51 Getting started
Driving
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press combination switch in direction
of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp L or K in the instrument
cluster flashes.
The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Single wipe
2Switching on windshield wipers
Switch on the ignition (
page 33).
iTo signal minor directional changes
such as changing lanes, press combi-
nation switch only to point of resis-
tance and release. The corresponding
turn signals will flash three times.
64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag In case of other types of impacts and
impacts below air bag deployment
thresholds, air bags will not be de-
ployed. The driver and passenger will
then be protected to the extent possi-
ble by a properly fastened seat belt. A
properly fastened seat belt is also
needed to provide the best possible
protection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the air bags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of
your passengers that you replace de-
ployed air bags and repair any malfunc-
tioning air bags to make sure that the
vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.Warning!
G
Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Use only belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Air bags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETD
that was activated must be replaced.
No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or re-
moving any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front air bag cov-
er, door trim panels,
or door frame trims, and installation of
additional electrical/electronic equip-
ment on or near SRS components and
wiring. Keep area between air bags and
occupants free from objects (e.g. pack-
ages, purses, umbrellas, etc.).
Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.
Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when curtain air bag is deployed.
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
105 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
function and the vehicle’s electrical
system will operate according to the
position of the SmartKey in the starter
switch, even stopping the engine.
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
positioned farther away from the vehi-
cle, the system may no longer recog-
nize the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
The vehicle cannot be locked or the en-
gine started via the KEYLESS-GO sys-
tem.
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is re-
moved from the vehicle while the igni-
tion is switched on (e.g. if passenger
exits the vehicle with the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO), the message
Key
not recognized
will appear in the mul-
tifunction display while driving off.
Find the SmartKey or change its
present location immediately (e.g.
place it on the front passenger seat or
insert it in shirt pocket).
Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO that is left inside the
vehicle. If you leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, the message
Key
still in vehicle
will appear in the
multifunction display.
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Grasp the outside door handle.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and reactivate the anti-theft alarm system
within approximately 40 seconds if:
neither door nor trunk is opened
the central locking switch is not acti-
vated.Global locking
Press lock button at the outside door
handle (
page 58) or trunk lid
(
page 107).
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
iThe vehicle could be inadvertently un-
locked if the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO is within 3 ft (1 m) of the
vehicle and
the outside door handle is splashed
with water, or
you attempt to clean the outside
door handle.
154 Controls in detailControl system
Press buttonk orj.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which they have
occurred. For malfunction and warning
messages, see “Vehicle status messag-
es in the multifunction display”
(page 367).
Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch.
Settings menu
In the
Settings
menu there are two func-
tions:
The function
To reset: Press reset
button for 3 seconds
, with which you
can reset all the settings to the original
factory settings.
A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings
menu is seen in the
display.Resetting all settings
You can reset all the functions of all sub-
menus to the factory settings.
Press the reset button in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 24) for approxi-
mately three seconds.
In the display you will see the request
to press the reset button again to con-
firm.
Press the reset button again.
The functions of all the submenus will
reset to factory settings.
iThe vehicle status message memory
will be cleared when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2. You will then only see
high priority messages in the multifunc-
tion display (
page 367).
iThe settings you have changed will not
be reset unless you confirm the action
by pressing the reset button a second
time.
156 Controls in detailControl systemThe table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus. De-
tailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following pag-
es.INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
TIME/DATE
LIGHTING
VEHICLE
CONVENIENCE
DYNAMIC SEAT*
Select temperature dis-
play mode
Synchronizing the
time
Set daytime running
lamp mode
(USA only)
Set automatic lock-
ing
Activate easy-en-
try/exit feature
Set level for dynam-
ic seat, driver
Select speedometer dis-
play mode
Set time (hours)
Set locator lighting
Limiting opening
height of trunk lid*
Set SmartKey-
dependency
Set level for dynam-
ic seat, passenger
Select language
Set time (minutes)
Ambient lighting
Set parking position
for exterior rear
view mirror
Select display (speed dis-
play or outside tempera-
ture) for status line
Set date (month)
Exterior lamps de-
layed shut-off
Select display (speed dis-
play or outside tempera-
ture) for basic display
Set date (day)
Interior lighting de-
layed shut-off
Tire pressure unit dis-
play*
Set date (year)
159 Controls in detail
Control system
Selecting display (speed display or out-
side temperature) for basic display
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
Instr.
cluster
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Basic display
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to select
the display permanently shown in the
multifunction display.Tire pressure display*
Use this function to set the unit for the tire
pressure display.
Move the selection marker with the
æ or ç button to the
Instr,
cluster
submenu.
Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Display unit Tire pressure
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ or ç to select
the desired tire pressure unit.Time/Date submenu
Access the
Time/Date
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Time/Date
sub-
menu to change the time and date display
settings. The following functions are avail-
able:
Function
Page
Synchronizing the time
160
Set time (hours)
160
Set time (minutes)
160
Set date (month)
161
Set date (day)
161
Set date (year)
161
iInformation on setting the time, refer to
separate COMAND instructions.
162 Controls in detailControl systemLighting submenu
Access the
Lighting
submenu via the
Set-
tings
menu. Use the
Lighting
submenu
to change the lamp and lighting settings on
your vehicle. The following functions are
available:Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see
Lamp circuit headlamp
in
the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to select
manual operation (
manual
) or daytime
running lamp mode (
constant
) activat-
ed.
With daytime running lamp mode activated
and the exterior lamp switch at
positionM orU the low beam head-
lamps are switched on when the engine is
running.
In low ambient light conditions the follow-
ing lamps will switch on additionally:
Parking lamps
Tail lamps
License plate lamps
Side marker lamps
For more information on the daytime run-
ning lamp mode, see “Lighting”
(
page 133).
Function
Page
Set daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
162
Setting locator lighting
163
Setting night security illumina-
tion
164
Setting interior lighting delayed
shut-off
165
Setting ambient lighting
165
iThis function is not available in coun-
tries where the daytime running lamp
mode is mandatory and therefore in a
constant mode.
231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The following driving systems are ex-
plained on the following pages:
Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed
Airmatic* adjusts the vehicle suspen-
sion characteristics automatically and
controls the vehicle level
Parktronic system*, which assists the
driver during parking maneuvers
The BAS, ABS, ESP and SBC are described
in the “Safety and Security” section
(
page 85).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above 25 mph
(40 km /h).
E 320 4MATIC, E 500 4MATIC:
You can set or resume cruise control at any
speed above 20 mph (30 km /h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 22).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.
The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.
The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.
Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.