tow MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS HATCHBACK 2011 Owner's Guide

tance between your vehicl
eand the vehicle in
front becomes too small.
i Whe nchanging lanes, DISTRONIC PLUS
monitors the left lane for left-hand-drive
vehicles and the right lane for right-hand-
drive vehicles.
Stopping G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated.
DISTRONIC PLUS must also never be oper-
ated, activated or deactivated by a passenger
or from outside the vehicle.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not replace the elec-
tric parking brake and must not be used for
parking.
The DISTRONIC PLUS braking effect is can-
celled and the vehicle can start moving if:
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated using the
cruise control lever.
R you accelerate.
R there is a malfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g. bat-
tery failure.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it,
deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until
it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
i Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at a sufficient distance behind the vehicle
in front.T
he specified minimum distance is
set using the control on the cruise control
lever.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated
and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R a system fault occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If a fault occurs, then the transmission may
be shifted into position Pautomatically.
Storing the current speed or calling up the
last stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger yourself or others by uninten-
tionally triggering sudden acceleration or
braking.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever
(Y page 155) towards you.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the current speed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value. 158
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
There are several ways to deactivate DIS-
TRONIC PLUS:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise contro llever
lights up.
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, you
will see the DISTRONIC PLUS off message
in the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
R you engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake.
R you are driving slower than 10 km/h and
there is no longer a vehicle in front, or if the
vehicle in fron tis no longer detected.
R ESP ®
intervenes or if you deactivate ESP ®
.
R the transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition.
R you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away, and the front- passenger door or one of the rear doors is
open.
R the vehicle has skidded.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. You will see the DIS‐ TRONIC PLUS off message in the multifunc-
tion display for approximately five seconds.
In the Assistance menu (Y page 198) of the
on-board computer, you can select the dis-
tance display. Distance display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vated
:
Vehicle in front, if detected
; Distance indicator: current distance to
the vehicle in front
= Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
? Own vehicle
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 198).
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS General notes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. DISTRONIC PLUS is then
deactivated.160
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS may detect vehicles that
are crossing your lane by mistake. Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assis
tthe driver in the
following situations:
R when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD
function is deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The vehicle's brakes are applied when the
HOLD function is activated. For this reason,
deactivate the HOLD function if the vehicle is
to be set in motion by other means (e.g. in a
car wash or by towing). G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when the HOLD
function is activated. The HOLD function must never be operated
or deactivated by a passenger or from outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD function does not replace the elec-
tric parking brake and must not be used for
parking.
The braking effect of the HOLD function is
cancelled and the vehicle could roll away if:
R the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator pedal or the
brake pedal.
R there is a malfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g. bat-
tery failure.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you leave the vehicle or park it, deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R
the vehicle is stationary.
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R the driver's door is closed or if your seat
belt is fastened.
R the electric parking brake is released.
R the transmission is in position D,Ror N.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until ë appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal. 162
Driving systemsDriving and parking

The gear lever position or the transmission
position of the automatic transmission and
the direction in which the vehicle is rolling
determine which warning display is active
when the engine is running.
Manual transmission: Gear lever posi-
tion Warning display
Forwards gear
or
Neutral
Front area activated
Reverse gear, or
the vehicle is rolling
backwards Rear and front areas
activated
Automatic transmission:
Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling back-
wards Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tonef or approx-
imately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimum distance. Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC :
Indicator lamp
; To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock.
Towing atrailer !
Fold in the ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitch is not required .PARKTRONIC meas-
ures the minimum detection range to an
obstacle fro mthe bumper, not the ball cou-
pling.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between your vehicle and a trailer. Driving systems
165Driving and parking Z

displays parking spaces on the front-
passenger side as standard. Parking spaces
on the driver's side are displayed as soon as
the turn signal on the driver's side is activa-
ted. To park on the driver's side, you must
leave the driver's side turn signal switched
on. This must remain switched on until you
acknowledge the use of Active Parking Assist
by pressing the abutton on the multi-
function steering wheel.
When a parking space has been detected, an
arrow towards the right or the left also
appears. Example: detected parkin
gspace for a vehicle with
automatic transmission
: Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Active Parking Assist will only detec tparking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 1.5 m wide
R that are at least 1.0 m longer than your
vehicle
Ap arking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 15 m away from it.
Parking G
WARNING
PARKTRONIC and Active Parking Assist are
merely parking aids and may no tdetec tall
obstacles. They do not relieve you of the
responsibility of paying attention.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and manoeuvring. You could, otherwise, endanger
yourself and others.
G
WARNING
When parking, you need to make sure that no
obstacles are located in the vicinity of the
vehicle during the entire operation. Active
Parking Assist does not relieve you of the
responsibility of paying attention. It merely
aids you by intervening actively in the steer-
ing.
To stop the vehicle or avoid an accident you
need to apply the brakes yourself.
X Stop the vehicle when the parking space
symbol shows the desired parking space in
the instrument cluster.
X Vehicles with manual transmission :shift to
reverse gear.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: shift
into position R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No: %
message appears in the multifunction
display.
X To cancel the procedure: press the
% button on the multifunction steering
wheel or pull away.
or
X To parku sing Active Parking Assist:
press the abutton on the multifunction
steering wheel.
The Park Assist active Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Let go of the multifunction steering wheel.
X Reverse the vehicle, being ready to brake
at all times. When reversing, do not exceed
a speed of approximately 10 km/h. Other-
wise, Active Parking Assist will be deacti-
vated.
i In tight parking spaces, you will achieve
the best parking results by backing up as 168
Driving systemsDriving and parking

far as possible
.When doing so, also
observe the PARKTRONIC messages.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
Manoeuvring may be required in tight park-
ing spaces.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the ParkAssist active Engage forward gear
Observe surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
Park Assist active Select D Observe
surroundings message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: while
the vehicle is stationary, shift to first gear.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
select transmission position Dwhile the
vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction.
The Park Assist active Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i You will achieve the best results by wait-
ing for the steering procedure to complete
before pulling away.
X Drive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the ParkAssist active Engage reverse gear
Observe surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
Park Assist active Select R Observe
surroundings message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
X Further transmission shifts may be neces-
sary.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the Park Assist switched off message appears in the multifunction dis- play.A
ctive Parking Assist is now deacti-
vated. PARKTRONIC is still available.
X Manoeuvre if necessary.
X Always observe the warning messages dis-
played by PARKTRONIC (Y page 164).
Cancelling Active Parking Assist You can cancel Active Parking Assist at any
time.
X
Stop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or stee ryourself.
Active Parking Assist will be cancelled at
once. The Park Assist cancelled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
or
X Press the PARKTRONIC button on the
centre console (Y page 165).
PARKTRONIC is switched off and Active
Parking Assist is immediately cancelled.
The Park Assist cancelled message
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Parking Assist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R a gear is changed/the transmission is shif-
ted too early.
R parking using Active Parking Assist is no
longer possible.
R you are driving faster than 10 km/h.
R a wheel spins and ESP ®
intervenes or fails.
The ÷ warning lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster.
Aw arning tone sounds. The parking space
symbol disappears and the multifunction dis-
play shows the Park Assist cancelled message.
When Active Parking Assist is cancelled, you
must steer again yourself.
Towing
atrailer For vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the min-
imum required length for parking spaces is
slightly increased. Driving systems
169Driving and parking Z

ating instructions for the audio system/
COMAND Online.
X Engage reverse gear.
Guide lines are used to show the area
behind the vehicle in the Audio/COMAND
display. Function mode display for vehicles with COMAND
Online and a trailer tow hitch
X
To switch between function modes on
vehicles with COMAND Online and a
trailer tow hitch: selectthe "Reverse
parking" function with the COMAND con-
troller symbol :; see the separate operat-
ing instructions for COMAND Online.
or
X For the "Coupling up a trailer" function,
select the symbol ;; see the separate
operating instructions for COMAND Online.
The symbol of the selected function is high-
lighted.
To deactivate: the reversing camera is deac-
tivated if you:
R select transmission position P(vehicles
with automatic transmission)
R drive forward ten metres
R for vehicles with an automatic transmis-
sion, shift the transmission from Rto
another position after 15 seconds
R for vehicles with manual transmission, shift
out of reverse gear after 15 seconds
R drive forwards at a speed of over
10 km/h Displays in the Audio/COMAND display G
WARNING
Using the reversing camera can be dangerous
if you are colour-blind or if your ability to dis-
tinguish colours is impaired.
Only use the reversing camera if you can see
and distinguish between all the coloured
guide lines that are displayed by the reversing
camera in the Audio/COMAND display. G
WARNING
Please note that objects not at ground level
may appear to be further away than they
actually are. These include:
R the bumper of a vehicle that is parked
behind your vehicle
R a trailer drawbar
R the ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
R the tail-end of a lorry
R slanted posts
The lines are only guides, not accurate meas-
urements of the distance to an obstacle.
Therefore, you should never pass the red line
when approaching an obstacle. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. Lanes
:
White lane marking vehicle width with
steering wheel straight (static)
; Yellow lane marking the course the tyres
will take at the current steering wheel
angle (dynamic) Driving systems
171Driving and parking Z

Driving to the final position
:
White lane indicating the route the vehicle
will take with the steering wheel in its cur-
rent position
; Parking space marking
X Turn the steering wheel to the centre posi-
tio nw hile the vehicle is stationary. :
Red guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 0.25 mfrom the rear of the vehicle
; White lane indicating the route the vehicle
will take with the steering wheel straight
= End of parking space
X Reverse carefully until you have reached
the end position.
Red guide line :is then at the end of park-
ing space =.The vehicle is almost parallel
in the parking space.
"Coupling up a trailer" function This function is only available on vehicles with
a trailer tow hitch and COMAND Online. :
Vehicle centre point on the yellow guide
line at a distance of approximately 1.0 m
from the rear of the vehicle
; Trailer drawbar
= Ball coupling
X Set the height of trailer drawbar ;so that
it is slightly higher than ball coupling =.
X Position the vehicle centrally in front of
trailer drawbar ;. :
Ball coupling
; Red guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 0.25 m from ball coupling
= Trailer drawbarm arker assistant
? Trailer drawbar
A Symbol for the "Coupling up a trailer"
function
X Select the symbol Awith the Audio/
COMAND controller; see th eseparate
operating instructions for the audio sys-
tem/COMAND Online.
The "Coupling up a trailer" function is selec-
ted. The distance specifications now only 174
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Information in the multifunction display
Example: vehicles with automatic transmission
: Traffic sign indicating aspeed limit or the
end of a speed limit (example)
; Speed Limit Assist is available and the
warning function is switched on in the on-
board computer
= Units used in the traffic sign displayed
Briefly showing detected traffic signs in
the multifunction display
X Activate the Speed Limit Assist warning
function using the on-board computer
(Y page 198).
Symbol ;appears.
At raffic sign indicating a speed limi torthe
end of a speed limit :appears in the mul-
tifunction display for around five seconds
as soon as it is detected. Any other infor-
mation in the multifunction display is hid-
den for this period.
Permanently showing detected traffic
signs in the multifunction display
X Display Speed Limit Assist using the on-
board computer (Y page 198).
At raffic sign indicating a speed limi torthe
end of a speed limit :appears in the mul-
tifunction display as soon as it is detected.
Traffic sign indicating a speed limit :is
generally displayed until:
R a traffic sign indicating the end of the
speed limit is detected.
R you make a turn.
R you leave or enter a town. R
the road type changes (e.g. motorway,
country road).
R you have travelled a certain minimum
distance without the traffic sign being
repeated or detected again.
i You can also activate Speed Limit Assist
using COMAND Online. The maximum per-
missible speed is shown in the COMAND
display; see the COMAND Online operating
instructions. Lane Tracking package
General notes The Lane Tracking package consists of Blind
Spot Assist (Y
page 177) and Lane Keeping
Assist (Y page 180).
Blind Spot Assist General notes
Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor system
to monitor the areas on both sides of your
vehicle. It supports you from speeds of
30 km/h. A warning display in the exterior
mirrors draws your attention to vehicles
detected in the monitored area. If you then
switch on the corresponding turn signal to
change lane, you will also receive an optical
and audible collision warning. For this pur-
pose, Blind Spot Assist uses sensors in the
rear bumper.
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Blind Spot Assist is only an aid designed to
assist driving. It may fail to detect some vehi-
cles and is no substitute for attentive driving.
Blind Spot Assist cannot detect road and traf-
fic conditions. It may fail to detect narrow
vehicles, such as motorcycles or bicycles, or
only detect them too late.
Monitoring may be affected by dirty sensors,
strong spray or poor visibility caused by snow, Driving systems
177Driving and parking
Z

Indicator and warning display
G
WARNING
Blind Spo tAssist is not active at speeds below
30 km/h. The indicator lamps in the exterior
mirrors are yellow. Vehicles in the monitoring
range are then not indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognise dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourselfa nd others. :
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
If Blind Spo tAssist is switched on, indicator
lamp :in the exterior mirrors lights up yel-
low up to a speed of 30 km/h. At speeds
above 30 km/h, the indicator lamp goes out
and Blind Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
30 km/h, warning lamp :on the corre-
sponding side lights up in red. This warning is
always emitted when a vehicle enters the
blind spot monitoring range from behind or
from the side. When you overtake a vehicle,
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/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light. Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range
of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the
corresponding turn signal, a double warning
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.
Switching on Blind Spot Assist
X On vehicles without an integrated naviga-
tion system, make sure that the Becker ®
MAP PILOT is connected; see the separate
operating instructions for Audio 20.
X Make sure that the radar sensor system
(Y page 203) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 199) are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :light up red in the exte-
rior mirrors for approximately 1.5 seconds
and then turn yellow.
Trailer towing
If you attach a trailer, make sure that you have
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. The indicator lamp lights up yel-
low in the exterior mirrors and the Blind Spot Assist currently unavailable
See Owner's Manual message appears in
the multifunction display.
i You can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, switch off 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. Driving systems
179Driving and parking Z