ContentsSafety and Security........................... 65
Occupant safety................................... 66
Air bags .......................................... 67
Seat belts ....................................... 73
Active head restraints .................... 77
Children in the vehicle .................... 78
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 89
Panic alarm .......................................... 91
Activating ....................................... 91
Deactivating ................................... 91
Driving safety systems ......................... 92
ABS ................................................ 92
BAS ................................................ 94
ESP
®.............................................. 94
Electrohydraulic brake system ....... 97
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®... 100
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 trunk ........................ 120
Closing the trunk.......................... 121
Trunk emergency release ............. 127
Valet locking ................................ 128
Automatic central locking ............ 129
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 129
Seats ................................................ 131
Front seat active head restraints . 131
Rear seat head restraints ............. 131
Lumbar support............................ 133
Drive - Dynamic seat* with
multicontour features................... 134
Seat heating* ............................... 135
Seat ventilation* .......................... 136Memory function ............................... 138
Storing positions into memory ..... 139
Recalling positions from memory . 139
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 140
Lighting ............................................. 141
Exterior lamp switch .................... 141
Combination switch ..................... 145
Hazard warning flasher ................ 146
Interior lighting in the front .......... 147
Door entry lamps ......................... 148
Interior lighting in the rear ........... 149
Trunk lamp ................................... 149
Instrument cluster ............................. 150
Instrument cluster illumination .... 150
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 151
Trip odometer .............................. 151
Tachometer .................................. 152
Outside temperature indicator ..... 152
Contents
Control system .................................. 153
Multifunction display .................... 153
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 154
Menus .......................................... 156
Standard display menu ................ 159
AUDIO menu ................................ 159
NAV* menu .................................. 161
Distronic* menu........................... 161
Vehicle status message memory
menu ............................................ 162
Settings menu .............................. 163
Trip computer menu..................... 178
TEL menu* ................................... 180
Automatic transmission ..................... 183
Gear selector lever position ......... 185
Driving tips ................................... 186
Gear ranges ................................. 188
Automatic shift program .............. 189
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 190
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting E 55 AMG 191
Manual shift program E 55 AMG .. 193
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 196Good visibility ..................................... 197
Headlamp cleaning system* ......... 197
Rear view mirrors.......................... 197
Sun visors ..................................... 199
Rear window sunshade* ............... 200
Roller sunblind* in the rear doors . 201
Rear window defroster .................. 201
Dual-zone automatic climate control
(USA only) .......................................... 202
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 206
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode............ 206
Setting the temperature................ 207
Adjusting air distribution............... 208
Adjusting air volume ..................... 209
Front defroster.............................. 209
Air recirculation mode .................. 210
Air conditioning............................. 212
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 2134-zone automatic climate control* ..... 214
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 219
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 220
Setting the temperature ............... 221
Adjusting air distribution .............. 222
Adjusting air volume ..................... 223
Front defroster ............................. 223
Maximum cooling MAX COOL ....... 224
Air recirculation mode .................. 224
Air conditioning ............................ 227
Residual heat and ventilation
(Canada only)................................ 228
Rear climate control ..................... 229
Power windows .................................. 231
Opening and closing the windows 231
Synchronizing power windows ...... 233
Summer opening feature .............. 234
Convenience closing feature......... 235
Power tilt/sliding sunroof* ................ 236
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 236
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 238
29 At a glance
Overhead control panel
Overhead control panel
Item
Page
1
Rear interior lighting on/off
147
2
Automatic interior lighting
147
3
Front interior lighting on/off
147
4
Temperature sensor
5
Right reading lamp on/off
147
6
Tilt/sliding sunroof* or
tilt/sliding panel*
236,
239
7
Tele Aid (emergency call
system) button
286
Item
Page
8
Rear view mirror
197
9
Reading lamps
147
a
Garage door opener
293
b
Tow-away alarm button
103
c
Ambient lighting
172
d
Interior lighting
e
Left reading lamp on/off
147
32 At a glanceDoor control panel
Item
Page
1
Door handle
119
2
Seat adjustment
41
3
Memory function (for stor-
ing seat, exterior mirror and
steering wheel settings)
138
4
Exterior rear view mirror ad-
justment
45
5
Switches for opening/clos-
ing front and rear side win-
dows, rear window override
switch
231
6
Remote trunk release
switch, Trunk opening/clos-
ing system*
121
40 Getting startedAdjustingSeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The seat back and seat belts
provide the best restraint when the wearer
is in a nearly upright position and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 47).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
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.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the start-
er switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open. Therefore, 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.
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats. Re-
gardless of seating position, children
12 years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriate infant or
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
For additional information, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 78).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
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 138) 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 175).
iThe memory function (
page 138) 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 139).
45 Getting started
Adjusting
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 197).
Exterior rear view mirrorsThe buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror button
2Adjustment button
3Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
Warning!
G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape the mirror housing if the mirror glass
breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their liq-
uid state and by applying plenty of wa-
ter.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror.
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Check your interior rear view mirror or
glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.