2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 cruise control

184 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if

you are driving between 25 mph
(40 km/h) and 110 mph (180 km/h)


the ESP is activated (
page 73)
If Distronic has not been activated after
pressing the cruise control lever you will
see the message
---
in the multifunction
display.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to two minutes after starting the en-
gine


when you brake


if you have set the parking brake


if the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R or N


if the ESP is switched offSetting the current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift or depress the cruise control
lever.
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1 (
page 183) to in-
crease vehicle speed in increments of
5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 183), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
light up on the speedometer
(
page 181).
iIf you do not take your foot off of the
accelerator completely, the following
message will appear in the multifunc-
tion display: DISTRONIC OVERRIDE
.
Distronic will not work to maintain the
distance to slower moving vehicle in
front of you. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accel-
erator pedal position.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate Distronic. After brief ac-
celeration (e.g. for passing), the cruise
control will resume the last speed set.

185 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a lower speed
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2 (
page 183) to
decrease vehicle speed in increments
of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 183), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
light up on the speedometer
(
page 181).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 183).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 183).
Distronic is set to the last stored
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the rate of de-
celeration is too low.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could cause an accident and / or seri-
ous injury to you and others.

186 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 183).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


You set the parking brake.


You drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km/h).


The ESP is active (
page 73) or you
deactivate the ESP.


You move the transmission selector le-
ver into positionN.
A signal will sound. The
DISTRONIC OFF

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
DISTRONIC OFF
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approx. 25 mph
(40 km/h) by operation of the system. At
that time the driver must apply the brakes in
order to reduce vehicle speed further or
bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

230OperationDriving instructionsCL500 (without Sport Package*)
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“H”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km/h).
CL 600 (without Sport Package*)
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 188 mph (300 km/h).
Vehicles with Sport Package*
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 188 mph (300 km/h).
CL 55 AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 188 mph (300 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km/h).
Information on tire speed rating for winter
tires (
page 252)
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move selector lever to position N. Try to
keep the vehicle under control by correc-
tive steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
We therefore recommend depressing the
brake pedal periodically when traveling at
length on salt-strewn roads.
This can bring road salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal. Be very careful
that you carry out these braking maneu-
vers without endangering any other road
users.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
iInformation on driving with snow
chains (
page 253).
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 control loss.

294 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?ì
FUNCTION
NOT AVAILABLE!
This display appears if button
ì
or
í

on the multifunction steering wheel is
pressed and the vehicle is not equipped
with a telephone.
Ê
TRUNK OPEN!
This message will appear whenever the
trunk lid is open.

Close the trunk lid.
W
WASHER FLUID
CHECK LEVEL!
The fluid level has dropped to about
1/3 of
total reservoir capacity.

Add washer fluid (
page 244).
Î
CRUISE CONTROL
VISIT WORKSHOP!
Cruise control or Distronic* is malfunction-
ing.

Have cruise control or Distronic*
checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
_
ENTRY POSITION
DO NOT DRIVE!
Seat, mirrors and steering wheel have not
yet moved to their preset driving positions.

Wait until the seat, mirrors and steer-
ing wheel have moved to their driving
positions.
The message will disappear.
±
DISPLAY MALFUNCTION
VISIT WORKSHOP!
Certain electronic systems are unable to
relay information to the control system.
The following systems may have failed:

Coolant temperature display


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems
checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Display
Possible cause
Possible solution

348 Technical termsCOMAND
(C
ockpit M
anagement and D
ata Sys-
tem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and navi-
gation, as well as for other optional
equipment (CD changer, telephone,
etc.).
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
A driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:


If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional ->cruise con-
trol.


If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by re-
duced throttle and up to 20% brak-
ing power to maintain the preset
minimum following distance.
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.Engine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.

358 IndexCoolant 242
Adding 243
Checking level 242
Messages in display 277, 278
Temperature 234
Temperature gauge 115
Warning lamp 278
Coolant level 236
Checking 242
Courtesy lighting 113
Cruise control 176, 348
Canceling 177
Driving downhill 177
Driving uphill 177
Fine adjustment 178
Lever 183
Saving current speed 177
Setting speeds 178
Cruise control lever 176
Cup holder
Cleaning 260
Closing 204
In front seat armrest 202
In rear seat armrest 203
Opening 204
Customer Assistance Center (CAC) 347D
Daytime running lamp mode 110
Setting 136
Deactivating
Air conditioner (cooling) 166
Air recirculation mode 164
Alarm 77
Anti-theft alarm system 77
Automatic climate control 166
Central locking (control system) 139
Cruise control 177
Defrost 162
Distance warning function* 188
Distronic* 186
Engine with KEYLESS-GO* 51
Engine with the key 51
ESP 75
Exterior lamps 109
Hazard warning flasher 111
Headlamps 50
Immobilizer 76
Interior lighting delayed
switch-off 138
Rear window defroster 165
Residual heat 167
Seat heater 103, 104Seat ventilation* 102
Tow-away alarm 78
Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control 150
Deceleration
With Distronic* 182
Deep water see Standing water 231
Defrosting 162
Delayed switch-off
Interior lighting 138
Dialing
A number (telephone) 126
Difficulties
While driving see Problems while
driving 48
With starting 44
Digital speedometer 122
Direction of rotation (tires) 247
Discharged battery
Jump starting 316
Disconnecting
Vehicle battery 314

359 Index
Displays
Digital speedometer 122
Distronic* 181
Messages 239, 270
Service indicator 254
Showing malfunctions 131
Distance
Decreasing in Distronic* 187
Increasing in Distronic* 187
Setting in Distronic* 186
Warning function 187
Distance to empty (range)
Calling up 129
Distance warning function* 187
Activating 188
Deactivating 188
Distronic* warning lamp 187
Intermittent warning sound 187
Symbol in multifunction display 128
Distronic* 179, 348
Activated 183
Activating 184
Calling up settings 128, 182
Cleaning system sensor 259
Cruise control lever 183
Deactivated 183Deactivating 186
Deceleration 182
Decreasing distance 187
Decreasing time interval 186
Displays in the speedometer dial 181
Distance warning function 187
Driving hints 188
Fine adjustment 185
Increasing distance 187
Increasing time interval 186
Intermittent signal tone 181
Malfunction indicator lamp 265
Menu 182
Messages in display 280
Resetting stored speed 185
Sensor cover 259
Setting a higher speed 184
Setting a lower speed 185
Setting following distance 186
Setting the current speed 184
Warning and indicator lamps 181
Warning lamp 265
Door control panel 19, 28
Door handle 28
Door unlock
With Tele Aid 216Doors
Message in display 280
Opening from inside vehicle 87
Opening from outside 81
Downhill driving
Cruise control 177
Downshifting 144, 150
Drink holder see Cup holder 202
Drinking and driving 225
Driving
Abroad 231
General instructions 40, 225
Hydroplaning 229
In winter 230
Problems 48
Safety systems 71
Through standing water 231
With Distronic* 188
Driving abroad 231
Driving instructions 225
Driving off 227
Driving safety systems
ABS 71
BAS 73
ESP 73