
Cockpit
10
Cockpit
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays
4Folding exterior mirrors in and out*50
5Adjusting exterior mirrors, automatic curb 
monitor
*50
1Convertible: opening and closing 
windows jointly35 
2Convertible: opening and closing 
rear windows35 
3Opening and closing front 
windows35 6
Parking lamps101
Low beams101
Automatic headlamp control
*101
Adaptive light control
*102
High-beam assistant
*103
7
Fog lamps
*104 

At a glance
 11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
9Instrument cluster12
12Ignition lock5513Buttons on the steering wheel
15Horn, entire surface
16Adjusting the steering wheel51
18Releasing the hood222
19Opening the trunk lid31 8
Turn signals64
High beams, headlamp 
flasher103
High-beam assistant
*103
Roadside parking lamps
*103
Computer76
Settings and information about 
the vehicle79
10
Windshield wipers65
Rain sensor
*65
11Switching the ignition on/off and 
starting/stopping the engine55
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending a call; dial-
ing
* the selected phone number; 
redialing if no phone number is 
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice 
activation system
*22
Changing the radio station
Interrupting a traffic bulletin
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode108
14
Steering wheel heating
*51
17
Cruise control
*66
Active cruise control
*68 

At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Coupe: microphone for voice activation 
system
* and for telephone* in hands-free 
mode
Convertible: microphone on steering col-
umn
2SOS: initiating an Emergency Request 
call
*238
3Reading lamps105
4Coupe: glass roof, electric
*37
5Interior lamps105
6Passenger airbag status lamp
*99
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Dynamic Traction Control DTC90
10Central locking system30
11Automatic climate control
12CD/DVD drive
*16513Changing the audio and entertainment 
sources
14Selecting AM or FM waveband
15Changing
>Radio station157
>Track165
17Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
18Buttons on the controller16
Selecting menus directly
20Programmable memory keys20
21Switching entertainment audio sources on/
off and adjusting volume154
22Ejecting a CD/DVD
*165 Air distribution to the 
windshield107
Air distribution to the upper body 
area107
Air distribution to the footwell107
Automatic air distribution and flow 
rate107
Cooling function108
Automatic recirculated-air control 
AUC and recirculated-air 
mode108
Maximum cooling107
ALL program108
Air volume108
Defrosting windows108
Rear window defroster108
Heated seats
*47
16
Park Distance Control PDC*88
Coupe: 
Roller sun blind
*114
Coupe: 
Hill Descent Control HDC
*90
19Convertible:
Opening and closing retractable 
hardtop38 

Voice activation system
22
Voice activation system
The concept
The voice activation system allows you to con-
trol operation of various vehicle systems with-
out removing your hands from the steering 
wheel.
Most menu items on the Control Display can be 
voiced as commands. It is not necessary to use 
the controller.
The voice activation system transforms your 
oral commands into control signals for the 
selected systems and provides support in the 
form of instructions or questions.
Coupe: the voice activation system uses a spe-
cial microphone located in the area of the inte-
rior rearview mirror, refer to page14.
Convertible: the voice activation system uses a 
special microphone located in the area of the 
steering column.
Precondition
Via iDrive, select the language in which the 
voice activation system is operating, so that the 
spoken commands can be identified. Selecting 
the language for iDrive, refer to page87.
Symbols in the Owner's Manual
Saying commands
Activating voice activation system
1.Press the  button on the steering wheel.
 This symbol on the Control Display and 
an acoustic signal indicate that the voice 
activation system is ready to receive spo-
ken commands.
2.Say the command.
The command appears on the Control Dis-
play.
 This symbol appears on the Control Display 
when you can enter additional commands. 
If no further commands are possible, continue 
by operating the item of equipment via iDrive.
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for 
word. 
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice acti-
vation system. 

At a glance
 23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Terminating or canceling voice 
activation system
Press the  button on the steering wheel
or
In dialogs that call for a text of your choice, the 
procedure can only be canceled using the but-
ton on the steering wheel.
Possible commands
The commands available in each case depend 
on the menu item selected on the Control Dis-
play.
To have the available commands read aloud:
For example, if "CD" is selected, the commands 
for operating CD/Multimedia are read aloud.
Calling up functions immediately via 
short commands
Short commands enable you to perform certain 
functions immediately, irrespective of which 
menu item is selected, refer to page251.
Example: selecting the track of a CD
1.If necessary, switch on entertainment audio 
output.
2.Press the  button on the steering wheel.
Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the 
standard dialog or a shorter variant. In the 
shorter variant of the voice dialog, the prompts 
and responses from the system are abbrevi-
ated.
1."Settings"
2."Language/Units"3."Speech mode:"
4.To select the setting:
>"Default"
>"Short"
Notes
To operate the phone by voice, refer to 
page192.<
For voice commands, bear in mind the follow-
ing:
>Do not use the voice activation system to 
initiate an Emergency Request. In stressful 
situations, the voice and vocal pitch can 
change. This can unnecessarily delay the 
establishment of a telephone connection.
>Pronounce the commands and digits 
smoothly and at normal volume, avoiding 
excessive emphases and pauses. This also 
applies when spelling out and saying a full 
word during destination entry.
>When selecting a radio station, use the 
standard pronunciation of the station name.
>For entries in the voice-activated phone 
book, only use names in the language 
of the voice activation system and no 
abbreviations.
>Keep the doors, windows and glass roof 
closed to prevent interference from outside 
noise.
>Avoid ambient noise in the vehicle while 
speaking. {Cancel}
{Voice commands} or {Help}
3.Select the music track, e.g.: 
{C D track 4}
System says: 
{{Track 4}} 

Adjustments
42
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In con-
junction with the safety belts, the head 
restraints and the airbags, the seated position 
has a major influence on your safety in the event 
of an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we 
strongly urge you to observe the instructions 
contained in the following section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page52.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance 
between yourself and the airbags. Always 
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your 
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, 
to minimize the risk of injury to the hands or 
arms in the event of the airbag being triggered 
off. 
No one and nothing should come between the 
airbags and the seat occupant. 
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the 
front passenger side as a storage area. Make 
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly, 
e.g. not resting feet or legs on the dashboard; 
otherwise, leg injuries can occur if the front air-
bag deploys.
Make sure that passengers keep their heads 
away from the side airbag and do not lean 
against the cover of the head airbag; otherwise, 
serious injuries can result if the airbag 
deploys.<
Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries 
resulting from contact with airbags cannot be 
fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may 
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page98.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the 
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way 
that its center is at approx. ear level. 
Otherwise, there is an increased risk of injury in 
the event of an accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page45.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants 
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the 
safety belt as an additional safety device, but 
they do not represent a substitute.
Your vehicle has four seats, each of which is 
equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to 
wear a single safety belt. Never allow 
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's 
lap. Make sure that the belt in the lap area sits 
low across the hips and does not press against 
the abdomen. 
The safety belt must not rest against the throat, 
run across sharp edges, pass over hard or frag-
ile objects or be pinched. Fasten the safety belt 
so that it sits as snugly as possible against the 
lap and shoulder without being twisted. Other-
wise, the belt could slide over your hips and 
injure your abdomen in the event of a frontal 
collision. 
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and regularly pull 
the belt in the upper-body area taut; otherwise, 
its restraining effect could be impaired.<
Safety belts, refer to page49. 

Controls
 51Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Interior rearview mirror
Turn the knob to reduce glare from the head-
lamps of cars behind you when driving at night.
Interior and exterior mirrors, automatic 
dimming feature*
The automatic dimming feature of the interior 
and exterior mirrors
* is controlled by two photo 
cells in the interior rearview mirror. One photo 
cell is in the mirror frame, see arrow; the other is 
on the back of the mirror.
In order to ensure that the system functions 
correctly, keep the photo cells clean, do not 
cover the area between the interior rearview 
mirror and windshield, and do not affix adhesive 
labels or stickers of any kind to the windshield 
directly in front of the mirror.
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel position 
while the car is in motion; otherwise, there 
is a risk of an accident due to unexpected move-
ment.<
1.Fold the lever down.
2.Move the steering wheel to the preferred 
height and angle to suit your seated posi-
tion.
3.Swing the lever back up.
Do not use force to swing the lever 
back up; otherwise, the mechanism 
will be damaged.<
Steering wheel heating*
Press the button.
The LED in the button lights up when the 
steering wheel heating is switched on. 

Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Sport program and manual 
operation M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot; the Sport program 
is activated. This position is recommended for a 
performance-oriented driving style.
DS is displayed in the instrument cluster.
To deactivate the sport program or manual 
mode M/S, move the selector lever to the right 
into position D.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
Move selector lever from position D toward the 
left into the M/S shifting slot:
When you press the selector lever forwards or 
backwards, the manual mode is activated and 
Steptronic changes gear.
The engaged gear, e.g. M1 is displayed in the 
instrument cluster.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a plausible combination 
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, 
a downshift that would cause the engine to 
overrev will not be executed by the system.
The gear selected is briefly displayed in the 
instrument cluster, followed again by the gear 
actually in use.
Shifting gears via shift paddles* on the 
steering wheel
The shift paddles allow you to shift gears 
quickly since both hands can remain on the 
steering wheel.
>When you use the shift paddles on the 
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic 
mode, the transmission switches to manual 
mode.>If you do not accelerate or shift gears using 
the shift paddles for a certain amount of 
time, the transmission switches back to 
automatic mode.
If the selector lever is in the M/S gear 
plane, manual mode remains active.<
>To upshift, briefly pull the right shift 
paddle +.
>To downshift, briefly pull the left shift pad-
dle –.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a plausible combination 
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, 
a downshift that would cause the engine to 
overrev will not be executed by the system.
The gear selected is briefly displayed in the 
instrument cluster, followed again by the gear 
actually in use.
Overriding selector lever lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of 
position P even though the ignition is switched 
on, the brake is depressed and the button on 
the selector lever is pressed, the selector lever 
lock can be overridden:
1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever 
until the sleeve is inside out.