cruise control MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON 2011 Owner's Manual

R
you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away, and the front-
passenger doo rorone of the rea rdoors is
open.
R the vehicle has skidded.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. The DISTRONIC PLUSoff message is shown in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
Vehicles featuring automatic transmission
with a selector lever: if the vehicle has been
stopped by DISTRONIC PLUS and a fault
occurs in the system the Brake immedi‐ately message appears in the multifunction
display .Depress the brake pedal immediately
so that the vehicle does not roll away. DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is then deactivated, and the
message disappears.
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 coming out of a
bend The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detec
tvehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle
may brake unexpectedly or late. Vehicles travelling on
adifferent line DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles
travelling on a different line. The distance to
the vehicle in fron
twill be too short.
Other vehicles changing lane DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle
will be too short.
Narrow vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in front on the edge of the carriage- Driving systems
193Driving and parking Z

Driving tips
i
Observe the notes on ESP ®
trailer stabi-
lisation (Y page 75).
The maximum permissible speed fo rvehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents to see what the max-
imum permitted speed is. Observe the legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certain Mercedes-Benzv ehicles, the max-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing a trailer. Refer to the "Technical
data" section to find out whether this applies
to your vehicle. If you utilise any of the added
maximum rear axle load when towing a trailer,
the vehicle/trailer combination may not
exceed a maximum speed of 100 km/h for
reasons concerning the operating permit.
This also applies in countries in which the
permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be differen tincomparison
to when driving without a trailer and it will
consume more fuel.
On long and steep downhill gradients, you
must shift to a lower gear in good time, or on
vehicles with automatic transmission, select
the shift range 1,2or 3.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to prevent the
vehicle from gaining speed. This 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. Driving tips R
Maintain a greater distance from the vehi-
cle in front than when driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from a standstill refer to sea
level. When driving in mountainous areas,
note that the power output of the engine,
and consequently the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decrease with increas-
ing altitude.
If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter-steer.
X Brake if necessary. Folding out the ball coupling
Before you can tow a trailer with your vehicle,
you must fold out the ball coupling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot/luggage
compartment. G
WARNING
Make sure that the ball coupling is engaged,
either in its folded-out or folded-in position,
and that the indicator lamp is off.
Do not turn the release wheel when a trailer
is coupled up. Otherwise, the trailer might
detach. Towing
atrailer
223Driving an d parking Z

or on bridges. If you do not adapt your driving
style to the conditions, the vehicle could skid.
For this reason, adapt your driving style and
speed to the weather conditions.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay. Speedometer with segments
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is available.
Cruise control (Y page 181) activated:
The segments light up from the stored speed
to the maximum speed.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC (Y page 183) activa-
ted:
The segments light up from the start of the
scale to the selected limit speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 185) activated:
One or two segments in the set speed range
light up.
DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front:
The segments between the speed of the vehi-
cle in front and the stored speed light up. Operating the on-board computer
Overview The on-board computer is activated as soon
as you turn the key to position 1in the ignition
lock.
You can control the multifunction display and
the settings in the on-board computer using
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel. :
Multifunction display
; Right control panel
= Switches on LINGUATRONIC; see the sep-
arate operating instructions
? Back button
A Left control panel
Left control panel =
; R
Calls up the menu and menu bar 9
:
Press briefly:
R
Scrolls through lists
R Selects a submenu or function
R In the Audio menu: selects a
stored station, an audio track or
a video scene
R In the Tel (telephone) menu:
switches to the phone book and
selects a name or telephone
number Displays and operation
231On-board computer and displays Z

Settings menu
Introduction The
Settings menu can be used for:
R changing the instrument cluster settings
R changing the time/date settings 24
R changing the light settings
R changing the vehicle settings
R changing the auxiliary heating settings
R changing the convenience settings
R restoring the factory settings
Instrument cluster Selecting the unit of measurement for dis-
tance
The
Display unit Speed-/odometer: function allows you to choose whether cer-
tain displays appear in kilometres or miles.
The selected unit of measurement for dis-
tance applies to:
R digital speedometers in the Trip menu
R total distance recorder and the trip meter
R trip computer
R current consumption and the range
R navigation instructions in the Navi menu
R cruise control
R SPEEDTRONIC
R DISTRONIC PLUS
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.X
Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Display unit Speed-/odometer func-
tion.
You will see the selected setting: km or
miles .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Switching the additional speedometer
on/off
Only vehicles with manual transmission have
this function.
i Vehicles for the United Kingdom: this
function is not available.
The Dig. speedom [mph]: function allows
you to choose whether the status area in the
multifunction display always shows the speed
in mph instead of the outside temperature.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press :or9 to select the Dig. speedo [mph]: function.
You will see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Selecting the permanent display function
Only vehicles with automatic transmission
have this function.
i Vehicles for the United Kingdom: this
function is not available.
The Permanent display: function allows
you to choose whether the multifunction dis-
play always shows the outside temperature
or the speed in mph.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.
24 This function is not available on vehicles with Audio 50 APS, Audio 55 APS or COMAND APS. Menus and submenus
243On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Cruise control and
SPEEDTRONIC
inoperative Cruise control and SPEEDTRONIC are malfunctioning.
Aw
arning tone also sounds.
X Visi taqualified specialist workshop. Limit
--- km/h While depressing the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point
(kickdown), SPEEDTRONIC cannot be activated.
Cruise control
--- km/h A condition for activating cruise control has not been met.
You have tried to store
aspeed below 30 km/h, for example.
X If conditions permit, drive faster than 30 km/h and store the
speed.
X Check the activation conditions for cruise control
(Y page 181). 120 km/h
Maximum speed
exceeded Only for certain countries: the maximum speed has been excee-
ded.
In addition, the multifunction display shows
120 km/h .
X Drive slower. Tyres
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Tyre pressure
Check tyres G
Risk of accident
The tyre pressure loss warning system has detected a significant
loss in pressure.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
X Stop the vehicle without making any sudde nsteering or braking
manoeuvres .Pay attentio nto the traffic conditions as you do
so.
X Check the tyres and, if necessary, change the wheel
(Y page 370).
X Check the tyre pressures and, if necessary, set to the correct
tyre pressure.
X Restart the tyre pressure loss warning system when the tyre
pressure is correc t(Ypage 367). Check tyre pres‐
sures
then restart Run
Flat Indicator The tyre pressure loss warning system generated a display mes-
sage and has not been restarted since.
X
Set the correct tyre pressure in all four tyres.
X Restart the tyre pressure loss warning system (Y page 367).272
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Jäå!
The red brake warning
lamp, the yellow ESP
®
and ESP ®
OFF warning
lamps and the yellow
ABS warning lamp are
lit while the engine is
running. G
Risk of accident
ABS and ESP ®
are malfunctioning. Therefore, BAS, BAS PLUS,
EBD, PRE-SAFE ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake, the HOLD function, hill start
assist, the adaptive brake lights and ESP ®
trailer stabilisation, for
example, are not available either.
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. ä
The yellow ESP
®
warn-
ing lamp flashes while
the vehicle is in motion. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
or traction control has intervened because there is a risk of
skidding or at least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as necessary when
pulling away.
X Accelerate more gently while the vehicle is in motion.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
.
For exceptions, see: (Y page 72).å
The yellow ESP
®
OFF
warning lamp is lit while
the engine is running. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
and ESP ®
trailer stabilisation are deactivated. ESP ®
will not
stabilise the vehicle if it starts to skid or if awheel starts to spin.
X Reactivate ESP ®
.
For exceptions, see: (Y page 72).
X Adapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
If ESP ®
cannot be activated:
X Have ESP ®
checked at a qualified specialist workshop. Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
283On-board computer and displays Z