Mercedes-Benz R-Class Owner's Manual page 146

Distronic*
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Distronic is only available for certain
countries.
Distronic regulates the speed and automati-
cally maintains the distance to the vehicle in
front. 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, 2 or 3 in 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 over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
G Risk of accident
The brake pedal is retracted when Distronic
brakes. Do not restrict the movement of the
pedal in any way.
Do not put any objects in the footwell.
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Ensure that floor mats and carpets are
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fixed securely.
Do not place your foot under the brake
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pedal as it could become trapped.
You could otherwise cause an accident and
injure yourself and others.
* optional
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.
G Risk of accident
Distronic is only an aid designed to assist
driving. The driver remains fully responsible
for the vehicle's distance to other vehicles,
the vehicle's speed and braking in good
time.
Distronic does not react to:
pedestrians
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stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. sta-
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tionary or parked vehicles
oncoming and crossing traffic
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Distronic may not detect narrow vehicles
driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise danger in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic causes your vehicle to brake and
Driving systems
maintain the preset distance to the vehicle in
front that you have set.
G Risk of accident
Distronic cannot take account of road and
traffic conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, Distronic if it does not detect the
vehicle in front, or if it no longer detects it.
This is especially the case:
before corners
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on filter lanes
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when changing to a lane with faster mov-
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ing traffic
in complex driving situations or where
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the lanes are diverted, e.g. at motorway/
roadway construction sites
Otherwise, Distronic maintains the current
speed or accelerates to the set speed.
Distronic cannot take account of weather
conditions. Deactivate, or do not activate,
Distronic:
if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
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icy. The wheels could lose their grip
Controls
Z
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