ContentsSafety and Security........................... 65
Occupant safety................................... 66
Air bags .......................................... 67
Seat belts ....................................... 72
Active head restraints .................... 76
Children in the vehicle .................... 77
Blocking of rear door
window operation ........................... 89
Panic alarm .......................................... 90
Activating ....................................... 90
Deactivating ................................... 90
Driving safety systems ......................... 91
ABS ................................................ 91
BAS ................................................ 93
ESP
®.............................................. 93
Electrohydraulic brake system ....... 96
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®..... 99
Anti-theft systems.............................. 101
Immobilizer................................... 101
Anti-theft alarm system ................ 101
Tow-away alarm ........................... 103
Controls in detail............................. 105
Locking and unlocking ....................... 106
SmartKey ..................................... 106
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 111
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 119
Opening the tailgate ..................... 120
Closing the tailgate ...................... 122
Automatic central locking ............ 127
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 128
Seats ................................................. 129
Front seat active head restraints . 129
Rear seat head restraints ............. 129
Lumbar support............................ 133
Drive - Dynamic seat* with
multicontour features................... 133
Seat heating* ............................... 135
Seat ventilation* .......................... 136
Folding bench seat in cargo
compartment ............................... 137Memory function ............................... 140
Storing positions into memory ..... 141
Recalling positions from memory . 141
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................ 141
Lighting ............................................. 143
Exterior lamp switch .................... 143
Combination switch ..................... 147
Hazard warning flasher ................ 147
Interior lighting in the front .......... 148
Door entry lamps ......................... 150
Interior lighting in the rear ........... 150
Instrument cluster ............................. 151
Instrument cluster illumination .... 151
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 152
Trip odometer .............................. 153
Tachometer .................................. 153
Outside temperature indicator ..... 153
ContentsDriving systems ................................. 239
Cruise control............................... 239
Distronic*..................................... 243
Airmatic DC (Dual Control)* ......... 255
Loading .............................................. 260
Split rear bench seat .................... 260
Expanding the cargo
compartment................................ 262
Loading instructions ..................... 263
Cargo tie-down rings .................... 264
Cargo management system*
(Canada only) ............................... 265
Storage box in cargo
compartment (Canada only) ......... 268
Twin roller blind ............................ 269
Useful features .................................. 272
Storage compartments................. 272
Cup holders .................................. 274
Ashtrays ....................................... 277
Cigarette lighter ........................... 278
Power outlet ................................. 279
Heated steering wheel* ............... 279
Floormats ..................................... 280
Telephone*................................... 281
Tele Aid ........................................ 282
Garage door opener ..................... 290
Operation......................................... 299
The first 1 000 miles (1 500 km)......... 300
Driving instructions............................ 301
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 301
Drinking and driving ..................... 301
Pedals .......................................... 301
Power assistance ......................... 302
Brakes .......................................... 302
Driving off .................................... 304
Parking ......................................... 304
Tires ............................................. 305
Hydroplaning ................................ 305
Tire traction.................................. 306
Tire speed rating .......................... 306
Winter driving instructions ........... 307
Standing water ............................. 308
Passenger compartment .............. 309
Driving abroad.............................. 309
Control and operation of radio
transmitter ................................... 309
Catalytic converter ....................... 310
Emission control .......................... 310
Coolant temperature .................... 311At the gas station .............................. 312
Refueling ...................................... 312
Check regularly and
before a long trip ......................... 313
Engine compartment ......................... 315
Hood ............................................ 315
Engine oil ..................................... 316
Transmission fluid level ................ 320
Coolant level ................................ 321
Batteries ...................................... 322
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*......... 323
Tires and wheels................................ 324
Important guidelines .................... 324
Tire care and maintenance........... 325
Direction of rotation..................... 327
Loading the vehicle ...................... 327
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 333
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 335
MOExtended system* .................. 340
Tire labeling ................................. 340
Load identification ....................... 344
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 345
Maximum tire load ....................... 346
10 IntroductionOperator’s ManualThis Operator’s Manual contains a great
deal of useful information. We urge you to
read it carefully and familiarize yourself
with the vehicle before driving.
For your own safety and longer service life
of the vehicle, we urge you to follow the in-
structions and warnings contained in this
manual. Ignoring them could result in dam-
age to the vehicle or personal injury to you
or others. Vehicle damage caused by fail-
ure to follow instructions is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the
equipment described in this manual.
Therefore, you may find explanations for
optional equipment not installed in your
vehicle. If you have any questions about
the operation of any equipment, your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to demonstrate the proper proce-
dures.We continuously strive to improve our
product, and ask for your understanding
that we reserve the right to make changes
in design and equipment. Therefore, infor-
mation, illustrations and descriptions in
this Operator’s Manual might differ from
your vehicle.
Optional equipment is also described in
this manual, including operating instruc-
tions wherever necessary. Since they are
special-order items, the descriptions and
illustrations herein may vary slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are
not shown or described in this Operator’s
Manual, your authorized Mercedes-Benz
C e n t e r w i l l b e g l a d t o i n f o r m y o u o f c o r r e c t
care and operating procedures.The Opera-
tor’s Manual and Maintenance Booklet are
important documents and should be kept
with the vehicle.
Service and warranty information
The Service and Warranty Information
Booklet contains detailed information
about the warranties covering your
Mercedes-Benz, including:
New Car Limited Warranty
Emission System Warranty
Emission Performance Warranty
California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont Emission Control System
Warranty
(California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont only)
State Warranty Enforcement Laws
(Lemon Laws)
15 Introduction
Symbols
Symbols
Registered trademarks
®:
ESP
® is a registered trademark of
DaimlerChrysler.
HomeLink
® is a registered trademark
of Prince, a Johnson Controls Compa-
ny.
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 vehi-
cle.
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 in-
dicate cross-references to term
definitions.
Display
Words appearing in the multi-
function display 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.
29 At a glance
Overhead control panel
Overhead control panel
Item
Page
1
Rear interior lighting on/off
150
2
Automatic interior lighting
148
3
Front interior lighting on/off
148
4
Temperature sensor
5
Right reading lamp on/off
149
6
Tilt/sliding sunroof*
236
7
Tele Aid (emergency call
system) button
282
Item
Page
8
Rear view mirror
197
9
Reading lamps
148
a
Garage door opener
290
b
Tow-away alarm button
103
c
Ambient lighting
174
d
Interior lighting
e
Left reading lamp on/off
149
31 At a glance
Storage compartments
Item
Page
1
Glove box
272
2
Front passenger seat storage
compartment with first aid kit
419
3
Door pocket
4
Ashtray
278
5
Ruffled storage bag
273
6
Door pocket
7
Door pocket
8
Ruffled storage bag
273
9
Ashtray
278
a
Door pocket
b
Driver’s seat storage compart-
ment
419
c
Sun visor card clip
d
Storage tray or CD changer*
272
Item
Page
e
Ashtray with cigarette lighter
278
f
Mobile phone/Glasses box
272
g
Parcel net in front passenger
footwell
274
h
Storage compartment with
cup holders
275
j
Rear storage compartment in
the rear center console
273
k
Cup holder in the rear armrest
276
l
Storage box, Canada only
268
m
Storage compartment*
n
Luggage box (Vehicles without
foldable third row, E 55 AMG
only)
o
Storage compartment*
41 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the front doors.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Backrest tilt
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
or
Open the respective door.Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow4.
Adjust a comfortable seating position
that still allows you to reach the accel-
erator/brake pedal safely. The position
should be as far to the rear as possible,
consistent with ability to properly oper-
ate controls.Seat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in direc-
tion of arrow3 until your upper legs
are lightly supported.
Backrest tilt
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow5 until your arms
are slightly angled when holding the
steering wheel.
Seat height
Press the switch up or down in direc-
tion of arrow2.
iThe memory function (
page 140) lets
you store the settings for the seat posi-
tion together with the settings for the
steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.
!When moving the seat, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
43 Getting started
Adjusting
Steering wheel adjustment
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the lower left of the steering
column.
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
or
Open the driver’s door.Adjusting steering column in or out
Move stalk in direction of arrows1
until a comfortable steering wheel posi-
tion is reached with your arms slightly
bent at the elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down
Move stalk in direction of arrows2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and all the displays (incl. malfunction
and indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible.Easy-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 177).
iThe memory function (
page 140) lets
you store the settings for the steering
wheel together with the settings for the
exterior rear view mirrors and the
driver’s seat position.
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 stop steering wheel movement, do one of
the following:
Move steering column stalk.
Press one of the memory buttons or the
memory button M (
page 140).