Starting the engine
Important safety notes ..................130
Station
see Radio
Steering (display message) ..............235
Steering wheel Adjusting (electrically). ....................91
Adjusting (manually). .......................91
Buttons (on-board computer) ......... 195
Important safety instructions ...........90
Memory function (storing set-
tings) ................................................ 91
Steering wheel heating ....................91
Storing settings (memory func-
tion) ................................................. 95
Steering wheel gearshift paddles ....139
Steering wheel heating Malfunction indicator lamp ..............92
Stowage compartments
Armrest (under) ............................. 249
Centre console .............................. 249
Centre console (rea rcompart-
ment). ............................................ 250
Cuph older..................................... 255
Glove compartment .......................248
Rea r............................................... 250
Under driver's seat/front-
passenger sea t.............................. 250
Stowage space
Important safety information .........248
Stowage well
Boot floo r(underneath) ................. 254
Submenu (on-board computer)
Convenience .................................. 211
Factory setting ............................... 212
Heating .......................................... 210
Instrument cluster .........................205
Lights ............................................ .207
Standard displa y............................ 198
Time/Date ..................................... 206
Vehicle .......................................... .209
Summer opening
see Convenience opening feature
Summer tyres .................................... 303
Sun visor ............................................ 256
Supplemental Restraint System see SRS Surround lighting (on-board com-
puter)
................................................. .208
Suspension tuning ....................168, 169
Switching off the alarm (ATA) ............63 T
Tail lamp (display message) .............222
Technical data CLS 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY .......324
CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY ..............323
CLS 350 CDI 4MATIC BlueEFFI-
CIENC Y.......................................... 325
CLS 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY .......325
CLS 500 4MATIC BlueEFFI-
CIENC Y.......................................... 323
CLS 500 BlueEFFICIENCY ..............323
CLS 63 AMG .................................. 324
Notes ............................................. 316
Tyres/wheels ................................. 310
Telephone
Accepting acall............................. 202
Menu (on-board computer) ............201
Number from the phone book ....... .202
Redialling ....................................... 203
Rejecting/ending acall................. 202
Telephone compartment ..................249
Temperature Coolant .......................................... 194
Coolant (on-board computer) ......... 212
Engine oil (on-board computer) ...... 212
Outside temperature ..................... .195
Setting ........................................... 115
TEMPOMAT
Function/notes ............................. 152
Through-loading feature ...................251
Tilt/sliding sunroof see Sliding sunroof
Time (on-board computer) ................206
Timer (on-board computer) ..............212
TIREFIT kit .......................................... 281
Top Tether ............................................ 50
Total distance recorder ....................198
Tow-away protection ..........................64
Towing Important safety notes ..................29516
Index
Protection of the environment
Notes
H
Environmental note
Daimler's declared policy is one of integrated
environmental protection.
The objectives are for the natural resources
which form the basis of our existence on this
planet to be used sparingly and in a manner
which takes the requirements of both nature
and humanity into account.
You too can help to protect the environment
by operating your vehicle in an environmen-
tally responsible manner.
Fuel consumption and the rate of engine,
transmission, brake and tyre wear depend on
the following factors:
R operating conditions of your vehicle
R your personal driving style
You can influence both factors. You should
bear the following in mind:
Operating conditions
R avoid short trips as these increase fuel con-
sumption.
R make sure that the tyre pressures are
always correct.
R do not carry any unnecessary weight.
R keep an eye on the vehicle's fuel consump-
tion.
R remove roof racks once you no longer need
them.
R a regularly serviced vehicle will contribute
to environmental protection. You should
therefore adhere to the service intervals.
R always have maintenance work carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop, e.g. a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Personal driving style
R do not depress the accelerator pedal when
starting the engine.
R do not warm up the engine with the vehicle
stationary. R
drive carefully and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front.
R avoid frequent, sudden acceleration.
R change gear in good time and use each gear
only up to ⅔ofits maximum engine speed.
R switch off the engine in stationary traffic. Returning use
dvehicles
Mercedes-Ben zwill take back your
Mercedes-Ben zto dispose of it in an environ-
mentally responsible manner ,inaccordance
with the European Union (EU) End of Life
Vehicles Directive.
The End of Life Vehicles Directive applies to
vehicles of up to 3.5 tgross vehicle weight, in
accordance with national regulations. For
several years, Mercedes-Benz has been
meeting all the legal requirements for a
design which allows for recycling and reuse.
There is a network of return points and dis-
assembly plants which can recycle yourv ehi-
cle in an environmentally-responsible man-
ner. The options for recycling vehicles and
parts are constantly being developed and
improved. This means that your Mercedes-
Benz will also continue to meet even the
increased recycling quotas in the future in
good time. You can obtain further information
from your national Mercedes-Benzh omepage
or your national hotline number. Vehicle equipment
This manual describes all the standard and
optional equipment of your vehicle available
at the time of publication of the Owner's Man-
ual. Country-specific differences are possi-
ble. Bear in mind that your vehicle may not
feature all functions described here. This also
refers to safety-related systems and func-
tions. The equipment in your vehicle may
therefore differ from that shown in the
descriptions and illustrations. All the systems
found in your vehicle are listed in the original Introduction
19 Z
purchase agreemen
tofyour vehicle. Should
you have any questions concerning equip-
ment and operation, please consult a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Operating safety
Safety notes
G
Risk of accident and injury
Always have work on the vehicle carried out
by a qualified specialist workshop. In particu-
lar, work relevant to safety or on safety-rela-
ted systems as well as maintenance work
must be carried out at aqualified specialist
workshop. The workshop must have the nec-
essary specialist knowledge and tools to carry
out the work required. Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre for this purpose. G
Risk of accident and injury
Some safety systems only function when the
engine is running. You should therefore never
switch off the engine when driving .Otherwise,
the safety systems of your vehicle may not
function correctly and as a result will no lon-
ge rp rotect you and other persons as inten-
ded. In addition, there is a risk that you may
lose control of yourv ehicle and thus cause an
accident. G
Risk of accident and injury
Work carried out incorrectly, or alterations
made to the vehicle, e.g. re-routing of cables
under coverings, could cause the safety sys-
tems of your vehicle to stop working properly.
The safety systems would thus no longer pro-
tecty ou and other persons as intended. In
addition, there is a risk that you may lose con-
trol of your vehicle and thus cause an acci-
dent.
All work and alterations to the vehicle, e.g.
installations or modifications, should there-
fore be carried out at aqualified specialist
workshop. G
Ris
kofa ccident
If you drive ove robstacles at high speed or if
the vehicle bottoms out in rough terrain, it
could cause heavy impacts to the vehicle
underbody, tyres or wheels. This could cause
your vehicle to be damaged, which in turn
might lead to an accident. This also applies to
vehicles which are equipped with underbody
protection.
You should therefore drive over obstacles
slowly. Preven tthe vehicle from bottoming
out when driving off-road and if necessary,
have your vehicle inspected at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. G
Risk of accident
If work on electronic equipment and its soft-
ware is carried out incorrectly, this equipment
could stop working. The electronic systems
are networked via interfaces. Tampering with
these electronic systems could cause mal-
functions in systems which have not been
modified. Malfunctions such as these can
seriously jeopardise the vehicle's operating
safety and therefore your own safety.
You should therefore have all work and mod-
ifications to electronic components carried
out at a qualified specialist workshop. Vehicle registration
Mercedes-Benz may ask its Service Centres
to carry out technical inspections on certain
vehicles to improve their quality or safety.
If you did not purchase your vehicle from an
authorised specialist dealer and your vehicle
has never been inspected at a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre, it is possible that your
vehicle is not registered in your name with
Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz can only
inform you about vehicle checks if it has your
registration data.
It is advisable to register your vehicle with a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. 20
Introduction
Warning and indicator lamps
Function Page
:
ESP
® 242
M
SPORT handling
mode in AMG vehicles 243
;
Distance warning signal 246
=
ESP
®
OFF 242
?
Turn signal 99
A
Brakes (red) 238
B
Brakes (yellow)
1 238
C
ABS 241
D
SRS 243
E
Engine diagnostics
244 Function Page
F
Tyre pressure monitor 246
G
Seat belt 239
H
Diesel engine: preglow 130
÷
ESP®
in AMG vehicles 243
I
Coolant 244
J
Rea
rfoglamp 99
K
Main-beam headlamps 100
L
Dipped-beam headlamps 99
M
This lamp has no function
N
Reserve fuel 244
1
Only on certain vehicles. 28
Instrument clusterAt a glance
Airbags and belt tensioners could fail to
deploy or be triggered in an accident despite
the deceleratio nforce being sufficient to trig-
ger the systems, or could be triggered unin-
tentionally. For this reason, never make any
modifications to the restraint systems.
Therefore, you must not tamper with elec-
tronic components or their software. SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
Introduction SRS reduces the risk of occupants coming
into contact with the vehicle's interior in the
event of an accident. It can also reduce the
effect of the forces to which occupants are
subjected during an accident.
SRS consists of:
R the 6 SRS warning lamp
R airbags
R airbag control unit (with crash sensors)
R belt tensioners
R belt force limiters
SRS warning lamp SRS functions are checked regularly when
you switch on the ignition and when the
engine is running. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The 6 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than a few seconds
after the engine is started. G
Risk of injury
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be activated unintentionally or may not
be triggered in the event of an accident with
a high rate of vehicle deceleration. A malfunction has occurred if:
R
the 6 SRS warning lamp does not light
up when the ignition is switched on.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp does not go out after a few
seconds.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp lights up again.
In this case, have SRS checked immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop. Mercedes-
Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre for this purpose.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on
safety-related systems must be carried out at
a qualified specialist workshop.
Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiters and airbags During the first stage of a collision, the airbag
control unit evaluates important physical
data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as
R
duration
R direction
R magnitude
Based on the evaluation of this data, the air-
bag control unit pre-emptively triggers the
belt tensioners in the first stage.
i The front belt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the seat belt tongues on the front
seats are correctly engaged in the seat belt
buckles.
If there is an even higher rate of vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration in a longitudinal direc-
tion, the front airbags are also deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air-
bags. The airbag control unit evaluates vehi-
cle deceleration or acceleration in the event
of a collision. When the first deployment
threshold is reached, the front airbag is filled
with enough propellant gas to reduce the risk
of injuries. The front airbag is fully deployed
if a second deployment threshold is exceeded
within a few milliseconds. Occupant safety
35Safety Z
The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
R you engage the belt tongue in the belt
buckle and you then turn the key to position
2in the ignition lock.
R the key is in position 2in the ignition lock
and you then engage the belt tongue in the
buckle.
The seat-belt adjustmen twill apply a certain
tightening force if any slack is detected
between the occupant and the seat belt. Do
not hold on to the seat belt tightly while it is
adjusting. You can switch the seat-belt
adjustment on and off in the on-board com-
puter (Y page 211).
Belt height adjustment You can adjust the seat belt height on the
driver's seat and the front-passenger seat.
Adjust the height so that the upper part of the
seat belt is routed across the centre of your
shoulder.
X
To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: press and hold belt sash guide
release :.
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Release belt sash guide release :and
make sure that the belt sash guide has
engaged. Releasing seat belts X
Press release button ?(Ypage 43) and
guide belt tongue ;back towards belt
sash guide :.
Belt warning for driver and front
passenger The
7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder for all occupants
to fasten their seat belts .Itmay light up con-
tinuously or flash. In addition, there may be a
warning tone.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases when the driver and
the fron tpassenger have fastened their seat
belt .Ift he vehicle is stationary and a door is
opened, the 7seat belt warning lamp
goes out and the warning tone ceases.
For certain countries only: regardless of
whether the driver or the front passenger
have fastened their seat belts, the 7seat
belt warning lamp lights up for six seconds
after the engine is started. It then goes out if
the driver and the front passenger have fas-
tened their seat belts.
i For more information on the 7seat
belt warning lamp, see "Indicator and warn-
ing lamps in the instrumentc luster, seat
belt" (Y page 239).
Rear seat belt status indicator The rear-compartmen
tseat belt status indi-
cator tells you if the rear passengers have
their seat belts fastened.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator indicates the rear seat on which the belt
is fastened. 44
Occupant safetySafety
force to a level suitable for the traffic condi-
tions.
If BAS PLUS demands particularly high brak-
ing force, PRE-SAFE
®
is activated simultane-
ously.
X Keep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if:
R you release the brake pedal.
R no obstacle is detected in front of your
vehicle.
R there is no longe rany dange rofarear-end
collision.
BAS PLUS is then deactivated.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h, BAS
PLUS may also detect stationary obstacles,
for example, stopped or parked vehicles.
Vehicles without COMAND and a navigation
system and vehicles for Australia: the radar
sensor system and on-board computer must
be switched off in the vicinity of radio tele-
scope facilities (Y page 210).
For BAS PLUS to assist you when driving, the
rada rsensor system must be switched on and
operational. You can chec kthis by activating
DISTRONIC PLUS(Y page 154) or via the
"radars ensor" function in the on-board com-
puter (Y page 210). G
Risk of accident
Only clearly identified obstacles will initiate
braking assistance by BAS PLUS.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be restricted if there is:
R dirt on the sensors or anything else cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources
R strong radar reflections, for example in
multi-storey car parks
BAS PLUS does not react to people or ani-
mals, oncoming vehicles and crossing traffic,
or when cornering. BAS PLUS may not detect narrow vehicles
such as motorcycles and vehicles driving on
a different line.
Following a collision or accident-related dam-
age to the fron tend of the vehicle, have the
configuratio nand operatio nofthe radar sen-
sors checked at a Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
If BAS PLUS is not available due to a malfunc-
tion in the radar sensor system, the brake
system remains available with full brake
boosting effect and BAS. Adaptive brake lamps
i Adaptive brake lamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS
or BAS PLUS, the brake lamps flash rapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 70 km/h to a standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically .Ifthe
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
light up continuously.T he hazard warning
lamps switch off automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h .You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button . ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes If ESP
®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. If necessary, the engine output is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking. 58
Driving safety systemsSafety
If ESP
®
intervenes, the ÷warning lamp
flashes in the instrument cluster. G
Risk of accident
If the ÷ warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R adapt yourd riving style to suitt he prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into a skid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
! Switch the ignition off when:
R the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer
R the vehicle is being towed with the front/
rear axle raised
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Do not tow vehicles with 4MATIC with the
front or rear axle raised.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System) Traction control is part of ESP
®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. On vehicles with 4MATIC, more drive
torque is also transferred to the wheel or
wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP ®
. G
Risk of accident
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. Traction control
cannot override the laws of physics.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®
(except
AMG vehicles) ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is started.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply.E SP®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle
if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts
to spin.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides bette rgrip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilise the vehicle.
X To deactivate:(Y page 204).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running. Driving safety systems
59Safety
Z