cruise control MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON 2008 User Guide

Driving sys
tems 143Cruise 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 3in vehicles with automatic
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 accelerat-
ing could 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
Cruise control display in the speedom-
eter When cruise control is activated, the seg-
ments from the set speed to the maximum
speed light up in the multi-function display. 1
Segments
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 Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 1441
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To select the current or last stored speed
4 To store the current speed or a lower
speed
5 To switch between cruise control and var-
iable Speedtronic
6 Deactivating cruise control
Selecting cruise control X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2is off.
If it is off, cruise control is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in 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 and ESP ®
is acti-
vated (Y page 60).
X Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 4.
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.
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 a time. Selecting the current or last stored
speed G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for
the current situation. Otherwise, sudden
acceleration or braking could endanger you
or others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting a speed X
Press the cruise control lever up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for 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. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 145
i
Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking.
i Deceleration of the vehicle by means of
the cruise control lever is assisted by auto-
matic application of the brakes.
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
On long downhill gradients, the automatic
transmission shifts down as a further meas-
ure.
Making fine adjustments in 1 km/h
increments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for 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 6.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if,
for example:
R you depress the parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
is intervening or you deactivate
ESP ®
R you move the selector lever to Nin vehicles
with automatic transmission* while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You will 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*
Distronic regulates the speed and automati-
cally maintains the distance to the vehicle 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 3. 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 is only an aid designed to assist
driving. The driver remains fully responsible
for the vehicle's distance from other vehi-
cles, the vehicle's speed and braking in
good time. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 146 Distronic does not react to:
R
pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. sta-
tionary or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
Distronic may not detect narrow vehicles
driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic causes your vehicle to brake and
maintain a preset distance to the vehicle in
front. G
Risk of accident
Distronic cannot take account of road and
traffic conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, Distronic if it does not detect the
vehicle in front, or if it no longer detects it.
This is especially the case:
R before corners
R on filter lanes R
when changing to a lane with faster mov-
ing traffic
R in complex driving situations or where
the lanes are diverted, e.g. at motorway/
roadway construction sites
Otherwise, Distronic maintains the current
speed or accelerates to the set speed.
Distronic cannot take account of weather
conditions. Deactivate, or do not activate,
Distronic:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip
under braking or acceleration. The vehi-
cle could start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor
visibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog.
Distance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If there is no vehicle in front, Distronic oper-
ates in the same way as cruise control. Dis-
tronic functions in the 30 km/h to
180 km/h range. G
Risk of accident
Distronic brakes your vehicle at a maximum
of 2 m/s 2
, depending on its speed. This
corresponds to approximately 20% of your
vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If Distronic detects a risk of collision with a
vehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ldistance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up. Brake to avoid a collision.
Cruise control lever With the cruise control lever you can operate
Distronic and variable Speedtronic.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Distronic is selected
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
variable Speedtronic is selected Controls
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Driving sys
tems 1471
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To select the current or last stored speed
4 To store the current speed or a lower
speed
5 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic
6 To deactivate Distronic
Selecting Distronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2is off.
If it is off, Distronic is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever goes out. Distronic is selected. Switching on Distronic, storing the cur-
rent speed and maintaining it If Distronic is not activated after the cruise
control lever is pressed, you will see the mes-
sage - - - in the multi-function display.
You cannot activate Distronic in the following
circumstances:
R if you are driving slower than 30 km/h or
faster than 180 km/h
R when braking
R when you have applied the parking brake
R if ESP ®
is deactivated
R when the selector lever* is in position P,
R or N
R for two minutes after the engine is started
X Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 4.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Distronic is activated. The vehicle main-
tains the stored speed until the distance to
the vehicle in front becomes too small. i
If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC override message
appears in the multi-function display. The
distance to a slower-moving vehicle in front
will then not be adjusted. You will be driving
at the speed you determine by the position
of the accelerator pedal.
Setting a speed X
Press the cruise control lever up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for 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.
i Deceleration of the vehicle by means of
the cruise control lever is assisted by auto-
matic application of the brakes. On long
downhill gradients, the automatic trans-
mission* shifts down as a further measure. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 148
Adjustment in 10 km/h increments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for a
lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Making fine adjustments in 1 km/h
increments X
For a higher speed: briefly pull the cruise
control lever towards you 3.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pulled
towards you 3until the desired speed is
reached.
Selecting the current or last stored
speed G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for
the current situation. Otherwise, sudden
acceleration or braking could endanger you
or others. X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Distronic is activated and accepts the cur-
rent speed if it is activated for the first time,
or adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored.
Setting the specified minimum distance
for Distronic You can set the specified minimum distance
for Distronic by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. This time span
determines the distance that Distronic should
maintain from the vehicle in front, depending
on the road speed. You can read this distance
in the multi-function display (Y page 149). 1
To activate/deactivate the distance warn-
ing function
2 Indicator lamp
3 To adjust the set distance
Adjusting the set distance
X To increase: turn thumbwheel 3towards
¯.
Distronic then maintains a greater distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front.
X To decrease: turn thumbwheel 3towards
®.
Distronic then maintains a shorter distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 150
X
Press the èorÿ button repeatedly
until one of the following two displays
appears in the multi-function display.
Distronic deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated you will see the
standard Distronic display in the multi-func-
tion display. 1
Vehicle in front, if detected
2 Distance indicator, displaying current dis-
tance to the vehicle in front
3 Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
4 Own vehicle
5 Symbol for activated distance warning
function
Distronic activated
When Distronic is activated, the stored speed
appears in the multi-function display for
approximately five seconds. With Distronic activated, you will see the following in the
multi-function display:
1
Display for activated Distronic
Deactivating Distronic 1
To deactivate Distronic
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate Dis-
tronic:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 1.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 3.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
i You will see the Distronic off message
in the multi-function display for approxi-
mately five seconds.
The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
i Distronic is not deactivated if you depress
the accelerator pedal. If you accelerate
briefly to overtake, Distronic adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored
after you have finished overtaking.
Distronic is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h Controls
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Driving sys
tems 152
Narrow vehicles
Distronic has not yet detected the vehicle in
front on the edge of the carriageway, because
of its relatively narrow width. The distance to
the vehicle in front will be too short. 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 3in vehicles with automatic
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 additional
braking, depress the brake pedal repeatedly
rather than continuously. G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continu-
ously 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 154) 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* and variable
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* is selected
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
variable Speedtronic is selected
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/ hwhile
the engine is running. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 1531
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed or to make fine adjust-
ments in 1 km/h increments
4 To store the current speed or a lower
speed
5 To switch between cruise control, Dis-
tronic* and variable Speedtronic
6 To deactivate variable Speedtronic
Selecting variable Speedtronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2is on.
If it is on, variable Speedtronic is already
selected. If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow
5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable Speedtronic is
selected. G
Risk of accident
If there is a change of drivers, advise the
new driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use Speedtronic if you will not have to
accelerate suddenly to a speed above that
stored as the limit speed. You could other-
wise 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).
It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking.
Storing the current speed You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running. X
Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 4.
The current speed is stored. The stored
speed, e.g. LIM km/h, appears in the multi-
function display.
The segments in the speedometer from the
start of the scale up to the stored speed
light up.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for
the current driving and traffic situation.
Otherwise, sudden braking could endanger
you or others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 154
Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for a
lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is set. Press the cruise
control lever, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
Making fine adjustments in 1 km/h
increments X
For a higher speed: briefly pull the cruise
control lever towards you 3.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pulled
towards you 3until the desired speed is
set.
Deactivating variable Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate variable
Speedtronic:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
or X
Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable Speedtronic is
deactivated.
Cruise control or Distronic* is selected.
Variable Speedtronic is deactivated automat-
ically when you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown) but
only if your current speed does not differ by
more than 20 km/h from the stored speed.
You will hear a warning tone if this is the case. G
Risk of accident
It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
Permanent Speedtronic i
Permanent Speedtronic is only available
for certain countries.
You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h (e.g. for driving with winter tyres)
and the maximum speed. Shortly before the stored speed is reached it
is shown in the multi-function display.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown).
Setting permanent Speedtronic
X
Press èor· to select the Set-
tings... menu (Ypage 131).
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press jto select Speed limit (win-
ter tyres) . X
Press the æorç button to select the
desired setting.
The following settings can be selected:
R Off Controls
* optional
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