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Inte l ligent
Technology
Intelligent
Technology
Electronic
Stabilization
Control
(ESC)
Description
The Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) reinfor-
ces driver safety . It reduces the risk of slipping
and improves driving stability. ESC detects crit i-
cal s ituations such as the vehicle oversteering
and understeering
or the wheels sp inning. The
veh icle is stab ilized by applying the brakes or re-
ducing engine torque . Once t he ESC is active, the
indicator light
Ji)
blinks in t he instrument clus-
ter.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Ant i-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS preve nts the wheels from locking up when
braking. The veh icle can still be steered even dur-
ing hard brak ing. Apply steady pressure to the
brake pedal. Do not pump t he pedal. A pulsing in
the brake pedal indicates that the system is help -
ing you to brake t he vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing dis-
tance . It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit-
uations . You must press and hold the brake pedal
until the situa t ion is over. In vehicles w it h adap-
tive cruise contro l*, the brake assist system is
mo re sensit ive if the distance de t ecte d to the ve-
hicle ahead is too small.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin to spin and adapts t he force to the road
conditions . This makes it easie r to sta rt, acceler-
ate and dr ive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes w heels that a re spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other whee ls .
This function is not avai lab le at higher speeds.
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
186
overheating . EDL will sw itch on again automati -
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC he lps t o st abilize t he vehicle by chang ing
t he st eer ing torque.
On vehicles with dynam ic steeri ng*, ESC helps
stab ilize the steer ing in crit ica l sit uat io ns .
Selective wheel torque control
Se lective wheel torque cont rol is used when driv-
ing on curves. The front whee l on the inside of
the curve or both wheels on the inside of the
curve are braked se lectively as needed. This al-
lows mo re precise dr iving in curves . The applica-
ble system may not act ivate when d riving in wet
or snowy cond it ions.
_&.
WARNING
- The ESC and it s int eg rat ed systems can not
overcome the laws of physics . This is espe -
cially important on slippery or wet roads. If
the systems begin act ing to stab ilize your
veh icle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic
conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by t hese systems tempt you to
take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of
a loss of vehicle con t rol, collisi on a nd se ri-
ous person a l injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather condi t ions. The risk of los ing co n-
t rol of the vehicle increases w hen driving
too fast, es pecially through curves and on
slippe ry or wet roads, and when driving too
close to ve hicles up ahead. The ESC and its
integ rated systems cannot always prevent
col lisions - there is still a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate w ith special care on even,
smooth su rfaces s uch as those that are wet
or covered wit h ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even w it h these assistance
sys t ems t hat cannot a lways help to reduce
t he risk of loss of vehicle contro l.
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