Page 101 of 441

100 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
or unlocking switch. This can be useful, for
example, if you want to lock the vehicle
before starting to drive.
You cannot lock or unlock the fuel filler flap
with the central locking or unlocking
switch.The switches are located in the center
console.
1Central locking switch
2Central unlocking switchLocking
Press central locking switch1.
If all doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking
Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
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. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked us-
ing the SmartKey, it will not unlock using the cen-
tral unlocking switch2.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the cen-
tral locking switch1
while in the selective remote control mode,
only the door opened from the inside is un-
locked.
while in the global remote control mode, the
complete vehicle is unlocked when a door is
opened from the inside.
Page 111 of 441

110 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.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off
automatically 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 and
the side marker 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.
Warning!G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,
the headlamps may switch off
unexpectedly when the system senses
bright ambient 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,
activate 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 positionU toB with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromU toB 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.
iUSA only:
With the automatic headlamp mode activated
you can switch on the high beam headlamps in
low ambient lighting conditions.
Page 116 of 441

115 Controls in detail
Lighting
Driving in reverse
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Place the gear selector lever (manual
transmission: gearshift lever) in
positionR.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamp
opposite to your steering direction
comes on.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Place the gear selector lever (manual
transmission: gearshift lever) out of
positionR.
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter
switch.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the center console.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signal lamps are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
iWith the hazard warning flasher activated
and the combination switch set for either left or
right turn, only the respective left or right turn
signals will operate when the ignition is switched
on (
page 32).
iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press hazard warning
flasher switch1 once to switch it off.
Page 117 of 441

116 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Rear interior lighting on/off
2Right front reading lamp on/off
3Rocker switch for automatic control
system
4Left front reading lamp on/offDeactivating automatic control
Press the= symbol on rocker
switch3.
The interior lighting remains switched
off in darkness, even when you
unlock the vehicle
remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
open a door
open the trunkActivating automatic control
Press rocker switch3 to center
position.
The interior lighting switch on in
darkness, when you
unlock the vehicle
remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
open a door
open the trunk
The interior lighting switches off after ap-
proximately 10 seconds, see “Setting inte-
rior lighting delayed shut-off”
(
page 142).
!An interior lamp switched on manually does
not go out automatically.
Leaving an interior lamp switch in the ON posi-
tion for extended periods of time with the engine
turned off could result in a discharged battery.
iThe interior lighting is factory-set to auto-
matic mode.
iIf a door remains open, the interior lighting
switches off automatically after approximately
5minutes.
Page 118 of 441

117 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual control
Switching front interior lighting on and
off
Press the W symbol on rocker
switch3.
The front interior lighting comes on.
Press rocker switch3 to center
position to activate the automatic
control.
Switching rear interior lighting on and
off
Press button V.
The lighting in the rear passenger
compartment comes on.
Press button V again.
The lighting in the rear passenger
compartment goes out.Switching front reading lamps on and off
Press the left or right button X to
switch on the desired front reading
lamp.
Press the left or right button X
again to switch off the respective front
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 will switch off when
the corresponding door is closed.
Trunk lamp
The trunk lamp switches on if the trunk is
opened.
If the trunk lid remains open, the trunk
lamp switches off automatically after
approximately 10 minutes.
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 122 of 441

121 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
system to find out when your vehicle is
next due for service, to set the language
for messages in the instrument cluster
display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
3Current program mode
(automatic transmission*)
4Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
(automatic transmission*)
5Digital clock
6Status indicator (outside tempera-
ture/digital speedometer)
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,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit 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
(approximately 14 m) every second.
Page 128 of 441

127 Controls in detail
Control system
AUDIO menu
The functions in the
AUDIO menu operate
the audio equipment which you currently
have turned on.
If no audio equipment is currently turned
on, the message
AUDIO OFF appears in the
multifunction display.
The following functions are available:Selecting radio station
Turn on the radio (page 190) and se-
lect radio. Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating instruc-
tions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the currently tuned station
appears in the multifunction display.
1Waveband setting
2Station frequency
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired station or the desired
stored station is found.The station search depends on the se-
lected setting in the
Vehicle submenu
of the control system (
page 142).
Pressing buttonk orj will ei-
ther start a frequency scan or select
the next stored radio station.
Selecting satellite radio station*
(USA only)
The satellite radio is treated as a radio
application.
Select satellite radio with the
corresponding soft key (SAT) in the
radio menu.
FunctionPage
Selecting radio station127
Selecting satellite radio station*
(USA only)127
Operating CD player*128
iYou can only store new stations using the
corresponding feature on the radio
(
page 196).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating instructions.
You can also operate the radio in the usual
manner.
Page 129 of 441

128 Controls in detail
Control system
1SAT mode and preset number
2Channel name or number
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.Operating the CD player*
Selecting CD track
Turn on the radio and select CD or
CD changer* (
page 205).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating
instructions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played appear in the
multifunction display.1Current CD (with additional number
from 1 to 6 when running from
CD changer*)
2Current track
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.
For more information on CD operation, see
“CD mode” (
page 201) and for the
CD changer*, see (
page 204).
iFor more information on satellite radio oper-
ation, see “Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only)” (
page 197).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating instructions.
iThe COMAND* system and the
CD changer* can play audio CDs as well as CDs
with MP3 files.
iTo select a CD from the CD changer* maga-
zine, press a number on the audio system or the
COMAND* system key pad located in the center
console.