MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS SEDAN 2018 Owner's Manual

Active Di stance Assist DI STRONIC
Function of Active Di stance Assist
DI STRO NIC
Active Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC maintains the
set speed on free-flowing roads. If vehicles
ahead are de tected, the set dis tance is main‐
ta ined, if necessary until theve hicle comes toa
halt. The vehicle accelerates or brakes depend‐
ing on the dis tance totheve hicle in front and
th e set speed. Speed (in thera nge between
15 mp h(2 0 km/h) and 130mp h(210 km/h))
and the dis tance totheve hicle ahead are set
and sa ved on thesteering wheel. Other
features of Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC:
RAd justs the driving style depending on the
selected drive program (fuel-saving, comfort‐
able or dynamic) (
→page 172)
RRe sponds in urban speed ranges tostation‐
ary vehicles (e xcept bicycles, mo torcyc les
and pedestrians) if conditions are suf ficient
to enable de tection.
RInitiates rapid acceleration tothestored
speed, if the turn signal indicator is switched
on tochange totheov ertak ing lane.
RTake s one-sided overtaking restrictions into
account on free ways or on multi-lane roads
with separate car riag ewa ys.
Ve hicles with Active Parking Assis t:ifth eve hicle
has been braked toast andstill on multi-lane,
separate car riag ewa ysby Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC, it can au tomatically follow theve hi‐
cle in front driving off again, within 30 seconds.
If a crit

ical situation is de tected when driving off,
a visual and acoustic warning is given indicating
th at the driver must now take control of theve hi‐
cle. The vehicle is not accelerated any fur ther. Ac
tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is only an aid.
The driver is responsible forth e dis tance tothe
ve hicle in front, forve hicle speed and for braking
in good time.
Sy stem limitations
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances, forex ample:
RIn snow ,ra in, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatly varying
ambient light.
RThe windshield in the area of the camera is
dirty, fogged up, damaged or co vered.
RIfth era dar sensors are dirty or co vered.
ROn slippery roads, braking or accelerating
can cause the drive wheels tolose traction
and theve hicle could then skid.
RIn parking garage s or on roads with steep
uphill or downhill gradients.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC in
th ese situations.
Driving and parking 19
9

&WARNING Risk of accident from acceler‐
ation or braking byActive Dis tance
Assist DISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC may accel‐
erate or brake in thefo llowing cases, for
ex ample:
RIfth eve hicle pulls away using Active Dis‐
ta nce Assist DISTRONIC.
RIfth estored speed is called up and is
considerably faster or slo werth an the
cur rently driven speed.
RIfAc tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC no
longer de tects a vehicle in front or does
not react toreleva nt objects.
#Alw ays carefully obser vethe traf fic con‐
ditions and be ready tobrake at all
times.
#Ta ke into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed.
&
WARNING Risk of accident due toinsuf‐
fi cient decele ration byActive Dis tance
Assist DISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC brakes
yo ur vehicle with up to50 % of the maximum
possible deceleration. If this decele ration is
not suff icient,Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC alerts you with a visual and
acoustic warning.
#In these cases, adjust your speed and
ke ep a suf ficient dist ance.
#Braketheve hicle yourself and/or take
ev asive action.
&
WARNING Risk of accident if de tection
function of Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC is impaire d
Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC does not
re act or only pa rtially reacts:
RWhen driving on a dif fere nt line tothe
ve hicle ahead or changing lane.
RTo pedestrians, animals, bicycles or
mo tor bikes, stationary vehicles or unex‐
pected obs tacles.
RTo complex traffic situations.
RTo oncoming vehicles and crossing traf‐
fi c.
Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC can nei‐
th er give warnings nor inter vene in such sit‐
uations.
#Alw ays obser vethe tra ffic conditions
carefully and react accordingl y.
OperatingActive Di stance Assist DI STRO NIC
Re quirements:
RThe vehicle has been star ted.
RThe elect ric park ing brake is released.
RESP®is activated and is not inter vening.
RThe transmission is in position h.
RAllthe doors are closed.
RCheck of thera dar sensor sy stem success‐
fully comple ted (vehicle tra veling fasterthan
12 mp h (20 km/h)).
200
Driving and parking

#Toactivate/deacti vate Active Di stance
Assist DI STRO NIC: press button 1.
#Toactivate Active Di stance Assist
DI STRO NIC:press rock er switch 3up (SET
+) or down (SET-). Remo veyour foot from the
accelerator pedal.
The cur rent speed is stored and maintained
by theve hicle.
or
#To activate Active Di stance Assist
DI STRO NIC with a stored speed: press
rock er switch 4up. Remo veyour foot from
th e accelerator pedal.
% Ifrock er switch 4is pressed up twice,
Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d with the speed restriction displ ayed in
th e instrument clus ter.
#To accept the displa yed speed restriction
when Active Di stance Assist DI STRONIC
is active: pressrocker switch 4(RES) up.
The speed limit displa yed in the instrument
clus ter is ado pted as thestored speed. The
ve hicle adapts its speed tothat of theve hicle
in front, but only up tothestored speed.
#To pull away wit hDistance Assis t
DISTRONIC activated: remo veyour foot
from the brake pedal.
#Push rocker switch 4(RES) up.
or
#Depress the accelerator pedal briefly and dis‐
tinctl y.
The functions of Active Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC continue tobe car ried out.
&
WARNING Risk of accident due toActive
Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC still being
activated when you lea vethe driver's
seat
If yo u lea vethe driver's seat while theve hicle
is being braked byActive Dis tance Assist
DISTRONIC only, theve hicle can rollaw ay.
#Alw ays deactivate Active Dis tance
Assist DISTRONIC and secure theve hi‐
cle topreve nt it from rolling away
before you lea vethe driver's seat.
#To deactivate Active Di stance Assist
DI STRO NIC:press rock er switch 4(CNCL)
down.
#To increase/reduce speed: pressrock er
switch 3up/down.
The stored speed is increased or reduced by
1 mp h(1 km/h).
or
#Press rocker switch 3beyond the pressure
point.
The stored speed is increased or reduced by
5 mp h(1 0 km/h).
Driving and parking 201

#Toincrease or reduce the speci fied dis‐
tance from theve hicle in front: press
rock er switch 2up or down.
Function of Active Speed Limit Assi st
%
The availability of thefo llowing function is
countr y-dependent.
If a change in the speed limit is de tected and
Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is acti vated,
Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC assumes this
new speed as thestored speed.
The driven speed is adjus ted when theve hicle is
le ve l with the traf fic sign at the latest. In the
case of signs indicating entry into an urban area,
th e speed is adap ted beforehand. The speed
limit display in the Instrument Display is alw ays
updated when theve hicle is le vel with the tra ffic
sign.
If th ere is no speed restriction on an unlimi ted
st re tch of road (e.g. on a free way), there com‐
mended speed is adop ted as thestored speed.
The sy stem uses the speed stored on an unlimi‐
te dstre tch of road as there commended speed.
If yo udo not alter thestored speed on an unlimi‐
te dstre tch of road, there commended speed is
80 mph (130 km/h).
If Ac tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC has been
put into passive modebypressing the accelera‐
to r pedal, only speed limits which are higher
th an the set speed are adop ted. Ac
tive Speed Limit Assi stcan be configu red in
th e multimedia sy stem (→page 235).
Ac tive Speed Limit Assi stis only an aid. The
driver is responsible forth e dis tance
totheve hi‐
cle in front, forve hicle speed and for bra

king in
good time. The maximum permissible speed also
depends on factors such asthero ad sur face and
traf fic conditions.
Sy stem limitations
Te mp orary speed restrictions (e.g. for a cer tain
time or due towe ather conditions) cannot be
proper lyde tected bythe sy stem. The maximum
permissible speed applying for a vehicle with a
trailer is not de tected bythe sy stem. In these sit‐
uations you must adjust your speed yourself.
&
WARNING Risk of accident due toActive
Speed Limit Assi stadapting theve hicle's
speed
The speed adop tedby Active Speed Limit
Assi stmay be too high or incor rect in some
individual cases, such as:
RInthewe t or in fog
202
Driving and parking

RWhentowing a trailer
#Ensure that the driven speed complies
with traf fic re gulations.
#Ad just the driving speed tosuit cur rent
traf fic and weather conditions.
Function of route-based speed adjustment
%
The availability of thefo llowing function is
countr y-dependent.
When Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is acti ve,th e
function adju ststh e speed depending on the
ro ute events ahead. Depending on the drive pro‐
gram selected, theve hicle negotiates thero ute
eve nt ahead in a fuel-s aving, com fortable or
dynamic manner. When thero ute event has been
passed, theve hicle accelerates again tothe
st ored speed. The set dis tancetotheve hicle
ahead, vehicles de tected ahead and speed
re strictions ahead are take n into account.
Ro ute-based speed adjustment can byconfig‐
ured in the multimedia sy stem (
→page 204). Ro
ute events ahead are:
RBends
RT-intersections, traf fic circles and tollst a‐
tions
RTu rnings and exits
% When theto llst ation is reached, Active Dis‐
ta nce Assist DISTRONIC adopts the speed as
th estored speed.
Also, the speed is reduced if the turn signal to
ch ange lanes is switch ed on and one ofthefo l‐
lowing situations is de tected:
RTu rning off at intersections
ROn slowing-down lanes
ROn lanes adjacent toslowing-down lanes
The driver is responsible forch oosing theright
speed and observing other road users. This
applies in particular tointersections, traf fic cir‐
cles and sets of traf fic lights, as route-
based
speed adjustment does not brake theve hicle to
a st andstill.
Wi th active route guidance, thefirs t speed
adjustment is car ried out automaticall y.Ifth e turn signal indica
tor is switched on, the selected
ro ute isconfirmed and fur ther speed adjustment
is activated.
Speed adjustment is canceled in thefo llowing
cases:
RIf th e turn signal indicator is switched off
before thero ute event.
RIfth e driver depresses the accelera tor or
brake pedal during the process.
Sy stem limitations
Ro ute-based speed adjustment does not take
ri ght of wayre gulations into account. The driver
is responsible for complying with road traf fic
re gulations and driving at a suitable speed.
In dif ficult ambient conditions (e.g. unclear
ro ads, nar rowlanes, wetro ad sur faces, snow or
ice) or when driving wi tha trailer, the speed
adjustment made bythe sy stem may not alw ays
be suitable. In these situations the driver must
inter vene acco rding ly.
Driving and pa rking 203

&WARNING Risk of accident in spite of
ro ute-based speed adjustment
Ro ute-based speed adjustment might mal‐
function or betemp orarily una vailable in the
fo llowing situations:
RIf map data is not up todate or available
RIfyo udo not follow the selected route
guidance
RIf th e set route isre-planned
RIn road con stru ction areas
RWhen towing a trailer
RIn bad weather or road conditions
RIfth e accelerator pedal is depressed
#Ad just the speed tothe traf fic situation.
Setting route-based speed adjustment
Re quirement:RActive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d. Multimedia sy
stem:
,9HKLFOH.k $VVLVWDQFH.6SHHG
$GMXVWPHQW
#Select '<1$0,& 6(/(&7 2S or2II .
Active Steering Assist
Function of Active Steering Assist
Active Steering Assist assists the driver at
speeds up to130mp h (2 10km/h) and helps the
driver tostay inthe center of the lane bymeans
of moderate steering inter ventions. The sy stem
orients itself using de tected lane markings.
Depending on the speed driven, Active Steering Assist uses
theve hicles ahead as a refere nce. If
th e de tection of lane markings and vehicles
ahead is impaired, Active Steering Assist
switches topassive mode. The sy stem does not
pr ov ide support in thefo rm ofsteering inter ven‐
tions.
RThe driver is requ ired tokeep their hands on
th esteering wheel at all times and be able to
inter vene at any time tocor rect the course of
th eve hicle and keep it in lane.
RThe status of Active Steering Assist is dis‐
pla yed in thest atus bar of the multifunction
displa y.
Ste ering and contact de tection
The driver is requ ired tokeep their hands on the
st eering wheel at all times and tobe able to
inter vene at any time. The driver must expect a
ch ange from active topassive mode or vice
ve rsa at any time.
204
Driving and parking

Ifth e sy stem reaches a sy stem limitation or the
driver has not steered theve hicle for a consider‐
able period of time or has remo vedth eir hands
from thesteering wheel, the sy stem will,
depending on the situation, firs t alert the driver
with a visual warning. Display 1appears in the
multifunction displa y.Ifth e driver still does not
st eer theve hicle himself or herself, or still has
not take n hold of thesteering wheel, a repeated
wa rning tone sounds in addition tothe visual
wa rning message toremind the driver totake
control of theve hicle.
The warning message does not appear or disap‐
pears if one of thefo llowing conditions are me t:
RThe driversteers theve hicle.
RThe driver presses a steering wheel button or
operates Touch Control.
Ac tive Steering Assist is only an aid. The driver is
re sponsible forth e dis tance totheve hicle in
front, forve hicle speed, for braking in good time
and forst ay ing in lane. Before changing lanes,
th e driver must make sure that the neighboring
lane is free (glance over the shoulder).
Sy stem limitations
Ac tive Steering Assist has a limited steering tor‐
qu efo r lateral guidance. In some cases, the
st eering inter vention is not suff icienttokeep the
ve hicle in
the lan
e or todrive past exits. Active
St eering Assist cann otprov ide the driver with
st eering assis tance at traf fic circles, T-intersec‐
tions, intersections, tollst ations or turnings, for
ex ample.
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
RIn sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are or direct sunlight or if there are greatly
va rying ambient light or reflections, or strong
shado wsonthero ad.
RInsuf ficient road illumination.
RThe windshield in the area of the camera is
dirty, fogged up, damaged or co vered.
RAbsence of lane markings, or se veral unclear
lane markings, or if the markings change rap‐
idl y.
RThe dis tance totheve hicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
de tected.
RThe road is nar rowand winding.
RObstacles on the lane or projecting out into
th e lane.
The sy stem does not pr ovide assis tance in the
fo llowing conditions:
ROn tight bends, traf fic circles and when turn‐
ing.
RIf yo u act ively change lane without switch ing
on the turn signal indicator.
Driving and parking 205

&WARNING Risk of accident if Active
St eering Assist unexpectedly stops func‐
tioning
If th e sy stem limitations of Active Steering
Assist are reached there is no guarantee that
th e sy stem will remain active or will keep the
ve hicle in lane.
#Alw ayske ep your hands onthesteering
wheel and obser vethe tra ffic carefull y.
#Alwaysst eer theve hicle paying atten‐
tion totraf fic conditions.
&
WARNING Risk of accident if Active
St eering Assist unexpectedly inter venes
A malfunction in the de tection of lane mark‐
ings and objects can occur.
This could cause unexpected steering inter‐
ve ntion.
#Steer according totraf fic conditions.
Ac tivating Active Steering Assist
Re quirements:
RESP®must be activated, but not inter vening.
RAc tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is acti va‐
te d.
#If indicator lamp 1is off: press button 2.Fu
nction of Active Lane Change Assi st
% The availability of thefo llowing function is
countr y-dependent.
Ac tive Lane Change Assi stsupports the driver
when changing lanes, byapplying steering tor‐
qu es.
Assis tance when changing lanes is pr ovided if all
th efo llowing conditions are me t:
RYou are driving on a free wayor road with
multiple lanes in the direction of tr avel.
RThe neighboring lane is separated bya bro‐
ke n lane mark ing.
RNovehicle is de tected in the adjacent lane.
RThe driven speed is between 50 mph
(80 km/h) and 110mp h(1 80 km/h).
RAc tive Lane Change Assi stis activated bythe
driver with the turn signal indicator.
RAc tive Lane Change Assi stis switched on in
th e multimedia sy stem.
RAc tive Steering Assist is switched on and
active.
206 Driving and parking

If novehicle is de tected in the adjacent lane and
a lane change is permitte d,thesteering wheel
symbol and the ar row are shown in green 2.
The /DQH &KDQJH WR WKH /HIW message appears,
fo rex ample. If Active Lane Change Assi stis acti‐
va ted with the turn signal indicator but a lane
ch ange is not immediately possible, thesteering
wheel symbol remains green and the ar row
appears gr ay1. When the lane change support
st arts, the turn signal indicator is automatically
activated. If a lane change is not possible within
th e defined length of time, the ar row fa des out
and a new lane change must be initiated. An
immediate lane change is only possible on free‐
wa ysection swithout speed limits .If
th e sy stem is impaired, Active Lane Change
Assi stmay be canceled. If it is canceled the
/DQH &KDQJH &DQFHOHG message appears inthe
multifunction display and a warning tone sounds.
&
WARNING Risk of accident from chang‐
ing lane toan occupied adjacent lane
Lane Change Assistcannot al ways detect
clear lyifth e adjacent lane is free.
The lane change might be initiated although
th e adjacent lane is not free.
#Before changing lanes, make sure that
th e neighboring lane is free and there is
no danger to otherroad users.
#Monitor the lane change.
&
WARNING Risk of accident if Lane
Change Assist unexpectedlystops func‐
tioning
If th e sy stem limitations for Lane Change
Assist ha vebeen reached, there is no guar‐
antee that the sy stem will remain active.
Lane Change Assist cannot then assist you
by applying steering torques .
#Always monitor the lane change and
ke ep your hands on thesteering wheel.
Obser vethe tra ffic conditions and steer
and/or brake if necessar y.
System limitations
The sy stem limitations of Active Steering Assist
apply toLane Change Assist (
→page 204).
Ac tivating/deactivating Active Lane Change
Assi st
Multimedia sy stem:
,9HKLFOH.k $VVLVWDQFH
#Select /DQH &KDQJH $VVLVW .
#Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
Fu nction of Active Eme rgency Stop Assist
If th e driver continues toigno rethe acoustic
wa rning toput their hands on thesteering
wheel, Active Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC
re duces the speed. If the driver still does not
re spond, the%HJLQQLQJ (PHUJHQF\ 6WRS mes‐
sage is shown in the multifunction displa y.The
Driving and parking 207

vehicle is decelerated in stages toast andstill. At
speeds below 40 mph(6 0 km/h) the hazard
wa rning lights switch on automaticall y.
When stationary:
RThe vehicle is secured with the electric park‐
ing brake.
RAc tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC is ended.
RThevehicle is unloc ked.
RIf possible, an emer gency call is placed to
th e Mercedes-Benz emer gency call center.
The driver can cancel the deceleration at any
time byper form ing one of thefo llowing actions:
RSt eering
RDepressing the brake or accelera tor pedal
RPressing a steering wheel button or operat‐
ing Touch Control
RAc tivating or deacti vating Active Dis tance
Assist DISTRONIC
Active Di stance Assist DI STRONIC displa ysin
th e instrument clus ter
The assis tance graphic and thest atus display
show thest atus of thefo llowing functions in the
instrument clus ter.
RAc tive Dis tance Assist DISTRONIC
RRoute-based speed adjustment
RActive Steering Assist
Assistance graphic
1Ro ute-based speed adjustment (type of
ro ute event)
2Vehicle ahead
3Dis tance indica tor
4Set specified di stance
5Own vehicle
208
Driving and parking