Page 113 of 435

112 Controls in detailSeatsLumbar support
You can adjust the contour of the seat’s
lumbar support to best support your spine.
The thumbwheel for the driver’s and front
passenger’s seat are located on the inner
side of the seat.
1Thumbwheel
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.
Set the lumbar support between 0
and 5.
Multicontour backrest*
The multicontour backrest has inflatable
air cushions built into the seat backrest to
provide additional lumbar and side sup-
port.
The seat backrest cushion height and cur-
vature can be continuously varied with
switches on the right side of the seat after
turning the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 or pressing the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button twice.1Shoulder region support
2Side bolster adjustment
3Massage function (PULSE)
4Lumbar region support
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.
Shoulder region support
Press æ or ç on switch1.
The air cushion inflates or deflates.
Page 129 of 435
128 Controls in detailLightingCombination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasherSwitching on high beams
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB or toU
(page 124).
Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam indicatorA on the
instrument cluster comes on
(page 22).
High beam flasher
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the starter switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1Hazard warning flasher switch
Page 132 of 435

131 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
A full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 22).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:
open a door
turn on the ignition
press the reset button (
page 22)
switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 154).
Instrument cluster illumination
1Knob for adjusting instrument cluster
illumination
Use knob1 to adjust the illumination
brightness for the instrument cluster.
Press knob1.
The knob will pop out.
To brighten illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster
clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster
counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.
Page 133 of 435

132 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature gauge
During severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C),
i.e. close to the red zone of the tempera-
ture gauge.
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C), i.e. in the red zone of the coolant
temperature gauge. Doing so may cause
serious engine damage which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer display.
If it is not displayed, press the è or
ÿ button on the multifunction
steering wheel repeatedly until the trip
odometer appears (
page 134).
Press and hold reset button on the in-
strument cluster (
page 22) until the
trip odometer is reset.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
iExcessive coolant temperature triggers
a warning in the multifunction display
(page 323).
Page 134 of 435

133 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
S 55 AMG
The tachometer of the S 55 AMG does not
have a red marking denoting excessive en-
gine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive engine speed.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is diplayed in the
instrument cluster (
page 22). For infor-
mation on how to select the unit of the dis-
played temperature, i.e. degrees
Celsius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit (°F),
see “Selecting temperature display mode”
(
page 154).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs, etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
Page 135 of 435

134 Controls in detailControl system
Control systemThe control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* is in
position1. The control system enables you
to:
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Page 150 of 435

149 Controls in detail
Control system
Fuel consumption since last reset
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
trip computer menu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
AFTER RESET
.
1Distance driven since last reset
2Time elapsed since last reset
3Average fuel consumption since last re-
set
4Average speed since last resetResetting fuel consumption statistics
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see the reading that you want
to reset in the display.
Press and hold the reset button on the
instrument cluster (
page 22) until
the value is reset to 0.
iThe
AFTER START
display will flash until
a distance of approximately 1 mile
(1.6 km) has been covered or two min-
utes have elapsed since the engine was
restarted. During this period, you can
incorporate the values for the previous
journey by pressing the reset button on
the instrument cluster.
If the reset button is not pressed, the
AFTER START
values are set to
0.
Page 154 of 435
153 Controls in detail
Control system
The table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus. De-
tailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following pag-
es.INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
LIGHTING
VEHICLE
CONVENIENCE
Select temperature display
mode
Set daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Set automatic locking
Set key-dependency
Select multifunction display
mode
Set locator lighting
Limiting opening height of trunk
lid*
Activate easy-entry/exit feature
Select language
Exterior lamps delayed shut-off
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
Interior lighting delayed shut-off
Set fold-in function for exterior
rear view mirrorsAdjusting the drive-dynamic
seat (driver’s side)