2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 Pre safe

411 Controls in detail
Driving systems
DISTRONIC Plus*
When activated, the DISTRONIC Plus adap-
tive cruise control system increases the
driving convenience afforded by the cruise
control while traveling on expressways and
other major roadways.

If the DISTRONIC Plus distance sensor
detects a slower moving vehicle direct-
ly ahead, your vehicle speed will be re-
duced so that you follow that vehicle at
your preset following distance.

If there is no vehicle directly ahead of
you, DISTRONIC Plus will function in
the same way as standard cruise con-
trol (
page 405).
DISTRONIC Plus functions within a speed
range of 0 to 120 mph
(Canada: 0 to 200 km/h).When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system* (
page 272).
Canadian law does not permit the use of
the radar sensor system* (
page 272) for
vehicles from outside of Canada. When you
switch off the radar sensor system*, the
following functions are deactivated:

BAS Plus* (page 67)

DISTRONIC Plus

Park Assist* (page 435)

PRE-SAFE® Brake* (page 73)
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus is a convenience system.
Its speed adjustment reduction capability is
intended to make the cruise control more ef-
fective and usable when traffic speeds vary.
It is not however, intended to, nor does it, re-
place the need for extreme care. The re-
sponsibility for the vehicle speed and the
distance to the vehicle ahead, including
most importantly brake operation to assure
safe stopping distance, always remains with
the driver.
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take street and traf-
fic conditions into account.
Complex driving situations are not always
fully recognized by DISTRONIC Plus. This
could result in wrong or missing distance
warnings.

413 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!G
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.
Warning!G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not DISTRONIC Plus is activated.
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on winding roads as conditions do not allow
safe driving at a steady speed.
DISTRONIC Plus may not react to stationary
objects in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehi-
cle in a traffic jam or a disabled vehicle).
DISTRONIC Plus will also not respond to on-
coming vehicles.
Switch off DISTRONIC Plus:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane

when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp

in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, DISTRONIC Plus will
continue to maintain the set speed unless
deactivated.
DISTRONIC Plus is designed and intended
only to maintain a set speed and keep a set
distance from moving objects in front of it.
iDo not use DISTRONIC Plus if you are driv-
ing on a road with steep uphill or downhill slopes.
iDue to its radar-emitting nature DISTRONIC
Plus may have an appearance similar to a radar
detector to law enforcement officials. You may
want to refer to this section of your Operator’s
Manual when asked.
iUSA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as a
“Vehicular Radar System”. The radar sensor is
intended for use in an automotive radar system
only. Removal, tampering, or altering of the de-
vice will void any warranties, and is not permitted
by the FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.

419 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching on when approaching a
stationary vehicle
If the vehicle in front of you is stationary,
you can only switch on DISTRONIC Plus if
your vehicle is also at a standstill.
Tap DISTRONIC Plus lever up1 or
down2 until desired speed is set.
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
or
Pull DISTRONIC Plus lever briefly in di-
rection of arrow4 to call up speed
last set (
page 423).
DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.Starting off
When the vehicle in front of you starts off:
Remove your foot from the brake
pedal.
Pull DISTRONIC Plus lever briefly in di-
rection of arrow4.
or
Briefly step on the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle starts off and adapts its speed
to the vehicle in front of you.Driving
If no vehicle is driving ahead of you,
DISTRONIC Plus functions like the cruise
control (
page 405).
When DISTRONIC Plus detects that the ve-
hicle in front of you is driving more slowly,
it brakes the vehicle in order to keep the
distance specified by you.
When DISTRONIC Plus detects that the ve-
hicle in front of you is driving faster, the ve-
hicle accelerates up to the set speed.
iIt is helpful to switch on the DISTRONIC Plus
display in the instrument cluster (
page 416)
since you can only switch on DISTRONIC Plus un-
d e r a s p e e d o f 2 0 m p h ( 3 0 k m / h ) w h e n a v e h i c l e
has been detected in front of you.
iYou can adjust the set speed using the
DISTRONIC Plus lever and the target distance
using the distance setting switch on the
DISTRONIC Plus lever (
page 425).
iIf DISTRONIC Plus is switched off,
PRE-SAFE® Brake* (page 73) will warn of an
impending collision if this function has been
activated with the instrument cluster control
system (
page 268).
Warning!G
When you step on the brake pedal, you
switch off DISTRONIC Plus except when the
vehicle is at a standstill. DISTRONIC Plus will
no longer brake your vehicle. You are always
responsible for maintaining a distance from
other vehicles, observing road speeds and
braking well in advance.

425 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting the following distance in
DISTRONIC Plus
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for DISTRONIC Plus by varying the
time setting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds.
Using this time setting and the current
speed of your vehicle, DISTRONIC Plus cal-
culates and sets the required following dis-
tance to the preceding vehicle. The set
distance will be shown in the multifunction
display.The distance setting switch for the target
distance is located on the DISTRONIC Plus
lever.
1Distance setting switch for target dis-
tance
2To increase target distance
3To decrease target distanceIncreasing distance
Increasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a greater fol-
lowing distance to the preceding vehicle.
Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 2.
Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a shorter fol-
lowing distance to the preceding vehicle.
Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 3.Warning!G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

426 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving with DISTRONIC Plus
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations. Braking
will deactivate the DISTRONIC Plus sys-
tem.
The most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grille), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case,
DISTRONIC Plus will switch off, and the
message:“DISTRONIC PLUS
currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual”
appears in the multifunction display.
For cleaning and care of the
DISTRONIC Plus sensor, see “Cleaning the
DISTRONIC Plus*/ PRE-SAFE
® Brake* sys-
tem sensors (USA only)”(
page 558).
Another cause might be that the radar sen-
sors have been manually switched off in
the instrument cluster control system.
Please verify that the radar sensors are
switched on (
page 272).
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus works to maintain the
speed selected by the driver unless a mov-
ing obstacle proceeding directly ahead of it
in the same travel direction is detected (e.g.
following another vehicle ahead of you at
your set distance).
This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.

While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, DISTRONIC Plus
could lose sight of a vehicle traveling in
front of it, then your vehicle could accel-
erate to the previously selected speed.
DISTRONIC Plus regulates only the distance
between your vehicle and those directly
ahead of it. It may not register stationary ob-
jects in the road, e.g.:

a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam

a disabled vehicle

an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be alert, observe all
traffic and intercede as required by means
of steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus should not be used in
snowy or icy road conditions.
iIf the message:
“DISTRONIC PLUS
currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual”
disappears during driving and the last speed
stored flashes for approximately 5 seconds, the
dirt (e.g. slush) has dissolved; DISTRONIC Plus is
available again.

436 Controls in detail
Driving systems
When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system* (
page 272).
Canadian law does not permit the use of
the radar sensor system* (
page 272) for
vehicles from outside of Canada. When you
switch off the radar sensor system*, the
following functions are deactivated:

BAS Plus* (page 67)

DISTRONIC Plus* (page 411)

Park Assist

PRE-SAFE® Brake* (page 73)
It visually and audibly indicates the relative
distance between the vehicle and an
obstacle.
Park Assist is automatically activated
when the engine is running and the trans-
mission is in position D, R or N.
The Park Assist system deactivates at
speeds over approximately 11 mph
(18 km/h). At lower speeds the Parktronic
system turns on again.Park Assist is also switched off when you
set the automatic transmission to P or
switch off the engine.
While the transmission is in position N,
Park Assist is switched off if you secure the
vehicle in place with the electronic parking
brake.
The Park Assist system monitors the sur-
roundings of your vehicle with four sensors
in the front bumper and two sensors in the
rear bumper.
Range of the sensors
The sensors of the Park Assist system are
integrated in the front and rear bumpers.
Make sure that the bumpers are clear of
dirt, ice and slush in the area of the sen-
sors, as otherwise, Park Assist may not
function properly, see “Cleaning the Park
Assist* system sensors” (
page 559).

467 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
1Push back to slide sunroof open
2Push forward to slide sunroof closed
3Push up to raise sunroof at rear
4Pull down to lower sunroof at rear
With the sunroof closed or tilted open, a
screen can be slid into the roof opening to
help provide shade. When sliding the sun-
roof open, the screen will also retract.
Switch on the ignition (page 336).
To open, close, raise or lower, move the
switch to resistance point in the re-
quired direction1to4 until the
tilt/sliding sunroof has reached the de-
sired position.
Express-operation: To open, close,
raise or lower, move the switch past
the resistance point in the required
direction1to4 and release.
The tilt/sliding sunroof opens or closes
completely.
Stopping during Express-opening/
closing: Move the switch in any direc-
tion.
iYou can also open or close the tilt/sliding
sunroof using the SmartKey, see “Summer open-
ing feature” (
page 376) and “Convenience
closing feature” (
page 376). Depending on
current position, the tilt/sliding sunroof may
also open or close when the air recirculation
button, (
page 453) is pressed and held
for 2 seconds.
iIf PRE-SAFE® has been activated, the
tilt/sliding sunroof closes automatically until
only a small gap remains.
iWith the SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or removed from the starter switch,
the tilt/sliding sunroof can be operated

until you open the driver’s or passenger door

for up to approximately 5 minutes
iIf the movement of the tilt/sliding sunroof is
blocked during the closing procedure, the sun-
roof will stop and reopen slightly.

485 Controls in detail
Useful features
Initiating an emergency call manually
1SOS button
2Cover
Briefly press button on cover2 to
open.
Cover 2 will open.
Press SOS button1 (for longer than
2 seconds).
The indicator lamp in SOS button1
will flash until the emergency call is
concluded.
Wait for a voice connection to the
Response Center.
Close cover2 after the emergency
call is concluded.Roadside Assistance button• and
Information button¡
The Roadside Assistance button• and
the Information button¡ are located in
the storage compartment below the front
armrest (
page 470).
1Information button¡
2Roadside Assistance button•
Warning!G
If you feel at any way in jeopardy when in the
vehicle (e.g. smoke or fire in the vehicle, ve-
hicle in a dangerous road location), please
do not wait for voice contact after you have
pressed the emergency button. Carefully
leave the vehicle and move to a safe loca-
tion. The Response Center will automatically
contact local emergency officials with the
vehicle’s approximate location if they
receive an automatic SOS signal and cannot
make voice contact with the vehicle
occupants.