lowing situations when you leave the vehi-
cle:
Rif there is a malfunction in the system or
in the voltage supply
Rif the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator pedal or brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant
There is a risk of an accident.
Always deactivate the HOLD function and
secure the vehicle against rolling away
before you leave it.
!When Active Distance Assist DISTRONICor the HOLD function is activated, the vehi-cle brakes automatically in certain situa-tions.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivateActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC and theHOLD function in the following or similar sit-uations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivate the HOLD function (Ypage 166).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
Rthe vehicle is stationary
Rthe engine is running or if it has been auto-matically switched off by the ECO start/stop function
Rthe driver's door is closed or your seat beltis fastened
Rthe electric parking brake is released
RActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC is deacti-vated
Rthe transmission is in position [, ^or \\on vehicles with automatic transmission
Driving systems165
Driving and parking
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