Page 42 of 417
41 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
SeatsThe seat adjustment switch is located on
the door sill.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Seat angleWarning!
G
All seat, steering wheel, and rear view mirror
adjustments, as well as fastening of seat
belts, must be done before the vehicle is put
into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck.
That could cause serious or fatal injuries.
The seat back and seat belts provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly
upright position and belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body. Your seat must be ad-
justed so that you can correctly fasten your
seat belt (
page 45).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the vehicle, the seats can
be operated. Therefore, do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause an ac-
cident and/or serious personal injury.
Page 43 of 417
42 Getting startedAdjustingSeat fore and aft adjustment
Slide the switch forwards or backwards
in the direction of arrow 1.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator/brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far rearward
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
Seat height
Slide the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow 2.
Seat angle
Slide the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow 3.
Steering wheelThe stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the lower left of the steering
column.
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
!When moving the seat, make sure that
there are no items in the footwell or
behind the seat. Otherwise you could
damage the seat.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
driving. Adjusting the steering wheel while
driving could cause the driver to lose control
of the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the vehicle, the steering
wheel can be adjusted. Therefore, do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Page 44 of 417
43 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting steering column in or out
Move stalk forward or back in the
direction of arrow1 until a comfort-
able steering wheel position is reached
with your arms slightly bent at the
elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down
Press the lever up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow 2. Make sure that you
can move your legs freely and that you
can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly.
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the rear-view mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 179).
Exterior rear view mirrors
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state and by applying plenty of
water.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
Page 51 of 417
50 Getting startedDriving
Pull lever2 upwards slightly, press re-
lease knob1 and move the lever
down to the stop.
The warning lamp; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Driving
Depress the brake pedal.
Place the gear selector lever in
positionD orR.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the automat-
ic central locking system engages.
After a cold start, the transmission engag-
es at a higher revolution. This allows the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature earlier.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out ofP orN if the engine speed is high-
er than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accel-
erate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.!In order to avoid damage to the trans-
mission:
Wait for the gear selection process
to complete before setting the vehi-
cle in motion.
Place the gear selector lever in
positionR or P only when the vehi-
cle is stopped.
!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speed. Running a cold engine at high
engine speed may shorten the service
life of the engine.
Page 52 of 417
51 Getting started
Driving
Switching on the headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switch1Lights off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn switch toB.
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 105).High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push combination switch in direction of
arrow1.
The high beam indicatorA in the
instrument cluster comes on.
For more information on high beam, see
“Combination switch” (
page 109).
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic lock-
ing using the control system
(page 135).
Page 53 of 417
52 Getting startedDrivingTurn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch up 1 or
down 2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampL orK in the instrument
cluster flashes.
The combination switch automatically
returns to its original position once the
steering wheel has been turned far
enough.
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 40).
iTo signal minor directional changes,
such as a lane change, move combina-
tion switch to point of resistance only
and release. The turn signal flashes
three times.
Page 57 of 417
56 Getting startedParking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake lever
Pull parking brake lever1 up as many
notches as possible.
When the engine is running, the
warning lamp; (USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the
instrument cluster will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
system. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:
Keep right foot on brake pedal.
Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.
Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.
Slowly release brake pedal.
When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
Take the SmartKey and lock the vehicle
when leaving.
Page 58 of 417
57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch
toM(
page 51).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 105).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Children
could release the parking brake and/or
move the gear selector lever from
positionP, either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 48).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
