2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC WAGON wheel

250 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
Distronic requires familiarity with its opera-
tional characteristics. We strongly recom-
mend that you review the following
information carefully before operating the
system.i
USA 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.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device will
void any warranties, and is not permitted. 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.Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the road, weather and traffic conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.
Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.

251 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take weather conditions
into account. Switch off Distronic 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 is switched on. Other-
wise, 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.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

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 will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.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.

257 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow3 (
page 254).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 20 mph
(30 km /h)


the ESP
® is active (
page 100) or you
deactivate the ESP
®


you move the gear selector lever into
positionN
A signal will sound. The
DISTRONIC off

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately 5 seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
i
The following message will appear in the
multifunction display for approximately
5seconds:
DISTRONIC offThe last stored speed is deleted when you turn
off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of 20 mph (30 km/h)
by operation of the system. At that time the
driver must apply the brakes in order to re-
duce vehicle speed further or bring it to a
stop.
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.

258 Controls in detailDriving systems1Distance warning function on/off
switch
2Indicator lamp
3Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a greater following
distance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel3 towards¯.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a smaller following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel3 towards®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing a stationary obstacle or a slower
vehicle moving in the vehicle’s path and
the danger of a collision exists:


The distance warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on.


An intermittent warning will sound if
necessary.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.
When pressing the brake pedal, the warn-
ing sound ceases. The warning sound will
also cease when the distance to the vehi-cle ahead is sufficient again without apply-
ing the brakes. In this case, the distance
warning lamp will also go out.
Warning!
G
If the distance warning lampl in the in-
strument cluster comes on while driving
and/or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required. As required by the traffic situation,
apply the brakes and navigate around a pos-
sible obstacle. However, do not drive by re-
lying on the distance warning function, as
this will result in an emergency braking ap-
plication. Especially depending on road sur-
face conditions and driver reaction, this will
not always enable you to avoid a collision.i
Complex driving situations are not always
fully recognized by Distronic. This could result in
wrong or missing distance warnings.

263 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Select the “Raised” level only when re-
quired by current driving conditions. Oth-
erwise

handling may be impaired


fuel consumption may increase
i
These height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.

288 Controls in detailUseful featuresHeated steering wheel (Canada only)
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
The stalk is on the lower left-hand side of
the steering wheel.
1Switching on
2Switching off
3Indicator lampSwitching on

Switch on the ignition (
page 37).

Turn switch at the tip of stalk in direc-
tion of arrow1.
The steering wheel is heated. Indicator
lamp3 comes on.Switching off

Turn switch at the tip of stalk in direc-
tion of arrow2.
The heated steering wheel is switched
off. Indicator lamp3 goes out.
For information on steering wheel, see
“Multifunction steering wheel”
(
page 156).
i
The steering wheel heating is temporarily
suspended while indicator lamp3 remains on
when


the temperature of the vehicle interior is
above 86°F (30°C)


the temperature of the steering wheel is
above 95°F (35°C)
When these conditions do not apply anymore,
steering wheel heating continues.
i
Indicator lamp3 flashes or goes out


in case of power surge or undervoltage


in case of a steering wheel heating malfunc-
tion
i
The steering wheel heating switches off au-
tomatically when you remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch or, on vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*, when you switch off the ignition
(
page 64) and open the driver’s door.

290 Controls in detailUseful features
When the mobile phone is inserted in the
cradle, you can operate the telephone us-
ing the following devices:

mobile phone keypad


buttonss and t on the multi-
function steering wheel (
page 156)


Voice Control System* (see separate
operating instructions)Please note that these functions are only
available with Mercedes-Benz approved
mobile phones. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for informa-
tion on features available for your mobile
phone of choice.
The cradle is located in the front center
armrest.

Open telephone compartment
(page 283).
Inserting mobile phone in mobile phone
cradle
Once the mobile phone has been inserted
in the mobile phone cradle, you have to
use the hands-free device to respond dur-
ing phone calls.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road,
weather and traffic conditions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND
1 (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System) if road, weather
and traffic conditions permit.
1Observe all legal requirements.
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.i
Various mobile phone cradles can be in-
stalled in the front center armrest, see separate
installation instructions for the mobile phone
cradle. These mobile phone cradles can be ob-
tained from an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
The functions and services available to you while
using the mobile phone depend on your service
provider and the type of mobile phone you are
using. See also separate operating manual for in-
structions on how to use your mobile phone.
!
Do not try to remove the mobile phone along
with the cradle. You could otherwise damage the
mobile phone cradle.

291 Controls in detail
Useful features

If applicable, remove the cover for the
external antenna connection from the
back of the mobile phone and store it in
a s a f e p l a c e . B e s u r e t o c o m p l y w i t h t h e
mobile phone’s operating instructions
as well.
Example illustration1Insert the mobile phone
2Connector contact
3Mobile phone cradle
Slide the lower end of the mobile phone
into connector contact2 on
cradle3.

Push the top of the mobile phone in di-
rection of arrow1, until the lug on the
mobile phone release button engages.
The mobile phone is connected to the
network via the external antenna.
The mobile phone is linked to the
hands-free device and the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
The battery is charged depending on its
charge status and the position of the
SmartKey in the starter switch. The
charge procedure will be indicated in
the mobile phone’s display.
You can place or receive phone calls. You
can control other functions of the mobile
phone via the control system
(
page 184), COMAND* or Voice Control
System* (see separate operating instruc-
tions).Removing mobile phone from mobile
phone cradle
Example illustration1Release catch for mobile phone
2Mobile phone cradle
Press release catch in direction of
arrow1 and take mobile phone out of
mobile phone cradle2.
i
When you take the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* out of the starter switch, the
mobile phone remains switched on for approxi-
mately 10 minutes. If you place or receive a call
during this time, the mobile phone switches off
10 minutes after the call has been completed.
i
When using a flip-style mobile phone, open
flip top before removing from the cradle while a
call is connected. Otherwise, the call will be dis-
connected.