Contents
Manual transmission ......................... 157Shifting into reverse ..................... 158
Automatic transmission* ................... 159 One-touch gearshifting................. 160
Gear ranges ................................. 161
Gear selector lever position ......... 162
Automatic shift program .............. 164
Driving tips ................................... 165
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 166
Good visibility .................................... 167 Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 167
Rear view mirrors ......................... 167
Sun visors .................................... 169
Rear window defroster ................. 170
Climate control .................................. 172 Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 175
Setting the temperature ............... 175
Adjusting air distribution and
volume ......................................... 176
Defrosting .................................... 177
Air recirculation mode.................. 177
Air conditioning ............................ 179
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents...................... 180 Automatic climate control* ................ 182
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system ................. 185
Setting the temperature................ 185
Adjusting air distribution............... 186
Adjusting air volume ..................... 187
Defrosting ..................................... 188
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 188
Air recirculation mode .................. 189
Charcoal filter ............................... 191
Air conditioning............................. 192
Residual heat and ventilation
(available on automatic climate
control panel design A only).......... 193
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 194 Audio system...................................... 195
Audio and telephone, operation .... 195
Operating safety ........................... 195
Operating and display elements ... 196
Button and soft key operation ...... 198
Operation...................................... 198
Radio operation ............................ 203
Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only) ..................................... 208
CD mode....................................... 213
GSM network phones ................... 220
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 227
Emergency calls “911” ................. 234
Power windows .................................. 237 Opening and closing the windows 237
Synchronizing power windows ...... 240
55
Getting started
Driving
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires
An ignition cable may be damaged.
The engine electronics may not be
operating properly.
Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.
Give very little gas.
Have the problem repaired by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
The coolant temperature is over 248°F
(120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.
Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 296).
In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:
Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.
Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be
determined:
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the
major assemblies
fuel system
engine mount:
Start the engine in the usual manner.
173
Controls in detail
Climate control
Depending on production date, your
vehicle is equipped with either climate
control panel design A or B.Climate control panel design A
Climate control panel design B
Item
1
Left side defroster vent, fixed
2
Left side air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
5
Left center air
vent, adjustable
6
Right center air vent, adjustable
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9
Right side air vent, adjustable
a
Right side defroster vent, fixed
b
Climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the air vents 2,5 ,6 ,
and 9 to the middle position.
Item
1
Air volume control
2
Left side temperature control
3
Right side temperature control
4
Air distribution control
5
Rear window defroster
6
AC cooling on/off ( AC
OFF
or A/C )
7
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8
Air recirculation
9
Defrosting
174 Controls in detailClimate controlThe climate control is operational when-
ever the engine is running. You can oper-
ate the climate control system in either the
automatic or manual mode. The system
cools or heats the interior depending on
the selected interior temperature and the
current 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 mode
AC
OFF
is activated or
mode A/C is deactivated (page 179).
Warning!
G
When operating the climate control, the air
that enters the passenger compartment
through the air vents in the footwell can be
very hot or very cold (depending on the set
temperature). This may cause burns or frost-
bite on unprotected skin in the immediate
area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient
distance between unprotected 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 foot-
well air vents (
page 176).
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.
iSevere conditions (e.g. strong air
pollution) may require replacement of
the filter before its scheduled interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air
volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off, see
“Opening (Summer opening feature)”
(page 240).
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing
objects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
179
Controls in detail
Climate control
At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26°C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Climate control panel design A
Press button
± (
page 173).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.
Climate control panel design B
Press button 2 (
page 173).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay. Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Climate control panel design A
Press button
± (
page 173).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Climate control panel design B
Press button 2 (
page 173).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the
refrigerant R134a. This refrigerant is free
of CFCs which are harmful to the ozone
layer.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.Warning!
G
If you turn off the cooling function, the vehi-
cle will not be cooled when weather condi-
tions are warm. The windows can fog up
more quickly. As a result, you can no longer
observe traffic situations around you and
could cause an accident.
183
Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Depending on production date, your
vehicle is equipped with either automatic
climate control panel design A or B.Automatic climate control panel design A
Automatic climate control panel design B
Item
1
Left side defroster vent, fixed
2
Left side air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
5
Left center air
vent, adjustable
6
Right center air vent, adjustable
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9
Right side air vent, adjustable
a
Right side defroster vent, fixed
b
Automatic climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the air vents 2,5 ,6 ,
and 9 to the middle position.
Item
1
Left side air distribution control
2
Defrosting
3
Temperature control, left, raising
4
Display
5
Air volume control, raising
6
Temperature control, right, raising
7
Rear window defroster
8
Right side air distribution control
9
Charcoal filter
a
AC cooling on/off ( AC
OFF
or A/C )
Residual heat/ventilation
b
Temperature control, right, lowering
c
Air volume control, lowering
d
Temperature control, left, lowering
e
Air recirculation
f
Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
g
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
184 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air
enters the passenger compartment
through the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the modeAC
OFF
is activated or
mode A/C is deactivated (page 192).
iFeature availability is based on prelimi-
nary information at time of printing.
The automatic climate control may not
be available as optional equipment on
all models.
Warning
G
When operating the automatic climate
control, the air that enters the passenger
compartment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold
(depending on the set temperature). This
may cause burns or frostbite on unprotected
skin in the immediate area of the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between
unprotected parts of the body and the foot-
well air vents. If necessary change the air
flow using the air distribution controls to
direct the air away from the footwell air
vents (
page 186).
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for
heating and cooling given on the following
pages. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.iSevere conditions (e.g. strong air
pollution) may require replacement of
the filter before its scheduled interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air
volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off, see
“Opening (Summer opening feature)”
(page 245).
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing
objects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
188 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Defrosting
Activating
Press buttonP or0
(page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches
automatically to the following functions:
maximum blowing and heating
power
air flows onto the windshield and
the front side windows
the air recirculation mode is
switched off Deactivating
Press button
P or0
(page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to U (
page 183) and there is a
high need for cooling, the display
“MAXCOOL” appears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when side windows
and panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel* are closed).
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.