45 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow2 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Seat backrest tilt
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow4 until your arms
are slightly angled when holding the
steering wheel.
Head restraint height
Vehicles with memory function*:
Press switch1 (
page 44) up or
down in direction of arrow.Vehicles without memory function*:
1Head restraint
2Release button
Raising:
Manually adjust the height of head
restraint1 by pulling it upward.
If head restraint1 is fully retracted,
push release button2 in direction of
arrow and pull head restraint1 up-
ward.
Lowering:
To lower head restraint1, push
release button2 in direction of arrow
and press down on head restraint1.
Warning!
G
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
With a rear seat occupied, make sure to
move the respective head restraint up from
the lowest non-use position and have the
occupant adjust the head restraint properly.
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned and engaged head restraints.
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. This will reduce the po-
tential for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.!
Do not attempt to remove front seat head
restraints. They can only be removed by qualified
technicians. We recommend that you have this
work carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
46 Getting startedAdjustingHead 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 128).
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 177).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 41) 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 49).
Press one of the memory position
buttons or the memory buttonM*
(page 135).
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.
47 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 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button in position1 (
page 41)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.
i
The last set steering wheel position is stored
when
the ignition is switched off (
page 39)
the position is stored in memory
(page 135)
i
If 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.
48 Getting startedAdjusting1Release 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 ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
i
The memory function* (
page 134) lets
you store the settings for the steering wheel col-
umn together with the settings for seat positions
and the exterior rear view mirrors.
49 Getting started
Adjusting
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Switch on the ignition (
page 40).
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 200).
Exterior rear view mirrors
Warning!
G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape the mirror housing if the mirror glass
breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not
allow the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.!
Electrolyte drops coming into contact with
the vehicle paint finish can only be completely
removed while in their liquid state and by apply-
ing plenty of water.
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.
51 Getting started
Driving
Driving
Fastening the seat beltsWarning!
G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are ob-
structing the pedal’s range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneu-
vers, the objects could get caught between
the pedals. You could then no longer brake
or accelerate. This could lead to accidents
and injury.Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passengers are
properly restrained, even those sitting in the
rear and pregnant women.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passengers should
always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(page 77).
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats.
Regardless of seating position, children
12 years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriate infant or
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
For additional information, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 82).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
52 Getting startedDriving
1Seat belt outlet
2Latch plate
3Buckle
4Release button
Warning!
G
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 belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.
Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Make
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is cor-
rectly restrained with a separate seat belt.
Never use a seat belt for more than one per-
son at a time.Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 73) and (
page 77).
54 Getting startedDriving
Starting the engine Automatic transmission
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
For more information on how to operate
the gear selector lever, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 185).
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause un-
consciousness and possible death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with at least one win-
dow fully open.