Important safety notes

WARNING
The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. For this reason, deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle is to be set in motion by other means (e.g. in a car wash or by towing).

In order to activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the following conditions must be fulfilled:
• the engine must be started. It may take up to two minutes after pulling away before DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
• the parking brake must not be applied.
• ESP® must be activated but not intervening.
• the transmission must be in position D.
• the hood must be closed.
• the driver's door must be closed when you shift from P to D or your seat belt must be fastened.
• the front-passenger door and rear doors must be closed.
• the vehicle must not skid.

Activating while driving

When driving at speeds below 20 mph (30 km/h), you can only activate DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle in front has been detected and is shown in the multifunction display. If the vehicle in front is no longer detected and shown, DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated and a warning tone sounds.

Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards you 4, or briefly press up 1 or down 2. DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
Keep the cruise control lever pressed up 1 or down 2 until the desired speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the vehicle in front, but only up to the desired stored speed.

If you do not fully release the accelerator pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS Override message is shown in the multifunction display. The set distance to a slowermoving vehicle in front will then not be maintained. You will be driving at the speed you determine by the position of the accelerator pedal.

Activating when driving towards a stationary vehicle

If the vehicle in front of you is stationary, you can only activate DISTRONIC PLUS once your vehicle is stationary as well.

Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards you 4, or briefly press up 1 or down 2. DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.

DISTRONIC PLUS can only be activated at under 20 mph (30 km/h) if a vehicle in front has been detected. Therefore, the DISTRONIC PLUS distance display in the instrument cluster should be activated.

Keep the cruise control lever pressed up 1 or down 2 until the desired speed is set.

You can use the cruise control lever to set the stored speed and the control on the cruise control lever to set the specified minimum distance.

Pulling away

If the vehicle in front pulls away: remove your foot from the brake pedal.
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards you 4.
or
Accelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its speed to that of the vehicle in front.

Driving

If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC PLUS operates in the same way as cruise control.

If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front, DISTRONIC causes your vehicle to brake. This maintains the preset distance to the vehicle in front.

If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a faster-moving vehicle in front, it increases the driving speed of your vehicle, but only up to the desired speed you have stored.

WARNING
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
DISTRONIC PLUS then no longer brakes your vehicle. In such cases, control the distance from vehicles travelling in front with the brake alone. You could otherwise cause an accident and thereby injure yourself and others. The driver remains fully responsible for the vehicle's distance from other vehicles, the speed being driven and for braking in good time.

Changing lanes

If you wish to change to the passing lane (in left-hand-drive vehicles, the passing lane is the left-hand lane), DISTRONIC PLUS supports you if:
• you are driving faster than 40 mph (60 km/h).
• DISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the distance to a vehicle in front.
• you switch on the appropriate turn signals.
• DISTRONIC PLUS does not detect a danger of collision.

If these conditions are met, your vehicle is accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted if changing lanes takes too long or if the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front becomes too small.

WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS and Active Blind Spot Assist are only aids designed to assist driving.
They do not relieve you of the responsibility of paying attention. The driver remains fully responsible for the vehicle's distance from other vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for braking in good time. Always pay attention to traffic conditions and your surroundings.
Otherwise, you may fail to recognize dangers in time, cause an accident and injure yourself and others.

Vehicles with COMAND

The following function is not operational in all countries.

DISTRONIC PLUS uses additional information from your navigation system so that it can react appropriately to certain traffic situations. This is the case if, while following a vehicle, DISTRONIC PLUS is active and you:
• approach or drive through a traffic circle
• approach a T intersection
• turn off at a freeway exit

Even if the vehicle in front leaves the detection range, DISTRONIC PLUS temporarily maintains the current driving speed and does not accelerate. This is based on the current map data in the navigation system.

Example: traffic circle

The current speed is maintained:
• approximately 10 seconds before the traffic circle/T intersection and for approximately 1.5 seconds when driving on the traffic circle
• approximately 12 seconds before reaching a freeway exit and approximately 4 seconds after the freeway exit

Afterwards, the vehicle accelerates back to the set speed you specified.

Stopping

WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
DISTRONIC PLUS must also never be operated, activated or deactivated by a passenger or from outside the vehicle.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not replace the parking brake and must not be used for parking.
The DISTRONIC PLUS braking effect is canceled and the vehicle can start moving if:
• DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated using the cruise control lever.
• you accelerate.
• there is a malfunction in the system or an interruption in the power supply, e.g. battery failure.
• the electrical system in the engine compartment, the battery or the fuses are tampered with.
• the battery is disconnected.
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it, deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle against rolling away.

If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until it is stationary.

Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains stationary and you do not need to depress the brake.

Depending on the specified minimum distance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in front. The specified minimum distance is set using the control on the cruise control lever.

You will see a warning message in the multifunction display if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and:
• the driver's door is open and the driver's seat belt is unfastened.
• the engine is switched off.
• the hood is opened.
Shift to 'P'

Move the selector lever to P to prevent the vehicle from rolling away.
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated. The warning message in the multifunction display disappears.

The horn will also sound at regular intervals if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and you:
• switch the engine off, open the driver's door and take off your seat belt
• open the hood

The sounding of the horn alerts you to the fact that the vehicle has been parked while DISTRONIC PLUS is still activated. The sound becomes louder if you attempt to lock the vehicle. The vehicle is not locked until DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.

If the engine has been switched off, it cannot be started again until DISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated.

If DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and a malfunction occurs in the system or if there is a disruption in the power supply, 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 or shift the transmission to position P.
DISTRONIC PLUS is then deactivated.