wheel MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK 2018 Owner's Guide

R
More drive torque is transferred tothe wheel
or wheels with traction.
Influence of drive prog rams on ESP ®
The drive programs enable ESP ®
to adapt todif‐
fe re nt we ather and road conditions as well as th
e driver's prefer red driving style. You can
select the drive programs using theDY NA MIC
SELECT switch (→ page161).
ESP ®
ch aracteristics per drive prog ramDrive prog
ram
ESP®
mode Cha
racteristics
A (Comfort)
; (Economy) ESP
®
Comfort These drive prog
rams pr ovide the ideal balance
between traction and stabilit y.
Select drive program ;orA in difficult
ro ad conditions, such as sn owor ice, or when
th ero ad is wet from rain.
C (Sport)
ESP®
Sport This drive program continues
toofferst ability
but with a sporty setup which allo wsthe enthu‐
siastic driver a more active driving style.
Select drive program Cin good road condi‐
tions, forex ample on dry roads and clear
st re tches of road. 18 8
Driving and pa rking

Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) Multimedia sy
stem:
, © .
Settings .
Quick access
% ESP®
can only be activated/deactivated
using quick access when at least one other
function is available in quick access. ESP ®
can otherwise be found in theAssistance
menu. #
Select ESP.
A prom ptappears. #
Select Onorå Off.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter. Fu
nction of ESP ®
Crosswind Assist ESP
®
Crosswind Assist de tects sudden gu sts of
side wind and helps the driver tokeep theve hi‐
cle in the lane:
R ESP ®
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle
speeds between 80 km/h and 200 km/h
when driving stra ight ahead or cornering
slightly.
R The vehicle is stabilised bymeans of individ‐
ual brake application on one side. Fu
nction of ESP ®
trailer stabilisation &
WARNING Risk of accident in poor road
and weather conditions
In poor road and weather conditions, the
trailer stabilisation cannot pr event lu rching of
th eve hicle/trailer combination. Trailers with
a high centre of gr avity may tip over before
ESP ®
de tects this. #
Alw ays adapt your driving style to suit
th e cur rent road and weather condi‐
tions. When driving with a trailer, ESP
®
can stabilise
yo ur vehicle if the trailer begins toswer vefrom
side toside:
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation is active abo ve
speeds of 65 km/h.
R Slight swerving is reduced bymeans of a tar‐
ge ted, individual brake application on one
side.
R Intheeve nt of se vere swerving, the engine
output is also reduced and all wheels are
braked.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation may be impaired or
may not function if:
R The trailer is not connec ted cor rectly or is
not de tected prope rly by theve hicle. Driving and parking
18 9

Fu
nction of EBD (Electronic Brake forc e Dis‐
tribution) EBD is
characterised bythefo llowing:
R Monitoring and regulating the brake pressure
on there ar wheels.
R Impr oved driving stability when braking,
especially on bends. Fu
nction of STEER CONT ROL ST
EER CONT ROL helps youby transmitting a
noticeable steering forc eto thesteering wheel in
th e direction requiredforve hicle stabilisation.
This steering recommendation is given pa rticu‐
lar lyin thefo llowing situations:
R both right wheels or bo thleft wheels are on a
we t or slippe ryroad sur face when you brake
R theve hicle starts toskid
Sy stem limitations
ST EER CONTROL may be impaire d or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R ESP ®
is deactivated R
ESP ®
is malfunctioning
R thesteering is malfunctioning
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, you will be assis ted
fur ther by the electric po werst eering. Fu
nction of Active Brake Assi st Ac
tive Brake Assi stconsi sts of thefo llowing
functions:
R Distance warning function
R Autonomous braking function
R Situation-dependent braking assi stance
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Evasi veSteering Assist
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimise the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles, cyclists or
pedestrians, or reduce the ef fects of su cha colli‐
sion.
If Ac tive Brake Assi sthas de tected a risk of colli‐
sion, a warning tone sounds and theL dis‐
ta nce warning lamp lights up in the instrument
clus ter. If
yo u do not react tothewa rning, autonomous
braking can be initiated in critical situations.
In especially critical situations, Active Brake
Assi stcan initia teautonomous braking direct ly.
In this case, thewa rning lamp and warning tone
occur simultaneously wi th the braking applica‐
tion.
If yo u apply the brake yourself in a critical situa‐
tion or apply the brake during autonomous brak‐
ing, situation-dependent braking assis tance
occu rs. The brake pressure increases up tomax‐
imum full-s top braking if necessar y. If autonomous braking or situation-dependent
braking assist
ance has occur red, display 1 19 0
Driving and pa rking

Setting
Active Brake Assi stRe
quirements:
R The ignition is switched on.
Multimedia sy stem:
, © .
Settings .
Assis-
tance .
Active Brake Assist
The following settings are available:
R Early
R Medium
R Late #
Select a setting.
The setting is retained when the engine is
next star ted.
Deactivating Active Brake Assi st
% It is recommended that you alw ays lea ve
Ac tive Brake Assi stactivated. #
Select Off.
The dis tance warning function, the autono‐
mous braking function and the Evasive Steer‐
ing Assist are deactivated. When
theve hicle is next star ted, the middle
setting is automatically selected.
% IfAc tive Brake Assi stis deactivated, the
æ symbol appears inthest atus bar of the
multifunction displa y. Fu
nction of Adaptive Brake Lights Ad
aptive Brake Lights warnfollowing traf fic in an
emergency braking situation wi th thefo llowing
actions:
R Byflashing the brake lamps
R By activating the hazard warning lights
If th eve hicle is braked sharply from speeds
abo ve50 km/h, the brake lamps flash rapidl y.
This pr ovides traf fic tr avelling behind you with an
ev en more noticeable warning.
If th eve hicle is tr avelling at speeds of more than
70 km/h at the beginning of the brake applica‐
tion, the hazard warning lights switch on once
th eve hicle is stationar y.When you pull away
again, the hazard warning lights will switch off
automatically at appr oximately 10km/h. Yo u can also switch off
the hazard warning lights
using the hazard warning button. Cruise control and limiter
Fu
nction of cruise control
Cruise cont rolre gulates the speed totheva lue
selec tedby the driver.
If yo u accelerate toove rtake, forex ample, the
st ored speed is not dele ted. If youre mo veyour
fo ot from the accelera tor pedal af terov ertaking,
cruise control will resume speed regulation back
to thestored speed.
Cruise contro l is operated using the cor respond‐
ing steering wheel buttons. You can store any
ro ad speed abo ve20 km/h up tothe maximum
ro ad speed or tothe set winter tyre limit.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, cruise con‐
trol can neither reduce therisk of an accident
nor override the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take
into account road, weather or traf fic conditions.
Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible
fo r maintaining a safe dis tance totheve hicle in
front, forve hicle speed, for braking in good time
and forst ay ing in lane. 19 6
Driving and pa rking

Displa
yson the multifunction display
The status of cruise control and thestored
speed are shown in the multifunction displa y.1
Cruise cont rol is selec ted
2 Speed is sa ved, cruise control is deactivated
3 Speed is sa ved, cruise control is activated
% The segments extending from the cur rent
st ored speed tothe end of the scale, or to
th e set winter tyre limit, light up in the
speedome ter. Sy
stem limitations
Cruise control may be unable tomaintain the
st ored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed when the gradient evens out.
Change into a lo werge ar in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular
no te ofthis when driving a laden vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the engine's brak‐
ing ef fect. This relie vesth e load on the brake
sy stem and pr events the brakes from overheat‐
ing and wearing tooqu ickl y.
Do not use cruise control in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R In traf fic situations whi chrequ ire frequent
ch anges of speed, e.g. in heavy traf fic, on
winding roads.
R On slippe ryroads. Accelerating can cause
th e drive wheels tolose traction and the
ve hicle could then skid.
R Ifyo u are driving when visibility is poor.
Fu nction of the limi ter
The limiter restricts the speed of theve hicle. To
re duce the speed tothe set speed, the limiter
applies the brakes automaticall y.Yo
u can limit the speed as follo ws:
R Variable: for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas.
R Perm anen t:for long-term speed restrictions,
e.g. when driving in winter tyre mode.
The variable limiter is operated using the cor re‐
sponding steering wheel buttons. You can store
any road speed abo ve20 km/h up tothe maxi‐
mum road speed or tothe set winter tyre limit.
Yo u can also per form settings while theve hicle
is stationary if theve hicle has been star ted.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, the limiter
can neither reduce therisk of an accident nor
ov erride the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take into
account road, weather or traf fic conditions. The
limiter is only an aid. You are responsible for
maintaining a safe dis tance totheve hicle in
front, forve hicle speed, for braking in good time
and forst ay ing in lane.
Displa ysinthe Instrument Display
The status of the limiter and thestored speed
are shown in the multifunction displa y. Driving and pa
rking 197

Pe
rm anent limi ter
If th eve hicle should ne verexc eed a specific
speed (e.g. for driving in winter tyre mode), you
can set this speed with the permanent limiter.
Yo u do this by limiting the speed toava lue
between 160 km/h and 240 km/h in the multi‐
media sy stem (→ page 200).
Shortly before the set speed is reached, it
appears in the multifunction displa y.When you
confirm the message with %, display mes‐
sages no longer appear until you swit choff the
ve hicle. The speed will only be displa yed again
once theve hicle has been restar ted.
The permanent limiter does not switch topas‐
sive mode even du ring kickdown and the driven
speed remains below the set speed.
Setting the speed limitation for winter tyres
Multimedia sy stem:
, © .
Settings .
Fahrzeug (Vehi‐
cle) .
Winter tyres limit #
Select a speed or deactivate the function. Ac
tive Di stance Assist DISTRO NIC Fu
nction of Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC Ac
tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC maintains the
set speed on free-flowing roads. If vehicles
ahead are de tected, the set dis tance is main‐
ta ined, if necessar y,until theve hicle comes to a
halt. The vehicle accelerates or brakes depend‐
ing on the dis tance totheve hicle in front and
th e set speed. The speed and dis tance tothe
ve hicle in front are set and sa ved on thesteering
wheel on vehicles without the Driving Assis tance
Pa ckage, in thera nge between 20 km/h and
200 km/h and, on vehicles with the Driving Assis
tance Package, in thera nge between
20 km/h and 210 km/h.
Other features of Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC:
R Adjusts the driving style depending on the
selected drive program (fuel-saving, comfort‐
able or dynamic) (→ page160)
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: reacts tostationary vehicles de tected in
urban speed ranges (e xcept bicycles and
mo torcyc les).
R Initiates acceleration tothestored speed if
th e turn signal indicator is switched on to
ch ange totheove rtaking lane.
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: take s one-sided overtaking restrictions
into account on mo torw ays or on multi-lane
ro ads with separate car riag ewa ys.
Ve hicles with Active Park ing Assist and Driv‐
ing Assistance Package: ifth eve hicle has
been braked toast andstill on multi-lane, stru c‐
turally separate car riag ewa ysby Active Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC, it can au tomatical lyfollow 200
Driving and parking

th
eve hicle in front driving off again within 30
seconds. If a critical situation is de tected when
driving off, a visual and acoustic warning is given
indicating that the driver must now take control
of theve hicle. The vehicle is not accelerated any
fur ther.
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is only an aid.
The driver is responsible forke eping a safe dis‐
ta nce totheve hicle in front, forve hicle speed
and for braking in good time.
Sy stem limitations
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
R In sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in great lyvarying
light conditions.
R The windsc reen in the area of the camera is
dirty, mis ted up, damaged or co vered.
R Ifth era dar sensors are dirty or co vered.
R On slippery roads, braking or accelerating
can cause one or se veral wheels tolose trac‐
tion and theve hicle could then skid. R
In multi-s torey car par ksor on roads with
st eep uphill or downhill gradients.
R Narrow vehicles, such as bicycles and mo tor‐
cycles, are not de tected.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC in
th ese situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident from acceler‐
ation or braking byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC may accel‐
erate or brake in thefo llowing cases, for
ex ample:
R Ifth eve hicle pulls away using Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC.
R Ifth estored speed is called up and is
considerably faster or slo werth an the
cur rently driven speed.
R IfAc tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC no
longer de tects a vehicle in front or does
not react toreleva nt objects. #
Alw ays carefully obser vethe traf fic con‐
ditions and be ready tobrake at all
times. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. &
WARNING Risk of accident due toinsuf‐
fi cient decele ration byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC brakes
yo ur vehicle with up to50 % of the maximum
possible deceleration. If this decele ration is
not su fficient, Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC alerts you with a visual and
acoustic warning. #
Inthese cases, adjust your speed and
ke ep a suf ficient di stance. #
Brake theve hicle yourself and/or take
ev asive action. Driving and parking
201

R
The driver is requ ired tokeep their hands on
th esteering wheel at all times and be able to
inter vene at any time tocor rect the course of
th eve hicle and keep it in lane.
R The status of Active Steering Assist is dis‐
pla yed in thest atus bar of the multifunction
displa y.
Ste ering and touch de tection
The driver is requ ired tokeep their hands on the
st eering wheel at all times and tobe able to
inter vene at any time. The driver mu stexpect a
ch ange from active topassive mode or vice
ve rsa at any time. If
th e sy stem reaches a sy stem limitation or the
driver has not steered theve hicle for a consider‐
able period of time or has remo vedth eir hands
from thesteering wheel, the sy stem will,
depending on the situation, firs t alert the driver
with a visual warning. Display 1appears in the
multifunction displa y.Ifth e driver still does not
st eer theve hicle, or has still not take n hold of
th esteering wheel, a repeated warning tone
sounds in addition tothe visual warning mes‐
sage toremind the driver totake control of the
ve hicle.
The warning message does not appear or disap‐
pears if one of thefo llowing conditions are me t:
R The driver steers theve hicle.
R The driver presses a steering wheel button or
operates Touch Control.
Ac tive Steering Assist is only an aid. The driver is
re sponsible forth e dis tance totheve hicle in
front, forve hicle speed, for braking in good time
and forst ay ing in lane. Before changing lanes,
th e driver must make sure that the neighbouring
lane is free (glance over the shoulder). Sy
stem limitations
Ac tive Steering Assist has a limited steering tor‐
qu efo r lateral guidance. In some cases, the
st eering inter vention is not su fficient tokeep the
ve hicle in the lane or todrive past exits. Active
St eering Assist cann otprov ide the driver with
st eering assis tance at roundabouts, T-junctions,
junctions, tollst ations or turns, forex ample.
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
R In sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, direct sunlight, greatlyvarying light
conditions, reflections or stro ng shado wson
th e car riag ew ay.
R Insuf ficient road illumination.
R The windsc reen in the area of the camera is
dirty, mis ted up, damaged or co vered.
R Absence of lane markings, or se veral unclear
lane markings, or if the markings change rap‐
idl y.
R The dis tance totheve hicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
de tected.
R The road is nar row and winding. Driving and parking
207

R
Obs tacles on the lane or projecting out into
th e lane.
The sy stem does not pr ovide assis tance in the
fo llowing conditions:
R On tight bends, roundabouts and when turn‐
ing.
R When towing a trailer.
R When actively changing lane without swit ch‐
ing on the turn signal. &
WARNING Risk of accident if Active
St eering Assist unexpectedly stops func‐
tioning
If th e sy stem limitations of Active Steering
Assist are reached there is no guarantee that
th e sy stem will remain active or will keep the
ve hicle in lane. #
Alw ayske ep your hands on thesteering
wheel and obser vethe tra ffic carefull y. #
Alw aysst eer theve hicle paying atten‐
tion totraf fic conditions. &
WARNING Risk of accident if Active
St eering Assist unexpectedly inter venes
A malfunction in the de tection of lane mark‐
ings and objects can occu r.
This could cause unexpected steering inter‐
ve ntion. #
Steer according totraf fic conditions. Ac
tivating/deactivating Active Steering
Assist
Re quirements:
R ESP ®
is activated, but is not inter vening.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d.
Multimedia sy stem:
, © .
Settings .
Schnellzugriff
(Quick access) #
Select aAct. Steer. Asst . Fu
nction of Active Lane Change Assi st
% The following function is countr y-dependent
and only available in conjunction with the
Driving Assi stance Package.
Ac tive Lane Change Assi stsupports the driver
when changing lanes byapplying steering torque
if th e driver operates a turn signal.
Assis tance when changing lanes is pr ovided if all
th efo llowing conditions are me t:
R You are driving on a mo torw ay orroad with
multiple lanes in the direction of tr avel.
R The neighbouring lane is separated bya bro‐
ke n lane ma rking.
R Novehicle is de tected in the adjacent lane.
R The driven speed is between 80 km/h and
180 km/h.
R Active Lane Change Assi stis switched on in
th e multimedia sy stem.
R Active Steering Assist is switched on and
active. 208
Driving and parking

If no
vehicle is de tected in the adjacent lane and
a lane change is permit ted, thesteering wheel
symbol and the ar row are shown in green 2.
The Lane change to the left message appears,
fo rex ample. If Active Lane Change Assi sthas
been activated with the turn signal indicator but
a lane change is not immediately possible, the
st eering wheel symbol remains green and the
ar row appears grey 1 . When the lane change
suppo rtstarts, the turn signal indicator is auto‐
matically activated.
If th e assis tance graphic is acti vewhen you
ch ange lanes, an ar rowalso appears pointing
to wa rdsth e adjacent lane in the assis tance
graphic (→ page 210). If a lane
change is not possible, the ar row fa des
out af ter a few seconds and a new lane change
must be initiated. An immediate lane change is
on ly possible on mo torw ay sections without
speed limits.
If th e sy stem is impaired, Active Lane Change
Assi stmay be cancelled. If it is cancelled, the
Lane change cancelled message appears inthe
multifunction display and a warning tone sounds. &
WARNING Risk of accident from chang‐
ing lane toan occupied adjacent lane
Lane Chan geAssi stcannot al ways detect
clear lyifth e adjacent lane is free.
The lane change might be initiated although
th e adjacent lane is not free. #
Before changing lanes, make sure that
th e neighbouring lane is free and there
is no danger to otherroad users. #
Monitor the lane change. &
WARNING Risk of accident if Lane
Change Assi stunexpectedly stops func‐
tioning
If th e sy stem limitations for Lane Change
Assist ha vebeen reached, there is no guar‐
antee that the sy stem will remain active.
Lane Change Assist cannot then assist you
by applying steering torques. #
Alw ays monitor the lane change and
ke ep your hands on thesteering wheel.
Obser vethe tra ffic conditions and steer
and/or brake if necessar y. Sy
stem limitations
The sy stem limitations of Active Steering Assist
apply toActive Lane Change Assi st
( → page 206).
The sy stem may also be impaired or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R The sensors in there ar bumper are dirty,
damaged or co vered, for ins tance by a
st icke r or ice and sno w.
R The exterior lighting sho wsa malfunction. Driving and parking
209