199 Controls in detail
Loading
Installing
Fold split rear bench seat forward.
Place twin-reel roller blind1 into right
and left guide rails2.
Slide towards right to the end stop.
Split rear bench seat
The two sections can be folded down sep-
arately to enlarge the cargo compartment.Folding the backrest forward
Pull release handle1.
Fold seat cushion2 forward.
Right hand side of rear seat
Slip seat belt webbing behind
retainer3.
Retract head restraints fully and fold
rearward (
page 35).
Warning!
G
When expanding the luggage compartment,
always fold the seat cushions fully forward
and always use the partition net when trans-
porting cargo.
Unless you are transporting cargo, the back-
rests must remain properly locked in the up-
right position.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
Always use the cargo tie down rings
(page 202).
S203 MY03_A.book Page 199 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
200 Controls in detailLoading
Pull release handle4 on the left or right
backrest as required.
Fold the rear seat backrests5 forward.Folding the backrest rearward
Fold the backrest5 rearward until it
engages.
Fold the seat cushions2 rearward until
they lock into position.If the backrest is not locked into position,
a red indicator6 will be visible.
Check for secure locking by pushing
and pulling on the backrest.
iWith the twin-reel roller blind installed:
When folding the backrest forward,
fold the right section first and then
the left section.
If only the left section is to be fold-
ed, first remove the twin-reel roller
blind (
page 198).
Warning!
G
If a red indicator is visible with the backrest
up, then the backrest is not properly locked
into position.
Always lock backrest in its upright position
when rear seat bench is occupied, or the ex-
tended cargo compartment is not in use.
Check for secure locking by pushing and
S203 MY03_A.book Page 200 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
203 Controls in detail
Useful features
Useful features
Interior storage spaces Glove box
1Glove box lid release
2Glove box
Opening the glove box
Pull lid release1.
The glove box lid opens downward.
Closing the glove box
Push lid up to close.Locking the glove box
Insert mechanical key into the glove
box lock and turn it to position2.
Unlocking the glove box
Turn mechanical key in the glove box
lock to position1.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when stowing objects in the vehicle. Put lug-
gage or cargo in the cargo compartment if
possible. Do not pile luggage or cargo higher
than the seat backs.
Always use partition net when transporting
cargo. Partition net cannot secure hard or
heavy objects.
Parcel nets cannot secure hard or heavy ob-
jects.
Keep compartment lids closed. This will help
to prevent stored objects from being thrown
about and injuring vehicle occupants during
an accident.
iPrior to closing the glove box, close the
compartment for glasses first.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 203 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
206 Controls in detailUseful featuresArmrest storage spaces
Opening compartment in armrest
Lift armrest by handle1.
Opening compartment under armrest
Lift armrest by handle2.
Closing
Lower armrest until it engages in lock.Changing inclination of armrest
Pull up on armrest.
Lowering armrest
Pull handle2 to lower armrest.Parcel net in front passenger footwell
A small convenience parcel net is located
in the front passenger footwell. It is for
small and light items, such as road maps,
mail, etc.iThe storage compartment can be heat-
ed or cooled.
The compartment can get very warm
due to its confined space. When storing
heat sensitive objects in the compart-
ment, close the air vent (
page 150)
while heating the passenger compart-
ment.
Warning!
G
Do not place heavy or fragile objects, or ob-
jects having sharp edges, in the parcel net.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, they could be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 206 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
208 Controls in detailUseful featuresCigarette lighter
1Cigarette lighter
2Cover
Turn key in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Slide cover2 rearward.
Push in cigarette lighter1.
The cigarette lighter will pop out auto-
matically when hot.
Electrical outlet
An electrical outlet is located on the left
side of the cargo compartment.
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Flip up cover and insert electrical plug
(cigarette lighter type).
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, and lock your
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.iThe lighter socket can be used to ac-
commodate electrical accessories up
to a maximum 85 W.
iThe electrical outlet can be used to ac-
commodate electrical consumers (e.g.
air pump, auxiliary lamps) up to a max-
imum of 180 W.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 208 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
210 Controls in detailUseful featuresTele Aid* The Tele Aid system
(Tele
matic A
larm I
dentification on
D
emand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:
automatic and manual emergency
roadside assistance and
information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the multifunction steering wheel. To
raise, press button
æ
and to lower,
press button
ç
.
To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button
•
or
the Information button
¡
, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your Ac-
quaintance Call, you will receive a user ID
and password via first call mail. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
( U S A o n l y ) , y o u w i l l h a v e a c c e s s t o a c c o u n t
information, remote door unlock, and
more.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by com-
pleting the subscriber agreement and
placing an acquaintance call using the
SOS button. Failure to complete either
of these steps will result in a system
that is not activated. If the system is
not activated, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after turning key
in starter switch to position2 and the
message
TELE AID – NOT ACTIVATED
will be shown in the multifunction dis-
play for approx. 10 seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response Cen-
ter at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
iThe SOS button is located above the in-
side rear view mirror.
The Roadside Assistance button
•
and the Information button
¡
are
located below the center armrest cov-
er.
!The Tele Aid system utilizes the cellular
network for communication and the
GPS (Global Positioning System) satel-
lites for vehicle location. If either of
these signals are unavailable, the
Tele Aid system may not function and if
this occurs, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 210 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
217 Controls in detail
Useful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. key inside vehicle), and the
reserve key is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.
Then return to your vehicle and pull the
tailgate recessed handle for minimum
of 20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED appears in the multi-
function display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your Acquaintance Call.The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.Stolen vehicle tracking services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:
Report the incident to the police.
The police will issue a numbered inci-
dent report.
Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s
Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle is lo-
cated, the Response Center will con-
tact the local law enforcement and you.
The vehicle’s location will only be pro-
vided to law enforcement.
iThe remote door unlock feature is avail-
able if the relevant cellular phone net-
work is available.
The SOS button will flash and the mes-
sage
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
will appear in the mul-
tifunction display to indicate receipt of
the door unlock command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Re-
sponse Center specialist will attempt
to establish voice contact with the ve-
hicle occupants.
If the tailgate recessed handle was
pulled for more than 20 seconds be-
fore door unlock authorization was re-
ceived by the Response Center, you
must wait 15 minutes before pulling
the tailgate recessed handle again.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 217 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
225 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
parking, so that the air stream will cool
down the brakes faster.Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow one drive wheel to spin for an ex-
tended period with the ESP switched off.
Doing so may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parking
!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps pre-
vent overheating of the brakes and re-
duces brake pad wear.
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.!Set the parking brake whenever park-
ing or leaving the vehicle. In addition,
move selector lever to positionP (man-
ual transmission: first or reverse gear).
In addition, when parking on hills, turn
front wheel towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before
turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:
Keep right foot on brake pedal.
Firmly depress parking brake pedal.
Move the selector lever to positionP
(manual transmission: first or reverse
gear).
Slowly release brake pedal.
When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.
Turn the key to starter switch position0
and remove.
Take the key and lock vehicle when leav-
ing.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 225 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM