Contents
Gear selector lever positions ....... 171
Driving tips ................................... 173
Gear ranges ................................. 174
Shift program mode selector
switch .......................................... 175
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 175
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting ................. 177
Manual shift program ................... 179
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 181
Good visibility .................................... 182
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 182
Rear view mirrors ......................... 182
Sun visors .................................... 183
Rear window defroster ................. 185
Automatic climate control ................. 186
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system................. 190
Operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode 190
Setting the temperature ............... 191
Adjusting air distribution .............. 192
Adjusting air volume .................... 193
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ....... 193Front defroster.............................. 194
Air recirculation mode .................. 195
Air conditioning............................. 196
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 197
Power windows .................................. 199
Opening and closing the windows. 199
Synchronizing power windows ...... 201
Summer opening feature .............. 201
Convenience closing feature......... 202
Driving systems .................................. 203
Cruise control ............................... 203
Useful features ................................... 206
Map pocket in passenger
footwell ......................................... 206
Storage compartments ................. 206
Parcel net in trunk ........................ 207
Ashtray and cigarette lighter......... 208
Power outlet ................................. 209
Telephone ..................................... 209
Tele Aid ......................................... 214
Garage door opener ...................... 221
Floormats*.................................... 226
Floormats* (Only Mercedes-Benz
SLR McLaren 722 Edition) ............ 227
Dust cover .................................... 228
Roof and trunk lid racks ................ 230
Operation.......................................... 232
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 234
Driving instructions ............................ 235
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 235
Drinking and driving...................... 235
Pedals ........................................... 235
Power assistance .......................... 236
Brakes .......................................... 236
Driving off ..................................... 239
Parking ......................................... 239
Tires.............................................. 240
Hydroplaning ................................ 241
Tire traction .................................. 241
Tire speed rating ........................... 241
Winter driving instructions ............ 242
Standing water ............................. 243
Passenger compartment............... 243
Driving abroad .............................. 243
Control and operation of radio
transmitters .................................. 243
Catalytic converter ....................... 244
Emission control ........................... 245
Coolant temperature .................... 245
34 At a glance
Control panel on the door sill
ItemPage
1Door handle101
2Switches for opening/closing
windows199
3Switch for seat adjustment41
47 Getting started
Driving
Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right 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 during travel to
make sure that it is properly
positioned.
Make sure that the seat belt is always
fitted snugly. Take special care of this
when wearing loose clothing.
Starting the engine
Warning!G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the seat belt to get caught in
the door or in the seat adjustment mecha-
nism. This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the seat 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 seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.Warning!G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause
unconsciousness and possible death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as 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
window fully open.
53 Getting started
Driving
Intermittent wiping
The intermittent wiping interval is depen-
dent on the wetness of the windshield.
Turn the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow 2 to positionI.
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are controlled by the rain sensor.Single wipe
Press 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 combination switch in direction
of arrow1 past the resistance point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 257).
!Do not leave windshield wipers in
intermittent setting when the vehicle is taken to
an automatic car wash or during windshield
cleaning. Wipers will operate in the presence of
water sprayed on the windshield, and wipers
may be damaged as a result.
!If you have set intermittent wiping, dirt on
the surface of the rain sensor or optical effects
may cause the windshield wipers to wipe in an
undesired fashion. This could then damage the
windshield wiper blades or scratch the windows.
You should therefore switch off the windshield
wipers when weather conditions are dry.
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 gear selector
lever is in drive positionD or reverse gearR
or
the wiper setting is changed using the com-
bination switch
iTo prevent smears on the windshield or
noisy/chattering wiper blades, wipe with wind-
shield washer fluid every now and then even
when it is raining.
62 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal
impacts (front air bags, knee air bags) or
side impacts (head-thorax air bags).
However, no system available today can
totally eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and passenger to always be in a prop-
erly seated position and to wear their seat
belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 45).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:
Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.
Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.
Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.
Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Audio system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Automatic climate control
Power windows
Driving systems
Useful features
184 Controls in detail
Good visibility
1Vanity mirror cover
2Vanity mirror lamp
3Mounting
4Holder for gas cardsGlare through the windshield
Make sure the sun visor is properly
engaged in mounting 3.
Swing the respective sun visor down.
When you do not experience glare
anymore, swing the sun visor up.
Glare through a door window
Swing respective sun visor down.
Disengage the sun visor from
mounting3.
Pivot the sun visor to the side.Vanity mirror
Swing respective sun visor down.
Flip up vanity mirror cover1 to access
the vanity mirror.
Vanity mirror lamp 2 comes on.
After using the vanity mirror, flip down
vanity mirror cover 1.
Swing the sun visor up.
iWhen the sun visor is disengaged from
mounting3, vanity mirror lamp2 switches
off.
!To avoid damage to vanity mirror cover 1,
make sure it is closed before pivoting the sun
visor to the side.
185 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear. The defroster is automatically
deactivated after approximately
6 to 17 minutes of operation depending on
the outside temperature.Activating
Press buttonF on the automatic
climate control panel (
page 188).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating
Press buttonF again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before
driving. Visibility could otherwise be
impaired, endangering you and/or others.
!If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp starts flashing, this
means that too many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system re-
sponds automatically by deactivating the rear
window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
rear window defroster automatically switches
back on automatically.