Page 60 of 473
59 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
Warning!G
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Wait until the vehicle is stationary before re-
moving the SmartKey from the starter
switch. The vehicle cannot be steered when
the SmartKey is removed.
Warning!G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
system. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
Warning!G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury or
damage to the vehicle drivetrain as a result
of vehicle movement, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle always:
Keep right foot on brake pedal.
Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.
Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into first or reverse gear.
Automatic transmission*: Move the
gear selector lever to position P.
Slowly release brake pedal.
When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove.
Take the SmartKey with you and lock
vehicle when leaving.
Warning!G
Engaging the parking brake while the vehicle
is in motion can cause the rear wheels to
lock up. You could lose control of the vehicle
and cause an accident. In addition, the
vehicle’s brake lights do not light up when
the parking brake is engaged.
Page 61 of 473
60 Getting started
Parking and locking
1Parking brake lever
Pull up parking brake lever1 firmly.
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning
lamp; (USA only) or3 (Canada
only) in the speedometer dial comes
on.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever* not fully engaged in positionP
(manual transmission: first or reverse gear)
is dangerous. Also, when parked on an in-
cline, positionP (manual transmission: first
or reverse gear) alone may not prevent your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (manual transmission:
first or reverse gear).
When parked on an incline, also turn the
front wheels towards the road curb.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Children
could release the parking brake and/or
move the gear selector lever* from
positionP (manual transmission: into
Neutral), either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
Page 62 of 473
61 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(
page 109).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 109).
Turning off engine
Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into first or reverse gear.
Automatic transmission*: Place the
gear selector lever in positionP.
Apply the parking brake (page 59).
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 49).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate.
iAlways set the parking brake in addition to
shifting into first or reverse gear (automatic
transmission*: gear selector lever in positionP).
When parked on an incline, also turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
iVehicles with automatic transmission*: The
SmartKey can only be removed from the starter
switch with the gear selector lever in positionP.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim
panel. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Page 94 of 473
93 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*
Good visibility
Climate control
Automatic climate control*
Audio system
Power windows
Retractable hardtop
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features
Page 112 of 473
111 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionMorU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the
following lamps will switch on
additionally:
Tail and parking lamps
License plate lamps
Side marker lamps
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.Canada only:
The daytime running lamp mode is
mandatory and therefore in a constant
mode.
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a three-minute delay.When the engine is running, and you
turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps and
the side marker lamps switch on
additionally.
turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 109).
USA only:
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime
running lamp mode using the control sys-
tem, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode” (
page 143).iWith the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, the low beam head-
lamps cannot be switched off manually.
iWith the exterior lamp switch in
positionM or U you cannot switch on the
high beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to position B to permit activation
of the high beam headlamps.
Page 154 of 473
153 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Manual transmission is standard equip-
ment on select models and not available
on all models.
For information on driving with a manual
transmission, see “Manual transmission”
(
page 51).
Warning!G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or
reverse gear and the parking brake not
engaged is dangerous.
Also, when parked on an incline, an engaged
first or reverse gear alone may not prevent
your vehicle from moving, possibly hitting
people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 59).
W h e n p a r k e d o n a n i n c line, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Children
could move the gearshift lever, which could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action.
This could result in drive wheel slip and
reduced vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS
will not prevent this type of loss of control.
Page 155 of 473
154 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Gearshift pattern for manual transmission
Shifting into reverse
Stop the vehicle completely.
Fully depress the clutch pedal.
Move the gearshift lever to the neutral
position (no gear selected).
Move the gearshift lever to the left until
you feel a certain resistance.
Push the gearshift lever past this
resistance.
Then move the gearshift lever forward
into positionR.
!When you are shifting into the5th or6th
gear, make sure that you press the gearshift
lever to the right. Otherwise, you could acciden-
tally shift into the3rd or4th gear and damage
the transmission.
Downshifting gears leading to overrevving the
engine can result in engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Never hold the vehicle stopped on a hill by using
the clutch pedal. The clutch may be damaged
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Do not exceed the engine speed limits. Refer to
tachometer (
page 119) for engine speeds.
!Only shift into reverse gearR when the
vehicle is stationary, as the transmission could
otherwise be damaged.
Page 157 of 473
156 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
There are additional indicators on the
cover of the shifting gate showing the
current gear selector lever position.
The indicators come on when you insert
the SmartKey into the starter switch, and
go out when you remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:
gear selector lever positionD
(
page 157) with gear ranges
(
page 160)
the selected program mode:
(C/S)(
page 161)
or
(M/C/S)* (
page 165)
the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 159)
the vehicle speedWhen the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:
limiting the gear range
changing gears manually
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out of park positionP or neutral
positionN 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 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.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
