Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and warranty
information .................................... 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 13
Operating your vehicle outside
the USA or Canada......................... 13
Where to find it .................................... 14
Symbols ............................................... 15
Operating safety .................................. 16
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 16
Problems with your vehicle .................. 17
Reporting safety defects...................... 18
Reporting safety defects ................ 18
Vehicle data recording......................... 19
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 19At a glance.......................................... 21
Exterior view ......................................... 22
Cockpit ................................................. 24
Instrument cluster ................................ 26
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 30
Center console ..................................... 31
Upper part ...................................... 31
Lower part ...................................... 32
Overhead control panel ........................ 33
Storage compartments ......................... 34
Door control panel................................ 36Getting started................................... 37
Unlocking ............................................. 38
Unlocking with the SmartKey ......... 38
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO*......... 39
Starter switch positions .................. 39
Adjusting .............................................. 43
Seats .............................................. 43
Steering wheel ................................ 46
Mirrors ............................................ 48
Driving .................................................. 51
Fastening the seat belts ................. 51
Starting the engine ......................... 54
Parking brake ................................. 57
Driving off ....................................... 58
Switching on headlamps ................. 59
Turn signals .................................... 60
Windshield wipers ........................... 60
Rear window wiper/washer ............ 62
Problems while driving.................... 63
Parking and locking .............................. 65
Parking brake ................................. 66
Switching off headlamps................. 66
Turning off the engine ..................... 67
Releasing seat belts........................ 68
Locking ........................................... 68
Contents
Safety and Security.......................... 71
Occupant safety................................... 72
Air bags .......................................... 74
Seat belts ....................................... 79
Active head restraints .................... 83
Rear head restraints ....................... 84
Children in the vehicle .................... 84
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 97
Panic alarm .......................................... 99
Activating ....................................... 99
Deactivating ................................... 99
Driving safety systems ....................... 100
ABS .............................................. 100
BAS .............................................. 102
ESP
®............................................. 102
EBP............................................... 105
4-ETS ............................................ 106
Anti-theft systems.............................. 107
Immobilizer................................... 107
Anti-theft alarm system ................ 107
Controls in detail............................. 111
Locking and unlocking ....................... 112
SmartKey ..................................... 112
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 116
Opening the doors from the
inside ........................................... 122
Opening the tailgate ..................... 123
Closing the tailgate ...................... 125
Automatic central locking ............ 130
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ........................................... 130
Seats ................................................. 132
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 132
Lumbar support............................ 136
Multicontour seat* ....................... 136
Front seat active head
restraints...................................... 137
Rear seats .................................... 137
Seat heating* ............................... 142
Seat ventilation* .......................... 143Memory function* ............................. 144
Storing positions into memory ..... 145
Recalling positions from
memory........................................ 145
Lighting ............................................. 146
Exterior lamp switch .................... 146
Combination switch ..................... 150
Corner-illuminating front
fog lamps* ................................... 151
Hazard warning flasher ................ 152
Interior lighting ............................ 153
Door entry lamps ......................... 155
Cargo compartment lamp ............ 155
Instrument cluster ............................. 156
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 157
Resetting the trip odometer ......... 157
Tachometer .................................. 157
Outside temperature indicator ..... 158
Contents
Flat tire .............................................. 497
Preparing the vehicle.................... 497
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 498
Bleeding the fuel system
(diesel engine only) ............................ 505
Battery ............................................... 506
Disconnecting, removing,
reinstalling and reconnecting
the battery.................................... 508
Charging the battery .................... 513
Jump starting ..................................... 514
Towing the vehicle ............................. 517
Installing towing eye bolt.............. 518
Stranded vehicle .......................... 519
Fuses ................................................. 520
Fuse box in engine
compartment................................ 521
Fuse box in cargo compartment ... 521
Fuse box in passenger
compartment................................ 522
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 522
Technical data................................. 523
Parts service ...................................... 524
Warranty coverage............................. 525
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ..................... 525
Identification labels ........................... 526
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 528
R 320 CDI .................................... 528
R 350 ........................................... 528
R 500 ........................................... 528
R 63 AMG..................................... 529
Engine................................................ 530
Rims and tires.................................... 532
Same size tires ............................. 533
Spare wheel (collapsible tire) ....... 534
Electrical system ............................... 535
Main Dimensions ............................... 536
Weights.............................................. 537Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. ......... 538
Capacities .................................... 538
Engine oils ................................... 540
Engine oil additives ...................... 540
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 540
Brake fluid.................................... 541
Premium unleaded gasoline
(gasoline engine) .......................... 541
Gasoline additives
(gasoline engine) .......................... 542
Fuel requirements ........................ 542
Coolants ...................................... 543
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning* system......... 546
Index................................................. 547
29 At a glance
Instrument cluster
ItemPage
8Multifunction display with:
Trip odometer157
Main odometer159
9Tachometer with:
1Supplemental
Restraint System
(SRS) indicator lamp72,
430
?Engine malfunction in-
dicator lamp,
USA only423
±Engine malfunction in-
dicator lamp,
Canada only423
ItemPage
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator150
qPreglow indicator
lamp1
aFuel gauge with:
Fuel tank reserve warning
lamp430
4Fuel filler flap indica-
tor: The fuel filler flap
is located on the rear
right-hand side360
1Vehicles with diesel engine only.
ItemPage
bMultifunction display with:
Outside temperature
display or digital speed-
ometer (depending on
selected setting in the
control system)159,
180
Transmission position
indicator201
Gear range indicator205
Selected program mode
indicator206
Distance warning function
indicator*284
Rear window wiper
indicator62
43 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as
fastening 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
back 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
abdomen or neck. That could cause serious
or fatal injuries. The seat backrest and seat
belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and
belts are properly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 51).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being
adjusted.
Warning!G
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 the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
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
whenever possible. 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 recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional informa-
tion, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 84).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
51 Getting started
Driving
Driving
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing 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 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 79).
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 84).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
52 Getting started
Driving
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
abdomen 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
correctly restrained with a separate seat
belt. Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 76) and (page 79).
53 Getting started
Driving
With a smooth motion, pull the belt out
of seat belt outlet1.
Place the shoulder portion of the seat
belt across the top of your shoulder
and the lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate2 into buckle3
(
page 52) until it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion of
the seat belt to a snug fit by pulling
shoulder portion up.
Seat belt height adjustment
1Release button
Press release button1 and move the
seat belt height adjuster upward or
downward.
Proper use of seat belts
Do not twist the seat belt when fasten-
ing.
Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the seat belt under
your arm. For this purpose, you can
adjust the height of the seat belt outlet
(
page 53).
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.
Place the seat backrest in a nearly
upright position.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.
Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant or toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.
Check your seat belt periodically
during travel to make sure that it is
properly positioned.
Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.