Contents
Shifting procedure ....................... 402
Transmission positions................. 403
Driving tips ................................... 406
Gear ranges ................................. 408
Automatic shift program .............. 409
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 411
Manual shift program
(S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG only) ... 413
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 416
Instrument cluster ............................. 417
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 417
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 417
Tachometer .................................. 418
Outside temperature indicator ..... 418
Fuel gauge ................................... 418
Driving systems ................................. 419
Cruise control .............................. 419
DISTRONIC Plus* ......................... 424
Airmatic (S 550 only) ................... 440
Active Body Control (ABC)*.......... 442
Parktronic system* ...................... 444
Park Assist* ................................. 448
Dynamic Rear View Monitor* ....... 453
Night View Assist* ....................... 461Air vents ............................................. 466
Opening and closing air vents ....... 468
Ventilated storage compartment .. 468
Automatic climate control .................. 469
Deactivating climate control
system .......................................... 471
Operating climate control system
in automatic mode ........................ 471
Setting temperature...................... 472
Adjusting air volume ..................... 472
Front defroster.............................. 472
Rear window defroster .................. 473
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
(USA only) ..................................... 474
Air recirculation mode .................. 474
Residual engine heat and
ventilation ..................................... 476
Rear passenger compartment
climate control* ............................ 477
Trunk .................................................. 479
Opening trunk ............................... 479
Closing trunk ................................ 480
Trunk emergency release.............. 484
Valet locking ................................. 484
Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 486Opening and closing
power tilt/sliding sunroof ............. 486
Synchronizing ............................... 488
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*............................... 489
Roller sunblinds ............................ 489
Opening and closing panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel . 490
Synchronizing ............................... 492
Loading and storing............................ 493
Roof rack* .................................... 493
Loading instructions ..................... 493
Storage compartments ................. 494
Cup holders .................................. 498
Trunk ............................................ 500
Useful features ................................... 502
Sun visors ..................................... 502
Vanity mirror in rear...................... 502
Rear window sunshade ................. 503
Ashtrays........................................ 503
Cigarette lighters .......................... 504
Power outlet ................................. 506
Floormats* ................................... 506
Telephone* ................................... 507
Tele Aid......................................... 510
Garage door opener ...................... 518
251 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
COMAND automatic climate control
You can operate the automatic climate
control via COMAND or via the buttons on
the front and rear* automatic climate con-
trol panel (
page 469).
Some of the special climate control func-
tions can only be set via COMAND.The following automatic climate control
functions can be operated via COMAND:
iThe components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 85).
Warning!G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents can be very
hot or very cold (depending on the set tem-
perature). This may cause burns or frostbite
to unprotected skin in the immediate area of
the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the air
vents. If necessary, use the air distribution
adjustment (
page 253) to direct the air to
air vents in the vehicle interior that are not
in the immediate area of unprotected skin.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pages
and pages in the “Controls in detail” part
(
page 469) Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility and endangering
you and others.
FunctionPage
Temperature252
Air distribution253
Air volume253
Switching off cooling (“ACOFF”)254
Central climate control (“Mono”)255
Footwell temperature255
Air flow from air vents256
Rear climate control*257
254 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
Central climate control menu via
COMAND
The central climate control menu is in the
center of the climate control settings.
When the automatic climate control is
switched on, you will see “on” in the cen-
tral menu. The following functions can only
be operated in the central climate control
menu via COMAND:
Select climate control settings Cen-
tral menu.Switching cooling on or off
The cooling function, only operational
when the engine is running, cools the vehi-
cle interior down to the selected tempera-
ture. The cooling function also
dehumidifies the air in the vehicle interior,
thus preventing the windows from fogging
up.The “AC
OFF” function is used to permanent-
ly switch off the cooling function of the au-
tomatic climate control system.
Select climate control settings Cen-
tral climate control menu.
FunctionPage
Switching off cooling (“ACOFF”)254
Central climate control (“Mono”)255
Footwell temperature255
Air flow from air vents256
Rear climate control*257
iCondensation may drip out from underneath
the vehicle. This is normal and not an indication
of a malfunction.
Warning!G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.
255 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
Selecting “ACOFF”: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
A checkmark appears when the cooling
is switched off.
“AC
OFF” appears in the central menu of
the climate control settings.Selecting “Mono” mode
“Mono” is used to adjust the climate zones
for the entire vehicle at the same time.
When the “Mono” function is switched on
and you change the climate on the driver’s
side, these changes will be carried out in
the same manner for all climate zones.
Select climate control settings Cen-
tral climate control menu.
Selecting “Mono”: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
A checkmark appears when the func-
tion has been selected.
Exiting menu: Press back button L
in the center console (
page 86) or
slideomp.The “Mono” function is automatically
switched off when you:
change an automatic climate control
setting for the front passenger’s side
using COMAND
operate a button from the automatic
climate control for the front passen-
ger’s side
operate one of the buttons for the rear
climate control system
Adjusting footwell temperature
The “Footwell Temperature” function is
used to adjust the temperature difference
between the footwell and the rest of the
passenger compartment.
The higher the selected value, the higher
the temperature in the footwell will be.
Select climate control settings Cen-
tral climate control menu.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned on
again, this indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has turned it-
self off.
Have the air conditioning checked at the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iIn automatic mode, this setting optimizes
the footwell temperature when outside tempera-
tures are low.
256 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
Selecting “Footwell Temperature”:
Slide qmr or rotate ymz and then
pressn.
Changing temperature difference:
Slide qmr or rotate ymz.
Exiting menu: Press n, back
buttonL in the center console
(
page 86) or slideomp.
The setting is saved.Adjusting air flow from air vents
The “Airflow” setting defines air distribu-
tion and air volume in automatic mode:
“Focused” (default setting, increased
air flow)
“Medium” (reduced air flow)
“Diffuse” (minimal air flow)
Select climate control settings Cen-
tral climate control menu “Airflow”.
A selection list appears.
The current setting is indicated by a
dotR.
Changing air flow: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
iIn automatic mode, this setting optimizes
the air flow when outside temperatures are high.
iWhen the interior ambient temperature of
the vehicle is very hot and the automatic climate
control is cooling the interior, the setting for air
flow is temporarily overridden.
394 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
The coolant temperature is above
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as
soon as possible and turn off the en-
gine. Allow engine and coolant to cool
off.
Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 547).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:
Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.
Move away from vehicle.
Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the
major assemblies
fuel system
engine mount:
Start the engine in the usual manner.
Parking
iExcessive coolant temperatures trigger a
warning message in the multifunction display
(
page 646).
Warning!G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and the
steering systems. In this case, it is impor-
tant to keep in mind that a considerably
higher degree of effort is necessary to brake
and steer the vehicle.
Warning!G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay, or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:
Keep right foot on brake pedal.
Engage electronic parking brake.
470 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
It can only function optimally when you are
driving with the windows and the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof/panorama sunroof* closed.
It is possible to completely deactivate the
climate control system (
page 471). Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.The following automatic climate control
functions can be operated via COMAND:
iIf you have the air distribution and air vol-
ume automatically controlled, you can adjust the
temperature, footwell temperature and air flow.
The following basic settings are recommended:
Automatic air distribution control
(
page 469)
Temperature: 72°F (22°C) (page 472)
Footwell temperature: 0 (page 255)
Air flow: focused (page 256)
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pages
and in the “COMAND automatic climate
control” section (
page 251). Otherwise
the windows could fog up, impairing visibili-
ty and endangering you and others.
iSevere conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before its
scheduled interval. A clogged filter will reduce
the air volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the interior
before driving off, see “Summer opening fea-
ture” (
page 385). The automatic climate con-
trol will then adjust the interior temperature to
the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow, leaves, sticks, and any other
debris.
Do not obstruct air volume by placing objects on
the air volume-through exhaust slots below the
rear window.
FunctionPage
Temperature252
Air distribution253
Air volume253
Switching off cooling (“ACOFF”)254
Central climate control (“Mono”)255
Footwell temperature255
Air flow from air vents256
Rear climate control*257
471 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating climate control system
Deactivating: Press button´
(
page 469) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. You will see “Climate Con-
trol OFF” in the COMAND display.
Reactivating: Press button´
(
page 469) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. You will see the previous settings
in the COMAND display.Operating climate control system in
automatic mode
Air distribution and air volume is adjusted
automatically by the automatic climate
control system. You can also adjust the
settings for air distribution and air volume
manually.
Activating
Press buttonU (page 469) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating
Press buttonU (page 469) up or
down.
or
Adjust air distribution (page 253).
or
Adjust air volume (page 472).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out. The automatic function is
switched off.
You can adjust the air distribution
(
page 253) or air volume
(
page 472) manually.
Warning!G
When the automatic climate control is
switched off, the outside air supply and cir-
culation are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others.
iIn automatic mode, cooling with dehumidify
is switched on. This function can be switched off
if necessary (
page 254).