warning MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2012 Owners Manual

Displa
yson the multifunction display
R È (grey):va riable limiter is selec ted but
not yet acti vated.
R È (green): variable limiter is activated.
A stored speed appears along with theÈ dis‐
pla y.The segments in the speedome ter light up,
up tothe cur rently stored speed.
When the driving speed is greater than the
st ored speed, theÈ display flashes.
Kickd own
If yo u depress the accelera tor pedal be yond the
pressure point (kickdown), theva riable limiter
swit ches topassive mode. The Limiter passive
message appears in the multifunction displa y.
Af ter completion of kickdown, theva riable lim‐
iter is activated again in thefo llowing situations:
R Ifth eve hicle speed drops below thestored
speed.
R Ifth estored speed is called up.
R Ifyo ustore a new speed. Operating cruise control or
theva riable lim‐
iter &
WARNING Risk of accident due tostored
speed
If yo u call up thestored speed and this is
lo we rth an your cur rent speed, theve hicle
decelerates. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. Re
quirements:
Cruise control
R Cruise control is selected.
R ESP ®
must be activated, but not inter vening.
R The vehicle speed is at least 20 km/h.
R The transmission is in position h.
Va riable limiter
R The variable limiter is selec ted. #
Tooperate cruise control or theva riable
limi ter: press thero ck er switch on thesteer‐
ing wheel control unit up or down tothe
desired position.
Switching between cruise control and the
va riable limi ter #
Toselect cruise control: selecthwith
th eright rock er switch. Driving and parking
19 5
Internal use only

Setting
the limit speed for winter tyres
Multimedia sy stem:
4 Vehicle 5
î Vehicle settings
5 Winter tyres limit #
Select a speed or deactivate the function. Ac
tive Di stance Assist DISTRO NICFu
nction of Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC maintains the
set speed on free-flowing roads. If vehicles in
front 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 using the
st eering wheel.
Av ailable speed range:
R Vehicles without Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: 20 km/h - 200 km/h
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: 20 km/h - 210 km/h %
Plug-in hybrid: the adjus table set speed can
be reduced due tothe selected drive pro‐
gram. Obser vethere leva nt no tes in the Sup‐
plement.
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)
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:
- Reacts tostationary vehicles de tected in
urban speed ranges (e xcept bicycles and
mo torcyc les)
- Take s one-sided overtaking restrictions
into account on mo torw ays or on multi-
lane roads with separate car riag ew ays
(countr y-dependent)
Ve hicles with Driving Assistance Package
and Park ingPackage: ifth eve hicle has been braked
toast andstill on multi-lane, separate
car riag ewa ysby Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC, it can au tomatically follow theve hi‐
cle 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
th at the driver must now take control of theve hi‐
cle. The vehicle is not accelerated any fur ther.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185). Driving and pa
rking 197
Internal use only

R
Ifth ere are nar rowvehicles in front, such as
bicycles or mo torcyc les.
In addition, on slippery roads, braking or accel‐
erating can cause one or se veral wheels tolose
traction and theve hicle could then skid.
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 possible
deceleration. If this decele ration is not su ffi‐
cient, Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
alerts you with a visual and acoustic warning. #
Adjust your speed and main tain a suita‐
ble dis tance from theve hicle in front. #
Brake theve hicle yourself and/or take
ev asive action. &
WARNING Risk of accident if de tection
function of Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is impaired
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC does not
re act or has a limited reaction:
R when driving on a dif fere nt lane or when
ch anging lanes
R topedestrians, animals, bicycles or sta‐
tionary vehicles, or unexpected obs tacles
R tocompl extraf fic conditions
R tooncoming vehicles and crossing traf fic
As a result, Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC may nei ther give warnings nor
inter vene in su chsituations. #
Alw ays obser vethe tra ffic conditions
carefully and react accordin gly. Operating
Active Di stance Assist DIST RONIC
Re quirements:
R The elect ric pa rking brake is released.
R ESP ®
is activated and is not inter vening. Driving and pa
rking 19 9
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC being
acti vewhen you lea vethe driver's seat
If yo u lea vethe driver's seat while theve hicle
is being braked byActive Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC only, theve hicle can rollaw ay. #
Alw ays deactivate Active Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC and secure theve hi‐
cle topreve nt it from rolling away
before you lea vethe driver's seat. #
Select Owiththe left rock er switch.
% Ifyo u brake, deactivate ESP ®
or if ESP ®
inter venes, Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is deacti vated.
Increasing/decreasing thesto red speed #
1 km/h: press rocker switch 1upM or
down Ntothe pressure point, or press
and hold (increments of 1 km/h).
or #
10km/h: press rock er switch 1upM or
down Nbeyond the pressure point, or
press and hold (increments of 10km/h).
or #
Accelerate theve hicle tothe desired speed
and press rocker switch 1upM.
Changing the specified distance totheve hi‐
cle in front #
Toreduce the speci fied distance: press
th eright rock er switch up (Ñ). #
Toincrease the specified distance: press
th eright rock er switch down (Ò).
Fu nction of Active Speed Limit Assi st
If speed limit change between 20 km/h and
13 0 km/h is de tected and the automatic adop‐
tion of speed limits is active, it will be automati‐
cally adop ted as thestored speed
(/ page 212).
The driven speed is adju sted when theve hicle is
le ve l with the traf fic sign at the latest. In the
case of signs indicating entry into an urban area,
th e speed is adap ted according tothe speed
permitted within the urban area. The speed limit display in
the Instrument Display is alw ays upda‐
te d when theve hicle is le vel with the tra ffic sign.
If th ere is no speed restriction on an unlimited
st re tch of road (e.g. on a mo torw ay),th ere com‐
mended speed is auto maticallyadop ted as the
st ored speed. The sy stem uses the speed stored
on an unlimited stre tch of road as there com‐
mended speed. If you do not alter thestored
speed on an unlimited stre tch of road, there c‐
ommended speed is 130 km/h.
If Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC has been
put into passi vemode bypressing the accelera‐
to r pedal, only speed limits which are higher
th an the set speed are adop ted.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185).
Sy stem limits
The sy stem limits of Traf fic Sign Assi stapply to
th e de tection of traf fic signs (/ page 211).
Speed limits bel ow20 km/h are not auto mati‐
cally adop tedby the sy stem as thestored speed.
Te mp orary speed restrictions (e.g. for a cer tain
time or due towe ather conditions) cannot be Driving and parking
201
Internal use only

proper
lyde tected bythe sy stem. The maximum
permissible speed applying toave hicle with a
trailer is not de tected bythe sy stem.
Ad just the speed in these situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident due toActive
Speed Limit Assi stadapting theve hicle's
speed
The speed adop tedby Active Speed Limit
Assi stmay be too high or incor rect in some
individual cases, su chas:
R at speed limits below 20 km/h
R inwe t conditions or in fog
R when towing a trailer #
Ensure that the driven speed complies
with traf fic re gulations. #
Adjust the driving speed tosuit cur rent
traf fic and weather conditions. Fu
nction of route-based speed adaptation
When Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti‐
va ted, theve hicle speed will be adap ted accord‐
ingly tothero ute events ahead. Depending on th
e drive prog ram selected, theve hicle negoti‐
ates a route event ahead in an economical, com‐
fo rtable or dynamic manner. When thero ute
eve nt has been passed, theve hicle accelerates
again tothestored speed. The set dis tance to
th eve hicle in front, vehicles de tected ahead and
speed restrictions ahead are take n into account.
Yo u can activate and deactivate route-based
speed adap tation in the multimedia sy stem
(/ page 203).
The following route events are take n into
account:
R Bends
R T-junctions, roundabouts and tollst ations
R Turns and exits
R Traf fic jams ahead (only wi thLive Traf fic
Information (/ page 304))
% When theto llst ation is reached, Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC adopts the speed as
th estored speed. Also,
the speed is reduced if the turn signal indi‐
cator tochange lanes is swit ched on and one of
th efo llowing situations is de tected:
R Turning off at junctions
R Driving on slowing-down lanes
R Driving on lanes adjacent toslowing-down
lanes
The driver is responsible forch oosing theright
speed and observing other road users. This
applies in particular tojunctions, roundabouts
and traf fic lights, as route-based speed adap ta‐
tion does not brake theve hicle toast andstill.
When route guidance is active, thefirs t speed
adjustment is car ried out automatically. If the
turn signal indica tor is switched on, the selected
ro ute is confirmed and fur ther speed adjustment
is activated.
Speed adap tation is cancelled in thefo llowing
cases:
R Ifth e turn signal indicator is switched off
before thero ute event.
R Ifth e driver depresses the accelerator or
brake pedal during the process. 202
Driving and parking
Internal use only

Sy
stem limits
Ro ute-based speed adap tation does not take
ri ght of wayre gulations into account. The driver
is responsible for complying with road traf fic
re gulations and driving at a suitable speed.
The speed adap tation made bythe sy stem may
not alw ays be suitable, particular lyin thefo llow‐
ing situations:
R thero ad's course not clear lyvisible
R road nar rowing
R varying maximum permissible speeds in indi‐
vidual lanes, forex ample at tollst ations
R wetro ad sur faces, snow or ice
R when towing a trailer
In these situations the driver must inter vene
acco rding ly. &
WARNING Risk of accident in spite of
ro ute-based speed adap tation
Ro ute-based speed adap tation can malfunc‐
tion or be temp orarily una vailable in thefo l‐
lowing situations: R
Ifth e driver does not follow the calcula‐
te dro ute
R If map data is not up-to-date or available
R Intheeve nt of roadwor ks
R In bad weather or road conditions
R Ifth e accelera tor pedal is depressed
R Intheeve nt of electronical lydispla yed
speed limitations #
Adapt the speed tothe traf fic situation. Setting
route-based speed adjustment
Re quirements:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d.
Multimedia sy stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance
5 Speed adjustment #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function. Ac
tive Steering Assist Fu
nction of Active Steering Assist
Ac tive Steering Assist is only available up to a
speed of 210 km/h. The sy stem helps youto
st ay inthe cent reofthe lane bymeans of mod‐
erate steering inter ventions. Depending on the
speed driven, Active Steering Assist uses the
ve hicles ahead and lane markings as a refer‐
ence.
% Depending on the count ry, in the lo wer
speed range Active Steering Assist can use
th e sur rounding traf fic as a refere nce. If nec‐
essar y,Ac tive Steering Assist can then also
pr ov ide assis tance when driving outside the
centre of the lane, forex ample, toform a
re scue lane.
If th e de tection of lane markings and vehicles
ahead is impaired, Active Steering Assist
switches topassive mode. The sy stem pr ovides
no support in this case.
St atus display of Active Steering Assist in
th e multifunction display
R Ø (gre y): activated and passive
R Ø (gre en): activated and active Driving and parking
203
Internal use only

R
Ø (red): sy stem limits de tected
R Ø (white, red hands): "hands on thesteer‐
ing wheel" prom pt
% During the transition from active topassive
st atus, theØ symbol is shown as
enlar ged and flashing. Once the sy stem is
passive, theØ symbol is shown as gr eyin
th e multifunction displa y.
% Depending on the selected vehicle settings,
Ac tive Steering Assist may be una vailable.
Ste ering and touch de tection
The driver is requiredtokeep their hands on the
st eering wheel at all times and be able tointer‐
ve ne at any time tocor rect the course of the
ve hicle and keep it in lane. The driver must
ex pect a change from active topassive mode or
vice versa at any time. If
th e sy stem de tects that the driver has not
st eered theve hicle for a considerable period of
time or has remo vedth eir hands from thesteer‐
ing wheel, display 1appears. If the driver still
does not steer theve hicle, a warning tone
sounds in addition tothe visual warning mes‐
sage.
If th e driver does not react tothewa rning for a
considerable period, the sy stem can initiate an
emer gency stop (/ page 206).
The warning is not issued or is stopped when the
driver gives con firm ation tothe sy stem:
R The driver steers theve hicle. R
Depending on the count ry:th e driver
presses a steering wheel button or operates
To uch Control
If Ac tive Steering Assist de tects that a sy stem
limit has been reached, a visual warning is
issued and a warning tone sounds.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185).
Sy stem limits
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 thro ugh exits.
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
R The reis poor visibilit y,e.g. due tosno w,rain,
fo g, heavy spr ay, greatly varying light condi‐
tions or strong shado wsonthe car riag ewa y.
R There is glare, e.g. from oncoming traf fic,
di re ct sunlight or reflections.
R Insuf ficient road illumination. 204
Driving and parking
Internal use only

R
The windscreen is dirty, mis ted up, damaged
or co vered in the vicinity of the camera, e.g.
by ast icke r.
R No, or se veral, unclear lane markings are
present for one lane, or the markings change
qu ickl y,forex ample, in a con stru ction area
or junctions.
R The lane markings are wornaw ay, dark or
co vered up, e.g. bydirt or sno w.
R Ifth e dis tance totheve hicle in front is too
short and thus the lane markings cann otbe
de tected.
R The road is nar row and winding.
R There are obs tacles on the lane or projecting
out into the lane, such as object mar kers.
The sy stem does not pr ovide assis tance in the
fo llowing conditions:
R On tight bends and when turning.
R When crossing junctions.
R Atroundabouts or tollst ations.
R When towing a trailer.
R When the tyre pressure is too lo w. &
WARNING Risk of accident if Active
St eering Assist unexpectedly stops func‐
tioning
If th e sy stem limits of Active Steering Assist
are reached there is no guarantee that the
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
The de tection of lane markings and objects
may malfunction and cause unexpected
st eering inter ventions. #
Steer according totraf fic conditions. Ac
tivating Active Steering Assist
Re quirements:
R ESP ®
must be activated, but not inter vening. R
Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d. #
If indicator lamp 1is off: press button 2. Driving and parking
205
Internal use only

Fu
nction of Active Eme rgency Stop Assist If
th e sy stem de tects that the driver has not
st eered theve hicle for a considerable period of
time or has remo vedth eir hands from thesteer‐
ing wheel, display 1appears in the multifunc‐
tion displa y.Ifth e driver still does not steer the
ve hicle, or gives no confirmation tothe sy stem,
a wa rning tone sounds in addition tothe visual
wa rning message.
If th e driver still does not respond tothewa rn‐
ing, theBeginning emergency stop message
appears in the multifunction displa y.Ifth e driver
st ill does not respond, Active Dis tance Assi st DISTRONIC
reduces the speed. The vehicle is
decelerated in stages toast andstill.
Depending on the count ry, at speeds below
60 km/h the hazard warning lights switch on
automaticall y.
When theve hicle is stationar y,thefo llowing
actions are car ried out:
R The vehicle is secured with the electric park‐
ing brake.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is ended
R The vehicle is unloc ked.
R If possible, an emer gency call is placed to
th e Mercedes-Benz emer gency call centre
The driver can cancel the deceleration at any
time byper form ing one of thefo llowing actions:
R Steering
R Braking or accelerating
R Deactivating Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC Ac
tive Brake Assi st 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 and cornering
function
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimise the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles, cyclists or
pedestrians or toreduce the ef fects of such a
collision.
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.206
Driving and parking
Internal use only

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.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185). If autonomous braking or situation-dependent
braking assi
stance has occur red, display 1 appears in
the multifunction display and then
automatically goes out af ter a short time. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d de tection per form ance of Active
Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stcannot al ways clear ly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
Ac tive Brake Assi stis only an aid. The driver
is responsible for maintaining a suf ficiently
safe di stance totheve hicle in front, vehicle
speed and for braking in good time. #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Active Brake
Assi stalone. #
Be prepared tobrake or swer veif nec‐
essar y. Also obser
vethe sy stem limits of Active Brake
Assi st. The individual subfunctions are
available in
va rious speed ranges:
The dis tance warning function can issue a warn‐
ing in thefo llowing situations:
R From appr oximately 30 km/h, if over se veral
seconds the dis tance maintained totheve hi‐
cle tr avelling in front is insuf ficient forthe
driven speed, theL distance warning
lamp lights up in the instrument clus ter.
R From appr oximately 7 km/h, if your vehicle
is critically close toave hicle, cyclist or
pedestrian, you will hear an intermit tent
wa rning tone and theL distance warning
lamp lights up in the instrument clus ter.
Brake immediately or take evasive action, pr ovi‐
ded it is safe todo so and the traf fic situation
allo wsthis. Driving and parking
207
Internal use only