Contents
9
Passenger safety systems:
Airbags51
Transporting children safely54
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory58
Driving:
Ignition lock59
Starting the engine59
Switching off the engine61
Parking brake61
Manual transmission62
Sequential manual gearbox
SMG*63
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*67
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp
flasher70
Washer/wiper system/Rain
sensor*71
Cruise control*72
Everything under control:
Odometer74
Tachometer74
Energy control74
Fuel gauge75
Engine coolant temperature
gauge75
Service interval display76
Check Control76
Clock77
Computer78
Technology for safety and
driving convenience:
Park Distance Control (PDC)*80
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)81
Flat Tire Monitor*82
Brake force display84
Lamps:
Parking lamps/Low beams85
Adaptive headlights*86
Instrument lighting86
High beams/Standing lamps87
Front fog lamps87
Interior lamps88
Controlling the climate for
pleasant driving:
Air conditioning90
Automatic climate control*94
Roller sun blind*98
Interior conveniences:
Premium sound system*99
Glove compartment99
Storage compartments100
Microphone*101
Ashtray, front*102
Ashtray, rear*102
Clothes hooks103
Loading and transporting:
Through-loading system104
Ski bag*105
Cargo loading106
Roof-mounted luggage
rack*109
Controls and features
21
Buttons in steering wheel*
These buttons let you operate the fol-
lowing functions quickly and without
being distracted from traffic conditions:
>
Selected radio functions
>
The cruise control
>
Selected telephone functions
>
The voice recognition system.
The controls are active only when
the corresponding systems and
accessories are switched on.
<
Press briefly:
Receive a phone call, initiate dialing,
terminate a call.
Extended pressure:
Switch voice recognition on and off.
Display/hide telephone book. Display
the entries one after another with the
forward/backward buttons.
Forward:
>
Radio
Press briefly: next station in station
memory
Extended pressure: station search
>
CD
Press briefly: jump to next track
Extended pressure: search function
in track
>
Cassette
Press briefly: jump to next track or
stop fast forward
Extended pressure: fast forward
>
Phone
Scan personal phone book.
Rewind: same functions as forward.
Volume.
Cruise control: select a stored setting.
Cruise control: store and accelerate +
or decelerate and store –.
Cruise control: activate/interrupt/deac-
tivate.
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34
To open from the inside*If the luggage compartment lid has not
been locked separately, you can open it
with this button in the footwell on the
driver's side when the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
To closeThe handle recesses in the interior trim
panel of the luggage compartment lid
make it easier to pull the lid down.
To avoid injuries, be sure that the
travel path of the luggage com-
partment lid is clear when it is closed,
following the same precautions as with
all closing procedures.<
Operate the vehicle only when the
luggage compartment lid is com-
pletely closed. Otherwise, exhaust
fumes could penetrate the interior of
the vehicle.<
If at any time it does become necessary
to operate the vehicle with the luggage
compartment lid open:
1. Close all windows and the glass sun-
roof
2. Greatly increase the quantity of air
coming from the air conditioning or
automatic climate control system,
refer to page 90 or 94.
Luggage compartment lid
67
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*In addition to the fully automatic opera-
tion, you can also shift gears manually
with Steptronic, refer to page 68.
When you move the selector lever from
the D position to the left into the M/S
range, the performance-oriented shift
programs of the automatic transmission
are engaged. Steptronic enters the
manual selection mode and executes
the desired shift whenever you tap the
selector lever in the direction indicated
by + or –. Whenever you want to use
the automatic mode again, just shift the
selector lever toward the right to posi-
tion D.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel
consumption is lowest when driving in
position D.Selector lever positionsP R N D M/S + –Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in selec-
tor lever positions P – for Park – or N –
for Neutral.
Range selectionA catch prevents inadvertent movement
of the selector lever to positions R and
P. To deactivate the catch, press the
button on the front of the selector lever
knob, see arrow.
While the vehicle is stationary and
before shifting out of Park or Neu-
tral, depress the footbrake in order to
disengage the selector lever's lock
mechanism – Shiftlock.<
Hold the footbrake down until
starting off. Otherwise the vehicle
will 'creep' when a drive position is
engaged. To prevent the vehicle from
starting off on its own, always move the
selector lever to position P and engage
the parking brake before leaving your
vehicle with the engine running.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a safety hazard.<
PParkSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary. Transmission locks to prevent rear
wheels from turning.RReverseSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary.NNeutralEngage this, for example, when you are
driving through a car wash. The vehicle
can roll.DDrive, automatic shift programThis position is designed for driving
under all normal operating conditions.
All forward gears are available.
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75
Fuel gaugeOnce the indicator lamp stays on con-
tinuously, there are still approx.
2 gallons/8 liters of fuel in the fuel tank.
Fuel tank capacity approx.
16.6 gallons/63 liters.
Certain operating conditions, such as
those encountered in mountainous
areas, may cause the needle to fluctu-
ate slightly.
Fill the fuel tank before it is com-
pletely empty. Driving to the last
drop of fuel can prevent the engine
from operating properly and result in
damage.<
When you switch on the ignition, the
indicator lamp lights up briefly as an
operation check.
Engine coolant temperature gaugeBlueThe engine is still cold. Drive at moder-
ate engine and vehicle speeds.Between the blue and red zonesNormal operating range. The needle
may rise as far as the edge of the red
sector during normal operation.RedWhen you switch on the ignition, the
warning lamp comes on briefly as an
operation check.
If the lamp comes on during normal
vehicle operation: the engine has over-
heated. Stop and switch the engine off
immediately and allow it to cool down.
To check coolant level, refer to
page 128.
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79
After giving an ice warning, the
display returns to the previous
setting.<
The ice warning does not alter to
the fact that surface ice can form
at temperatures above 37.57/+36,
on bridges or shaded road surfaces, for
instance.<
Average fuel consumptionIf you press the onboard computer but-
ton BC in the turn signal lever for longer
while the average fuel consumption
value is being displayed, a new con-
sumption value is calculated from that
point in time.
If you wish, you can have the aver-
age fuel consumption displayed in
a different unit of measure.
of fuel remaining in the tank is mea-
sured, the estimated range is calcu-
lated taking into account the operating
conditions over the last 20 miles/30 km.
It is important that you refuel when
the cruising range falls below
approx. 35 miles/50 kilometers. Other-
wise, the engine cannot be guaranteed
to operate properly and damage may
result.<
Average speedAny time spent when the vehicle is sta-
tionary and the engine is shut off is
ignored for the calculation.
To reset the average speed: press the
onboard computer button BC in the
turn signal lever for approx. 2 seconds.
Computer
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
90Controlling the climate for pleasant driving
Air conditioning
91
1Air onto the windshield and the side
windows
2Air for the upper body area93
3Air to the footwell
4Air supply/Blower92
5Temperature92
6Air distribution92
7Rear window defroster92
8Air conditioning92
9Outside air/Recirculated-air
mode92Air conditioning
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex