Page 105 of 394

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For 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 beam is 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 lamps!
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.
Page 112 of 394

112 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature displayDuring severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 120°C.
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 120°C. Do-
ing so may cause serious engine damage
which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 114).
Press the button
è
or
ÿ
on the
multifunction steering wheel repeated-
ly until the trip odometer appears if it is
not displayed.
Press and hold reset knob1 on the in-
strument cluster (
page 111) until the
trip odometer is reset.
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
from the engine if you see or hear steam
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 113 of 394

113 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
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.
Outside temperature indicator
The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison 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.
!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.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
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.
Page 114 of 394

114 Controls in detailControl system
Control systemThe control system is activated as soon as
the key in the starter switch is turned to
position1. The control system enables you
to
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Outside temperature
2Trip odometer
3Automatic transmission program mode
4Main odometer
5Current gear selector lever position
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player, cassette player) will ap-
pear in English, regardless of the
language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
must always be his /her primary focus when
driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 13.5 m) every second.
Page 115 of 394

115 Controls in detail
Control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel (
page 24).Pressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel will alter what is
shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
Audio
, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.
It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being ar-
ranged in a circular pattern.
If you press button
è
or
ÿ
re-
peatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.
If you press button
k
or
j
re-
peatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu.
1
Multifunction display in the speed-
ometerOperating the control system
2
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volumeç
down / to decrease
æ
up / to increase
3
Telephone*í
to take a call
ì
to end a call
4
Menu systemsè
for next menu
ÿ
for previous menu
5
Moving within a menuj
for next display
k
for previous display
Page 119 of 394

119 Controls in detail
Control system
Standard 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
i s s h ow n i n t h e
display.
The following functions are available:
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.
Function
Page
Call up digital speedometer
see below
Call up FSS
267
Check engine oil level
254
Function
Page
Select radio station
120
Operate CD player*
120
Operate cassette player
121
Page 120 of 394

120 Controls in detailControl systemSelect radio station
Turn on the radio (
page 168). Vehi-
cle s wit h COMA ND* : Ref er to s epa ra te
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 setting
for the station tuning (
page 132):
The next stored station is selected (
SP)
Station searchOperate the CD player*
Turn on the radio and select the CD
player (
page 178). Vehicles with CO-
MAND*: Refer to separate operating in-
structions.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played are shown in the display.1Current CD (for CD changer*)
2Current track
Press button
k
or
j
repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.
iYou can only store new stations using
the designated feature on the radio
(page 173). Vehicles with CO-
MAND*: Refer to separate operating in-
structions.
You can also operate the radio in the
usual manner.
iTo select a CD from the magazine,
press a number on the audio system or
the COMAND* system key pad located
in the center dashboard.
Page 121 of 394

121 Controls in detail
Control system
Operate the Cassette player*
Turn on the radio and select the cas-
sette player (
page 174). Vehicles
with COMAND*: Refer to separate op-
erating instructions.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until the settings for the cassette cur-
rently being played are shown in the
display.
1Current side
Press button
j
to fast forward to
the next track.
Press button
k
to rewind the cas-
sette to the beginning of the current
track.
NAV menu
The
Nav
menu contains the functions need-
ed to operate your navigation system.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the message Nav
in the
display.
If the navigation system is switched off,
the message
Nav off
is shown in the
display.
If the navigation system is on, the mes-
sage
Nav active
is shown in the dis-
play.
Please refer to the COMAND* manual for
instructions on how to activate the route
guidance system*.
Distronic* menu
Use the Distronic menu to display the cur-
rent settings for your Distronic system.
What information is shown in the display
depends on whether the Distronic system
is active or inactive.
Please refer to the “Driving systems” sec-
tion of this manual (
page 196) for in-
structions on how to activate Distronic.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see one of the following two
pictures in the display.
iTo select the reverse side of the tape,
press button below track number on
the audio system display, or enter re-
quest on the COMAND* system locat-
ed in the center dashboard.