Page 120 of 481
119 Controls in detail
Lighting
Reading lamps
The standard reading lamps are located to
the left and right of the overhead control
panel. Reading lamps as part of the interior
lighting package* are located on the lower
edge of the interior rear view mirror.
Press reading lamp switch3or4 to
switch on the desired reading lamp.
Press reading lamp switch3or4
again to switch off the respective
reading lamp.
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the cor-
responding door entry lamps will switch on
in darkness when you open a door and the
automatic control is activated.
The door entry lamps switch off when the
corresponding door is closed.
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the
exterior headlamps, the door entry
lamps will remain lit for approximately
5 minutes.
Page 124 of 481

123 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1. The control system
enables you to
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Main odometer
2Trip odometer
3Current program mode
(automatic transmission* only)
4Status indicator (outside tempera-
ture/digital speedometer)
5Current gear selector lever posi-
tion/gear range
(automatic transmission* only)
iThe displays for the audio systems
(radio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Page 134 of 481

133 Controls in detail
Control system
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until the vehicle status message mem-
ory appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
If the vehicle status message memory
menu does not appear, then there are
no messages stored.Vehicle status messages have been
recorded
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the multifunction dis-
play:
1Number of messages
Press buttonjork.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which they have
occurred. For malfunction and warning
messages, see “Vehicle status messag-
es in the multifunction display”
(page 368).Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch:
Press buttonJrepeatedly until you
have seen all occurred messages.
Warning!
G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages (
page 368).
iThe vehicle status message memory
will be cleared when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1or2.
You will then only see high-priority
messages in the multifunction display
(page 368).
Page 145 of 481

144 Controls in detailControl system
Locator lighting
With the locator lighting feature activated
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionU, the following lamps will
switch on during darkness when the vehi-
cle is unlocked with the SmartKey:
Parking lamps
Tail lamps
License plate lamps
Side marker lamps
Front fog lamps
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened.
If you do not open a door after unlocking
the vehicle with the SmartKey, the lamps
will switch off automatically after approxi-
mately 40 seconds.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæorç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until you see
Function Surround
lighting
in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæorç to switch
the locator lighting function
On.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU when exiting the vehicle
(page 55).
The locator lighting feature is
activated.
iFor safety reasons, resetting all the
functions of all submenus to the facto-
ry settings while driving (
page 134)
will not deactivate the daytime running
lamp mode.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display:
Lighting Cannot be completely
reset to factory settings while
driving
.
Page 147 of 481
146 Controls in detailControl systemYou can temporarily deactivate the de-
layed shut-off feature:
Before exiting the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.
Then turn it to position2 and back to
position0.
The delayed shut-off feature is deacti-
vated. It will reactivate as soon as you
reinsert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.Interior lighting delayed shut-off
Use this function to set whether or not the
interior lighting remains lit during darkness
for approximately 10 seconds after you
have removed the SmartKey from the
starter switch.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæorç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until you see
Interior lighting
delayed shut-off
in the multifunction
display.The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæorç to set the
function to
On or
Off
.
Page 151 of 481

150 Controls in detailControl system
Fuel consumption since last reset
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
trip computer menu.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until you see
After reset
in the multi-
function display.
1Statistics called up: since last reset
2Time elapsed since last reset
3Average fuel consumption since last
reset
4Average speed since last reset
5Distance driven since last resetResetting fuel consumption statistics
manually
Press and hold reset buttonJuntil
the values of the statistics are reset
to
0.
Resetting fuel consumption statistics
automatically
The values of the statistics will be automat-
ically reset to
0 when one of the following
values exceeds:
distance: 100 000 miles (100 000 km)
elapsed time: 10 000 hours
iAll statistics stored since the last en-
gine start will be reset approximately
four hours after the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or
removed from the starter switch.
Resetting will not occur if you turn the
SmartKey back to position1or2
within this time period.
Page 156 of 481

155 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Manual transmission is standard equip-
ment on select models and not available
on all models.
For information on driving with a manual
transmission, see “Manual transmission”
(page 51).
Warning!
G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or re-
verse gear and parking brake engaged is
dangerous.
Also, when parked on an incline, an engaged
first or reverse gear alone may not prevent
your vehicle from moving, possibly hitting
people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 59).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
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. Children
could move the gearshift lever, which could
result in an accident and/or serious injury.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action.
This could result in drive wheel slip and re-
duced vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS
will not prevent this type of loss of control.
Page 160 of 481

159 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Gear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 396).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.