Page 92 of 344
92 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
To unlock the liftgate, move the
catch2 to the right.
Pull handle1 down and swing liftgate
upward.
Closing the liftgate
1Recessed grip
2Grip molding
Pull down on recessed grip1.
Close liftgate by using grip molding2.
!Always make sure that there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.iTo lock the liftgate, move the catch2
to the left.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle. Children could open the liftgate
from inside, which could result in an acci-
dent and / or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the liftga-
te opening when closing the liftgate. Be es-
pecially careful when small children are
around.
Do not close the liftgate from the inside by
pulling on the handle.Warning!
G
Only drive with the liftgate closed as exhaust
fumes may enter the vehicle interior.iTo prevent an inadvertent lockout, do
not place the key in the cargo compart-
ment.
Page 94 of 344
94 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingLocking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
tailgate from inside using the central lock-
ing switch. This can be useful, for example,
if you want to lock the vehicle before start-
ing to drive.Locking
Press upper part1 of central locking
button (
page 93).
If all the doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking
Press lower part2 of central locking
button (
page 93).
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment
may cause an accident and / or serious per-
sonal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked using the remote control, it will
not unlock using the central locking
switch.
Page 108 of 344
108 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
combination switch. For combination
switch, see (
page 107).
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.
Turn the combination switch toU.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.
Warning!
G
If the combination switch is set toU,
the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.
the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning combination
switch toõ when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toõ with the
vehicle at a standstill. Switching fromU
toõ will briefly switch off the head-
lamps. Doing so while driving in low ambient
lighting conditions may result in an acci-
dent.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle's lights at all
times.iIf the automatic headlamp mode is ac-
tivated, the fog lamps can also be
switched on (
page 111). The low
beam headlamp and parking lamps are
activated simultaneously.
Page 109 of 344
109 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Canada only:
Turn combination switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the parking
lamps will also switch on.
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(three minutes delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
combination switch to positionõ to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.Night security illumination
When you turn off the engine and the last
door has been closed, the following lamps
will remain lit:
Parking lamps
Tail lamps
License plate lamps
Front fog lamps
The combination switch must be set to
positionU (
page 107).Deactivating night security illumination
temporarily
Before leaving the vehicle, turn the key
in the steering lock to position0
(page 33) then turn it to position2
and back to0.
The night security illumination is deac-
tivated. It will reactivate as soon as you
start the engine.
Setting illumination time
1Switch for fog lamps
iThe high beam flasher is always avail-
able.
iYou can reactivate this function within
ten minutes by opening a door or the
liftgate.
If you do not open a door or the liftgate
after turning off the engine, the lamps
will automatically switch off after
60 seconds.
Page 113 of 344
113 Controls in detail
Lighting
Automatic control
Activating automatic control
Bring the rocker switch to center
position4.
Interior lamps (except cargo compart-
ment lamp) are switched on in dark-
ness, when you
unlock the vehicle
open a door
remove the key from the steering
lock
In addition, the entry / exit lamps in the
door trays will come on when you open
a door.
When all doors are closed and no key is
inserted in the steering lock, the interi-
or lamps are switched off after a brief
delay.Deactivating automatic control
Press lower part3 of rocker switch.
The interior lighting and the entry / exit
lamps remain switched off in darkness,
even when you
unlock the vehicle
open a door
remove the key from the steering
lockManual control
Switching on front interior lamps
Press on lamp lens1 or2.
The respective lamp switches on.
Switching off front interior lamps
Press on lamp lens1 or2 again.
The respective lamp switches off.
Operating rear interior lighting with
rocker switch
Press on upper part5 of rocker
switch.
The rear interior lighting goes on.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps (except cargo compartment
lamp) switch off automatically after ap-
proximately 30 minutes.
iIf a lamp is switched on manually, it will
not go out automatically. This could
cause the battery to become dis-
charged.
Page 116 of 344
116 Controls in detailInstrument cluster
Instrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 24).
1Left knob
2Right knobThe instrument cluster is activated when
you:
open the driver’s door
turn the key in steering lock to
position1 or 2 (
page 33)
press the left knob1
Instrument cluster illumination
To brighten illumination
Turn knob1 clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination
Turn knob1 counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.iYou can set the instrument cluster illu-
mination with the following lamps on:
parking lamps
low beam headlamps
high beam headlamps
Page 122 of 344
122 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe key can only be removed
from the steering lock with the
gear selector lever in positionP.
With the key removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in
positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 264).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.
Page 123 of 344
123 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.
Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
inN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 53).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, take it with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Children could move
the gear selector lever from positionP,
which could result in an accident and / or
serious personal injury.
