trailer MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS ESTATE 2009 User Guide

Drive program
Cis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R comfort-oriented engine and suspension
settings
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the
accelerator pedal is depressed fully
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner, which results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin
Drive program Sis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R sporty engine and suspension configura-
tion
R the vehicle pulling away in first gear
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R the late shift point of the automatic trans-
mission can lead to higher fuel consump-
tion
Driving tips Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts
AMG vehicles
When shifting down, the double-clutch func-
tion is active, regardless of the currently
selected drive program. The double-clutch
function reduces load change reactions and
is conducive to a sporty driving style. The sound generated by the double-clutch func-
tion depends on the drive program selected.
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X
Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Trailer towing
X When driving up gradients, keep to the mid-
dle of the engine speed range.
X Shift down to shift range 3or
2 (Y page 113) depending on the incline of
the uphill or downhill gradient, even if
cruise control is activated. Steering wheel gearshift paddles*
and manual drive program*
G
Risk of accident
Do not shift down to brake on a slippery road
surface. This could cause the drive wheels to
lose their grip, and the vehicle could skid.
Steering wheel gearshift paddles It is possible to shift gear using either the
steering wheel gearshift paddles or the selec-
tor lever.114
TransmissionControls
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Brake* are described in the "Driving safety
systems" section (Y page 58). Cruise control
Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must
shift to a lower 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
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery 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 a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
Risk of accident
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
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding roads). You could
otherwise cause an accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerating
could cause the drive wheels to lose trac-
tion and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor 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 lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. :
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store the current speed or to call up
the last stored speed
? To store the current speed or a lower
speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable Speedtronic
B To deactivate cruise control
When cruise control is activated, the stored
speed is displayed in the multi-function dis-
play for five seconds. In the multi-function 138
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Adjustment in 10 km/h increments
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
beyond the pressure point, up :for a
higher speed or down ?for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake.
R you drive at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R you change into neutral in a vehicle with
manual transmission while driving or if the
clutch is depressed for longer than 6 sec-
onds
R on vehicles with manual transmission, you
shift to a higher gear and as a result the
engine speed is too low
R you move the selector lever to Non vehi-
cles with automatic transmission* while
driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You see the Cruise con‐
trol off message in the multi-function dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Distronic Plus*
i Distronic Plus is not available in all coun-
tries.
Distronic Plus regulates the speed and auto-
matically maintains the distance to the vehi-
cle in front. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, 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. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
Risk of accident
Distronic Plus is only an aid designed to assist
driving. The driver is fully responsible for the
vehicle's distance from other vehicles, the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good time.
Distronic Plus does not react 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 vehicles
driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehicles
driving on a different line. Therefore, 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.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic Plus causes your vehicle to brake
and maintain a preset distance to the vehicle
in front. 140
Driving systemsCont
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of its narrow width. The distance to the vehi-
cle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles Distronic Plus does not brake for obstacles or
stationary vehicles. For example, if the detec-
ted vehicle turns a corner 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 Dis-
tronic Plus at traffic lights with crossing traf-
fic, for example, could cause your vehicle to
pull away unintentionally. Speedtronic
Speedtronic brakes automatically so that you
do not exceed the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must
shift to a lower 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
Risk of accident
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. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You can set a variable 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. for driving on winter tyres
(Y page 150) G
Risk of accident
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 With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control, Distronic Plus* and variable
Speedtronic.148
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Front sensors
Centre Approximately 100 cm
Corners Approximately 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre Approximately 120 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer towbars. PARK-
TRONIC does not detect such objects when
they are in the immediate vicinity of the
vehicle. You could damage the vehicle or
the objects.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumatic drill could cause PARK-
TRONIC to malfunction.
Minimum distance Centre Approximately 20 cm
Corners Approximately 15 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, all
warning displays light up and a tone sounds.
If the distance falls below the minimum clear-
ance, it may no longer be shown.
Warning displays
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. Warning display for front area
:
Left-hand side of the vehicle
; Right-hand side of the vehicle
= Indicator segments
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
indicator segments =light up.
The gear lever position or, in the case of auto-
matic transmission*, the selector lever posi-
tion determines which warning display is
active when the engine is running:
Manual transmission: Selector lever
position Warning display
Forwards gear
or
Neutral
Front area activated
Reverse gear
Rear and front areas
activated
Automatic transmission*:
Selector lever
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R
or N Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activated158
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One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance to 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. You have reached the minimum dis-
tance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC :
Indicator lamp
; To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Parking Guidance is also deacti-
vated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock.
Trailer towing* PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between your vehicle and 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. Parking Guidance*
Parking Guidance is an electronic parking aid
with ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to meas-
ure the road on both sides of the vehicle. A
suitable parking space is indicated by the
parking symbol. You receive steering instruc-
tions when parking. You may also use PARK-
TRONIC (Y page 157). G
Risk of accident
Parking Guidance is merely an aid and may
recommend parking spaces that are not suit-
able for parking. For example, these might be
spaces where parking is prohibited, drive-
ways, unsuitable surfaces, etc.
Parking Guidance measures the parking
space as you drive past it. Any later changes
to the parking space are not taken into
account. For instance, this may be the case
when the vehicle parked in front of or behind
the space changes its position or when an
obstacle is moved into the parking space.
Parking Guidance does not relieve you of the
responsibility for paying attention. If you rely
solely on Parking Guidance, you could cause
an accident and injure yourself and others.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. G
Risk of accident
Objects located above the height range of
Parking Guidance will not be detected when
the parking space is measured. These are not
taken into account when the parking proce-
dure is calculated, e.g. overhanging loads, tail
sections or loading ramps of goods vehicles.
In some circumstances, Parking Guidance
might therefore issue steering instructions
too soon. This may lead to a collision. For this
reason, you should avoid using Parking Guid-
ance in such situations. Driving systems
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G
Risk of injury
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
When PARKTRONIC is deactivated, Parking
Guidance is also unavailable.
Use Parking Guidance for parking spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same level as the road, i.e.
not on the pavement
Parking tips:
R On narrow roads, drive as close to the park-
ing space as possible.
R Parking spaces which are littered, over-
grown or partially occupied by trailer draw-
bars might be identified incorrectly or not
at all.
R Snowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
R Pay attention to the PARKTRONIC warning
messages during the parking procedure
(Y page 157).
R When transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you must not use Parking
Guidance.
R Never use Parking Guidance with snow
chains or an emergency spare wheel* fit-
ted.
R The way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. These include the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. In some cases, Parking Guidance
may guide you too far or not far enough into
a parking space. In some cases, it may also
lead you across or onto the kerb. If neces-
sary, cancel the parking procedure with
Parking Guidance. !
If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as kerbs slowly and not at
a sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tyres.
Detecting parking spaces Vehicles with automatic transmission* and selec-
tor lever (example)
:
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Parking Guidance is automatically activated
when you drive forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
35 km/h. While in operation, the system inde-
pendently locates and measures parking
spaces on both sides of the vehicle. At a
speed below 30 km/h, you will see parking
symbol ;as the status indicator in the
instrument cluster. If a parking space has
been detected, an arrow pointing to the right
= or left :is also displayed. Parking Guid-
ance only displays parking spaces on the
front-passenger side as standard. Parking
spaces on the driver's side are displayed as
soon as the turn signal on the driver's side is
activated. To park on the driver's side, you
must leave the driver's side turn signal
switched on until you have engaged reverse
gear.
Parking Guidance will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 1.5 m wide
R that are at least 1.3 m longer than your
vehicle 160
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steer in a different direction and then
change gear. In this case, further displays
in the multi-function display will direct you
to the final position.
X Manoeuvre, if necessary.
X Always observe the warning messages dis-
played by PARKTRONIC (Y page 157).
Cancelling Parking Guidance X
Press the PARKTRONIC button on the
centre console (Y page 157).
Parking Guidance is cancelled immediately
and PARKTRONIC is deactivated.
Parking Guidance is cancelled automatically
if it is no longer possible to guide you into the
parking space, or if a malfunction occurs.
The parking space symbol disappears and the
Parking Guidance cancelled message
appears in the multi-function display.
Trailer towing* For vehicles with a trailer coupling, the mini-
mum length for parking spaces is slightly
increased.
If you have attached a trailer to your vehicle,
you should not use Parking Guidance. When
the electrical connection is established
between your vehicle and the trailer, Parking
Guidance ceases to be available. PARK-
TRONIC is deactivated for the rear area. Reversing camera*
The reversing camera is an optical aid. It
shows the area behind your vehicle in the
COMAND APS display. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured. The reversing camera is located in the handle
strip of the boot lid/tailgate.
Example: Saloon
:
Reversing camera
View through the camera The area behind the vehicle is displayed in a
mirrored fashion, as in the rear-view mirror.
G
Risk of accident
The reversing camera is only an aid and may
display obstacles in a distorted or incorrect
manner, or may not even display them at all.
The reversing camera does not relieve you of
the responsibility to pay attention. The cam-
era cannot show objects:
R very near to the rear bumper
R below the rear bumper
R in the area immediately above the boot lid
handle/tailgate handle recess
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. This applies to the areas
behind, in front of and next to the vehicle. You
could otherwise endanger yourself and oth-
ers. G
Risk of accident
Under the following circumstances, the
reversing camera will not function, or function
in a limited manner: 162
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Information and warning display
:
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock, warning lamps :in the exterior
mirrors light up red.
If Blind Spot Assist is switched on and the
engine is running, indicator lamps :in the
exterior mirrors light up yellow up to a speed
of 30 km/h. At speeds above 30 km/h, the
indicator lamp goes out and Blind Spot Assist
is operational.
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 is
always issued 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.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out after
reverse gear is engaged. In this event, Blind
Spot Assist is no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light. G
Risk of accident
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
30 km/h, and the indicator lamps in the exte-
rior mirrors are yellow. Vehicles in the moni-
toring range are then not indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to recognise dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range
of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the turn
signal, a double warning tone sounds. Red
warning lamp :flashes. If the turn signal
remains on, detected vehicles are indicated
by the flashing of red warning lamp :. There
are no further warning tones.
Switching on Blind Spot Assist
X Make sure that the radar sensor system
(Y page 134) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 130) are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Red warning lamps :in the exterior mir-
rors are lit.
X Start the engine.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors
now light up yellow.
Trailer towing*
Blind Spot Assist is deactivated when you
connect the trailer to your vehicle electrically.
The Blind Spot Assist currently
unavailable See Owner's Manual mes-
sage appears in the multi-function display.
Lane Keeping Assist If you select
kmon the on-board computer in
the Speed-/odometer: function
(Y page 131), Lane Keeping Assist is activa-
ted starting at a speed of 60 km/h. If the
miles display unit is selected, the assistance
range begins at between 35 and 40 mph.
Lane Keeping Assist is designed to detect
lane markings on the road and warn you
before you leave your lane unintentionally.
Usually the warning is given when a front
wheel passes over a lane marking. It will warn
you by means of intermittent vibration in the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds. Driving systems
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Running-in notes
............................... 216
Refuelling ........................................... 216
Engine compartment ........................219
Tyres and wheels .............................. 223
Winter driving ................................... 230
Driving tips ........................................ 231
Driving abroad ................................... 233
Trailer towing .................................... 234
Service ............................................... 239
Care .................................................... 240 215Operation
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