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
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.
64 Safety and SecurityPanic alarm1Â button
Activating
Press and hold  button for at least
1 second.
An audible alarm and flashing exterior
lamps will operate briefly.
Deactivating
Press  button again.
or
Insert the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in starter switch.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 366).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
i
USA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
71 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
page 614) and (
page 622).
Warning!
G
Never switch off the ESP
® when you see the
ESP
® warning lamp v flashing in the in-
strument cluster. In this case proceed as fol-
lows:
While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.
While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.
Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase the traction afforded. The ESP
®
cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The ca-
pabilities of an ESP
® equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er’s safety or the safety of others.
i
DISTRONIC Plus* and cruise control are
switched off when the ESP
® engages.
i
The ESP
® will only function properly if you
use wheels of the recommended tire size
(
page 727).
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically,
the engine and ignition must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0 or1 or
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position0
or1) when
the electronic parking brake is being tested
on a brake test dynamometer
the vehicle is being towed with the
front/rear axle raised
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
80 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systems1Indicator lamp
Arming: Lock your vehicle with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the vehicle is locked.
The indicator lamp1 flashes to indi-
cate that the alarm system is armed.
Disarming: Unlock your vehicle with
the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once to in-
dicate that the alarm system is dis-
armed.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm, do one of the follow-
ing:
Insert the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch.
Press the Œ or ‹ button on the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton (
page 366).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
i
If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is ini-
tiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 522) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary mobile phone, power supply and GPS
coverage are available.
i
If the turn signal lamps does not flash three
times one of the following elements may not be
properly closed:
a door
the trunk
Close the respective element and lock the vehi-
cle again.
i
The alarm system will rearm automatically
again after approximately 40 seconds if no door
was opened.
130 Control systemsCOMAND video DVDSubmenu overview of video DVDSwitching to video DVD mode
Insert a DVD (
page 116).
or
Select “Video” “Video” “Video
DVD”.
or
Press the M shortcut button once or
twice.
DVD-V
Pause/Play
Stop
Changer
Sound
DVD Functions
Pause playback
Pause Playback
Select medium
Treble
Brightness
Continue playback
Stop playback
Bass
Contrast
Restart playback
Balance/Fader
Color
3D Sound
16:9 Optimized4:3Widescreen
i
The M shortcut button takes you directly
to the previously set disc mode (audio CD/DVD,
MP3-CD/DVD or video DVD). The number of
times you have to press the shortcut button de-
pends on the previously set mode.
132 Control systemsCOMAND video DVDStop playback
Select “Video” “Video” “Video
DVD”.
Show the menu system, if necessary
(page 131).
Stop play: Select “Stop”.
In the display, “Pause” changes to
“Play”.
Continue playback: Select “Play”.
Play is continued from the point at
which it was stopped.
Stop playback: Select “Stop” again
while playback is stopped.
or
Select “Stop” twice in quick succession
during playback.
Resume playback: Select “Play”.
Playbacks starts again from the
beginning.
Pause playback
Select “Video” “Video” “Video
DVD”.
Show the menu system, if necessary
(page 131).
Pause playback: Select “Pause”.
In the display, “Pause” changes to
“Play”.
Continue playback: Select “Play”.
Play is continued from the point at
which it was stopped.
Selecting scene/chapter
Entering scene/chapter using the
COMAND controller
Make sure that the control menu is
shown (
page 131).
Skipping forwards or back: Slide
omp or turn ymz.
Entering the scene/chapter using the
telephone keypad
Press> on the telephone keypad
(page 140).
Enter scene/chapter using the A-
9 buttons.
COMAND tunes in to the scene/chap-
ter entered.
282 Control systemsInstrument cluster control systemThe control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position2 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 366) is in position2. The control
system enables you to:
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to call up statistical data
on your vehicle, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Line for main menus
2Text field in multifunction display
Settings, functions, submenus as well as
any malfunctions are shown to you in the
text field.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.