Many carmakers allow you to change some of your car’s characteristics depending on the situation.
Mercedes groups its driving modes into a system it calls Dynamic Select. This lets you cycle between an eco mode and a sport mode, and doing so will adjust various parameters of the car, such as the weight of the steering and the responsiveness of the accelerator pedal.
What Mercedes driving modes are there?
Depending on the model of Mercedes in question, you might see the following drive modes in the Dynamic Select menu:
- Comfort
- Sport
- Sport+
- Eco
- Individual
- Offroad
- Electric/battery level
What is Mercedes Comfort mode?
You can think of the Mercedes Comfort mode as a ‘normal’ setting, with a balanced setup suitable for everyday driving. Typically, the steering will be fairly light to avoid you feeling like you’re wrestling with the car, and the accelerator pedal neither offers the quick response of sport mode or the slightly lazier response of eco mode.
If your Mercedes has adaptive suspension, Comfort mode will also make the ride softer so that the car isn’t so firm over speed bumps and potholes.
What is Mercedes Sport mode?
Choosing the Sport mode in a Mercedes will sharpen up the accelerator response, making it feel like the car accelerates faster. The steering may become a bit heavier, but the traction control system stays locked down to maximise grip. You may notice the gearbox becomes a bit quicker during shifts, but that it will hold onto gears longer to give you higher revs (and more power).
For plug-in-hybrid Mercedes cars, Sport mode uses the two power sources to improve performance rather than efficiency.
What is Mercedes Sport+ mode?
This setting makes a Mercedes as sporty as it can be – unless you’ve got an AMG model with a Race mode. In Sport+, the traction control typically gives you a little bit of leeway before stepping in if it senses a loss of traction. Cars with adaptive suspension will firm up their dampers to provide a flatter, more stable ride through corners.
What is Mercedes Eco mode?
You’ll find this on automatic Mercedes models, and it’s useful for when you want to drive as efficiently as possible. It’ll aim to change gears sooner so the engine isn’t working as hard, and it’ll numb the accelerator response slightly to try to make you use less power. Climate control settings may be reduced.
What is Mercedes Individual mode?
Individual mode lets you tailor your Mercedes’ settings to your preferences. Depending on the model, you’ll be able to adjust things like the steering weight, accelerator response, gearchange ferocity, climate control efficiency and suspension firmness. You might want a sporty driving experience but without the firmer ride of Sport or Sport+ mode, for example.
What is Mercedes Offroad mode?
Not to be used on paved surfaces, Mercedes Offroad mode sets the car up for more challenging surfaces such as sand, gravel or dirt tracks. In conjunction with the 4Matic four-wheel-drive system, this mode distributes the engine’s power to the wheels with the most grip to lessen the chances of you getting stuck.
Selected Mercedes models come with an Offroad+ mode for more serious 4x4 driving. Usually this includes low-range gears for crawling over obstacles and a locking differential for 50/50 torque distribution across each axle.
Mercedes plug-in hybrid (PHEV) driving modes
- Electric: keeps the car running on electric power for as long as possible. You can wake up the engine by pressing the accelerator all the way down, past the ‘soft’ limiter
- Battery: aims to keep the battery at a certain level of charge, and ideal if you are driving into a city and want to save your EV range for the built-up area
Mighty Mercedes models at Motorpoint
If you haven’t yet bought your Mercedes – or you fancy an upgrade – check out our selection of luxurious used Mercedes cars for sale. Read our Mercedes reviews for more information on an individual model.
