ContentsSafety and Security........................... 63
Occupant safety................................... 64
Air bags .......................................... 65
Seat belts ....................................... 71
Children in the vehicle .................... 75
Panic alarm .......................................... 80
Activating ....................................... 81
Deactivating ................................... 81
Driving safety systems ......................... 82
ABS ................................................ 82
BAS ................................................ 83
ESP
®............................................... 84
Anti-theft systems................................ 87
Immobilizer..................................... 87
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 87
Tow-away alarm ............................. 88
Controls in detail............................... 91
Locking and unlocking ......................... 92
SmartKey ....................................... 92
Opening the doors from the inside . 97
Opening the trunk .......................... 98
Closing the trunk............................ 99
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 100
Automatic central locking ............ 101
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 102
Seats ................................................. 104
Seat heating* ............................... 104
AIRSCARF neck-level heating* ..... 105
Memory function* ............................. 107
Storing positions into memory ..... 108
Recalling positions from memory . 108
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position (parking aid)....... 108
Lighting.............................................. 110
Exterior lamp switch..................... 110
Combination switch ..................... 114
Corner-illuminating front fog
lamps* (SLK 280, SLK 350: with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps and without
Sport Package*)........................... 115Hazard warning flasher ................ 117
Interior lighting ............................ 117
Door entry lamps ......................... 119
Instrument cluster ............................. 120
Instrument cluster illumination .... 120
Tachometer .................................. 121
Outside temperature indicator ..... 121
Trip odometer .............................. 122
Clock............................................ 122
Control system .................................. 123
Multifunction display.................... 123
Multifunction steering wheel........ 124
Menus .......................................... 126
Standard display menu ................ 128
AUDIO menu ................................ 129
NAV* menu .................................. 132
Vehicle status message
memory menu .............................. 132
Settings menu .............................. 134
Trip computer menu..................... 149
TEL menu* ................................... 151
Manual transmission ......................... 155
Shifting into reverse ..................... 156
Automatic transmission* ................... 157
Gear selector lever position ......... 159
Gear ranges ................................. 160
10 IntroductionOperator’s ManualThis Operator’s Manual contains a great
deal of useful information. We urge you to
read it carefully and familiarize yourself
with the vehicle before driving.
For your own safety and longer service life
of the vehicle, we urge you to follow the in-
structions and warnings contained in this
manual. Ignoring them could result in dam-
age to the vehicle or personal injury to you
or others. Vehicle damage caused by fail-
ure to follow instructions is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the
equipment described in this manual.
Therefore, you may find explanations for
optional equipment not installed in your
vehicle. If you have any questions about
the operation of any equipment, your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to demonstrate the proper proce-
dures.We continuously strive to improve our
product, and ask for your understanding
that we reserve the right to make changes
in design and equipment. Therefore, infor-
mation, illustrations and descriptions in
this Operator’s Manual might differ from
your vehicle.
Optional equipment is also described in
this manual, including operating instruc-
tions wherever necessary. Since they are
special-order items, the descriptions and
illustrations herein may vary slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are
not shown or described in this Operator’s
Manual, your authorized Mercedes-Benz
C e n t e r w i l l b e g l a d t o i n f o r m y o u o f c o r r e c t
care and operating procedures.
The Operator’s Manual and Maintenance
Booklet are important documents and
should be kept with the vehicle.
Service and warranty information
The Service and Warranty Information
Booklet contains detailed information
about the warranties covering your
Mercedes-Benz, including:
New Car Limited Warranty
Emission System Warranty
Emission Performance Warranty
California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont Emission Control System
Warranty
(California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont only)
State Warranty Enforcement Laws
(Lemon Laws)
91 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*
Good visibility
Climate control
Automatic climate control*
Audio system
Power windows
Retractable hardtop
Driving systems
Useful features
93 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
They will return to the up position when
the door is closed.!The side windows will not open or close
if the battery is discharged or the win-
dows are covered with ice. As a result,
you may no longer be able to properly
close the door. Do not attempt to force
the door shut. Doing so may damage
the door or the side window. Correct
the condition that prevents the
windows from operating before
attempting to close the door.
iWithout the antenna on the left rear
side of the vehicle installed, the
SmartKey signaling range is consider-
ably reduced. Hold the SmartKey in
close proximity towards the antenna
base when locking or unlocking the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. It is possible
for children to open a locked door from the
inside, which could result in an accident
and/or serious injury.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the SmartKey to high levels of
electromagnetic radiation.
98 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Opening the trunk
A minimum height clearance of 5.78 ft
(1.76 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.
Pull on the handle.
Lift the trunk lid.
iIf the vehicle has previously been cen-
trally locked with the SmartKey, open-
ing a door from the inside will trigger
the anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:
Press buttonŒor‹ on the
SmartKey.
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
They will return to the up position when
the door is closed.!The side windows will not open or close
if the battery is discharged or the win-
dows are covered with ice. As a result,
you may no longer be able to properly
close the door. Do not attempt to force
the door shut. Doing so may damage
the door or the side window. Correct
the condition that prevents the
windows from operating before
attempting to close the door.
!When the trunk lid is lifted slightly, it
swings open upwards automatically.
Always make sure there is sufficient
overhead clearance.
100 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Trunk lid emergency release
The emergency release button is located
on the inside of the trunk lid.
With the emergency release button, the
trunk can be opened from inside the trunk.
1Emergency release button
Briefly press emergency release
button1.
The trunk lid unlocks and opens
slightly.
Push up the trunk lid to fully open.Illumination of the emergency release but-
ton:
The button flashes for 30 minutes after
opening the trunk.
The button flashes for 60 minutes after
closing the trunk.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk lid closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked visi-
bility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed. The turn signal
lamps will flash three times to confirm
locking.
iThe emergency release button unlocks
the trunk while the vehicle is standing
still or in motion.iThe emergency release button does
not unlock the trunk if the vehicle bat-
tery is discharged or disconnected.
110 Controls in detailLightingFor information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 55)
and “Turn signals” (
page 55).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switch
MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 112)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 112)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the combi-
nation switch is pushed forward)
and parking lamps
ˆStanding lamps, right
(turn left one stop)
‚Standing lamps, left
(turn left two stops)
CIndicator lamp for parking lamps
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country in which the vehicle is reg-
istered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
111 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:
Low beam headlamps
Tail and parking lamps
License plate lamps
Side marker lamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 only the parking lamps will
switch on and off automatically.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch and the driver’s door
open, a warning sounds if the parking
lamps or low beam headlamps are
switched on.
The message
Turn off lights
appears
in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU
the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.
the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch toB when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionUtoB with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromUtoB will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle's lights at all
times.