2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS500 air suspension

238 Controls in detailDriving systemsNarrow vehicles
Because of their narrow profile, the vehi-
cles traveling near the outer edges of the
lane have not yet been detected by
Distronic. There will be insufficient dis-
tance to the vehicles ahead.
Airmatic DC (Dual Control)
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. The Airmatic consists of two
components:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Vehicle level control
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either Sport 1, Sport 2 or
Comfort.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
Sport 1, Sport 2 or Comfort, which you
select using the damping button.The following suspension styles are avail-
able:


Comfort
Both indicator lamps2 are off.


Sport 1
One indicator lamp2 is on.


Sport 2
Both indicator lamps2 are on.
1Damping button
2Indicator lamps

239 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Start the engine (
page 49).

Press the damping button1 until the
desired suspension style is set.Vehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to


increase vehicle safety


reduce fuel consumption
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected:


Normal


Raised
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


At a speed exceeding approximately
68 mph (110 km / h) with normal level
set or exceeding 75 mph (120 km / h)
with raised level set, the ride height is
reduced automatically. The table on
the next page provides an overview of
the vehicle levels.


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the normal level.
Select the raised level only when required
by current driving conditions. Otherwise


handling may be impaired


fuel consumption may increase
!If you have selected the Comfort sus-
pension tuning (
page 238), the vehi-
cle lowers slightly when you lock it
within approximately 60 seconds after
switching off the engine. When parking,
make sure that your vehicle cannot
come into contact with other objects,
such as a curb, while lowering. Your ve-
hicle could otherwise be damaged.
iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.
iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.

471 Technical terms
ABS
(A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
Accessory weight
(
page 332)
ADS
(Adaptive D
amping S
ystem)
Automatically adapts the optimum sus-
pension damping to prevailing driving
conditions.
Air pressure
(
page 332)Airmatic DC
(A
irmatic D
ual C
ontrol)
Automatically selects the optimum
suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. Airmatic consists of two
components:


Adaptive Damping System


Vehicle level control
Alignment bolt
Metal pin with thread. The centering
pin is an aid used when changing a tire
to align the wheel with the wheel hub.
Aspect ratio
(
page 332)BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system
This system detects if a special system
compatible child restraint seat is in-
stalled on the front passenger seat. The
system will automatically deactivate
the passenger front air bag when such
a seat is properly installed (the
57indicator lamp in the
center console comes on and remains
illuminated).
BabySmartTM compatible child seats
Special restraint system for children.
The sensor system for the passenger
seat prevents deployment of the pas-
senger front air bag if a BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat is installed. See
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for availability.

492 IndexSeats 124
Adjusting 39
Drive-dynamic seat* 127
Easy entry/exit feature* 42
Heating* 128
Multicontour seat* 126
Ventilation* 130
Securing cargo 250
Selecting display 161
Selector lever
Lock 49, 176
Message in the display 369
Position (automatic
transmission) 176
Self-test
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation
system 79
Tele Aid 263
Service and warranty information 10
Service life
Tires 302
Setting
Date 163
Temperature (interior) 203Settings
Date 163
Factory, KEYLESS-GO* 107
Factory, SmartKey 100
Individual, Vehicle 157
Menus and submenus 149
Resetting all, Control system 157
Selective, KEYLESS-GO* 107
Selective, SmartKey 101
Suspension tuning 238
Time 162
Settings menu
Functions in 157
Submenus 158
Shelf below rear window, cleaning 350
Shift lock 477
Shifting
Gear selector lever positions 178
Into optimal gear range
(automatic transmission) 183
Into optimal gear range
(CLS 500) 185
Into optimal gear range
(CLS 55 AMG) 187Side impact air bags 70
Side marker lamps
Cleaning lenses 346
Side windows
Stopping 216
Synchronizing power windows 216
Sidewall 333
Ski sack* (Canada only) 247
SmartKey 98
Battery check lamp 101
Checking the batteries 102, 109
Factory setting 100
Global locking 101
Global locking and unlocking 100
Global unlocking 100
Locking 61
Loss of 103
positions in starter switch 36
Remote control 98
Restoring to factory setting 102, 108
Selective setting 101, 107
Starting the engine 50
Turning off the engine 60
Unlocking with 34