2008 MERCEDES-BENZ R320 start stop button

119 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Front doors
Pull on inside door handle2 on the
respective front door to open door.
If the door was locked, locking knob1
will move up.
Rear doors
Pull up locking knob1 on the respec-
tive rear door to unlock door.
Pull on inside door handle2 on the re-
spective rear door to open door.
Tailgate/Power tailgate*
A minimum height clearance of
7.2 ft (2.20 m) is required to open the
tailgate.iIf the vehicle has previously been locked
from the outside with the SmartKey or with
KEYLESS-GO*, opening a door from the inside
will trigger the anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter switch.

Press theŒ or ‹button on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*

Grasp an outside door handle.

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
(
page 41).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
inside the vehicle.
Warning!G
Make sure the tailgate is closed when the
engine is running and while driving.
Among other dangers, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle
interior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
!The tailgate swings open upwards automat-
ically. Always make sure there is sufficient over-
head clearance.

123 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Limiting opening height of tailgate*
In vehicles with power tailgate*, the tail-
gate opening height can be limited when
transporting goods on a roof rack*
(e.g. presence of an MB sport luggage
container*). When activated, the tailgate
opens to approximately 6.4 ft (1.95 m).
Activate the limiting opening height of
tailgate using the control system
(
page 183).
Closing the tailgate from the inside
You can close the tailgate from the inside
using the remote tailgate switch.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high) the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.
Press remote tailgate switch1
(
page 122) until tailgate begins to
close.
The tailgate closes. While the tailgate is
closing an acoustic signal sounds.
To interrupt the closing procedure:
Press or pull remote tailgate switch1
(
page 122).
Warning!G
Maintain sight of the area around the rear of
the vehicle while operating the tailgate with
the door-mounted switch. Monitor the
closing procedure carefully to make sure no
one is in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, press or
pull the door-mounted remote tailgate
switch or press the Šbutton on the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the remote tailgate switch can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
i n t h e v e h i c l e , o r w i t h a c c e s s t o a n u n l o c k e d
vehicle. A child’s unsupervised access to a
vehicle could result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.

124 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate from the outside
You can close the tailgate from the outside
using the tailgate closing switch or
theŠbutton on the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*, you can
also simultaneously lock the vehicle.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*
1Tailgate closing switch
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*
1Tailgate closing switch
Press tailgate closing switch1 or the
Šbutton on the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* briefly.
The tailgate closes and an acoustic
warning sounds.
Warning!G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

Press tailgate closing switch1
(
page 124).

Press KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch* 1 (
page 125).

Press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
(
page 110) or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (
page 113).

Press or pull the remote tailgate switch
on the driver’s door (
page 122).
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the tailgate closing switch can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
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.

128 Controls in detail
Seats
For information on seat adjustment, see
the “Getting started” section (
page 44).
For more information on folding the seats,
see “Loading” (
page 288).
Easy-entry/exit feature
Easy-entry/exit feature for driver’s
seat*
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the steering wheel is in
its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
activated or deactivated in the
Comfort
submenu of the control system
(
page 184).With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel will return to the last set
position when you

close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on
or

insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (
page 41) once
with the driver’s door closed
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement, do one of
the following:

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk*
(
page 47).

Press one of the stored position
buttons* or memory buttonM*
(
page 141).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iThe last set steering wheel position is
stored when

the ignition is switched off (page 39)

the position is stored into memory
(
page 142)

129 Controls in detail
Seats
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards when you

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position
0or1(
page 39) or the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button in
position1 (
page 41)
Easy-entry/exit feature for third-row
seats
This feature allows for easier access to and
exit from the vehicle’s third-row seats.Easy-entry feature for third-row seats
The releases for the easy-entry feature are
located on the entry side and the back of
each outboard second-row seat.
1Easy-entry lever
iIf the current position for the steering wheel
is in the uppermost tilt position, the steering
wheel will no longer be able to move upward
when the easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
The adjustment procedure is briefly interrupted,
when the engine is started.
Warning!G
Let the system complete the adjustment
procedure before setting the vehicle in mo-
tion. All steering wheel adjustments must be
completed before setting the vehicle in mo-
tion. Driving off with the steering wheel still
adjusting could cause the driver to lose con-
trol of the vehicle.
Warning!G
To help avoid personal injury, the sec-
ond-row seat backrests must be properly
locked either in the upright position or,
when using the expanded cargo compart-
ment, in the fully folded position while the
vehicle is in motion.
!7-seat vehicles*:
Do not use the driver’s side easy-entry/exit fea-
ture for third-row seats when the second-row
middle seat is in armrest position. Otherwise, the
seat belt outlet of the second-row middle seat
could damage the seat backrest of the outboard
seat.


144 Controls in detail
Lighting
Low beam headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, the
following lamps will switch on:

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once,
the following lamps will switch on addi-
tionally:

Low beam headlamps

High beam headlamps (when the
combination switch is pushed
forward)Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
Warning!G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,
the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others,
activate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch toB when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toB with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromUtoB will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.

145 Controls in detail
Lighting
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off depending
on the brightness of the ambient light.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.Daytime running lamp mode
In Canada the daytime running lamp mode
is mandatory and therefore in a constant
mode.
In the USA the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated by default. Activate the day-
time running lamp mode using the control
system, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 177).
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the
following lamps will switch on addition-
ally:

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lampsCanada only:
When the engine is running and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP
with the vehicle at a standstill, the low
beam headlamps will switch off with a
three-minute delay.
When the engine is running and you

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the low beam head-
lamps, the tail and parking lamps, the
side marker lamps and the license
plate lamps switch on

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode
iCanada only:
High beam headlamps are only available with the
exterior lamp switch in position B.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, you cannot switch off
the low beam headlamps manually.
iWith the exterior lamp switch in
positionM orU, you cannot switch on the
high beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving, turn the exterior lamp
switch in positionB to permit activation of
the high beam headlamps.

157 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 (
page 40) or as
soon as the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button* is in position1 (
page 41). The
control system enables you to

call up information about your vehicle

change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control
system to find out when your vehicle is
next due for maintenance service, to set
the language for messages in the instru-
ment cluster display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
3Transmission position indicator
4Current transmission program mode
5Status indicator (outside temperature
or digital speedometer)
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(
page 160).
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,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit 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 (approximately 14 m) every second.