Driving and operating157Starting the vehicle at lowtemperatures
Starting the engine without additional
heaters is possible down to -25 °С for diesel engines and -30 °C for petrol
engines. Required is an engine oil
with the correct viscosity, the correct fuel, performed services and a
sufficiently charged vehicle battery.
With temperatures below -30 °C the
automatic transmission requires a
warming phase of approx. 5 minutes.
The selector lever must be in position
P .
Turbo engine warm-up
Upon start-up, engine available
torque may be limited for a short time, especially when the engine
temperature is cold. The limitation is
to allow the lubrication system to fully
protect the engine.
Overrun cut-off
The fuel supply is automatically cut off
during overrun, i.e. when the vehicle
is driven with a gear engaged but accelerator pedal is released.Depending on driving conditions, the
overrun cut-off may be deactivated.
Stop-start system
The stop-start system helps to save
fuel and to reduce the exhaust
emissions. When conditions allow, it
switches off the engine as soon as the
vehicle is at a low speed or at a
standstill, e.g. at a traffic light or in a
traffic jam.
Activation The stop-start system is available as
soon as the engine is started, the
vehicle starts-off and the conditions
as stated below in this section are
fulfilled.Without touchscreen
The system is ready to operate when
the LED in the button D is not
illuminated. To activate the system
when the system is deactivated,
press D. If the stop-start system is
temporarily not available and the
button D is pressed, the LED in the
button flashes.With touchscreen
The system can be activated in the
vehicle personalisation 3 124. If the
stop-start system is temporarily not
available, the control indicator D
flashes for a few seconds.
DeactivationWithout touchscreen
Press D to deactivate the stop-start
system. The deactivation is indicated
when the LED in the button
illuminates.
158Driving and operatingWith touchscreen
The stop-start system can be
deactivated in the vehicle
personalisation 3 124.
If the system is deactivated during an Autostop, the engine restarts
immediately.
AutostopVehicles with manual transmission
An Autostop can be activated at a
standstill or at a speed below
20 km/h.
Activate an Autostop as follows: ● Depress the clutch pedal.
● Set the selector lever to neutral.
● Release the clutch pedal.
The engine will be switched off while the ignition stays on.Vehicles with automatic transmissionIf the vehicle is at a standstill with
depressed brake pedal or gear
selector in N, Autostop is activated
automatically.In case of vehicles with automatic
transmission of type B, an Autostop
can also be activated at a speed below 20 km/h.
The engine will be switched off while the ignition stays on.
Indication
An Autostop is indicated by control
indicator ñ.
During an Autostop, the heating and
brake performance will be
maintained.
Conditions for an Autostop
The stop-start system checks if each
of the following conditions is fulfilled.
● The stop-start system is not manually deactivated.
● The driver's door is closed or the driver's seat belt is fastened.
● The sliding doors are closed
● The vehicle battery is sufficiently charged and in good condition.
● The engine is warmed up.
● The ambient temperature is between 0 °C and 35 °C.
● The engine coolant temperature is not too high.
● The engine exhaust temperature is not too high, e.g. after driving
with high engine load.
● The climate control system allows an Autostop.
● The brake vacuum is sufficient.
● The self-cleaning function of the exhaust filter is not active.
● The vehicle was driven at least at
walking speed since the last
Autostop.
Otherwise an Autostop will be
inhibited.
Note
The Autostop may be inhibited for
several hours after a battery
replacement or reconnection.
Driving and operating159Certain settings of the climate control
system may inhibit an Autostop.
Climate control 3 141.
Immediately after higher speed
driving an Autostop may be inhibited.
New vehicle running-in 3 153.
Vehicle battery discharge protection
To ensure reliable engine restarts, several vehicle battery discharge
protection features are implemented
as part of the stop-start system.
Power saving measures
During an Autostop, several electrical
features such as auxiliary electric
heater or rear window heating are
disabled or switched to a power
saving mode. The fan speed of the
climate control system is reduced to
save power.
Restart of the engine by the driver
Vehicles with manual transmission
Depress the clutch pedal without
depressing the brake pedal to restart the engine.Vehicles with automatic transmission
Type A: The engine is restarted if
● the gear selector is in position D
with M activated or not and the
brake pedal is released
● the gear selector is in position N,
the brake pedal is released and
the gear selector is moved to
position D with M activated or not
● the gear selector is in position P,
the brake pedal is depressed and the gear selector is moved to
position R, N or D with M
activated or not
● the reverse gear is engaged
Type B: The engine is restarted if ● the gear selector is in position A
or M and the brake pedal is
released
● the gear selector is in position N,
the brake pedal is depressed and and the gear selector is moved toA or M
● the reverse gear is engagedRestart of the engine by the stop- start system
The selector lever must be in neutral to enable an automatic restart.
If one of the following conditions
occurs during an Autostop, the
engine will be restarted automatically by the stop-start system:
● depending on engine, vehicle speed exceeding 3 km/h or
25 km/h (manual transmission)
● vehicle speed exceeding 3 km/h (automatic transmission)
● stop-start system manually deactivated
● driver's door opened
● sliding door opened.
● driver's seat belt unfastened
● engine temperature too low
● charging level of vehicle battery below defined level
● brake vacuum not sufficient
● vehicle driven at least at walking speed
Driving and operating169
To engage reverse on 6-speed
transmission, depress the clutch
pedal, pull the ring under the selector
lever and move the selector lever
quite to the left and front.
If the gear does not engage, set the
selector lever to neutral, release the
clutch pedal and depress again. Then
repeat gear selection.
Do not slip the clutch unnecessarily.
When operating, depress the clutch
pedal completely. Do not use the
pedal as a foot rest.
When clutch slip is detected for a specific time, the engine power will be reduced. A warning is displayed in the
Driver Information Centre. Release
the clutch.Caution
It is not advisable to drive with the hand resting on the selector lever.
Gear shift indication 3 113.
Stop-start system 3 157.
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 the 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.
Antilock brake system
Antilock brake system (ABS)
prevents the wheels from locking.
Driving and operating171Brake assistIf brake pedal is depressed quickly
and forcefully, maximum brake force
is automatically applied.
Operation of brake assist might
become apparent by a pulse in the
brake pedal and a greater resistance when depressing the brake pedal.
Maintain steady pressure on the
brake pedal as long as full braking is
required. Maximum brake force is
automatically reduced when brake
pedal is released.
Hill start assist The system helps prevent unintended
movement when driving away on
inclines.
When releasing the brake pedal after
stopping on an incline, brakes remain on for further 2 seconds. The brakes
release automatically as soon as the
vehicle begins to accelerate.Ride control systems
Electronic Stability Control
and Traction Control system
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 driven wheels from
spinning.
The TC is a component of the ESC. Traction Control improves driving
stability when necessary, regardless
of the type of road surface or tyre grip,
by preventing the driven wheels from
spinning.
As soon as the driven wheels starts to spin, engine output is reduced and
the wheel spinning the most is brakedindividually. This considerably
improves the driving stability of the
vehicle on slippery road surfaces.
ESC and TC are operational after
each engine start as soon as the
control indicator J extinguishes.
When ESC and TC operate, J
flashes.
9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator J 3 113.
190Driving and operatingEmergency automatic braking may
slow the vehicle to a complete stop to
try to avoid a potential crash. If the
vehicle comes to a complete stop,
automatic braking is maintained for
up to 2 seconds.
● Automatic transmission: If the vehicle comes to a completestop, keep the brake pedal
depressed to prevent the vehicle
from starting off again.
● Manual transmission: If the vehicle comes to a complete
stop, the engine may stall.
Operation of the function may be felt
by a slight vibration in the brake
pedal.9 Warning
Emergency automatic braking is
an emergency crash preparation
feature and is not designed to
avoid crashes. Do not rely on the
system to brake the vehicle.
Emergency automatic braking will
not brake outside of its operating
speed range and only responds to
detected vehicles and
pedestrians.
System limitations
In some cases, the active emergencybraking system may provide an
automatic braking in situations that
seem to be unnecessary, for instance
in parking garages, due to traffic signs
in a curve or due to vehicles in
another lane. This is normal
operation, the vehicle does not need
service. Firmly apply the accelerator
pedal to override the automatic
braking if the situation and the
surroundings permit.
In the following cases, active
emergency braking performance is
limited:
● Driving on winding or hilly roads.
● Detecting all vehicles, especially vehicles with a trailer, tractors,
muddy vehicles, etc.
● Detecting a vehicle when weather limits visibility, such as infog, rain, or snow.
● Driving during nighttime.
● The windscreen is damaged or affected by foreign items, e.g.
stickers.
Complete attention is always required
while driving, and the driver should be ready to take action and apply the
brakes and / or steer the vehicle to
avoid crashes.
We recommend to deactivate the
system in the vehicle personalisation
in the following cases:
● when towing a trailer or caravan
● when carrying long objects on roof bars or a roof rack
● when the vehicle is being towed with the engine running
● when tyre chains are fitted
● when a spare wheel is fitted that is smaller than the other wheels
● before using an automatic car wash with the engine running
● before placing the vehicle on a rolling road in a workshop
● if the windscreen has been damaged close to the camera
206Driving and operatingFor trailers with low driving stability
and caravan trailers, the use of an
oscillation damper is strongly
recommended.
If the trailer starts snaking, drive more slowly, do not attempt to correct the
steering and brake sharply if
necessary.
When driving downhill, drive in the
same gear as if driving uphill and
drive at a similar speed.
If the outside temperature exceeds
37 °C, reduce the load on the trailer
to protect the engine of the vehicle.
At high outside temperatures it is
recommended to leave the engine
running for one or two minutes after
having stopped the vehicle in order to
faciliate cooling.
Adjust tyre pressure to the value
specified for full load 3 271.
Towing a trailer increases the braking
distance of the vehicle. To limit the
heating of the brakes, it is
recommended to use the braking
effect of the engine.By driving uphill, the temperature of
the coolant is increased. To reduce
heating, drive at a reduced speed and
pay attention to the coolant
temperature. If the control indicator
2 of the engine coolant temperature
gauge illuminates, stop the vehicle
and switch off engine as soon as
possible.
Trailer towing Trailer loadsThe permissible trailer loads are
vehicle and engine-dependent
maximum values which must not be
exceeded. The actual trailer load is
the difference between the actual
gross weight of the trailer and the
actual coupling socket load with the
trailer coupled.
The permissible trailer loads are
specified in the vehicle documents. In general, they are valid for gradients
up to 12%.
The permissible trailer load applies
up to the specified incline and at sea
level. Since engine power decreases
as altitude increases due to the airbecoming thinner, therefore reducing
climbing ability, the permissible gross
train weight also decreases by 10%
for every 1000 metres of altitude. The gross train weight does not have to be
reduced when driving on roads with
slight inclines (less than 8%, e.g.
motorways).
The permissible gross train weight
must not be exceeded. This weight is
specified on the identification plate
3 264.
When distributing the loads in the trailer, heavy objects should be
placed as close as possible to the
axle.
Vertical coupling load
The vertical coupling load is the load
exerted by the trailer on the coupling
ball. It can be varied by changing the
weight distribution when loading the
trailer.
The maximum permissible vertical
coupling load is specified on the
towing equipment identification plate
and in the vehicle documents.
Vehicle care217
The brake fluid level must be betweenthe DANGER and MAX marks.
If fluid level is below DANGER, seek
the assistance of a workshop.
Brake and clutch fluid 3 262.
Vehicle battery
The vehicle battery is maintenance-
free provided that the driving profile
allows sufficient charging of the
battery. Short-distance-driving and
frequent engine starts can discharge
the battery. Avoid the use of
unnecessary electrical consumers.
Batteries do not belong in household
waste. They must be disposed of at
an appropriate recycling collection
point.
Laying up the vehicle for more than
four weeks can lead to battery
discharge. Disconnect the clamp from the negative terminal of the vehicle
battery.
Ensure the ignition is switched off
before connecting or disconnecting
the vehicle battery.
Battery discharge protection 3 138.
Replacing the vehicle battery Note
Any deviation from the instructions
given in this section may lead to
temporary deactivation or
disturbance of the stop-start system.
When the vehicle battery is being
replaced, please ensure that there
are no open ventilation holes in the
vicinity of the positive terminal. If a
ventilation hole is open in this area, it
must be closed off with a dummy cap,
and the ventilation in the vicinity of the negative terminal must be opened.
Ensure that the battery is always
replaced by the same type of battery.
The vehicle battery has to be
replaced by a workshop.
Stop-start system 3 157.
Charging the vehicle battery9 Warning
On vehicles with stop-start
system, ensure that the charging potential does not exceed 14.6 V
when using a battery charger.
Otherwise the vehicle battery may be damaged.
Jump starting 3 250.