ContentsSafety and Security........................... 61
Occupant safety................................... 62
Air bags .......................................... 63
Seat belts ....................................... 69
Active head restraint ...................... 73
Children in the vehicle .................... 74
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 85
Panic alarm* ........................................ 86
Activating ....................................... 86
Deactivating ................................... 86
Driving safety systems ......................... 87
ABS ................................................ 87
BAS ................................................ 88
ESP
®.............................................. 89
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®..... 92
Anti-theft systems................................ 93
Immobilizer..................................... 93
Anti-theft alarm system* ................ 93
Tow-away alarm* ........................... 95
Controls in detail............................... 97
Locking and unlocking ......................... 98
SmartKey ....................................... 98
Opening the doors from
the inside ..................................... 102
Opening the trunk ........................ 103
Closing the trunk.......................... 104
Trunk emergency release ............. 105
Valet locking ................................ 106
Automatic central locking ............ 107
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 107
Seats ................................................. 109
Front seat active head restraints . 109
Rear seat head restraints ............. 109
Lumbar support*.......................... 112
Multicontour seats*
(Canada only) ............................... 113
Seat heating* ............................... 113
Memory function* ............................. 115
Storing positions into memory ..... 116
Recalling positions from memory . 116
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 117Lighting ............................................. 118
Exterior lamp switch .................... 118
Combination switch ..................... 122
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
(C 280, C 350 4MATIC: with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps) ................. 123
Hazard warning flasher ................ 124
Interior lighting ............................ 125
Door entry lamps ......................... 126
Trunk lamp ................................... 126
Instrument cluster ............................. 127
Instrument cluster illumination .... 127
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 128
Trip odometer .............................. 128
Tachometer .................................. 129
Outside temperature indicator ..... 129
Control system .................................. 130
Multifunction display.................... 130
Multifunction steering wheel........ 131
Menus .......................................... 133
Standard display menu ................ 135
AUDIO menu ................................ 136
NAV* menu .................................. 138
Vehicle status message memory
menu............................................ 138
Settings menu .............................. 140
33 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positions SmartKey
Starter switch0For removing SmartKey
The steering is locked when the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
1Power supply for some electrical
consumers, such as seat adjustment2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except low beam headlamp
indicator lamp, high beam headlamp in-
dicator lamp, and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary. If
a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, see “Lamps in
instrument cluster” (
page 350).
3Starting position
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. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.
35 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
The seats can be adjusted either manually
or electrically, depending on the vehicle’s
equipment.
For more information, see “Seats”
(page 109).Warning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening 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 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 positioned on the body. Your seat
must be adjusted so that you can correctly
fasten your seat belt (
page 45).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being
adjusted.
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, the power seats* can be
operated when the respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
40 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel Steering wheel adjustment, manualThe handle for steering wheel adjustment
is located on the lower left of the steering
column.
1Handle
To unlock the steering column, pull
handle1 out to its stop limit.
Move steering wheel to the desired
position.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and that all the displays (including mal-
function and indicator lamps) on the in-
strument cluster are clearly visible.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
driving. Adjusting the steering wheel while
driving, or driving without the steering wheel
adjustment feature locked 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, the electrical steering wheel
adjustment feature* can be operated when
the driver’s door is open. 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.
Warning!
G
Only adjust the steering wheel with the
vehicle at a standstill and make sure the
steering column is securely locked in place
before driving off.
Driving without the steering column locked
may cause an unexpected steering wheel
movement which could cause the driver to
lose control of the vehicle. Make sure the
steering column is securely locked by trying
to move it up and down, and in and out be-
fore driving off.
42 Getting startedAdjustingEasy-entry/exit feature*
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the steering wheel is in
its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the
Convenience
sub-
menu of the control system (
page 153).With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel will return to its last set
position when you:
close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on,
or
insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch with the driver’s door closed.With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards when you:
remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch,
or
open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1.
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To cancel steering wheel movement, do one
of the following:
Move steering column stalk*
(page 41).
Press memory position switch*
(page 116).
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.iThe last set steering wheel position is
stored when
the ignition is switched off
the position is stored in memory
(page 115)
iIf the current position for the steering
wheel is in the uppermost tilt position,
the steering wheel will no longer be
able to move upward when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
The adjustment procedure is briefly in-
terrupted when the engine is started.
50 Getting startedDrivingStarting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:
Turn the SmartKey in starter switch to
position0 and repeat the starting
procedure (
page 48).
Remember that extended starting
attempts can drain the vehicle battery.
Get a jump start (
page 415).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Parking brake
1Release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Release parking brake by pulling on
handle1.
The warning lamp; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.
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, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
injury.
58 Getting startedParking and lockingParking brake
1Release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Step firmly on parking brake pedal2.
When the engine is running, the brake
warning lamp; (USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the
instrument cluster comes on.
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 in-
cline, positionP alone may not prevent your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (manual transmission:
first or reverse gear).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheel
towards the road curb.
60 Getting startedParking and lockingLocking
Exit the vehicle and close all doors.
Press the lock button‹ on the
SmartKey (
page 32).
With the hood, trunk and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs in the doors
move down.
The anti-theft alarm system* is armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 98).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
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. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.iWith the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.
The message
Switch off lights
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.