Page 156 of 585

155 Controls in detail
Control system
Press buttonk orj repeatedly 
until the coolant temperature appears 
in the multifunction display.Calling up digital speedometer or 
outside temperature
Press buttonk orj repeatedly 
until the digital speedometer or the 
outside temperature appears in the 
multifunction display.
Digital speedometer
Outside temperature
!
Excessive coolant temperature triggers a 
warning message in the multifunction display 
(
page 450).
The engine should not be operated with the 
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C). 
Doing so may cause serious engine damage 
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty.
i
During severe operating conditions, e.g. 
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant temperature may 
rise close to 248°F (120°C).
i
You can select whether the digital speedom-
eter or the outside temperature is shown in the 
multifunction display.
You can change the setting in the submenu 
Instr. cluster
 via the function 
Status line 
display
, see “Selecting display (digital speed-
ometer or outside temperature) for status 
indicator” (page 168). 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 165 of 585

164 Controls in detailControl systemShould the vehicle’s system record any 
conditions while driving, the number of 
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display
when the SmartKey in the starter 
switch is turned to position0 or 
removed from the starter switch.
or
when you turn off the engine by 
pressing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop 
button (
page 67) in the starter 
switch once and open the driver’s door 
(this puts the starter switch in 
position0, same as with the SmartKey 
removed from the starter switch)
Settings menu
In the 
Settings
 menu there are two 
functions:
The function 
Reset to factory 
settings?
, with which you can reset all 
the settings to the original factory 
settings.
A collection of submenus with which 
you can make individual settings for 
your vehicle.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly 
until the 
Settings
 menu appears in the 
multifunction display.The following settings and submenus are 
available in the 
Settings
 menu:
i
The vehicle status message memory will be 
cleared when you turn the SmartKey in the start-
er switch to position1 or2, or when you press 
the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or 
twice without depressing the brake pedal. You 
will then only see high priority messages in the 
multifunction display (
page 428).
Function
Page
Resetting all settings
165
Submenus in the settings menu
165
Instrument cluster submenu
167
Time/date submenu
169
Lighting submenu
171
Vehicle submenu
174
Comfort submenu*
177 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 166 of 585

165 Controls in detail
Control system
Resetting all settings
You can reset the functions of all 
submenus to the factory settings.
Press the reset button in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 145) for 
approximately 3 seconds.
The request to press the reset button 
once more to confirm appears in the 
multifunction display.
Press the reset button once more.
The functions of all the submenus will 
reset to factory settings.Submenus in the Settings menu
Press buttonj.
The collection of the submenus 
appears in the multifunction display.
Press buttonç.
The selection marker moves to the next 
submenu.
The submenus are arranged by hierarchy. 
Scroll down with buttonç, scroll up 
with the buttonæ.
With the selection marker on the desired 
submenu, use the jbutton to access 
the individual functions within that sub-
menu. Once within that submenu, you can 
use thej button to move to the next 
function or thek button to move to the 
previous function within that submenu.
The settings themselves are made with 
buttonæ orç.
i
The settings you have changed will not be 
reset unless you confirm the action by pressing 
the reset button a second time.
After approximately 5 seconds, the 
Settings
 
menu reappears in the multifunction display 
(
page 164).
i
For safety reasons, the function 
Lamp circuit headlamp
 in the 
Lighting
 
submenu cannot be reset while driving.
The following message appears in the multifunc-
tion display:
Settings
Cannot be
completely reset
to factory settings
while driving 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 167 of 585
166 Controls in detailControl systemThe table below shows what settings can 
be changed within the various menus. 
Detailed instructions on making individual 
settings can be found on the following 
pages.INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
TIME/DATE
LIGHTING
VEHICLE
COMFORT*
(page 167)
(page 169)
(page 171)
(page 174)
(page 177)
Selecting speedometer 
display mode
Setting the time (hours)
Setting daytime running 
lamp mode (USA only)
Compass adjustment
Activating 
easy-entry/exit 
feature*
Selecting language
Setting the time (minutes)
Setting locator lighting
Compass calibration
Setting fold-in func-
tion* for exterior rear 
view mirrors
Selecting display (digital 
speedometer or outside 
temperature) for status in-
dicator
Setting the date (month)
Setting night security 
illumination
Audio search function
Setting the date (day)
Setting interior lighting 
delayed shut-off
Setting automatic 
locking
Setting the date (year)
Limiting opening 
height of tailgate* 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 168 of 585

167 Controls in detail
Control system
Instrument cluster submenu
Access the 
Instr. cluster
 submenu via 
the 
Settings
 menu. Use the 
Instr. 
cluster
 submenu to change the instru-
ment cluster display settings.
The following functions are available:Selecting speedometer display mode
Move the selection marker with 
buttonæ orç to the 
Instr. 
cluster
 submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until the message 
Display unit 
Digital speedometer
 appears in the 
multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current 
setting.
Press buttonæ or ç to set 
speedometer unit to 
km or 
miles
.Selecting language
Move the selection marker with 
buttonæ orç to the 
Instr. 
cluster
 submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until the message 
Language
 appears in 
the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current 
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to select 
the language to be used for the 
multifunction display messages.
Function
Page
Selecting speedometer display 
mode
167
Selecting language
167
Selecting display (digital 
speedometer or outside 
temperature) for status indica-
tor
168
 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 169 of 585
168 Controls in detailControl system
Available languages:
German
English
French
Italian
Spanish
Dutch
Swedish
Danish
Turkish
Portuguese
Russian (Canada only)Selecting display (digital speedometer 
or outside temperature) for status 
indicator
Move the selection marker with 
buttonæ orç to the 
Instr. 
cluster
 submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until the message 
Status line 
display
 appears in the multifunction 
display.
The selection marker is on the current 
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to select 
the desired setting.
The selected display is then shown 
continuously in the status indicator 
(lower display).
The other display now appears in the 
menu of the standard display 
(page 154):
Digital speedometer
or
Outside temperature
 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 182 of 585

181 Controls in detail
Control system
Resetting fuel consumption statistics
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until the message 
From start 
appears 
in the multifunction display.
Press and hold the reset button in the 
instrument cluster (
page 145) until 
the value is reset to 0.
Fuel consumption statistics since the 
last reset
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until the message 
From start
 appears 
in the multifunction display.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until the message 
After reset
 appears 
in the multifunction display.1Distance driven since last reset
2Time elapsed since last reset
3Average speed since last reset
4Average fuel consumption since last 
reset
Resetting fuel consumption statistics 
manually
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until the message 
From start 
appears 
in the multifunction display.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until the message 
After reset
 appears 
in the multifunction display.
Press and hold the reset button in the 
instrument cluster (
page 145) until 
the value is reset to 0.Distance to empty
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly 
until the message 
From start
 appears 
in the multifunction display.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly 
until the message 
Range:
 appears in 
the multifunction display.
The calculated remaining driving range 
based on the current fuel tank level 
appears in the multifunction display.
i
The fuel consumption statistics reset auto-
matically to 0 when either of the following values 
is exceeded:
distance covered: 100 000 miles
time elapsed: 10 000 hours 
         
        
        
     
        
        Page 255 of 585

254 Controls in detailDriving systemsIf Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision:
The distance warning lampl in the 
instrument cluster comes on 
(page 27).
An intermittent warning sounds.
Immediately apply the brake to avoid a 
collision.
Under no circumstances should the 
driver await the intermittent warning 
sound before braking. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases 
and the distance warning lampl 
goes out when the necessary distance 
to the vehicle ahead is again estab-
lished.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the 
distance warning lampl in the instru-
ment cluster is illuminated if the Distronic 
system calculates that the distance to the 
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current 
speed indicate that Distronic will not be ca-
pable of slowing the vehicle sufficiently to 
maintain the preset following distance, 
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase 
your distance to the preceding vehicle. The 
warning sound is intended as a final caution 
in which you should intercede with your own 
braking inputs to avoid a potentially danger-
ous situation. Do not wait for the operation 
of the warning signal to intercede with your 
own braking. This will result in potentially 
dangerous emergency braking which will 
not always result in an impact being avoid-
ed.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
Distronic brakes your vehicle with a maxi-
mum deceleration of 6.5 ft/s
2 (2 m/s
2). This 
corresponds to about 20% of the maximum 
deceleration of your vehicle.
Distronic brakes the vehicle in an effort to 
restore the preset distance or to maintain 
the set speed.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal 
movement which could interfere with the 
braking ability of the Distronic system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal 
– your foot could become caught.