Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and Warranty Information.. 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 12
Operating your vehicle outside
the USA or Canada......................... 13
Where to find it .................................... 14
Symbols ............................................... 15
Operating safety .................................. 16
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 16
Problems with your vehicle .................. 17
Reporting safety defects...................... 18
Reporting safety defects ................ 18
At a glance.......................................... 19
Cockpit ................................................. 20
Instrument cluster ................................ 22
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 24
Center console ..................................... 25
Upper part ...................................... 25
Lower part ...................................... 26
Overhead control panel ........................ 27
Door control panel................................ 28
Getting started................................... 29
Unlocking ............................................. 30
Unlocking with the SmartKey ......... 30
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO*......... 32
Adjusting .............................................. 34
Seats .............................................. 34
Steering wheel ................................ 39
Mirrors ............................................ 40
Driving .................................................. 42
Fastening the seat belts ................. 42
Starting the engine ......................... 45
Switching on headlamps ................. 49
Turn signals and high beam ............ 49
Windshield wipers........................... 50
Problems while driving .................... 52
Parking and locking .............................. 53
Parking brake ................................. 54
Switching off headlamps................. 55
Turning off the engine..................... 55
ContentsSafety and Security........................... 59
Occupant safety................................... 60
Airbags ........................................... 61
Seat belts ....................................... 66
Children in the vehicle.................... 69
Blocking of rear window operation . 75
Panic alarm .......................................... 76
Activating ....................................... 76
Deactivating ................................... 76
Driving safety systems ......................... 77
ABS ................................................ 77
BAS ................................................ 78
ESP................................................. 79
Anti-theft systems................................ 82
Immobilizer..................................... 82
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 82
Tow-away alarm ............................. 84
Controls in detail............................... 87
Locking and unlocking ......................... 88
SmartKey ....................................... 88
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ........ 91
Opening the doors from the inside . 96
Opening the trunk lid from the
outside ........................................... 96
Opening the trunk lid from the
inside ............................................. 97
Closing the trunk lid ....................... 98
Trunk lid opening / closing system* 98
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 103
Separately locking the trunk lid ... 104
Separately unlocking the trunk lid 104
Power closing assist for doors and
trunk lid........................................ 105
Automatic central locking ............ 105
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ........................................... 106
Seats ................................................. 107
Easy-entry / exit feature ............... 107
Removing and installing front seat
head restraints ............................. 108Rear seat head restraints ............. 109
Lumbar support ........................... 111
Multicontour backrest*................ 111
Seat heating................................. 113
Seat ventilation* .......................... 115
Memory function ............................... 116
Storing positions into memory ..... 117
Recalling positions from memory. 117
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 117
Lighting ............................................. 119
Exterior lamp switch .................... 119
Combination switch ..................... 123
Hazard warning flasher ................ 123
Interior lighting ............................ 124
Courtesy lighting .......................... 125
Instrument cluster ............................. 126
Instrument cluster illumination .... 126
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 127
Trip odometer .............................. 127
Tachometer.................................. 128
Outside temperature indicator ..... 128
ContentsTechnical data.................................. 359
Spare parts service ............................ 360
Warranty coverage ............................. 361
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet...................... 361
Identification labels............................ 362
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 363
CL 500 ......................................... 363
CL 55 AMG ................................... 363
CL 600 ......................................... 363
Engine ................................................ 364
Rims and Tires ................................... 365
Same size tires ............................. 366
Mixed size tires ............................ 368
Spare wheel ................................. 369
Electrical system................................ 370
Main Dimensions and weights ........... 371
Main Dimensions.......................... 371
Weights ........................................ 371Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. ......... 372
Capacities .................................... 372
Engine oils.................................... 374
Engine oil additives ...................... 374
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 374
Brake fluid .................................... 375
Premium unleaded gasoline ......... 375
Fuel requirements ........................ 375
Gasoline additives ........................ 376
Coolants....................................... 376
Windshield and headlamp washer
system ......................................... 379
Consumer information ....................... 380
Uniform tire quality grading ......... 380
Technical terms............................... 383Index................................................. 389
23 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Coolant temperature gauge
127
2
Fuel gauge with:Fuel reserve warning lamp
296
3
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
49
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
4
Speedometer with:vESP warning lamp
295
lDistance warning
lamp
Vehicles without Distronic*:
Warning lamp without func-
tion. It illuminates when the
ignition is on. It should go
out when the engine is run-
ning.
294
5
Tachometer
128
6
Right display with:
Item
Page
-Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS) ndicator
lamp
292
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator
123
7
Reset button
126
8
Display with:
Program mode
163
Gear range indicator
159
Digital clock (see
COMAND operating in-
structions)
9
Multifunction display
with:
Trip odometer
129
Main odometer
129
Stored speed for:
Cruise control
195
Distronic*
198
Item
Page
a
Outside temperature indica-
tor
127
b
Left display with:1Supplemental
restraint system
indicator lamp
297
;Brake warning lamp,
USA only
293
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only
293
?Engine malfunction
indicator lamp, USA
only
294
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
Canada only
294
HTire pressure warning
lamp
275,
296
c
Knob for instrument cluster
illumination
126
34 Getting startedAdjusting
AdjustingSeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an extremely reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The seat back and seat belts
provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and
belts are properly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 42).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock your vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open. Therefore, do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front air-
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the airbag when it in-
flates in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in the back seats and be seated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint sys-
tem, which is properly secured with the ve-
hicle's seat belt and top tether strap, or
secured via lower anchors and top tether
strap, fully in accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
37 Getting started
Adjusting
Folding front seat backrest forward
1Release lever
Folding backrest forward
Lift release lever1 and fold the seat
backrest forward.
The seat will automatically slide for-
ward and the head restraint will move
down.Folding backrests back
Lift release lever1 and fold backrest
back.
The seat and head restraint return to
their previous positions.iTo interrupt the procedure, activate the
seat adjustment switch (
page 35) or
move the release lever again.
!When moving the seat, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
Warning!
G
Always ensure that no one can become
trapped or injured when the seat is moving.
In case potential danger exists, the proce-
dure can be interrupted by moving the seat
adjustment switch (
page 35) in the door
control panel or by moving the release lever
again.
Warning!
G
The seat belts provide protection only with
the backrest locked in place and, therefore,
must be locked in place with the vehicle in
motion. Do not drive the vehicle when the
backrest is not locked in place. If the warn-
ing message
SEAT BACKREST, RIGHT -
LOCK
or
SEAT BACKREST, LEFT - LOCK
is
displayed in the multifunction display, then
42 Getting startedDriving
Driving
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!
G
Do not lay any objects in the driver’s foot-
well. Be careful that floor mats or carpets in
the driver’s footwell leave sufficient clear-
ance for the pedals.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between or un-
derneath the pedals. You could then no
longer brake or accelerate.
Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passengers are
properly restrained, even those sitting in the
rear and pregnant women.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passengers should
always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The airbags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(page 60).
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM1
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front air-
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the airbag when it in-
flates in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury will result.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens Automo-
tive Corp.
43 Getting started
Driving
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle’s
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er's instructions.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.
Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 64).