2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 cruise control

220 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a lower speed
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2 (
page 218) to
decrease vehicle speed in increments
of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km / h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 218), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on on the speedometer
(
page 216).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 218).Setting stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 218).
Distronic is activated and set to the last
stored speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the rate of de-
celeration is too low.
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.

221 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 218).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored in memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km / h)


the ESP is active (
page 76) 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.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

273 Operation
Driving instructions
E55AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Z”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
above 149 mph (above 240 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km/h).
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move gar selector lever to position N or in
case you have a manual transmission, de-
clutch. Try to keep the vehicle under con-
trol by corrective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically
when traveling at length on salt-strewn
roads can bring road-salt-impaired braking
efficiency back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed.
iFor information on speed ratings for
winter tires, see “Winter driving”
(page 295).
iFor more information on driving with
snow chains, see “Snow chains”
(page 296).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.
Warning!
G
Make sure not to endarger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.

320 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
Battery
Protection
Conven. Functions
Temporarily
Unavailable
The battery has insufficient voltage
and can no longer supply conve-
nience functions such as the rear
window defroster.
As soon as the on-board voltage is sufficient,
the consumers will switch on again.
Please Note:
Conven. Functions
Available Again

On-board voltage is sufficient; the
consumers will switch on again.
Cruise control
Visit workshop!
Cruise control or Distronic* is mal-
functioning.

Have the cruise control or Distronic*
checked by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Distronic
External interference
Reactivate!
The Distronic* is switched off and is
temporarily unavailable.

Try activating the Distronic* again later.
Visit workshop!
The Distronic* is malfunctioning or
the display is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.

332 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
G
Display malfunction
The instrument cluster display is malfunc-
tioning.

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Display malfunction
Visit workshop!
The displays for several systems have
malfunctioned. Some systems them-
selves may also have malfunctioned.

Have the electronic systems checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
±
Display malfunction
Visit workshop!
Certain electronic systems are unable to
relay information to the control system.
The following systems may have failed:

Coolant temperature display


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
J

Door open
You are attempting to drive with one or
more doors open.

Close the doors.

412 Technical termsCOMAND
(C
ockpit M
anagement and D
ata Sys-
tem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and navi-
gation system, as well as other optional
equipment (CD changer, telephone,
etc.).
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:


If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional ->cruise con-
trol.


If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by re-
duced throttle and up to 20% brak-
ing power to maintain the preset
minimum following distance.
DTR
(->Distronic*)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.Engine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS
FSS PLUS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem PLUS)
Service indicator in the multifunction
display that informs the driver when
the next vehicle maintenance service is
due.

421 Index
Side windows with
KEYLESS-GO* 200, 203
Sliding/pop-up roof* 201
Sliding/pop-up roof* with
KEYLESS-GO* 200, 203
Sliding/pop-up roof* with
SmartKey 202
Trunk
Vehicle with KEYLESS-GO* 102,
103
Trunk lid 99
Windows 197
Windows with SmartKey 199
Closing the trunk lid 102, 103
Cockpit 20, 411
Cockpit management and data system
(COMAND) 412
COMAND 412
COMAND* see separate operating instruc-
tions
Combination switch 123
High beam flasher 47
Turn signals 47
Windshield wipers 48Consumer information 408
Control system 129, 412
AUDIO menu 134
Convenience submenu 150
Display digital speedometer 134
Distronic* menu 136
Functions 133
Instrument cluster submenu 141,
143
Lighting submenu 146
Malfunction memory menu 137
Menus 132, 133, 413
Multifunction display 129
Multifunction steering wheel 130
Selecting radio system 134
Selecting satellite radio* system 135
Settings menu 138
Standard display menu 134
Submenus 131, 133
TEL* menu 155
Trip computer menu 153
Vehicle submenu 149Convenience submenu 150
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature* 150
Adjusting dynamic seat* 153
Setting parking position for exterior
rear view mirror 152
Setting Smartkey-dependency 152
Coolant
Checking level 285
Messages in display 329, 330, 331
Temperature gauge 127
Warning lamp 314
Coolant temperature 277
Cruise control 211, 412
Canceling 212
Driving downhill 212
Driving uphill 212
Fine adjustment 213
Lever 218
Saving current speed 212
Setting speeds 213
Cruise control lever 211
Cup holder in the center console 243
Customer Assistance Center (CAC) 411

422 IndexD
Daytime running lamp mode 121
Setting 146
Deactivating
Air conditioning 182
Air recirculation mode 181, 192
Alarm 84
Anti-theft alarm system 84
Automatic climate control 181, 186
Central locking (control system) 149
Climate control 176
Cruise control 212
Defrost 180, 190
Distance warning function* 223
Distronic* 221
Engine with KEYLESS-GO* 53
ESP 78
Exterior lamps 120
Hazard warning flasher 124
Headlamps 52
Immobilizer 83
Interior lighting delayed
switch-off 149
Rear window defroster 173Residual heat 183
Seat heater* 113
Seat ventilation* 114
SmartKey
Turning off the engine 53
Tow-away alarm 85
Deceleration
With Distronic* 217
Defogging
Windshield 179, 189
Defrosting 179, 190
Delayed switch-off
Interior lighting 149
Dialing
A number (telephone) 156
Difficulties
While driving see Problems while
driving 50
With starting 45
Digital speedometer 134
Direction of rotation 290
Discharged battery
Jump starting 378Disconnecting
Vehicle battery 376
Display
Selecting 142, 143
Displays
Digital speedometer 134
Distronic* 216
Messages 283
Selecting 142
Service indicator 297
Showing malfunctions 137
Distance
Decreasing in Distronic* 222
Increasing in Distronic* 222
Warning function 222
Distance to empty (range)
Calling up 153
Distance warning function* 222
Activating 223
Deactivating 223
DTR* warning lamp 222
Intermittent warning sound 222
Symbol in multifunction display 136