126 Controls in detailControl systemConvenience submenu
Access the
CONVENIENCE
submenu via the
SETTINGS
menu. Use the
CONVENIENCE
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you
remove the key from the starter switch
open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when
the driver’s door is closed
you put the key in the starter switch
and
press the appropriate stored position
button on the memory switch
(page 95)
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit feature
see
below
Set key dependency
127
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
128
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry/exit feature* is activated
and the driver’s door is being opened and
the engine is turned off or the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature*, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:
press the seat adjustment switch*
(page 34)
move the steering column stalk*
(page 38)
press the memory switch
(page 96)
S203 MY03_A.book Page 126 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
134 Controls in detailManual transmission
Manual transmissionInformation for driving with a manual
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 44).
Gearshift leverDo not exceed the maximum speed in the
individual gears. Refer to tachometer
(page 105) for engine speeds.
Shifting into reverse
Stop the vehicle completely.
Pull gearshift lever up and shift in
Rreverse.
Warning!
G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or re-
verse gear and parking brake engaged is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
an engaged first or reverse gear alone may
not prevent your vehicle from moving, possi-
bly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 51).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could move the gearshift
lever, which could result in an accident
and/or serious injury.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.!Downshifting gears leading to overrev-
ving the engine can result in engine
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Do not exceed the engine speed limits
(page 105).
Never hold the vehicle stopped on a hill
by using the clutch pedal. The clutch
may be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warran-
ty.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 134 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
135 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Automatic transmission*
Information for driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 44).
Your transmission adapts its gear shifting
process to your individual driving style by
continually adjusting the shift points up or
down. These shift point adjustments are
performed based on current operating and
driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change the au-
tomatic transmission reacts by adjusting
its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on
the selector lever positionD with gear
ranges4, 3, 2, 1 (
page 137)
the selected shift program (W/S)
(page 139)
the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 140)
the vehicle speed
The current selector lever position and
shift program (W/S) appear in the multi-
function display (
page 107).
An additional indication of the current se-
lector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting-gate. The indicators
come on when you activate a switch (e.g.
unlocking the vehicle or opening a door)
and go out after approximately
15 minutes.When the selector lever is in positionD,
you can influence transmission shifting by
limiting the gear range
changing gears yourself
iDuring the brief warm-up the transmis-
sion upshifting is delayed. This allows
the catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperatures.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
ofP orN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 135 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
138 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Gear selector lever position
Effect
P
Park position
Selector position when the vehicle is
parked. Only place selector lever in
positionP when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended to
serve as a brake when the vehicle is
parked. Rather, the driver should al-
ways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to placing the selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the starter switch with the selector
lever in positionP. With the key re-
moved the selector lever is locked in
positionP.
Effect
R
Reverse gear
Place selector lever in positionR only
when vehicle is stopped.
N
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the en-
gine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmission,
never engageN while driving.
If ESP is deactivated or malfunction-
ing:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
The transmission shifts automatical-
ly. All five forward gears are avail-
able.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with selector lever inN
can result in transmission damage that
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the selector
lever not fully engaged in positionP is dan-
gerous. Also, positionP alone is not intend-
ed to or capable of preventing your vehicle
from moving, possibly hitting people or ob-
jects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 51).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 138 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
139 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
S Standard For regular driving
W Winter For winter driving
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired shift program appears in the
multifunction display (
page 107).
Select
Wfor winter driving:
The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.
Traction and driving stability are im-
proved on icy roads.
Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.
The power transmission ratio for se-
lector lever positionR changes de-
pending on the program mode
selected (
W or
S).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could move the selector le-
ver from positionP, which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP. It
could result in a change of driving char-
acteristics for which you may not be
prepared.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 139 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
170 Controls in detailAudio systemWeather band
Press the
WB key.
The last weather band station is tuned
in.
Select the desired weather band sta-
tion with buttons 1 to 7.
If a station cannot be tuned in, a scan
is automatically started.
Press the
f
or
e
button. The
next receivable weather band station is
tuned in.
Cassette mode
Playing cassettes
Press the
Ø
button.
The display folds down and the cas-
sette slot becomes visible.
Press the cassette into the slot until it
engages and tap it gently.
The cassette will be pulled in automati-
cally. The system switches to cassette
mode (
TAPE
). Track 1 will be played and
SIDE 1
appears in the display. Track 1
is the side of the cassette which is fac-
ing upward. The cassette deck will au-
tomatically detect the type of tape.
Fold the display back up and press gen-
tly on the display frame to lock in place.or
If a cassette is already in the mecha-
nism, press the
j
button.
Track selection
Press the
TRK
key.
Upon selection of the track, the display
shows
SIDE 1
or
SIDE 2
corresponding-
ly.
You can switch track sides at any time.
The track side will be changed auto-
matically at the end of the tape.
iDo not press directly on the display
face.
iA warning signal will sound after 20
seconds if the display is left in the
down position. If the display is not
closed, a warning signal will sound and
the radio will be muted.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 170 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
178 Controls in detailAudio systemTelephone* operation
Various car telephone functions and oper-
ating steps for the car telephone can be
performed and displayed via the audio sys-
tem.
Further operating instructions not covered
here can be found in the operating instruc-
tions for the multifunction steering wheel,
voice control system* and the car tele-
phone.
Switching on the telephone
Press the
h
button.
If you have programmed an unlock
code for the telephone, you must input
the code now.
Press the
OK key.
The telephone is unlocked. If you enter
the wrong code, you must re-enter the
correct code.Switching off the telephone
Press the
h
button repeatedly until
PHONE OFF
appears in the display.
The receiving symbol in the display dis-
appears.
Adjusting the volume
Turn control knob
a
during tele-
phone operation.
The volume increases or decreases de-
pending on the direction in which the
knob is turned.Placing a call
Entering a telephone number and start-
ing the dialing process
Enter the desired telephone number
using buttons 1 to 0.
The number can have up to 32 digits,
but only 17 of these are visible on the
display.
If necessary, correct the number en-
tered with the
CLR
key. Press the key
briefly to delete the last digit entered,
press the key and hold to delete the
complete number.
After the correct telephone number
has been entered, press the
SND
key.
iThe volume can be adjusted separately
for the telephone, voice control sys-
tem* and radio.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 178 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
181 Controls in detail
Audio system
Speed dialing
Input the desired entry number using
the number keys 1 to 0.
A maximum of 2 digits can be entered.
If necessary, correct the last number
entered with the
CLR
key.
Press the
SND
key.
The telephone number stored under
that entry will be dialed. The number,
L
and the full entry number will be shown
in the display.
Express dialing
Press one of the desired number but-
tons 1 to 0 longer than one second.
The telephone number saved under
that number will be dialed.Emergency call
Press button1 longer than one second.
A call will be placed to the saved num-
ber (e.g. 911).
You can make an emergency call to an
emergency rescue station with a mobile
communications network.
The emergency call will be placed as long
as the corresponding mobile communica-
tions network is available. To do this,
switch the telephone on if not already done
so.
The call will also be placed if the un-
lock-code is not entered.Emergency calls may not be possible with
all telephone networks or if certain net-
work services and/or telephone functions
are active. Check with your local network
operation company. It may take some time
to set up an emergency call.
To use this function you must ensure that
the number stored in memory location 1 is
the number to be dialed in case of emer-
gency.
If an emergency call cannot be connected,
the message
SYSTM BUSY
appears.
!Please be aware that button 1 might al-
ready be reserved for an emergency
call number.
!Please be aware that the 911 emergen-
cy call system is a public service. Using
it without due cause is a criminal of-
fense.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 181 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM