Contents
Introduction....................................... 13
Product information ............................. 13
Operator’s Manual ............................... 14
Service and warranty information .. 14
Important notice for California retail
buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 15
Maintenance .................................. 16
Roadside Assistance ...................... 16
Change of address or ownership.... 16
Operating your vehicle outside the
USA or Canada............................... 17
Where to find it .................................... 18
Symbols ............................................... 19
Operating safety .................................. 20
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 20
Problems with your vehicle .................. 21
Reporting safety defects...................... 22
Reporting safety defects ................ 22
Vehicle data recording......................... 23
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 23
At a glance.......................................... 25
Exterior view ......................................... 26
Cockpit ................................................. 28
Instrument cluster ................................ 30
Control systems ................................... 32
Storage compartments ......................... 34
Center console ..................................... 36
Overhead control panel ........................ 37
Driver’s door control panel ................... 38Safety and Security............................ 39
Occupant safety ................................... 40
Air bags........................................... 42
Occupant Classification System ..... 48
Seat belts........................................ 53
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®).................................... 56
Children in the vehicle .................... 57
Blocking of rear side
window operation ........................... 63Panic alarm .......................................... 64
Activating........................................ 64
Deactivating.................................... 64
Driving safety systems ......................... 65
ABS ................................................. 65
Adaptive Brake ............................... 66
Adaptive Brake Lights (CL 600 and
CL 65 AMG, USA only) .................... 67
BAS ................................................. 67
BAS Plus* ....................................... 68
EBP ................................................. 70
ESP
®............................................... 70
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only) ................... 75
Anti-theft systems ................................ 79
Immobilizer ..................................... 79
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 79
Canceling the alarm ........................ 80
25 At a glance
Exterior view
Cockpit
Instrument cluster
Control systems
Storage compartments
Center console
Overhead control panel
Driver’s door control panel
29 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Combination switch
High beam
Corner-illuminating lamps
Windshield wipers
Turn signals
395
395
400
410
2
Lever for
Cruise control
DISTRONIC Plus*
438
443
3
Horn
4
Multifunction steering wheel
283
5
Instrument cluster
30
6
Steering wheel gearshift
control
428
7
Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission
417
Item
Page
8
Control panel with
Front passenger front
air bag off indicator lamp
Vehicle level control
switch
Electronic Stability Pro-
gram (ESP
®) switch
Parktronic*/Park Assist*
deactivation switch
Swivel COMAND display
COMAND/instrument
cluster display
illumination
51
461
72
466,
471
85
85,
434
9
COMAND display
83
a
Overhead control panel
37
b
Automatic climate control
Center console
269,
491
36
Item
Page
c
Glove box lock
510
d
Cover of compartment with
CD/DVD changer
PCMCIA card slot
116
117
e
Control system
32
f
Starter switch
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button
365
366
g
Steering wheel adjustment
Heated steering wheel*
379
380
h
Electronic parking brake
412
j
Driver’s door control panel
38
k
Hood lock release
553
l
Night View Assist*
481
m
Exterior lamp switch
391
35 At a glance
Storage compartments
Item
Page
1
Glove box
510
2
Front passenger seat storage
compartment with first aid kit
681
3
Door pocket
4
Front center armrest with
Storage tray/telephone*
compartment
Storage compartment
510
5
Cup holder in the rear center
armrest
513
6
Rear center armrest with stor-
age compartment
Storage compartment be-
tween rear seats
512
512
Item
Page
7
Rear storage box
513
8
Side storage pocket in trunk
Retainer for Operator’s Manu-
al pouch
515
9
Storage spaces under trunk
floor
514
a
Side storage pocket in trunk
b
Door pocket
c
Driver’s seat storage com-
partment
511
Item
Page
d
Cup holder in the front center
console
513
e
Ashtray
Cigarette lighter
516
517
f
Parcel net in front passenger
footwell
511
g
Document holder in sun visor
516
h
Eyeglasses compartment in
overhead control panel
511
j
Document holder in sun visor
516
36 At a glanceCenter console
Item
Page
1
Thumbwheel for air volume
control for left center air vent
490
2
Thumbwheel for air volume
control for right center air
vent
490
3
AUTO mode for air distribu-
tion and volume, left
493
4
Temperature control, left
494
5
Manual fan speed adjust-
ment, left
494
6
Front defroster
494
7
Air recirculation
496
8
Climate control on/off
493
9
Residual engine heat and
ventilation (REST)
498
a
Rear window defroster
496
Item
Page
b
Manual fan speed adjust-
ment, right
494
c
Temperature control, right
494
d
AUTO mode for air distribu-
tion and volume, right
493
e
Alarm system indicator lamp
80
f
Cup holder
513
g
Cover of compartment with:
Ashtray
Lighter
516
517
h
Cover of compartment with
CD/DVD changer
PCMCIA card slot
116
117
46 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFront air bags
1Driver air bag
2Front passenger front air bag
3Knee bag
Driver and front passenger front air bags
are deployed:
in the event of certain frontal impacts
if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold
independently of the side impact air
bagsThe air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protec-
ted by the fastened seat belts.The front passenger front air bag will only
be deployed if:
the system, based on OCS weight sen-
sor readings, senses that the front
passenger seat is occupied
the 59indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(page 51)
the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
Knee bag
The knee bag3 is located on the
driver-side lower instrument panel. It is
designed to operate together with the
driver air bag in certain frontal impacts
exceeding a preset threshold. The
knee bag3 operates best in conjunction
with a properly positioned and fastened
seat belt.
i
The front air bags in this vehicle have been
designed to inflate in two stages. This allows the
air bag to have different rates of inflation that are
based on the rate of relevant vehicle decelera-
tion as assessed by the air bag control unit.
On the front passenger side, the front air bag de-
ployment is additionally influenced by the pas-
senger’s weight category as identified by the
Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 48).
The lighter the front passenger side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.
48 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyOccupant Classification System
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
automatically turns the front passenger
front air bag on or off based on the classi-
fied occupant weight category determined
by weight sensor readings from the front
passenger seat.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a po-
sition that is as upright as possible with
their back against the seat backrest and
feet on the floor to be correctly classified.
If the occupant’s weight is transferred to
another object in the vehicle (e.g. by lean-
ing on armrests), the OCS may not be able
to properly approximate the occupant’s
weight category.Furthermore, the occupant weight may ap-
pear to increase or decrease due to the fol-
lowing: objects hanging on the seat,
lodged underneath the seat, stuffed be-
tween the seat and middle console or the
seat and door, other passengers pushing
on the seat or objects applying pressure to
the back of the seat.
Both driver and the front passenger should
always use the 59indicator
lamp as an indication of whether or not the
front passenger is properly positioned.i
The system does not deactivate the front
passenger side impact air bag, the window cur-
tain air bag and the emergency tensioning de-
vice.
i
If your seat, including your trim cover and
cushion needs to be serviced in any way, take
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used.
Warning!
G
If the 59indicator lamp illumi-
nates when an adult or someone larger than
a small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the
59indicator lamp goes out, or
check whether objects are caught under or
around the seat.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 622).
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front air
bag deployment when the OCS classified
the front passenger seat occupant as being
up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint or if the front passenger seat is
sensed as being empty.
52 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification
System
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice (
page 366), the 59
indicator lamp1 located in the dash-
board illuminates. If an adult occupant is
properly sitting on the front passenger
seat and the system senses the occupant
as being an adult, the 59 indi-
cator lamp will illuminate and go out after
approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the front passenger seat as being
empty, the 59indicator lamp
will illuminate and not go out.For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 620).
Do not hang anything from or attach any
items to the seats.
Do not stuff objects such as books be-
tween the middle console and the front
passenger seat.
Do not move the front passenger seat
backwards against stiff objects.
Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
While seated, an occupant should not
position him/herself in such a way as to
cause the occupant’s weight to be lifted
from the seat bottom as this may result
in the OCS being unable to correctly ap-
proximate the occupant’s weight
category.
Do not lift yourself from the seat as this
may cause the OCS to be unable to cor-
rectly approximate the occupant weight
category.
Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
Warning!
G
If the 59 indicator lamp should
not illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center before seating any
child on the front passenger seat.
Warning!
G
Never place anything between seat cushion
(e.g. pillow), since it reduces the effective-
ness of the Occupant Classification System.
The bottom of the child seat must make full
contact with the passenger seat cushion. An
incorrectly mounted child seat could cause
injuries to the child in case of an accident,
instead of increasing protection for the
child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.