air suspension MERCEDES-BENZ R-CLASS MPV 2008 Owners Manual

Lights
101Vehicles with air suspension*
1
Headlamp range control Vehicles with air suspension* Position Load
-2 Not required
-1 Driver's seat, front-
passenger seat and all the
rearmost seats occupied
or
All seats occupied
0 Driver's seat occupied
or
Driver's seat and front-
passenger seat occupied
or
All seats occupied and lug-
gage compartment loaded up
to the maximum permissible
rear axle load
or
Driver’s seat occupied and
luggage compartment loaded
up to the maximum permissi-
ble rear axle load Steel-spring vehicles
1
Headlamp range control
Steel-spring vehicles Position Load
0 Driver's seat occupied
or
Driver's seat and front-
passenger seat occupied
1 Driver's seat, front-
passenger seat and all the
rearmost seats occupied
or
All seats occupied Controls
* optional
251_AKB; 5; 7, en-GB
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Driving sys
tems 140 Driving systems
Overview of driving systems
The vehicle's driving systems are described
on the following pages:
R Cruise control, Distronic* and Speedtronic,
which are used to control the speed of the
vehicle
R The rear axle level control*, which regu-
lates the vehicle level at the rear axle
R AIRMATIC package*, consisting of level
control* for individual adjustment of
ground clearance and ADS* (Adaptive
Damping System), for individual adjust-
ment of suspension tuning
R 4*MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive), for
optimum traction
R Parktronic*, which assists you in parking
and manoeuvring
R Reversing camera*, which assists you
when parking and manoeuvring
The ABS, BAS, ESP ®
, EBV vehicle safety sys-
tems and the distance warning system* are
described in the "Safety" 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
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.
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 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
251_AKB; 5; 7, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.10.6
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Driving sys
tems 152 AIRMATIC package*
AIRMATIC enables a suspension tuning set-
ting to be selected and regulates the damping
behaviour and level of your vehicle. The sys-
tem comprises two components: ADS*
(Adaptive Damping System) (Y page 152)
and level control* (Y page 152).
Observe the notes on driving with a trailer in
the "Operation" (Y page 239) section.
ADS* (Adaptive Damping System) ADS adapts the damping characteristics to
the current operating and driving situation.
How this is adjusted depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface conditions
R the ADS setting
R the vehicle level setting
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. 1
ADS button
2 SPORT indicator lamp
3 COMF indicator lamp
You can choose between the following ADS
settings:
R AUTO for normal driving situations; indica-
tor lamps 2and 3are off.
R SPORT for sporty driving; indicator lamp
2 is on.
R COMF for a more comfortable ride; indica-
tor lamp 3is on.
X Start the engine.
X Press button 1repeatedly until the
desired setting is selected. Level control* The level control adapts the vehicle level
automatically to the current operating and
driving situation. This results in reduced fuel
consumption and improved handling.
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level may change visibly when you
park the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. When the temperature drops, the
vehicle level is lower; with an increase in tem-
perature, the vehicle level rises.
When you unlock the vehicle or open a door,
the vehicle begins to balance the load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant level changes, e.g. after the vehi-
cle has been stationary for a long period, the
engine must be on. For safety reasons, the
vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed. Lowering is interrupted if a door is
opened and continues when the door has
been closed. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of
the wheel arch or the underbody when you Controls
* optional
251_AKB; 5; 7, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.10.6
2008-05-11T14:51:51+02:00 - Seite 152 Dateiname: 6515_1825_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight