2007 MERCEDES-BENZ C280 wheel

146 Controls in detail
Control system
Distance to empty
Switch on the ignition (page 32).
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until the first function of the trip
computer menu appears in the
multifunction display.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Range: appears in
the multifunction display.
The calculated remaining driving range
based on the current fuel tank level
appears in the multifunction display.
TEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.
Switch on the telephone and Audio or
COMAND*.
Press buttonÿ orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until the
message
TEL appears in the
multifunction display.
Which messages will appear in the
multifunction display depends on whether
your telephone is switched on or off:
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we
recommend that you pull over to a safe
location and stop before placing or taking a
telephone call. If you choose to use the
telephone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the
telephone when weather, road and traffic
conditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a
vehicle.
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.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system,
possibly resulting in an accident and
personal injury.

149 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Manual transmission is standard
equipment on select models and not
available on all models.
For information on driving with a manual
transmission, see “Manual transmission”
(
page 46).
Warning!G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or
reverse 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 54).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible 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 person-
al injury.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are ob-
structing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between or be-
neath the pedals. You could then no longer
brake or accelerate. This could lead to acci-
dents and injury.

152 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
An additional indication of the current gear
selector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting-gate.
The indicators come on when you activate
a switch (e.g. unlocking the vehicle or
opening a door) and go out after approxi-
mately 15 minutes.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

gear selector lever positionD
(
page 153) with gear ranges
(
page 156)

the selected program mode (C/S)
(
page 157)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 155)

the vehicle speedWhen the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:
limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel when driving off
on slippery road surfaces. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

154 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever in neutral
positionN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.Warning!G
PositionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects. Always
set the parking brake in addition to shifting
to park positionP (
page 54).
When parked on an incline, turn the 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 gear selector lever from
park positionP, which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
Getting out of your vehicle without taking
the above measurements to secure it is
dangerous.

157 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard drivingThe selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
1Selected program mode (comfort or
sport)
Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectCfor comfort driving:

The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.

Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.

Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.
SelectSfor standard driving:

The vehicle starts out in first gear.

Upshifts occur later.
!Never change the program mode when the
gear selector lever is out of park positionP. This
could result in a change of driving characteristics
for which you may not be prepared.
iThe last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

158 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
One-touch gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD, you can limit or extend the gear
range.Limiting gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 156).Extending gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel when driving off
on slippery road surfaces. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.

165 Controls in detail
Climate control
USA only (depending on vehicle production
date)
Canada only
Item
1Left side defroster vent, fixed
2Left side air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
4Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
5Left center air vent, adjustable
6Right center air vent, adjustable
7Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
8Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9Right side air vent, adjustable
aRight side defroster vent, fixed
bClimate control panel
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for the center air vents and side air vents to the
middle position.
Item
1Air volume control
2Left side temperature control
3Right side temperature control
4Air distribution control
5Rear window defroster
6AC cooling on/off
7Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8Air recirculation
9Front defroster

169 Controls in detail
Climate control
Press buttonU (page 165).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The automatic air distribution is
switched off. The air distribution is
controlled according to the selected
control setting.
Turn air distribution control 4
(
page 165) to the desired symbol.
Opening center and side air vents
Turn thumbwheels 3, 4, 7 and 8
(
page 164) upward.
The center air vents 5 and 6 and side
air vents 2 and 9 are open.
Closing center and side air vents
Turn thumbwheels 3, 4, 7 and 8
(
page 164) downward.
The center air vents 5 and 6 and side
air vents 2 and 9 are closed.
Adjusting air volume
Six blower speeds are available.
Press buttonU (page 165).
The indicator lamp in the button goes
out. The automatic air volume control
is switched off. The air volume is
adjusted according to the currently
selected setting.
Use the air volume control1
(
page 165) to adjust the air volume.
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up.
You can also defog the windshield and the
side windows.
Activating
Press buttonP or0
(
page 165).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches
automatically to the following functions:

maximum blowing and heating
power

air flows onto the windshield and
the front side windows

the air recirculation mode is
switched off
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear again.