2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 Clima

231 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Rear automatic climate control
The control panel is located at the rear of
the front center console.Activating rear automatic climate
control
Press buttonU.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The temperature, air vol-
ume, and air distribution are adjusted
automatically.
Deactivating rear automatic climate
control
Press button´.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.
1Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2Right rear center air vent, adjustable
3Temperature control
4Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)
5Air distribution (directs air through
the center air vents)
6Air distribution (directs air through
the footwells and side air vents)
7Rear automatic climate control
on/off
8Decreasing air volume
9Indicator lamps for air volume
settings
aIncreasing air volume
iThe stored values for the rear automatic
climate control are erased from memory after
the ignition has been switched off for more than
30 minutes. Once the front automatic climate
control is switched on again, the rear automatic
climate control operates in automatic mode at a
preset temperature of 72°F (22°C).
iThe automatic climate control must be
switched on (
page 223).
iSwitch off the rear automatic climate con-
trol for improved cooling or heating output in the
front passenger compartment.
You can also switch off the rear automatic
climate control from the front passenger com-
partment (
page 220).

232 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Operating from the front
Deactivating
Press button> (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
In displaye (
page 220), you will see
the> symbol followed by
MODE for
approximately 3 seconds.
Press button´ (page 220).
In displaye (
page 220), you will see
the> symbol followed by
OFF.
The rear automatic climate control is
switched off.Reactivating
Press button> (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
In displaye (
page 220), you will see
the> symbol followed by
ON and
MODE. The MODE display is cleared and
the indicator lamp on button>
goes out after approximately
3 seconds.
The rear automatic climate control
switches on.Setting the temperature
Press button> (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
In displaye (
page 220), you will see
the> symbol followed by
MODE.
Set the desired temperature for the
rear passenger compartment using
temperature control3 (
page 231).
After approximately 3 seconds after
the last adjustment, the display switch-
es back to its standard display and the
indicator lamp on button> goes
out.
iYou can also press the>button once
more to switch back to the standard display.

233 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls5 or6
to adjust the air distribution for the rear
passenger compartment.
The symbols on the controls represent the
following functions:
Adjusting manually
Press the desired air distribution con-
trol.
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out.Adjusting automatically
Press buttonU while the engine is
running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air distribution is adjust-
ed automatically.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control3 (
page 231)
to separately adjust the air temperature of
the rear passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C). The automatic cli-
mate control will adjust to the set temper-
ature as fast as possible.Increasing the temperature
Turn temperature control3
(
page 231) slightly clockwise.
The rear automatic climate control will
correspondingly adjust the interior air
temperature for the rear passenger
compartment.
Decreasing the temperature
Turn temperature control3
(
page 231) slightly counterclock-
wise.
The rear automatic climate control will
correspondingly adjust the interior air
temperature for the rear passenger
compartment.
SymbolFunction
ZDirects air to the center air
vents
YDirects air to the footwells and
the side air vents
iThe rear automatic climate control will not
cool the air when the air conditioning is switched
off (
page 229).

234 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting manually
Five blower speeds are available.
Press button
to decrease or
buttonQ to increase air volume to
the desired level.
The indicator lamp on the buttonU
goes out. The selected blower speed is
shown by the indicator lamps for air
volume settings9 (
page 231).
Adjusting automatically
Press buttonU.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume is adjusted
automatically.

235 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
The door windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches for all door win-
dows are located on the driver’s door con-
trol panel. The switches for the respective
door windows are located on the front
passenger door and the rear doors.
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Warning!G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
Activate the override switch (
page 96)
when children are riding in the back seats of
the vehicle. The children could otherwise in-
jure themselves, e.g. by becoming trapped
in the window opening.
The closing of a door window can be imme-
diately halted by releasing the switch or, if
switch was pulled past the resistance point
and released, by either pressing or pulling
the respective switch.
If a door window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the door win-
dow, the automatic reversal function will
stop the window and open it slightly.
If a door window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing a door window by pulling and
holding the switch, or by pressing and hold-
ing button‹on the SmartKey, by press-
ing and holding the lock button (vehicles
with KEYLESS-GO*) on a door handle, the
automatic reversal function will not operate.
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
access to a vehicle could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.iYou can also open or close the windows
using the SmartKey, see “Summer opening fea-
ture” (
page 237) and see “Convenience clos-
ing feature” (
page 238).
Depending on the current position, the power
windows may also open or close when the air
recirculation button: on the control panel of
the climate control (
page 206) or automatic
climate control* (
page 220) is pressed and
held.
iAfter switching off the ignition (page 39)
or removing the SmartKey from the starter
switch, the windows can be operated

until you open the driver’s or front passenger
door

for at least 5 minutes if nor door was opened

241 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
The tilt/sliding sunroof is opened and
closed electrically. The switch for the
tilt/sliding sunroof is located on the
overhead control panel.
Sunroof switch
1Push back to slide sunroof open
2Push forward to slide sunroof closed
3Push up to raise sunroof at rear
4Pull down to lower sunroof at rear
With the sunroof closed or tilted open, a
screen can be slid into the roof opening to
guard against sun rays. When sliding the
sunroof open, the screen will also retract.
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Opening and closing
To open, close, raise, or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the sunroof
switch to the resistance point in the
required direction of arrows1to4
(
page 241).
Release the sunroof switch when the
tilt/sliding sunroof has reached the de-
sired position.
iDepending on the current position, the
tilt/sliding sunroof may also open or close when
the air recirculation button: on the control
panel of the climate control (
page 206) or
automatic climate control* (
page 220) is
pressed and held.

282 Controls in detail
Useful features
2Storage/telephone* compartment
3Coin holder
Opening the storage/telephone* com-
partment
Pull button1 and lift up armrest.
The coin holders3 are located in front
of storage/telephone*
compartment2.Rear storage compartments
Depending on the vehicle configuration,
your vehicle may be equipped with three
storage compartments in the front of the
rear seats.
1Storage compartment cover
2Release button
Briefly press release button2 on
storage compartment cover1.
The storage compartment opens
automatically.
iDepending on vehicle equipment, the upper
storage compartment may be replaced by a
control panel, for example in vehicles with rear
climate control* (
page 216) or rear automatic
climate control* (
page 231).
iDepending on vehicle configuration, the
middle storage compartment contains an
ashtray (
page 286).

332 Operation
Driving instructions

Adjust the mirrors (page 49) to
permit unobstructed view beyond rear
of trailer.

If the trailer has electric brakes, start
your vehicle and trailer moving slowly,
and then apply only the trailer brake
controller by hand to make sure the
brakes are working properly.

Always secure items in the trailer to
prevent load shifts while driving.

When towing a trailer, check occasion-
ally to make sure the load is secure,
and that lighting and trailer brakes (if
so equipped) are functioning properly.

Take into consideration that when tow-
ing a trailer, the handling characteris-
tics are different and less stable from
those when operating the vehicle with-
out a trailer.
It is important to avoid sudden maneu-
vers.

The vehicle and trailer combination is
heavier, and therefore is limited in ac-
celeration and climbing ability, and re-
quires longer stopping distances.
It is more prone to reacting to cross
wind gusts, and requires more sensi-
tive steering input.

If possible, do not brake abruptly, but
rather engage the brake slightly at first
to permit the trailer to activate its
brake. Then increase the braking force.

If the transmission repeatedly shifts
between gears on inclines, manually
shift to a lower gear (select 4, 3, 2 or 1)
(
page 192).
A lower gear and reduction of speed re-
duces the chance of engine overload-
ing and/or overheating.

On very steep inclines, not manageable
with automatic transmission in1,
switch on off-road driving program
(
page 253).

When going down a long hill, shift into
a lower gear and use the engine’s brak-
ing effect.
Avoid riding the brakes, thus overheat-
ing the vehicle and trailer brakes.

If the engine coolant rises to an ex-
tremely high temperature (coolant tem-
perature needle approaching the red
zone) when the air conditioning is on,
turn off the air conditioning system.
Engine coolant heat can be additionally
vented by opening the windows,
switching the climate control fan speed
to high and setting the temperature
control to the maximum hot position.
!If the trailer should begin to sway, reduce
the vehicle’s speed immediately.
In no case attempt to straighten out the tow
vehicle and trailer by increasing the speed.