274 Control systems
Voice Control introduction
The Voice Control System gives you the ca-
pability to control the following systems on
your vehicle using spoken commands:
Telephone* (page 278)
Navigation (page 285)
Address book (page 295)
Audio (page 299) (AM/FM radio,
CD/DVD changer, MP3 player)You control these systems using spoken
commands. Moreover, controls such as
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 276) allow you to keep your
hands on the steering wheel.
The command vocabulary consists of
approximately 300 ready to use phrases.
The Voice Control System recognizes com-
mands and number sequences, irrespec-
tive of the speaker. To optimize speech
recognition for your voice follow the indi-
vidualization process (
page 320).
You can use the Voice Control System to
call up all of COMAND’s main menu items,
with the exception of the main menus for
“Vehicle” and “Navi”.The commands and digit sequences can be
spoken without pausing between the indi-
vidual words. If an unavailable or incorrect
command is used, the Voice Control Sys-
tem will prompt you for a new command by
asking “Please repeat” or “Please repeat
your entry”.
In order to provide for a safe and comfort-
able dialog, the Voice Control System ac-
knowledges important commands.
399 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is used
to adjust
shift program
suspension tuning of ABC (page 429)
engine control
Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard drivingThe selected program mode appears in the
instrument cluster.
1Current program mode
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
instrument cluster.
SelectC for 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.
SelectS for standard driving:
The vehicle starts out in first gear.
Upshifts occur later.
!Never change the program mode when the
automatic transmission is out of park positionP.
This could result in a change of driving character-
istics for which you may not be prepared.
iThe last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.
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.
412 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus adaptive cruise control is
no substitute for active driving involvement.
It does not react to pedestrians or stationary
objects, nor does it recognize or predict the
curvature and lane layout or the movement
of vehicles ahead. DISTRONIC Plus can only
apply a maximum of 40% of the vehicle’s
braking power.
DISTRONIC Plus may not detect narrow ve-
hicles possibly driving in front of you, such
as motorcycles and vehicles driving in an
offset formation.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to road, weather and traffic con-
ditions and to provide the steering, braking
and other driving inputs necessary to retain
control of the vehicle.
High-frequency sources such as toll sta-
tions, speed measuring systems etc. can
cause the DISTRONIC Plus system to tem-
porarily cease functioning.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus requires familiarity with its
operational characteristics. We strongly rec-
ommend that you review the following infor-
mation carefully before operating the
system.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take street and traf-
fic conditions into account. Only use
DISTRONIC Plus if the road, weather and
traffic conditions make it advisable to travel
at a steady speed.
Warning!G
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on slippery roads. Rapid changes in tire trac-
tion can result in wheel spin and loss of con-
trol.
DISTRONIC Plus does not act upon adverse
sight distance conditions. Do not use
DISTRONIC Plus during conditions of fog
and heavy rain, snow or sleet.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take weather condi-
tions into account. Switch off
DISTRONIC Plus or do not turn it on if:
roads are slippery or covered with snow
or ice. The wheels could lose traction
while braking or accelerating, and the
vehicle could skid.
the sensor is dirty or visibility is
diminished due to snow, rain or fog. The
distance control could be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
Otherwise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.
429 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Active Body Control (ABC)
The ABC system is an active, comput-
er-controlled system that hydraulically ad-
justs the suspension at all four wheels in
response to various driving situations. It
automatically selects the optimum suspen-
sion tuning and ride height for your vehicle.
Vehicle level controlYour vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:
increase vehicle safety
reduce fuel consumption
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:
With increasing speed, ride height is re-
duced by up to approximately 0.4 in
(10 mm).
With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
Select the “Raised” level setting only when
required by current driving conditions.
Otherwise:
Fuel consumption may increase.
Handling may be impaired.
Warning!G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when
lowering the vehicle chassis.
iThese height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
Level
NormalFor driving on normal roads.
The indicator lamp is off.
RaisedFor driving on rough roads or
with snow chains. The indica-
tor lamp is on.
iThe selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is turned off
and restarted.
441 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching on Dynamic Rear View Moni-
tor
Switch on the ignition (page 336).
Switch on COMAND (page 81).
Move gear selector lever to position R
(reverse gear).
The COMAND display will show the
area behind the vehicle with guide lines
to help you reverse into a parking
place.Reverse parking (back-in parking)
This function helps you when you are re-
versing in a straight line or backing in at
any angle.
The space required by the vehicle for re-
versing is shown by guide lines.
When you turn the steering wheel to a
straight-ahead position, you will see the
guide lines on the COMAND display in the
following order:
there is a sudden change in tempera-
ture, for example when you drive out of
the cold into a heated garage in winter
(lens condensation)
the camera lens is dirty or covered, see
“Cleaning the Dynamic Rear View
Monitor lens*” (
page 560)
the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In
this case, have the position and setting
of the camera checked by a qualified
technician. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not use the Dynamic Rear View Monitor
if the roads are icy, slippery or covered with
snow. The vehicle could slip causing the ac-
tual vehicle position to deviate from the one
shown on the COMAND display.
This may cause injury to you or others, or
damage the vehicle or objects.
Mounting tires/rims of other specification
than the original equipment tires/rims may
impair the function of the Dynamic Rear
View Monitor. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Use of Dynamic Rear View Monitor can be
dangerous if you are color-blind or have im-
paired color vision.
Only use Dynamic Rear View Monitor if you
can see and distinguish all colored guide
lines shown by Dynamic Rear View Monitor
on the COMAND display.
iThe Dynamic Rear View Monitor must be ac-
tivated in the instrument cluster control system
in order for it to be switched on (
page 269).
iIf you activate a different function on the
driver’s COMAND controls while reverse parking
or parallel parking, the image from the back-up
camera is interrupted.
To reactivate the camera, take the vehicle out of
reverse gear and then re-engage reverse gear
again.
442 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Yellow and blue guide lines for vehicle
width
2Yellow 13 ft (4 m) guide line
3Yellow 39 in (1 m) guide line
4Red 10 in (0.25 m) guide line
The red 10 in (0.25 m) guide line4, the
yellow 39 in (1 m) guide line3 and the
y e l l o w 1 3 f t ( 4 m ) g u i d e l i n e2 correspond
to the relevant distance from the rear of
the vehicle. The yellow and blue guide lines
for vehicle width1 show the required
width for the vehicle.5Blue guide lines for straight driving
6Symbol for “reverse parking”
7Yellow and red guide lines for cornering
When you turn the steering wheel out of
the straight-ahead position, the positions
of the yellow and red guide lines7
change depending on the steering wheel’s
position. The space required by the vehicle
for reverse cornering is indicated by yellow
and red guide lines7.
Warning!G
Please note that objects which do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck, may appear to be further
away than they actually are. In this case, you
should not use the guide lines to judge dis-
tance as the use of the guide lines to judge
distance increases the risk of impacting the
objects.
Even when the object you approach is di-
rectly on the ground (and nothing on the ob-
ject extends above the ground beyond the
object’s contours directly touching the
ground) and no objects that do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck are in the path, do not ap-
proach the object on the ground any closer
than red guide line4.
445 Controls in detail
Driving systems
5Bent blue guide line
Back up with the set wheel angle.The guide lines in the COMAND display
disappear. After a short distance, the
bent blue guide line5 appears.
Back up until bent guide line5 inter-
sects the edge of the parking space,
e.g. the curb.
Stop the vehicle.
6Yellow and red guide lines for cornering
7Blue guide line for straight driving
With the vehicle at a standstill, turn
steering wheel as far as it will go in the
opposite direction.
The guide lines for straight driving7
and cornering6 appear in the
COMAND display.
Back up using the set wheel angle until
blue guide line7 for straight driving is
parallel to the edge of the parking
space, e.g. the curb.
Now straighten out steering wheel and
back up until you still have just enough
room behind the vehicle.
While doing so, observe
Parktronic* (
page 431) or Park As-
sist* (
page 435) warning indicators.
iIf you turn the steering wheel too far, the
message “Steering wheel turned too far. Please
adjust steering wheel” appears on the COMAND
display. Turn the steering wheel back until the
message disappears and the extended blue
guide line3 intersects with vertical blue guide
line1.
If you back up using the wrong wheel angle, the
following appears in the COMAND display:
“Steering wheel turned too far. Park Assist dis-
abled.”. Pull out of the parking space and start
the parking procedure over again.
iIf you turn the steering wheel while backing
up, the following appears in the COMAND dis-
play: “The steering wheel position has been
changed. Park Assist disabled.”. Pull out of the
parking space and start the parking procedure
over again.