Hill start assist is not active if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or on a
downhill gradient.
R the transmission is in position 005C.
R the electric parking brake is applied.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning. ECO start/stop function
Introduction The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle is stopped
under certain conditions.
The engine starts automatically when the driver
wants to pull away again. The ECO start/stop
function thereby helps you to reduce the fuel
consumption and emissions of your vehicle.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the engine is switched off automatically and you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted
automatically. The vehicle may begin moving. There is a risk of accident and injury.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the ignition and secure the vehicle against
rolling away.
General notes 0043
ECO start/stop display
The ECO start/stop function is activated when-
ever you start the engine using the SmartKey or the Start/Stop button.
If the engine has been switched off automati-
cally by the ECO start/stop function, the 00D6
ECO symbol is shown in the multifunction dis-
play. Mercedes-AMG vehicles:
the ECO start/stop
function is only available in drive programs
Comfort andSlippery.
Automatic engine switch-off If the vehicle is braked to a standstill with the
transmission in 005Bor005C, the ECO start/stop
function will switch off the engine automatically.
The ECO start/stop function is operational
when:
R the indicator lamp on the ECO button is green
R Mercedes-AMG vehicles: neither the
Sport Plus nor theSportdrive program is
selected
R you have not selected an off-road program
R the outside temperature and atmospheric air
pressure are within a range that is suitable for the system
R the engine is at normal operating temperature
R the set temperature for the vehicle interior
has been reached
R the battery is sufficiently charged
R the climate control system does not detect
moisture on the windshield when the air-con-
ditioning system is switched on
R the hood is closed
R the driver's door is closed and the driver's
seat belt is fastened
All of the vehicle's systems remain active when
the engine is stopped automatically.
The HOLD function can also be activated if the
engine has been switched off automatically. It is then not necessary to continue applying the
brakes during the automatic stop phase. When
you depress the accelerator pedal, the engine
starts automatically and the braking effect of
the HOLD function is deactivated.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): automatic engine switch-off can take
place a maximum of four times in a row (initial
stop, then three subsequent stops).
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the number of con-
secutive automatic engine switch-offs is unlimi-
ted. 144
DrivingDriving and parking
Automatic engine start
The engine will be started automatically if:
R you switch off the ECO start/stop function by
pressing the ECO button
R the HOLD function is inactive, transmission
position 005Bor005C is selected and you release
the brake pedal
R you depress the accelerator pedal
R you select reverse gear 005E
R you move the transmission out of position 005D
R Mercedes-AMG vehicles: you switch to the
Sport Plus orSport drive program
R Mercedes-AMG vehicles: you activate man-
ual gearshifting
R vehicles without Off-Road Engineering
package: you switch to the Off-Roaddrive
program
R vehicles with Off-Road Engineering pack-
age: you switch to the Off-Roador
Off-Road Plus drive program
R you unfasten your seat belt or open the driv-
er's door
R the vehicle is rolling
R the brake system requests an automatic
engine start
R the temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
R the climate control system detects moisture
on the windshield when the air-conditioning
system is switched on
R the battery's condition of charge is too low
Shifting the transmission to position 005Ddoes
not start the engine. Deactivating or activating the ECO
start/stop function All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles)
X
To deactivate: press ECO button 0043.
Indicator lamp 0044goes out.
X To activate: press ECO button 0043.
Indicator lamp 0044lights up.
If indicator lamp 0044is off, the ECO start/stop
function has been deactivated manually or as
the result of a malfunction.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles X
To deactivate: in theComfort drive pro-
gram, press ECO button 0043.
or X Activate manual gearshifting (Y page 152).
or
X Switch to the Sport PlusorSport drive pro-
gram (Y page 147).
Indicator lamp 0044goes out.
X To activate: press ECO button 0043.
Indicator lamp 0044lights up. When the
Sport Plus orSport drive program is activa-
ted, the automatic transmission switches to
the Comfort drive program. Driving
145Driving and pa rking Z
Electric parking brake
General notes G
WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi- cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
R start the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The function of the electric parking brake is
dependent on the on-board voltage. If the on-
board voltage is low or there is a malfunction in
the system, it may not be possible to apply the
released parking brake.
X If this is the case, only park the vehicle on
level ground and secure it to prevent it rolling
away.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
005D.
It may not be possible to release an applied
parking brake if the on-board voltage is low or
there is a malfunction in the system. Contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
i The electric parking brake performs a func-
tion test at regular intervals while the engine
is switched off. The sounds that can be heard while this is occurring are normal. Applying or releasing manually X
To engage: push handle 0043.
When the electric parking brake is engaged,
the 0049 (USA only) or 0024(Canada only)
red indicator lamp lights up in the instrument
cluster.
i The electric parking brake can also be
applied when the SmartKey is removed.
X To release: pull handle0043.
The red 0049(USA only) or 0024(Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster goes out.
i The electric parking brake can only be
released:
R when the SmartKey is in position 0047in the
ignition lock (Y page 140) or
R if the ignition was switched on using the
Start/Stop button
To ensure that you do not roll backwards when
pulling away on an uphill slope, engage the elec-
tric parking brake (Y page 143).
Applying automatically The electric parking brake is automatically
applied when the transmission is in position 005D
and
R the engine is switched off or
R the driver is not wearing a seat belt and the
driver's door is opened
To prevent the electric parking brake from being automatically applied, pull handle 0043. Parking
159Driving and parking Z
The electric parking brake is also applied auto-
matically if:
R Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC brings the
vehicle to a standstill or
R the HOLD function is keeping the vehicle sta-
tionary
R Active Parking Assist or the Parking Package
with rear view camera is keeping the vehicle
stationary
In addition, at least one of the following condi-
tions must be fulfilled:
R the engine is switched off
R the driver is not wearing a seat belt and the
driver's door is opened
R there is a system malfunction
R the power supply is insufficient
R the vehicle is stationary for a lengthy period
The red 0049(USA only) or 0024(Canada only)
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up.
The electric parking brake is not automatically
applied if the engine is switched off by the ECO
start/stop function.
Releasing automatically The electric parking brake is released automat-
ically when all of the following conditions are
fulfilled:
R The engine is running.
R The seat belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle.
R The transmission is in position 005Bor005E and
you depress the accelerator pedal or, on a
level surface, you shift from transmission
position 005Dto005B or005E.
R If the transmission is in position 005E, the trunk
lid must be closed.
If the seat belt tongue is not engaged in the seat belt buckle, the following conditions must be
fulfilled:
R The driver's door is closed.
R You are shifting from transmission position
005D or have previously driven at speeds
greater than 2 mph (3 km/h).
R If the transmission is in position 005E, the trunk
lid must be closed.
When the electric parking brake is released,
the 0024 indicator lamp goes out in the instru-
ment cluster. Emergency braking
The vehicle can also be braked during an emer-
gency by using the electric parking brake.
X While driving, push handle 0043of the electric
parking brake.
The vehicle is braked for as long as the handle of the electric parking brake is pressed. The
longer the electric parking brake handle is
depressed, the greater the braking force.
During braking:
R a warning tone sounds
R the Release Release Park.
Park.Brake
Brakemessage appears
R the red 0049(USA only) or 0024(Canada
only) indicator lamp on the instrument cluster will flash
When the vehicle has been braked to a stand-
still, the electric parking brake is applied. Parking the vehicle for a long period
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than
four weeks, the battery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than six weeks, the vehicle may suffer damage as a
result of lack of use.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop and seek
advice.
i You can obtain information about trickle
chargers from a qualified specialist work-
shop. 160
ParkingDriving and parking
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC and the
HOLD function in the following or similar sit-
uations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC:
R Can neither reduce the risk of accident nor
override the laws of physics if you fail to adapt
your driving style.
R Cannot take into account road, weather or
traffic conditions.
R Is only an aid.
You are responsible for the distance to the vehi-
cle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time and for staying in your lane.
Do not use Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC:
R In road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
R On icy or slippery roads; braking or acceler-
ating can cause the drive wheels to lose trac-
tion and the vehicle could then skid
R In poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC may not
detect narrow vehicles driving in front, e.g.
motorcycles, or vehicles driving in a staggered
formation.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
R There is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
R There is snow or heavy rain
R There is interference by other radar sources
R There are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
If Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC no longer
detects a vehicle in front, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC may unexpectedly accelerate to the
speed stored.
This speed may:
R Be too high if you are driving in a turning lane
or an exit lane
R Be so high when driving in the right-hand lane
that you overtake vehicles in the left-hand
lane
R Be so high in the left lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the right If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever 0043
Activates or increases speed
0044 Activates or reduces speed
0087 Deactivates Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC
0085 Activates at the current speed or last stored
speed
0083 Sets a specified minimum distance
Activating Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC Activation conditions
To activate Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC,
the following conditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine must be started. It may take up to
two minutes of driving before Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is ready for use.
R the electric parking brake must be released.
R ESP ®
must be active, but not intervening.
R the transmission must be in position 005B.
R the driver's door must be closed when you
shift from 005Dto005B or your seat belt must be
fastened.
R the front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
R the Offroad Plus drive program must be deac-
tivated (vehicles with the Off-road Engineer-
ing Package).
R DSR must be deactivated.
R the vehicle must not skid. 174
Driving systemsDriving and parking
between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
becomes too small.
i When you change lanes, Active Distance
Assist DISTRONIC monitors the right lane (in
left-side traffic) or the left lane (in right-side
traffic).
Stopping G
WARNING
If you leave the driver's seat when the vehicle is only being braked by Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC, it could roll away:
R if there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply
R if Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is
deactivated using the cruise control lever,
for example by a vehicle occupant or from
outside the vehicle
R if the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R if the battery is disconnected
R if the vehicle is accelerated, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant
There is a risk of an accident.
Always deactivate Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC and secure the vehicle against
rolling away before you leave it.
If Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC detects
that the vehicle in front is stopping, it brakes
your vehicle until it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
After a time, the electric parking brake secures
the vehicle and relieves the service brake.
Depending on the specified minimum distance,
your vehicle will come to a standstill at a suffi-
cient distance behind the vehicle in front. The
specified minimum distance is set using the
control on the cruise control lever. When Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is acti-
vated and the vehicle is at a standstill, the trans-
mission will be shifted automatically to position
005D if:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's seat
belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
When Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is acti-
vated and the vehicle is at a standstill, the elec- tric parking brake will secure the vehicle auto-
matically if:
R a system malfunction occurs
R the power supply is not sufficient
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there is
a malfunction, the transmission may also be
automatically shifted into position 005D.
Setting a speed Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
X Press the cruise control lever up 0043for a
higher speed or down 0083for a lower speed
X To adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments):
briefly press
the cruise control lever up 0043or down 0044to
the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up 0043 or down 0044the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
X To adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments
(10 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up 0043or down 0044
beyond the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up 0043 or down 0044, the last speed stored is
increased or reduced.
i If you accelerate to overtake, Active Dis-
tance Assist DISTRONIC adjusts the vehicle's
speed to the last speed stored after you have
finished overtaking. 176
Driving systemsDriving and parking
ering is interrupted if a door is opened, and it
continues once the door has been closed.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(Y page 166). G
WARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered. G
WARNING
When you drive with the vehicle raised, the
driving characteristics could be impaired by
the vehicle's raised center of gravity. The vehi- cle could rollover more easily, for example on
a bend. There is a risk of an accident.
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble and adjust your driving style. G
WARNING
When you drive with the chassis lowered or
raised, the vehicle's braking and driving char-
acteristics can be significantly impaired. You
could also exceed the permissible vehicle
height if the chassis is raised. There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the vehicle level before pulling away. G
WARNING
Due to the high center of gravity, the vehicle
may start to skid and roll over in the event of
an abrupt steering maneuver and/or when
the vehicle's speed is not adapted to the road conditions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
the vehicle's driving characteristics and to the prevailing road and weather conditions.
! When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time. Make
sure there is always sufficient ground clear-
ance. You will otherwise damage the vehicle. R
Utility vehicles have a significantly higher roll-
over rate than other types of vehicles.
Failure to operate this vehicle safely may
result in an accident, rollover of the vehicle,
and severe or fatal injury.
R In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is sig-
nificantly more likely to die than a person
wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should always
wear your seat belts.
Basic settings The extent to which the vehicle is raised or low-
ered depends on the basic setting selected.
Select:
R the Comfort orSport drive program for driv-
ing on normal roads
R the Offroad drive program for driving on eas-
ily negotiable off-road terrain
R the Offroad Plus drive program for off-road
driving
R offroad level 1 for driving on easily negotiable
off-road terrain
R offroad level 2 for driving on normal off-road
terrain
R offroad level 3 for freeing the vehicle in par-
ticularly rough terrain at low speeds only
The individual vehicle levels differ from the nor- mal level as follows:
R –0.6 in (–15 mm) in the Sportdrive program
R +/–0 in (+/–0 mm) in the Comfortdrive pro-
gram
R + 1.2 in (+ 30 mm) in the Offroaddrive pro-
gram
R + 2.4 in (+ 60 mm) in the Offroad Plusdrive
program
R + 1.2 in (+ 30 mm) in offroad level 1
R + 2.4 in (+ 60 mm) in offroad level 2
R + 3.5 in (+ 90 mm) in offroad level 3
Setting the vehicle level !
Make sure that there is enough ground
clearance when the vehicle is being lowered.
It could otherwise hit the ground, damaging
the underbody. Driving systems
181Driving and parking Z
i
Do not use the HOLD function when driving
off-road, on steep uphill or downhill gradients or on slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD
function cannot hold the vehicle on such sur- faces.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the vehicle is only braked using the HOLD
function, the vehicle may roll away in the fol-
lowing situations when you leave the vehicle:
R if there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply
R if 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 DISTRONIC or
the HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC and the
HOLD function in the following or similar sit-
uations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
Deactivate the HOLD function (Y page 184).
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R the vehicle is stationary
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
R the driver's door is closed or your seat belt is
fastened
R the electric parking brake is released
R the transmission is in position 005B,005Eor005C
R Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is deacti-
vated Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions are
met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until 0043appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
R you depress the accelerator and the trans-
mission is in position 005Bor005E
R you shift the transmission to position 005D
R you depress the brake pedal again with a cer-
tain amount of pressure until 0043disappears
from the multifunction display
R you secure the vehicle using the electric park-
ing brake
R you activate Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
When the HOLD function is activated, the trans-
mission is automatically shifted to position 005D
if:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's seat
belt is unfastened
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function 184
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking