engine MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-Class 2015 W218 Manual Online

Activating DISTRONIC PLUS
Activation conditions
In order to activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine must be started. It may take up
to two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
R the parking brake must be released.
R ESP ®
must be active, but not intervening.
R Active Parking Assist must not be activa-
ted.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R the hood must be closed.
R the driver's door must be closed when you
shift from Pto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
R the front-passenger door and rear doors
must be closed.
R the vehicle must not skid.
Activating X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;or press it up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
X Press the cruise control lever repeatedly
up : or down =until the desired speed is
set.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed. If the vehicle in front of you is stationary, you
can only activate DISTRONIC PLUS once your
vehicle is stationary as well.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS Override
DISTRONIC PLUS Override
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play. The set distance to a slower-moving
vehicle in front will then not be maintained.
You will be driving at the speed you deter-
mine by the position of the accelerator
pedal.
You can also activate DISTRONIC PLUS when
stationary. The lowest speed that can be set is 18 mph (30 km/h).
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;up: or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again. Driving systems
183Driving and parking Z

Stopping
G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R DISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
R the accelerator pedal has been depressed,
e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
For further information on deactivating
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 187).
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.
Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at
a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in
front. The specified minimum distance is set
using the control on the cruise control lever.
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, the
transmission is shifted automatically to posi- tion Pif:
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 malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient. Setting a speed
X
Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :or
down ;to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up :or down ;, the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
X To adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :or
down ;to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up :or down ;, the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
i If you accelerate to overtake, DISTRONIC
PLUS adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting the specified minimum distance You can set the specified minimum distance
for DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span between one and two seconds. With this func-
tion, you can set the minimum distance that
DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in
front, dependent on vehicle speed. You can
see this distance in the multifunction display
(Y page 186).
i Make sure that you maintain a sufficient
distance to the vehicle in front and comply with the minimum distance as required by Driving systems
185Driving and parking Z

Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is activa-
ted :
Vehicle in front, if detected
; Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
= Own vehicle
? DISTRONIC PLUS active (text only
appears when the cruise control lever is
actuated)
X Select the Assistance Graphic Assistance Graphic function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 235).
i You will see the stored speed for about
five seconds when you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS There are several ways to deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, you
will see the DISTRONIC
DISTRONIC PLUS PLUSOff
Offmessage in the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if: R you engage the parking brake
R ESP ®
intervenes or 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 is skidding
R you activate Active Parking Assist
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. You will see the
DISTRONIC PLUS Off
DISTRONIC PLUS Off message in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS General notes
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
R Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
R Vehicles traveling on a different line
R Other vehicles changing lanes
R Narrow vehicles
R Obstructions and stationary vehicles
R Crossing vehicles
In such situations, brake if necessary.
DISTRONIC PLUS is then deactivated. Driving syste
ms
187Driving an d parking Z

play. Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot are
deactivated.
When DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated or not
available, Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
are deactivated automatically. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when maneuvering 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 canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R the HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
! If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations. To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-
tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
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 your seat belt
is fastened
R the 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
display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again. Driving systems
191Driving and parking Z

Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R you accelerate and the transmission is in
position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position P.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a
certain amount of pressure until ëdis-
appears from the multifunction display.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
When the HOLD function is activated, the
transmission is shifted automatically to posi- tion Pif:
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 the hood is opened.
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient. RACE START
Important safety notes i
Observe the safety notes for the SPORT
handling mode (Y page 77).
RACE START is intended solely for activation
on dedicated race circuits.
RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start. The precondition for
this is a suitable high-grip road surface.
i RACE START is only available in AMG vehi-
cles.
Conditions for activation You can activate RACE START if:
R the doors are closed.
R the engine is running and it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
176 ‡ (80 †). This is the case when the engine oil temperature in the multifunction
display stops flashing.
R SPORT handling mode is activated.
(Y page 77)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
R the vehicle is stationary and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot).
R the transmission is in position D.
Activating RACE START X
Depress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
X Turn the drive program selector clockwise
(Y page 163) until the RSlamp lights up.
The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWN Cancel: Paddle DOWN message appears
in the multifunction display.
i If the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is canceled. The
RACE START Canceled
RACE START Canceled message appears
in the multifunction display.
X To cancel: pull the left steering wheel pad-
dle shifter (Y page 163).
or
X To confirm: pull the right steering wheel
paddle shifter (Y page 163).
The RACE START Available Depress RACE START Available Depress
gas pedal
gas pedal message appears in the multi-
function display.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is canceled. The RACE START Not RACE START Not
Possible
Possible See
SeeOperator's
Operator's Manual
Manualmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed rises to approximately
3,500 rpm.
The RACE START Release brake to RACE START Release brake to
start
start message appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
i If you do not release the brake pedal
within five seconds, RACE START is can- 192
Driving syste
msDriving and parking

celed. The
RACE START Canceled
RACE START Canceled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The RACE
RACE START START Active
Active message appears
in the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 30 mph
(Canada: 50 km/h). Drive program S+is acti-
vated. SPORT handling mode remains activa-
ted.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if
you release the accelerator pedal during
RACE START or if any of the activation condi-
tions are no longer fulfilled. The RACE
RACE START START
Not Possible See Operator's Manual
Not Possible See Operator's Manual
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
i If RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available
again after the vehicle has been driven a
certain distance. AIRMATIC
Vehicle level Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control: The vehicle is slightly lowered if:
R you have selected comfort suspension tun-
ing and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds of switching off the engine
You and people in the vicinity of the wheel
arch or the underbody may thus become trap- ped. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of thewheel arch or the underbody when you lock
the vehicle.
! The vehicle is lowered by about 15 mm if:
R you have selected "Comfort tuning"
R you switch off the engine and then
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds
When parking, position your vehicle so that it does not make contact with the curb as
the vehicle is lowered. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged.
If you unlock the vehicle within 60 seconds of
having switched the engine off, the vehicle is
lowered slightly when Comfort suspension
mode is selected.
Your vehicle regulates its height automati-
cally. All-round level control ensures the best possible suspension and constant ground
clearance, even with a laden vehicle. When
you drive fast, the vehicle is lowered auto-
matically to improve driving safety and to
reduce fuel consumption.
The following vehicle levels are possible:
R Normal
R Raised: the vehicle is raised by approx-
imately 0.80 in (20 mm) when compared
with the normal level
R Lowered: the vehicle is raised by approx-
imately 0.40 in (10 mm) when compared
with the normal level
i These changes in level are so slight that
you are hardly aware of them.
The "Normal" and "Raised" vehicle levels can
be set manually. Driving systems
193Driving and parking Z

The "Lowered” vehicle level is set automati-
cally:
R at speeds above 70 mph (113 km/h)
R if you have selected "Sports tuning"
(Y page 194)
Setting the vehicle level
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road
surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow
chains or on particularly poor road surfaces.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level X
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
X Press the :button.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to raised level.
The Vehicle Rising Vehicle Rising message appears in
the display.
The "Raised level" setting is canceled if you:
R drive at a speed over approximately 75 mph
(120 km/h)
R drive for approximately three minutes at a
speed over 50 mph (80 km/h).
The "Raised level" remains active when you
are not driving within these speed ranges.
Setting the normal level
X Start the engine. If indicator lamp
;is lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to normal level.
Suspension tuning General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection, i.e. sports or com-
fort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Sports tuning The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode when employing a sporty
driving style, e.g. on winding country roads.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. Sports suspen-
sion tuning is selected.
The AIRMATIC SPORT
AIRMATIC SPORT message appears in
the multifunction display.
Comfort tuning
In comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. There-
fore, select this mode if you favor a more 194
Driving systemsDriving and parking

comfortable driving style. Select comfort
mode also when driving fast on straight roads, e.g. on straight stretches of highway.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp =lights up. Comfort tuning
is selected.
The AIRMATIC COMFORT
AIRMATIC COMFORT message appears
in the multifunction display. AMG adaptive sport suspension sys-
tem
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
The vehicle is slightly lowered if:
R you have selected comfort suspension tun-
ing and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds of switching off the engine
You and people in the vicinity of the wheel
arch or the underbody may thus become trap- ped. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of thewheel arch or the underbody when you lock
the vehicle.
! The vehicle is lowered by about 0.8 in
(20 mm) if:
R you have selected "Comfortable tuning"
R you switch off the engine and then
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds When parking, position your vehicle so that
it does not make contact with the curb as
the vehicle is lowered. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged.
Suspension tuning General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection of Sport, Sport +
or Comfort
Sport mode :
Mode selection button
; Button to store, recall and display the
selected mode
= Sport + mode indicator lamp
? Sport mode indicator lamp
The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures better contact with the road. Select
this mode when employing a sporty driving
style, e.g. on winding country roads.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ?lights up. You have selec-
ted Sport mode.
The AMG
AMG Suspension Suspension System
SystemSPORT
SPORTmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. Driving systems
195Driving and parking Z

When changing from Comfort to Sport or
Sport +, the axle is lowered approximately
1.0 in (25 mm). When changing from Sport or Sport + to Comfort, the axle is raised approx-
imately 1.0 in (25 mm). This level change also
takes place when the vehicle is stationary.
If you drive faster than 105 mph (170 km/h), the rear axle level is set to a middle level. Thisincreases driving safety and reduces air
resistance. If you then drive slower than
93 mph (150 km/h), the level of the rear axle
is again adjusted to correspond to the selec-
ted suspension mode.
Load compensation
The vehicle can compensate differences in
the vehicle level by raising or lowering the
rear axle. This is the case, for example, if peo- ple get out or if luggage is being loaded.
Load compensation takes place if:
R a door, the trunk lid or the tailgate is
opened
R the parked vehicle is unlocked
For larger level changes, the engine must be
running. 4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive)
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC can neither reduce the risk of accident nor
override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot
take account of road, weather and traffic con-
ditions. 4MATIC 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 your lane.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
R Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R Accelerate less when driving.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. This may damage the transfer case.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground or be fully raised. Observe the instructions for
towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow chains if necessary.
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are per-
manently driven. Together with ESP ®
, it
improves the traction of your vehicle when-
ever a drive wheel spins due to insufficient
grip. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It monitors the area
around your vehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. PARKTRONIC indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate
surroundings. You are always responsible for
safe maneuvering, parking and exiting a park-
ing space. When maneuvering, parking or
pulling out of a parking space, make sure that there are no persons, animals or objects in
the area in which you are maneuvering.
! When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, the compressed-air brakes on a
truck or a pneumatic drill could cause
PARKTRONIC to malfunction. Driving systems
197Driving and parking Z

ing tone sounds. If the distance falls below
the minimum, the distance may no longer be
shown.
Warning displays Warning display for the front area
: Segments on the left-hand side of the
vehicle
; Segments on the right-hand side of the
vehicle
= Segments showing operational readiness
The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and the obstacle. The
warning display for the front area is located
on the dashboard above the center air vents. The warning display for the rear area is loca-
ted on the headliner in the rear compartment.
The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into five yellow and two red seg- ments. PARKTRONIC is operational if yellow
segments showing operational readiness =
light up.
The selected transmission position and the
direction in which the vehicle is rolling deter- mine which warning display is active when the
engine is running. 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 tone for 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
; Deactivates/activates PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp ;lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Active Parking Assist is then also
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock. Driving systems
199Driving and parking Z