99 Controls in detail
Seats
Multicontour seat*
The multicontour seat has a movable seat
cushion and inflatable air cushions built
into the seat backrest to provide additional
lumbar and side support.
The seat cushion movement, seat backrest
cushion height and curvature can be con-
tinuously varied with regulators on the
right side of the seat after turning the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position2 or pressing the KEYLESS-GO*
start / stop button twice.1Shoulder region support
2Side bolster adjustment
3Massage function (PULSE)
4Lumbar region support
Adjusting the multicontour seat in the or-
der listed above is recommended.
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All lamps in the instrument cluster light
up.
Shoulder region support
Press
æ
or
ç
on switch1.
The air cushion inflates or deflates.Lumbar region support
Press
k
or
j
on rocker
switch4.
This selects the air cushion you wish to
adjust.
Press
æ
or
ç
on rocker
switch4.
The air cushion inflates or deflates.
Side bolsters adjustment
Adjust the side bolsters so that they
provide good lateral support using
switch 2.iWhen the engine is turned off, the last
cushion setting is retained in memory,
and the cushion is automatically ad-
justed to this setting when the engine
is restarted.
108 Controls in detailLighting
LightingFor notes on how to switch on the head-
lamps and use the turn signals, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 46).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
M
Off
U
Automatic headlamp mode
C
Parking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
Canada only: When engine is run-
ning, the low beams are also
switched on.
B
Low beam plus parking lamps or
high beam headlamps (combination
switch pushed forward).
ˆ
Standing lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚
Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
iIf you remove the key and open the
driver’s door while the parking lamps or
low beam headlamps are switched on,
then
a warning sounds
$
appears in the multifunction
display
the message
TURN OFF LIGHTS!
ap-
pears in the multifunction display
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.
110 Controls in detailLightingDaytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
M
or
U
.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
Canada only
When you shift from a driving gear to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(with a three-minute delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to position
B
to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
USA only
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and exterior
lamp switch in position
M
.To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode” (
page 136).
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section under “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 136) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 137).
Switching on front fog lamps
Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.
Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp
‡
in the
lamp switch lights up.Switching on rear fog lamp
Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.
Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 108).
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and / or the low beam head-
lamps on. Fog lamps should only be
used in conjunction with low beam
headlamps. Consult your State or Prov-
ince Motor Vehicle Regulations regard-
ing permissible lamp operation.
115 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Coolant temperature gauge
During severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248° F (120°C),
i.e. close to the red zone of the coolant
temperature gauge.The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248° F
(120°C), i.e. in the red zone of the coolant
temperature gauge. Doing so may cause
serious engine damage which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer display.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly
until the trip odometer appears if it is
not displayed (
page 117).
Press and hold the reset button
J
(
page 22) in the instrument cluster
until the trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
CL 55 AMG
The tachometer of the CL 55 AMG does
not have a red marking denoting excessive
engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive engine speed.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the engine hood. Stay away
f r o m t h e e n g i n e i f y o u s e e o r h e a r s t e a m
coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.
iExcessive coolant temperatures trigger
a warning in the multifunction display
(page 278).
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
116 Controls in detailInstrument clusterOutside temperature indicatorThe temperature sensor is located on the
lower left-hand side of the instrument clus-
ter (
page 22). Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs etc.).When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
121 Controls in detail
Control system
Menus, submenus and functions
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Menu 6
Menu 7
Menu 8
Commands / submenusStandard dis-
play
AUDIO
Telephone
NAVI
Distronic*
Trip computer
Malfunction
memory
Settings
Call up FSS
Select radio
station
Load phone
book
Activate
route guid-
ance
Call up set-
tings
Fuel consumption
statistics after
start
Call up malfunc-
tion messages
Reset to factory
settings
Check tire pres-
sure*
Operate CD
player
Search for
name in
phone book
Fuel consumption
statistics since
the last reset
Instrument clus-
ter submenu
Check engine oil
level
Call up range
Lighting sub-
menu
Digital speed-
ometer
Vehicle sub-
menuConvenience
submenu
iThe headings used in the menus table
are designed to facilitate navigation
within the system and are not neces-
sarily identical to those shown in the
control system displays.
The first function displayed in each
menu will automatically show you
which part of the system you are in.
122 Controls in detailControl systemStandard display menu
You can select the functions in the stan-
dard display menu with button
k
or
j
.
The following functions are available:
Display digital speedometer
Press the
j
or
k
button repeat-
edly until you see the digital speedom-
eter appear in the display.
The current vehicle speed is shown in
the multifunction display.
AUDIO menu
The functions in the
AUDIO
menu operate
the audio equipment which you currently
have turned on.
If no audio equipment is currently turned
on, the message
AUDIO OFF
is shown in the
display.
The following functions are available:
Select radio station
Turn on the radio. Refer to the separate
COMAND operating instructions.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the currently tuned sta-
tion in the display.1Waveband
2Setting for station selection using
memory
3Station frequency
Press button
k
or
j
repeatedly
until the desired station is found.
The type of search depends on the set-
ting for the station tuning
(
page 139):
Frequency
Memory
Function
Page
Call up FSS
255
Check tire pressure*
248
Check engine oil level
238
Call up digital speedometer
see below
Function
Page
Select radio station
122
Operate CD player
123
125 Controls in detail
Control system
Push the magazine into the CD changer
in the direction shown by the arrow and
close the CD changer door.
TEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.
Switch on the telephone and COMAND.
Press button
ÿ
or
è
on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the display.
Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:
If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
TEL OFF
.
If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display
reads
NO SERVICE
.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
is indicated in the dis-
play.
The standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.
iCDs which have been inserted improp-
erly or are unreadable will not be
played.Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his / her primary
focus when driving. For your safety and the
safety of others, we recommend that you
pull over to a safe location and stop before
making or taking a telephone call. If you
choose to use the telephone while driving,
please use the hands-free device and only
use the telephone when weather, road and
traffic conditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and / or
personal injury.