ContentsSafety and Security........................... 63
Occupant safety................................... 64
Air bags .......................................... 66
Occupant Classification System
(USA only) ...................................... 71
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system (Canada only) ..................... 76
Seat belts ....................................... 78
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE®) ................................... 82
Active head restraints .................... 83
Children in the vehicle .................... 84
Blocking of
rear door window operation ........... 89
Panic alarm .......................................... 90
Activating ....................................... 90
Deactivating ................................... 90
Driving safety systems ......................... 91
ABS ................................................ 91
BAS ................................................ 92
Adaptive Brake ............................... 93
EBP................................................. 93
ESP
®............................................... 94Anti-theft systems ............................... 99
Immobilizer .................................... 99
Anti-theft alarm system.................. 99
Controls in detail............................. 101
Locking and unlocking ....................... 102
SmartKey ..................................... 102
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 105
Checking batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 110
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 110
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 111
Opening the trunk ........................ 112
Closing the trunk.......................... 113
Trunk emergency release ............. 116
Valet locking ................................ 117
Automatic central locking ............ 118
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 118 Seats ................................................ 120
Front seat active head restraints . 120
Rear seat head restraints ............. 120
Lumbar support ........................... 121
Multicontour seat*....................... 122
Seat heating*............................... 123
Seat ventilation* .......................... 124
Memory function ............................... 125
Storing positions into memory ..... 126
Recalling positions from memory. 126
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 127
Lighting ............................................. 128
Exterior lamp switch .................... 128
Combination switch ..................... 132
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps* (CLS 550 with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps only).......... 132
Hazard warning flasher ................ 134
Interior lighting in the front .......... 135
Interior lighting in the rear ........... 136
Door entry lamps ......................... 137
Trunk lamp ................................... 137
Contents
Instrument cluster ............................. 138
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 138
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 139
Resetting trip odometer ............... 139
Tachometer .................................. 139
Outside temperature indicator ..... 140
Control system .................................. 141
Multifunction display .................... 141
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 142
Menus .......................................... 144
Standard display menu ................ 147
AMG menu ................................... 147
AUDIO menu ................................ 150
NAV* menu .................................. 152
Distronic* menu........................... 153
Vehicle status message
memory menu .............................. 153
Settings menu .............................. 154
Trip computer menu..................... 167
TEL* menu ................................... 168Automatic transmission...................... 171
Gear selector lever........................ 171
Shifting procedure ........................ 172
Gear selector lever positions ........ 173
Driving tips.................................... 175
Gear ranges .................................. 176
Automatic shift program ............... 177
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting ................................... 178
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting* ................ 179
Manual shift program
CLS 63 AMG ................................. 181
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ....................... 184
Good visibility ..................................... 185
Headlamp cleaning system* ......... 185
Rear view mirrors .......................... 185
Sun visors ..................................... 187
Rear window sunshade* ............... 188
Rear window defroster .................. 1894-zone automatic climate control ....... 190
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 195
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 196
Setting the temperature ............... 197
Adjusting air distribution .............. 197
Adjusting air volume ..................... 198
Front defroster ............................. 199
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
(USA only) ..................................... 200
Air recirculation mode .................. 200
Air conditioning ............................ 203
Residual heat and ventilation
(Canada only)................................ 203
Rear climate control ..................... 204
Front center console
storage compartment ventilation.. 206
Power windows .................................. 207
Opening and closing
the windows ................................. 207
Synchronizing power windows ...... 209
Summer opening feature .............. 210
Convenience closing feature......... 210
23 At a glance
Exterior view
Item
Page
1
Trunk
Unlocking
102
Opening and closing
112
Spare wheel
391
Vehicle tool kit
393
2
Rear lamps
404
3
Rear window, defrosting
193
4
Fuel filler flap
283
Fuel requirements
452
5
Doors
Locking and unlocking
102
Opening and closing
111
Item
Page
6
Towing eye bolt
393
Installing towing eye bolt
425
7
Rims and tires
Checking tire inflation
pressure
302
Flat tire
412
8
Front lamps
404
9
Hood, opening
286
Engine oil
287
Coolant
290
a
Windshield wipers
56
Wiper blades, replacing
410
Wiper blades, cleaning
337
Item
Page
b
Window, cleaning
337
c
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
212
d
Exterior rear view mirrors
Adjusting
47
Auto-dimming
185
Parking position
187
e
Side marker lamps
404
31 At a glance
Overhead control panel
Overhead control panel
Item
Page
1
Rear interior lighting on/off
135
2
Automatic interior lighting
135
3
Front interior lighting on/off
135
4
Right front reading lamp
on/off
135
5
Tilt/sliding sunroof
212
6
Tele Aid (emergency call
system) button
257
7
Rear view mirror
185
8
Front reading lamps
135
Item
Page
9
Garage door opener
263
a
Hands-free microphones for
Tele Aid (emergency call
system), telephone*, and
Voice Control System* (see
separate operating instruc-
tions)
b
Ambient lighting
163
c
Interior lighting
135
d
Left front reading lamp
on/off
135
34 At a glanceDoor control panel
Item
Page
1
Inside door handle
111
2
Seat adjustment
42
3
Memory function (for stor-
ing seat, exterior mirror and
steering wheel settings)
125
4
Exterior rear view mirror ad-
justment
47
5
Switches for opening/clos-
ing front and rear side win-
dows, rear window override
switch
207
6
Remote trunk release
switch, trunk opening/clos-
ing system*
113
41 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
SeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the
abdomen or neck. That could cause serious
or fatal injuries. The seat back and seat belts
provide the best restraint when the wearer
is in a nearly upright position and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
Warning!
G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 48).
Observe the following points:
Adjust the backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the steer-
ing wheel.
Adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The po-
sition should be as far to the rear as pos-
sible, consistent with ability to properly
operate controls.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the
center of the head restraint supports
the back of the head at eye level.
Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is be-
ing adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open. Therefore, do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
42 Getting startedAdjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the front doors.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Backrest tilt
3Head restraint height
4Seat height
5Seat cushion tilt
Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
or
Open the respective door.Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow1.
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional informa-
tion, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 84).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
i
The memory function (
page 125) lets you
store the settings for the seat position together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
!
When moving the seat, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats. Oth-
erwise you could damage the seats.
i
Depending on the set height of the head re-
straint, the seat fore and aft position is automat-
ically pre-set.
45 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting steering column up or down
Move stalk in direction of arrows2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and that all the displays (incl. malfunc-
tion and indicator lamps) on the instru-
ment cluster are clearly visible.
Easy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the steering wheel is in
its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the
Convenience
sub-
menu of the control system (
page 166).With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel will return to its last set
position when you
close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on
or
insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (
page 39) once
with the driver’s door closed
i
The memory function (
page 125) lets you
store the setting for the seat position together
with the setting for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement, do one of
the following:
Move steering wheel adjustment stalk
(page 44).
Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory buttonM
(page 126).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i
The last set steering wheel position is stored
when
the ignition is switched off
the position is stored in memory
(page 125)