Page 6 of 473

Contents
Automatic transmission ..................... 155
Gear selector lever position ......... 157
Driving tips ................................... 158
Gear ranges ................................. 160
Automatic shift program .............. 161
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 162
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting ................. 163
Manual shift program ................... 165
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 168
Good visibility .................................... 169
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 169
Rear view mirrors ......................... 169
Sun visors .................................... 171
Rear window sunshade* .............. 172
Rear window defroster ................. 173
Climate control .................................. 174
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 177
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 177
Setting the temperature ............... 178
Adjusting air distribution and
volume ......................................... 178Adjusting air volume ..................... 179
Front defroster.............................. 179
Air recirculation mode .................. 180
Air conditioning............................. 182
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 183
Automatic climate control*
(Canada only) ..................................... 184
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system ................. 187
Operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode 187
Setting the temperature................ 188
Adjusting air distribution............... 189
Adjusting air volume ..................... 190
Front defroster.............................. 190
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 191
Air recirculation mode .................. 191
Charcoal filter ............................... 193
Air conditioning............................. 194
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 195
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 196Audio system...................................... 197
Audio and telephone, operation .... 197
Operating safety ........................... 197
Operating and display elements ... 198
Button and soft key operation ...... 200
Operation...................................... 200
Radio operation ............................ 205
Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only) ..................................... 209
CD mode....................................... 214
GSM network phones ................... 223
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 229
Emergency calls “911” ................. 235
Power windows .................................. 238
Opening and closing the windows 238
Synchronizing power windows ...... 240
Summer opening feature .............. 241
Convenience closing feature......... 241
Power tilt/sliding sunroof .................. 242
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 242
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 244
Driving systems .................................. 245
Cruise control ............................... 245
Page 28 of 473
27 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper partItemPage
1Seat heating, driver’s side110
2Rear window sunshade
switch*172
3ESP® control switch84
4Hazard warning flasher
switch – switching on/off119
5Central locking switch104
Central unlocking switch104
6Switch for folding back rear
seat head restraints108
7Tow-away alarm switch*
(if equipped)90
Anti-theft alarm system
indicator lamp*89
ItemPage
8Seat heating, passenger
side110
9Front passenger front
air bag off indicator lamp75,
357
aAudio system,197
or
COMAND* (see separate
operating instructions)
bClimate control174
Automatic climate control*
(Canada only)184
Rear window defroster173
Page 94 of 473
93 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Climate control
Automatic climate control* (Canada only)
Audio system
Power windows
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features
Page 174 of 473

173 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear.
The defroster is automatically deactivated
after approximately 6 to 17 minutes of op-
eration depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Switch on the ignition (page 33).Activating
Press buttonF or 1 in the
climate control panel (
page 175) or
automatic climate control panel*
(
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press buttonF or 1 again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before
driving. Visibility could otherwise be
impaired, endangering you and others.
!
If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is
insufficient voltage in the battery. The
system responds automatically by
deactivating the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster
automatically turns itself back on.
Page 175 of 473
174 Controls in detail
Climate control
Page 176 of 473
175 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel (USA only)
Climate control panel (Canada only)
Item
1Left side defroster vent, fixed
2Left side air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
4Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
5Left center air vent, adjustable
6Right center air vent, adjustable
7Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
8Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9Right side air vent, adjustable
aRight side defroster vent, fixed
bClimate control panel
i
For draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the air vents2,5,6
and9 to the middle position.
Item
1Air volume control
2Left side temperature control
3Right side temperature control
4Air distribution control
5Rear window defroster
6AC cooling on/off
7Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8Air recirculation
9Front defroster
Page 177 of 473

176 Controls in detail
Climate control
The climate control is operational when-
ever the engine is running. You can oper-
ate the climate control system in either the
automatic or manual mode. The system
cools or heats the interior depending on
the selected interior temperature and the
current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the mode A/C is deactivated
(
page 182).
Warning!G
When operating the climate control, the air
that enters the passenger compartment
through the air vents can be very hot or very
cold (depending on the set temperature).
This may cause burns or frostbite on unpro-
tected skin in the immediate area of the air
vents. Always keep sufficient distance be-
tween unprotected parts of the body and the
air vents. If necessary, use the air distribu-
tion control (
page 178) to direct the air to
air vents in the vehicle interior that are not
in the immediate area of unprotected skin.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
i
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air
pollution) may require replacement of
the filter before its scheduled interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air
volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off, see
“Summer opening feature”
(
page 241). The climate control will
then adjust the interior temperature to
the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing
objects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
Page 178 of 473

177 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating the climate control
system
Deactivating
Set air volume control1 (page 175)
to position0.
Reactivating
Set air volume control1 (page 175)
to any speed.Operating the climate control system
in automatic mode
Activating
Press buttonU (page 175) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume and air distri-
bution are adjusted automatically.
Use temperature controls2 and3
(
page 175) to separately adjust the
air temperature on each side of the
passenger compartment.
The temperature of the vehicle interior
is adjusted automatically.
Deactivating
Press buttonU (page 175) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The automatic operation of air vol-
ume and air distribution switches off.
Warning!G
When the climate control is switched off, the
outside air supply and circulation are also
switched off. Only choose this setting for a
short time. Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility and endangering
you and others.
i
When operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehu-
midify is switched on. This function can
be switched off if necessary.