Page 139 of 498

137 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The 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
1Outside temperature
2Trip odometer
3Automatic transmission program mode
4Main odometer
5Current gear selector lever position
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(page 140).
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,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit 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 (approxi-
mately 14 m) every second.
Page 140 of 498

138 Controls in detailControl systemMultifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel (
page 26).Pressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel will alter what is
shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
Audio
, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.
1
Multifunction displayOperating the control system
2
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volume:
Press buttonæup / to increaseçdown / to decrease
3
Telephone*:
Press buttonsto take a calltto end a call
4
Menu systems:
Press buttonèfor next menuÿfor previous menu
5
Moving within a menu:
Press buttonjfor next displaykfor previous display
Page 161 of 498

159 Controls in detail
Control system
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Convenience
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Function
Easy-entry feature appears in the
multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to change
the easy-entry/exit setting.The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and the driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
To cancel seat/steering wheel movement,
do one of the following:
Press seat adjustment switch
(page 38).
Move steering column stalk
(page 40).
Press memory position switch
(page 122).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
off
The easy-entry/ex-
it feature is deacti-
vated.
Steering col.
Only the steering
column is moved.
Steer. col. + seat
Both the steering
column and the
seat are moved.
Page 162 of 498

160 Controls in detailControl systemSetting key-dependency
Use this function to set whether the
memory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the mirrors should be stored
separately for each SmartKey
(page 121).
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the Convenience
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Key-dependent
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to set
key-dependency to
on or
off
. Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
Use the
Mirror adjustment parking aid
function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers, when reverse gearR is engaged. For
additional information, see “Activating ex-
terior rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 180).
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the Convenience
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Mirror adjustment
parking aid
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to switch
function
on or
off
.
Trip computer menu
Use the trip computer menu to call up sta-
tistical data on your vehicle.
The following information is available:Function
Page
Fuel consumption statistics after
start
161
Fuel consumption statistics
since last reset
161
Call up range (distance to empty)
162
Page 164 of 498

162 Controls in detailControl systemCall up range (distance to empty)
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until the first function of the Trip com-
puter menu appears in the
multifunction display.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Range
appears in the
multifunction display.
The calculated range based on the
current fuel tank level appears in the
multifunction display.
TEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
Tel
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.
Switch on the telephone and Audio or
COMAND*.
Press buttonÿ orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until the
message
Tel
appears in the
multifunction display.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we
recommend that you pull over to a safe
location and stop before placing or taking a
telephone call. If you choose to use the
telephone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic
conditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a
vehicle.
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.
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,
possibly resulting in an accident and /or
personal injury.
Page 174 of 498

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionStopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.
Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop longer with the engine
idling or on an uphill gradient:
Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.
Set the parking brake.
Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:
Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.
Accelerate gently.
Never abruptly step on the accelerator.Working on the vehicle Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) - CLK 500 and CLK 55 AMG
When driving in the automatic program
modes CorS, or in the manual program
modeM (CLK 55 AMG only), you can
change the gears manually on the steering
wheel or by using the gear selector lever
(page 167).
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could
roll away.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.
Page 175 of 498

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
CLK 500
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Button, inside: downshift
2Button, outside: upshiftDownshifting
Press the inside1 of one of the but-
tons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 168).
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking po-
sition P only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
Page 176 of 498
174 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionUpshifting
Press outside2 of one of the buttons
on the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program.This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.Steering wheel gearshift control
CLK 55 AMG
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The manual program modeM will not
be stored. When the engine is turned
off with the manual program modeM
selected, the transmission will go to
the automatic program mode (CorS)
when the engine is restarted.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.