2007 MERCEDES-BENZ GL320CDI steering

49 Getting started
Adjusting
Head restraint fore and aft adjustment
Manually adjust the angle of the head
restraint.
While seated, reach behind you with
both hands and find lower edge of the
head restraint.
Adjust the head restraint to the desired
position by pushing or pulling on the
lower edge of the head restraint cush-
ion.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 132).
Steering wheel
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
activated or deactivated in the
Comfort
submenu of the control system
(
page 184).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 43) once
with the driver’s door closed
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 52).

Press one of the memory position
buttons or memory buttonM*
(
page 144).
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.

50 Getting started
Adjusting
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards when you:

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1 (
page 41) or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position1
(
page 43)Steering wheel adjustment, manualMake sure that

you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows

you can move your legs freely

all displays (including malfunction and
indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible
The steering wheel adjustment release
handle is located on the lower left of the
steering column.
iThe last set steering wheel position is stored
when

the ignition is switched off (page 41)

the position is stored in memory
(
page 144)
iIf the current position for the steering wheel
is in the uppermost tilt position, the steering
wheel will no longer be able to move upward
when the easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
The adjustment procedure is briefly interrupted,
when the engine is started.
Warning!G
Let the system complete the adjustment
procedure before setting the vehicle in mo-
tion. All steering wheel adjustment must be
completed before setting the vehicle in mo-
tion. Driving off with the steering wheel still
adjusting could cause the driver to lose con-
trol of the vehicle.
Warning!G
Only adjust the steering wheel with the vehi-
cle at a standstill and make sure the steer-
ing wheel is securely locked in place before
driving off.
Driving without the steering wheel adjust-
ment locked may cause an unexpected
steering wheel movement which could
cause the driver to lose control of the vehi-
cle. Make sure the steering wheel is secure-
ly locked by trying to move it up and down,
and in and out before driving off.

51 Getting started
Adjusting
1Release handle
To unlock the steering column, pull
release handle1 out to its stop limit.
Move steering wheel to the desired
position.
Push release handle1 back to its
original position to relock the steering
column.
The steering column is locked into po-
sition again.
Make sure the steering column is
securely locked by trying to move the
steering wheel up and down as well as
in and out before driving off.Steering wheel adjustment, electrical*
Make sure that

you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows

you can move your legs freely

all displays (including malfunction and
indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible
The steering wheel adjustment stalk is
located on the lower left of the steering
column.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the steering
wheel adjustment feature can be operated
when the driver’s door is open. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle. A
child’s unsupervised access to a vehicle
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iThe memory function* (page 143) lets
you store the settings for the steering wheel col-
umn together with the settings for seat positions
and the exterior rear view mirrors.

52 Getting started
Adjusting
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Switch on the ignition (page 42).
or
Open the driver’s door.
Adjusting steering column in or out
Move stalk forward or back in direction
of arrow1.
Adjusting steering column up or down
Move stalk up or down in direction of
arrow2.
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 210).
Exterior rear view mirrorsThe buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Adjustment button
3Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror button
Switch on the ignition (page 42).
Press button1 for the driver’s side ex-
terior rear view mirror or button3 for
the passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror.
The indicator lamp on the respective
button comes on for
approximately 15 seconds.
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror.
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Check your interior rear view mirror or
glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.

53 Getting started
Adjusting
Push adjustment button2 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 210).
iIf you do not make adjustments to the
selected exterior rear view mirror within
15 seconds, the indicator lamp goes out. You will
then have to select the desired exterior rear view
mirror again before any adjustments can be
made. Adjustments can only be made with the
indicator lamp for the respective exterior rear
view mirror button illuminated.
!If an exterior rear view mirror was forcibly
pushed forward (hit from the rear) or forcibly
pushed rearward (hit from the front), reposition
it by applying firm pressure until it snaps into
place. The mirror housing is then properly posi-
tioned and you can adjust the mirror in the usual
manner.
!Vehicle with power folding exterior rear view
mirrors*:
If an exterior rear view mirror housing is forcibly
pushed forward (hit from the rear) or forcibly
pushed rearward (hit from the front), press fold
button1 (
page 212) to fold mirrors in, then
press fold button1 (
page 212) again to fold
mirrors out. Do not force mirrors by hand as this
may damage the adjustment mechanism.
The mirror housing is then properly positioned
and you can adjust the mirror in the usual man-
ner.
iThe memory function* (page 143) lets
you store the settings for the exterior rear view
mirrors together with the setting for the steering
wheel column and the seat positions.
At low ambient temperatures, the exterior rear
view mirrors will be heated automatically.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the exterior
rear view mirrors will be heated automatically.

62 Getting started
Driving
For more information, see “Driving instruc-
tions” (
page 349).
For information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (
page 357).
Switching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch
1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low beam headlamps come on.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!Shift the automatic transmission to
positionPorR only when the vehicle is stopped
in order to avoid damaging the transmission.
!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high engine
speeds may shorten the service life of the
engine.
!Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.

63 Getting started
Driving
High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push the combination switch in
direction of arrow1.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 26).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 145).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in
direction of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampL orK in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 26).The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ment.
Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1Single wipe
Wiping with windshield washer fluid
2Switching on windshield wipers
iTo signal minor directional changes such as
changing lanes, press combination switch only
to point of resistance and release. The corre-
sponding turn signal will flash three times.

65 Getting started
Driving
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor.
Single wipe
Press the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow1 to the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.Wiping with windshield washer fluid
Press the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 past the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield/rear window
washer system and headlamp cleaning
system*” (
page 384).
Rear window wiper/washer
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1Rear window wiper switch
2Wiping rear window with washer fluid
3Intermittent wiping
4Rear window wiper off
5Wiping rear window with washer fluid
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when the
vehicle is at a standstill and a front 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 automatic transmission is set to
positionD orR
or

the wiper setting is changed using the
combination switch
iTo prevent smears on the windshield or
noisy/chattering wiper blades, wipe with
windshield washer fluid every now and then even
when it is raining.