towing MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS ESTATE 2015 Owner's Manual

25 mm
.The leve lchange also occurs when
stationary.
If you drive faster than 170 km/h, the rear
axle leve lisset to amiddle level. Thi sincrea-
ses road safety and reduces airr esistance. If
you then drive slower than 150 km/h, the
leve loft he rear axle is again adjusted to cor-
respond to the selected suspension mode.
Load compensation
The vehicle can compensate differences in
the vehicle leve lbyraising or lowering the
rear axle .Thisist he case ,for example, when
people get out of the vehicle or whe nlug gage
is removed.
Al oadc ompensation occurs if:
R ad oor, the boot lid or the tailgate is opened
R the parked vehicle is unlocked
The engine needs to be running for larger level
changes. 4MATIC (permanent all-whee
ldrive)
If you fai ltoadapt you rdriving style, 4MATIC
can neither reduce the risk of an accident nor override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot
take account of road ,weather and traffic con-
ditions. 4MATIC is only an aid. You are
responsibl efor the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time, and for staying in lane.
If ad rive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
R whe npulling away,o nly depress the accel-
erato rpedal as far as is necessary.
R accelerate les swhend riving.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. Thi smay damage the transfer case.
Damag eofthis sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz implied warranty. All
wheels must remain eithe ronthe ground or
be fully raised. Observe the instructions for towing the vehicle with allw heels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if you use winter tyres
(M+S tyres), with snow
chains if necessary.
4MATIC ensures that allf our wheels are per-
manently driven. Together with ESP ®
,it
improves the traction of you rvehicle when-
ever adrive wheel spins due to insufficient
grip. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONI
Cisanelectronic parking aidw ith
ultrasoni csensors .Itmonitors the area
around you rvehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. PARKTRONI Cindicates visually and
audibly the distance between you rvehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONI Cisonly an aid. It is not asubsti-
tute for you rattention to the immediate sur-
roundings. The responsibility for safe
manoeuvring and parking remains with you.
Make sure that there are no persons, animals
or objects in range while manoeuvring and
parking.
! When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors ,such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONI Cdoes not detect such objects
whe nthey are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You coul ddamage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and
objects which absorb ultrasoni csources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, alorry's compressed-air brakes
or ap neumatic drill, coul dcause
PARKTRONI Ctomalfunction.
PARKTRONI Cmay not function correctly on
uneve nterrain. Driving systems
235Driving and parking Z

Once you have exited the parking space com-
pletely,t he steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear atone and
the Park Assist switched off
Park Assist switched off message
appears in the multifunction display. You will
then have to steer and merge into traffic on
your own. PARKTRONIC is still available. You
can take over the steering before the vehicle has exited the parking space completely. This
is useful,f or example when you recognise
that it is already possibletop ull out of the
parking space.
Cancelling Active Parking Assist You can cancel Active Parking Assist at any
time.
X Stop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Active Parking Assist will be cancelled at
once. The Park Assist cancelled
Park Assist cancelled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display
and you hear atone.
or X Press the PARKTRONIC button on the
centre console (Y page 237).
PARKTRONIC is switched off and Active
Parking Assist is immediately cancelled.
The Park Assist cancelled
Park Assist cancelled message
appears in the multifunction displaya nd
you hear atone.
Active Parking Assist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R the transmission is shifted too early
R transmission position Pis selected
R parking using Active Parking Assist is no
longer possible
R you are driving faster than 10 km/h
R aw heel spins and ESP ®
intervenes or fails.
In such cases the ÷warning lamp lights
up in the instrument cluster.
Aw arning tone sounds. The parking symbol
disappears and the multifunction display
shows the Park Assist cancelled Park Assist cancelled mes-
sage. When Active Parking Assist is cancelled, you
must steer and brake againy
ourself.
Vehiclesw ith automatic transmission: if a
system malfunction occurs, the vehicle is
braked to astandstill. To drive on, depress the
accelerator pedal again.
Towing atrailer For vehicles with
atrailer tow hitch, the min-
imum length for parking spaces is slightly
increased.
If you have attached atrailer to your vehicle,
you should not use Active Parking Assist.
Once the electrical connection is established between your vehicle and the trailer, Active
Parking Assist is no longer available.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area. Reversing camera
General notes Example: Saloon
Reversing camera :is an optical parking
and manoeuvring aid. It shows the area
behind your vehicle with guidelines in the
Audio 20 or COMAND Online display.
The area behind the vehicle is displayed as a
mirror image, as in the rear-view mirror.
i The text shown in the Audio 20 or
COMAND Online displayd epends on the
language setting. The following are exam-
ples of reversing camera messages in the
COMAND Online display. 244
Driving systemsDriving and parking

spot monitoring range from behind or from
the side. When you overtake avehicle, the
warning only occurs if the difference in speed
is less than 12 km/h.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse gear is engaged. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated.
The brightness of the indicator or warning
lamps is adjusted automaticallya ccording to
the ambient light.
Collision warning
If av ehicle is detected in the monitoring range
of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the
corresponding turn signal, adoublew arning
tone sounds. Red warning lamp :flashes. If
the turn signal remains on, detected vehicles
are indicated by the flashing of red warning
lamp :.There are no further warning tones.
Activating Blind Spot Assist X Make sure that Blind Spot Assist is activa-
ted in the on-board computer
(Y page 288).
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately 1.5 seconds
and then turn yellow.
Towing atrailer
If you couple up atrailer, make sure that you
have correctly established the electrical con- nection. This can be accomplished by check-
ing the trailer lighting. Blind Spot Assist is
then deactivated. The indicator lamps in the
exterior mirrors light up yellow and the
Blind
Blind Spot SpotAssist
Assist not
notavailable
available when
when
towing atrailer See Owner's Manual
towing atrailer See Owner's Manual
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
i You can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors. To do so, you will need to deactivate Blind
Spot Assist if:
R the key is in position 2in the ignition lock
R the engine is not running
R the electrical connection to the trailer
has been established
Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of camera
:
at the top of the windscreen. Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally.
This function is available within aspeed range
between 60 km/h and 200 km/h.
Aw arning may be given if afront wheel
passes over alane marking. It will warn you by
means of intermittent vibration through the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Lane Keeping Assist cannot always clearly
identify lane markings.
In these cases, Lane Keeping Assist may:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give awarning
There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep in lane, especiallyifL ane
Keeping Assist alerts you. Driving systems
259Driving and parking Z

Example: Saloon
If ac ourse-correcting brake application
occurs, red warning lamp :flashe sinthe
exterio rmirror and adualw arning tone
sounds. In addition, display ;underlining
the dange rofasidec ollision appear sinthe
multifunctio ndisplay.
In ver yrarec ases, the system ma ymakean
inappropriate brake application. Acourse-
correcting brake applicatio nmaybe interrup-
ted at any time if yo ustee rsligh tlyint he
opposite direction or accelerate.
The course-correcting brake applicatio nis
availabl einthe speed range between
30 km/h and 200 km/h.
Either acourse-correcting brake application
appropriate to the driving situation, or none at all, ma yoccu rif:
R ther earevehicles or obstacles, e.g .crash
barriers ,onboths ides of your vehicle
R av ehicl eapproaches too closel yonthe
side
R yo uh avea dopt edasporty driving style with
high cornering speeds R
yo uc learly brake or accelerate
R ad riving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R al os soft yrep ressure or adefective tyr eis
detected
Activatin gActiveB lind Spo tAssist
X Make sure tha tActive Blind Spo tAssist
(Y page 288 )isactivated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterio rmirrors
light up red for approximatel y1.5 seconds
and then tur nyellow.
Towin gatrailer
If yo ucoupl eupa trailer, make sure tha tyou
have correctl yestablished the electrical con-
nection. Thi scan be accomplished by check-
ing the traile rlig hting. Active Blind Spo tAssist
is then deactivated .The indicator lamps in the
exterio rmirrors light up yellow and the
Active
Active Blind BlindSpot
SpotAssist
Assist not
notavaila‐
availa‐
ble whe ntowing atraile rSee Own‐
ble whe ntowing atraile rSee Own‐
er' sManual
er' sManual message appear sinthe multi-
functio ndisplay.
Activ eLaneK eeping Assist General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in front of your vehicl ebymeans of multi-
functio ncamera :at the top of the wind-
screen. Various different area stothe front, Driving systems
263Driving andparking Z

Activatin
gActive Lane Keeping Assist
X Activat eActiv eLaneK eepin gAssist using
th eo n-bo ard computer; to do so, select
Standard
Standard orAdaptive
Adaptive (Ypage 288).
If you driv eatspeeds abov e60km/ hand
lane markings are detected, th elines in the
assistance graphic display (Y page 286)
are shown in green .ActiveL aneK eeping
Assist is read yfor use.
If Standard
Standard is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occur sif:
R you have switched on th eturns ignals. In
this case, th ewarning sare suppressed
for acertai nperiod of time.
R ad riving safet ysystem intervenes, such
as ABS, BA SorESP®
.
When Adaptive
Adaptive is selected, no warning
vibration occur sif:
R you have switched on th eturns ignals. In
this case, th ewarning sare suppressed
for acertai nperiod of time.
R ad riving safet ysystem intervenes, such
as ABS, BA SorESP®
.
R you accelerate hard ,e.g.k ickdown.
R you brak ehard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoi dan
obstacle or chang elane quickly.
R you cut th ecorner onashar pbend.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross th elane
marking, th esystem detect scertai ncondi-
tion sand warn syou accordingly.
The warning vibration occur searlier if:
R you approac hthe outer lane markin gona
bend
R ther oad has ver ywide lanes, e.g. amotor-
way
R thes ystem detect ssolid lane markings
The warning vibration occur slater if:
R ther oad has narrow lanes
R you cut th ecorner onabend Towing
atrailer
If you couple up atrailer ,makes ure that you
have correctly established th eelectrical con-
nection .This can be accomplished by check-
ing th etrailer lighting. Towin
gatrailer Important safety notes
G
WARNING
You could lose control of th evehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve. The vehi-
cle/traile rcom bination could eve noverturn.
Ther eisar iskofana ccident.
On no accoun tshould you attemp tto
straighten out th evehicle/traile rcom bina-
tio nbyi ncreasing speed. Decrease your
spee dand do no tcountersteer. Brake if nec-
essary. G
WARNING
If th emaximum th epermissible load for acar-
rier system is exceeded, th ecarrier could
come loos efromt hevehicl eand endanger
other road users. Ther eisariskofana ccident
and injury.
Never excee dthe permissible noseweight
when usin gacarrier.
Exceedin gthe maximum permissible nose-
weigh tofthetrailer drawbar on th eball cou-
plin gm ay caus edamag etothefollowing:
R your vehicle
R thet railer
R theb all coupling
R trailer to whitch
The vehicle/traile rcom bination could
become unstable.
If th enoseweight used is lower than th emin-
imum permissible noseweight ,the vehicle/
trailer combination could also become unsta- ble. 266
Towin
gatrailerDriving and pa rking

To avoid hazardous situations:
R make sure to check the noseweight before
each journey
R use adrawbar noseweight as close as pos-
sible to the maximum noseweight
R do not exceed the maximum permissible
noseweight
R do not use anoseweight lower than the
minimum noseweight
When reversin gthe vehicle towards the
trailer, make sure there is nobody between
the trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer could become
detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
You will find the applicable permissible val-
ues, which must not be exceeded, in the vehi-
cle documents.
You will find the values approved by the man- ufacturer on the vehicle identification plates
and those for the towing vehicle under "Tech-
nical data" (Y page 484).
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison to when driving without atrailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbin gcapability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by stron gcrosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R has alarger turnin gcircle This can impair the vehicle's handling char-
acteristics. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly. Maintain
asafe distance. Drive care-
fully.
When towing atrailer, alway sadjust your
speed to the curren troad and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis- sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion. Notes on towing
atrailer
General notes Trailer towing is not permissible on the fol-
lowing models:
R E2 20 BlueTEC BlueEFFICIENCY Edition
R E1 80
R E63A MG
R E63A MG S-MODEL
R E63A MG 4MATIC
R E63A MG S-MODEL4 MATIC
i When towing
atrailer, set the tyre pres-
sure on the rear axle of the towing vehicle
for am aximum load; see the tyre pressure
table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 420).
Please notet hat when towing atrailer,
PARKTRONIC (Y page 235), Active Parking
Assist (Y page 239) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 257) are only available with limita-
tions, or not at all.
i On vehicles without level control, the
height of the ball coupling will alter accord-
ing to the load placed on the vehicle. If nec- essary, use atrailer with aheight-adjusta-
ble drawbar.
You will find fitting dimensions and loads
under "Technical data" (Y page 482).
Driving tips i
Observe the notes on ESP ®
trailer stabi-
lisation (Y page 86). Towing
atrailer
267Driving and parking Z

The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journey, check
the trailer's document stosee what the max-
imum permitted speed is. Observe the legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the max-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. See the "Technical
data" section to find out whether this applies to your vehicle (Y page 484). If you utilise any
of the added maximum rear axle load when
towing atrailer, the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion may not exceed amaximum speed of
100 km/hf or reasons concerning the oper-
ating permit. This also applie sincountrie sin
which the permissible maximu mspee dfor
vehicle/trailer combinations is above
100 km/h.
When towing atrailer, you rvehicle's handling
characteristics wil lbedifferent in comparison
to whe ndriving without atrailer and it will
consume more fuel.
Change into alower gea ringood time on long
and steep downhill gradients.
i This also applie
sifyou have activated
cruis econtrol, SPEEDTRONIC or
DISTRONIC PLUS.
This wil luse the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking wil lberequired to maintain
vehicle speed. This relieves the loa donthe
brake system and prevents the brake sfrom
overheating and wearing too quickly. If you
need additiona lbraking, depress the brake
pedal repeatedl yrather than continuously.
Driving tips If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not countersteer.
X Brake if necessary. R
Maintain agreater distance to the vehicle in
front than whe ndriving without atrailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly .Ifpossible ,brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values give nfor gradient-climbing
capabilities from astandstil lrefer to sea
level. When driving in mountainous areas,
note that the power outpu tofthe engine,
and consequently the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decrease with increas-
ing altitude. Foldin
gout the ball coupling G
WARNING
If the bal lcoupling is not correctly engaged,
the trailer can detach .There is arisk of an
accident.
Always engag ethe bal lcoupling as described. G
WARNING
If you release the bal lcoupling or it does not
engag ecorrectly whe nfolding in, it wil lswing
out. Withi npivoting range of the bal lcoupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the bal lcoupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the bal lcoupling engages whe nfolding in. Saloon
Before you can tow
atrailer with you rvehicle,
you must fold out the bal lcoupling. 268
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot.
Opening the cover (Saloon):
X Slide luggage net ;down.
X Turn handle :around anti-clockwise and
fold cover =down. Estate
Before you can tow
atrailer with your vehicle,
you must fold out the ball coupling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot/luggage
compartment.
Opening the cover (Estate):
X Pull handle :in the direction of the arrow
and fold cover ;down. Saloon
Unlocking and folding out the ball cou-
pling (Saloon):
X Grip release wheel Aso that your thumb
lies on the thumb rest.
X Turn release wheel Aaround anti-clock-
wise until the ball coupling releases and folds out from under the rear bumper. Indi-
cator lamp ?flashes. Estate
Unlocking and folding out the ball cou-
pling (Estate):
X Grip release wheel ?so that your thumb
lies on the thumb rest.
X Turn release wheel ?around anti-clock-
wise until the ball coupling releases and
folds out from under the rear bumper. Indi- cator lamp =flashes. Saloon
Estate Towing
atrailer
269Driving and parking Z

X
Pull the ball coupling in the direction of the
arrow until it engages in avertical position.
Indicator lamp =goes out. The trailer
power socket is integrated in the ball cou-
pling and swivels out with it.
Saloon: indicator lamp ?goes out.
Estate: indicator lamp =goes out.
The multifunction display shows the
Trailer Trailer hitch
hitch Check
Checklock
lockmech.
mech. mes-
sage until the ball coupling is engaged.
X Remove the protective coverin gfrom the
ball coupling and store it in asafe place.
X Make sure that the ball of the ball coupling
is clean and greased.
HYBRID vehicles :make sure that you read
the "HYBRID" Supplement included in the
vehicle literature. Otherwise, you may not
recognise dangers. Coupling up
atrailer
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Position the trailer horizontally behind the
vehicle.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish the electric connection between
the vehicle and the trailer.
X Check that the trailer lighting system is
working.
Ac onnected trailer is only recognised when
the electrical connection is established
correctly and when the lighting system is
working properly. The function of other sys-
tems, such as ESP ®
,P ARKTRONIC and
Active Parking Assist also depends on this. Uncoupling
atrailer G
WARNING
If you uncouple atrailer with an engaged over-
run brake, you could trap your hand between the vehicle and the trailer drawbar. This poses
ar isk of injury.
Do not uncouple atrailer with an engaged
overrun brake. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
If you disconnect the trailer cable, the vehicle is lowered. This can cause you or others to
become trapped between the vehicle body
and tyres, or underneat hthe vehicle. This
poses arisk of injury.
Make sure that no-one is in the immediate
vicinit yofthe wheel arch or underneat hthe
vehicle when disconnectin gthe trailer cable.
! Do not disconnect
atrailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by the rebound- ing of the overrun brake.
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Secure the trailer against rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Folding in the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If you release the ball coupling or it does not
engage correctly when folding in, it will swing out. Within pivoting range of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the ball coupling engages when folding in.
X Place the protective coverin gonthe ball
coupling. 270
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

X
Open the socket cover.
X Insert the plug connector with lug :into
groove =on the socket.
X Turn bayonet connection ;clockwise to
the stop.
X Let the cover engage.
X If you are using an adapter cable, secure
the cable to the trailer with cable ties. Towing
atrailer
273Driving and parking Z