2011 Mercedes ML-Class Owner's Manual - Page 178

176 Driving systems Activating DISTRONIC, storing and maintaining the current speed G Warning! The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC is activated. For this reason, deactivate DISTRONIC if the vehicle is to be set in motion by other means (e.g. in a car wash or by towing). Driving and parking i If you do not fully release the accelerator pedal, the DISTRONIC Override message appears in the multifunction display. The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in front will then not be maintained. You will be driving at the speed you determine by the position of the accelerator pedal. Driving If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC operates in the same way as cruise control. If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front, DISTRONIC causes your vehicle to brake and maintain the preset distance to the vehicle in front. If DISTRONIC detects a faster-moving vehicle in front, it increases the driving speed, but only up to the desired speed you have stored. You can activate DISTRONIC in the following circumstances: Rif the engine has been started and you have been driving for up to two minutes driving, except if you brake Rif the parking brake is not applied Rif ESP® is activated Rif the transmission is in position D Rwhile 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 not shown in the multifunction display and is no longer being detected, because it has changed lanes, for example, DISTRONIC is deactivated and you hear a warning tone. X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards you ? or press it up : or down ; to the pressure point. DISTRONIC is activated. X Keep the cruise control lever pressed up : or down ; until the desired speed is set. X 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. G Warning! If you depress the brake pedal, DISTRONIC is deactivated. DISTRONIC will then no longer brake your vehicle. In such cases, control the distance from vehicles traveling 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. Stopping G Warning! DISTRONIC must never be operated, activated or deactivated by a passenger or from outside the vehicle. If DISTRONIC detects that the vehicle in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until it is stationary. i You can use the cruise control lever to set the stored speed and the thumbwheel on the cruise control lever to set the specified minimum distance (Y page 177). i 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 thumbwheel on the cruise-control lever.