Page 267 of 506
266 Controls in detailLoadingaStrap
Tighten strapa by pulling at the loose
end (arrow) until the skis in the ski sack
are tightly secured.bHook
cEye
Connect hookb to eyec located on
center tunnel in front of rear seat
bench.
Tighten strap by pulling at the loose
end (arrow).Unloading and folding
Loosen both straps.
Disconnect hookb from eyec.
Unload skis.
Close flap8 in trunk.
Fold and flatten ski sack lengthwise.
Place folded ski sack inside recess of
backrest.
Fasten hook and loop fastener.
Close ski sack compartment cover.
Page 268 of 506
267 Controls in detail
Loading
Closing ski sack roller blind
1Left hinge
2Right hinge
3Pull strap
Pull ski sack roller blind downward us-
ing pull strap3.
Manually fold left1 and right
hinges2 of ski sack roller blind all the
way down.
To snap ski sack roller blind into place,
press left and right hinges where the
word PRESS can be seen.
Fold luggage cover back and close it
securely (
page 245).Removal of ski sack
For removal of the ski sack we recommend
that you contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Never drive vehicle with trunk open while
the ski sack is removed. Deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior, resulting in unconsciousness and
death.iTo prevent unauthorized persons from
access to the trunk, always close the
flap.
Page 269 of 506

268 Controls in detailLoadingLoading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage/cargo should not ex-
ceed the load limit or vehicle capacity
weight indicated on the corresponding
placard located on the driver’s door B-pil-
lar.
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the heaviest items being placed to-
wards the front of the vehicle.
Always place items being carried against
rear seat backrests, and fasten them as se-
curely as possible.
The heaviest portion of the cargo should al-
ways be kept as low as possible since it in-
fluences the handling characteristics of
the vehicle.
!To prevent damage to the soft top or
luggage/cargo when lowering the roof:
load trunk only to the height of the
luggage cover
do not permit luggage/cargo to
push up the closed luggage cover
do not place anything on the shelf
behind the roll bar
do not place anything on the soft
top compartment cover
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo. Put luggage or car-
go in the trunk if possible.
Never drive vehicle with trunk open. Deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter ve-
hicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.
Page 270 of 506

269 Controls in detail
Useful features
Useful features
Storage compartments
Glove box
1Glove box
2Glove box lid releaseOpening the glove box
Pull lid release2.
The glove box lid opens downward.
Closing the glove box
Push lid up to close.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when stowing objects in the vehicle. Put lug-
gage or cargo in the trunk if possible. Do not
pile luggage or cargo higher than the seat
backs.
Luggage nets cannot secure hard or heavy
objects.
Keep compartment lids closed. This will help
to prevent stored objects from being thrown
about and injuring vehicle occupants during
an accident.
!Make sure no objects fall into the open-
ings of the subwoofer between the rear
seats.
If necessary, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to remove any
objects which may have fallen into the
openings.
iThe glove box lid contains a compart-
ment for eyeglasses.
Close the compartment for glasses first
before closing the glove box.
Audio system/COMAND* with CD
changer*: The CD changer* is located
in the glove box.
Page 274 of 506
273 Controls in detail
Useful features
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
1Cover plate
2Sliding button
3Ashtray insert
Opening ashtray
Briefly press the bottom of cover
plate1.
The cover plate opens automatically.Removing ashtray insert
Secure vehicle from movement by
setting the parking brake.
Move the gear selector lever to
positionN.
Now you have more room to take out
the insert.
Push sliding button2 to the right.
The ashtray is disengaged and slides a
short way in direction of arrow3.
Remove the ashtray insert.Reinstalling the ashtray insert
Push the ashtray insert 3 down into
the retainer until it engages.
Push down cover plate1 to close
ashtray.
The cover plate engages.
Rear seat ashtray
1Button
2Ashtray insert
3Cover
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle
standing still. Set the parking brake to se-
cure vehicle from movement. Move gear se-
lector lever to positionN. With gear selector
lever in positionN, turn off the engine.
Page 276 of 506
275 Controls in detail
Useful features
Electrical outlet in the rear passenger compartment
1Electrical outlet
2Cover
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Pull at top of cover2.
Flip cover1 to the left and insert
electrical plug (cigarette lighter type).
Floormats*
Removing
Pull floormats off of retainer pins2 in
direction of arrow1.
Remove the floormats.
Installing
Lay down the floormat.
Press the floormat eyelets4 onto re-
tainer pins5 in direction of arrow3.
iThe electrical outlet can be used to
accommodate electrical consumers
(e.g. air pump, auxiliary lamps) up to a
maximum of 180 W.
Warning!
G
Whenever you are using floormats, make
sure there is enough clearance and that the
floormats are securely fastened.
Floormats should always be securely fas-
tened using eyelets
4
and retainer
pins
5
.
Before driving off, check that the floormats
are securely in place and adjust them if nec-
essary. A loose floormat could slip and
hinder proper functioning of the pedals.
Page 300 of 506

299 Operation
Driving instructions
Passenger compartmentDriving abroad
Abroad, there is an extensive
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Center directory, you
should request pertinent information from
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Control and operation of radio trans-
mitters
COMAND*, radio and telephone*Telephones* and two-way radios
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
Refer to the radio transmitter operation in-
structions regarding use of an external
antenna.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as
securely as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The trunk is the preferred place to carry
objects.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle safely.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System), radio or tele-
phone
1 if road, weather and traffic
conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Page 392 of 506
391 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
Where will I find...?
First aid kit
The first aid kit is located in the trunk on
the right side secured by a hook and loop
fastener.
1First aid kit
2Hook and loop fastener
Loosen hook and loop fastener2.
Remove first aid kit1.
Vehicle tool kit
The vehicle tool kit is stored in the com-
partment underneath the trunk floor.
The following is included:
Towing eye bolt
Vehicle jack
Wheel wrench
Alignment bolt
Spare wheel bolts
Spare fuses
Fuse extractor
Straps for soft top emergency opera-
tion
Collapsible wheel chock
A pair of gloves Removing the vehicle tool kit
Remove trunk floor cover from trunk.
1Retaining screw
2Storage well casing
iCheck expiration dates and contents
for completeness at least once a year
and replace missing/expired items.
iHex wrench:
You will find the hex wrench for
manually operating the roll bars
(page 401) or the soft top
(page 403) at the lower edge of the
storage well casing.