
Activating/deactivating
Active Brake Assist is automatically active after
switching on the ignition.
You can activate or deactivate Active Brake
Assist (Y page 238) in the on-board computer.
When deactivated, the distance warning func-
tion and the autonomous braking function are
also deactivated.
If Active Brake Assist is deactivated, the 00D4
symbol appears in the assistance graphic dis-
play.
If DSR (Y page 214) is activated, Active Brake
Assist is deactivated.
Distance warning function General information
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. If the distance warning function
detects that there is a risk of a collision, you will
be warned visually and acoustically.
Important safety notesi Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 66).G
WARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R when cornering
The distance warning function may not give
warnings in all critical situations. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
Always adapt your speed to suit the prevailing
road and traffic conditions. G
WARNING
The distance warning function cannot always
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations. In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and do not rely solely on the distance
warning function.
Function Starting at a speed of around 4 mph (7 km/h),
the distance warning function warns you if you
rapidly approach a vehicle in front. An intermit-
tent warning tone will then sound, and the 00BA
distance warning lamp will light up in the instru-
ment cluster.
X Brake immediately in order to increase the
distance from the vehicle in front.
or X Take evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may also cause the system to display a warning.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obstacles that are in the path of your vehicle for an exten-
ded period of time.
Up to a speed of around 44 mph (70 km/h), the
distance warning function can also react to sta-
tionary obstacles, such as stopped or parked
vehicles.
Autonomous braking function If the driver does not react to the distance warn-
ing signal in a critical situation, Active Brake
Assist can assist the driver with the autonomous
braking function.
Vehicles without Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC: the autonomous braking function
is available in the following speed ranges:
R 4 - 65 mph (7 - 105 km/h) for moving objects
R 4 - 31 mph (7 - 50 km/h) for stationary
objects 68
Driving safety systemsSafety

ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 66).
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction, i.e.
power transmission between the tires and the
road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating from
the direction desired by the driver, one or more
wheels are braked to stabilize the vehicle. The
engine output is also modified to keep the vehi- cle on the desired course within physical limits.
ESP ®
assists the driver when pulling away on
wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilize
the vehicle during braking.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System) ETS traction control is part of ESP
®
. On vehicles
with 4MATIC, 4ETS is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. In addition, more drive torque is transfer-
red to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP ®
.
In appropriate driving situations, activate the
off-road program:
X Vehicles without the Offroad Engineering
package (Y page 215)
X Vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age (Y page 216)
Off-road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem) An ETS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated:
R Vehicles without the Offroad Engineering
package (Y page 215)
R Vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age (Y page 216) Important safety notes G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv- ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP ®
checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC: only operate the
vehicle for a maximum of ten seconds on a
brake test dynamometer. Switch off the igni-
tion.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC: function or perform-
ance tests may only be carried out on a 2-axle dynamometer. Before you operate the vehicle
on such a dynamometer, please consult a
qualified workshop. You could otherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
ESP ®
is only deactivated if the 00BBwarning
lamp is lit continuously.
If the 00E5 warning lamp and the 00BBwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not available
due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 279) and display messages which may
be shown in the instrument cluster
(Y page 245).
i Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function properly.
Characteristics of ESP ® General information
If the 00E5 ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP ®
is automatically
active.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the 00E5ESP®
warning lamp
flashes in the instrument cluster. 70
Driving safety systemsSafety

Offroad ESP
®
(vehicles with Off-Road
Engineering package) An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated on:
R Vehicles without the Offroad Engineering
package (Y page 215)
R Vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age (Y page 216)
Offroad ESP ®
intervenes with a delay if there is
oversteering or understeering, thus improving
traction.
Crosswind Assist General information
Strong crosswind gusts can impair the ability of your vehicle to drive straight ahead. The cross-
wind driving assistance function integrated in
ESP ®
noticeably reduces these impairments.
ESP ®
intervenes automatically according to the
direction and intensity of the crosswinds affect-
ing your vehicle.
ESP ®
intervenes with stabilizing braking to
assist you in keeping the vehicle in the lane.
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle speeds
above 50 mph (80 km/h) when driving straight
ahead or cornering gently.
Important safety notes
Crosswind Assist does not work if ESP ®
is
switched off or deactivated because of a mal-
function. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information EBD monitors and controls the brake pressure
on the rear wheels to improve driving stability
while braking.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 66). G
WARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (Y page 277) as well as display
messages (Y page 247). ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety and
offers increased braking comfort. In addition to
the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE also has the HOLD function (Y page 182) and hill start
assist (Y page 139). Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function
General information i
Pay attention to the important safety notes
in the "Driving safety systems" section
(Y page 66).
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
can help you to minimize the risk of a collision
with a vehicle in front or a pedestrian and reduce
the effects of such a collision. If the Active Brake
Assist with cross-traffic function detects a risk
of collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically and, if necessary, your brake appli- cation will be assisted according to the situa-
tion. If you do not react, the system can also
react by braking automatically. In the event of a detected risk of collision due to crossing traffic,you will also be visually and acoustically warned
as well as assisted by the brake boosting effect
according to the situation.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
only available in vehicles with the Driving Assis- tance Plus package.
For Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic func-
tion to assist you when driving, the radar sensor
system and the camera system must be opera-
tional. 72
Driving safety systemsSafety

R
a vehicle is traveling in front on a different line
relative to the center of your vehicle
R vehicles quickly move into the radar sensor
system detection range
Recognition by the camera system is also
impaired in the event of:
R dirt on the camera or if the camera is covered
R glare on the camera system, e.g. from the sun
being low in the sky
R darkness
R or if:
-
pedestrians move quickly, e.g. into the path
of the vehicle
- the camera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as a person due to special cloth-
ing or other objects
- a pedestrian is concealed by other objects
- the typical outline of a person is not distin-
guishable from the background
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle, have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow speeds where there is no visible damage to thefront of the vehicle.
Following damage to the windshield, have the
configuration and operation of the camera sys-
tem checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Function X
To activate or deactivate: activate or deac-
tivate Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function using the on-board computer
(Y page 238).
If the Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function is deactivated, the 00D4symbol
appears in the multifunction display.
If you have activated DSR (Y page 214), the
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
deactivated.
Starting at a speed of around 4 mph (7 km/h),
this function warns you if you rapidly approach a
vehicle in front. An intermittent warning tone
will then sound and the 00BAdistance warning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster.
X Brake immediately to defuse the situation.
or
X Take evasive action provided it is safe to do
so. Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
can also brake the vehicle automatically under
the following conditions:
R the driver and front-passenger have their seat
belts fastened
and
R the vehicle speed is between approximately
4 mph (7 km/h) and 124 mph (200 km/h)
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function may react to:
R stationary objects in the path of your vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
R pedestrians in the path of your vehicle
i If there is an increased risk of a collision,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAFE ®
) are triggered (Y page 58).
If the risk of collision with the vehicle in front
remains and you do not brake, take evasive
action or accelerate significantly, the vehicle
may perform automatic emergency braking, up
to the point of full brake application. Automatic emergency braking is not performed until imme-
diately prior to an imminent accident.
If you apply the brake yourself in a critical sit-
uation or during autonomous braking, braking
assistance is provided according to the situa-
tion. If necessary, this increases the brake pres- sure up to full brake application.
To avoid a collision, Active Brake Assist with
cross-traffic function calculates the brake force
necessary if:
R you approach an obstacle, and
R Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
has detected a risk of a collision
When driving at a speed under 20 mph
(30 km/h): if you depress the brake pedal,
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
activated. The increase in brake pressure from
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
carried out at the last possible moment.
When driving at a speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h) : if you depress the brake pedal
sharply, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function automatically increases the brake pres- sure to a degree suited to the traffic situation.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
provides braking assistance in hazardous situa-
tions with vehicles in front within a speed range
between 4 mph (7 km/h) and 155 mph
(250 km/h). 74
Driving safety systemsSafety

Correct driver's seat position
G
WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
R adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
R fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine. Observe the following when adjusting steering
wheel
0043, seat belt 0044and driver's seat 0087:
R you are as far away from the driver's air bag as
possible
R you are sitting in a normal upright position
R your thighs are slightly supported by the seat
cushion
R your legs are not entirely stretched and you
can depress the pedals properly
R the back of your head is supported at eye level
by the center of the head restraint
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
R you can move your legs freely
R you can see all the displays in the instrument
cluster clearly R
you should have a good overview of traffic
conditions
R the seat belt is pulled snugly against the body
and is routed across the center of your shoul-
der and across your hips in the pelvic area
Further related subjects:
R Electrical seat adjustment (Y page 98)
R Adjusting the steering wheel mechanically
(Y page 103) or electrically (Y page 104)
R Fastening the seat belt correctly (Y page 48).
R Adjusting the rear-view mirror and exterior
mirrors (Y page 105).
R Vehicles with memory function: storing the
seat, steering wheel, exterior mirror and
Head-up display settings with the memory
function (Y page 108) Seats
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Neverleave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when there is no
SmartKey in the ignition lock. G
WARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
(Y page 49) and "Children in the Vehicle"
(Y page 59). Seats
97Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

Switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist
on/off X
To switch on: turn the light switch to 0058.
X Press the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of arrow 0043.
The 00CE indicator lamp in the multifunction
display lights up when it is dark and the light
sensor activates the low-beam headlamps.
If you are driving at speeds above approx-
imately 16 mph (25 km/h):
The headlamp range is set automatically
depending on the distance between the vehi-
cle and other road users.
If you are driving at speeds above approx-
imately 19 mph (30 km/h) and no other road users have been detected:
The high-beam headlamps are switched on
automatically. The 0057indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster also lights up.
If you are driving at speeds below approx-
imately 16 mph (25 km/h) or other road users have been detected or the roads are ade-
quately lit:
The high-beam headlamps are switched off
automatically. The 0057indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out. The 00CEindi-
cator lamp in the multifunction display
remains lit.
X To switch off: move the combination switch
back to its normal position or move the light
switch to another position.
The 00CE indicator lamp in the multifunction
display goes out. Headlamps fogged up on the inside
Certain climatic and physical conditions may
cause moisture to form in the headlamp. This
moisture does not affect the functionality of the headlamp. Interior lighting
Overview of interior lighting
Overhead control panel
0043
003D Switches the left-hand front reading
lamp on/off
0044 004A Switches the front interior lighting on
0087 0043 Switches the rear interior lighting on/
off
0085 0033 Switches the front interior lighting/
automatic interior lighting control off
0083 003D Switches the right-hand front reading
lamp on/off
0084 Switches the automatic interior lighting con-
trol on Interior lighting control
General notes The interior light functions are automatically
switched off after some time to prevent the
vehicle's battery from discharging, unless the
SmartKey is in position
0048in the ignition lock.
The color and brightness of the ambient lighting
are set using the multimedia system (see Digital Operator's Manual).
Automatic interior lighting control X
To switch on: set the switch to center posi-
tion 0084.
X To switch off: set the switch to the 0033
position. 114
Interior lightingLights and windshield wipers

Control panel for 3-zone automatic climate control
USA only
Front control panel
0043 Sets the temperature, left (Y page 128)
0044 Defrosts the windshield (Y page 129)
0087 Switches the maximum cooling MAX COOL on or off (Y page 130)
0085 Switches cooling with air dehumidification on/off (Y page 127)
0083 Switches the rear window defroster on/off (Y page 130)
0084 Sets the temperature, right (Y page 128)
006B Switches the ZONE function on/off (Y page 129)
006C Activates/deactivates climate control (Y page 127)
006D Sets the air distribution (Y page 129)
006E Increases the airflow (Y page 129)
006F Reduces the airflow (Y page 129)
0070 Display
0071 Adjusts the climate mode settings (Y page 128)
0072 Switches air-recirculation mode on/off (Y page 131)
0073 Sets climate control to automatic (Y page 128)
Rear control panel
0074 Increases the airflow (Y page 129)
0075 Sets the temperature (Y page 128)
0076 Sets rear-compartment climate control to automatic (Y page 128)
0077 Directs the airflow through the rear air vents (Y page 129)
0078 Switches the seat heating on the right-hand side on/off (Y page 101)
0079 Directs the airflow through the footwell vents (Y page 129)
007A Switches the rear climate control on/off (Y page 127)
007B Reduces the airflow (Y page 129)
007C Switches the seat heating on the left-hand side on/off (Y page 101) Overview of climate control systems
125Climate control

Canada only
Front control panel
0043 Sets the temperature, left (Y page 128)
0044 Defrosts the windshield (Y page 129)
0087 Switches the residual heat on or off (Y page 131)
0085 Switches cooling with air dehumidification on/off (Y page 127)
0083 Switches the rear window defroster on/off (Y page 130)
0084 Sets the temperature, right (Y page 128)
006B Switches the ZONE function on/off (Y page 129)
006C Activates/deactivates climate control (Y page 127)
006D Sets the air distribution (Y page 129)
006E Increases the airflow (Y page 129)
006F Reduces the airflow (Y page 129)
0070 Display
0071 Adjusts the climate mode settings (Y page 128)
0072 Switches air-recirculation mode on/off (Y page 131)
0073 Sets climate control to automatic (Y page 128)
Rear control panel
0074 Increases the airflow (Y page 129)
0075 Sets the temperature (Y page 128)
0076 Sets rear-compartment climate control to automatic (Y page 128)
0077 Directs the airflow through the rear air vents (Y page 129)
0078 Switches the seat heating on the right-hand side on/off (Y page 101)
0079 Directs the airflow through the footwell vents (Y page 129)
007A Switches the rear climate control on/off (Y page 127)
007B Reduces the airflow (Y page 129)
007C Switches the seat heating on the left-hand side on/off (Y page 101)126
Overview of climate control systemsClimate control