Cruise control for Dummies?

[dad4geer]

I never had it in my previous cars and tomorrow morming I am driving up North to West Yorkshire for a 300 odd miles journey so it will be a good test of my newly bought C180. My question is about cruise control as I want to use it on Motorway. Attached you will find what I copied from the manual and it is not very clear. What is Speedtronic and what it has to do with Cruise control? If someone can please tell me in simple words as how I can engage cruise control (so if I am driving on 70 it stays there after taking my foot off the pedal) and how I come out of it (as I understand if I press accelerator it will come off?). As you see in attached snap that it says move up or down to activate but it also says move up or down tp increase/decrease speed which means what? once activated I can increase/decrease speed by using this stick?

 

[PobodY]

If it's like mine:

Push the stalk up or down to engage cruise control.
Once it's engaged you can increase the speed by pushing it up (and decrease it by pushing down).
Push it away to cancel the cruise control (although I normally just tap the brakes), and pull it towards you to resume the previous settings (for this drive).

Speedtronic is a limiter. - I'm not sure if it just *bings* at you if you exceed the set speed, or if it prevents you from exceeding it. The manual suggests it's market dependent, so Germany gets a hard limit and maybe the UK gets a *bing*?

I could be wrong, and am happy to be corrected.

Here's an example: I drove back from Birmingham on the M6 today. Once on the motorway I pulled the stick up to start Distronic, then gave it another tap to set the limit at 75mph. - After that all I did was pick a lane and indicate when I was changing.
When I got to Stoke I tapped the brakes and took control of the accelerator again.

 

[John]

What is Speedtronic and what it has to do with Cruise control? If someone can please tell me in simple words as how I can engage cruise control (so if I am driving on 70 it stays there after taking my foot off the pedal) and how I come out of it (as I understand if I press accelerator it will come off?). As you see in attached snap that it says move up or down to activate but it also says move up or down tp increase/decrease speed which means what? once activated I can increase/decrease speed by using this stick?

Speedtronic is MB's name for their cruise control system. Like Parktronic is their parking sensors. Most manufacturers have their own terms for these systems - like BMW has Steptronic for their gear-changing auto and Volvo call it Geartronic.

So when moving, pull the lever towards you and it will set cruise at the speed you are doing.

If you do that at 65 and want to be doing 70, lift it and hold until the speed rises to 70.

The reason for being able to decrease by pulling the lever down is because it is not Distronic, which is radar-assisted cruise which will speed up and slow down for you, you need to decrease the speed as you will find other drivers not using cruise will "naturally" speed up and slow down - which is a RPITA sometimes.

Forward planning/thinking will mitigate - just takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it.

Move the lever towards the dash to turn the system off.

Other points to note:

You can accelerate with the Merc cruise on to speed up for a while (e.g. if you are using cruise in a 50 and want to get by a lorry doing 49, and if you let go of the throttle, it will drop back to the cruise speed.

If you brake, it will cancel it.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Funny thing I noticed on Tuesday on the way home in the dark.

I was sitting at 80mph and approaching a roadworks section on an unlit section of the M6 (near Shap) I very quickly knocked the cruise stalk down 6 times to set 50mph. In my rear view mirror I saw my brake light activated momentarily.

I'm not sure if it actually applied the brakes or if it's done as a warning to drivers behind that you're reducing speed.

Ant.

 

[Peter103]

Yes Ant I've wondered if the brake lights come on when the lever is pulled down, mine loses speed pretty quickly if I do that, so I suppose they must.

 

[dad4geer]

Thanks everyone.. I will give it a go tomorrow

 

[John]

I knew the car braked when a reduction in speed was fairly substantial because the car slows down much quicker than the natural deceleration on our Joke which doesn't do that.

I assumed because the E55K was "brake by wire" that was probably why.

Interesting other Mercs do it.

Some have HOLD so I suppose those ones are all capable of brake-assisted cruise.

 

[renault12ts]

IMO the MB system is probably the best there is.

 

[Ted]

And speedtronic can be overriden by pushing the accelerator to the floor.

I find it very useful in sections of roadworks covered by specs cameras, and roads that have an unusually low speed limit.

 

[renault12ts]

I never had it in my previous cars and tomorrow morming I am driving up North to West Yorkshire for a 300 odd miles journey so it will be a good test of my newly bought C180. My question is about cruise control as I want to use it on Motorway. Attached you will find what I copied from the manual and it is not very clear. What is Speedtronic and what it has to do with Cruise control? If someone can please tell me in simple words as how I can engage cruise control (so if I am driving on 70 it stays there after taking my foot off the pedal) and how I come out of it (as I understand if I press accelerator it will come off?). As you see in attached snap that it says move up or down to activate but it also says move up or down tp increase/decrease speed which means what? once activated I can increase/decrease speed by using this stick?

You answered your own question. Nothing quite like trying something to see how it works.

And touching the accelerator will not cancel it...where did you read that?

 

[GLK]

Just a minor note: pushing the stalk forward will de-activate cruise; pressing the brake pedal will cancel it - same effect at this point, but different, when you pull the stalk towards yourself to engage it again: if de-activated, the cruise will resume the previously set speed; if cancelled, it will set and maintain your current speed.

 

[renault12ts]

Just a minor note: pushing the stalk forward will de-activate cruise; pressing the brake pedal will cancel it - same effect at this point, but different, when you pull the stalk towards yourself to engage it again: if de-activated, the cruise will resume the previously set speed; if cancelled, it will set and maintain your current speed.

Nope, don't think so.

If I use the stalk to cancel CC or the brake...then pulling the stalk towards me will have the same effect...resuming the previously set speed. It would be a real pain if every time you touched the brake you had to reset the speed...what use would that be?

 

[Wheelsnuts]

I wonder whether the brakes are sometimes applied when going downhill: it certainly feels like it at times. Perhaps I should get someone to follow me to check the brake lights.

 

[renault12ts]

If it's like mine:

Push the stalk up or down to engage cruise control.
Once it's engaged you can increase the speed by pushing it up (and decrease it by pushing down).
Push it away to cancel the cruise control (although I normally just tap the brakes), and pull it towards you to resume the previous settings (for this drive).

Speedtronic is a limiter. - I'm not sure if it just *bings* at you if you exceed the set speed, or if it prevents you from exceeding it. The manual suggests it's market dependent, so Germany gets a hard limit and maybe the UK gets a *bing*?

I could be wrong, and am happy to be corrected.

Here's an example: I drove back from Birmingham on the M6 today. Once on the motorway I pulled the stick up to start Distronic, then gave it another tap to set the limit at 75mph. - After that all I did was pick a lane and indicate when I was changing.
When I got to Stoke I tapped the brakes and took control of the accelerator again.

The speed limiter does just that...you set the max speed you want and you cannot go through that unless you kick down. Guys you've really got to get to know your cars, this is basic stuff.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Guys you've really got to get to know your cars, this is basic stuff.

We are getting to know our cars, that's why we're all here asking/answering questions about them.

 

[Smithy53]

And speedtronic can be overriden by pushing the accelerator to the floor.

I find it very useful in sections of roadworks covered by specs cameras, and roads that have an unusually low speed limit.

When you take your foot off the accelerator doesn't the cars speed not got any lower than the speed it was travelling on cruise control before you put your foot on the accelerator?

 

[Deleted member 113659]

When you take your foot off the accelerator doesn't the cars speed not got any lower than the speed it was travelling on cruise control before you put your foot on the accelerator?

Correct.

 

[Sustanon250]

On my E300 , when I pull the cruise control lever towards me it'll go to the previous speed set, so if I had cruise at say 65mph and I'm doing 30 in a 30 , then pull the lever , the car shoots up to 65!!! Other cars I've had , when you activate cruise it sets speed at the current level . Is there a way to stop this ?

 

[alzieboy]

Are we talking CC or the speed limiter function, have never used the CC , but I do use the speed limiter very often. When I push the stork in , a light appears to show it's on limiter, then if you push the stork upwards the speed is set to what the car is travelling at at the time. To cancel the limiter push the stalk away towards screen .

 

[OldTimer66]

On my E300 , when I pull the cruise control lever towards me it'll go to the previous speed set, so if I had cruise at say 65mph and I'm doing 30 in a 30 , then pull the lever , the car shoots up to 65!!! Other cars I've had , when you activate cruise it sets speed at the current level . Is there a way to stop this ?

I'd like to know the answer to this as well. Near to where I live the speed limit of one of the slip off the motorway changes from 70 to 30 half way along its length. I use cruise control a lot on this stretch of motorway. The 30 limit is rigorously enforced. I have found no way of cancelling/stopping cruise at say 70 and then later resetting it to 30 without a sudden burst of speed until I can manage to force the lower speed by holding the lever down.

Cruise needs to have a "forget" function. Most of my previous cars have had that.