Page 50 of 426

48 Getting startedDriving
Release parking brake by pulling on
handle1.
The warning lamp; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Driving
Depress the brake pedal.
Move gear selector lever to positionD
orR.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the auto-
matic central locking system engages
and the locking knobs drop down.After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.iWait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic
locking using the control system
(page 143).
!Simultaneously depressing the
accelerator pedal and applying the
brake reduces engine performance and
causes premature brake and drivetrain
wear.!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.
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 loss of control.!Place the gear selector lever in
positionR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high
engine speeds may shorten the service
life of the engine.
Page 54 of 426

52 Getting startedDrivingIntermittent wiping
Set the wiper switch to positionI.
Single wipe
Press combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow1.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.Wiping with windshield washer fluid
Push combination switch in direction of
arrow1 past the resistance point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 277).
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a front
door is opened.
!If anything blocks the windshield
wipers (leaves, snow, etc.), switch
them off immediately.
For safety reasons, withdraw
SmartKey from starter switch
before attempting to remove any
blockage.
Remove blockage.
Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch positionI,
set the combination switch to the
next highest wiper speed
have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center
Page 59 of 426

57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Turning off engine
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
Press the seat belt release button
(page 44).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate.
After exiting the vehicle, press the lock
button‹ on the SmartKey
(page 32).
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 90).
iAlways set the parking brake in
addition to shifting to positionP.
On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the road curb. iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
iWith the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, and lock
your vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Page 79 of 426

77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
You can block the rear door window
operation (for instance when you have
children riding in the rear passenger
compartment).
The override switch is located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door.
1Enable
2Disable
3Override switchActivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the right.
The rear door windows can no longer
be operated using the respective
switch located in the rear doors.
Deactivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the left.
The rear door windows can be operated
again using the respective switch
located in the rear doors .For more information, see “Power win-
dows” (
page 215).
iOperation of the rear door windows
with the switches located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door is still
possible.
Warning!
G
Activate the override switch when children
are riding in the back seats of the vehicle.
The children may otherwise injure them-
selves, e.g. by becoming trapped in the win-
dow opening.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, and lock
the vehicle. Do not leave children unattend-
ed in the vehicle, or with access to an un-
locked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle
equipment may cause an accident and/or
serious personal injury.
Page 88 of 426
86 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsArming the alarm system
The indicator lamp is in the switch for the
tow-away alarm* in the center console.
1Indicator lamp
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the alarm system is
activated. Indicator lamp1 begins to
flash after approximately 30 seconds
after arming the alarm system.Disarming the alarm system
Unlock your vehicle with the SmartKey.
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is
deactivated.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:
Press theŒ or‹ button on the
SmartKey.
or
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash
three times, one of the following
elements may not be properly closed:
a door
the tailgate
the hood
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally after approximately 40 seconds if
no door or the tailgate lid was opened.
Page 92 of 426

90 Controls in detailIn the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed on your vehi-
cle. If you are already familiar with the
basic functions of your vehicle, this section
will be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are giv-
en at the beginning of each segment.Locking and unlocking
For more information on locking and
unlocking, see “Getting started”
(page 32) and (
page 55).
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The locking tabs for the mechanical key
portion of the two SmartKeys are a
different color to help distinguish each
SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:
the doors
the tailgate
the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control1‹ Lock button
2Mechanical key locking tab
3Œ Unlock button
4Battery check lamp
5Â Panic button* (
page 78)
iCanada only:
Only vehicles equipped with an
anti-theft alarm system* have
SmartKeys with integrated panic
button5.
Page 93 of 426

91 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system* is
switched off.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and reactivate the anti-theft alarm
system* within approximately 40 seconds
of unlocking if:
neither door nor tailgate is opened
the SmartKey is not inserted in the
starter switch
the central locking switch is not
activatedGlobal locking
Press button‹.
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system* is
activated.
Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the SmartKey so that
pressingŒ only unlocks the driver’s
door and the fuel filler flap.
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about five seconds
until battery check lamp4 flashes
twice.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch and lock
the vehicle. Do not leave children unattend-
ed in the vehicle, or with access to an un-
locked vehicle. It is possible for children to
open a locked door from the inside, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
injury.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the SmartKey to high levels of
electromagnetic radiation.iYou can also open and close the power
windows (
page 217) and power
tilt/sliding sunroof* (
page 221) from
outside using the SmartKey.
Page 94 of 426

92 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
The SmartKey will then function as
follows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap
Press buttonŒ once.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knob in the driver's door moves
up. The anti-theft alarm system* is
switched off.
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ twice.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system* is
switched off.Global locking
Press button‹.
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system* is
activated.
Restoring to factory setting
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about six seconds
until battery check lamp4 flashes
twice.
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the SmartKey, then either
the batteries in the SmartKey are dis-
charged, the SmartKey is malfunction-
ing, or the vehicle battery is drained.
Check the batteries in the
SmartKey (
page 93) and replace
them if necessary (
page 331).
Use the mechanical key to unlock
the driver’s door (
page 326).
Use the mechanical key to lock the
driver’s door (
page 327).
Have the vehicle battery and the
battery connections checked
(page 347).
If the SmartKey is malfunctioning,
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.