ContentsSafety and Security........................... 67
Occupant safety................................... 68
Air bags .......................................... 70
Occupant Classification System
(USA only) ...................................... 75
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system (Canada only) ..................... 81
Seat belts ....................................... 82
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE®) ................................... 86
Active head restraints .................... 87
Children in the vehicle .................... 88
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 95
Panic alarm .......................................... 96
Activating ....................................... 96
Deactivating ................................... 96
Driving safety systems ......................... 97
ABS ................................................ 97
BAS ................................................ 99
Adaptive Brake ............................... 99
EBP............................................... 100
ESP
®............................................. 100
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®... 105Anti-theft systems ............................. 106
Immobilizer .................................. 106
Anti-theft alarm system................ 106
Controls in detail............................. 109
Locking and unlocking ....................... 110
SmartKey ..................................... 110
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 113
Checking batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 119
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 119
Opening the doors from the
inside ........................................... 119
Opening the trunk ........................ 120
Closing the trunk.......................... 122
Trunk emergency release ............. 125
Valet locking ................................ 126
Automatic central locking ............ 127
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ........................................... 127 Seats ................................................ 129
Front seat active head restraints . 129
Rear seat head restraints ............. 129
Lumbar support ........................... 131
Multicontour seat*....................... 131
Seat heating*............................... 132
Seat ventilation* .......................... 133
Memory function ............................... 134
Storing positions into memory ..... 135
Recalling positions from memory. 135
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 136
Lighting ............................................. 137
Exterior lamp switch .................... 137
Combination switch ..................... 141
Corner-illuminating front fog
lamps* ......................................... 142
Hazard warning flasher ................ 144
Interior lighting in the front .......... 145
Interior lighting in the rear ........... 146
Door entry lamps ......................... 147
Trunk lamps ................................. 147
ContentsPower windows .................................. 237
Opening and closing the windows 237
Synchronizing power windows ..... 239
Summer opening feature .............. 239
Convenience closing feature ........ 240
Power tilt/sliding sunroof .................. 242
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof ....................... 242
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof ....................... 244
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel* .............................. 245
Opening and closing the roller
sunblinds for the panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panel ........ 245
Opening and closing the
panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel........................... 246
Synchronizing the panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel . 248
Driving systems ................................. 249
Cruise control............................... 249
Distronic*..................................... 252
Airmatic DC (Dual Control)
(only available on E 550,
E 550 4MATIC, E 63 AMG) ........... 265Parktronic system
(Parking assist)*........................... 269
Loading .............................................. 273
Roof rack*.................................... 273
Ski bag* (Canada only) ................ 274
Split rear bench seat* .................. 276
Expanding the cargo area*........... 279
Loading instructions..................... 279
Cargo tie-down rings* .................. 280
Retaining hooks ........................... 281
Useful features .................................. 282
Storage compartments ................ 282
Cup holders.................................. 284
Ashtrays ....................................... 287
Cigarette lighter ........................... 288
Power outlet................................. 289
Heated steering wheel
(Canada only) ............................... 289
Floormats ..................................... 290
Telephone* .................................. 291
Tele Aid ........................................ 294
Garage door opener ..................... 301
Operation......................................... 307
The first 1 000 miles (1 500 km) ........ 308
Driving instructions ........................... 309
Drive sensibly – save fuel............. 309
Drinking and driving ..................... 309
Pedals .......................................... 309
Power assistance ......................... 310
Brakes.......................................... 310
Driving off .................................... 312
Parking......................................... 313
Tires ............................................. 313
Hydroplaning................................ 314
Tire traction ................................. 314
Tire speed rating .......................... 315
Winter driving instructions ........... 316
Standing water............................. 317
Passenger compartment .............. 317
Driving abroad ............................. 317
Control and operation of radio
transmitter ................................... 318
Catalytic converter
(gasoline engine).......................... 318
Oxidation catalyst (diesel engine) 319
Emission control .......................... 319
Coolant temperature.................... 320
10 IntroductionOperator’s ManualThis Operator’s Manual contains a great
deal of useful information. We urge you to
read it carefully and familiarize yourself
with the vehicle before driving.
For your own safety and longer service life
of the vehicle, we urge you to follow the in-
structions and warnings contained in this
manual. Ignoring them could result in dam-
age to the vehicle or personal injury to you
or others. Vehicle damage caused by fail-
ure to follow instructions is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the
equipment described in this manual.
Therefore, you may find explanations for
optional equipment not installed in your
vehicle. If you have any questions about
the operation of any equipment, your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to demonstrate the proper proce-
dures.We continuously strive to improve our
product, and ask for your understanding
that we reserve the right to make changes
in design and equipment. Therefore, infor-
mation, illustrations and descriptions in
this Operator’s Manual might differ from
your vehicle.
Optional equipment is also described in
this manual, including operating instruc-
tions wherever necessary. Since they are
special-order items, the descriptions and
illustrations herein may vary slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are
not shown or described in this Operator’s
Manual, your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center will be glad to inform you of correct
care and operating procedures. The
Operator’s Manual and Maintenance Book-
let are important documents and should be
kept with the vehicle.
Service and warranty information
The Service and Warranty Information
Booklet contains detailed information
about the warranties covering your
Mercedes-Benz, including:
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
Emission System Warranty
Emission Performance Warranty
California, Maine, Massachusetts,
New York, and Vermont Emission Con-
trol System Warranty
(California, Maine, Massachusetts,
New York, and Vermont only)
1
State Warranty Enforcement Laws
(Lemon Laws)
1Applicable to vehicles with gasoline engine only.
15 Introduction
Symbols
Symbols
Registered trademarks
®:
ESP
® is a registered trademark of
DaimlerChrysler.
BabySmart
TM is a trademark of
Siemens Automotive Corp.
HomeLink
® is a registered trademark
of Prince, a Johnson Controls Compa-
ny.
The following symbols are found in this
Operator’s Manual:
* Optional equipment is identified
with an asterisk. Since standard
equipment varies between models,
the descriptions and illustrations in
this manual may differ slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehi-
cle.
This symbol points to instructions for
you to follow.
A number of these symbols appearing
in succession indicates a multiple-step
procedure.
page This symbol tells you where to
look for further information on a
topic.
This continuation symbol marks
a warning which is continued on
the next page.
This continuation symbol marks
a procedure which is continued
on the next page.
-> This symbol is used to indicate
cross-references to term defini-
tions.
Display
Words appearing in the multi-
function display are printed in
the type shown here.
Warning!
G
Warning notices draw your attention to haz-
ards that may endanger your health or life,
or the health or life of others.!
Highlights hazards that may result in dam-
age to your vehicle.
i
Helpful hints or further information you may
find useful.
31 At a glance
Overhead control panel
Overhead control panel
Item
Page
1
Rear interior lighting on/off
145
2
Automatic interior lighting
145
3
Front interior lighting on/off
145
4
Right reading lamp on/off
145
5
Tilt/sliding sunroof or
tilt/sliding panel*
242,
245
6
Tele Aid (emergency call
system) button
294
7
Rear view mirror
198
Item
Page
8
Front reading lamps
145
9
Garage door opener
301
a
Hands-free microphone for
Tele Aid (emergency call
system), telephone*, and
Voice Control System*, see
separate operating instruc-
tions
294
181
b
Ambient lighting
175
c
Interior lighting
d
Left front reading lamp
on/off
145
33 At a glance
Storage compartments
Item
Page
1
Glove box
282
2
Front passenger seat storage
compartment with first aid kit
432
3
Door pocket
4
Ashtray
287
5
Ruffled storage bag
283
6
Door pocket
7
Side storage pocket in trunk*
8
Luggage box under the trunk
floor
433
Item
Page
9
Retaining hooks
281
a
Door pocket
b
Ruffled storage bag
283
c
Ashtray
287
d
Door pocket
e
Driver’s seat storage compart-
ment
f
Sun visor card clip
g
CD changer
h
Ashtray with cigarette lighter
287
Item
Page
j
Mobile phone/Glasses box
282
k
Parcel net in front passenger
footwell
284
l
Storage compartment with
cup holders/telephone* com-
partment
285
m
Rear storage compartment in
the rear center console
282
n
Cup holder in the rear armrest
285
o
Storage compartment in the
rear armrest
283
41 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
Warning!
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 seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat back and seat
belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body.
Warning!
G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 49).
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.
43 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the front doors.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Backrest tilt
3Seat height
4Seat cushion tilt
5Head restraint height
Switch on the ignition (
page 37).
or
Open the respective door.Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow1.
Backrest tilt
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow2.
Seat height
Press the switch up or down in direc-
tion of arrow3.Seat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in direc-
tion of arrow4 until your upper legs
are lightly supported.
Head restraint height
Press the switch up or down in direc-
tion of arrow5.
i
The memory function (
page 134) 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
automatically pre-set.
i
Adjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.