2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Rear seat

ContentsSafety and Security........................... 59
Occupant safety................................... 60
Air bags .......................................... 61
Seat belts ....................................... 67
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®)................................... 70
Children in the vehicle .................... 71
Override switch for rear
passenger compartment ................ 77
Panic alarm .......................................... 78
Activating ....................................... 78
Deactivating ................................... 78
Driving safety systems ......................... 79
ABS ................................................ 79
BAS ................................................ 80
ESP
®.............................................. 81
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®..... 84
Anti-theft systems................................ 85
Immobilizer..................................... 85
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 86
Tow-away alarm ............................. 88
Controls in detail............................... 91
Locking and unlocking ......................... 92
SmartKey ....................................... 92
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ........ 96
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 102
Opening the trunk ........................ 103
Closing the trunk.......................... 105
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 111
Power closing assist for doors
and trunk lid ................................. 112
Automatic central locking ............ 112
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 113
Seats ................................................. 114
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 114
Removing and installing front
seat head restraints ..................... 116
Rear seats .................................... 117
Rear seat head restraints ............. 120
Lumbar support............................ 122
Multicontour backrest* ................ 122
Drive-dynamic seat* .................... 124
Seat heating* ............................... 125
Seat ventilation* .......................... 127Memory function ............................... 128
Storing positions into memory ..... 129
Recalling positions from memory . 129
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................ 130
Lighting ............................................. 131
Exterior lamp switch .................... 131
Combination switch ..................... 135
Hazard warning flasher ................ 136
Interior lighting ............................ 137
Courtesy lighting .......................... 139
Door entry lamps ......................... 139
Trunk lighting ............................... 139
Instrument cluster ............................. 140
Instrument cluster illumination .... 140
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 141
Trip odometer .............................. 141
Tachometer .................................. 142
Outside temperature indicator ..... 142
Clock............................................ 142
Control system .................................. 143
Multifunction display.................... 143
Multifunction steering wheel........ 144
Menus .......................................... 146
Standard display menu ................ 148
AUDIO menu ................................ 148

27 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Switch for rear window sun-
shade
191
2
Parktronic* deactivation
button
238
3
Airmatic or Active Body
Control (ABC)* button
232
4
Level control button
234
5
Central locking switch
113
Anti-theft alarm system indi-
cator lamp
86
6
Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch
136
Item
Page
7
Central unlocking switch
113
8
Electronic Stability Program
(ESP
®) control switch
82
9
Rear seat head restraints,
switch for folding down
120
a
Tow-away alarm switch
88
b
COMAND system (see
separate operating instruc-
tions)
c
Automatic climate control
205
d
Cover of:

Ashtray


Lighter
249
250

30 At a glanceDoor control panel
Item
Page
1
Door handle
102
2
Memory function (for stor-
ing seat, exterior mirror, and
steering wheel settings)
128
3
Seat heating*
Seat ventilation*
125
127
4
Seat adjustment
38
Item
Page
5
Exterior mirror adjustment
Mirror folding function
41,
186
189
6
Switches for opening/clos-
ing front door windows
208
7
Override switch for rear pas-
senger compartment
77
8
Switches for opening/clos-
ing rear windows
208
9
Remote trunk lid switch
104

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
SeatsWarning!
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
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der 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 backrest 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 43).
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 SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
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 unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM1

compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front
air bag when it is properly installed. Other-
wise they will be struck by the air bag when
it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious
or fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle’s
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er’s instructions.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens Automo-
tive Corp.


38 Getting startedAdjustingSeat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the front doors.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft adjustment
6Seat backrest tilt

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
or

Open the respective door.
Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow5.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator/brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far to the rear
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.Seat cushion tilt

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow3until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Seat cushion depth

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow4 until your
legs are supported comfortably.
Seat backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow6 until your
arms are slightly angled when holding
the steering wheel.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.
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.
iWhen moving the seat, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
The memory function (
page 128) lets
you store the setting for the seat posi-
tion together with the settings for the
steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.


39 Getting started
Adjusting
Head restraint height
Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow1.Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head re-
straint.

Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 114).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way
that it is as close to the head as possi-
ble.
iThe feature below is deactivated at the
factory for U.S. vehicles. If you wish to
have it activated, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
The front passenger seat head restraint
automatically lowers after a few sec-
onds when the front passenger seat is
not occupied. This improves the
driver’s outward view as well as the for-
ward view from the rear passenger
compartment.
When the front passenger seat is occu-
pied again, the front passenger head
restraint returns to the last set position
within a few seconds.
If the front passenger seat was moved
fore or aft while not being occupied,
the front passenger seat head restraint
returns to a position that corresponds
best with the seat’s axial position when
the seat is occupied again.

40 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel Steering wheel adjustment
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the steering column (lower left).
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
or

Open the driver’s door.Adjusting steering column in or out

Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down

Move the stalk up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and all the displays (incl. malfunction
and indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible.
For more information, see “Heated steer-
ing wheel* (except S 55 AMG and
S65AMG)” (
page 252).
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the steering
wheel adjustment feature can be operated
when the driver’s door is open. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
iThe memory function (
page 128) lets
you store settings for the steering
wheel together with the settings for the
exterior rear view mirrors and the seat
position.

42 Getting startedAdjustingThe buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1 Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror button
3Adjustment button

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).

Press button1 for the left mirror or
button2 for the right mirror.

Push adjustment button3 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.
For more information, see “Folding exteri-
or rear view mirrors in and out
automatically” (
page 188).
!For information on how to reposition
the exterior mirror housing when it was
forcibly pushed forward (hit from the
rear) or forcibly pushed rearward (hit
from the front), see “Folding exterior
rear view mirrors in and out manually”
(page 189).
iThe memory function (
page 128) lets
you store the setting for the exterior
rear view mirrors together with the set-
ting for the steering wheel and the seat
position.
At low ambient temperatures, the mir-
rors will be heated automatically.