warning MERCEDES-BENZ CLS COUPE 2014 Owners Manual

For DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the radar
sensor system must be operational.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 30 km/h and 200 km/h. If a vehicle is driving in front ofyou, it operates in the speed range between
0 km/h and 200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on roads with steep gradients.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to:
R people or animals
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
As a result, DISTRONIC PLUS may neither give
warnings nor intervene in such situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot always clearly iden- tify other road users and complex traffic sit-
uations.
In such cases, DISTRONIC PLUS may:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
R neither give a warning nor intervene
R accelerate unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, in particular when warned to do so by
DISTRONIC PLUS. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle with up to 40% of the maximum braking force. If this
braking force is insufficient, DISTRONIC PLUS warns you visually and audibly. There is a risk
of an accident.
In such cases, apply the brakes yourself and
try to take evasive action.
! If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations. To prevent dam-
age to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC
PLUS and the HOLD function in the follow-
ing or other similar situations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DIS-
TRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk of
an accident nor override the laws of physics. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take road and
weather conditions or traffic conditions into
account. DISTRONIC PLUS 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.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
R on smooth or slippery roads. Braking or
accelerating can cause the drive wheels to
lose traction and the vehicle could then
skid
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow
vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired in the case of:
R dirt on the sensors or obscured sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks 192
Driving systemsDriving and parking

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 the rear
doors must be closed.
R the vehicle must not be skidding.
R the DISTRONIC PLUS function must be
selected with the cruise control lever
(Y page 193).
Activating X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;, or press it up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
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.
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you
can only activate DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehi- cle in front has been detected and is shown in
the multifunction display. If the vehicle in
front is no longer detected and displayed,
DISTRONIC PLUS switches off and you will
hear a tone. The DISTRONIC PLUS assistance
graphic in the instrument cluster shows
whether a vehicle in front has been detected
(Y page 249). i
If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS suspended
DISTRONIC PLUS suspended
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.
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up a stored speed and this is dif-
ferent from the current speed, the vehicle
accelerates or brakes. If you do not know
what the stored speed is, the vehicle may
accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a
risk of an accident.
Take the traffic conditions into account
before calling up the stored speed. If you do
not know what the stored speed is, store the
desired speed again. X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever 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. 194
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

Even if the vehicle in front leaves the detec-
tion range, DISTRONIC PLUS temporarily
maintains the current driving speed and does not accelerate. This is based on the current
map data in the navigation system.
Afterwards, the vehicle accelerates back to
the speed you set.
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.
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 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 the bonnet is opened
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
Setting a speed X
Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down ;for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored. DISTRONIC PLUS
is activated and adjusts the vehicle's speed to the new speed stored.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control
lever up :or down ;to the pressure
point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea-
ses in 1 km/h increments.
X To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h
increments: briefly press the cruise con-
trol lever up :or down ;beyond the
pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea- ses in 10 km/h increments. 196
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

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 DIS‐
DIS‐
TRONIC
TRONIC PLUS PLUSoff
offmessage in the multifunc-
tion display for approximately five seconds.
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 which are not driving in the middle
of their lane
R Other vehicles changing lane
R Narrow vehicles
R Obstructions and stationary vehicles
R Crossing vehicles
In such situations, brake if necessary. DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is then deactivated.
Cornering, going into and coming out of a bend The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle
may brake unexpectedly or late. Vehicles which are not driving in the mid-
dle of their lane DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles
which are not driving in the middle of their
lane. The distance to the vehicle in front is too
small.
Other vehicles changing lane DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle
is too small.
Narrow vehicles Driving systems
199Driving and parking Z

DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in front on the edge of the carriage-
way, because of its narrow width. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front is too small.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals
an obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS may mistakenly detect
vehicles that are crossing your lane. Activat-
ing DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with
crossing traffic, for example, could cause
your vehicle to pull away unintentionally. 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 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
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 is deactivated by the
accelerator pedal being depressed, e.g. by
a vehicle occupant
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
from rolling away.
! If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations. To prevent dam-
age to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC
PLUS and the HOLD function in the follow-
ing or other similar situations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash 200
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

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 172) 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 cancelled. The
RACE
RACE START
START cancelled
cancelled message appears
in the multifunction display.
X To cancel: pull the left steering wheel shift
paddle (Y page 173).
or
X To confirm: pull the right steering wheel
shift paddle (Y page 173).
The RACE START available Depress
RACE START available Depress
accelerator
accelerator message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is cancelled. The RACE
RACE START
START not
not
possible
possible See
SeeOwner's
Owner's Manual
Manualmessage
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 cancel-
led. The RACE
RACESTART
START cancelled
cancelled message
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 50 km/h.
Drive program S+is activated. SPORT han-
dling mode remains activated.
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 Owner's Manual
not possible See Owner's Manual mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i After using it several times in short suc-
cession, RACE START will be unavailable
until a certain distance has been driven. AIRMATIC
Vehicle level Important safety notes
G
WARNING
People's limbs may become trapped if they
are located underneath the vehicle or
between the vehicle body and the tyres when the vehicle is lowering. There is a danger of
injury.
When lowering the vehicle, make sure no one
is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
The vehicle is slightly lowered if you:
R have selected comfort suspension tuning
and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 second s 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. 202
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Suspension setting
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. sport or com-
fort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock.
Sport mode The firmer suspension setting 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. You have selec-
ted "Sport mode".
The AIRMATIC SPORT AIRMATIC SPORT message appears in
the multifunction display.
Comfort mode
In Comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. There-
fore, select this mode if you prefer a more
comfortable driving style. Select Comfort
mode also when driving fast on straight roads,
e.g. on straight stretches of motorway. X
Press button :.
Indicator lamp =lights up. You have selec-
ted "Comfort mode".
The AIRMATIC COMFORT
AIRMATIC COMFORT message appears
in the multifunction display. AMG RIDE CONTROL sport suspen-
sion
Important safety notes G
WARNING
People's limbs may become trapped if they
are located underneath the vehicle or
between the vehicle body and the tyres when the vehicle is lowering. There is a danger of
injury.
When lowering the vehicle, make sure no one
is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
The vehicle is slightly lowered if you:
R have selected comfort suspension tuning
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 20 mm if:
R you have selected "Comfort tuning"
R you switch off the engine and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds
When parking, position your vehicle so that it does not make contact with the kerb as
the vehicle is lowered. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged. 204
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Vehicle level
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
People's limbs may become trapped if they
are located underneath the vehicle or
between the vehicle body and the tyres when the vehicle is lowering. There is a danger of
injury.
When lowering the vehicle, make sure no one
is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches.
The vehicle may be lowered if you press the
suspension tuning selector button or the
AMG button. The vehicle is lowered even if the
vehicle is at a standstill.
! If Sport or Sport + suspension tuning has
been selected, the vehicle's ground clear-
ance decreases. Make sure that no objects
become trapped or that the vehicle has not
been damaged, for example, on the kerb.
i The vehicle level at the rear axle may
change visibly if you park the vehicle and
the outside temperature changes. If the
temperature drops, the vehicle level low-
ers; with an increase in temperature, the
vehicle level rises.
Changing the rear axle level
This function is only available for the CLS 63
AMG 4MATIC and CLS 63 AMG Shooting
Brake.
The vehicle level at the rear axle depends on
the selected suspension mode and the vehi-
cle speed.
The vehicle level at the rear axle changes
while driving depending on which suspension mode is selected:
R Comfort: +10 mm
R Sport + and Sport: -15 mm
When changing from Comfort to Sport or
Sport +, the axle is lowered approximately
25 mm. When changing from Sport or Sport +
to Comfort, the axle is raised approximately 25 mm. The level change also occurs when
stationary.
If you drive faster than 170 km/h, the rear
axle level is set to a middle level. This increa- ses road safety and reduces air resistance. If
you then drive slower than 150 km/h, the
level of the rear axle is again adjusted to cor- respond to the selected 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, when
people get out of the vehicle or when luggage is removed.
A load compensation occurs if:
R a door or the boot lid/tailgate is opened
R the parked vehicle is unlocked
The engine needs to be running for larger level
changes. 4MATIC (permanent all-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 the lane.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
R when pulling away, only depress the accel-
erator pedal as far as is necessary
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 implied 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 206
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

Example: top view
Front sensors
Centre Approx. 100 cm
Corners Approx. 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre Approx. 120 cm
Corners Approx. 80 cm
Minimum distance
Centre Approx. 20 cm
Corners Approx. 15 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, the
relevant warning displays light up and a warn- 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 centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is loca-
ted on the roof lining in the rear compart-
ment.
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 activated208
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

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
; To deactivate/activate 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 key to position 2in the
ignition lock.
Towing a trailer !
Fold in the ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitch is not required. PARKTRONIC meas-
ures the minimum detection range to an
obstacle from the 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
209Driving and parking Z