Driving and operating149Caution
It is not advisable to drive with thehand resting on the selector lever.
Upshift indication 3 93.
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 your 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 92.
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.
154Driving and operatingFor a more sporty behaviour ESC and
TC can be deactivated separately:
● Press b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates
● Press and hold b for at least
5 seconds: TC and ESC are deactivated, k and n illuminate.
Additionally, the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre.
If the vehicle comes into threshold
with deactivated ESP, the system will reactivate ESP for the time duration
of the threshold, when the brake
pedal is depressed once.
ESC is reactivated by pressing b
again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.Interactive driving system
Flex RideFlex Ride driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
● SPORT mode: press SPORT,
LED illuminates.
● TOUR mode: press TOUR, LED
illuminates.
● NORMAL mode: both SPORT
and TOUR are not pressed, no
LED illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and TOUR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode, Flex Ride
networks the following electronic systems:
● Continuous Damping Control
● Accelerator Pedal Control
● Steering Control
● Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
● Antilock brake system (ABS) with
cornering brake control
● Automatic transmission.SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style.
Driving and operating155TOUR mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a comfort driving style.
NORMAL mode
All settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.
Drive mode control Within each manually selected driving
mode SPORT, TOUR or NORMAL,
the Drive Mode Control detects and
analyses continuously the real driving characteristic, responses by the
driver, and the active dynamic state of the vehicle. If necessary, the control
unit of Drive Mode Control
automatically changes the settings
within the selected driving mode or,
when recognising greater variations,
the driving mode is changed for the
length of variation.
If, for example, NORMAL mode is selected and Drive Mode Control
detects a sporty driving behaviour,
Drive Mode Control changes several settings of the NORMAL mode into
sporty settings. The Drive Mode
Control changes to SPORT mode in
case of very sporty driving behaviour.
If, for another example, TOUR mode
is selected and whilst driving on a
winding road a sudden hard brake is
necessary, Drive Mode Control will
detect the dynamic vehicle condition
and changes the settings for
suspension to SPORT mode to
increase vehicle stability.
When the driving characteristic or the dynamic vehicle state returns to the
former state, Drive Mode Control will
change the settings to the
preselected driving mode.Personalised settings in the
SPORT mode
The driver can select the functions of
the SPORT mode when SPORT is
pressed. These settings can be changed in the Settings menu in the
Info-Display. Vehicle personalisation
3 104.
156Driving and operatingDriver assistance
systems9 Warning
Driver assistance systems are
developed to support the driver
and not to replace the driver's
attention.
The driver accepts full
responsibility when driving the
vehicle.
When using driver assistance
systems, always take care
regarding the current traffic
situation.
Cruise control
The cruise control can store and
maintain speeds of approx. 30 to
200 km/h. Deviations from the stored
speeds may occur when driving uphill or downhill.
For safety reasons, the cruise control cannot be activated until the brake
pedal has been operated once.
Activating in first gear is not possible.
Do not use the cruise control if it is not advisable to maintain a constant
speed.
With automatic transmission, only
activate cruise control in automatic
mode.
Control indicator m 3 96.
Switching on the system
Press m; control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Activation of the functionality Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the
current speed is stored and
maintained. Control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates green.
Accelerator pedal can be released.
Vehicle speed can be increased by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the previously stored speed
is resumed.
Cruise control remains activated
while gearshifting.
Increase speed
With cruise control active, hold thumb
wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn
to RES/+ repeatedly: speed
increases continuously or in small
increments.
Alternatively accelerate to the desired speed and store by turning to SET/-.
Driving and operating159Release the accelerator pedal andthe speed limiter function is
reactivated once a speed lower than
the limit speed is obtained.
Deactivation of the functionality Press y: speed limiter is deactivated
and the vehicle can be driven without speed limit.
The limited speed is stored and a
corresponding message appears in
the Driver Information Centre.
Resume limit speed
Turn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained.
Switching off the system
Press L, the speed limit indication in
the Driver Information Centre
extinguishes. The stored speed is
deleted.
By pressing m to activate cruise
control or by switching off the ignition, speed limiter is also deactivated and
the stored speed is deleted.Forward collision alert
The forward collision alert can help to
avoid or reduce the harm caused by
front-end crashes.
Forward collision alert uses the front
camera system in the windscreen to
detect a vehicle directly ahead, in your path, within a distance of approx.
60 metres.
A vehicle ahead is indicated by
control indicator A.
If a vehicle directly ahead is
approached too quickly, a warning
chime and alert in the Driver
Information Centre is provided.
A precondition is that forward collision
alert is not deactivated by pressing
V .
Activation Forward collision alert operates
automatically above 40 km/h, if it is not deactivated by pressing V, see
below.
Driving and operating161
General information
9Warning
Forward collision alert is just a
warning system and does not
apply the brakes. When
approaching a vehicle ahead too
rapidly, it may not provide you
enough time to avoid a collision.
The driver accepts full
responsibility for the valid
following distance based on traffic, weather and visibility conditions.
The complete attention of the
driver is always required while
driving. He shall always be ready to take action and apply the
brakes.
System limitations
The system is designed to warn only for vehicles, but may react also on
other objects.
In the following cases, forward
collision alert may not detect a vehicle
ahead or sensor performance is
limited:
● On winding roads.
● When weather limits visibility, e.g. fog, rain, or snow.
● When the sensor is blocked by snow, ice, slush, mud, dirt, or
windscreen damage.
Following distance indication
The following distance indication
displays the distance to a preceding
moving vehicle. The front camera in
the windscreen is used to detect the
distance of a vehicle directly ahead in the vehicle's path. It is active at
speeds above 40 km/h.
When a preceding vehicle is detected
ahead, the distance is indicated in
seconds, displayed on a page in the
Driver Information Centre 3 96 . Press
MENU on the turn signal lever to
select Vehicle Information Menu
X and turn the adjuster wheel to
choose following distance indication
page.
The minimum indicated distance is
0.5 seconds.
162Driving and operatingIf there is no vehicle ahead or the
vehicle ahead is out of range, two
dashes will be displayed: -.- s.
Parking assist
Rear parking assist9 Warning
The driver bears full responsibility
for the parking manoeuvre.
Always check the surrounding
area while reversing and using the rear parking assist system.
The rear parking assist makes
parking easier by measuring the
distance between the vehicle and
rear obstacles. It informs and warns
the driver by giving acoustic signals.
The system has four ultrasonic
parking sensors in the rear bumper.
Activation
When reverse gear is engaged, the
system is ready to operate
automatically.
An illuminated LED in the parking
assist button r indicates that the
system is ready to operate.
Indication
The system warns the driver with
acoustic signals against potentially
hazardous obstacles behind the
vehicle. The interval between the
sounds becomes shorter as the
vehicle gets closer to that obstacle.
When the distance is less than
approx. 30 cm, the sound is
continuous.
Additionally, the distance to obstacles can be shown in the Driver
Information Centre.
Deactivation
The system automatically switches
off when reverse gear is disengaged.
To switch on the system again,
engage reverse gear.
Manual deactivation is also possible by pressing the parking assist button
r .
Driving and operating163When the system is deactivated, the
LED in the button extinguishes.
Additionally, a message pops-up in
the Driver Information Centre when
the system is deactivated manually.
Fault
In the event of a fault in the system or
if the system does not work due to
temporary conditions like ice covered sensors, a message is displayed in
the Driver Information Centre.
Vehicle messages 3 103.
Front-rear parking assist9 Warning
The driver bears full responsibility
for the parking manoeuvre.
Always check the surrounding
area when driving backwards or
forwards while using parking
assist system.
The front-rear parking assist
measures the distance between the vehicle and obstacles in front and
behind the vehicle. The system gives acoustic signals and display
messages.
The system has four ultrasonic
parking sensors each in the rear and
front bumper.
It uses two different acoustic warning
signals for the front and rear
monitoring areas, each with a
different tone frequency. The signal
for front obstacles sounds via the
front speakers, for rear obstacles it
sounds via the rear speakers.
Parking assist button and operation
logic
Front-rear parking assist is equipped
with r. If the vehicle is additionally
equipped with advanced parking
assist (see the following separate
description) the system is equipped
with D. Both systems will be
operated by pressing D.
Short press of r or D deactivates
or activates the front parking assist.
Long press of D (approx.
one second) activates or deactivates
the advanced parking assist.