Driving
Electro-mechanical
parking brake
•_ -_-
:c
2C
Fig.
74 Centre console: Button for parking brake and hold
assist
Your vehicle is equipped with an electro-mechan
ical parking brake
(l)
^>Fig.
74. The parking brake
replaces the conventional handbrake, and is
mainly intended to prevent the vehicle from
roll
ing away accidentally.
Applying/releasing the parking brake
manually
• To apply the parking brake, pull the button (®).
The LED in the button will light up. In addition,
the warning lamp || will light up in the instru
ment cluster.
•
To release the parking brake manually, press
the brake or accelerator pedal with the ignition
switched on and simultaneously press the but
ton
©).
The LED in the button and the warning
lamp on the display will go out.
Releasing the parking brake automatically
Important: The parking brake must be applied
and the driver's door must be closed.
•
Accelerate in the usual way to drive off and re
lease the parking brake automatically.
Further features and safety functions are availa
ble for driving off, in addition to the automatic
parking brake release function
^>page
83,
Driv
ing away from a standstill.
Preventing the parking brake from being
released automatically
In certain situations, e.g. on a steep hill or when
towing a trailer, you may wish to prevent the ve
hicle from rolling back.
•
To prevent the parking brake from being re
leased automatically, pull and hold the but
ton ©) while you press the accelerator. The
parking brake will remain engaged and prevent
any tendency to roll back down the slope.
•
You can release the button
(®)
as soon as the
engine is delivering enough power to the
wheels.
Emergency braking function
You can use the emergency braking function in
emergencies or if the main brake system fails or
the pedal is obstructed.
•
PuLl
and hold the button
«EJ.
• The brakes will be released immediately if you
release the button
®
or press the accelerator.
If
you
pull and hold the button
(®)
while the
vehi
cle is moving, this will initiate an emergency
brake application. The brakes are then applied
hydraulically at all four wheels. The effect is
simi
lar to heavy braking
<=> /\.
To prevent the emergency braking function from
being used accidentally, a warning buzzer sounds
when the button
(®)
is operated. The brakes are
released immediately when you release the but
ton (®) or press the accelerator.
Parking the car
•
Press the brake pedal to bring the vehicle to a
stop.
•
To apply the parking brake, pull the button
©).
• Automatic gearbox: Move the selector lever to
position P.
• Switch off the engine
•» A-
•
Manual gearbox: Engage first gear.
•
When parking on a hill or gradient, turn the
steering wheel so that the vehicle would roll in
to the kerb if it did start to move accidentally.
A
WARNING
- Take care never to press the accelerator
pedal or release the clutch inadvertently if
a
gear is engaged or if the selector Lever is not
in position
P
or
N
(on automatic vehicles)
while the vehicle is stationary with the en
gine running. The vehicle will otherwise
82
Intelligent technology
CO
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t-H
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Intelligent technology
Electronic stabilisation
control (ESC)
Description
The electronic stabilisation control (ESC) increa
ses the car's stability. It reduces the tendency to
skid and improves the stability and roadholding
of the vehicle. The ESC detects critical handling
situations, such as understeer, oversteer and
wheelspin
on the driven wheels. It stabilises the
vehicle by braking individual wheels or by reduc
ing the engine torque. The indicator
lamp^
in
the instrument cluster starts flashing as soon as
the ESC intervenes.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up under
braking until the vehicle has reached a virtual
standstill.
You can continue to steer the vehicle
even when the brakes are on
full.
Keep your foot
on the brake pedal and do not pump the brakes.
You will feel the brake pedal puLsate while the
anti-lock brake system is working.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can shorten the braking
distance. The braking force is automatically boos
ted if
you
press the brake pedal quickly in an
emergency. You must keep pressing the brake
pedal until the danger has passed. On
vehides
with adaptive cruise control*, the response of the
brake assist system will be more sensitive if you
are too close to the vehicLe in front.
Traction control system (ASR)
In the event of
wheelspin,
the traction control
system reduces the engine torque to match the
amount of grip available. This helps the car to
start moving, accelerate or climb a gradient.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
When the EDL detects wheelspin, it brakes the
spinning wheel and directs the power to the
oth
er driven wheel (or wheels on quattro* versions).
This function is not available at high speeds.
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel
from overheating, the EDL cuts out automatically
if subjected to excessive loads. The vehicLe can
still be driven. The EDL will switch on again auto
matically when the brake has cooled down.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilise the vehicle by changing
the steering wheel torque.
Trailer stabilisation system
Applies to: vehicles with trailer stabilisation system
Trailers have a tendency to sway. If the
ESC
de
tects that the trailer is swaying and this is affect
ing the towing vehicLe, it will automatically brake
the vehicle in order to stabilise the trailer
^>page
97.
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel torque control intervenes when
cornering by braking the wheel(s) on the inside of
the bend individually as required. This enables
precision cornering.
Multicollision brake assist system
The "multicollision brake assist system" can help
to reduce the risk of skidding and further
colli
sions during an accident. If the airbag control
unit detects that
a
collision has taken place up
wards of
a
certain speed, the vehicle is braked by
the
ESC.
The vehicle will not be braked automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator,
- or the
ESC,
the brake system or the vehicle's
electrical system are not fully functional.
WARNING
- The grip provided by the ESC and the inte
grated systems is still subject to the physi
cal limits of adhesion. Always bear this in
mind,
especially on wet or sLippery roads. If
you notice the systems cutting in, you
should reduce your speed immediately to
suit the road and traffic conditions. Do not
let
the extra safety provided tempt you into
taking any risks when driving - this can
cause accidents.
145