steering MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2012 Owner's Manual

The engine is switched off automatically in
the
fo llowing situations if all vehicle conditions for
an automatic engine stop are me t:
R You brake theve hicle toast andstill in trans‐
mission position hori.
R Vehicles with a 48 V on-board electrical
sy stem: You depress the brake pedal when
tra velling at a low speed.
If th e sy stem has de tected one of thefo llowing
situations, the engine will not stop:
R Youstop at a stop sign and there is no vehi‐
cle in front of you.
R The vehicle that stopped in front of you
st arts up again.
R You manoeuv re, turn thesteering wheel
sharply or engage reve rsege ar.
% Ifth e sy stem de tects an intellige ntstop
inhibitor, forex ample, a stop sign, the engine
will not stop.
If yo u activate the HOLD function or engage
th e park position j,the engine can be
switched off in spite of an intelligent stop
inhibitor. The engine is
restar ted automatically if:
R You en gage transmission position hork.
R You depress the accelerator pedal.
R An automatic engine start is requiredbythe
ve hicle.
R Youre lease the brake pedal.
R Vehicles with a 48 V on-board electrical
sy stem:
- Youre lease the brake pedal on a downhill
gradient and theve hicle does not roll.
- The vehicle rolls on a downhill gradient
and does not automatically enter glide
mode at 20 km/h.
ECO start/ stop function symbols in the multi‐
function display:
R The symbol è(green) appears when the
ve hicle is at a standstill: the engine was
switched off bythe ECO start/ stop function.
R The symbol ç(yellow) appears when the
ve hicle is at a standstill: not all vehicle condi‐
tions for an engine stop ha vebeen met. R
Neither the symbol ènorç appears
when theve hicle is at a standstill: an intelli‐
ge nt stop inhibitor was de tected, forex am‐
ple, a stop sign.
If th e engine was switched off bythe ECO start/
st op function and you lea vetheve hicle, a warn‐
ing tone sounds and the engine is not restar ted.
In addition, thefo llowing display message
appears in the multifunction display:
Vehicle is operational Switch off ignition before
exiting
If yo u do not swit choff the ignition, it is auto‐
matically switched off af terth re e minutes. 16 2
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

B
Sport+
R particular lysporty driving
R emphasises theve hicle's ownove rste ering
and under steering characteristics for a more
active driving style
R only suitable for good road conditions, a dry
ro ad sur face and a clear stre tch of road
C Sport
R continues toofferst ability but with a sporty
setup
R allowsthe sporty driver a more active driving
st yle
R only suitable for good road conditions, a dry
ro ad sur face and a clear stre tch of road
A Comfort
R com fortable and economical driving
R balance between traction and stability
R recommended for all road conditions
; Eco
R particular lyeconomical driving R
balance between traction and stability
R recommended for all road conditions
Depending on the drive program, thefo llowing
sy stems change their characteristics:
R drive
-
engine and transmission management
- Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R ESP ®
R vehicles with AIRMATIC or DYNA MIC
BO DY CONT ROL:suspension
R electric po werst eering Selecting
the drive prog ram #
Press DYNA MIC SELECT switch 1forw ards
or backwards.
The drive prog ram selected appears in the
multifunction displa y.16 6
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

#
Shift the transmission toposition hork.
If h is selected, the transmission only shifts
to one gear; if kis selec ted, the transmis‐
sion shifts toreve rsege ar. #
Have the transmission checked at a qualified
specialist workshop immediately. Manual
gearshifting When
the automatic transmission is shif tedto
position h,you can manually shift it with the
st eering wheel gearshift paddle. If permit ted, the
automatic transmission shifts toa higher or
lo we rge ar depending on thesteering wheel
ge arshift paddle being pulled. Yo
u ha vetwo options tomanually shift the auto‐
matic transmission:
R temp orary setting
R permanent setting
The gears shift automatically when manual gear‐
shifting is deactivated.
Te mp orary setting: #
toactivate: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 1or2.
Manual gearshifting is activated for a short
time. The transmission position display
sho wsp and the cur rent gear.
% How long the manual gearshifting stay s acti‐
va ted is dependant on various factors.
Manual gearshifting can be automatically
deactivated in thefo llowing cases:
R changing the drive prog ram
R restarting theve hicle
R when the transmission position his
engaged again
R driving style #
Toshift up: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 2. #
Toshift down: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 1. #
Todeactivate: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 2and hold it in place.
The transmission position display sho wsh.
Pe rm anent setting: #
change todrive prog ram =(/ page166). #
sele ct drive setting p(/ page 167). Gearshif
tre commendation The
gearshift recommendation assists you in
adopting an economical driving style. 17 0
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

R
EBD ( Electronic Brakeforce Distribution)
(/ page 190)
R STEER CONTROL (/ page 190)
R HOLD fu nction (/ page 190)
R Hill Start Assist (/ page191)
R Adaptive Brake Lights (/ page192)
R ATTENTION ASSIST (/ page192)
R Cruise control (/ page194)
R Limi ter (/ page194)
R Traf fic Sign Assi st (/ page 211)
R DYNA MIC BODY CONTROL (/ page218)
R AIRMATIC (/ page219)
Driving Assistance pac kage
The following functions are part of the Driving
Assis tance Package. Cer tain functions are only
av ailable in some countries. Some functions are
also available without the Driving Assis tance
Pa ckage, albeit with restricted functionality.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
(/ page 197) R
Active Speed Limit Assi st(countr y-depend‐
ent) (/ page 201)
R Route-based speed adap tation (countr y-
dependent) (/ page 202)
R Active Brake Assi st (/ page 206)
R Active Steering Assist (count ry-dependent)
(/ page 203)
R Active Emergency Stop Assist (countr y-
dependent) (/ page 206)
R Blind Spot Assist and Active Blind Spot Assi st
with exitwa rning (/ page213)
R Active Lane Keeping Assist (/ page216)
Park ingPackage
R Reversing camera (/ page 221)
R 360° Camera (/ page 223)
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC ( /page 227)
R Active Parking Assist (/ page 231) Fu
nction of ABS The Anti-lock Brake Sy
stem (ABS) regulates the
brake pressure in critical driving situations:
R During braking, e.g. at full brake application
or insuf ficient tyre traction, the wheels are
pr eve nted from lock ing.
R Vehicle steerability while braking is ensured.
If ABS inter venes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal. The pulsating brake
pedal can be an indication of hazardous road
conditions and can ser veas a reminder totake
ex tra care while driving. Fu
nction of BAS The Brake Assist Sy
stem (BAS) supports your
eme rgency braking situation with additional
brake forc e.
If yo u depress the brake pedal quickl y,BA S is
acti vated:
R BAS au tomatically boosts the brake pres‐
sure.
R BAS can sho rten the braking dis tance. Driving and pa
rking 187
Internal use only

Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) Multimedia sy
stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance 5
ESP
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles: observeth e no tes in
th e Supplement. Otherwise, you may failto rec‐
ognise dangers. #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
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 EBD Elect
ronic Breakforce Distribution (EBD) is char‐
acterised 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 CONTROL helps youby transmitting a
noticeable steering forc eto thesteering wheel in
th e direction requiredforve hicle stabilisation.
This steering recommendation is given in thefo l‐
lowing 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 limits
ST EER CONTROL may be impaired or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R ESP ®
is deactivated.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning.
R The steering is malfunctioning.
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, you will be assis ted
fur ther by the electric po werst eering. HOLD function
HOLD function
The HOLD function holds
theve hicle at a stand‐
st ill without requ iring youto depress the brake
pedal, e.g. while waiting in traf fic.
The HOLD function is only an aid. The responsi‐
bility forth eve hicle safely standing still remains
with the driver.
Sy stem limits
The HOLD function is only intended toprov ide
assis tance when driving and is not a su fficient
means of safeguarding theve hicle against rolling
aw ay when stationar y.
R The incline must not be greater than 30%. 19 0
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

R
The transmission is in position h.
R The driver's door is closed.
R Check of thera dar sensor sy stem has been
successfully comple ted.
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is not being
used topark theve hicle or toexit from a
parking space. #
Tooperate Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC:press thero ck er switches on
th esteering wheel control unit up or down to
th e desired position.
Switching between Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC and the limiter #
Press theI button.
Ac tivating the variable limi ter or Active Dis‐
tance Assi stDISTRONIC #
Toactivate with out astored speed: press
rock er switch 1upM or down N, or
select Jwiththe left rocker switch.
or #
Toactivate with ast ored speed: select
J withthe left rocker switch. #
Active Di stance Assist DISTRO NIC:remo ve
yo ur foot from the accelerator pedal.
The cur rent vehicle speed is stored and
maintained (Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC) or limited (variable limiter) by
th eve hicle.
Ad opting a de tected speed limit #
Activate Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC. #
If a traf fic sign has been de tected and is dis‐
pl ay ed in the instrument clus ter: select J
with the left rocker switch.
The maximum permissible speed on the traf‐
fi c sign is adop ted as thestored speed. The
ve hicle adapts its speed tothat of theve hicle
in front, but only up tothestored speed.
Pulling away with Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC #
Activate Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
and remo veyour foot from the brake pedal. #
Select Jwiththe left rock er switch.
or #
Depress the accelerator pedal briefly and
fi rm ly.
The functions of Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC continue tobe car ried out.
Deactivating Active Di stance Assist
DISTRO NIC 200
Driving and pa rking
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