Driving
Check that the brakes work properly (especially
after driving through water).
WARNING
- You should exercise particular care when
driving on difficult road surfaces, and try to
anticipate hazards in advance. Excessive
speed or careless manoeuvres can result in
personal injury or damage to the vehicle.
- Always adjust your speed to suit the terrain
or road surface and weather or traffic condi
tions.
Drive extra slowly when visibility is
limited by uneven terrain.
- Please note that there can be an increased
tendency for the wheeLs to spin in ESC off-
road mode, causing the vehicLe to lose grip,
in particular on slippery or wet roads -
dan
ger of skidding!
-The car's stability is restricted in ESC off-
road mode.
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•} For
the sake of the environment
Take care not to damage the environment and
respect natural surroundings.
Note
Only drive where access by motor vehicles is
permitted and keep to the marked tracks and
routes.
Driving tips
When driving on rough tracks always drive slowly
and be aware of possible hazards.
Please observe the following precautions if you
drive the vehicle on unsurfaced tracks or off-
road:
•
When driving off-road you are advised to avoid
tracks or terrain which are not suited to the de
sign of the car and your own driving skills and
experience. Do
not
take risks.
•
Drive slowly and be ready for possible hazards.
•
Be aware of the maximum ground clearance of
your vehicle. The figure in actual conditions
may be different, depending on the type of sur
face,
the surrounding terrain and the load be
ing carried. With certain types of suspension,
such as sports suspension, the ground clear
ance is reduced. It is the responsibility of the
driver to decide whether or not the vehicLe is
capable of safely negotiating a particular situa
tion.
•
Activate the ESC off-road mode if required
^>page
146.
Unsurfaced tracks
On unfamiliar roads and off-road terrain, drive
slowly and be prepared for unexpected obstacles,
such as pot-holes, rocks or tree stumps, etc.
To prevent ground contact and possible damage
to the underside, do not drive the bottom of your
vehicle directly over raised obstacles. Instead,
drive the wheels on one side of the car up and
across the top of the obstacle.
When driving over sand or soft mud, maintain a
moderate speed and avoid stopping if possible.
Driving through water on roads
Please observe the important safety warnings on
^>page
72.
Automatic gearbox
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic gearbox
The automatic gearbox is controlled electronical
ly. The gearbox changes up and down automati
cally.
When you drive at moderate speeds the gearbox
will select the most economical shift pro
gramme. It will then change up early and delay
the downshifts to give better fuel economy.
If you drive at higher speeds with heavy accelera
tion,
if you open the throttle quickly, or if you use
the kick-down or the car's maximum speed, the
gearbox will automatically select the more "spor
ty" shift programmes when the selector lever is
in position S.
If desired, you can also select the gears manually
(tiptronic mode)
^page
90, Manual gear se
lection (tiptronic mode). •
85
Driving
tiptronic mode to use the engine braking effect
and reduce the load on the brakes.
Downhill speed control is deactivated as soon as
the road Levels out again or you press the acceler
ator pedal.
On vehicles with cruise control system*
<^>page
104, downhill speed control is activated
when you set
a
cruising speed.
A WARNING
The downhill speed control function cannot
defy the Laws of physics and may therefore
not be able to maintain a constant speed in
certain circumstances. Always be prepared to
use the brakes!
Manual gear selection (tiptronic mode)
Applies to: vehicles with automatic gearbox
The
tiptronic feature allows the driver to also
change gear manually.
Fig.
78 Centre console: Manual gear selection using selec
tor lever
Fig.
79 Steering wheel: Manual gear selection with paddle
levers*
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either with
the vehicLe stationary or on the move.
•
From position D/S, push the selector lever to
the right into the tiptronic selector gate to
acti
vate tiptronic mode. As soon as the automatic
gearbox has activated this mode, the letter M
will appear on the display
opage
86, Fig. 75;
e.g.
M4 means
that
the vehicle is in 4th gear.
•
Briefly push the selector lever forwards
0
oF/'g.
78 to change up a gear.
•
Briefly pull the selector lever back
Q
to change
down a gear.
Gear selection with paddle levers*
You can use the paddle levers when the selector
lever is in position D/S or M
(-
tiptronic selector
gate).
• To shift up a gear, briefly pull the paddle lever
Q*Fig.
79.
•
To shift down a gear, briefly pull the paddle lev
er©.
If
you
use the paddle levers when the selector
lever is in positions D/S, the gearbox will remain
in manual mode for
a
while. To switch back im
mediately to automatic mode after changing
gears manually,
pull
the paddle
lever 0
^>Fig.
79 for approximately 1 second.
If
you
want to use the paddle levers permanent
ly, push the selector lever from position D/S to
the right into the tiptronic selector gate.
Description
The gearbox automatically shifts up or down into
the next gear before a critical engine speed is
reached.
The gearbox only allows manual gear changes if
the engine speed would remain within the per
missible range.
Kick-down feature
Applies to: vehicles with automatic gearbox
The
kick-down feature is designed to give maxi
mum acceleration.
When the accelerator pedal is pressed right down
past the point of resistance at full throttle (kick-
down feature), the gearbox
wilL
shift down to a
lower gear, depending on road speed and engine •
90
Driving
speed.
The upshift to the next higher gear is de
layed until the engine reaches maximum rpm.
WARNING
Please note that if the road surface is slippery
or wet, the kick-down feature could cause the
driven wheels to
spin,
which could result in
skidding.
Coasting mode
Applies to: vehicles with S tronic gearbox and coasting mode
In coasting
mode1)
you can use the vehicle's mo
mentum to freewheel, for instance when ap
proaching a speed restriction in a built-up area.
The engine is disengaged from the gearbox. This
allows you to save fuel by anticipating the traffic
situation ahead.
Requirements for using coasting mode
•
Efficiency mode selected in drive select*
^>page
131.
*•
The selector lever must be in position D.
•
Road speed less than approx. 130 km/h.
•
Road relatively level.
Activating coasting mode
•
Take your foot off the accelerator.
The
message1)
Coasting will then appear in the
"on-board computer" display. The engine ticks
over at idling speed while the vehicLe is coasting.
Stopping coasting mode
•
Press the brake or accelerator pedal or briefly
pull the paddle lever
^page
90, Fig. 79.
A WARNING
- When coasting mode is activated, there is
no engine braking effect and the vehicle
does not slow down as quickly as usual or
may even pick up speed if
you
are driving
down a slope - risk of accident!
- If other people are using your car, you
should draw their attention to the coasting
mode.
© Note
- The gear is no longer displayed when you
are in coasting mode (e.g.
E
instead of E7).
- The coasting mode is deactivated tempora
rily on gradients of
15
% or greater.
- Coasting mode is not available while the
cruise control system* or adaptive cruise
control*
is switched on.
Launch control programme
Applies to: vehicles with S tronic gearbox and launch control
programme
The
launch control programme enables maxi
mum acceleration.
The launch control programme is not available
for all engine/gearbox combinations.
Important: The engine must be warm and the
steering wheel must be pointing straight ahead.
•
Deactivate^
the start/stop system*
^>page
81.
The LED in the
Sj
button will light up.
•
Deactivate25
the hold assist*
^page
84. The
LED in the button will go out.
•
Press the
|aQFF|
button once briefly while the
engine is running
3) 4).
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1)
Not available for all countries.
2)
The system does not need to be deactivated on all gearbox
versions.
3'
On vehicles with driver information system, the ESC lamp
lights up permanently and the message Stabilisation
con
trol (ESC): offroad. Warning! Restricted stability appears
temporarily in the instrument cluster to indicate the deac
tivation status.
4)
Vehicles without driver information system: The indicator
lamp flashes slowly.
91
Driving
•
Briefly pull the selector lever back from
posi
tion D/S to select position S, or move the selec
tor lever to the right into the tiptronic gate, or
select dynamic mode in drive select*
^>page
131.
•
Press the brake pedal firmly with your
left
foot
and hold it down for at Least one second.
•
At the same time, press the accelerator all the
way down with your right foot until the engine
revs are high and steady.
• Take your
left
foot
off
the brake.
A WARNING
- Always adapt your driving style to the traffic
conditions.
- Only use the launch control programme
when road and traffic conditions permit,
and make
sure
your manner of driving and
accelerating the vehicle does not inconven
ience or endanger other road users.
- Please note that the driven wheels may
start to spin when the off-road mode is
switched on, causing the vehicle to Lose
grip,
in particular on slippery or wet roads -
danger of skidding!
- When acceleration has been completed, you
should deactivate the off-road mode again
by briefly pressing the
|flQFF|
button.
© Note
- The gearbox may be hot after you have used
the launch control programme. In this case,
the programme may not be available for
several minutes. The programme will be
available again after
a
cool-down period.
-Accelerating with the launch control pro
gramme places a heavy load on all parts of
the vehicLe. This can result in increased wear
and tear.
Gearbox malfunction
Applies to: vehicles with automatic gearbox
| Gearbox malfunction! Please stop the vehi
cle and select P
There is a malfunction in the gearbox. Park the
vehicle safely and do not drive on. Obtain profes
sional assistance.
| Gearbox overheating! Please stop the vehi
cle.
The gearbox is overheating and could be dam
aged.
Stop the vehicle and let the gearbox cool
down with the engine idling and the selector lev
er in position P. If the warning lamp and the
message disappear, drive to a qualified workshop
soon and have the fault rectified. Do not drive on
if the warning lamp stays on and the message
does not disappear. Obtain professional assis
tance.
E3
Gearbox malfunction: you can continue driv
ing
Drive to a qualified workshop soon and have the
fault rectified.
S3
Gearbox malfunction: no reverse gear (you
can continue driving)
A gearbox malfunction has occurred. The gearbox
will switch to the back-up programme. The pro
gramme will only move into certain gears or may
not be able to shift gears at all. The engine may
stall.
You can no longer engage reverse gear.
Drive to a qualified workshop without delay and
have the fault rectified.
jftj
Gearbox malfunction: you can continue driv
ing in D until engine off
Park your vehicle well away from moving traffic.
Obtain professional assistance.
ty
Gearbox overheating: please adapt driving
style
You can continue driving at moderate speed. You
can resume normal driving if the indicator lamp
goes out.
LQ]
Gearbox: please press brake pedal and select
gear again
If
a
gearbox malfunction has occurred due to
overheating, this message will appear once the
gearbox has cooled down again.
92
Driving
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Releasing the selector lever manually (left-
hand drive vehicles)
Applies to: vehicles with automatic gearbox
The
selector lever can be released manually if
the electrical power supply should
fail.
K
Fig.
80 Selector lever: Removing the boot
Fig.
81 Manually releasing the selector lever from position
P
This section describes how to manually release
the selector Lever on Left-hand drive vehicles.
The selector lever must be manually released
from position
P
in order to move or tow the
vehi
cle.
The manual release mechanism is Located on the
right underneath the selector gate. Releasing the
selector lever requires a certain degree of practi
cal
skill.
We therefore advise you to obtain pro
fessional assistance.
To release the selector lever, you
wilL
need the
screwdriver from the vehicle's tool kit, which is
located in the luggage compartment
^>page
319. Use the flat-blade side of the rever
sible screwdriver insert.
Removing the selector lever boot
• Apply the parking brake
& ^/^
to prevent
your vehicle from moving. If this is not possi
ble,
use other means to prevent your vehicle
from moving.
•
Switch off the ignition.
• To loosen the selector lever boot, carefully in
sert the flat-blade side of the screwdriver into
the opening
at
the side of the boot
^>Fig.
80.
•
Carefully lever off the boot with the screwdriver
and,
at the same time, pull the boot upwards
-arrow- at the crease with your hand until it is
released at all four corners.
•
Fold the boot over the selector lever knob
=>
Fig.
81.
Releasing the selector lever manually
•
Insert the screwdriver in the opening for the
yellow release lever
^>Fig.
81.
•
Using the screwdriver, carefully pull the release
lever towards the rear as far as it will go and
hold it in this position.
•
Now press the interlock button on the selector
lever
®
and move the selector lever to position
N.
•
After manually releasing the selector lever
make sure you clip the gear lever boot back into
the gearshift gate.
A WARNING
- Only use the manual release mechanism
when the vehicle is on level ground or a
slight gradient.
- The selector lever must not be moved out of
position
P
if the parking brake is not ap
plied.
If this does not work, use the brake
pedal to hold the vehicle or use wheel
chocks or similar to block one of the front
and rear wheels. If
you
do not apply the
brake,
the vehicle may roll away and cause
an accident.
93
- The selector lever must not be moved out of
position P if the parking brake is not ap
plied.
If this does not work, use the brake
pedal to hold the vehicle or use wheel
chocks or similar to block one of the front
and rear wheels. If
you
do not apply the
brake,
the vehicle may roll away and cause
an accident.
Towing a trailer
Tyre pressure
Check the tyre pressures on your car, and adjust
for "full
load"
conditions (refer to the sticker list
ing the tyre pressures)
^>page
307. It may also
be necessary to adjust the tyre pressures on the
trailer according to the recommendations of the
trailer manufacturer.
Exterior mirrors
Check whether you can see enough of the road
behind the trailer with the standard mirrors. If
this is not the case you should have additional
mirrors fitted. Both exterior mirrors should be
mounted on hinged extension brackets. Adjust
the mirrors to give sufficient vision to the rear.
Headlights
Before starting
a
journey, check the headlight
beam settings with the trailer hitched up. Adjust
the headlight settings if necessary.
On vehicles with halogen headlights, the
head
light range control must be adjusted, see
tapage
49.
The headlight range control will be adjusted au
tomatically if your vehicle is equipped with LED
headlights*.
Power supply
To ensure that the engine can be started again
after the ignition is switched off, the power
man
agement system
^>page
149 controls the distri
bution of electrical power and gradually switches
off unnecessary electrical equipment. The trailer
is supplied with power during this period. The
power supply to the trailer is interrupted while
the engine is being started.
Removable ball joint coupling
Vehicles with a factory-fitted towing bracket are
equipped with a removable
ball
joint coupling.
This is stored in the spare wheel well or in a sepa
rate bag on the floor of the luggage compart
ment, together with the necessary fitting instruc
tions.
We recommend having the car serviced be
tween the normal inspection intervals if it
used frequently for towing a trailer.
Trailer stabilisation system
Applies to: vehicles with towing bracket
Trailer stabilisation helps to reduce the risk of
the vehicle skidding when towing a
trailer.
When is the trailer stabilisation
system1'
activated?
Trailer stabilisation is active when the following
requirements are met:
- The ESC must be switched on
^>page
146 and
fully functional (no ESC malfunction).
- The trailer connector must be properly secured
in the vehicle socket.
- The vehicle speed must be higher than approx.
60 km/h.
How trailer stabilisation works
In many cases, the driver can stabilise a swaying
trailer by manually braking the vehicle.
However, if the ESC detects that the trailer is
swaying and this is affecting the towing vehicle,
it will automatically brake the vehicle in order to
stabilise the trailer. The indicator
Lamp Hi
will
flash in the instrument cluster. If possible, do
not turn the steering wheel at this stage.
In order to warn traffic behind you, the brake
lights will come on during this automatic braking
operation.
A trailer may sway quite considerably without the
trailer stabilisation system intervening.
If the system for activating the trailer brake
lights is defective, this will be indicated in the in
strument cluster display
opage
35,
:&
Bulb
monitor.
•
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Not available on vehicles for some markets.
97
Towing a trailer
Requirements for correct functioning of the
trailer stabilisation system
If these conditions are not met in
full,
the trailer
stabilisation system will only intervene to a
limi
ted extent or not at all
>=>
A-
- The electrical connection between the towing
vehicle and the trailer must be functioning cor
rectly.
- The load on the trailer must be properly se
cured.
- The tyre pressures on both the vehicLe and the
trailer must be adapted to the load that is be
ing carried.
- Where possible, operate the trailer with the
maximum permitted draw bar weight.
- The trailer overrun brake must be set correctly.
This is important to ensure that the trailer can
be braked correctly, to avoid the vehicle and
trailer "jack-knifing" and to prevent excess
braking of the trailer.
- At low outside temperatures, both the towing
vehicle and the trailer should be fitted with
winter tyres.
A WARNING
It is essential that you adjust your speed to
suit the weather, road and traffic conditions.
Do not let the trailer stabilisation system
tempt you into taking any risks when driving -
this can cause accidents.
- The ESC and trailer stabilisation system
can
not defy the Laws of physics. This should be
kept in mind, particularly on slippery and
wet roads and when towing a trailer with a
light Load.
- The trailer stabilisation system is function
al,
regardless of whether the trailer has a
mechanical overrun brake or not.
- The trailer stabilisation system is not always
able to detect swaying of trailers with a
light load and will therefore not intervene.
- A trailer can still "jack-knife" on slippery
roads with little grip, even if the towing ve
hicle is equipped with the trailer stabilisa
tion system.
-Trailers with a high centre of gravity may
even tip over before they start to sway
side
ways.
-If
you
are not towing a trailer,
but
the
trail
er socket is being used (e.g. for an illumina
ted bicycle rack), the trailer stabilisation
system may be activated in extreme driving
conditions.
- Please note the additional information and
warnings
^>page
98, Driving tips.
Driving tips
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care.
Weight distribution
Try to avoid towing a loaded trailer with an unla
den vehicle. If this cannot be avoided, drive extra
slowly to allow for the unbalanced weight distri
bution.
Speed
Normally, you must not exceed 80 km/h when
towing a trailer or caravan. However, if the
trail
er/caravan is equipped with a trailer stabilisation
system,
you can drive at max. 100 km/h. Please
observe any other regulations applicable in the
country in which you are travelling.
The stability of the car and trailer is reduced with
increasing speed. For this reason it is advisable
not to drive at the maximum permissible top
speed in unfavourable
road,
weather or wind
con
ditions. This applies especially on a downhill gra
dient.
You should always reduce speed immediately if
the trailer shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating fur
ther.
Always brake in good time. If the trailer has an
overrun brake, apply the brakes gently at first
and then firmly. This will prevent the jerking that
can be caused by the trailer wheels locking.
Change down in good time before going down a
steep hill so
that
you can use the engine braking
effect to slow down the vehicLe.
Swaying and pitching can be reduced by attach
ing an extra stabiliser to the trailer. It should •
98