2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 display

246 Controls in detailDriving systemsFor information on how to program the set
speed while driving, see “Adjusting Down-
hill Speed Regulation speed with DSR
switched on” (
page 246).Switching Downhill Speed Regulation off

Press DSR switch1 (
page 245).
The indicator lamp2 goes out.
The message
DSR off
appears in the
multifunction display.Adjusting Downhill Speed Regulation
speed with DSR switched on
With the DSR switched on (
page 245),
the speed setting can be changed using
the cruise control lever.
Cruise control lever1Increase set speed
2Reduce set speed
You can change the set speed between
3 - 10 mph (Canada: 4 - 18 km/h).
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 23).
iIf the DSR is switched on at a speed
above 18 mph (Canada: 30 km/h), the
message
DSR Cannot be activated,
Speed too high
appears in the multi-
function display.
iAt a speed above approximately
21 mph (Canada approx.: 35 km/h),
the DSR is automatically switched off.
The message
DSR off
appears in the
multifunction display and an acoustic
signal sounds.

249 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching Off-road driving program on
Press switch1 (
page 248).
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The
symboly appears in the lower
multifunction display.
Switching Off-road driving program off

Press switch1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The
symboly disappears.
Air suspension package*
Air suspension automatically optimizes
your vehicle’s suspension tuning and regu-
lates the vehicle level. The system consists
of two components:

Suspension tuning: Adaptive Damping
System (ADS) (
page 249)


Vehicle level control (
page 250)
Adaptive Damping System (ADS)*
The fine tuning of the damping and suspen-
sion is dependent on:

your driving style


road surface conditions


your personal ADS settings


your personal vehicle level settingsThe switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1ADS switch
2Indicator lamp for SPORT setting
3Indicator lamp for COMF setting
The following settings are available:


AUTO (for normal driving situations)
Indicator lamps2 and3 are out.


SPORT (for sporty driving)
Indicator lamp2 comes on.


COMF (for comfort driving)
Indicator lamp3 comes on.

253 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting the raised level
Only select the raised level if appropriate
for the driving situation encountered.
Otherwise:

fuel consumption may increase


handling characteristics of the vehicle
may be unfavorable

Start the engine (
page 34).
If the indicator lamp2 is off:

Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 flashes. The vehicle
adjusts to the raised level.
The following message appears in the mul-
tifunction display while the level is being
set:When the raised level is reached, the
following message appears in the multi-
function display for five seconds:
Indicator lamp2 (
page 252) comes on
continuously.
You can select the raised level at speeds
up to 40 mph (64 km/h). At higher speeds,
the message
Level selection not
permitted appears in the multifunction
display.Setting the highway/high-speed level

Start the engine (
page 34).
If the indicator lamp2 (page 252) is
on:

Press switch1 (
page 252).
Indicator lamp2 flashes. The vehicle
adjusts to the highway/high-speed
level.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display while the level is
being set:
iThe message can be cleared by press-
ing theèÿk or
buttonj on the multifunction
steering wheel.
iThe message can be cleared by press-
ing theèÿk or
buttonj on the multifunction
steering wheel.


254 Controls in detailDriving systemsWhen the highway/high-speed level is
reached, the following message appears in
the multifunction display for five seconds:
Indicator lamp2 (
page 252) goes out.The following applies additionally when
towing a trailer:


The vehicle is lowered to the highway
level when it reaches a speed of 5 mph
(8 km/h).


The high-speed level is not available.


The restrictions that apply to towing
also apply when using accessories that
are connected to the trailer power
socket, such as an accessory bicycle
rack.
Parktronic* system (Parking assist)
iThe vehicle is lowered to the highway
level if:

the vehicle speed is above 55 mph
(88 km/h)


the speed stays between 40 mph
(64km/h) and 55mph (88km/h)
for approximately 20 seconds
iDepending on the ADS setting
(page 249), the vehicle will be low-
ered to the high-speed level when trav-
eling at higher speeds. At speeds below
40 mph (64 km/h) at the latest, it will
be returned to the highway level.
Warning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or road
curbs). Such objects may not be detected by
the system and can damage the vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
system can be affected by dirty sensors, es-
pecially at times of snow and ice. See
“Cleaning the Parktronic system sensors”
(page 377).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers, car wash,
or the air brakes of trucks) can cause the
system to send erratic indications, and
should be taken into consideration.


257 Controls in detail
Driving systems
As your vehicle approaches an object, one
or more distance segments will come on,
depending on the distance. When the
second red distance segment illuminates,
you have reached the minimum distance.

Front area: An intermittent acoustic
warning will sound as the first red dis-
tance segment illuminates and a con-
stant acoustic warning lasting a
maximum of two seconds will sound for
the second red segment. The signal is
canceled when the automatic trans-
mission is set toP, or the parking brake
is activated.


Rear area: An intermittent acoustic
warning will sound as the first red dis-
tance segment illuminates and a con-
stant acoustic warning lasting a
maximum of two seconds will sound for
the second red segment. The signal is
canceled when the automatic trans-
mission is set toD, P, or the parking
brake is activated.
Switching Parktronic* system on/off
The Parktronic system can be switched off
manually using the control system
(
page 175).
As your vehicle approaches an object, and
three or more distance segments will
come on, the following message appears in
the multifunction display.

Pressæ orç to switch function
off.
Automatic trans-
mission position
Warning indicator
D
Front area activated
R or N
Front and rear area
activated
P
Neither activated
iThe display disappears automatically
within ten seconds if you continue to
approach an object.
If the vehicle comes closer to the ob-
ject and the first red distance segment
comes on, the display appears continu-
ously. It disappears if:

you clear the message by pressing
theèÿkor
buttonj on the multifunction
steering wheel
or


the distance is increased and the
third yellow distance segment goes
out.


281 Controls in detail
Useful features
The Tele Aid system
(Tele
matic A
larm I
dentification on
D
emand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:

automatic and manual emergency


roadside assistance


information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the Modular COMAND System or on the
multifunction steering wheel. To raise, turn
the rotary volume control on Modular
COMAND System clockwise or press
buttonæ on the multifunction steering
wheel. To lower, turn the rotary volume
control on Modular COMAND System con-trol counterclockwise or press
buttonç on the multifunction steering
wheel.

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• or
the Information button¡, depend-
ing on the type of response required.iThe SOS button is located in the over-
head control panel.
The Roadside Assistance button•
and the Information button¡ are
located below the center armrest
cover.!The Tele Aid system utilizes the cellular
network for communication and the
GPS (G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem) satel-
lites for vehicle location. If either of
these signals are unavailable, the
Tele Aid system may not function and if
this occurs, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the Modular COMAND System audio is
muted and the selected mode (radio,
CD etc.) pauses. The optional cellular
phone (if installed) inserted in cradle
switches off. If you must use this
phone, we recommend that you use it
only with the vehicle at a standstill in a
safe location. Remove the phone from
the cradle and place the call. The navi-
gation* system (if engaged) will contin-
ue to run. The display in the instrument
cluster is available for use, and spoken
commands are only available by press-
ing the RPT button on the Modular
COMAND System. A pop-up window
will appear in the Modular COMAND
System display to indicate that a Tele
Aid call is in progress. After the TeleAid
call has ended, the optional cellular
phone inserted in the cradle switches
on again. A PIN entry might be neces-
sary.

282 Controls in detailUseful featuresSystem self-check
Initially, after switching on the ignition,
malfunctions are detected and indicated
(the indicator lamps in the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• and the
Information button¡ stay on longer
than ten seconds or do not come on). The
message
Malfunction. Drive to work-
shop
appears in the multifunction display.Emergency calls
An emergency call is initiated automatical-
ly following an accident in which the emer-
gency tensioning devices (ETDs) or
air bags deploy.
An emergency call can also be initiated
manually by opening the cover next to the
interior rear view mirror labeled SOS, then
briefly pressing the button located under
the cover. See (
page 284) for
instructions on initiating an emergency call
manually.
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamps on the SOS button, on
the Roadside Assistance button, and/or on
the Information button remain illuminated
continuously in red and/or the message Malfunction. Drive to workshop
is
displayed in the multifunction display after
the system self-check, a malfunction in the
system has been detected.
If a malfunction is indicated as outlined
above, the system may not operate as
expected. Have the system checked at the
nearest Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
as soon as possible.

283 Controls in detail
Useful features
Once the emergency call is in progress, the
indicator lamp on the SOS button will
begin to flash. The message Connecting Call
appears in the multifunc-
tion display. When the connection is estab-
lished, the message
Call connected

appears in the multifunction display. All in-
formation relevant to the emergency, such
as the location of the vehicle (determined
by the GPS satellite location system), vehi-
cle model, identification number and color
are generated.
A voice connection between the Response
Center and the occupants of the vehicle
will be established automatically soon af-
ter the emergency call has been initiated.
The Response Center will attempt to
determine more precisely the nature of the
accident provided they can speak to an
occupant of the vehicle.The Tele Aid system is available if


it has been activated and is operation-
al. Activation requires a subscription
for monitoring services, connection
and cellular air time


vehicle battery power is available


the relevant cellular phone network
and GPS signals are available and pass
the information on to the response cen-
teriLocation of the vehicle on a map is only
possible if the vehicle is able to receive
signals from the GPS satellite network
and pass the information on to the
Response Center.
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamp in the SOS button is
flashing continuously and there was no
voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could
not initiate an emergency call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network is not available).
The message
Call failed
appears in the
multifunction display for approximately
ten seconds.
Should this occur, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.