GWarning!
The Distronic adaptive cruise control is not a
substitute for active driving involvement. It
does not react to pedestrians or on stationary
objects, nor does it recognize or predict the
lane curvature or the movement of preceding
vehicles.
The Distronic can only apply 20% of the
maximum braking power of the vehicle.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to the road, weather and traffic
conditions. Additionally, the driver must
provide the steering, braking and other driving
inputs necessary to remain in control of the
vehicle.
High-frequency sources such as toll stations,
speed measuring systems etc. can cause the
Distronic system to malfunction.
GWarning!
The Distronic cannot take road and traffic
conditions into account. Only use the
Distronic if the road, weather and traffic
conditions make it advisable to travel at a
constant speed.
GWarning!
Use of the Distronic can be dangerous on
slippery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
The Distronic does not function in adverse
sight and distance conditions. Do not use the
Distronic during conditions of fog, heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
GWarning!
The Distronic cannot take weather conditions
into account. Switch off the Distronic or do
not switch it on if:
R roads are slippery or covered with snow or
ice. The wheels could lose traction while
braking or accelerating, and the vehicle
could skid.
R the Distronic system sensor cover is dirty
or visibility is diminished due to snow, rain
or fog, for example. The distance control
system functionality could be impaired.
Always pay attention to surrounding traffic
conditions even while the Distronic is
switched on. Otherwise, you may not be able
to recognize dangerous situations until it is
too late. This could cause an accident in which
you and/or others could be injured.GWarning!
The “Resume” function should only be
operated if the driver is fully aware of the
previously set speed and wishes to resume
this particular preset speed.
GWarning!
Close attention to road and traffic conditions
is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not the Distronic is activated.
Use of the Distronic can be dangerous on
winding roads or in heavy traffic because
conditions do not allow safe driving at a
constant speed.
The Distronic will not react to stationary
objects in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle
in a traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). The
Distronic will also not respond to oncoming
vehicles.
Switch off the Distronic:
R when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly in
the left lane
R when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp
R in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, the Distronic will continue
to maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
The Distronic is designed and intended only
to maintain a set speed and keep a set
distance from moving objects in front of it.
i USA only:
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XSwitching off: Press switch : again.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. The symbol
Ç disappears.
Air suspension program
The system lets you select the chassis and
suspension setup. The chassis and
suspension setup adjusts the damping
behavior and the ride height for your vehicle.
The system consists of two components. The
Adaptive Damping System (ADS)
(Y page 159) and the vehicle level control
(Y page 159).
Adaptive Damping System (ADS)
The Adaptive Damping System (ADS) is
controlled electronically and operates
continuously. It adjusts the damping
characteristics to the current operating and
driving conditions. The damping is adjusted
individually for each wheel. Driving safety and
tire comfort are increased.
The fine tuning of the damping is dependent
on:
Ryour driving style
Rroad surface conditions
Ryour personal settings
Vehicles without enhanced off-road package
Vehicles with enhanced off-road package
The following settings are available:
RAUTO (for normal driving situations)
Indicator lamps ; and = are off.
RSPORT (for sporty driving)
Indicator lamp ; comes on.
With the ADS SPORT setting, the vehicle is
lowered approximately 0.6 in (15 mm).
RCOMF (for comfort driving)
Indicator lamp = comes on.
XStart the engine.XPress ADS switch : repeatedly until the
desired suspension tuning is reached.
The setting remains stored when you turn off
the engine.
Vehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to increase vehicle safety and to
reduce fuel consumption.
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Basic settings
The following vehicle chassis ride heights can
be selected using vehicle level control
switch : in the center console:
LevelDriving situationRaised levelFor off-road driving or
driving in rough terrain.
Indicator lamp ; is on.
Highway
level
For driving on paved roads
in fair or better condition.
Indicator lamp ; is off.
iThe third available level is the highspeed
level that is set automatically.
The following is the approximate change in
ride height for each of the level settings:
LevelRide heightRaised level+2.3 in (60 mm)Highway
level13+/-0 in (0 mm)Highspeed
level
-0.6 in (-15 mm)
iVehicles with ADS:
Depending on the ADS setting
(Y page 159), the vehicle will be lowered to
the highspeed level when traveling at
higher speeds. At speeds below 40 mph
(64 km/h) at the latest, it will be returned
to the highway level.
iThe highspeed level is not available when
towing a trailer. For more information on
towing a trailer, see “Trailer towing”
(Y page 269).
Raised level
Only select the raised level if appropriate for
the driving situation encountered. Otherwise
the fuel consumption may increase and/or
the handling characteristics of the vehicle
may be unfavorable.
iYou can select the raised level at speeds
up to 40 mph (64 km/h). At higher speeds,
the message Á Level Selection
Not Permitted appears in the
multifunction display.
XStart the engine.
When indicator lamp ; is off:
XPress vehicle level control switch :.
Indicator lamp ; flashes. The vehicle
adjusts to the raised level.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display while the level is
being set:
iThe message can be cleared by pressing
the V, U, & or * button on
the multifunction steering wheel.
When the raised level is reached, indicator
lamp ; comes on continuously and the
following message appears in the
multifunction display for 5 seconds:
Highway level
! Keep in mind that on rough or uneven
roads, adjusting the vehicle to a lower level
may cause the vehicle underbody to come
in contact with the road and result in
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Climate control
Control panel
FunctionRecommendation/Notes:Temperature control, driver’s
side
iSet the temperature to 72‡
(22†).
(Y page 178);Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
iSwitches on the automatic
mode. The indicator lamp in
button à comes on.
(Y page 178)=Front defrosteriKeep this setting selected
only until the windshield or the
side windows are clear again.
(Y page 179)?Increasing air volume(Y page 179)AAir distribution (directs air
through the windshield and side
air vents)
(Y page 178)BAC cooling on/offiSwitches on the air
conditioning. The indicator
lamp in button Á comes
on.
(Y page 177)Residual heat/ventilationiWith the engine turned off, it
is possible to continue to heat
or ventilate the interior.
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FunctionRecommendation/NotesCTemperature control, passenger
sidei Set the temperature to 72‡
(22†).( Y page 178)D± Rear climate control on/
off or air supply for rear
passenger compartment on/off
(USA only)^ Rear climate control on/
off or air supply for rear
passenger compartment on/off
(Canada only)EAir distribution (directs air
through center and side air
vents)( Y page 178)FAir distribution (directs air
through the footwells and side
air vents)( Y page 178)GAir volume displayHDecreasing air volume(Y page 179)IRear window defroster(Y page 191)JAir recirculationi
Only use this function for a
short time, e.g. in a tunnel.
Otherwise, the windows can
fog up due to lack of fresh air.( Y page 180)KInterior temperature sensorLClimate control on/offi
Switches on the climate
control system. The indicator
lamp in button ^ goes out.(Y page 177)Notes on climate control
The climate control is operational whenever
the engine is running. You can operate the
climate control system in either the
automatic or manual mode. The system cools
or heats the interior depending on the
selected interior temperature and the current
outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and odors
are filtered out before outside air enters the
passenger compartment through the air
distribution system.GWarning!
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled replacement interval. A clogged
filter will reduce the air volume to the interior
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and the windows could fog up, impairing
visibility and endangering you and others.
Have a clogged filter replaced as soon as
possible at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the A/C mode is deactivated
( Y page 177).GWarning!
Follow the recommended settings for heating
and cooling given on the following pages.
Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
i If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the
interior before driving off, see “Summer
opening feature” (Y page 107). The climate
control will then adjust the interior
temperature to the set value much faster.
Deactivating the climate control
system
GWarning!
When the climate control system is switched
off, the outside air supply and circulation 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.
XDeactivating: Press button ^.
The indicator lamp in the button comes on.XReactivating: Press button Ã.
i
You can also press button ^ on the
climate control panel.
If you press button ¦ to reactivate the
climate control system, the defrosting
mode is activated.
Deactivating the rear climate control
from the frontXDeactivating: Press button ±.
The indicator lamp in the button comes on.XReactivating: Press button ±.
The indicator lamp in the button goes out.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while the
engine is running and cools the interior air to
the temperature set by the operator. In
addition, the air conditioning dehumidifies
the interior air and helps prevent window
fogging.
GWarning!
If you switch off the air conditioning, 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.
i Condensation may drip out from
underneath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air
conditioning. The interior air will then no
longer be cooled or dehumidified.
XPress button Á.
The indicator lamp in the button goes out.
The cooling function switches off after a
short delay.
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the interior air with the air
conditioning.
XPress button Á again.
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The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs which
are harmful to the ozone layer.
! If the air conditioning cannot be activated
again, this indicates that the air
conditioning is losing refrigerant. The
compressor has turned off.
Have the air conditioning checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Automatic mode
When operating the climate control system in
automatic mode, the interior air temperature,
air volume and air distribution are adjusted
automatically.
In automatic mode, cooling with
dehumidification is switched on. This function
can be switched off if necessary.
GWarning!
If you switch off the air conditioning, 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.
XSet the desired temperature
( Y page 178).XActivating: Press button Ã.
The indicator lamp in the button comes on.
The air volume and air distribution are
adjusted automatically.
i The settings for the passenger side are
also used for the rear passenger
compartment.
XDeactivating: Press button I or K .
The indicator lamp in button à goes out.
The automatic operation of air volume
switches off. The selected blower speed isshown in air volume display G
( Y page 175).
or
XPress air distribution button ¯, P , or
O .
The indicator lamp in button à goes out.
The automatic operation of air distribution
switches off.
Setting the temperature
You can adjust the air temperature on each
side of the passenger compartment. You
should raise or lower the temperature setting
in small increments, preferably starting at
72‡ (22†).
XIncreasing/decreasing: Turn
temperature control : and/or C
( Y page 175) slightly clockwise or
counterclockwise.
Adjusting air distribution
The air distribution can be adjusted manually.
The symbols on the buttons represent the
following functions:
SymbolFunction¯Directs air to the windshield and
side air ventsPDirects air through the center
and side air ventsODirects air to the footwells and
side air ventsXPress the desired air distribution button
¯ , P , or O .
The indicator lamp in button à goes out.
The automatic mode is switched off. Air
distribution is controlled according to the
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Adjusting air volumeXDecreasing/increasing: Press button
I or K .
The automatic mode is switched off. The
selected blower speed is shown in air
volume display G (Y page 175).
When using the Voice Control System, the
blower speed reduces automatically. When
the Voice Control System is not used
anymore, the blower speed increases to the
previously selected level.
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up.
You can also defog the windshield and the
side windows.
i Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear
again.
Activating
XPress button ¦.
The indicator lamp in the button comes on.
The climate control switches to the
following functions automatically:
R most efficient blower speed and heating
power, depending on outside
temperature
R air flows onto the windshield and the
front door windows (side air vents must
be open)
R the air conditioning compressor
switches on at outside temperatures
above approximately 41‡ (5†) for air-
drying
Adjustments
You can adjust the air volume and the
temperature when the front defroster is
switched on. The air flow will remain on the
windshield and front door windows.
XPress button I to decrease or button
K to increase air volume to the desired
level.
The air volume decreases/increases to the
next lower/higher blower speed and
heating switches to the temperature that
was set before the front defroster was
switched on.
The indicator lamp in button ¦ goes out.
The indicator lamp in button Á comes
on.
or
XTurn temperature control : and/or C
( Y page 175) slightly in any direction.
Heating switches to the temperature that
was set before the front defroster was
switched on.
The indicator lamp in button ¦ goes out.
The indicator lamp in button Á comes
on.
i The air conditioning compressor remains
on even if the indicator lamp in button
¦ goes out. This helps to prevent the
windshield from fogging.
Deactivating
XPress button ¦ again.
The indicator lamp in the button goes out.
Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are once again in
effect. The air conditioning compressor
remains switched on.
i To deactivate, you can also press button
^ or à .
Windshield fogged on the outside
XSwitch the windshield wipers on
( Y page 103).XPress air distribution button P or O .Climate control179Controls in detailX164_AKB; 5; 31, en-USd2ureepe,Version: 2.11.8.12009-09-11T12:30:16+02:00 - Seite 179Z