ContentsSafety and Security........................... 57
Occupant safety................................... 58
Airbags ........................................... 59
Seat belts ....................................... 64
Roll bars ......................................... 68
Children in the vehicle .................... 69
Blocking of rear side
window operation ........................... 74
Panic alarm .......................................... 75
Activating ....................................... 75
Deactivating ................................... 75
Driving safety systems ......................... 76
ABS ................................................ 77
BAS ................................................ 78
ESP ................................................. 79
Anti-theft systems................................ 82
Immobilizer..................................... 82
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 83
Tow-away alarm ............................. 84
Controls in detail............................... 87
Locking and unlocking ......................... 88
SmartKeys...................................... 88
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ........ 91
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................... 97
Opening the trunk .......................... 98
Closing the trunk.......................... 100
Trunk lid
opening/closing system* ............ 100
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 105
Separately locking the trunk ........ 106
Separately unlocking the trunk .... 107
Automatic central locking ............ 107
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 108
Seats ................................................. 109
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 109
Removing and installing
front seat head restraints............. 110
Rear seats head restraints ........... 111
Multicontour seat* ....................... 112
Seat ventilation* .......................... 113
Seat heating* ............................... 114Memory function ............................... 116
Storing positions into memory ..... 117
Recalling positions from memory . 117
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................ 118
Lighting ............................................. 119
Exterior lamp switch .................... 119
Combination switch ..................... 123
Hazard warning flasher ................ 123
Interior lighting ............................ 124
Door entry lamps ......................... 125
Instrument cluster ............................. 126
Instrument cluster illumination .... 126
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 127
Trip odometer .............................. 127
Tachometer .................................. 127
Outside temperature indicator ..... 128
ProCarManuals.com
31 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0For removing SmartKey
1Power supplies to some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in position P.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be
sufficiently charged.
Check the battery and charge it
if necessary (
page 385).
Get a jump start (
page 388).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge and a possible dead battery, al-
ways remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch when the engine is not in
operation.
ProCarManuals.com
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 reclined. Sitting in an excessively re-
clined position 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 abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat back and seat
belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in an 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 40).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being
adjusted.
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.
The power seats can also be operated with
the driver’s or passenger door open. 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
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.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating 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 or lower anchors, fully in accor-
dance with the child seat manufacturer's
instructions.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
ProCarManuals.com
35 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
in each door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Backrest tilt
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2 (
page 31).
or
Press the KEYLESS GO* start/stop
button once or twice (
page 33).
or
Open the driver’s or passenger door.Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow4.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator / brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far to the rear
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
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.
iWhen moving the seat, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
The memory function (
page 116) lets
you store the setting for the seat posi-
tion together with the setting for the
steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.
ProCarManuals.com
37 Getting started
Adjusting
Folding front seat backrests forward
1Release leverFolding backrests forward
Pull release lever1 forward and fold
the seat backrest forward.
The head restraint will automatically
move down.
Folding backrests back
Fold and press the backrest rearward
until it engages in driving position.
The head restraint returns to its previ-
ous position.
For more information, see “Easy-entry/ex-
it feature” (
page 109).
Steering wheel
iIn addition to the front seat backrests,
the front seat cushions can also be
shifted forward to permit easy access
to the rear whenever the seat is located
in the rear half of its adjustment range.
Swivel backrest forward by pulling the
release lever until the seat moves in a
combined forward and upward move-
ment.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
* with you and
lock your vehicle.
The steering wheel adjustment feature can
also be operated with the driver’s door
open. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
ProCarManuals.com
40 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 have sufficient clear-
ance for the pedals.
During sudden driving or braking maneu-
vers, the objects could get caught between
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 protect as ex-
pected if the occupants are using their seat
belts (
page 58).
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
Automotive Corp.
ProCarManuals.com
41 Getting started
Driving
The seat belt presenter for driver and pas-
senger makes it easier to put on the seat
belt.
1Seat belt presenter
The seat belt presenter slides out when the
corresponding door is closed and the
SmartKey in the starter switch or
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button are in
position1 or2.
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 or lower anchors, fully in accor-
dance with the child seat manufacturer'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 let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Make
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is cor-
rectly restrained with a separate seat belt.
Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest reclined. Sitting in an excessively
reclined position 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 abdomen or neck. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The seat
backrest and seat belt provide the best re-
straint when the wearer is in an upright po-
sition and the belt is properly positioned on
the body.Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 62).
ProCarManuals.com
55 Getting started
Parking and locking
After exiting the vehicle, press the lock
button‹ on the SmartKey
(page 30).
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 88).Turning off the engine with
KEYLESS-GO*
Place the gear selector lever inP.
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton to shut off the engine.
With the driver's door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(page 31).
Press the seat belt release button
(page 42).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
T h e y w i l l r e t u r n t o t h e u p p o s i t i o n w h e n
the door is closed.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch and lock
your vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
ProCarManuals.com