Page 85 of 376
85 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Important notes on using KEYLESS-GO*
Always carry the KEYLESS-GO card
with you.
Never store the KEYLESS-GO card to-
gether with:
electronic items such as a cellular
phone or another KEYLESS-GO card
metallic objects such as coins or
metal foil
Doing so could impair the function of
the KEYLESS-GO system.
Always take a SmartKey with you in
case of a malfunction of the KEY-
LESS-GO system.
To lock or unlock the vehicle, the card
must be located outside the vehicle
within approximately 3 ft. (1 m) of a
door or the trunk lid.
In order to start the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO card
the KEYLESS-GO card must be lo-
cated in the vehicle
all the doors must be closed
If you have started the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button, you
can only turn it off again with this but-
ton, even if you have put the key in the
starter switch in the meantime.
This does not apply if, after starting, the
selector lever is still in positionP. The
key will then have priority over the card
and the vehicle’s electrical system will
operate according to the position of
the key in the starter switch, even stop-
ping the engine.
If the KEYLESS-GO card is positioned
farther away from the vehicle (e.g. in-
side clothing or briefcase) and can no
longer be recognized by the system,
the vehicle cannot be locked or the en-
gine started via the KEYLESS-GO sys-
tem.
If the KEYLESS-GO card is removed
from the vehicle while the ignition is
switched on (e.g. if passenger exits the
vehicle with the card), the message Chip card not recognized!
will ap-
pear in the multifunction display.
Find the card or change its present lo-
cation immediately (e.g. place it on the
front passenger seat or insert it in shirt
pocket).
Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a KEYLESS-GO
card that is left inside the vehicle. If you
leave the card behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, the message
Chip
card still in vehicle!
will appear in
the multifunction display.
Page 102 of 376
102 Controls in detailLighting
LightingFor notes on how to switch on the head-
lamps and use the turn signals, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 43).
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, license plate lamps
and instrument panel lamps
B
Low beam or high beam headlamps
ˆ
Standing lamps, right
‚
Standing lamps, left
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 speedometer
display field
the message
Turn lamps off
ap-
pears in the tachometer display
field
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.
To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running
lamp mode (USA only)” (
page 124).
Page 109 of 376
109 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Trip odometer
Make sure that you are viewing the trip
odometer display (
page 110).
Press the
j
or
k
button on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly until
the trip odometer appears if it is not dis-
played.
Press and hold reset knob4
(page 20) 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.
SL 55 AMG
O n t h e S L 5 5 A M G , t h e r e i s n o r e d m a r k i n g
denoting excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive speed.
Outside temperature indicator
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-
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.
Page 110 of 376
110 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
The multifunction display consists of the
display fields in the speedometer and the
tachometer. In its default state, the left
display field shows the trip and main
odometer, while the present outside tem-
perature appears in the right display field.
This default setting is referred to as the
standard display.
1Main odometer
2Trip odometer
3Current gear selector lever position
4Outside temperature
5Automatic transmission program mode
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, 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 111 of 376
111 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 20).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
Left multifunction display in the
speedometer
2
Right multifunction display in the
tachometerOperating the control system
3
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volumeç
down / to decrease
æ
up / to increase
4
Telephone*í
to take a call
ì
to end a call
5
Menu systemsè
for next menu
ÿ
for previous menu
6
Moving within a menuj
for next display
k
for previous display
Page 115 of 376
115 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 button
j
once.
The current vehicle speed is shown in
the right display field.
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
right 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
115
Call up FSS
242
Check tire pressure*
236
Check engine oil level
228
Function
Page
Select radio station
116
Operate CD player
116
Page 116 of 376
116 Controls in detailControl systemSelect radio station
Turn on the radio. Refer to the separate
operating instructions.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the currently tuned sta-
tion in the right display.
1Station frequency
2Waveband setting
3Setting for station selection using
memory
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 128):
Memory: the next stored station is
selected (SP)
Station searchOperate the CD player
Turn on the radio and select the CD
player. Refer to the separate operating
instructions.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played are shown in the right dis-
play field.
1Current track
2Current CD (for CD changer)
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.
Refer to the separate operating instruc-
tions.
You can also operate the radio in the
usual manner.
Page 117 of 376
117 Controls in detail
Control system
NAVI menu
The
NAVI
menu contains the functions
needed to operate your navigation system.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the message NAVI
in the
left display.
The message shown is the right display
field depends on the status of the naviga-
tion system:
If the navigation system is off, the mes-
sage
NAVI OFF
is shown in the display.
If the navigation system is on, the mes-
sage
NAVI READY
is shown in the dis-
play.
Please refer to the COMAND manual for in-
structions 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 left dis-
play field depends on whether the Distron-
ic system is active or inactive.
Please refer to the “Driving systems” sec-
tion of this manual (
page 171) 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.Distronic deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated you will see
the standard display in the left display
field.
1Vehicle ahead, if detected
2Actual distance to vehicle ahead
3Should-be distance to vehicle ahead
4Your vehicle
5Symbol for activated distance warning
function
