173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.
Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop for a longer period of time
with the engine idling and/or on a hill:
Set the parking brake.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:
Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.
Accelerate gently.
Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Working on the vehicle
Warning!G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to park positionP. Otherwise the vehicle
could roll away.
183 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 56).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned with a high-pressure water jet
when you have
switched on the headlamps
and
operated the windshield wipers with
washer fluid five times
When you switch off the ignition, the
counter resets.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 292).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 47).
Auto-dimming mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when
the ignition is switched on
and
incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view mir-
ror
The rear view mirrors will not react if
reverse gear is engaged
the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at the
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade* is in raised position.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
205 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
Opening and closing the windows
The side windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches for all of the side
windows are on the driver’s door. The
switches for the respective windows are
on the front passenger door and the rear
doors.
1Rear window override switch
(
page 87)
2Right front window
3Right rear window
4Left rear window
5Left front window
Warning!G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be
immediately halted by releasing the switch
or, if switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
The door windows are equipped with the
express-close and automatic reversal func-
tion. If the window encounters an obstruc-
tion that blocks its path in a circumstance
where you pulled the switch past the resis-
tance point and released it to close the win-
dow, the automatic reversal function will
stop the window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pulling and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button‹ on the SmartKey, by pressing
and holding the lock button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on an outside door handle,
the automatic reversal function will not op-
erate.
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. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
207 Controls in detail
Power windows
Fully opening the windows
(Express-open)
Press switch2 to 5 past the resis-
tance point and release.
The corresponding window opens com-
pletely.
Fully closing the windows
(Express-close)
Pull switch2 to 5 past the resis-
tance point and release.
The corresponding window closes com-
pletely.Stopping windows during Express-op-
eration
Press or pull the respective power win-
dow switch again.
Synchronizing power windows
The power windows must be synchronized
after the battery has been disconnect-
ed
if the power windows cannot be fully
opened (Express-open) or closed
(Express-close)
Synchronizing
Close all doors.
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
Pull switch2 to 5 until the side win-
dows are completely closed.
Hold on to switches2 to 5 for
approximately 1 second.
The power windows are synchronized.Warning!G
Driver’s door only:
If within 5 seconds switch is again pulled
past the resistance point and released, the
automatic reversal will not operate.
!If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the win-
dow will stop and open slightly.
Remove the obstruction, pull the respective pow-
er window switch again past the resistance point
and release.
If the window still does not close when there is
no obstruction, pull and hold the respective pow-
er window switch. The side window will then
close without the obstruction sensor function.
245 Controls in detail
Useful features
Ruffled storage bags
Ruffled storage bags are located on the
back of the front seats.Parcel net in front passenger footwell
A small convenience parcel net is located
in the front passenger footwell. It is for
small and light items, such as road maps,
mail, etc.
Warning!G
Do not place objects with a combined
weight of more than 4.4 lb (2 kg) into the
ruffled storage bag. Otherwise, the Occu-
pant Classification System OCS (
page 71)
may not be able to properly approximate the
occupant weight category.
The ruffled storage bag is intended for stor-
ing light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
parcel net. In an accident, during hard brak-
ing, or sudden maneuvers, they could be
thrown around inside the vehicle and cause
injury to vehicle occupants.
The ruffled storage bag cannot protect
transported goods in the event of an acci-
dent.Warning!G
The parcel net is intended for storing
light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
parcel net. In an accident, during hard brak-
ing, or sudden maneuvers, they could be
thrown around inside the vehicle and cause
injury to vehicle occupants.
The parcel net cannot protect transported
goods in the event of an accident.
249 Controls in detail
Useful features
Reinstalling ashtray insert
Install insert by pushing it back into
frame until it engages again.
Rear door ashtray
1Chrome bar
2Insert slides out
3AshtrayOpening rear seat ashtrayBriefly press the top of ashtray3.
The ashtray opens.
Removing ashtray insert
Pull chrome bar1 in direction of ar-
row.
Remove insert2 upwards from ash-
tray frame.
Reinstalling ashtray insert
Install insert by pushing it back into
ashtray frame until it engages again.
Cigarette lighter
Warning!G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
Make sure that any children traveling with
you do not injure themselves or start a fire
with the hot cigarette lighter.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* 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. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
279 Operation
Driving instructions
For more information, see “Winter driving”
(
page 328).
Standing water
Warning!G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.
Warning!G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle
interior resulting in unconsciousness and
possible death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.
Warning!G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice.!Do not drive through flooded areas or water
of unknown depth. Before driving through water,
determine its depth. Never accelerate before
driving into water. The bow wave could force wa-
ter into the engine and auxiliary equipment, thus
damaging them.
If you must drive through standing water, drive
slowly to prevent water from entering the pas-
senger compartment or the engine compart-
ment. Water in these areas could cause damage
to electrical components or wiring of the engine
or transmission, or could result in water being in-
gested by the engine through the air intake caus-
ing severe internal engine damage. Any such
damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
339 Operation
Vehicle care
Light alloy wheels
If possible, clean wheels once a week.
Use Mercedes-Benz approved Wheel
Care, a soft bristle brush and a strong
spray of water for cleaning the light al-
loy wheels.Plastic and rubber parts
Use a gentle dishwashing detergent or
mild detergent for delicate fabrics as a
washing solution.
Wipe with a cloth moistened in a luke-
warm solution.
The surface may temporarily change
color. If this is the case, wait for it to
dry.
!Fold the windshield wiper arms back onto
the windshield before turning the SmartKey in
the starter switch or pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button (vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*).
Hold on to the wiper when folding the wiper arm
back. If released, the force of the impact from
the tensioning spring could crack the windshield.
!To clean the window interior, do not use a
dry cloth, abrasives, solvents or cleaners con-
taining solvents. Do not touch the inside of the
front, rear or side windows with hard objects
such as an ice scraper or ring. Doing so may
damage the windows.!Only use acid-free cleaning materials. Acid
may cause corrosion or damage the clear coat.
!The vehicle should not be parked for an ex-
tended period of time immediately after it has
been cleaned, especially not after the wheel rims
have been cleaned with wheel rim cleaner.
Wheel rim cleaners can lead to increased corro-
sion of the brake disks and brake pads.
Non-approved wheel cleaners may also damage
the wheel paint if the car is not driven after
cleaning. Therefore, the vehicle’s brake system
should always be warmed-up before it is parked
after cleaning. To do so, please drive your vehicle
for several minutes to allow the brakes to dry.
When applying Mercedes-Benz approved Tire
Care and Mercedes-Benz approved Wheel Care
products, take care not to spray them on the
brake disks.
Warning!G
Do not use cleaners or cockpit care sprays
containing solvents to clean the cockpit or
the steering wheel. Cleaners containing sol-
vents will make the surface porous and vehi-
cle occupants could suffer serious injuries
from plastic parts coming loose in the event
of air bag deployment.