Page 304 of 506
303 Operation
At the gas station
Replace fuel cap by turning it 
clockwise.
You will hear when fuel cap is 
tightened.
Close fuel filler flap.Warning!
G
Overfilling of the fuel tank may create 
pressure in the system which could cause a 
gas discharge. This could cause the gas to 
spray back out when removing the fuel 
pump nozzle, which could cause personal 
injury.
iOnly use premium unleaded gasoline 
with a minimum Posted Octane Rating 
of 91  (average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can 
normally be found on the fuel pump.
For more information on gasoline, see 
“Premium unleaded gasoline” 
(page 456) or the Factory Approved 
Service Products pamphlet.
iLeaving the engine running and the fuel 
cap open can cause theú malfunc-
tion indicator lamp (USA only) or 
the± malfunction indicator lamp 
(Canada only) to illuminate.
More information can be found in the 
“Practical hints” section (
page 356). 
     
        
        Page 458 of 506

457 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuel requirements
Only use premium unleaded fuel:
The octane number (posted at the 
pump) must be 91 min. It is an average 
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number: 
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the 
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates 
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be 
used provided the ratio of any one of these 
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed 
10%; MTBE not to exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not 
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is 
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10% 
ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be 
used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel 
requirements, such as resistance to spark 
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the 
use of quality gasoline containing additives 
that prevent the build-up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels 
without such additives, carbon deposits 
can build up especially on the intake valves 
and in the combustion area, leading to en-
gine performance problems such as:
Warm-up hesitation
Unstable idle
Knocking/pinging
Misfire
Power lossIn areas where carbon deposits may be en-
countered due to lack of availability of gas-
olines which contain these additives, 
Mercedes-Benz recommends the use of 
additives approved by us for use on 
Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Refer to Factory 
Approved Service Products pamphlet for a 
listing of approved product(s). Follow di-
rections on product label.
Do not blend any specific fuel additives 
with fuel. This only results in unnecessary 
cost and may be harmful to the engine 
operation.
Damage or malfunction resulting from 
poor fuel quality or from blending addition-
al fuel additives other than those tested 
and approved by us for use on 
Mercedes-Benz vehicles listed in the 
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet are not covered by the 
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. 
     
        
        Page 464 of 506

463 Technical terms
Head-thorax air bag
Installed in the driver and the front pas-
senger seat, these air bags protect oc-
cupants during side impact collisions 
exceeding a preset threshold. Unlike 
normal side impact air bags, 
head-thorax air bags are also designed 
to provide protection for the head area.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning 
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer, 
coolant temperature indicator and fuel 
display.
KEYLESS-GO*
System for entering and operating the 
vehicle without the use of a SmartKey.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the 
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear. 
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal 
acceleration needs.Kilopascal (kPa)
(
page 336)
Lock button
Button on the door which indicates 
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down 
on an individual door from inside will 
lock that door.
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles)
Maintenance service indicator in the 
multifunction display that informs the 
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. The Maintenance 
System in your vehicle tracks distance 
driven and the time elapsed since your 
last maintenance service, and calls for 
the next maintenance service 
accordingly.
Maximum load rating
(page 337)
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
(page 337)
Maximum tire inflation pressure
(page 337)Memory function*
Used to store three individual seat, 
steering wheel and mirror positions for 
each SmartKey or, if so equipped, 
KEYLESS-GO* feature.
Menu
The control system displays are ar-
ranged in menus. Each menu contains 
a number of commands for particular 
systems.
MON
(M
otor O
ctane N
umber)
The Motor Octane Number for gasoline 
as determined by a standardized meth-
od. It is an indication of a gasoline's 
ability to resist undesired detonation 
(knocking). The average of both the 
MON (Motor Octane Number) and 
->RON (Research Octane Number) is 
posted at the pump, also known as 
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Multifunction display
Display field in the speedometer used 
to present information provided by the 
control system.