ContentsSafety and Security........................... 61
Occupant safety................................... 62
Air bags .......................................... 63
Seat belts ....................................... 69
Active head restraints .................... 73
Children in the vehicle .................... 74
Blocking of rear side
window operation ........................... 85
Panic alarm .......................................... 86
Activating ....................................... 86
Deactivating ................................... 86
Driving safety systems ......................... 87
ABS ................................................ 87
BAS ................................................ 89
ESP
®.............................................. 90
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
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 103
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 110
Opening the trunk ........................ 111
Closing the trunk.......................... 113
Trunk emergency release ............. 118
Valet locking ................................ 119
Automatic central locking ............ 120
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 121
Seats ................................................. 122
Front seat active head restraints . 122
Rear seat head restraints ............. 122
Multicontour seat* ....................... 125
Seat heating* ............................... 126
Seat ventilation* .......................... 127
Memory function ............................... 128
Storing positions into memory ..... 129
Recalling positions from memory . 129
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position................. 130Lighting ............................................. 131
Exterior lamp switch .................... 131
Combination switch ..................... 135
Corner-illuminating front
fog lamps* (CLK with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps)................. 135
Hazard warning flasher ................ 137
Interior lighting ............................ 138
Door entry lamps ......................... 139
Trunk lamp ................................... 139
Instrument cluster ............................. 140
Instrument cluster illumination .... 140
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 141
Trip odometer .............................. 141
Tachometer.................................. 142
Clock............................................ 142
Outside temperature indicator ..... 142
Control system .................................. 143
Multifunction display.................... 144
Multifunction steering wheel........ 144
Menus .......................................... 146
Standard display menu ................ 148
AUDIO menu ................................ 149
NAV* menu .................................. 150
Vehicle status
message memory menu ............... 151
Contents
Settings menu .............................. 152
Trip computer menu..................... 165
TEL menu* ................................... 167
Automatic transmission ..................... 170
Gear selector lever position ......... 172
Driving tips ................................... 174
Gear ranges ................................. 175
Automatic shift program .............. 176
Gear selector lever
one-touch gearshifting................. 177
Steering wheel gearshift
control one-touch
gearshifting (CLK 500) ................. 178
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 179
Good visibility .................................... 180
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 180
Rear view mirrors ......................... 180
Sun visors .................................... 183
Rear window sunshade*
(Canada only) ............................... 184
Rear window defroster ................. 185
Climate control (CLK 350) ................. 186
Deactivating the
climate control system................. 189Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode............ 189
Setting the temperature................ 190
Adjusting air distribution............... 190
Adjusting air volume ..................... 191
Front defroster.............................. 191
Air recirculation mode .................. 192
Air conditioning............................. 194
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 195
Automatic climate control (CLK 500) . 196
Deactivating the
automatic climate control system. 199
Operating the automatic
climate control system in
automatic mode ............................ 199
Setting the temperature................ 200
Adjusting air distribution............... 201
Adjusting air volume ..................... 201
Front defroster.............................. 202
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 202
Air recirculation mode .................. 203
Charcoal filter ............................... 204
Air conditioning............................. 206
Residual heat and ventilation*
(Canada only) ................................ 207Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 208
Audio system...................................... 209
Audio and telephone*, operation .. 209
Operating safety ........................... 209
Operating and display elements ... 210
Button and soft key operation ...... 212
Operation...................................... 212
Radio operation ............................ 216
Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only) ..................................... 220
CD mode....................................... 225
GSM network phones ................... 231
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 238
Emergency calls “911” ................. 244
Power windows .................................. 246
Opening and
closing the windows ..................... 246
Synchronizing power windows ...... 248
Summer opening feature .............. 249
Convenience closing feature......... 250
Power tilt/sliding sunroof* ................ 251
Opening and closing
the power tilt/sliding sunroof ....... 251
Synchronizing
the power tilt/sliding sunroof ....... 253
15 Introduction
Symbols
Symbols
Trademarks:
ESP
® is a registered trademark of
DaimlerChrysler.
HomeLink
® is a registered trademark
of Prince, a Johnson Controls
Company.
SIRIUS and related marks are trade-
marks of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.The following symbols are found in this
Operator’s Manual:
* Optional equipment is identified
with an asterisk. Since standard
equipment varies between models,
the descriptions and illustrations in
this manual may differ slightly from
the actual equipment of your
vehicle.
This symbol points to instructions for
you to follow.
A number of these symbols appearing
in succession indicates a multiple-step
procedure.
Page This symbol tells you where to
look for further information on a
topic.
This continuation symbol marks
an interrupted procedure which
will be continued on the next
page.
-> In the glossary of technical
terms, this symbol is used to
indicate cross-references to
term definitions.
Display
Words appearing in the multi-
function display and Audio dis-
play are printed in the type
shown here.
Warning!
G
Warning notices draw your attention to haz-
ards that may endanger your health or life,
or the health or life of others.!Highlights hazards that may result in
damage to your vehicle.iHelpful hints or further information you
may find useful.
27 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Seat heater*, driver’s side
Seat ventilation*, driver’s
side
126
127
2
Parktronic system* deacti-
vation switch (Canada only)
261
3
Rear window sunshade*
switch (Canada only)
184
4
ESP
® control switch
90
5
Hazard warning flasher
switch - switching on/off
137
6
Central unlocking switch
Central locking switch
121
121
7
Switch for folding down rear
seat head restraints
123
8
Tow-away alarm switch (de-
pending on vehicle produc-
tion date)
Anti-theft alarm system indi-
cator lamp
95
93
Item
Page
9
Seat heater*,
passenger side
Seat ventilation*,
passenger side
126
127
a
Front passenger front air
bag off indicator lamp
81,
368
b
Audio system,
or
COMAND* (see separate
operating instructions)
149
c
Climate control (CLK 350)
Automatic climate control
(CLK 500)
Rear window defroster
186
196
185
97 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Climate control (CLK 350)
Automatic climate control (CLK 500)
Audio system
Power windows
Power tilt/sliding sunroof*
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features
142 Controls in detailInstrument clusterTachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(page 24) denotes excessive engine
speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Clock
In vehicles with Audio 20, the clock can be
set via the control system (
page 157).
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is indicated in the
multifunction display (
page 144).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious
engine damage that is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.iVehicles with COMAND*:
For information on setting the time in
COMAND, refer to the separate
COMAND operating instructions.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
143 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button is in
position1. The control system enables you
to
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player etc.) will appear in En-
glish, regardless of the language
selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approxi-
mately 14 m) every second.
145 Controls in detail
Control system
Depending on the selected menu
(page 146), pressing the buttons on the
multifunction steering wheel will alter what
is shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
Audio
, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being
arranged in a circular pattern.
If you press buttonè orÿ
repeatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.
If you press buttonk orj
repeatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu.In the
Settings
menu, instead of functions
you will find a number of submenus for
calling up and changing settings. For
instructions on using these submenus, see
“Submenus in the Settings menu”
(
page 153).
The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.
The menus are described on the following
pages.