129 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting automatic locking
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the automatic central locking. With the
automatic central locking system
activated, the vehicle is centrally locked at
vehicle speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km/h).
Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to the
VEHICLE
submenu.
Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the
display:
AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press
æ
or
ç
to switch
AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK
ON or
OFF
.Convenience submenu
Access the
CONVENIENCE
submenu via the
SETTINGS
menu. Use the
CONVENIENCE
submenu 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
deactivate the easy-entry/exit feature.
When the feature is activated, the steering
wheel and driver’s seat will move back to
facilitate exiting when you
remove the key from the starter switch
open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/
exit feature*
see
below
Set key dependency
131
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
131
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.
137 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Information 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 109) for engine speeds.
Shifting into reverse
Stop the vehicle completely.
Pull gearshift lever up and shift inR
reverse.
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, possibly 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, take it with you
and lock the vehicle. 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 vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS
will not prevent 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.
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.
Do not exceed the engine speed limits
(page 109).
138 Controls in detailAutomatic 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 140)
the selected shift program (W/S)
(page 142)
the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 143)
the vehicle speed
The current selector lever position and
shift program (W/S) appear in the speed-
ometer display (
page 111).
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.
141 Controls in detail
Automatic 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 in-
tended to serve as a brake when
the vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the park-
ing brake in addition to placing the
selector lever in positionP to se-
cure 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
engine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle
can be moved freely (pushed or
towed).
To avoid damage to the transmis-
sion, never engageN while driving.
If ESP is deactivated or malfunc-
tioning:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
The transmission shifts automati-
cally. All five forward gears are
available.
!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.
142 Controls in detailAutomatic 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 111).
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, take it with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Children could move
the selector lever from positionP, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
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.
147 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
Turn the key to starter switch
position1 or2.
Press the switch briefly at1 to raise the
sunshade.
Press the switch briefly at2 to lower
the sunshade.
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
ma ke s ur e th a t th er e is no da nge r o f an y o ne
being harmed by the raising or lowering pro-
cedure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be im-
mediately halted by briefly pressing the up-
per or lower half of the switch.
Briefly press upper or lower half of the
switch again to raise or lower the rear win-
dow sunshade completely.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from 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 can cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
174 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 buttons1 to7.
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
3
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
correspond-
ingly.
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.
182 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 buttons1 to0.
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
system* and radio.