ESP MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2014 Manual Online

Adaptive
When
Adaptive Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this case, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane marking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motor-
way.
R the system recognises solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend. Driving Assistance PLUS package
General notes The Active Driving Assistance PLUS package
consists of DISTRONIC PLUS (Y
page 222),
Active Blind Spot Assist (Y page 263) and
Active Lane Keeping Assist (Y page 266).
Active Blind Spot Assist General notes
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the areas
on either side of the vehicle that are not visi-
ble to the driver with two lateral, rear-facing
radar sensors. A warning display in the exte-
rior mirrors draws your attention to vehicles detected in the monitored area. If you then
switch on the corresponding turn signal to
change lanes, you will also receive a visual
and audible collision warning. If a risk of side
impact is detected, corrective braking may
help you avoid a collision. Active Blind Spot
Assist evaluates the free space in the direc-
tion of travel and to the side before making a course-correcting brake application. For this,Active Blind Spot Assist uses the forward-
facing radar sensors.
Active Blind Spot Assist supports you from a
speed of approximately 30 km/h.
Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid and is
not a substitute for attentive driving. G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not react to
vehicles:
R overtaking too closely on the side, placing
them in the blind spot area
R if the difference in the speed of approach
and overtaking is too great
As a result, Active Blind Spot Assist may nei-
ther give warnings nor intervene in such sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and maintain a safe distance at the side of the vehicle.
Radar sensors
The Active Blind Spot Assist radar sensors are
integrated into the front and rear bumpers
and behind a cover in the radiator grille. Make sure that the bumpers and the cover in the
radiator grille are free of dirt, ice or slush. The
rear sensors must not be covered, e.g. by
bicycle racks or overhanging loads. Following
a severe impact or in the event of damage to the bumpers, have the function of the radar
sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. Active Blind Spot Assist may oth-
erwise no longer function properly. Driving systems
263Driving and parking Z

Monitoring range
G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not detect all
traffic situations and road users. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always make sure that there is sufficient dis-
tance to the side for other traffic or obstacles. Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up
to 3.0 mbehind your vehicle and directly next
to your vehicle, as shown in the diagram.
The detection of vehicles may be impaired in the case of:
R dirt on the sensors or obscured sensors
R poor visibility, e.g. due to rain, snow or
spray
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
indicated.
Active Blind Spot Assist may not detect nar-
row vehicles, such as motorcycles or bicy-
cles, or may only detect them too late.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not driving in the middle of their lane. This may be
the case if there are vehicles at the edge of
their lane nearest your vehicle. Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when driv-
ing close to crash barriers or similar solid
lane borders
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside particularly long vehicles, for
example lorries, for a prolonged time
Warning display :
Warning display
Active Blind Spot Assist is not operational at
speeds below approximately 30 km/h. Vehi-
cles in the monitoring range are then not indi-
cated.
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 red. This warning lamp
always lights up 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.
If you select the reverse gear, Active Blind
Spot Assist is not operational.
The brightness of the warning lamps is auto-
matically adapted to the brightness of the
surroundings. 264
Driving systemsDriving and parking

When Active Blind Spot Assist is activated,
grey radar waves propagating backwards
appear next to the vehicle in the assistance
display in the multifunction display. Above a
speed of 30 km/h, the colour of the radar
waves in the assistance display changes to
green ;. Active Blind Spot Assist is then
ready for use.
Visual and acoustic collision warning
If you switch on the turn signals to change
lanes and a vehicle is detected in the side
monitoring range, you receive a visual and
acoustic collision warning. You will then hear a double warning tone and red warning
lamp :flashes. If the turn signal remains on,
detected vehicles are indicated by the flash-
ing of red warning lamp :. There are no fur-
ther warning tones.
Course-correcting brake application
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a
side impact in the monitoring range, a course- correcting brake application is carried out.
This is designed to help you avoid a collision. G
WARNING
A course-correcting brake application cannot always prevent a collision. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Blind Spot Assist warns
you or makes a course-correcting brake appli-
cation. Always maintain a safe distance at the sides. If a course-correcting brake application
occurs, red warning lamp
:flashes in the
exterior mirror and a dual warning tone
sounds. In addition, display ;underlining
the danger of a side collision appears in the
multifunction display.
In very rare cases, the system may make an
inappropriate brake application. A course-
correcting brake application may be interrup-
ted at any time if you steer slightly in the
opposite direction or accelerate.
The course-correcting brake application is
available in the speed range between
30 km/h and 200 km/h.
Either a course-correcting brake application
appropriate to the driving situation, or none at all, may occur if:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, on both sides of your vehicle
R a vehicle approaches too closely on the
side
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds
R you clearly brake or accelerate
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre is
detected Driving systems
265Driving and parking Z

Activating Active Blind Spot Assist
X Make sure that Active Blind Spot Assist is
activated in the on-board computer
(Y page 309).
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately 1.5 seconds. Grey radar waves propagating backwards
appear next to the vehicle in the assistance
display in the multifunction display.
Towing a trailer
If you couple up a trailer, make sure that you have correctly established the electrical con-
nection. This can be accomplished by check- ing the trailer lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist
is then deactivated. The radar waves next to
the vehicle are hidden in the assistance dis-
play. The Active
Active Blind BlindSpot
SpotAssist
Assist not
not
available
available when
whentowing
towing a
atrailer
trailer See
See
Owner's Manual
Owner's Manual message appears in the
multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in front of your vehicle by means of camera
system :at the top of the windscreen. Var-
ious areas to the front, rear and side of your
vehicle are also monitored with the aid of the
radar sensor system. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. If you do not react to the warning, a lane-correcting application of the brakes
can bring the vehicle back into the original
lane.
If you select km
km in the Display unit Display unit
Speed-/odometer:
Speed-/odometer: function on the on-board
computer (Y page 312), Active Lane Keeping
Assist is activated starting at a speed of
60 km/h. If the miles milesdisplay unit is selected,
the assistance range begins at 40 mph.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active
Lane Keeping Assist can neither reduce the
risk of an accident nor override the laws of
physics. Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot
take account of road and weather conditions. It may not recognise traffic situations. Active Lane Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time, and for staying in lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot continu-
ously keep your vehicle in its lane. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle
R neither give a warning nor intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation. 266
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun or reflection from other vehicles
(e.g. if the road surface is wet)
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up, dam-
aged or covered, for instance by a sticker,
in the vicinity of the camera
R if the radar sensors in the front or rear
bumpers or the radiator grille are dirty, e.g. obscured by snow
R no, or several, unclear lane markings are
present for one lane, e.g. in a construction
area
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge
R the road is narrow and winding
R there are highly variable shade conditions
on the road
If no vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane
and broken lane markings are detected, no
lane-correcting brake application is made.
Warning vibration through the steering
wheel
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of intermittent vibration in the steer-
ing wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
Lane-correcting brake application
If you leave your lane under certain circum-
stances, the vehicle will brake briefly on one
side. This is intended to help you return the
vehicle to the original lane. G
WARNING
A lane-correcting brake application cannot
always bring the vehicle back into the original lane. There is a risk of an accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Lane Keeping Assist warns
you or makes a lane-correcting brake appli-
cation. If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
display :appears in the multifunction dis-
play. The brake application also slightly
reduces driving speed.
This function is available in the range between
60 km/h and 200 km/h.
A lane-correcting brake application can be
made after driving over a lane marking rec-
ognised as being solid or broken. Before this,
a warning must have been issued by means of
intermittent vibration through the steering
wheel. In addition, a lane with lane markings
on both sides must be recognised.
In the case of a broken lane marking being
detected, a lane-correcting brake application can only be made if a vehicle has been detec-
ted in the adjacent lane. Oncoming vehicles,
overtaking vehicles and vehicles in adjacent
lanes can be detected.
i A further lane-correcting brake applica-
tion can only occur after your vehicle has
returned to the original lane. Driving systems
267Driving and parking Z

No lane-correcting brake application occurs
if:
R you clearly and actively steer, brake or
accelerate
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend
R you have switched on the turn signal
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of
acceleration
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R the transmission is not in position D
R on vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the
electrical connection to the trailer has been
correctly established
R a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre
has been detected and displayed
R an obstacle in the lane in which you are
driving has been detected
Active Lane Keeping Assist may not detect
other road users or traffic situations. An inap- propriate brake application may be interrup-
ted at any time if:
R you steer slightly in the opposite direction
R you switch on the turn signal
R you clearly brake or accelerate
A lane-correcting brake application is inter-
rupted automatically if:
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist
R lane markings are no longer detected Activating Active Lane Keeping Assist X
Press button ;.
Indicator lamp :lights up. The Lane Lane
Keeping Assist on
Keeping Assist onmessage appears in
the multifunction display. If all conditions
have been satisfied, a warning or steering
intervention may be made.
If you drive at speeds above 60 km/h and
lane markings are detected, the lines in the assistance graphic display (Y page 306)
are shown in green. Active Lane Keeping
Assist is ready for use.
X To deactivate: press button;.
Indicator lamp :goes out. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is deactivated. The Lane Lane
Keeping Assist off
Keeping Assist off message appears in
the multifunction display.
Selecting Standard or Adaptive setting
X In the Assistance
Assistance menu on the on-board
computer, select the Active Lane Keep‐
Active Lane Keep‐
ing Assist
ing Assist function (Ypage 309).
X Select Standard
Standard orAdaptive
Adaptive.
When Standard
Standard is selected, no warning
vibration occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this event, the warnings are suppressed
for a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
When Adaptive Adaptive is selected, no warning
vibration occurs if: 268
Driving systemsDriving and parking

R
you have switched on the turn signals. In
this event, the warnings are suppressed
for a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane marking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motor-
way.
R the system recognises solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend.
Towing a trailer
If you couple up a trailer, make sure that you have correctly established the electrical con-
nection. This can be accomplished by check- ing the trailer lighting. Hybrid operation
Points to remember
General notes Hybrid technology combines a fuel efficient
internal combustion engine with a powerful
electric motor. The hybrid system automati-
cally selects the most efficient operating
mode for every driving situation. Drive the
vehicle in the usual manner.
To save fuel, the hybrid system switches off
the combustion engine as often as possible
during the journey when power output requirements are low. When power output
requirements are low, the electric motor pow-
ers the vehicle. When power output require-
ments are high, the combustion engine is
switched on, even during a journey. When the vehicle is stationary, the combustion engine
is usually switched off. Consequently, there is
usually no engine idling as with combustion
engine vehicles.
For pulling away and accelerating, the electric motor supports the internal combustion
engine using the power stored in the high-
voltage battery. In addition, the power is used
for partially electric driving, operation of the
electric coolant compressor and to support
the 12 V on-board electrical system. In this
way the hybrid drive helps to reduce your
vehicle's fuel consumption.
Observe the driving tips on hybrid operation
(Y page 278).
RBS (Recuperative Brake System) If you release the accelerator pedal when the
vehicle is in motion, overrun recuperation is
initiated. The electric motor is operated as a
generator when in overrun mode and when
you brake. Hybrid technology converts the
kinetic energy of the vehicle into electricity
and stores it in the high-voltage battery. Important safety notes
All of the vehicle's systems remain active, if: R the vehicle is stationary,
R the combustion engine is switched off and
R the READY-indicator in the instrument clus-
ter is lit.
If you remove your foot from the brake pedal
while in transmission position D or R, the
vehicle could pull away automatically.
Observe the notes on the READY display of
the ECO start/stop function (Y page 279).
Vehicles with an electric motor generate sig-
nificantly less noise than vehicles with inter-
nal combustion engines. As a result, in certain Hybrid operation
269Driving and parking Z

Instrument cluster
:
Charge level display for high-voltage battery (Y page 273)
; RBS warning lamp (Y page 362)
= Electric motor power display (Y page 272)Displays and operation
Coolant temperature display for a com- bustion engine You can call up the coolant temperature using
the on-board computer.
X Use Ñ on the steering wheel to call up
the list of menus.
X Press the :or9 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Service
Servicemenu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Press the :or9 button to select
Coolant
Coolant. Electric motor power display The electric motor power display is on the
right-hand side of the instrument cluster.
The current charge level of the high-voltage
battery is shown as a percentage in charge
level display
A. 100% corresponds to the
highest possible charge level of the high-volt- age battery.
There are two further areas located to the left
and right of charge level display A:
R Area :to; (E-DRIVE): 272
Hybrid operationDriving and pa
rking

!
Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
When reversing the 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.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison to when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strong crosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R has a larger turning circle
This can impair the vehicle's handling char-
acteristics. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly. Maintain a safe distance. Drive care-
fully.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your
speed to the current road and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis- sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion. Notes on towing a trailer
General notes Trailer towing is not permissible on the fol-
lowing models:
R C 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition
R C 220 BlueTEC BlueEFFICIENCY Edition
When towing a trailer, set the tyre pressure on
the rear axle of the towing vehicle for a max-
imum load; see the tyre pressure table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 432). On vehicles without level control, the height
of the ball coupling will alter according to the
load placed on the vehicle. If necessary, use a
trailer with a height-adjustable drawbar.
You will find fitting dimensions and loads
under "Technical data" (Y page 477).
When towing a trailer, the ECO start/stop
function is deactivated. The èECO sym-
bol appears yellow in the multifunction dis-
play. For further information on the ECO
start/stop function; see (Y page 186).
Driving tips Observe the notes on ESP
®
trailer stabilisa-
tion (Y page 82).
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/ trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents to see 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 a trailer. See the "Technical
data" section to find out whether this applies
to your vehicle (Y page 478). If you utilise any
of the added maximum rear axle load when
towing a trailer, the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion may not exceed a maximum speed of
100 km/h for reasons concerning the oper-
ating permit. This also applies in countries in
which the permissible maximum speed for
vehicle/trailer combinations is above
100 km/h.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison to when driving without a trailer and it will
consume more fuel.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients.
This also applies if cruise control, DISTRONIC
PLUS or SPEEDTRONIC are activated.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
vehicle speed. This relieves the load on the 284
Towing a trailerDriving and parking

Coupling up a trailer
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the electric 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.
X Push the combination switch upwards/
downwards and check whether the corre-
sponding turn signal on the trailer is flash-
ing.
A connected trailer is only recognised when the electrical connection is established
correctly and when the lighting system is
working properly. The functioning of other
systems, e.g. ESP ®
, PARKTRONIC, Active
Parking Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist or
Lane Keeping Assist also depends on this. Uncoupling a trailer
G
WARNING
If you uncouple a trailer with an engaged over- run brake, you could trap your hand between
the vehicle and the trailer drawbar. This poses a risk of injury.
Do not uncouple a trailer 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 underneath the vehicle. This
poses a risk of injury.
Make sure that no-one is in the immediate
vicinity of the wheel arch or underneath the
vehicle when disconnecting the trailer cable. !
Do not disconnect a trailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by the rebound- ing of the overrun brake.
! Remove the installed adapter cable
before folding in the ball coupling. Other-
wise, damage may occur to the rear
bumper and the adapter cable.
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the electric 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.
Fold the ball coupling back in if you are not
using the trailer tow hitch. X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary and
the trailer cables are disconnected.
X Place the protective covering on the ball
coupling.
X Open the boot lid. 286
Towing a trailerDriving and parking