Page 114 of 474

112 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
It is not necessary to slam the door or 
trunk lid closed. A pneumatic power-as-
sisted mechanism draws doors and trunk 
lid closed quietly and automatically once 
door and trunk lid has been latched. When 
the pneumatic power-assisted mechanism 
has stopped, doors and/or trunk can be 
re-opened.Power closing assist for doors
Press the doors gently past the initial 
engage position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid
Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock 
when the ignition is switched on and the 
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are 
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking 
using the control system (
page 168).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always 
keep hands and fingers away from the door 
or trunk opening when closing a door or the 
trunk lid. Be especially careful when small 
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside 
door handle, or press the trunk lid lock.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate 
the closing assist mechanism by tampering 
with the door or trunk lid latch.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the doors closed. Otherwise, 
one or more of the doors could open while 
the vehicle is in motion, putting you and/or 
others at risk.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among 
other dangers such as visibility blockage, 
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle interi-
or.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an 
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold. The vehicle 
locks automatically when the ignition is 
switched on and the wheels are turning 
at vehicle speeds of approximately 
9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You could 
therefore lock yourself out when the 
vehicle
is pushed or towed
is on a test stand 
     
        
        Page 142 of 474

140 Controls in detailInstrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument 
cluster can be found in the “At a glance” 
section of this manual (
page 24).
1Reset buttonJ 
The instrument cluster is activated when 
you:
open a door
turn on the ignition
press the reset buttonJ1
switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the instrument cluster submenu of 
the control system (
page 163).
Instrument cluster illumination
1Knob for adjusting instrument cluster 
illumination
Use knob1 to adjust the illumination 
brightness for the instrument cluster.
Press knob1. 
The knob will pop out.
To brighten illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster 
clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will 
brighten.
To dim illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster 
counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will 
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is 
dimmed or brightened automatically to 
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will 
also be adjusted automatically when 
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior 
lamps. 
     
        
        Page 143 of 474

141 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Coolant temperature gauge
During severe operating conditions, 
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C), 
i.e. close to the red zone of the tempera-
ture gauge.
The engine should not be operated with 
the coolant temperature above 248°F 
(120°C), i.e. in the red zone of the coolant 
temperature gauge. Doing so may cause 
serious engine damage which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip 
odometer display.
If it is not displayed, press the è or 
ÿ button on the multifunction 
steering wheel repeatedly until the trip 
odometer appears (
page 143).
Press and hold reset buttonJ 
(page 140) until the trip odometer is 
reset.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which 
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can 
cause serious burns and can occur just 
by opening the hood. Stay away from 
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle 
and do not stand near the vehicle until the 
engine has cooled down.
iExcessive coolant temperature triggers 
a warning in the multifunction display 
(page 359). 
     
        
        Page 149 of 474
147 Controls in detail
Control system
Menus, submenus and functions
Menu1
Standard dis-
play
Menu2
AUDIO
Menu3
Telephone*
Menu4
NAVI
Menu5
Distronic*
Menu6
Trip computer
Menu7
Vehicle status 
message memory
Menu8
Settings
(page 148)
(page 148)
(page 153)
(page 155)
(page 156)
(page 157)
(page 159)
(page 160)
Commands/submenusCall up mainte-
nance service 
display
Select radio 
station 
Load phone 
book
Activate 
route guid-
ance
Call up set-
tings
Fuel consump-
tion statistics 
after start
Call up vehicle mal-
function, warning 
and system status 
messages stored in 
memory
Reset to fac-
tory settings
Check tire in-
flation pres-
sure*
Select satellite 
radio station* 
(USA only)
Search for 
name in 
phone book
Fuel consump-
tion statistics 
since the last 
reset
Instrument 
cluster 
submenu
Check engine 
oil level
Select CD 
track
Select 
number last 
dialed
Call up range
Lighting 
submenu
Digital speed-
ometer
Select MP3-CD 
track
Vehicle 
submenuConvenience 
submenu 
     
        
        Page 151 of 474

149 Controls in detail
Control system
Select radio station
Turn on the radio. Refer to separate 
COMAND operating instructions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly 
until you see the currently tuned sta-
tion in the multifunction display.
1Waveband
2Station frequency
Press buttonk orj repeatedly 
until the desired station is found.Select satellite radio* station 
(USA only)
The satellite radio is treated as a radio ap-
plication.
Select satellite radio with the corre-
sponding key on the COMAND control 
panel (SAT).
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly 
until you see the currently tuned sta-
tion in the multifunction display.
1SAT mode and preset number
2Channel name or number
Press buttonk orj repeatedly 
until the desired channel is found.
iYou can only store new stations using 
the corresponding feature on the radio. 
Refer to separate COMAND operating 
instructions.
You can also operate the radio in the 
usual manner.
iAdditional optional satellite radio 
equipment and a subscription to satel-
lite radio service provider are required 
for satellite radio operation. Contact an 
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for 
details and availability for your vehicle.
For more information, refer to separate 
COMAND operating instructions. 
     
        
        Page 158 of 474
156 Controls in detailControl systemDistronic* menu
Use the 
DISTRONIC
 menu to display the 
current settings for your Distronic system. 
What information is shown in the display 
depends on whether the Distronic system 
is active or inactive.
Please refer to the “Driving systems” sec-
tion of this manual (page 217) for in-
structions on how to activate Distronic.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly 
until you see one of the following two 
pictures in the display.Distronic deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated you will see 
the standard display in the display.
1Vehicle ahead, if detected
2Actual distance to vehicle ahead
3Preset distance threshold to vehicle 
ahead
4Symbol for activated distance warning 
function
5Your vehicleDistronic activated
When you activate Distronic, you will see 
the set speed for about five seconds in the 
Distronic display. The following display 
then appears: 
1Distronic activated  
     
        
        Page 159 of 474

157 Controls in detail
Control system
Trip computer menu
Use the trip computer menu to call up sta-
tistical data on your vehicle. The following 
information is available:Fuel consumption statistics after start
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until you see the first function of the 
Trip computer menu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until you see this message in the left 
display: 
AFTER START
.
1Distance driven since start
2Time elapsed since start
3Average fuel consumption since start
4Average speed since startIncorporating statistics from the previ-
ous journey in the consumption statis-
tics
When you restart the engine, the 
AFTER START
. display flashes for:
a distance of approximately 1.25 miles 
(two kilometers)
or
a duration of two minutes
During this period, the data from the previ-
ous journey can be incorporated as fol-
lows:
Press the reset buttonJ in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 140). 
The statistics will be incorporated.
Function
Page
Fuel consumption statistics after 
start
157
Fuel consumption statistics 
since last reset
158
Resetting fuel consumption sta-
tistics
158
Call up range (distance to empty)
158
iEach time you call up the trip comput-
er, the last function used appears as 
the first display.
iIf you do not press the reset buttonJ, 
the consumption statistics will be reset 
to 
0. 
     
        
        Page 160 of 474

158 Controls in detailControl systemFuel consumption since last reset
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until you see the first function of the 
trip computer menu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until you see this message in the dis-
play: 
AFTER RESET
.
1Distance driven since last reset
2Time elapsed since last reset
3Average fuel consumption since last re-
set
4Average speed since last resetResetting fuel consumption statistics
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until you see the first function of the 
Trip computer menu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until you see the reading that you want 
to reset in the display.
Press and hold the reset buttonJ in 
the instrument cluster (
page 140) 
until the value is reset to 0.Call up range (distance to empty)
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until you see the first function of the 
Trip computer menu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until you see this message in the dis-
play: 
RANGE
.
In the display you will see the calculat-
ed range based on the current fuel tank 
level.