light MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON 2011 Owners Manual

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-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic conditions even
when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONIC does not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not 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 a lane with faster moving
traffic
R in comple xdriving situations or where lanes
are diverted, e.g. at roadworks on a motor-
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-
tance control 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.
The rada rsensor system is automatically
deactivated near radio telescope facilities
(Y page 398).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor system must be activated
(Y page 247) and 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/ha nd 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in front of you, DISTRONIC operates in the
speed range between 0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS on roads with
steep gradients. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes yourv ehicle up to a
maximum of 4 m/s 2
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 detects a risk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ·distance
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 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. 186
Driving systemsDriving and parking

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, dependent on vehicle speed. You can
see this distance in the multifunction display
(Y page 191). X
To increase: turn control;in direction
=.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
X To decrease: turn control;in direc-
tion :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
i Make sure that you maintain a sufficient
and safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front if
necessary. Displaying DISTRONIC PLUS in the
speedometer Example: vehicles featuring automatic transmis-
sion with a DIRECT SELECT lever
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or
two segments
;in the set speed range light
up.
i For design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detectsav ehicle in front,
segments ;between speed of the vehicle in
front :and stored speed =light up.
Displaying DISTRONIC PLUS in the mul-
tifunction display General notes
In the Assistance menu (Y
page 240) of the
on-board computer, you can select the dis-
tance display.
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 241).
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vated
When DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you
will see the following in the multifunction dis-
play: Driving systems
191Driving and parking Z

Example: vehicles featuring automatic transmis-
sion with a DIRECT SELECT lever
: Vehicle in front, if detected
; Distance indicator: current distance to
the vehicle in front
= Specified minimu mdistance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
? Own vehicle
Displa ywhen DISTRONIC PLUS is activa-
ted
You will see the stored speed for about five
seconds whe nyou activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
After this time, you will see the following in
the multifunction display while DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated: Example: vehicles featuring automatic transmis-
sion with a DIRECT SELECT lever
: DISTRONIC PLUS activated
; Own vehicle
= Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
? Vehicle in front, if detected Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
There are several ways to deactivate DIS-
TRONIC PLUS:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
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.
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, the
DISTRONIC 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.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
R you engage the parking brake.
R you are driving slower than 25 km/h and
there is no vehicle in front, or if the 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 a radio telescope facility
(Y page 398).
R you switch off the radar sensor system
(Y page 247). 192
Driving systemsDriving and parking

way, because of its narrow width. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationar
yvehicles 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 detect vehicles that
are crossing you
rlane by mistake. Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assis
tthe 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.
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R
the vehicle is stationary.
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R the driver's door is closed or if your seat
belt is fastened.
R the parking brake is released.
R the bonnet is closed.
R the selector lever is in position D,Ror Non
vehicles with automatic transmission.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until ë appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again. 194
Driving systemsDriving and parking

to lock the vehicle, the tone becomes louder.
The vehicle is not locked until the HOL Dfunc-
tion is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until the HOLD
function has been deactivated.
If there is a fault in the system or power supply
while the HOLD function is activated, the
Brake immediately message is shown in
the multifunction display. Immediately
depress the brake firmly until the warning
message in the multifunction display goes
out.
On vehicles with automatic transmission, you
can also shif tinto position P.This deactivates
the HOLD function. RACE START
Important safety notes i
RACE START is only available in AMG vehi-
cles.
RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start. The precondition for
this is a suitable high-grip road surface. G
WARNING
RACE START is only available when SPORT
handling mode is activated. SPORT handling
mode will only be able to stabilise the vehicle
to a limited degree if the vehicle starts to skid
or a wheel starts to spin. The vehicle is there-
fore harder to control at the threshold range.
You could lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident.
RACE START should only be used on closed
off circuits. Always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. Activation conditions RACE START can be activated when:
R
the doors are closed.
R the engine is running and it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
80 †. This is the case when the engine oil
temperature in the multifunction display
stops flashing.
R SPORT handling mode is activated.
(Y page 73)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
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 168) until the RSlamp lights up.
The multifunction display shows the RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP Cancel:
Paddle DOWN message.
i If the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is cancelled. The mul-
tifunction display shows the RACE START cancelled message.
X To cancel: pull the left steering wheel shift
paddle (Y page 169).
or
X To confirm:p ull the right steering wheel
shif tpaddle (Y page 169).
The multifunction display shows the RACE START available Depress accelera‐
tor. message.
i If you do no tdepress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is cancelled. The multifunction dis-
play shows the RACE START not possi‐ ble See Owner's Manual message.196
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Setting raised level
X
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to raised level.
The Vehicle rising message appears in
the display.
The "Raised Level" setting is cancelled if you:
R drive at a speed over approximately
120 km/h
R drive for approximately three minutes at a
speed over 80 km/h.
The "Raised Level" remains saved when you
are not driving within these speed ranges.
Setting the normal level
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to normal level.
Suspension tuning General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously.T
his 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 .sports or com-
fort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. Sports tuning
The firmer suspension tunin
ginSport 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 "Sports tuning".
The AIRMATIC SPORT message appears in
the multifunction display.
Comfort tuning
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 tuning".
The AIRMATIC COMFORT message appears
in the multifunction display. AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspen-
sion
General notes i
AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension
is available for the E63AMG model. 198
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Vehicle level
The vehicle automatically sets the vehicle
level at the rea raxle .Rear axle level control
ensures the best possible suspension and
that the ground clearance remains constant
even when the vehicle is loaded. This
improves driving safety and fuel consump-
tion.
Suspension tuning 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 of Sport, Sport +
or Comfort
If you select Sport or Sport + mode and
restart the engine, the suspension setting
reverts to Comfort mode. Sport mode
The firmer suspension tunin
ginSport 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 :once.
Indicator lamp ?lights up. You have selec-
ted Sport mode. The
AMG Ride Control SPORT message
appears in the multifunction display.
Sport + mode
The very firm setting of the suspension tuning
in Sport +mode ensures the best possible
contact with the road. Select this mode only
when driving on race circuits.
If indicator lamps =and ?are off:
X Press button :twice.
Indicator lamps =and ?light up. You
have selected Sport +mode.
The AMG Ride Control SPORT + message
appears in the multifunction display.
If indicator lamp ?lights up:
X Press button :once.
Second indicator lamp =lights up. You
have selected Sport +mode.
The AMG Ride Control 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 :repeatedly until indicator
lamps =and ?go out.
You have selected Comfort mode.
The AMG Ride Control COMFORT mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Storing and calling up settings
Once the suspension tuning and drive pro-
gram have been selected, you can store and
call up your settings using AMG button ;.
X To store: press AMG button ;until you
hear a tone.
X To call up: press AMG button ;.
The stored suspension tuning and drive
program are selected. Driving systems
199Driving and parking Z

Example: side view (Saloon)
Example: top view (Saloon)
Front sensors
Centre approximately 100 cm
Corners approximately 60 cm
Rea
rsensors Centre approximately 12
0cm Corners approximately 80 cm
!
When parking, pay particula rattention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars. 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.
The sensors may not detect snow and
objects which absorb ultrasonic sources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumati cdrill, coul dcause PARK-
TRONIC to malfunction. PARKTRONIC may no
tfunction correctly on
uneven terrain.
Minimum distance Centre approximately 20 cm
Corners approximately 15 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, the
relevan
twarning displays light up and a warn-
ing tone sounds. If th edistance falls below
the minimum, the distanc emay no longer be
shown.
Warning displays The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and th
eobstacle. The
warning display for the fron tarea 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 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 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 gearl ever position or the transmission
position of the automatic transmission deter- Driving systems
201Driving and parking Z

mines which warning display is active when
the engine is running.
Manual transmission:
Gear leve
rposi-
tion Warning display
Forwards gear
or
Neutral
Front area activated
Reverse gear
Rear and front areas
activated
Automatic transmission:
Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R
or N Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance fro mthe 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. Parking Guidance is also deacti-
vated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock.
Towing atrailer PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rea
rarea
when you establish an electrical connection
between yourv ehicle 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. 202
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Problems with PARKTRONIC
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
You also hear a warning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately 20 seconds,
and the indicator lamp
in the PARKTRONIC
button lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X
If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately 20 seconds. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X
Cleant he PARKTRONIC sensors (Y page 330).
X Switch the ignition back on. The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X See if PARKTRONIC functions in a different location. Parking Guidance
Important safety notes 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 200). G
WARNING
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
WARNING
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 Driving systems
203Driving and parking
Z