trailer MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS ESTATE 2015 User Guide

Useful information
............................178
Running-in notes ............................... 178
Driving ............................................... 178
Manual transmission ........................188
Automatic transmission ...................189
Refuelling ........................................... 200
Parking ............................................... 205
Driving tips ........................................ 207
Driving systems ................................ 211
Towing atrailer ................................. 266 177Driving and parking

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Vehicles with
apetrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is
amalfunction in the engine electronics or in amechanical
componentoft he engine management system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at aqualified specialist
workshop. The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. The
coolant warning lamp
may also be on and a
warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 382). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct,t
he engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. Manual transmission
Gear lever
! Only engage gear when the clutch pedal is
depressed.
! When shifting between
5thand 6thgear,
you should always push the gear lever all
the way to the right. Otherwise, you could
shift unintentionally into 3rdor4th gear
and damage the transmission.
If you shift down at too high aspeed (trans-
mission braking), this can cause the engine to overrev, leading to engine damage.
Do not use the clutch bite point to keep the
vehicle stationary on uphill gradients.
There is otherwise arisk of damaging the
clutch.
! On long and steep downhill gradients,
especially if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must shift into gear
1, 2or3in
good time. This uses the engine's braking
effect.T his relieves the load on the brake
system and preventst he brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. k
Reverse gear
1 -6
Forward gears 188
Manual transmissionDriving and parking

AMG vehicles
When shifting down
,the double-clutch func-
tion is active regardless of th ecurrentl yselec-
te dd rivep rogram .The double-clutch function
reduce sload chang ereaction sand is condu-
civ etoas portydriving style. The soun dgen-
erated by th edouble-clutch function depends
on th edrivep rogram selected.
Kickdown Use kickdown for maximum acceleration:
X Depress th eaccelerato rpedal beyon dthe
pressur epoint.
The transmission shifts to alower gear
depending on th eengines peed.
X Eas eoff th eaccelerato rpedal once the
desired spee disreached.
The automatic transmission shifts bac kup.
Towing atrailer Towin
gatrailer is no tpossible wit hall mod-
els. Fo rfurther information ,see
(Y page 267).
X Drive in th emiddle of th eengines peed
range on uphill gradients.
X Manua ldrive program: depending on the
uphill or downhill gradient, shif tint oag ear
(Y page 197) in whic hthe engin ewill run in
th em iddle of th eengines pee drange. This
also applie sifcruise control ,DISTR ONIC
PLU SorS PEEDTR ONICare activated. Program selector button
Genera lnotes The program selector butto
nallows you to
choos ebetween differen tdriving character-
istics. All vehicles (except
E300 BlueTEC,
E3 50 BlueTEC, AM Gvehicles and vehicles
wit hthe AM Gsport spackage)
X Press program selector button :.
The selected driv eprogram appear sinthe
multifunction display. E3
00 BlueTE CandE3 50 BlueTEC
X Press program selector button :.
The selected driv eprogram appear sinthe
multifunction display. 194
Automatic trans
missionDriving andparking

Brakes
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If yo ushift down on aslipper yroads urface in
an attempt to increas ethe engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose thei rgrip.
Thi sincreases the ris kofskidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslipper yroads urface.
Downhil lgradients Do not depress the brake peda
lcontinuously
whil ethe vehicl eisinmotion, e.g .never
cause the brakes to ru bbyconstantly apply-
ing light pressure to the pedal. Thi sresults in
excessive and premature wear to the brake
pads.
Chang einto alower gearing oodtime on long
and stee pdownhil lgradients.
Take particula rnote of thi swhend riving a
lade nvehicl eand when towing atrailer.
i Thi
salsoa pplies if youhavea ctivated
cruis econtrol, SPEEDTRONIC or
DISTRONIC PLUS.
Thi sw illu se the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
vehicl espeed .Thisr elieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if yo ulea ve
your foo tonthe brake peda lwhile driving.
Thi sincreases the braking distance and could
eve ncause the braking system to fail. There is
ar iskofana ccident.
Never us ethe brake peda lasafootrest. Do
not simultaneousl ydepress both the brake
peda land the accelerato rpedal whiledriving. !
Depressing the brake peda
lconstantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicl eimmediately, but
drive on for ashort while. Thi sallow sthe air-
flo wtoc ool the brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used onl ymoderately,
yo us houl doccasionall ytest thei reffective-
ness .Todot his, brake more firmly from a
highe rspeed whil epayin gattentio ntothe
traffic conditions. Thi simprove sthe gri pof
the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If yo
uhaved riven for alon gtime in heavy rain
withou tbraking ,ther em aybe adelayed reac-
tio nfrom the brakes when braking for the first
time .Thism ayalso occu rafte rac ar wash or
afte rdriving throug hdeepw ater.
Yo uw illh av etod epress the brake peda lmore
firmly .Maintain agreate rdistance to the vehi-
cle in front.
After driving on awetroa dorh aving the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly whil epayin gatten-
tio ntot he traffic conditions. Thi swillw armup
the brake discs, thereb ydrying them more
quickl yand protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limite dbraking performanc eonsalt-
treate droads If yo
udrive on salt-treate droads, alayer of
salt ma yform on the brake discs and pads.
Thi scan increas ethe braking distance con-
siderably.
R In order to prevent any salt build-up, apply
the brakes occasionall ywhile paying atten-
tio ntot he traffic conditions.
R Carefull ydepress the brake peda latthe
end of the journey and when starting the
next journey.
R Maintain amuchg reate rdistance to the
vehicl einfront. Driving tips
209Driving andparking Z

vehicl
eoccupants and that of other road
users.
Further information on driving safety systems (Y page7 7). Cruise control
General notes Cruise control maintains
aconstant road
spee dfor you.Itb rakes automatically in order
to avoi dexceeding the set speed. You must
select alow gearing ood time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicl eisladen or towing atrailer. By doing
so, you willm ake use of the braking effect of
the engine. This relieves the loadont he brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con- ditions are appropriate for maintaining a
stead yspee dfor ap rolonged period. You can
store any road spee dabove 30 km/h.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt yourd
riving style,cruise
control can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor overrid ethe lawsofp hysics. Cruise
control cannot take into account road,
weather or traffic conditions. Cruise control is only an aid.Y ou are responsibl efor the dis-
tance to the vehicl einfront, for vehicl espeed,
for braking in good time, and for staying in the lane.
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintai naconstant speed
(e.g. in heavy traffic or on winding roads)
R on smooth or slippery roads. Braking or
accelerating can caus ethe drive wheels to
lose traction and the vehicl ecouldt hen
skid
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow If there is
achange of drivers, advise the new
drive rofthe spee dstored.
Cruise control lever :
To activate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
leve rindicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIMi ndicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected.
R LIMi ndicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
When you activate cruise control, the stored
spee diss hownint he multifunction display
for five seconds. 212
Driving systemsDriving and parking

DISTRONI
CPLUSS teering Assist does not
provide assistance:
R on ver ysharp corners
R when towing atrailer
R al ossoft yrep ressure or adefective tyre
ha sb eend etecte dand displayed
Pa ya ttentio nalsotot he important safety
note sfor DISTRONI CPLUS(Ypage 218).
Th es teering interventions ar ecarried out
with alimit ed steering moment. Th esystem
requires the driver to kee phishands on the
steering whee land to steer himself.
If yo udon ot steer yourself or if yo utake your
hands off the steering whee lfor ap rolonged
period of time, the syste mwillf irst alert you
with avisual warning. Asteering whee lsym-
bo lappears in the multifunctio ndisplay .Ifyou
have still not started to steer and have not
take nholdoft he steering whee lafter five
second satthe latest, awarning tone also
sounds to remind yo utotake contro lofthe
vehicle. Steering Assist and Stop&G oPilot
switch to passive mode. DISTRONI CPLUS
remains active.
Activatin gSteering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot
X Activate the DISTRONI CPLUSw ithS teer-
ing Assist and Stop&G oPilot functio nusing
the on-board compute r(Ypage 288).
The DTR+:
DTR+: steering steering assistant
assistant On
Onmes-
sage appear sinthe multifunctio ndisplay.
Steering Assist and Stop&G oPilot are
active.
Informatio ninthe multifunction display If Steering Assist and Stop&G
oPilot area cti-
vated bu tnot ready for asteering interven-
tion, steering whee lsym bol :appear sin grey. If the syste
mprovide syou with support
by means of steering interventions, sym-
bol :is shown in green.
Deactivatin gSteering Assist and Stop&Go
Pilot
X Deactivate the DISTRONI CPLUSw ith
Steering Assist and Stop&G oPilot function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 288).
The DTR+: steering assistant Off DTR+: steering assistant Off
message appear sinthe multifunctio ndis-
play .Steering Assist and Stop&G oPilot are
deactivated.
When DISTRONI CPLUSisd eactivated or not
available, Steering Assist and Stop&G oPilot
ar ed eactivated automatically. HOL
Dfunction
General notes Th
eH OLD functio ncan 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
Th ev ehicl eisk epts tationar ywithout the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
Th eb raking effect is cancelle dand the HOLD
functio nisd eactivated when yo udepress the
accelerator peda ltopulla way.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still rol laway
despite being braked by the HOLD functio nif:
R there is amalfunctio ninthe syste morin
the voltag esupply
R the HOLD functio nisd eactivated by the
accelerator peda lbeing depressed, e.g .by
av ehicl eoccupant 228
Driving systemsDriving an
dparking

The
RACE
RACE START
START active
active message appears
in the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches aspeed 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 RACESTART
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 acertain distanc ehas been driven. AIRMATIC
Vehicle level Important safety notes
G
WARNING
People's limbs may become trapped if they
are located underneat hthe vehicle or
between the vehicle body and the tyres when the vehicle is lowering. There is adanger of
injury.
When lowering the vehicle, make sure no one
is underneat hthe vehicle or in the immediate
vicinit yofthe wheel arches. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
The vehicle is slightly lowered if you:
R have selected comfor tsuspension tuning
and
R you lock the vehicle within approximately
60 seconds of switchin goff the engine
You and people in the vicinit yofthe wheel
arch or the underbody may thus become trap- ped. There is arisk of injury.
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinit yofthe
wheel 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
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.
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.
Observe the notes on driving with atrailer
(Y page 267).
Your vehicle regulates its height automati-
cally. All-roun dlevel control ensures the best
possible suspension and constant ground
clearance, even with aladen 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 (vehicles without 4MATIC): the vehi-
cle is raised by approximately 25 mm when compared with the normal level
R Raised (vehicles with 4MATIC): the vehicle
is raised by approximately 35 mm when
compared with the normal level
R Lowered: the vehicle is lowered by approx-
imately 10 mm when compared with the
normal level
The "Normal" and "Raised" vehicle levels can be set manually.
The "Lowered" vehicle level is set automati-
cally:
R at speeds above 140 km/h
R if you have selected "Sport mode"
(Y page 232) Driving systems
231Driving and parking Z

25 mm
.The leve lchange also occurs when
stationary.
If you drive faster than 170 km/h, the rear
axle leve lisset to amiddle level. Thi sincrea-
ses road safety and reduces airr esistance. If
you then drive slower than 150 km/h, the
leve loft he rear axle is again adjusted to cor-
respond to the selected suspension mode.
Load compensation
The vehicle can compensate differences in
the vehicle leve lbyraising or lowering the
rear axle .Thisist he case ,for example, when
people get out of the vehicle or whe nlug gage
is removed.
Al oadc ompensation occurs if:
R ad oor, the boot lid or the tailgate is opened
R the parked vehicle is unlocked
The engine needs to be running for larger level
changes. 4MATIC (permanent all-whee
ldrive)
If you fai ltoadapt you rdriving style, 4MATIC
can neither reduce the risk of an 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
responsibl efor the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time, and for staying in lane.
If ad rive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
R whe npulling away,o nly depress the accel-
erato rpedal as far as is necessary.
R accelerate les swhend riving.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. Thi smay damage the transfer case.
Damag eofthis sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz implied warranty. All
wheels must remain eithe ronthe ground or
be fully raised. Observe the instructions for towing the vehicle with allw heels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if you use winter tyres
(M+S tyres), with snow
chains if necessary.
4MATIC ensures that allf our wheels are per-
manently driven. Together with ESP ®
,it
improves the traction of you rvehicle when-
ever adrive wheel spins due to insufficient
grip. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONI
Cisanelectronic parking aidw ith
ultrasoni csensors .Itmonitors the area
around you rvehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. PARKTRONI Cindicates visually and
audibly the distance between you rvehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONI Cisonly an aid. It is not asubsti-
tute for you rattention to the immediate sur-
roundings. The responsibility for safe
manoeuvring and parking remains with you.
Make sure that there are no persons, animals
or objects in range while manoeuvring and
parking.
! When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors ,such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONI Cdoes not detect such objects
whe nthey are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You coul ddamage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and
objects which absorb ultrasoni csources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, alorry's compressed-air brakes
or ap neumatic drill, coul dcause
PARKTRONI Ctomalfunction.
PARKTRONI Cmay not function correctly on
uneve nterrain. Driving systems
235Driving and parking Z

Towin
gatrailer !
Fol
dint he ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitch is not required .PARKTRONI Cmeas-
ures the minimu mdetection range to an
obstacle fro mthe bumper, not the ball cou-
pling.
PARKTRONI Cisdeactivated for the rea rarea
when yo uestablis hanelectrical connection
between your vehicl eand atrailer. 238
Driving systemsDriving an
dparking

Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, drive as closely as possi-
ble past the parking space.
R parking spaces that are littered or over-
grown might be identified or measured
incorrectly.
R parking spaces that are partially occupied
by trailer drawbars might not be identified
as such or be measured incorrectly.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lead to aparking
space being measured inaccurately.
R pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 237) warning messages during the
parking procedure.
R you can intervene in the steerin gprocedure
to correc titatany time. Active Parking
Assist will then be cancelled.
R when transportin gaload which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parking Assist.
R never use Active Parking Assist when snow
chains are fitted.
R make sure that the tyre pressures are
alway scorrect. This has adirect influence
on the parking characteristics of the vehi-
cle.
Use Active Parking Assist for parking spaces
that are:
R parallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel
R on straight roads, not bends
R on the same level as the road, e.g. not on
the pavement
Detecting parking spaces Objects located above the height range of
Active Parking Assist will not be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. G
WARNING
If there are object sabove the detection range:
R Active Park Assist may steer too early
R the vehicle may not stop in fron tofthese
objects.
This could cause acollision. There is arisk of
an accident.
If object sare located above the detection
range, stop and switch off Active Parking
Assist.
For further information on the detection
range (Y page 236).
Active Parking Assist does not assist you
parking in spaces at right angles to the direc-
tion of travel if:
R two parking spaces are located directly
next to one another
R the parking space is directly next to alow
obstacle such as alow kerb
R you forward park
Active Parking Assist does not assist you
parking in spaces that are parallel or at right
angles to the direction of travel if:
R the parking space is on akerb
R the system reads the parking space as
being blocked, for example by foliage or
grass paving blocks
R the area is too small for the vehicle to
manoeuvre into
R the parking space is bordered by an obsta-
cle, e.g. atree, apost or atrailer Example: detected parking space
:
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right 240
Driving systemsDriving and parking