Page 5 of 376

Contents
Transfer case ..................................... 145
Gear range ................................... 145
Switching transfer case................ 145
Differential locks ............................... 148
A few words about differentials
and differential locks.................... 149
Switching differential locks
on and off..................................... 150
Good visibility .................................... 152
Rear view mirror........................... 152
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 153
Sun visors .................................... 154
Rear window defroster ................. 155
Climate control .................................. 156
Setting the temperature ............... 158
Adjusting air distribution and
volume ......................................... 159
Defrosting .................................... 160
Air recirculation............................ 160
Residual engine heat utilization.... 161
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 162
Air conditioning ............................ 162
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents...................... 163Power windows .................................. 164
Opening and closing the windows. 164
Sliding/pop-up roof ............................ 166
Opening and closing the
sliding/pop-up roof....................... 166
Driving systems .................................. 169
Cruise control ............................... 169
Rear Parking Assist* ..................... 172
Loading............................................... 175
Roof rack ...................................... 175
Cargo compartment cover ............ 175
Enlarged cargo compartment........ 176
Split rear seat bench..................... 176
Partition net* (MB Accessory) ...... 178
Loading instructions ..................... 180
Cargo tie-down rings ..................... 182
Useful features ................................... 183
Interior storage spaces ................. 183
Ashtrays........................................ 186
Cigarette lighter ............................ 188
Electrical outlet ............................. 188
Telephone* ................................... 189
Tele Aid ......................................... 190
Garage door opener ...................... 198
Heated steering wheel .................. 203
Operation.......................................... 205
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 206
Driving instructions ............................ 207
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 207
Drinking and driving...................... 207
Pedals ........................................... 207
Power assistance .......................... 208
Brakes .......................................... 208
Driving off ..................................... 209
Parking ......................................... 209
Tires.............................................. 210
Hydroplaning ................................ 210
Tire traction .................................. 211
Tire speed rating ........................... 211
Winter driving instructions ............ 212
Standing water ............................. 213
Passenger compartment............... 213
Off-road driving ............................. 213
Control and operation of radio
transmitters .................................. 221
Driving abroad .............................. 222
Catalytic converter ....................... 222
Emission control ........................... 222
Coolant temperature .................... 223
Page 27 of 376
27 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Left front seat heater
switch
98
2
Switch for rear window
wiper/washer
49
3
ESP control switch
79
4
Differential lock switches
150
5
Central locking switch
92
6
Anti-theft alarm system in-
dicator lamp
82
Tow-away alarm switch
83
7
Right front seat heater
switch
98
Item
Page
8
Hazard warning flasher
switch
108
9
COMAND system, see sep-
arate operating instruc-
tions
a
Ashtray with lighter
186,
188
b
Climate control
156
c
7
indicator lamp
68,
259
Page 85 of 376
85 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Transfer case
Differential locks
Good visibility
Climate control
Power windows
Sliding/pop-up roof
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features
Page 155 of 376

155 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
Turn the SmartKey in starter switch to
position2.
Activating
Press button F in the control panel
of the climate control.
The indicator lamp in the button comes
on.
Deactivating
Press button F in the control panel
of the climate control.
The indicator lamp in the button goes
out.
!Heavy accumulation of snow and ice
should be removed before activating
the defroster.
The defroster is automatically turned
off after approximately 6-17 minutes of
operation depending on the outside
temperature and vehicle speed.
If several power consumers are turned
on simultaneously, or the battery is
only partially charged, it is possible that
the defroster will automatically turn it-
self off.
When this happens, the indicator lamp
inside the switch starts blinking.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the defroster turns itself back
on.
iThe rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, turn off the de-
froster as soon as the rear window is
clear.
Page 156 of 376
156 Controls in detailClimate control
Climate control
Page 157 of 376
157 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel
1
Windshield defroster air vents
2
Center air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for center air vent
4
Side air vent, adjustable
5
Side defroster air vent, fixed
6
Thumbwheel for side air vent
7
Footwell air vents
8
Climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
1
Air volume
2
Temperature control, left
3
Temperature control, right
4
Air distribution control
5
Rear window defroster (
page 155)
6
AC cooling on / off (AC
OFF
)
Residual engine heat utilization
(REST)
7
Air distribution and air volume (auto-
matic mode)
8
Air recirculation
9
Defrosting
Page 158 of 376

158 Controls in detailClimate controlThe climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. You can operate
the climate control system in either the au-
tomatic or manual mode. The system cools
or heats the interior depending on the se-
lected interior temperature and the cur-
rent outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the AC
OFF
mode is selected
(
page 162).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls2 and3 to
separately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C).
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may
cause burns or frostbite on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell
air vents. If necessary, change the air flow
using the air distribution controls to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 159).
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.
Page 159 of 376
159 Controls in detail
Climate control
Increasing
Turn the temperature control a few de-
grees to the right.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Decreasing
Turn the temperature control a few de-
grees to the left.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Adjusting air distribution and volume
Use air distribution control4
(page 157) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
controls:Adjusting manually
Press theU button.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Select any of the six air volume speeds
and the air distribution.
Symbol
Function
a
Directs air through the center,
side and rear passenger com-
partment air vents
Z
Directs air to the windows
X
Directs air into the entire vehi-
cle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells