2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 ESP

382 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
For more information, see “Driving instruc-
tions” (
page 499).
Turn signals
Combination switch
1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in the
direction of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampL orK in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 30).
The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out of P or N if the engine speed is high-
er than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accel-
erate quickly forward or in 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.
!Shift the automatic transmission toP or R
only when the vehicle is stopped in order to avoid
damaging the transmission.
!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high engine
speeds may shorten the service life of the en-
gine.
This is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake wear
and drivetrain wear which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.


394 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
If you want the gear position to remain in
neutral positionN, e.g. when taking the
vehicle through an automatic conveyor
type car wash or when towing the vehicle,
observe the following instructions.
!DISTRONIC Plus*:
The transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically, only when DISTRONIC Plus brings
your vehicle to a standstill, and when it meets at
least one of the following conditions at the same
time:

the engine is turned off

the driver’s or passenger door opens and the
seat belt is not engaged in the buckle
In addition to shifting to park positionP, the
electronic parking brake will be engaged auto-
matically.
iMake it a practice to always shift into park
positionP before turning off the engine and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a door
or when using KEYLESS-GO*, before turning off
the engine with the start/stop button and open-
ing the driver’s or passenger door.
Effect
íReverse gear
Shift into reverse gearR only
when the vehicle is stopped.
ëNeutral
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 shift into neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Shift into neutral positionN only
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button, the transmission will shift to neutral
positionN automatically.
Warning!G
When leaving the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle.
It is possible for children to switch on the
ignition which could result in unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment. Unsupervised use
of vehicle equipment could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

397 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Rocking the vehicle
Rocking the vehicle by shifting between
drive positionD and reverse gearR can
help free a vehicle stuck in mud or snow.
The engine control system of this vehicle
electronically limits shifting between drive
positionD and reverse gearR to very low
speeds, i.e. approximately 5 mph
(9 km/h). To shift between drive
positionD and reverse gearR, move the
gear selector lever past the resistance
point up or down.
Working on the vehicleHill start assist system
On uphill grades with a gradient angle of
more than 5°, the hill start assist system
maintains the pressure in the brake sys-
tem for approximately 1 second after you
have released the brake pedal. Therefore,
you can start off smoothly without the
vehicle moving immediately after releasing
the brake pedal.The hill start assist system is inactive

when starting off on a level road or
downhill grades

with the transmission in neutral
position N

with the electronic parking brake en-
gaged

if the ESP® has switched off due to a
malfunction
Warning!G
When working on the vehicle, engage the
electronic parking brake and shift to park
positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could roll
away.
Warning!G
The hill start assist system is not designed
to function as a electronic parking brake and
does not prevent the vehicle from moving
when parked on an incline.
Always engage the electronic parking brake
in addition to shifting to park positionP.

404 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature indicator is on
the bottom left-hand side of the instru-
ment cluster (
page 30).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs, etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge is on the left-hand side of
the instrument cluster (
page 30). Once
the fuel level has fallen below the reserve
mark, the yellow fuel tank reserve warning
lamp comes on (
page 573).Warning!G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

405 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control (page 405) and
DISTRONIC Plus*(
page 411), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.

ABC (page 429) adjusts the vehicle
suspension characteristics automati-
cally and control the vehicle level.

Parktronic* (page 431) and
Park Assist* (
page 435), which serve
as a parking assistant.

Dynamic Rear View Monitor*
(
page 439) is an electronic and
visual parking aid.

Night View Assist* (page 446) illumi-
nates the road with infrared light in
addition to the normal headlamps.
For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE® Brake*, see “Driving safety
systems” (
page 64).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it
advisable to travel at a constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin
and loss of control.

Deactivate the cruise control when
driving in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

406 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Setting current or higher speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to
the resistance point) or 5 mph
increments (past the resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
2Setting current or lower speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to
the resistance point) or 5 mph
increments (past the resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
3Cancel cruise control
4Activating cruise control or resuming to
last set speedActivating cruise control
You can activate the cruise control if the
vehicle speed is above 20 mph (30 km/h).
In the following cases you cannot activate
the cruise control:

when you brake

the vehicle is secured with the elec-
tronic parking brake

when the automatic transmission is set
to positionP, R, or N

when ESP® is switched off
Warning!G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded. The
brake pedal depresses when the cruise con-
trol engages the brakes.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the cruise control system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.
Keep in mind that the cruise control is a con-
venience system designed to assist the driv-
er during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.
iThe vehicle speed displayed in the speedom-
eter can briefly vary from the speed setting for
the cruise control system.

407 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.
Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2.
The current speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.

The current set speed appears in
the multifunction display for ap-
proximately 5 seconds.

The corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed
to the vehicle maximum speed in
the multifunction display are illumi-
nated.

The set speed is shown by a triangle
in the speedometer.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
set speed is stored for later use.
or
Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
set speed is stored for later use.
iOn uphill grades, the cruise control may not
be able to maintain the set speed. Once the
grade eases, the set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control maintains
the set speed by braking with the vehicle’s brak-
ing system. In addition, on longer downhill
grades the automatic transmission will down-
shift automatically.
iThe last stored set speed is deleted when
the engine is turned off.

408 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
You can increase the set speed in two
ways.Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments
Briefly lift the cruise control lever up to
the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 406).
Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).
iThe cruise control switches off automatical-
ly when

you step on the brake pedal

the vehicle is secured with the electronic
parking brake
In this case, the cruise control speed seg-
ments in the multifunction display will go out
and no warning sounds.

the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h)

the ESP® is in operation or switched off with
the ESP® switch (page 71)

you set the automatic transmission toN
while driving
The cruise control speed segments in the
multifunction display will go out and an
acoustic warning sounds.
Observe additional messages in the
multifunction display that may appear.
!Setting the automatic transmission toN
while driving cancels the cruise control. Howev-
er, the automatic transmission should not be set
toN while driving except to coast when the vehi-
cle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate the cruise control. After a brief accel-
eration (e.g. for passing), the cruise control will
resume the last set speed.
Warning!G
If you increase the set speed, keep in mind
that it may take a brief moment until the ve-
hicle has reached the set speed.
Increase the set speed to a value that the
prevailing road conditions and legal speed
limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and unex-
pected acceleration of the vehicle could
cause an accident and/or serious injury to
you and others.
iThe set speed value is increased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you lift
the cruise control lever up to the resistance
point.