166Driving and operatingRide 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 b extinguishes.
When ESC and TC operate, b
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 b 3 107.
Deactivation
ESC and TC can be deactivated,
everytime it is required: press a.
The LED in the button a illuminates.
A status message appears in the
Driver Information Centre when ESC
and TC are deactivated.
ESC and TC are reactivated by
pressing the a button again, by
applying the brake or in the case that
the vehicle is driven faster than
50 km/h.
The LED in the button a extinguishes
when ESC and TC are reactivated.
170Driving 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 above 40 km/h.
Additionally at least the third gear
must be engaged on manual
transmission, on automatic
transmission position D or the second
or a higher gear in position M must be
selected.
Deviations from the stored speeds may occur when driving uphill or
downhill.
The system maintains the vehicle
speed at the preset speed by the
driver, without any action on the
accelerator pedal.
The preset speed can be exceeded
temporarily by pressing the
accelerator pedal firmly.
The status and preset speed is
displayed in the Driver Information Centre.
Do not use the cruise control if it is not advisable to maintain a constant
speed.
Control indicator m 3 110.Switching on the system
Press m, symbol m and a message
are displayed in the Driver
Information Centre. The system is still not active.
Driving and operating175the windscreen and camera sensors
to detect the vehicles ahead. If no
vehicle is detected in the driving path,
the adaptive cruise control will
behave like a conventional cruise
control.
The adaptive cruise control
automatically decelerates the vehicle
when approaching a slower moving
vehicle. It then adjusts the vehicle
speed to follow the vehicle ahead at
the selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases to follow the vehicle ahead, but will
not exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
If the vehicle ahead accelerates or changes lane, the adaptive cruise
control progressively accelerates the
vehicle to return to the stored set
speed. If the driver operates the turn
lights to overtake a slower vehicle, the
adaptive cruise control allows the
vehicle to temporarily approach the
vehicle ahead to help passing it.
However, the set speed will never be
exceeded.The adaptive cruise control can store set speeds for manual transmission.
If the vehicle ahead is moving too
slowly and the selected following
distance cannot be maintained
anymore, a warning chime is given
and a message is displayed in the
Driver Information Centre. The
message prompts the driver to take
back control of the vehicle. On
vehicles with automatic transmission, the system can brake the vehicle until
a full stop.
The adaptive cruise control can store set speeds over 30 km/h for manual
transmission. If the vehicle ahead is
moving too slowly and the selected
following distance cannot be
maintained anymore, a warning
chime is given and a message is
displayed in the Driver Information Centre. The message prompts thedriver to take back control of the
vehicle. On vehicles with automatic
transmission, the system can brake
the vehicle until a full stop.9 Warning
The complete driver attention is
always required while driving with adaptive cruise control. The driver stays fully in control of the vehicle
because the brake pedal, the
accelerator pedal and the button
Ñ have priority over any adaptive
cruise control operation.
Switching on the system
Press C, the symbol C is indicated in
the Driver Information Centre. The
system is still not active.
176Driving and operating
Activation of the functionality by
setting the speed
The adaptive cruise control has to be
switched on manually at a speed
between 30 km/h and 180 km/h.
For vehicles with automatic
transmission, the automatic selector
lever must be in position D or M.
Accelerate to the desired speed and
move the thumb wheel to SET/-. The
current speed is stored and
maintained.The speed value is indicated in the
Driver Information Centre.
When the adaptive cruise control is
operating, the stop-start system is
automatically deactivated.
Overriding set speedIt is always possible to drive fasterthan the selected set speed by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the vehicle returns to the
stored speed. If a slower moving
vehicle is ahead, the following
distance selected by the driver is
restored.
If the set speed is exceeded, the
indicated speed setting flashes in the Driver Information Centre and a
warning message appears.9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates automatic braking by
the system. This is indicated as a
pop-up warning in the Driver
Information Centre.
Increasing speed
With the adaptive cruise control
active, hold the thumb wheel moved
to RES/+ or briefly move to RES/+
repeatedly: The speed increases continuously or in small increments.
Reducing speed
With the adaptive cruise control
active, hold the thumb wheel moved
to SET/- or briefly move to SET/-
repeatedly: The speed decreases
continuously or in small increments.
Driving and operating177Resuming stored speedMove the thumb wheel to RES/+ at a
speed above 30 km/h. The adaptive
cruise control is activated with the
stored set speed.
Taking over the speed limit from
the traffic sign assistant
The intelligent speed adaptation
informs the driver when a speed limit
is detected by the traffic sign
assistant. The detected speed limit
can be taken over as new set speed
for the adaptive cruise control.
With the camera at the top of the windscreen, this system detects and
reads speed limit and end of speed
limit signs. The system also takes
account of information on speed limits from the navigation map data.
The function can be activated or
deactivated in the personalisation
menu 3 118.
If the adaptive cruise control is active, the recognised speed limit will be
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre and MEM illuminates.In the Driver Information Centre,
speed limit sign is shown in the
display and MEM illuminates for a few
seconds.
Press MEM on the steering wheel to
request saving of the suggested
speed.
Press MEM on the steering wheel
once more to confirm and save the
new speed setting.
This speed limit is now the new set
speed of the adaptive cruise control.
Adaptive cruise control on
vehicles with automatic
transmission
For vehicles with automatic
transmission, adaptive cruise control allows to maintain the selected
distance behind a stopping vehicle until a complete stop is reached.
If the system has stopped your
vehicle behind another vehicle, then
the set speed is replaced by a green
control indicator .. This symbol
notifies, that the vehicle is hold
automatically in stop position.If the stopped vehicle ahead was
stopped for a longer time and then
begins to move forward, the green
illuminated vehicle ahead control
indicator . will flash and a warning
chime will sound as a reminder to
check traffic before resuming.
When the vehicle ahead drives away,
press the accelerator pedal until
30 km/h and then move the thumb
wheel to SET- or RES+ to resume
adaptive cruise control. If the vehicle
stays stopped for more than five
minutes or if the driver's door is
opened and the driver's seat belt is
unfastened, then the electric parking
brake is applied automatically to hold the vehicle. Control indicator m will
illuminate. To release electric parking
brake, press the accelerator pedal.
Electric parking brake 3 163.9 Warning
When the system is deactivated or
cancelled, the vehicle will no
longer be held at a stop and can
178Driving and operatingstart moving. Be always prepared
to manually apply the brake to hold the vehicle stationary.
Do not leave the vehicle while it is being held at a stop by adaptive
cruise control. Always move
selector lever to park position P
and switch off the ignition before leaving the vehicle.
Setting the following distance
When adaptive cruise control detects a slower moving vehicle in the driving
path, it will adjust the vehicle speed to maintain the following distance
selected by the driver.
The following distance can be set to
close (1 bar), normal (2 bars) or far
(3 bars).
If the engine is running and the
adaptive cruise control is enabled
(grey), you can modify the following
distance setting:
Press Ö, the current setting is shown
in the Driver Information Centre.
Press Ö again to change the following
distance: The new setting is
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre.
The selected following distance is
indicated by full bars in the adaptive
cruise control page.9 Warning
The driver accepts full
responsibility for the appropriate
following distance based on traffic, weather and visibility conditions.
Following distance must be
adjusted or the system switched
off when required by the prevailing
conditions.
Detecting the vehicle ahead
If the system detects a vehicle in the
driving path, the adaptive cruise
control symbol displayed in the Driver
Information Centre changes: - is
changed to w.
Deactivation of the functionality
Press Ñ, the adaptive cruise control
is in pause mode and a message is
displayed. The vehicle is driven
without adaptive cruise control.
The adaptive cruise control is
deactivated, but not disabled. The
last stored set speed remains in
memory for later usage.
The adaptive cruise control is
deactivated automatically when:
● The brake pedal is depressed.
● The vehicle accelerates above 180 km/h or slows down below
30 km/h.
Driving and operating179● The electric parking brake isapplied.
● The Traction Control system or Electronic Stability Control is
deactivated or operating.
● The selector lever of automatic transmissions is neither in D nor
in M.
● A fault is detected in the Electronic Stability Control.
Switching off the system
Press C, the adaptive cruise control
mode is disabled and the adaptive
cruise control indication extinguishes
in the Driver Information Centre.
Pressing ß to activate the speed
limiter deactivates adaptive cruise
control.
Switching off the ignition deletes the
stored set speed.
Driver's attention ● Use the adaptive cruise control carefully on bends or mountain
roads, as it can lose the vehicle
ahead and needs time to detect it again.● Do not use the system on slippery roads as it can create
rapid changes in tyre traction
(wheel spinning), so that you
could lose control of the vehicle.
● Do not use the system when the spare wheel is in use.
System limits9 Warning
The system's automatic brake
force does not permit hard braking and the braking level may not be
sufficient to avoid a collision.
● After a sudden lane change, the system needs a certain time to
detect the next preceding
vehicle. So if a new vehicle is
detected, the system may
accelerate instead of braking.
● The adaptive cruise control does ignore the oncoming traffic.
● The adaptive cruise control does not consider pedestrians and
animals for braking and driving
off.
● The adaptive cruise control considers stopped vehicles only
at low speed.
● Do not use the adaptive cruise control when towing a trailer.
● Do not use the adaptive cruise control on roads with an incline ofmore than 10%.
Bends
The adaptive cruise control calculates
a predicted path based on the
centrifugal force. This predicted path
considers the current bend
characteristic, but cannot consider a
future bend change. The system may lose the current vehicle ahead or
consider a vehicle which is not in the
actual lane. This can happen when
entering or exiting a bend or if the
bend gets stronger or weaker. If it no
180Driving and operatinglonger detects any vehicle ahead,
then control indicator A will
extinguish.
If the centrifugal force is too high in a bend, the system slows down the
vehicle slightly. This braking level is
not designed to avoid spinning-off the
bend. The driver is responsible for
reducing the selected speed before
entering a bend and in general to
adapt the speed to the road type and
to existing speed limits.
Motorways
On motorways, adapt the set speed
to the situation and the weather.
Always consider that adaptive cruise
control has a limited visibility range, a
limited braking level and a certain
reaction time to verify if a vehicle is on
the driving path or not. Adaptive
cruise control may not be able to
brake the vehicle in time to avoid a
collision with a much slower vehicle or after a lane change. This is
particularly true while driving fast or if the visibility is reduced due to weather
conditions.
While entering or exiting a motorway,
adaptive cruise control may lose the
vehicle ahead and accelerate up to
the set speed. For this reason,
decrease the set speed before the
exit or before the entry.
Vehicle path changes
If another vehicle enters your driving
path, adaptive cruise control will first
consider the vehicle when it is
completely in your path. Be ready to
take action and depress the brake
pedal, if you need to brake more
quickly.
Hill considerations9 Warning
Do not use the adaptive cruise
control on steep hill roads.
System performance on hills depends
on vehicle speed, vehicle load, traffic
conditions and the road incline. It may not detect a vehicle in your path whiledriving on hills. On steep hills, you
may have to use the accelerator
pedal to maintain your vehicle speed.
When going downhill you may have to
brake to maintain or reduce your
speed.
Note that applying the brake
deactivates the system.