2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S430 4MATIC engine

197 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at previously set speed
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately 5 sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle’s maximum speed are illuminated.
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control will be canceled. The
last speed set will be stored for later
use.iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Moving gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

198 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)
Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position4.
The cruise control will resume the last
set speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately 5 sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle’s maximum speed are illuminated.Setting a higher speed

Lift the cruise control lever to
position1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control lever to
position2 and hold it down until the
desired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2.
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.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not slow the vehi-
cle sufficiently.

206 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 203).
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 78) or you de-
activate 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 approximately
25 mph (40 km / h) by operation of the sys-
tem. At that time the driver must apply the
brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed fur-
ther or bring it to a stop.

211 Controls in detail
Driving systems
AIRMATIC
AIRMATIC automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. AIRMATIC consists of two
components:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Level control system
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either sporty or regular.Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty” or “regular”, which you select
using the damping switch.
The following suspension styles are avail-
able:


Regular
Both indicator lamps1 are off.


Sporty I
One indicator lamp1 is on.


Sporty II
Both indicator lamps1 are on.1Indicator lamps
2Damping switch

Start the engine.

Press the damping switch2 until the
desired suspension style is set.iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.

213 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Briefly press switch2 to change from
one level setting to the other.
The message:AIRMATIC
VEHICLE RISING appears in the multifunction display
when changing from normal level to
raised level. The indicator lamp is then
lit. The display switches off when the
vehicle is raised.

Press switch2 again to lower the vehi-
cle. The indicator lamp is off.The selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is
turned off and restarted except when you


exceed a speed of 75 mph (120 km/h)
or


maintain a speed of between 50 mph
(80 km/h) and 75 mph (120 km/h) for
more than 5 minutes
The vehicle then lowers to regular level.
The message:
AIRMATIC
LEV. SELECT. CANCELED!appears in the multifunction display and
the indicator lamp is off. The display
switches off when the vehicle is raised.
Active Body Control (ABC)*
The ABC system automatically selects the
optimum suspension tuning and ride
height for your vehicle.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

Your driving style


Road surface conditions


The vehicle loading


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty” or “regular”, which you select
using the ABC button
The selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.

214 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe ABC switch with the indicator lamps is
located in the upper part of the center con-
sole.
1Indicator lamp
2ABC switch
Start the engine.Suspension for sporty driving style
The setting for sporty driving is selected
when indicator lamp1 is illuminated.

Press switch2 to change from regular
suspension to sporty suspension style.
Indicator lamp1 comes on.Suspension for regular driving style
The setting for regular driving is selected
when indicator lamp1 is off.

Press switch2 to change from sporty
suspension style to regular suspension
style.
Indicator lamp1 goes out.

233 Controls in detail
Useful features
Removing ashtray insert
Secure vehicle from movement by set-
ting the parking brake. Move the selec-
tor lever to positionN.
Now you have more room to take out
the insert.

Push sliding button2 to the right.
The ashtray is disengaged and slides
out a short way.

Remove insert from ashtray frame.
Reinstalling the ashtray insert

Install insert by pushing it back into the
frame until it engages.Rear door ashtray
Opening ashtray

Lightly touch the back of the ashtray.
Removing ashtray insert

Pull the ashtray back slightly and re-
move the insert (see arrows).
Reinstalling the ashtray insert

Position the insert and press down
while sliding forward.
Cigarette lighters
1Center console cigarette lighter
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.

Briefly touch cover plate to open ash-
tray and access cigarette lighter.

Push in cigarette lighter1.
The lighter will pop out automatically
when hot.
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle
standing still. Set the parking brake to se-
cure vehicle from movement. Move gear se-
lector lever to positionN. With gear selector
lever in positionN turn off the engine.

236 Controls in detailUseful featuresTelephone*
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit, should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
The external antenna must be approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for informa-
tion on the installation of an approved
external antenna. Refer to the radio trans-
mitter operation instructions regarding use
of an external antenna.You can take and place telephone calls us-
ing the
í
and
ì
buttons on the
steering wheel. To carry out other tele-
phone functions, use the control system
(
page 130).
See separate operating manual for instruc-
tions on how to use the telephone.
Warning!
G
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 serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his /her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road,
weather and traffic conditions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System)
1 if road, weather
and traffic conditions permit.
1Observe all legal requirements.
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.