2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 display

221 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Rear air conditioning
You can switch on and off the rear air con-
ditioning with the climate control panel in
the front.
Deactivating
Press button> on the climate con-
trol panel (
page 218).
The indicator lamp on button>
comes on. The rear air conditioning is
switched off. REAR OFF
appears in the
climate control display.
Activating

Press button> on the climate con-
trol panel (
page 218).The indicator lamp on button>
goes out. The rear air conditioning is
adjusted automatically.
REAR ON
ap-
pears in the climate control display.
For more information on rear air condition-
ing, see “Rear air conditioning”
(
page 227).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control1 and9
(page 218) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).
The climate control will adjust to the set
temperature as fast as possible.Increasing

Turn the temperature control1
and/or9 slightly to the right.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Decreasing

Turn the temperature control1
and/or9 slightly to the left.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
iFor information on operating the rear
climate control panel from the rear
seats, see “Rear air conditioning”
(page 227).
iYou can switch on and off the rear air
conditioning by pressing the respective
button on the rear climate control pan-
el.

222 Controls in detail3-zone automatic climate control*Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls3,h,
orj for the left side, or7,b, orc
(page 218) for the right side to separate-
ly adjust the air distribution on each side of
the passenger compartment.
The following symbols are found on the
controls:Adjusting manually

Press the desired air distribution con-
trol.
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out.
Adjusting automatically

Press buttonU (
page 218).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
comes on. The air distribution is
adjusted automatically.
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 55).

Press buttonU.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting manually
Five blower speeds are available.
Press
to decrease orQ to in-
crease air volume to the desired level
(page 218).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out. The selected blower speed is
shown in the display.
Adjusting automatically

Press buttonU.
The indicator lamp on buttonU
comes on. The air volume is adjusted
automatically.
Symbol
Function
Z
Directs air to the windshield
and side air vents
a
Directs air through the center,
side and rear passenger com-
partment air vents
Y
Directs air to the footwells and
side air vents

223 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
If the air distribution control as well as the
airflow volume control are set toU and
there is a high need for cooling, the display
“MAX COOL” appears in the front and rear
display.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof* are closed).Defrosting
If the air volume is switched off or the air
recirculation mode is switched on, the
interior is not any longer ventilated and the
windows can get fogged on the inside.Activating

Press button0 (
page 218).
The indicator lamp on button0
comes on.
The climate control switches automatically
to the following functions:


maximum blower and heating power


air flows onto the windshield and the
front side windows (side air vents must
be open)


The climatic compressor is switched on
at outside temperatures above approx-
imately 41°F (5°C) for air-drying
Deactivating

Press button0.
The yellow indicator lamp on the button
goes out. Defrosting is turned off.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before a tunnel trav-
el). This setting cuts off the intake of out-
side air and recirculates the air in the
passenger compartment.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
When the defrost setting has been se-
lected, only the rear window defroster
can be switched on. No other settings
are possible.
iTo switch off you can press also the
button´ orU.
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility,
endangering you and others. If the windows
begin to fog on the inside, switching off the
air recirculation mode immediately should
clear interior window fogging. If interior win-
dow fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 225) is activated, or
press button0.

239 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (first
position) or 5 mph increments (second
position) (Canada: 1 km/h or
10 km/h)
2Set current or lower speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (first
position) or 5 mph increments (second
position) (Canada: 1 km/h or
10 km/h)
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume to last set speedSetting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.
The last set speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds.
Warning!
G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded. The
brake pedal depresses when the cruise con-
trol engages the brakes.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the cruise control system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
- your foot could become caught.
Keep in mind that the cruise control is a con-
venience system designed to assist the driv-
er during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.

240 Controls in detailDriving systems
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3 (
page 239).
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
iOn uphill grades, the cruise control
may not be able to maintain the set
speed. Once the grade eases, the set
speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control
maintains the set speed with braking
from the vehicle’s braking system. In
addition, on longer downhill grades the
automatic transmission will automati-
cally downshift.
iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.
iThe cruise control switches off auto-
matically when

you step on the brake pedal


you depress the parking brake
pedal
The cruise control also switches off au-
tomatically when


the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h)


the ESP
® is in operation or
switched off with the ESP
® switch
(
page 97)


you set the automatic transmission
toN while driving
An acoustic warning sounds and the
message
Cruise control OFF
appears
in the multifunction display.

243 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down past the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 239).
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly pull the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 239).
The cruise control resumes the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The last set speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds.
Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR)
iThe new speed is set and the vehicle
will decelerate. Keep in mind that it
may take a brief moment until the vehi-
cle has reached the set speed.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.
Warning!
G
Downhill Speed Regulation is a convenience
system designed to assist the driver during
vehicle operation. The system must be set
to be appropriate for the topographical and
weather conditions encountered which can
change quickly. The driver is and must
remain at all times responsible for the vehi-
cle speed and for safe brake operation.
Depending on the programmed speed
(page 176), actual vehicle speed and gra-
dient, switching on the DSR while driving
can cause the vehicle to slow down rapidly
and you may hear a sound which is caused
by the activation of the vehicle’s brake sys-
tem through the DSR. Sudden and unex-
pected decelaration can result in loss of
vehicle control, causing an accident and/or
serious personal injury to you and others.
Do not switch on the DSR in a circumstance
where rapid decelaration could result in a
loss of vehicle control.

244 Controls in detailDriving systemsFor more information, see “Off-road driv-
ing” (
page 306).
The DSR is an aid for driving downhill. DSR
regulates your vehicle’s speed when driv-
ing downhill to the value set in the control
system (page 176). The steeper the
downhill gradient is, the greater the brake
application. On flat road surfaces, DSR
brakes only slightly or not at all.
DSR regulates the vehicle’s speed in auto-
matic transmission positionsD, orR.
You can drive slower or faster than the set
speed at any time by braking the vehicle or
depressing the accelerator pedal.
iWhenever DSR is switched on, DSR will
use the programmed default speed to
regulate the vehicle’s speed. The de-
fault speed programmed at the factory
is 4 mph (Canada: 6 km / h). The de-
fault speed can be reprogrammed us-
ing the control system (
page 176).
The next time DSR is switched on, DSR
will use the newly programmed default
speed to regulate the vehicle’s speed.
Once DSR is switched on, you can ad-
just the set speed using the cruise con-
trol lever (
page 238). Keep in mind
that adjusting the set speed using the
cruise control lever with DSR switched
on will not change the programmed de-
fault speed. If DSR is switched off and
then switched on again, DSR will use
the programmed default speed.
Whenever the DSR is switched on, the
programmed default speed will be
used. That value can be changed
through the multifunction display. The
next time the DSR is switched on, it will
use that newly programmed default
speed.
Depending on the road surface and lev-
el of downhill grade, the DSR may not
be able to maintain the set speed. To
maintain the set speed, apply the
brakes if necessary.

245 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching the Downhill Speed
Regulation on/off
The switch is located in the lower part of
the center console.Switch for DSR1DSR on/off
2Indicator lampSwitching Downhill Speed Regulation on

Press DSR switch1 (
page 245).
The indicator lamp2 comes on.
The message
DSR
and the set speed ap-
pear in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
If the accelerator pedal is depressed while
the Downhill Speed Regulation is activated,
the vehicle can drive faster than the pro-
grammed set speed. You should therefore
drive downhill with particular caution as it
could otherwise lead to an accident and/or
serious injury to you or others. Keep in mind
that as soon as you remove the foot from
the accelerator pedal with the DSR switched
on, the DSR will start regulating the vehicle’s
speed including use of brakes where re-
quired. Depending on the programmed set
speed, actual vehicle speed and gradient,
the DSR can cause the vehicle to slow down
rapidly. Sudden and unexpected decelara-
tion can result in loss of vehicle control,
causing an accident and/or serious person-
al injury to you and others.
iThe DSR can only be switched on if the
vehicle speed is below 18 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h).