
Cockpit
10
Cockpit
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays
3Adjusting exterior mirrors, automatic curb 
monitor
*45
1Safety switch for electric rear 
windows38 
2
Opening and closing windows37 4
Parking lamps93
Low beams93
Automatic headlamp control
*93
Adaptive Head Light
*95
5
Fog lamps
*95 

At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
7Instrument cluster12
10Ignition lock52
11Buttons
* on the steering wheel12Horn: the entire surface
13Steering wheel adjustment47
15Releasing the hood198
16Opening the luggage compartment lid
*
6
Turn signals58
High beams, headlamp flasher95
Roadside parking lamps
*95
Computer70
Settings and information about the 
vehicle73
Instrument lighting96
8
Windshield wipers59
Rain sensor
*59
9Switching the ignition on/off and 
starting/stopping the engine52
Telephone
*:
>Press: accepting and ending a 
call, starting dialing
* for a 
selected phone number and 
redialing if no phone number is 
selected
>Press longer: redialing
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice com-
mand system
*22
Changing radio station
Selecting music track
Scrolling through phone book and 
lists with stored phone numbers
Individually programmable47 
Individually programmable47 
14
Cruise control
*60
Active cruise control
*62 

At a glance
 13Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
Indicator and warning lamps can light up in var-
ious combinations and colors in both the indica-
tor area 1 and the display 2.
Some lamps are checked for proper functioning 
and thus come on briefly when the engine is 
started or the ignition is switched on.
Explanatory text messages
Text messages at the lower edge of the Control 
Display explain the meaning of the displayed 
indicator and warning lamps.
You can call up more information, e.g. on the 
cause of a malfunction and on how to respond, 
via Check Control, refer to page79.In urgent cases, this information will be shown 
immediately as soon as the corresponding lamp 
comes on.
Indicator lamps without text messages
The following indicator lamps in the indicator 
area1 signal that the associated functions are 
activated:
High beams/headlamp flasher95
Fog lamps
*95
Lamp flashes:
DSC or DTC is regulating the propul-
sive forces in order to maintain driving 
stability85
Handbrake engaged54 

Driving
58
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral, idle
You can select this in a car wash, for example. 
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you are driving in posi-
tion D.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables you to achieve maximum 
performance. 
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Manual operation and Sport program 
M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The sport program is activated and DS appears 
in the instrument cluster. This position is rec-
ommended for a performance-oriented driving 
style. 
When you press the selector lever forwards or 
backwards, the manual mode is activated and 
Steptronic changes gear. The instrument clus-
ter shows M1 through M6.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a plausible combination 
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, 
a downshift that would cause the engine to 
overrev will not be executed by the system. The gear selected appears briefly in the instrument 
cluster, followed by the gear actually in use.
To use the automatic function again, move the 
selector lever to the right into position D.
Overriding selector lever lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of 
position P although the button on the selector 
lever is pressed, the selector lever lock can be 
overridden:
1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever 
until the sleeve is inside out.
3.Using the screwdriver from the onboard 
tool kit, refer to page205, press the red 
lever while moving the selector lever to the 
desired position.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals 

Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the 
resistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator 
lamp indicates that a turn signal indicator 
has failed. 
After switching off the ignition, make sure that 
the roadside parking lamps are not switched 
on.<
Indicating a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for 
as long as you wish to indicate a turn.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
The turn signals flash three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
iDrive concept, refer to page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the 
controller.
4.Select "Lighting" and press the controller.
5.Select "Triple turn signal activation" and 
press the controller.
 Triple turn signaling is activated.
Wiper system
1Switching on wipers
2Switching off wipers or brief wipe
3Activating/deactivating intermittent wipe or 
rain sensor
*
4Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
5Setting speed for intermittent wipe, or sen-
sitivity of the rain sensor
Switching on wipers
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once.
The system switches to operation in the inter-
mittent mode when the vehicle is stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance 
point. 
The system switches to normal speed when the 
vehicle is stationary.
Intermittent wipe or rain sensor*
If the car is not equipped with a rain sensor, the 
intermittent-wipe time is a preset.
If the car is equipped with a rain sensor, the time 
between wipes is controlled automatically and 
depends on the intensity of the rainfall. The 
sensor is mounted on the windshield, directly in 
front of the interior rearview mirror. 

Driving
60
Activating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press button 3. The LED in the button lights up.
Setting speed for intermittent wipe or 
sensitivity of the rain sensor
Slide switch5 up or down.
Deactivating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press button 3 again. The LED goes out.
Deactivate the rain sensor before enter-
ing an automatic car wash. Failure to do 
so could result in damage caused by undesired 
wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
Pull lever 4.
Washer fluid is sprayed onto the windshield and 
the wipers are operated for a short time.
When the vehicle lighting system is switched 
on, the headlamps are cleaned at regular and 
appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washers if there is any 
danger that the fluid will freeze on the 
windshield. If you do, your vision could be 
obscured. Antifreeze should therefore be 
added to the fluid, refer to Washer fluid. 
Do not use the washers when the washer fluid 
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage 
the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are heated 
automatically while the engine is running or the 
ignition switched on.
Washer fluid
Washer fluid antifreeze is flammable. 
Always keep it well away from sparks and 
open flames, and store it in the tightly closed 
original container, well out of the reach of chil-
dren. Comply with the instructions on the con-
tainer.<
Washer fluid reservoir
Fill with water and, if required, with a washer 
antifreeze, according to manufacturer's recom-
mendations.
Mix the water and antifreeze before filling 
the washer fluid reservoir to make sure 
the correct concentration is maintained.<
Capacity
Approx. 6.3USquarts/6liters.
Cruise control*
The concept
Cruise control is available for use at speeds of 
approx. 20 mph or 30 km/h. The car then stores 
and maintains the speed that you specify using 
the lever on the steering column. In order to 
maintain the specified speed, the system 
brakes the vehicle when the engine braking 
effect is insufficient on downhill gradients.
Do not use cruise control when driving 
conditions are unfavorable for driving at a 
constant speed. Otherwise you could lose con-
trol of the vehicle and cause an accident as a 
result. Unfavorable driving conditions include, 
for example, winding roads, heavy traffic or a  

Controls
 93Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lamps off and daytime driving lamps
1Parking lamps and daytime driving lamps
2Low beams
3Automatic headlamp control
* and Adaptive 
Head Light
*
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side 
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the 
parking lamps for parking. For the additional 
option of roadside parking lamps on one side of 
the car only, refer to page95.
The parking lamps will discharge the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for 
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the 
engine.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is 
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
If desired, the light switch can remain in the low-
beam headlamp position. The exterior lamps 
are automatically switched off after the vehicle 
is parked.
If necessary, switch on the parking lamps as 
described in the section about parking lamps.
Automatic headlamp control*
When the switch is in position3, the low beams 
are switched on and off automatically depend-ing on ambient light conditions, e.g. in a tunnel, 
in twilight, or if there is precipitation. The LED 
next to the symbol is illuminated when the low 
beams are on.
When driving into tunnels with bright overhead 
lights, there may be a delay before the head-
lamps come on.
The headlamps may also come on when the 
sun is sitting low on a blue sky.
The low beams remain switched on inde-
pendent of the ambient lighting condi-
tions when you switch on the fog lamps
*.
When the daytime driving lamps are activated, 
refer to page94, the low-beam headlamps are 
always switched on when the switch is in posi-
tion 3 and the ignition is on.<
If desired, the light switch can remain in position 
3. The exterior lamps are automatically 
switched off after the vehicle is parked.
The automatic headlamp control cannot 
serve as a substitute for your personal 
judgment in determining when the lamps 
should be switched on in response to ambient 
lighting conditions. For example, the system 
cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To avoid 
safety risks, you should always switch on the 
lamps manually under these conditions.<
Adjusting sensitivity
You can program how sensitively the system 
reacts to ambient light.
iDrive concept, refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the 
controller. 

Lamps
94 4.Select "Lighting" and press the controller.
5.Select "Auto. headlamps" and press the 
controller.
6.Select a menu item:
>"Sensitive"
>"Normal"
>"Slower"
7.Press the controller.
Pathway lighting
If you activate the headlamp flasher after park-
ing the car, with the lights switched off, the low 
beams come on and remain on for a certain 
time.
You can adjust the operating period or deacti-
vate the function.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the 
controller.4.Select "Lighting" and press the controller.
5.Select "Pathway lighting" and press the 
controller.
6.Turn the controller to select the corre-
sponding duration.
7.Press the controller to apply the setting.
Daytime driving lamps
If desired, the light switch can remain in the 
Lamps off position or the Parking lamps posi-
tion. 
In the Lamps off position, the exterior lamps are 
automatically switched off after the vehicle is 
parked. In the Parking lamps position, the park-
ing lamps come on after the ignition is switched 
off.
If necessary, switch on the parking lamps as 
described in the section about parking lamps.
Activating/deactivating daytime 
driving lamps*
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the 
controller.
4.Select "Lighting" and press the controller.