2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 Steering

153 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.
Multifunction display
1Outside temperature
2Trip odometer
3Automatic transmission program mode
4Main odometer
5Current gear selector lever position
Above illustration shows the standard
display.
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(page 156).
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player) will appear in English,
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, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit 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 (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

154 Controls in detailControl systemMultifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system
(page 153) are controlled by the buttons
on the multifunction steering wheel.
Pressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function 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.
1
Multifunction display in the
speedometerOperating the control system
2
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volume:
Press buttonæup/to increaseçdown/to decrease
3
Telephone*:
Press buttonsto take a call
to dial a calltto end a call
to reject an incoming call
4
Menu systems:
Press buttonèfor next menuÿfor previous menu
5
Moving within a menu:
Press buttonjfor next displaykfor previous display

175 Controls in detail
Control system
Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 43).

Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to
the
Convenience
submenu.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit feature
175
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
176
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 adjustment, do one
of the following:

Move steering column stalk
(page 43).


Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory button M
(page 139).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.


180 Controls in detailControl systemTEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
Tel
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and COMAND.

Press buttonÿ orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until the
Tel

menu appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
Which messages will appear in the multi-
function display depends on whether your
telephone is switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
PHONE off
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the multi-
function display is empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
appears in the multi-
function display.
This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

188 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic shift
programC orS (
page 189), you can
select a gear range for the automatic
transmission to operate within:
Gear selector lever (page 190):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the gear selector lever to the left (D-), and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the gear selector lever to the right (D+).
Steering wheel gearshift control
(E 55 AMG only) (
page 191):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the respective downshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control, and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the respective upshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control.
The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display (page 184). If you
press on the accelerator when the engine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit
selected.
Effect
ï
The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
î
The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control one-touch gearshifting E 55 AMG
The steering wheel gearshift control pro-
vides an alternative method for changing
the gears manually and limiting or extend-
ing the gear range for automatic shifting
with the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
iFor information on using the steering
wheel gearshift control in manual pro-
gram modeM (E 55 AMG only), see
“Manual shift program” (
page 193).
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionThe following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.
For instructions on operating the steering
wheel gearshift control and gear selector
lever in the manual program modeM, see
“Manual shift program E 55 AMG”
(page 193).Downshifting

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 188) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).
Upshifting

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel.The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmission
when you are driving in the automatic
program mode (CorS).
Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold button 2 on the right
side of the steering wheel until
D
reappears in the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold button 1 on the left
side of the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This may
involve shifting down one or more gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

193 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program E 55 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift but-
tons to the left and right of the steering
wheel (
page 191) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.