57 Getting started
Driving
The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Switching on windshield wipers
2Single wipe
Wiping with windshield washer fluid
Switch on the ignition (
page 37).
i
To signal minor directional changes such as
changing lanes, press combination switch only
to point of resistance and release. The corre-
sponding turn signals will flash three times.
!
Do not operate the windshield wipers when
the windshield is dry. Dust that accumulates on
a windshield might scratch the glass and/or
damage the wiper blades when wiping occurs on
a dry windshield. If it is necessary to operate the
windshield wipers in dry weather conditions, al-
ways operate the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid (
page 59).
!
If anything blocks the windshield wipers
(leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off immediate-
ly.
For safety reasons, stop the vehicle in a safe
location and
remove SmartKey from starter switch
or
turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button and
open the driver’s door (with the driver’s
door open, starter switch is in
position0, same as with SmartKey re-
moved from starter switch)
before attempting to remove any blockage.
Remove blockage.
Turn the windshield wipers on again.
58 Getting startedDrivingSwitching on/off windshield wipers
Turn the combination switch to the de-
sired position depending on the inten-
sity of the rain.
MWindshield wipers off
USlow intermittent wiping
Rain sensor operation with low
sensitivity.
VFast intermittent wiping
Rain sensor operation with high
sensitivity.
uSlow continuous wiping
tFast continuous wipingIntermittent wiping
Only switch on intermittent wiping under
wet weather conditions or in the presence
of precipitation.
Turn the combination switch to
positionU or V.
The wipers move across the wind-
shield. Afterward, the wiping intervals
are determined by the wetness of the
windshield.After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor.
Single wipe
Press the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2 (
page 57) to
the resistance point.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
If windshield wipers fail to function at all in com-
bination switch positionU or V,
set the combination switch to the next high-
er wiper speed
have the windshield wipers checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
When the windshield wipers are switched on
and you brake the vehicle to a stop, the time in-
terval between wiper operations is increased.
!
Do not leave windshield wipers in
intermittent setting when the vehicle is taken to
an automatic car wash or during windshield
cleaning. Windshield wipers will operate in the
presence of water sprayed on the windshield,
and windshield wipers may be damaged as a re-
sult.
!
If you have set intermittent wiping, dirt on
the surface of the rain sensor or optical effects
may cause the windshield wipers to wipe in an
undesired fashion. This could then damage the
windshield wiper blades or scratch the windows.
You should therefore switch off the windshield
wipers when weather conditions are dry.
i
Intermittent wiping is interrupted when the
vehicle is at a standstill and a door is opened.
This protects persons getting into or out of the
vehicle from being sprayed.
Intermittent wiping will be continued when
all doors are closed
and
the gear selector lever is in positionD or R
or
the wiper setting is changed using the com-
bination switch
89 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
Canada only:
Use only a BabySmart
TM compatible child
restraint for the front passenger seat in
this vehicle.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The seat belt is now locked. Push
down on child restraint to take up any
slack.To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual man-
ner.
The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, the U.S. territories and all
Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured in
accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions for the child restraint, that
complies with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could
injure other persons
get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger or cargo compartment unless
they are firmly secured in place. For more in-
formation, see “Loading” (
page 266) and
“Useful features” (
page 280).
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of
strong braking maneuvers
sudden changes of direction
an accident
Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.i
Information on child seats with mounting fit-
tings for tether anchorages (
page 92).
For information on LATCH-type child seat an-
chors (
page 94).
100 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems
After driving on wet or snow-covered
roads, you should apply your brakes
firmly before parking your vehicle. This
produces heat which serves to dry the
brake disks and help prevent corro-
sion.
On long and steep grades, shift to a
lower gear (gear range 1, 2, or 3) to
prevent the brakes from overheating
and to reduce brake wear.
After hard braking, it is advisable to
drive on for some time so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes fast-
er.
Only Mercedes-Benz approved compo-
nents (e.g. brake pads) should be in-
stalled on your vehicle. Brake pads not
approved by Mercedes-Benz may im-
pair the safety of your vehicle.
EBP
The Electronic Brake Proportioning (EBP)
enhances braking effectiveness by allow-
ing the rear brakes to supply a greater pro-
portion of the braking effort in straight line
breaking without a loss of vehicle stability.
ESP
®
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP
®) is
operational as soon as the engine is run-
ning and monitors the vehicle’s traction
(force of adhesive friction between the
tires and the road surface) and handling.
The ESP
® recognizes when a wheel is spin-
ning or if the vehicle starts to skid. By ap-
plying the brakes to the appropriate wheel
and by limiting engine output, the ESP
®
works to stabilize the vehicle. The ESP® is
especially useful while driving off and on
wet or slippery road surfaces. The ESP®
also stabilizes the vehicle during braking
maneuvers.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster flashes when the ESP
®
is engaged.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster comes on when you
switch on the ignition. It goes out when the
engine is running.
Warning!
G
When the EBP is malfunctioning, the ABS,
BAS, and ESP
® are also switched off.
If the EBP is malfunctioning, the brake sys-
tem will still function with full brake boost.
However, the rear wheels could lock up dur-
ing emergency braking situations, for exam-
ple. You could lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident. Adapt your driving style
to the changed driving characteristics.
170 Controls in detailControl systemThe following settings and submenus are
available in the
Settings
menu:
Resetting all settings
You can reset all the functions of all sub-
menus to the factory settings.
Press the reset button in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 152) for approxi-
mately 3 seconds.
In the multifunction display you will see
the request to press the reset button
again to confirm.
Press the reset button again.The functions of all the submenus will
reset to factory settings.
Submenus in the Settings menu
Press buttonj.
In the multifunction display you see the
collection of the submenus.
Press buttonç.
The selection marker moves to the next
submenu.
The submenus are arranged by hierarchy.
Scroll down with buttonç, scroll up
with buttonæ.
With the selection marker on the desired
submenu, use the buttonj to access
the individual functions within that sub-
menu. Once within the submenu, you can
use the buttonj to move to the next
function or the buttonk t o m o v e t o t h e
previous function within that submenu.
The settings themselves are made with
buttonæ orç.
Function
Page
Resetting all settings
170
Submenus in the Settings menu
170
Instrument cluster submenu
172
Time/date submenu
174
Lighting submenu
176
Vehicle submenu
180
Convenience submenu
181
i
The settings you have changed will not be re-
set unless you confirm the action by pressing the
reset button a second time. After approximately
5seconds, the
Settings
menu reappears in the
multifunction display.
For safety reasons, the Headlamp mode
func-
tion in the
Lighting
submenu is not reset while
driving.
171 Controls in detail
Control system
The table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus.
Detailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following pag-
es.Instrument cluster
Time/Date
Lighting
Vehicle
Convenience
(page 172)
(page 174)
(page 176)
(page 180)
(page 181)
Selecting speedometer display
mode
Synchronizing the time
Setting daytime run-
ning lamp mode
(USA only)
Setting automatic
locking
Activating
easy-entry / exit feature
Selecting language
Setting the time (hours)
Setting locator lighting
Limiting opening
height of tailgate*
Setting parking position
for exterior rear view
mirror
1
1If equipped.Selecting display (speed dis-
play or outside temperature)
for status line
Setting the time (minutes)
Setting ambient light-
ing
Audio search function
Selecting display (speed dis-
play or outside temperature)
for basic display
Setting the date (month)
Setting headlamps de-
layed shut-off
Setting the date (day)
Setting interior lighting
delayed shut-off
Setting the date (year)
174 Controls in detailControl systemTime / Date submenu
Access the
Time/Date
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Time/Date
sub-
menu to change the time and date display
settings. The following functions are avail-
able:Synchronizing the time
This function can only be seen on vehicles
with COMAND and navigation module*.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Time/Date
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Time, synchroniz.
with Head Unit appears in the multi-
function display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to select
the desired setting.Setting the time (hours)
This function can only be seen when time
synchronization is switched off.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Time/Date
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Time, hours Press
R to confirm
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
The selection marker is on the hour set-
ting.
Press buttonæ orç to set the
hours.
Confirm by pressing reset button
(page 152).
Function
Page
Synchronizing the time
174
Setting the time (hours)
174
Setting the time (minutes)
175
Setting the date (month)
175
Setting the date (day)
175
Setting the date (year)
176
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Information on setting the time, refer to sep-
arate COMAND instructions.
176 Controls in detailControl systemSetting the date (year)
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Time/Date
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Set date Year
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the year
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to set the
year.Lighting submenu
Access the
Lighting
submenu via the
Set-
tings
menu. Use the
Lighting
submenu
to change the lamp and lighting settings on
your vehicle. The following functions are
available:Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Headlamp mode
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to select
manual operation (
manual
) or daytime
running lamp mode (
constant
) activat-
ed.
Function
Page
Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)
176
Setting locator lighting
177
Setting ambient lighting
178
Setting headlamps delayed
shut-off
178
Setting interior lighting delayed
shut-off
179
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This function is not available in countries
where the daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.