Page 130 of 481

129 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 au-
tomatically 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 posi-
tion U.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off automati-
cally.
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 unexpect-
edly 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, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU to B with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromU to B 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.i
USA only:
With the automatic headlamp mode activated
you can switch on the high beam headlamps in
low ambient lighting conditions.
Page 135 of 481

134 Controls in detailLightingDriving in reverse
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Place the gear selector lever in
positionR.
The front fog lamp opposite to your
steering direction comes on.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Place the gear selector 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
or with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is locat-
ed on the center console.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on hazard warning flasher
Press the hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
i
With 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.
i
If the hazard warning flasher has been acti-
vated automatically, press hazard warning flash-
er switch1 once to switch off.
Page 136 of 481

135 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting in the front
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.1Left front reading lamp on/off
2Rear interior lighting on/off
3Automatic control on/off
4Front interior lighting on/off
5Right front reading lamp on/off
6Interior lighting
7Ambient lighting
8Front reading lamps
Deactivating automatic control
Press 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 trunk
Activating automatic control
Press switch3.
The interior lighting switches 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 a
preset time (
page 164).
!
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.
i
The interior lighting is factory-set to auto-
matic mode.
i
If a door remains open, the interior lamps
switch off automatically after approximately
5minutes.
Page 138 of 481

137 Controls in detail
Lighting
Rear reading lamps
Press rear reading lamp switch3
or7 to switch on the respective rear
reading lamp.
Press rear reading lamp switch3
or7 again to switch off the respective
rear reading lamp.
Ambient lighting
Press ambient lighting switch1or6
repeatedly until ambient lighting5
has reached the desired intensity.
You can switch the ambient lighting on and
off, using the “Control system”
(
page 163).
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 remains open, the trunk light-
ing switches off automatically after ap-
proximately 10 minutes.
i
If you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the head-
lamps, the door entry lamps will remain lit for ap-
proximately 5 minutes.
Page 142 of 481

141 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 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* is in
position1. The control system enables you
to:
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the multifunction display, and
much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Outside temperature
2Trip odometer
3Automatic transmission program mode
4Main odometer
5Current gear selector lever position
Above illustration shows the standard
display.
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(page 144).
i
The 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 per-
mit 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 (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Page 150 of 481

149 Controls in detail
Control system
Displaying intermediate time
Press button ç while the timer is
running.
The intermediate time is shown for
5 seconds.
Stopping the RACETIMER
Press button æ.
The timer stops.
Saving lap time and starting a new lap
Press button ç while the timer is
running.The intermediate time will be shown for
5 seconds.
Press button ç within the next
5 seconds.
The intermediate time shown will be
saved as a lap time.
The RACETIMER begins timing the new
lap. The new lap begins to be timed as
soon as the intermediate time is called
up.
1Gear indicator
2RACETIMER
3Best lap time
4Lap numberResetting current lap
Press button æ while the timer is
running.
The timer stops.
Press button ç.
The lap time is reset to “0”.
Deleting all laps
Press button æ while the timer is
running.
The timer stops.
Press the reset button twice
(page 26).
Press button æ.
The timer starts. The saved laps are de-
leted.
i
When you stop the vehicle and turn the
Smartkey to position 1 (
page 38) or, in vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*, turn off the engine and
do not open the driver’s door, the RACETIMER
stops timing. Timing is resumed when you
switch the ignition back on (page 38) or
restart the engine (
page 51) and then press
theæbutton.
i
You can save up to nine laps.
i
It is not possible to delete a single saved lap.
i
When you switch off the engine, the
RACETIMER will be reset to “0” after
30 seconds. All laps are deleted.
Page 152 of 481

151 Controls in detail
Control system
Selecting radio station
Turn on COMAND and select radio.
Refer to separate COMAND operating
instructions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the currently tuned station in the
multifunction display appears.
1Waveband setting
2Station frequency
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired station is found.Selecting satellite radio station*
(USA only)
The satellite radio is treated as a radio
application.
Select SAT radio with the correspond-
ing softkey in the radio menu.
1SAT mode and preset number
2Setting for station selection using
memory
3Channel name or number
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.Operating CD player
Selecting CD track
Turn on COMAND and select CD or
CD changer. Refer to separate
COMAND operating instructions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played appear in the multifunc-
tion display.
i
You can only store new stations using the
corresponding feature on the radio, see separate
operating instructions.
You can also operate the radio in the usual man-
ner.
i
Additional optional satellite radio equipment
and a subscription to satellite radio service pro-
vider are required for satellite radio operation.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for details and availability for your vehicle.
For more information, refer to separate
COMAND operating instructions.
i
The COMAND system and the CD changer
can play audio CDs as well as MP3-CDs.
For more information on operating the
CD changer refer to separate COMAND operat-
ing instructions.
Page 153 of 481

152 Controls in detailControl system1Current CD (for CD changer)
2Current track
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.Selecting MP3-CD track
Turn on COMAND and select CD or
CD changer*. Refer to separate
COMAND operating instructions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the MP3-CD cur-
rently being played appear in the multi-
function display.
1MP3 mode
2Current track
NAV* menu
The
NAV
menu contains the functions
needed to operate your navigation system.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the message
NAV
appears in the
multifunction display.
If COMAND is switched off, the mes-
sage
NAV off
is shown in the multi-
function display.
With COMAND switched on but route
guidance not activated, the direction of
travel and, if available, the name of the
street currently traveled on appear in
the multifunction display.
With COMAND switched on and route
guidance activated, the direction of
travel and maneuver instructions ap-
pear in the multifunction display.
Please refer to the COMAND manual for
instructions on how to activate the route
guidance system.
i
To select a CD from the CD changer maga-
zine, press a number on the COMAND system
key pad located in the center console.
i
Level of information displayed will vary de-
pending on the information contained on the
MP3-CD insert in the single CD player of the
COMAND system.
To select a MP3-CD from the CD changer maga-
zine, press a number on the COMAND system
key pad located in the center console.