ContentsUseful features .................................. 251
Storage compartments................. 251
Cup holders .................................. 255
Ashtrays ....................................... 257
Cigarette lighter ........................... 258
Power outlet ................................. 259
Floormats ..................................... 260
Telephone*................................... 260
Tele Aid ........................................ 261
Garage door opener* ................... 270
Operation......................................... 277
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 278
Driving instructions............................ 279
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 279
Drinking and driving ..................... 279
Pedals .......................................... 279
Power assistance ......................... 280
Brakes .......................................... 280
Driving off .................................... 282
Parking ......................................... 282
Tires ............................................. 282
Hydroplaning ................................ 283
Tire traction.................................. 284
Tire speed rating .......................... 284
Winter driving instructions ........... 285
Standing water ............................. 287
Passenger compartment .............. 287
Driving abroad.............................. 287
Control and operation of radio
transmitter ................................... 287
Catalytic converter ....................... 288
Emission control .......................... 289
Coolant temperature .................... 289At the gas station .............................. 290
Refueling ...................................... 290
Check regularly and before a
long trip ....................................... 291
Engine compartment ......................... 293
Hood ............................................ 293
Engine oil ..................................... 294
Transmission fluid level................ 297
Coolant level ................................ 297
Battery ......................................... 299
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*......... 300
Tires and wheels................................ 301
Important guidelines .................... 301
Tire care and maintenance........... 302
Direction of rotation..................... 304
Loading the vehicle ...................... 304
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 311
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 313
MOExtended system*................... 321
Tire labeling ................................. 322
Load identification ....................... 326
36 Getting startedUnlockingStarter switch positions SmartKey
Starter switch0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator 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, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (
page 352)
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* 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. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
iWhen you switch on the ignition, the
indicator and warning lamps (except
high beam headlamp indicator lamp
and turn signal indicator lamps unless
activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning
lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps if activated) should go out when
the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are opera-
tional.iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
37 Getting started
Unlocking
For information on starting the engine us-
ing the SmartKey, see “Starting with the
SmartKey” (
page 50).SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Pressing the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector lever corresponds
to turning the SmartKey to the various
starter switch positions.
If you firmly depress the brake pedal dur-
ing pressing KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton, the engine starts automatically.
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button1USA only
2Canada only
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.
Do not depress the brake pedal.
!If the SmartKey can still not be turned,
the battery may not be sufficiently
charged.
Check the battery and charge it if
necessary (
page 433).
Get a jump start (
page 435).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge or a completely discharged
battery, always remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch when the en-
gine is not in operation.
iThe function of the SmartKey overrules
the KEYLESS-GO function.
38 Getting startedUnlockingPosition 0
Before you press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button, the vehicle’s on-board
electronics have status0 (as with
SmartKey removed).
Position 1
Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
once.
This supplies power for some electrical
consumers, such as seat adjustment.Ignition (or position 2)
Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
twice.
This supplies power for all electrical
consumers.
This supplies power to all electrical
consumers. All lamps (except high
beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps unless acti-
vated) in the instrument 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 remains on after
starting the engine or comes on while
driving, see “Lamps in instrument clus-
ter” (
page 352).
For information on starting the engine
using the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button,
see “Starting with KEYLESS-GO*”
(
page 50).
iIf you now press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button
once again, the ignition (position2)
is switched on.
twice, the power supply is again
switched off.
iIf you now press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button once, the power
supply is again switched off.iWhen you switch on the ignition, the
indicator and warning lamps (except
high beam headlamp indicator lamp
and turn signal indicator lamps unless
activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning
lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps if activated) should go out when
the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are opera-
tional.
56 Getting startedDriving
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires
An ignition cable may be damaged.
The engine electronics may not be
operating properly.
Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.
Give very little gas.
Have the problem repaired by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
!If anything blocks the windshield wip-
ers (leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off
immediately.
For safety reasons, stop the vehicle
in a safe location
turn off the engine by turning
the SmartKey to position0 and
withdraw SmartKey from starter
switch
or
turn off the engine by pressing
the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button and open the driver’s
door (with the driver’s door
open, starter switch is in
position0, same as with
SmartKey removed from starter
switch)
before attempting to remove
any blockage.
Remove blockage.
Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in combination switch positionI,
set the combination switch to the
next highest wiper speed
have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center
57 Getting started
Driving
The coolant temperature is above
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as
soon as possible and turn off the en-
gine. Allow engine and coolant to cool.
Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 297).
In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking fuel:
Do not start the engine under any
circumstances.
Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.If the extent of the damage cannot be
determined:
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the
major assemblies
fuel system
engine mount:
Start the engine in the usual manner.
64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are
Seat belts
Emergency tensioning device
Air bags
Child seats
Child seat recognition
Lower anchors and tethers for children
(LATCH)
As independent systems, their protective
effects work in conjunction with each oth-
er.The 1indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on
for about 4 seconds when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button once.
for about 4 seconds when you start the
engine by turning the SmartKey or
pressing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button.The restraint systems are fully operational
if the 1indicator lamp is not lit when
the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the 1indicator lamp:
fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds
does not come on at all
comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
For safety reasons, we strongly recom-
mend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to
have the system checked.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 359).
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and
restraint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 75).
iThe 1indicator lamp comes on and
remains lit if the SmartKey is turned to
position2 and left there or the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button is
pressed twice. The indicator lamp will
go out when you start the engine.
91 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake servo assis-
tance switches off automatically
approximately 2 minutes after you
turned the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 or removed the
SmartKey
approximately 2 minutes after you
pressed the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button to turn off the engine or power
supply and opened the driver’s door
(with driver’s door open, the starter
switch is set to position0, same as
SmartKey removed from starter
switch)
approximately 20 seconds after you
locked the vehicle from outside
iIf the electro-hydraulic brake system is
activated as the brake pedal is first de-
pressed, you may feel a reduced pedal
resistance and longer pedal travel than
normal. When releasing the pedal, you
may also feel the brake pedal pulsate
and you may hear a sound which is
caused by the activation of the
electro-hydraulic brake system pump.
This is normal and not an indication of
a malfunction. Pedal travel returns to
normal when you release the brake
pedal and the sound soon ceases.
If you experience the above while driv-
ing and the red brake warning lamp
(page 354) illuminates and/or warn-
ing messages appear in the instrument
cluster (
page 363), the brake system
is malfunctioning. Follow the instruc-
tions of the warning message(s) and
have the brake system checked imme-
diately.
Warning!
G
Have brake pad replacement and other work
on the electro-hydraulic brake system car-
ried out by qualified technicians only. Con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for further information. The electro-hydrau-
lic brake system must be deactivated prior
to working on the system. High pressure is
intermittently built up in the system as part
of its automatic self-test. In addition, the
system is automatically activated when the
vehicle is unlocked by SmartKey, when the
driver or passenger door is opened, when
the starter switch is turned to position1,
when the brake pedal is depressed or when
the parking brake is released. Failure to de-
activate the system prior to maintenance
will cause brake pistons to extend and brake
fluid to leak, which may result in injuries
(contusions and acid burns). Extended
brake pistons may also cause injury.