warning MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS CABRIOLET 2011 Owners Manual

sonous carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the
vehicle, resulting in loss of consciousness and
even death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, open
aw indow slightly on the side of the vehicle
not facing the wind.
At the onset of winter, have your vehicle win-
terproofed at aqualified specialist workshop,
e.g. at aMercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 319).
Driving with summer tyres Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y
page 319).
Slippery road surfaces G
WARNING
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularlyc arefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Vehicles with manual transmission: engage
neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission: shift
the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering.
i For more information on driving with
snow chains, see (Y page 320). Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes Cruise control maintains
aconstant road
speed for you. It brakes automaticallyino rder
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, you must
shift to alower gear in good time or select
shift range 1,2or 3on vehicles with auto-
matic transmission. By doing so, you will
make use of the braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system
and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for aprolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
WARNING
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time. G
WARNING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at aconstant speed (e.g. heavy traffic Driving systems
169Driving and parking
Z

or winding roads). You may otherwise
cause an accident.
R on slippery roads. The drive wheels may
lose their grip when braking or accelerating
and the vehicle may skid.
R when there is low visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow.
Cruise control lever You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected. :
To store the current speed or ahigher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
? To store the current speed or alower
speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds. In the multifunction display,
the segment sbetween the stored speed and
the maximum speed light up. Selecting cruise control X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp ;is off.
If it is off, cruise control is already selected.
If it is not,p ress the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Cruise control is selected.
Storing and maintaining the current
speed You can store the current speed if you are
driving faster than 30 km/h.
X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ?to the pressure point.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored speed.
i Cruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by
automatically applying the brakes.
i Vehicles with manual transmission:
R always drive at adequate, but not exces-
sive, engine speeds.
R change gear in good time.
R if possible, do not change down several
gears at atime.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up astored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger yourself or others by uninten-
tionally triggerin gsudden acceleration or
braking. 170
Driving systemsDriving and parking

On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing atrailer,
you must select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time. By doing so, you will make use of the
braking effect of the engine, which relieves
the load on the brake system and prevents
the brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
If as lower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
DISTRONIC PLUS causes your vehicle to
brake and maintain apreset distance to the
vehicle in front. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid designed to
assist driving. The driver remains fully respon-
sible for the vehicle's distance from other
vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for braking
in good time.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react in particular
to:
R pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cles driving in front,e .g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cle sd riving on adifferent line. Therefore,
always pa yattention to traffic conditions even
when DISTRONIC PLU Sisactivated. Other-
wise, yo umay fai ltorecognis edanger sin
time ,cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLU Scanno ttake account of road
and traffic conditions .IfDISTRONIC doe snot
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front,don ot activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
already active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R before corners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to alane with faster moving
traffic
R in complex driving situations or where lanes
are diverted, e.g. at roadworks on amotor-
way
DISTRONIC PLUS otherwise maintains the
current speed set by you or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONIC PLUS:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip when
braking or accelerating. The vehicle could
start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor vis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tancec ontrol may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
Otherwise, you may fail to recognise dangers
in time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others.
! You must deactivate the radar sensor sys-
tem in certain countries and near radio
telescope facilities. You will find further
information under "Radar sensor system"
in the index.
The radar sensor system is automatically
deactivated near radio telescope facilities
(Y page 345).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor system must be activated
(Y page 229) and operational. 172
Driving systemsDriving and parking

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 avehicle is driving
in fron tofyou, DISTRONIC operates in the
speed range between 0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
road swith steep gradients. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes yourv ehicle up to a
maximum of 4m/s2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detect sarisk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tones ounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up. Brak etoavoidacollision.
Cruise control lever With the cruise control lever, you can operate
DISTRONIC PLUS and variable SPEED-
TRONIC.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: DISTRONIC PLUS
is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected. :
To stor ethe curren tspeed or ahigher
speed
; To set the specified minimum distance
= LIM indicator lamp
? To stor ethe curren tspeed or call up the
last stored speed
A To stor ethe curren tspeed or alower
speed
B To switc hbetween DISTRONIC PLUS and
variable SPEEDTRONIC
C To deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
Selecting DISTRONIC PLUS X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp =is off.
If it is off, DISTRONIC PLUS is already selec-
ted.
If it is not ,press the cruise contro llever in
the direction of arrow B.
LIM indicator lamp =in the cruise control
lever goes out. DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted.
Switching on DISTRONIC PLUS, storing
the current speed and maintaining it Important safet
ynotes G
WARNING
The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. For this reason, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle is to be set in
motion by other means (e.g. in acar wash or
by towing). Driving systems
173Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless yourv ehicle is stationary.
DISTRONIC PLUS then no longer brakes your
vehicle. In such cases, control the distance
from vehicles travellin ginfrontwith the brake
alone. You could otherwise cause an accident
and thereby injure yourself and others. The
drive rremains fully responsible for the vehi-
cle's distanc efrom other vehicles, the speed
being driven and for braking in good time.
Changing lanes
If you wish to change to the passing lane (in
countries where traffic drives on the right, the
passing lane is the left-hand lane), DIS-
TRONIC PLUS supports you if:
R you are driving faster than 60 km/h.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the dis-
tanc etoav ehicle in front.
R you switch on the appropriate turn signals.
R DISTRONIC PLUS does not detec tadanger
of collision.
If these condition sare met, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted
if changing lanes takes too long or if the dis-
tanc ebetween your vehicle and the vehicle in
fron tbecomes too small. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS and Active Blind Spot Assist
are only an aid designed to assist driving.
They do not relieve you of the responsibility
of paying attention .The driver remains fully
responsible for the vehicle's distance from
other vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for
braking in good time. Always pay attention to
traffic conditions and your surroundings. Oth-
erwise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others.
Vehicles with COMAND APS/
Audio 50 APS
i The following function is not operational
in all countries. DISTRONIC PLUS uses additional information
from your navigation system so that it can
react appropriately to certain traffic situa-
tions. This is the case if, while following a
vehicle, DISTRONIC PLUS is active and you:
R
approach or drive through aroundabout
R approach aTjunction
R turn off at amotorway exit
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. Example: roundabout
The current speed is maintained:
R
approximately 10 seconds before the
roundabout/T junction and for approx-
imately 1.5 seconds when driving on the
roundabout
R approximately 12 seconds before reaching
am otorway exit and approximately 4sec-
onds after the motorway exit
Afterwards, the vehicle accelerates back to
the set speed you specified.
Stopping G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated.
DISTRONIC PLUS must also never be oper-
ated, activated or deactivated by apassenger
or from outside the vehicle.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not replace the park-
ing brake and must not be used for parking. Driving systems
175Driving and parking
Z

The DISTRONIC PLUS braking effect is can-
celled and the vehicle can start moving if:
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated using the
cruise control lever.
R you accelerate.
R there is amalfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g. bat-
tery failure.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it,
deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detect sthat the vehicle
in frontiss topping, 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 astandstill
at as ufficient distance behind the vehicle
in front.T he specified minimum distance is
set using the control on the cruise control
lever.
You will see awarning message in the multi-
function displayifD ISTRONIC PLUS is acti-
vated and:
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.
Select Park (P) X
Move the selector lever to Pto prevent the
vehicle from rolling away.
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated. The warn-
ing message in the multifunction display
disappears. The horn will also sound at regular intervals if
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and you:
R
switch the engine off, open the driver's
door and take off your seat belt
R open the bonnet
The sounding of the horn alerts you to the fact
that the vehicle has been parked while DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is still activated. The sound
becomes louder if you attempt to lock the
vehicle. The vehicle is not locked until DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until DISTRONIC
PLUS has been deactivated.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and afault
occurs in the system or if there is adisruption
in the power supply,t heBrake immedi‐ ately message is shown in the multifunction
display. Immediately depress the brake firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc-
tion displayg oes out or shift the transmission
to position P.DISTRONIC PLUS is deactiva-
ted.
Setting aspeed X
Press the cruise control lever to the pres-
sure point, up :for ahighe rs peed or
down Afor alower speed.
X Keep the cruise contro llever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise contro llever.
The new speed is stored. DISTRONIC PLUS
is activated and adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the new speed stored.
Making adjustments in 1km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise contro llever to the
pressure point ,up:for ahigher speed or
down Afor alower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced. 176
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefl ypress the cruis econtrol lever
beyond the pressure point, up :for a
higher spee dordownAfor alower speed.
The lasts peed stored is increased or
reduced.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up astored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and drivin gsituation .You can other-
wise endanger yourself or other sbyuninten-
tionally triggering sudden acceleration or
braking.
X Briefly pull the cruise contro llever towards
you ?.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the curren tspeed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value.
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, dependen tonvehicle speed. You can
see this distanc einthe multifunction display
(Y page 178). X
To increase: turn control;in direction
=.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains agreater
distanc ebetween your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
X To decrease: turn control;in direc-
tion :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains ashorter
distanc ebetween your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
i Make sure that you maintain asufficient
and safe distanc efrom the vehicle in front.
Adjust the distanc etothe vehicle in fron tif
necessary.
DISTRONIC PLUS display sinthe speed-
ometer Whe
nDISTRONI CPLUSisa ctivated ,one or
two segments ;in the set speed range light
up.
i For design reasons ,the speed displayed
in the speedometer ma ydiffe rs lightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS. Driving systems
177Driving and parking Z

or
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
If you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, the DIS‐TRONIC PLUS off message is shown 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. If you accel-
erate to overtake, DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
R you apply the parking brake.
R you are driving slower than 25 km/ha nd
there is no vehicle in front,orift he vehicle
in front is no longer detected.
R ESP ®
intervenes or if you deactivate ESP ®
.
R the transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition.
R the vehicle is near aradio telescope facility
(Y page 345).
R you switch off the radar sensor system
(Y page 229).
R you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door is open.
R the vehicle has skidded.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear awarning tone. The DISTRONIC PLUS off message is shown in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
If the vehicle has been stopped by DISTRONIC
PLUS and afault occurs in the system, the
Brake immediately message appears in the
multifunction. Depress the brake pedal
immediately so that the vehicle does not roll away.D
ISTRONIC PLUS is then deactivated,
and the messag edisappears.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS General notes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary .DISTRONIC PLUS is then
deactivated.
Cornering, going into and comingo ut of a
bend The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Yourv
ehicle
may brake unexpectedly or late.
Vehicles travelling on adifferent line DISTRONIC PLUS may not detec
tvehicles
travelling on adifferent line. The distance to
the vehicle in fron twill be too short. Driving systems
179Driving and parking Z

Other vehicles changing lane
DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distanc
etothis vehicle
will be too short.
Narrow vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in fron
tonthe edge of the carriage-
way,b ecause of its narrow width. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the detected vehicle turns
acorner and reveals
an obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS may detect vehicles that
are crossing your lane by mistake. Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally.
SPEEDTRONIC
Important safety notes SPEEDTRONIC brakes automatically so that
you do not exceed the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especiallyift
he
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, you must
shift to alower gear in good time or select
shift range 1,2or 3on vehicles with auto-
matic transmission. By doing so, you will
make use of the braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system
and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. If you need addi-
tional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously. G
WARNING
Never depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying constant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely. 180
Driving systemsDriving and parking

G
WARNING
Do not change downf or additional engine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You can set avariable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. when driving with winter tyres
fitted (Y page 183) G
WARNING
Speedtronic is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time.
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed
stored.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC General notes
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control or
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/hw hile
the engine is running. :
To store the current speed or ahigher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store the current speed or to call up
the last stored speed
? To store the current speed or alower
speed
A To switch between cruise control or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS and variable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC
Selecting variable SPEEDTRONIC
X Check whether LIM indicator lamp ;is on.
If it is on, variable SPEEDTRONIC is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever lights up. VariableS PEEDTRONIC is
selected. G
WARNING
If there is achange of drivers, advise the new
driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use variable SPEEDTRONIC if you will not
have to accelerate suddenly to aspeed above
that stored as the limit speed. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident.
You can only exceed the limit speed stored if
you deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC:
R using the cruise control lever
R by depressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown) Driving systems
181Driving and parking
Z