Page 113 of 474

111 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Trunk lid emergency release
The emergency release button is located 
on the inside of the trunk lid.
1Emergency release button
Briefly press emergency release 
button1.
The trunk unlocks and the trunk lid 
opens.
Illumination of the emergency release but-
ton:
The button will flash for 30 minutes af-
ter opening the trunk.
The button will flash for 60 minutes af-
ter closing the trunk.
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 emergency release button unlocks 
and opens the trunk while the vehicle is 
standing still or in motion.iThe emergency release button does 
not open the trunk lid if the vehicle bat-
tery is discharged or disconnected.
iIf the emergency release button is 
pressed and the vehicle was centrally 
locked, the exterior lamps will flash and 
the alarm will sound as the trunk lid 
opens:
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:
Insert the SmartKey in the starter 
switch.
Press button Œ or ‹ on the 
SmartKey.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Grasp the outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO 
must be within 3 ft. (1 m) of the ve-
hicle.
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop 
button (
page 35).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO 
must be inside the vehicle. 
     
        
        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 115 of 474

113 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the 
trunk from inside using the central locking 
or unlocking switch. This can be useful, for 
example, if you want to lock the vehicle be-
fore starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap will not be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch, respectively.The switches are located on the upper part 
of the front center console.
1Central locking switch
2Central unlocking switch
Locking
Press central locking switch1.
If the front passenger door is closed, 
the vehicle locks.
Unlocking
Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the 
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* 
from the starter switch, take it with you, and 
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an 
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident 
and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the 
inside. Open door only when conditions 
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally 
locked with the SmartKey or the with 
KEYLESS-GO*, it will not unlock using 
the central unlocking switch2.
If the vehicle was previously locked 
with the central locking switch1:
While in the global remote control 
mode, the vehicle is unlocked com-
pletely when a door is opened from 
the inside.
While in the selective remote con-
trol mode, only the door opened 
from inside is unlocked. 
     
        
        Page 116 of 474

114 Controls in detailSeatsFor more information on seat adjustment, 
see “Adjusting” (
page 37).
Easy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and 
exit from the vehicle.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the 
CONVENIENCE 
sub-
menu of the control system (
page 170).When exiting the vehicle, with the easy-en-
try/exit feature activated and depending 
on your selection, the steering wheel tilts 
upwards and/or the driver’s seat moves a 
few inches to the rear when you:
remove the SmartKey from the starter 
switch, 
or
open the driver’s door with the 
SmartKey in starter switch position 0 
or 1 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop 
button (
page 35) in position 1. 
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become 
trapped or injured by the moving steering 
wheel and driver’s seat when the easy-en-
try/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 one of the memory position but-
tons (
page 129).
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. 
     
        
        Page 120 of 474

118 Controls in detailSeatsSeat fore and aft adjustment
Press switch forward or backward in di-
rection of arrow1.
Seat height
Press switch up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow2.
Head restraint height
Press switch up or down in direction of 
arrow3.
Power seat, setting front passenger 
seat position from rear*
This function lets you adjust the position of 
the front passenger seat from the rear.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly 
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of 
the head restraint supports the back of the 
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the 
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat 
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
Warning!
G
When adjusting the front passenger seat, 
make sure the seat, if occupied, is as far 
from the passenger front air bag as possi-
ble.
Otherwise, the passenger could be seriously 
or even fatally injured in the event of an ac-
cident or braking maneuver.
Make sure no one is caught or injured while 
the seat is being adjusted.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with 
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter 
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* 
removed from the vehicle, the power seats 
can be operated when the respective door is 
open. Therefore, do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an 
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident 
and/or serious personal injury. 
     
        
        Page 123 of 474
121 Controls in detailSeats
Placing head restraints upright
Pull the rear head restraint upright until 
it locks into position.Placing power head restraints* upright
Switch on ignition (
page 34).
Press switch1 in the front center con-
sole and hold.
The rear head restraints will fold up-
right.Folding back and placing upright power 
head restraints* with the switches in 
the rear doors
You can fold the rear power head restraints 
backward or upright using the head re-
straint folding switches in the respective 
rear doors.
1Head restraint switch, rear
Switch on ignition (
page 34).
or
Open the respective door.
Press switch up in direction of 
arrow1.
!Make sure the head restraints engage 
when placing them upright manually. 
Otherwise their protective function 
cannot be ensured.
 
     
        
        Page 139 of 474

137 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead 
control panel.
1Left reading lamp on/off
2Rear interior lamps on/off
3Right reading lamp on/off
4Rocker switch for automatic 
control on/offAutomatic control
Activating
Press rocker switch 4 to the center 
position.
The interior lighting switches on in 
darkness when you:
unlock the vehicle
remove the SmartKey from the 
starter switch
open a door
open the trunk
The interior lighting switches off automati-
cally following an adjustable time delay.
For more information, see “Setting interior 
lighting delayed shut-off” (
page 167).Deactivating
Press the ñ symbol on rocker 
switch 4.
The interior lighting remains switched 
off in darkness, even when you:
unlock the vehicle
remove the SmartKey from the 
starter switch
open a door
open the trunk
Manual control
Front interior lighting
Press the ð symbol on rocker 
switch 4.
The front interior lighting switches on.
Press the ñ symbol on rocker 
switch 4 again.
The front interior lighting switches off. 
The automatic control function is acti-
vated.
iLeaving an interior light switch in the 
ON position for extended periods of 
time with the engine turned off could 
result in a discharged battery.
iIf the door remains open, the interior 
lighting switches off automatically after 
approximately five minutes. 
     
        
        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.