
XStow luggage items securely. Secure the load
as per the loading guidelines (Ypage 244).
XMake sure that the floormats and carpets are
properly secured so that they cannot slip and
obstruct the pedals.
XClose all doors.
Starting the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation.
!Do not depress the accelerator when start-
ing the engine.
XBefore starting the engine, make sure that:
Rall the doors are closed.
Rall the vehicle occupants are wearing their
seat belts correctly.
Rthe parking brake is applied.
iIf you depress the brake pedal before start-
ing the engine, the pedal travel may be shorter
and pedal resistance higher.
If you depress the brake pedal again after
starting the engine, pedal travel and resist-
ance will be back to normal again.
Automatic transmission
XShift the transmission to position P
(Ypage 129).
The transmission position indicator in the dis-
play shows P.
You can also start the engine in neutral N.
Starting the engine
XTurn the key to position3in the ignition lock
(Ypage 123) and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
Driving off
Automatic transmission
GWARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
!Only shift into reverse gear when the vehicle
is stationary k. Otherwise, you could dam-
age the transmission.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
The parking lock is released.
XShift the transmission to position hork.
On vehicles with a reverse warning feature,
when reverse gear kis engaged a warning
tone sounds to alert other road users
(
Ypage 125).
XRelease the parking brake (Ypage 136).
The F (only USA) or J(only Canada)
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster goes
out.
XRelease the brake pedal.
Hill start assist automatically maintains the
brake pressure for about another two sec-
onds after the brake pedal is released. This
makes it possible to pull away without the
vehicle immediately rolling back
(
Ypage 125).
XCarefully depress the accelerator pedal.
It is only possible to shift the transmission from
position jto the desired transmission position
if you d
epress the brake pedal. Only then is the
parking lock released. If the brake pedal is not
depressed, the DIRECT SELECT lever can still be
moved but the parking lock remains engaged.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have pulled
away. The locking knobs in the doors drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking
feature (
Ypage 74).
124Driving
Driving and parking

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The engine does not
start.
The starter motor cannot
be heard.The battery is discharged or faulty.
XCheck the battery for damage.
XCharge the battery (Ypage 264).
The engine is not running
smoothly and is misfir-
ing.There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or a mechanical com-
ponent of the engine management system.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Unburnt fuel may otherwise get into the catalytic converter and
damage it.
XHave the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
Before switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
!If the engine is switched off, rolling in neutral
N can damage the power transmission and
result in transmission damage.
Always observe the instructions and safety
notes under "Tow starting and towing away"
(
Ypage 276).
Bear in mind that power transmission between
the engine and the transmission is interrupted
when the engine is switched off. For this reason,
shift the automatic transmission to Pbefore the engine is switched off and with the vehicle is
stationary. Apply the parking brake to prevent
the vehicle from rolling away.
DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of the transmission shift sys-
tem
jPark position with parking lock
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
The DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of the
steering column.
The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns to its
original position. The display in the instrument
cluster shows the current transmission position,
namely P,R, Nor D(
Ypage 130).
128Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
:Drive program
;Current transmission position orcurrent gear in drive program M
=Shift range, if restricted
The transmission positions and current drive
program :are shown at the bottom of the
instrument cluster display. The current trans-
mission position is highlighted.
In drive program M, the transmission position
indicator shows the current gear in position D
(
Ypage 132).
If you restrict the shift range, the transmission
position indicator shows the current transmis-
sion position plus restricted shift range =, e.g.
D2 (
Ypage 130).
The arrows in the transmission position display
show how and into which transmission positions
you can change using the DIRECT SELECT lever.
Changing gear
The 7-speed automatic transmission adapts to
your individual driving style by continuously
adjusting its shift points. These shift point
adjustments take into account the current oper-
ating and driving conditions. If the operating or
driving conditions change, the automatic trans-
mission reacts by adjusting the gearshift pro-
gram.
The 7-speed automatic transmission shifts to
the individual gears automatically when it is in
transmission position h. This depends on:
Rthe drive program selected (Ypage 131)
Rany restriction in the shift range
(Ypage 130)
Rthe position of the accelerator pedal
Rthe road speed
You can also change gear manually if you select
drive program M(
Ypage 132).
Shift ranges
:To shift down and restrict the shift range
;To shift up and derestrict the shift range
In transmission position Dand drive programs E
and C, you can use the steering wheel paddle
shifters to change gear yourself and restrict or
derestrict the shift range of the automatic trans-
mission.
XTo shift down and restrict the shift range:
briefly pull left steering wheel paddle
shifter :.
The automatic transmission shifts to the next
gear down, depending on the gear currently
engaged. The shift range is also restricted.
The transmission position indicator also
shows the set shift range, e.g. D2. The auto-
matic transmission shifts only as far as the
relevant gear.
or
XPull and hold left steering wheel paddle
shifter :.
The automatic transmission will shift to a
range which allows easy acceleration and
deceleration. To do this, the automatic trans-
mission shifts down one or more gears and
restricts the shift range.
The transmission position indicator also
shows the set shift range, e.g. D2. The auto-
matic transmission shifts only as far as the
relevant gear.
The automatic transmission does not shift
down if you pull the left steering whee l p
addle
shifter whilst traveling at too high a speed. If
the maximum engine speed for the restricted
shift range is reached and you continue to
depress the accelerator pedal, the automatic transmission will shift up automatically. This
protects the engine from overrevving.
130Automatic transmission
Driving an d parking

GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart 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.
!Always secure the vehicle correctly against
rolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle or its driv-
etrain could be damaged.
!When the vehicle is parked, always remove
the key to prevent the battery from becoming
discharged.
Always park your vehicle safely and secure it
against rolling away. When parking, observe the
legal requirements of the country in which you
are currently driving.
To ensure that the vehicle is properly secured
against rolling away unintentionally:
Rthe parking brake must be firmly applied
Rthe transmission must be in position Pand the
key must be removed from the ignition lock
Ron steep uphill or downhill gradients, the front
wheels must be turned towards the curb
Parking brake
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart 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.
GWARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels could lock. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi-
cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly. If the
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begin turning again.
The brake lamps are not illuminated when you
brake the vehicle using the parking brake.
As a rule, you may only apply the parking brake
when the vehicle is stationary.
XTo apply the parking brake: depress park-
ing brake pedal ;firmly.
The red F(only USA) or J(only Can-
ada) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up if the engine is running.
XTo release the parking brake: depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XPull release handle :.
The parking brake is released abruptly. The
red F (only USA) or J(only Canada)
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster goes
out.
Exceptionally, if the service brake fails, the park-
ing brake can be used to brake the vehicle in an
emergency.
XEmergency braking: pull release handle:
and gradually depress parking brake
pedal ;.
136Parking
Driving and parking

The last speed set remains stored. The last
speed stored is deleted when you switch off the
engine.
Cruise control is deactivated automatically
when:
Ryou apply the brakes
Ryou apply the parking brake and theF
(only USA) or J(only Canada) indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up
Ryou are driving slower than 20 mph (30 km/h)
Ryou shift to neutral iwhile th evehicl eis in
motion
RES P®intervenes or you deactivat eES P®
Rthere is amalfunction in th eES P®or AB Ssys-
te m
If cruise control automatically deactivates, a
warnin gtone sounds and th eCruise
Contro lOffmessage appears briefl yin th edisplay.
The V symbol and th edisplay of th estore d
speed in th eheader or in th estatu sarea of th e
display are then no tshown.
Problems with cruise contro l
The speed cannotbe set when cruise control is
activated.
The display is showin g amessage of high priority
and canno ttherefor esho w a chang ein speed.
XProceed as instructe dby th emessage in th e
display.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
Gene ral notes
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST help syou:
Rto minimiz eth eris kof afront-en dcollision
wit h a detecte dobstacle in th epat hof your
vehicl e
Rto reduce th econsequence sof acollision
wit hth evehicl ein fron t
The system uses rada rsensor sto detec tvehi-
cle sin front.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consist sof th e
distanc ewarnin gfunction and Adaptive Brake
Assist.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is malfunc -
tioning, th edisplay shows acorrespondin gmes -
sage (
Ypage 216).
Distance warning function
Important safety notes
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarnin gfunction does no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossin gtraffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus ,th edistanc ewarnin gfunction canno t
provid e awarnin gin all critica lsituations.
There is aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and be read yto brake.
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarnin gfunction canno talways
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In suc hcases, th edistanc ewarnin gfunction
may:
Rgiv ean unnecessary warnin g
Rnotgiv e a warnin g
There is aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and do no trel ysolely on th edistanc e
warnin gfunction .
In particular, th edetection of obstacles can be
impaire din th ecas eof:
Rdir ton th esensor sor anythin gelse coverin g
th esensor s
Rsnow or heav yrain
Rinterferenc efrom other rada rsource s
Rstrongrada rreflections, for example, in park -
in g garages
Ranarrow vehicl etravelin gin front, e.g. a
motorbik e
Ravehicl etravelin gin fron ton adifferen tlin e
Due to th enature of th esystem, particularly
complicate dbut non-critica ldrivin gcondition s
may also caus eth esystem to display awarning.
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle, th edis-
tance warnin gfunction can neither reduce th e
ris kof an acciden tno roverride th elaws of phys -
ics .The distanc ewarnin gfunction canno ttak e
146Driving systems
Driving and parking

into account road, weather or traffic conditions.
The distance warning function is only an aid. You
are responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensor checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
If you change wheel size, make sure they corre- spond to the correct wheel size category
(
Ypage 279). If the category is changed without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the
functioning of the distance warning feature may
be impaired. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
may then detect a malfunction and switch itself
off.
Operation
XTo activate/deactivate: activate or deacti-
vate the distance warning function in the on-
board computer (
Ypage 187).
If the distance warning function of COLLISION
PREVENTION ASSIST is activated, the display
shows the Äsymbol:
Rin the header
Rin the Status Overviewof the Assist.menu (Ypage 186)
At speeds up to approx 20 mph (30 km/h) the
display in vehicles with Active Parking Assist
first shows the ístatus indicator. Only up to
a speed of about 20 mph (30 km/h) does the display show the Äsymbol instead of the
í status indicator.
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. With the help of the radar sensor sys-
tem, the distance warning function can detect
obstacles that are in the path of your vehicle for
an extended period of time. If the distance warn-
ing function detects that there is a risk of a col-
lision, you will be warned visually and, where
necessary, acoustically. Without your interven-
tion, the distance warning function cannot pre-
vent a collision.
The distance warning function issues a warning
at speeds:
Rfrom about 4 mph (7 km/h) if you approach a
vehicle traveling in front or a stationary vehi-
cle too quickly. The ·warning lamp in the instrument cluster then lights up and an inter-
mittent warning tone also sounds.
At speeds up to about 45 mph (70 km/h), the
system also detects stationary obstacles, for
example stopped or parked vehicles.
XBrake immediately until the distance from the
obstacle increases and the risk of a front-end
collision passes.
or
XTake evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
Adaptive Brake Assist
General notes
Adaptive Brake Assist evaluates the traffic sit-
uation with the help of the radar sensor system and can detect obstacles which have been in
your vehicle's path for an extended period of
time. From speeds above 4 mph (7 km/h), Adap-
tive Brake Assist aids you in braking during haz-
ardous situations.
Up to a speed of approximately 125 mph
(200 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assist is capable of
reacting to moving obstacles that have already
been detected as such at least once over the
period of observation.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rto stationary obstacles
Rwhen cornering
As a result, the Adaptive Brake Assist may not
intervene in all critical conditions. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
Driving systems147
Driving and parking
Z

XSelectStatus Overviewin theAssist.menu and display the attention level
(Ypage 186).
The following information is displayed:
Rthe length of the journey since the last break.
Rthe attention level determined by ATTENTION
ASSIST, displayed in a bar display in five levels
from low to high.
Rif ATTENTION ASSIST is unable to calculate
the attention level and cannot output a warn-
ing, the System
Passivemessage appears in
the display. The bar display is then dimmed.
This is the case, for example, if you are pre-
dominantly driving at a speed below 40 mph
(60 km/h) or above 125 mph (200 km/h).
Activating ATTENTION ASSIST
XActivating ATTENTION ASSIST with the on-
board computer:
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 177)
Ron vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 187)
For vehicles with steering wheel buttons, the
system determines the attention level of the
driver depending on the setting selected:
Standard: the sensitivity with which the sys-
tem determines the attention level is set to
normal.
Sensitive: the sensitivity is set higher. The
driver is warned earlier.
When ATTENTION ASSIST is switched on and
the vehicle engine is running:
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons,
the À indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up
Ron vehicles with steering-wheel buttons, the
display shows the Àsymbol:
-in the status area
-in the Status Overviewof the Assist.menu (Ypage 186)
For vehicles with steering wheel buttons, if you
deactivate ATTENTION ASSIST, the system is
automatically re-activated when you start the
engine. The system sensitivity then corresponds
to the last selection activated – standard or sen-
sitive.
If you switch off ATTENTION ASSIST in a vehicle without steering wheel buttons, the system
remains switched off even after you start the engine. The status of the system after switching
on the engine always corresponds to the status
last selected.
Warning in the display
If the system detects tiredness or increasing
lapses in concentration, the warning
Atten‐
tion Assist: Take a Break!orAttent.Asst: Take Break!is shown in the display.
An additional warning tone sounds.
XIf necessary, take a break.
XConfirm the message by pressing the a
button on the steering wheel.
On long journeys, take regular breaks in good
time to allow yourself to rest. If you do not take
a break and ATTENTION ASSIST continues to
detect increasing lapses in concentration, you
will be warned again after 15 minutes at the
earliest. This will only happen if ATTEN-
TION ASSIST still detects typical indicators of
fatigue or increasing lapses in concentration.
PARKTRONIC
General notes
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid. The
system is equipped with ultrasonic sensors in
the front and rear bumpers to monitor the area
around your vehicle. PARKTRONIC indicates vis-
ually and audibly the distance between your
vehicle and an object.
Your vehicle features two separate sound emit- ters with different frequencies for the warning
tones. The warning ranges in front of and behind
the vehicle are indicated by different warning
tones.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
Rturn the key to position 2in the ignition lock
Rrelease the parking brake and
Rmove the selector lever to position D,N or R
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). PARKTRONIC is reactivated
at speeds below 10 mph (16 km/h).
Important safety notes
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It cannot replace
your own awareness of the immediate surround-
ings. You are responsible for safe maneuvering,
Driving systems153
Driving and parking
Z

XBring the vehicle safely to a stop when the
parking symbol shows the desired parking
space in the instrument cluster.
XShift the transmission to positionR.
The display shows the Start
ParkAssist?Yes: OKNo:%message and the location
of the parking space.
XTo cancel the process: press the%but-
ton on the steering wheel or drive off.
or
XTo park using active parking assistance:
press the abutton on the steering wheel.
The display shows the Park Assist
Active: Accelerate and BrakeObs.Surroundingsmessage.
XLet go of the steering wheel.
XReverse the vehicle, being ready to brake at
all times. Exit the parking space slowly and do
not drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwise parking assistance is canceled and
Active Parking Assist is stopped.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill when the vehicle approaches the
rear border of the parking space.
Maneuvering may be required in tight parking
spaces. The display shows the Park Assist
Active: Select DObs. Surroundingsmes-
sage.
XWhile the vehicle is stationary, shift the trans-
mission to position D.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. The display shows the
Park Assist Active: Accelerate and
BrakeObs. Surroundingsmessage.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
XDrive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill.
The display shows the Park
AssistActive:Select RObs. Surroundingsmessage.
As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
the Park Assist Finished
message appears
in the display and a tone sounds. The parking
assistance function of Active Parking Assist is
stopped. The vehicle is parked and kept station-
ary without the driver having to depress the
brake pedal. The braking effect is canceled
when you depress the accelerator pedal. Active Parking Assist no longer supports you
with steering interventions and brake applica-
tions. Once active parking assistance has been
stopped, you must steer and brake again your-
self. PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips:
RThe way your vehicle is positioned in the park-
ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the position and
shape of the vehicles parked in front and
behind it and the conditions of the location. It
may be the case that Active Parking Assist
guides you too far into a parking space, or not
far enough into it. In some cases, it may also
lead you across or onto the curb. In this case, cancel the active parking assistance.
RYou can also select transmission position D
prematurely. The vehicle redirects and does
not drive as far into the parking space. If you
change direction too early, parking assis-
tance is canceled and Active Parking Assist is
stopped. It is then not possible to achieve a
sensible parking position from the current
position.
Exiting a parking space
In order that Active Parking Assist can assist you
when exiting the parking space:
Rthe border of the parking space must be high enough at the front and the rear. A curb stone
is too small, for example.
Rthe border of the parking space must not be
too wide. Your vehicle can be maneuvered
into a position at a maximum of 45° to the
starting position in the parking space.
Ra maneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available .
Active Parking Assist can only assist you with
exiting a parking space if you have parked the
vehicle parallel to the direction of travel using
Active Parking Assist.
If PARKTRONIC detects obstacles, Active Park-
ing Assist brakes automatically when exiting
from the parking space. You are responsible for braking in good time.
XStart the engine.
XSwitch on the turn signal in the direction in
which you are pulling away.
XShift the transmission to position hork.
The display shows the StartParkAssist?Yes: OKNo:%message.
Driving systems159
Driving an d parking
Z