Page 129 of 320

Key positions
g
To insert/remove the key, to lock the
steering wheel
1 To unlock the steering wheel, power sup-
ply for some consumers (e.g. the radio)
2 To switch on the ignition, power supply for
all consumers, preglow and drive position
3 To start the engine
i If the key does not belong to the vehicle, it
can still be turned in the ignition lock. How-
ever, the ignition will not be switched on.
The engine cannot be started. Preparing for a journey
Visual check of the vehicle exterior X
In particular, check the following compo-
nents on the vehicle, and on the trailer as
necessary:
R
license plates, vehicle lighting, turn sig-
nals, brake lamps and wiper blades for
dirt and damage
R tires and wheels for firm seating, correct
tire pressure and general condition
R trailer tow hitch for play and security
The trailer coupling is one of the most
important vehicle parts with regard to
road safety. Observe the notes on opera-
tion, care and maintenance of the trailer
tow hitch (see the manufacturer's operat-
ing instructions).
X Rectify any noticeable defects before com-
mencing the journey. Checks in the vehicle Emergency equipment/first-aid kit
X Check the equipment to make sure that it is
accessible, complete and ready for use.
The first aid and breakdown assistance equip-
ment is located:
R in the front door stowage compartments
R in the seat base of the left front seat
R in the rear stowage compartment on the
right-hand side of the vehicle
(Y page 270)
Vehicle lighting
X Turn the key to position 2 in the ignition
lock.
X Check the lighting system with the aid of a
second person.
X Replace defective bulbs (Y page
105). Before driving off
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell may restrict
the clearance around the pedals or block a
depressed pedal. This jeopardizes the oper-
ating and road safety of the vehicle. There is
a risk of an accident.
Stow all objects securely in the vehicle so
that they do not get into the driver's foot-
well. When using floormats or carpets, make
sure that they are properly secured so that
they do not slip or obstruct the pedals. Do
not place several floormats or carpets on
top of one another. G
WARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct
usage of the pedals, e.g.:
R shoes with thick soles
R shoes with high heels
R slippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals. Driving
127
Driving and parking Z
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X
Stow luggage items securely. Secure the
load as per the loading guidelines
(Y page
242).
X Make sure that the floormats and carpets
are properly secured so that they cannot
slip and obstruct the pedals.
X Close all doors. Starting the engine
Important safety notes G
DANGER
Combustion engines emit poisonous
exhaust gases such as carbon monoxide.
Inhaling these exhaust gases is hazardous to
health and can result in poisoning. There is a
risk of fatal injury. Therefore, never leave the
engine running an enclosed space without
adequate ventilation.
! Do not depress the accelerator when start-
ing the engine.
X Before starting the engine, ensure the fol-
lowing:
R all the doors are closed.
R all the vehicle occupants are wearing their
seat belts correctly.
R the parking brake is applied.
i If you depress the brake pedal before
starting 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 X
Shift the transmission to position j
(Y page
131).
The transmission position indicator in the
display shows j.
You can also start the engine in neutral posi-
tion i. Starting the engine X
Turn the key to position 3 in the ignition
lock
(Y page 127) and release it as soon as
the engine is running. Driving off
Automatic transmission G
WARNING
The vehicle can suddenly accelerate if the
engine speed is above the engine idling
speed and you then select transmission
position h or k. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
When engaging transmission position h or
k at a standstill, always keep the brake
pedal depressed firmly and do not depress
the accelerator pedal at the same time.
! Only shift into reverse gear when the vehi-
cle is stationary k. Otherwise, you could
damage the transmission.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position h or k.
On vehicles with a reverse warning feature,
when reverse gear k is engaged a warning
tone sounds to alert other road users
(Y page
129).
X Release the parking brake (Y page
138).
The F (only USA) or J (only Canada)
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
goes out.
X Release 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
(Y page
129).
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i It is only possible to shift the transmission
from position j to the desired transmis-
sion position if you depress the brake pedal.
If the brake pedal is not depressed, the
DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved but
the j position remains engaged. 128
Driving
Driving and parking
Page 131 of 320

i
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 lock-
ing feature
(Y page 76).Hill start assist
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
forwards or in reverse on an uphill gradient.
Hill start assist automatically maintains the
brake pressure for about another second, after
you have taken your foot off the brake pedal.
This gives you enough time to move your foot
from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal
and depress it before the vehicle begins to
roll. G
WARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no lon-
ger brake your vehicle and it could roll away.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist is not active if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or a
downhill gradient
R the transmission is in position N
R the parking brake is applied
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning Backing up warning device
G
WARNING
Other road users may ignore or fail to hear
the warning tone of the reverse warning fea-
ture. There is a risk of injury if you fail to
ensure that the area in which you are
maneuvering is clear.
Make sure that there are no persons or
objects in the area in which you are maneu-
vering. It may be necessary to enlist the
help of a second person when maneuvering.
The reverse warning feature is a system
designed to assist you in ensuring the safety
of other road users.
A warning signal sounds to alert other road
users when reverse gear is engaged. The vol-
ume of the warning tone can be reduced for
night-time driving.
X To reduce the volume of the warning
tone: engage reverse gear twice in quick
succession.
The warning tone is now quieter.
i The warning tone sounds at a normal vol-
ume by default. The volume of the warning
tone has to be reduced each time you
engage reverse gear if necessary. Driving
129
Driving and parking Z
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Problems with the engine
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsThe engine does not
start.
The starter motor can
be heard. There is a malfunction in the fuel supply.
X
Turn the key back to position g in the ignition lock before
attempting to start the engine again.
X Start the engine again.
Please bear in mind that lengthy and frequent starting attempts
will drain the battery.
If the engine does not start after several attempts: X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The engine does not
start.
The starter motor can
be heard. The reserve
fuel warning lamp is lit
and the fuel gauge is at
0. The fuel tank has been run dry.
X Refuel the vehicle. The engine does not
start.
The starter motor can-
not be heard. The on-board voltage is too low. The battery is too weak or dis-
charged.
X Jump-start the vehicle ( Y page 272).
If the engine cannot be jump-started, the starter motor is faulty.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The engine does not
start.
The starter motor can-
not be heard. The battery is discharged or faulty.
X
Check the battery for damage.
X Charge the battery (Y page
262).The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Unburnt fuel may otherwise get into the catalytic converter and
damage it.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The vehicle can suddenly accelerate if the
engine speed is above the engine idling
speed and you then select transmission position h or k. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
When engaging transmission position
h or
k at a standstill, always keep the brake
pedal depressed firmly and do not depress
the accelerator pedal at the same time. 130
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking
Page 133 of 320

G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position N when 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 vehicle from rolling away by applying
the parking brake.
! When the engine is switched off, rolling in
idle i can damage the power transmission
and result in transmission damage.
Always observe the instructions and safety
notes under "Tow starting and towing away"
( Y page
274).
Bear in mind that power transmission between
the engine and the transmission is interrupted
when the engine is switched off. For this rea-
son, shift the automatic transmission to trans-
mission position j before switching off the
engine when the vehicle is stationary. Apply
the parking brake to prevent the vehicle from
rolling away. DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of the transmission shift
system j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
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 posi-
tion j, k, i or h (Y page
132).
Selecting transmission positions !
If the engine speed is too high or the vehi-
cle is coasting, do not shift the automatic
transmission directly from h to k, from
k to h or directly to j. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission may be damaged.
! Only move the automatic transmission to
k when the vehicle is stationary.
X If park position j is selected, depress the
brake pedal to change the transmission
position.
X Drive position h: push the DIRECT
SELECT lever down beyond the 1st point of
resistance.
X Reverse gear k: push the DIRECT SELECT
lever upwards beyond the 1st point of
resistance.
X Neutral i: push the DIRECT SELECT lever
up or down as far as the 1st point of resist-
ance.
i When you switch off the engine, the auto-
matic transmission automatically shifts into
neutral i.
X Park position j: push the button of the
DIRECT SELECT lever in the direction of the
arrow j.
Park position j is engaged automatically in
the following situations:
R if you pull out the key.
R if you open the driver's door when the vehi-
cle is stationary or when driving at a very
low speed and the transmission is in posi-
tion h or k.
To maneuver with an open driver's door, open
the driver's door while stationary and engage
transmission position h or k again.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral i after you switch off the
engine, you must leave the key in the ignition
lock. Automatic transmission
131
Driving and parking Z
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Transmission positions
B Park position
This prevents the vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Only shift
the transmission to
j when the
vehicle is stationary.
The automatic transmission shifts
to j automatically in the following
situations:
R if you pull out the key.
R if you open the driver's door
when the vehicle is stationary or
when driving at a very low speed
and the transmission is in posi-
tion h or k.
The parking lock should not be used
as a brake when parking. Always
apply the parking brake as well
once you have parked the vehicle. C Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to
k
when the vehicle is stationary. A Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels. Releas-
ing the brakes will allow you to
move the vehicle freely, e.g. by
pushing or towing.
If ESP
®
is deactivated or faulty: shift
the transmission to position i if
the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
e.g. on icy roads.
When you switch off the engine, the
automatic transmission automati-
cally shifts into neutral i.
! When the engine is switched
off, rolling in idle i can damage
the power transmission and
result in transmission damage. 7 Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear itself. All forward
gears are available.
You can influence gearshifts with
your choice of drive program. You
can also restrict the shift range. Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
:
Drive program
; Current transmission position or
current 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
( Y page
135).
If you restrict the shift range, the transmission
position indicator shows the current transmis-
sion position plus restricted shift range =,
e.g. D2 ( Y page 133).
The arrows in the transmission position display
show how and into which transmission posi-
tions you can change using the DIRECT
SELECT lever. Changing gear
The automatic transmission adapts to your
individual driving style by continuously adjust-
ing its shift points. These shift point adjust-
ments take into account the current operating
and driving conditions. If the operating or driv-
ing conditions change, the automatic transmis-
sion reacts by adjusting the gearshift program.
When the automatic transmission is in trans-
mission position h, it shifts the individual
gears automatically.
This depends on the following factors:
R the drive program selected ( Y page 134)
R any restriction in the shift range
(Y page
133)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the road speed
You can also change gear manually if you
select drive program M (Y page 135).132
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking
Page 135 of 320

Shift ranges
:
To shift down and restrict the shift range
; To shift up and derestrict the shift range
In transmission position h and drive pro-
grams 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 transmission.
X To 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 cur-
rently 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 X Pull 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
transmission 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 wheel pad-
dle 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. X
To shift up and extend the shift range:
briefly pull right steering wheel paddle
shifter
;.
The automatic transmission shifts to the
next gear up, depending on the gear cur-
rently engaged. This derestricts the shift
range at the same time.
If the display shows only transmission posi-
tion h, the shift range restriction is can-
celed.
X To derestrict the shift range: pull and hold
right steering wheel paddle shifter ;.
The automatic transmission shifts up one or
more gears depending on the gear currently
engaged. At the same time, the shift range
restriction is canceled and the display
shows transmission position D .
Shift ranges and driving situations =
Use the engine's braking effect.
5
Use the braking effect of the engine
on steep downhill gradients and for
driving:
R on steep mountain roads
R in mountainous terrain
R in arduous conditions 4
Use the braking effect of the engine
on extremely steep downhill gradi-
ents and long downhill stretches.
Drive programs
General notes You can use the program selector button to
choose between different drive programs for
the automatic transmission, depending on the
engine. Engine management and the gearshift-
ing characteristics of the automatic transmis-
sion change depending on which drive pro-
gram is selected. Thus, a more comfort-orien-
ted, a more economical, or a sportier driving
style is supported, depending on the wish of
the driver. Selecting drive program M deacti-
vates automatic gearshifting, requiring that
you change gear manually.
After the engine is started, the automatic
transmission automatically switches to drive
program C (Comfort) for a comfortable and
economical driving style. Automatic transmission
133Driving and parking Z
Page 136 of 320

Program selector button
X
Press the É program selector button
repeatedly until the desired drive program is
selected.
The display shows the letter of the selected
drive program at the top of the transmission
position indicator (Y page
132).M Manual Manual gearshifting
C Comfort Comfortable, economical
driving style
E Eco Particularly economical
driving style
Drive program (M)
The Manual drive program is characterized by
the following:
R The automatic transmission must be shifted
manually at all times. the automatic trans-
mission does not shift up automatically even
when the maximum engine speed is reached
(Y page
135).
Drive program S Drive program Sport
has the following charac-
teristics:
R The vehicle exhibits sporty handling charac-
teristics.
R The automatic transmission shifts up at a
later point and shifts down earlier. These
automatic transmission shift points may
increase fuel consumption. Drive program C Drive program Comfort has the following
characteristics:
R
The vehicle delivers comfortable, economi-
cal handling characteristics.
R Optimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
R Increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for exam-
ple.
R The automatic transmission shifts up
sooner. The vehicle thus maintains lower
engine speeds.
Drive program E Drive program Eco
has the following charac-
teristics:
R The vehicle exhibits particularly economical
handling characteristics.
R The maximum available engine torque is
reduced.
R Optimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting down signif-
icantly later and up significantly sooner,
even at full-load operation.
No shift point adjustment for adapting to
individual, dynamic driving styles.
In kickdown, the automatic transmission
automatically shifts to drive program C.
R Increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for exam-
ple. Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R lots of throttle: later upshifts134
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking