Driving and operating191Do not accelerate while engaging a
gear. Never depress the accelerator
pedal and brake pedal at the same
time.
When a gear is engaged, the vehicle
begins to creep when the brake is
released.
Engine braking To utilise the engine braking effect,
select a lower gear in good time when
driving downhill, see manual mode.
Rocking the vehicle
Rocking the vehicle is only
permissible if the vehicle is stuck in
sand, mud or snow. Move the selector
lever between D and R in a repeat
pattern. Do not race the engine and
avoid sudden acceleration.
Parking
Apply the parking brake and engage P .Manual mode
Selector lever
Move selector lever out of position D
towards the left in position M.
Manual mode M can be activated
from position D in each driving
situation and speed.
Tap selector lever upwards + to shift
to a higher gear.
Tap the selector lever downwards - to
shift to a lower gear.
The selected gear is indicated in the
instrument cluster.
Steering wheel paddles
Move selector lever out of position D
towards the left in position M.
Manual mode M can be activated
from position D in each driving
situation and speed.
Pull steering wheel paddles to select
gears manually.
Pull right paddle + to shift to a higher
gear.
Pull left paddle - to shift to a lower
gear.
Multiple pulls allow gears to be
skipped.
192Driving and operatingThe selected gear is indicated in the
instrument cluster.
Temporary manual mode in drive
mode D
Manual paddle shifting is also
possible in automatic mode D. Upon
completion of manual shifting
operation, transmission changes to
automatic mode D after a defined
time.
To interrupt manual mode and return
to D, do one of the following:
● Press + paddle for 1 second.
● Move selector lever towards the left to manual mode and back toposition D.
If the vehicle is at a standstill and
engine is idling, the transmission will remain in temporary manual mode. It
changes to automatic mode when
accelerator pedal is operated for a
defined time, and no paddle shifting
at the steering wheel is performed.
General
If a higher gear is selected when
vehicle speed is too low, or a lower
gear when vehicle speed is too high,the shift is not executed. This can
cause a message in the Driver
Information Centre.
In manual mode, no automatic
shifting to a higher gear takes place
at high engine revolutions, except
activating the kickdown function.
Gear shift indication
The symbol R or S with a number
beside it is indicated when gear
shifting is recommended for fuel
saving reasons.
Shift indication appears only in
manual mode.
Electronic driving programmes ● When SPORT mode is engaged,
the vehicle shifts at higher engine
speeds (unless cruise control is
on). SPORT mode 3 201.
● Special programmes automatically adapt the shiftingpoints when driving up inclines or down hills.
● In snowy or icy conditions or on other slippery surfaces, the
electronic transmission controlenables the driver to manually
select first, second or third gear
for starting off.
Kickdown
Pressing down the accelerator pedal
beyond the kickdown detent will lead
to maximum acceleration even in manual mode. The transmission
shifts to a lower gear depending on
engine speed and shifts to a higher
gear at high engine revolutions.
Overheat protection
In the event of transmission-
overheating due to high outside
temperatures or sporty driving style, the torque and the maximum speed of
the engine can be temporarily
reduced.
Fault
In the event of a fault a vehicle
message is displayed in the Driver
Information Centre. Vehicle
messages 3 123.
6-gear automatic transmission:
electronic transmission control
enables only fourth gear; 8-gear
automatic transmission: electronic
Driving and operating1999Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 108.
Deactivation
TC can be switched off when spinning of drive wheels is required: press t
briefly.
Control indicator k illuminates.
A status message appears in the
Driver Information Centre when TC is
deactivated.
When TC is deactivated, ESC
remains active but with higher control threshold.
TC is reactivated by pressing t again.
A status message pops up in the
Driver Information Centre when TC is
reactivated.
TC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Fault
If there is a fault in the system the
control indicator b illuminates
continuously and a message appears
in the Driver Information Centre. The
system is not operational.
Have the cause of the fault remedied
by a workshop.
Electronic Stability Control
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip.
As soon as the vehicle starts to
swerve (understeer/oversteer),
engine output is reduced and the wheels are braked individually.
ESC operates in combination with the Traction Control system (TC). It
prevents the drive wheels from
spinning.
Torque distribution is a special
feature that allocates the torque to the drive wheels before the ESC
intervenes. When cornering, the
wheels on the inner curve are braked
individually. Additionally, engine
torque will be delivered to the drive
wheel on the outer curve. This
reduces the tendency of
understeering and improves traction
when cornering fast.
Driving and operating201Have the cause of the fault remedied
by a workshop.
Interactive driving system FlexRide
FlexRide driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
● SPORT mode: press SPORT,
LED illuminates.
● TOUR mode: press TOUR, LED
illuminates.
● AUTO or Standard / Normal mode: neither SPORT nor
TOUR is pressed, no LED
illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode or TOUR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode Flex Ride adjusts the following electronic
systems:
● electronic damping control● accelerator pedal control
● electronic power steering control
● automatic transmission● adaptive cruise control
● all-wheel drive
● engine sound enhancement
● instrument cluster theme
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adjusted for a sportier driving style:
● Damping of shock absorbers is set up for increased handling andagility.
● The engine reacts more quickly to accelerator pedal changes.
● Steering support is sportier.
● Automatic transmission shift points optimised for sporty
driving.
● Adaptive cruise control is adjusted for a sportier driving
style.
● All-wheel drive supports active sporty driving of the vehicle.
● Engine sound enhancement intensifies interior engine sound
in a sporty manner.
● Cluster theme changes to sport.
TOUR mode
202Driving and operatingTOUR mode adjusts the settings of
the systems for a comfortable driving
style.
● Damping of shock absorbers is adapted for increased driving
comfort.
● Steering efforts are reduced. ● Adaptive cruise control is adjusted for a more relaxed
driving style.
AUTO mode
All versions except GSi: All settings of the systems are preset to standard
values optimised for daily driving
(default mode). This is the fully
adaptive mode, adjusting systems to
both comfort and sport settings
depending on driving style and driving
situation.
Normal mode
GSi versions only: All settings of the
systems are preset to standard
values optimised for daily driving
(default mode). This mode keeps the
standard values independent of
driving style or driving situation.Adaptive drive mode control
Within each manually selected driving
mode SPORT , TOUR or AUTO , Drive
Mode Control (DMC) detects and
analyses continuously the driving
situation and the driver's driving style. If necessary, DMC automatically
adjusts damping and steering for the
duration of the occuring situation.
If, for example, normal settings are
active in AUTO mode and DMC
detects a sporty driving behaviour, it
automatically changes systems into
sporty settings unless the driver
deselects sporty damping or steering
in the Sport Mode Customisation .
If, for another example, comfort
settings are active in TOUR mode
and whilst driving on a winding road a sudden hard brake is necessary,DMC will detect the dynamic vehicle
condition and changes the settings
for suspension back to normal
(default) setting to enhance vehicle
stability.
When the driving characteristic or the
dynamic vehicle state returns to the
former state, DMC will change to
preselected settings.Settings
The settings of drive modes can be
changed in the vehicle
personalisation menu in the Info
Display 3 124.
Driving and operating215Note
Speed limit signs which are
combined with add-on signs, e.g.
time, weather or vehicle type
limitations, are not considered by
this system.
Note
The driver stays fully responsible for
driving conform to speed limits and
has to supervise any automatic set
speed change performed by this
system.
Due to system limitations and
latencies, the set speed might be
changed after entering the road
section with the new speed limit.
Speed limit signs between 30 km/h
and 150 km/h are considered.
Switching on the system
The function can be activated or
deactivated in the vehicle settings
menu of the Driver Information Centre
3 112. Furthermore, adaptive cruise
control has be to switched on as
described above.Usage
Even if adaptive cruise control is
inactive, the set speed is updated
automatically at each new detected
speed limit as described in the next
section. Press RES+ to re-activate
adaptive cruise control, using the
memorised set speed.
Note
Adaptive cruise control has to be
initiated once by pressing SET- after
ignition or just adaptive cruise
control has been is switched on.
If adaptive cruise control is active, the detected speed limit will be displayed in the Driver Information Centre. The
driver can accept or decline the
detected new set speed while the
display message is shown.
Press SET- on the steering wheel to
accept the detected speed limit and
take over as new set speed.
Press RES+ to decline detected
speed limit and keep the current set
speed.
If no action is performed when the
message is displayed, the detected
speed limit is taken over as new setspeed automatically after 3 seconds.
The message disappears and is
followed by the offset message:
If a new set speed was defined, a confirmation message is displayed.
During this time, the offset from the
set speed can be adjusted.
Press SET- or RES+ to adjust the
offset.
If no action is performed while the
message is displayed, the last set
offset will be used and the message
disappears after 3 seconds.
The new set speed including offset is displayed in the Driver Information
Centre.
System limitations
Intelligent adaptive cruise control has
the same limitations as the traffic sign assistant 3 240.
Implicit speed limits may be
considered with a delay, e.g. city entry, city exit, or highway entry signs.
The system may ignore a particular
traffic sign or use a wrong speed limit.
Driving and operating219In the following cases, Forward
collision alert may not detect a vehicle
ahead or sensor performance is
limited:
● Driving on winding or hilly roads.
● During nighttime driving.
● Weather limits visibility, such as fog, rain, or snow
● The sensor in the windscreen is blocked by snow, ice, slush, mud,dirt, windscreen damage or
affected by foreign items, e.g.
stickers.
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.On Baselevel display, choose Info
Menu ? via MENU on the turn
signal lever and turn the adjuster wheel to choose following distance
indication page, 3 112
On Mid- and Uplevel display, select
Info menu via steering wheel buttons
and press å to select following
distance indication 3 112.
The minimum indicated distance is 0.5 seconds.
If there is no vehicle ahead or the vehicle ahead is out of range, two
dashes will be displayed: -.- sec.
If Adaptive cruise control is active,
this page shows the alert sensitivity
setting instead of following distance
setting. 3 206.
System limitations In the following cases, following
distance indication sensor
performance is limited:
● Driving on winding or hilly roads.
● During nighttime driving.
220Driving and operating● Weather limits visibility, such asfog, rain, or snow.
● The sensor is blocked by snow, ice, slush, mud, dirt, windscreen
damage or affected by foreign
items, e.g. stickers.
Active emergency braking
Active emergency braking is part of
the forward collision system 3 124. It
can help to reduce the damage and
injury from crashes with vehicles,
pedestrians and obstacles directly
ahead, when a collision can no longer be avoided either by manual braking
or by steering. Before the active
emergency braking applies, the driver is warned by the Forward collision
alert 3 216 or the Front pedestrian
protection alert 3 223.
The feature uses various inputs (e.g.
camera sensor, radar sensor, brake
pressure, vehicle speed) to calculate
the probability of a frontal collision.9 Warning
This system is not intended to
replace the driver responsibility for driving the vehicle and looking
ahead. Its function is limited to
supplemental use only to reduce
the vehicle speed before a
collision.
The system may not react to
animals. After a sudden lane
change, the system needs a
certain time to detect the next
preceding vehicle.
The driver must always be ready
to take action and apply the brakes and steer to avoid collisions.
Functionality
If equipped only with front camera the
active emergency braking operates in forward gear above walking speed up
to 85 km/h.
With radar sensor active emergency
braking operates in forward gear
above walking speed at all speeds.
A precondition is that forward collision
alert with front camera system is not
deactivated in the vehicle
personalisation menu 3 124.
The system includes: ● brake preparation system
● emergency automatic braking ● forward looking brake assist
● intelligent brake assist (only with radar sensor)
● front pedestrian protection system
Brake preparation system
When approaching a vehicle ahead
or a pedestrian so quickly that a
collision is likely, the brake
preparation system slightly
pressurizes the brakes. This reduces
the response time, when a manual or automatic braking is requested.
The brake system is prepared so that braking can occur more rapidly.
If equipped only with front camera the
system operates up to a speed of 80
km/h.