
data" section to find out whether this applies
to your vehicle. If you utilise any of the added
maximum rear axle load when towin gatrailer,
the vehicle/trailer combination may not
exceed amaximum speed of 100 km/ hfor
reasons concerning the operatin gpermit.
This also applies in countries in which the
permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towin gatrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristic swill be differen tincomparison
to when driving without atrailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strongc rosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R consumes more fuel
On long and steep downhill gradients, you
must shift to alower gear in good time, or on
vehicles with automatic transmission, select
the shift range 1,2or 3.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevent sthe brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. If you need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously.
Driving tips R
Maintain agreater distance from the vehi-
cle in front than when driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from astandstill refer to sea level. When driving in mountainous areas,
notet hat the power output of the engine,
and consequently the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decrease with increas-
ing altitude.
If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter-steer.
X Brake if necessary. Folding out the ball coupling
Before you can tow atrailer with your vehicle,
you must fold out the ball coupling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot. G
WARNING
Make sure that the ball coupling is engaged,
either in its folded-out or folded-in position,
and that the indicator lamp is off.
Do not turn the release wheel when atrailer
is coupled up. Otherwise, the trailer might
detach. X
To open the cover: turn handle:anti-
clockwise and fold down cover ;.206
Trailer towingDriving and parking

X
Pull out release wheel ;.
X Turn release wheel ;anti-clockwise until
the ball coupling releases and folds out
from under the rear bumper. Indicator
lamp :flashes. X
Pull the ball coupling in the direction of the
arrow until it engages in avertical position.
Indicator lamp :goes out. The power
socket folds down automatically.
The multifunction display shows the
Trailer hitch Check lock mech. mes-
sage until the ball coupling is engaged.
X Remove the protective cap from the ball
coupling and store it in asafe place.
X Make sure that the ball of the ball coupling
is clean and that, depending on the trailer
specification, it is greased or dry (without
grease) when used. Coupling up
atrailer G
WARNING
Do not disconnect atrailer with an engaged
overrun brake. Otherwise, your hand could
become trapped between the bumper and
trailer drawbar.
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Position the trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish the electrical connection
between the vehicle and the trailer.
X Check that the trailer lighting system is
working. Decoupling
atrailer G
WARNING
As soon as yo uraise the trailer drawbar ,the
unladen vehicl erises slightly. Th evehicl ethen
lowers to driving level.
Make sure tha tnobody is in the vicinit yofthe
wheel arch or the underbody. You could oth-
erwise trap yourself or others. G
WARNING
The vehicle is lowered as soon as you discon-
nect the trailer cable. Make sure that nobody
is in the vicinit yofthe wheel arch or the
underbody. You could otherwise trap yourself
or others.
As soon as you decouple the trailer, the unla-
den vehicle rises slightly. Make sure that you
or others are not injured in the process.
! Do not disconnect atrailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by the rebound-
ing of the overrun brake.
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the parking brake. Trailer towing
207Driving and parking Z

X
Secure the traile ragainst rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Folding in the ball coupling
i Fold the ball coupling back in if you are
not using the trailer tow hitch. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the pivoting range of the ball coupling. Other-
wise, they could be injured.
X Place the protective cap on the ball cou-
pling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot. X
To open the cover: turn handle:anti-
clockwise and fold down cover ;. X
Pull out release wheel ;.
X Turn release wheel ;anti-clockwise.
The ball coupling unlocks and lowers. Indi-
cator lamp :flashes. X
Press the ball coupling in the direction of
the arrow until it engages behind the
bumper.
Indicator lamp :goes out and the mes-
sage in the multifunction display disap-
pears. Trailer power supply
When it leaves the factory, your vehicle's
trailer socket is equipped with apermanent
power supply and apower supply that is
switched on via the ignition lock.
The permanent power supply is supplied via
trailer socket pin 9.
The power supply that is switched on via the
ignition lock is supplied via trailer socket pin
10.
! You can connect consumers with apower
rating of up to 240 Wtothe permanent
power supply and up to 180 Wtothe power
supply that is switched on via the ignition
lock.
You must not charge atrailer battery using
the power supply.
The trailer's permanent power supply is
switched off in the event of low vehicle supply
voltage and after six hours at the latest. 208
Trailer towingDriving and parking

You can obtain further information about
installing the trailer electrics fro maqualified
specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz
Service Centre.
X To switch the connected power supply
on or off: turn the key in the ignition lock
to position 2or 0respectively. Bulb failur
eindicator for LED lamps
i If LED lamps are fitted in the trailer, an
error message may appear in the multi-
function display even if ther eisnofault. The
reason for the error message may be that
the curren thas falle nbelow the minimum
of 50 milliamperes (mA).
To ensure reliable operation of the bulb failure
indicator, each LED chain in the trailer lighting
must be guaranteed aminimum curren tof
50 mA. Trailer with 7-pin connector
General information If your trailer has
a7-pin connector, you can
connectittot he 13-pin socket on the ball
coupling using an adapter or, if necessary, an
adapter cable. Bothoft hese can be obtained
at aq ualified specialist workshop, e.g. at a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Fitting the adapter X
Open the socket cover.
X Inser tthe connector with lug :into
groove ;on the socket and turn the con-
nector clockwise to the stop.
X Let the cover engage.
X If you are using an adapter cable, secure
the cable to the trailer with cable ties.
! Make sure that ther eissufficien tcable
play so that th ecabl ecanno tbecome
detached when cornering. Trailer towing
209Driving and parking Z

Useful information
............................264
Loading guidelines (Coupé) .............264
Stowage areas .................................. 264
Features ............................................. 269 263Stowing and features

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment
available to your vehicle at the time of pub-
lication of the Owner's Manual. Country-
specific deviation sare possible. Please
not ethat your vehicle may not be equipped
with all feature sdescribed. This also
applies to safety-relevan tsystems and
functions.
i Pleas ereadt he information on qualified
specialist workshop s(Ypage 22). Loading guidelines (Coupé)
G
WARNING
Secur eand position th eload as described in
th el oadin gguidelines.
Otherwise ,vehicl eoccupant scould
be injured by th eload bein gthrow na round in
the event of sharp braking, asudden change
in directio noranaccident.
You willf ind further informatio ninthe "Secur-
ing aload" section.
Even if you follow all the loading guidelines,
the load will increase the risk of injury in the
event of an accident. G
WARNING
Keep the boot lid closed while the vehicle is
in operation. Otherwise, you could be pois-
oned by exhaust fumes enteringt he vehicle.
The handling characteristics of aladen vehi-
cle are dependent on the distribution of the
load within the vehicle. For this reason, you
should observe the following notes when
transporting aload:
R when transporting aload, never exceed the
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight or the permissible axle loads for the vehicle
(including occupants).
R position heavy loads as far forwards as pos-
sible and as low down in the boot as pos-
sible.
R the load must not protrude above the upper
edge of the seat backrests.
R always place the load against the rear or
front seat backrests. Make sure that the
seat backrests are securely locked into
place.
R always place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
R secure the load with sufficiently stronga nd
wear-resistant lashing material. pad sharp
edges for protection.
i Load restraintsa re available at any quali-
fied specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-
Benz Service Centre. Stowage areas
Stowage compartments
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The stowage compartments must be closed
when items are stored in them. Luggage nets
are not designed to secure heavy items of
luggage.
You or other vehicle occupants could be
injured by objectsb eing thrown around if you:
R brake sharply
R change direction suddenly
R are involved in an accident
Sharp-edged and fragile objectsm ust not be
placed in the luggagen et.
Do not place hard objectsint he map pockets.
Objectsm ust not protrude from the map
pockets. 264
Stowage areasStowing and features

Fron
tstowage compartments Glov
ecompartment
i The glov ecom partmen tcan be ventilated
(Y page 142). X
To open: pull handle :and open glove
compartmen tflap ;.
X To close: fold glovecom partmen tflap ;
upwards until it engages.
The glove compartmen tcan only be locked
and unlocked usin gthe emergenc ykey ele-
ment. X
To lock: insert theemergenc ykey element
int ot he locka nd tur nit90°clockwise to
position 2.
X To unlock: insert theemergenc ykey ele-
men tint ot he locka nd tur nit90°anti-
clockwise to position 1. Stowage compartment in th
ecentre con-
sole Example
:Coupé
X To open: slide cover :back.
Stowage compartment/telephone com-
partment under the armrest
i Asmall and alarg estowage compartment
are located under the armrest. The small
stowage compartment can be removed for
emptying. The mobil ephone bracket is
located in the larg estowage compartment.
i Depending on the vehicle's equipment, a
USB port and an AUX-IN jack or aMedia
Interface are installed in the stowage com-
partment. AMediaInterface is auniversal
interface for portable audio equipment, e.g.
for an iPod ®
or MP3 player (see the sepa-
rate Audio or COMAND APS operating
instructions). Example: Coupé
X
To open: press left-hand button ;or right-
hand button :.
The stowage compartment opens. Stowage areas
265Stowing and features Z

Luggage nets
G
WARNING
Only place lightweight object sinthe luggage
net. Do not use it to transport heavy, sharp-
edged or fragile objects. The luggagen et can-
not secure the objectss ufficiently in the event
of an accident.
Luggage nets are located in the front-
passenger footwell and on the left-hand side
of the boot (Coupé) or left and right-hand
sides of the boot (Cabriolet). Through-loading facility in the rear
compartment X
Fold down rear seat armrest =.
X Pull handle :and fold cover ;down-
wards. Through-loading facility in the rear
bench seat (Coupé)
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objectsi nside the
vehicle or in the boot unless they are secured.
Otherwise, you and other vehicle occupants
could be injured by objects being thrown
around the vehicle in the event of sharp brak-
ing, asudden change in direction or an acci-
dent. G
WARNING
Always drive with the boot lid closed. Exhaust
fumes could otherwise enter the vehicle inte-
rior.
The left-hand and right-hand rear seat backr-
ests can be folded down separately to
increase the boot capacity.
Folding the seat backrest forwards i
Vehicles with memory function :when you
fold one or both parts of the rear seat back-
rest forwards, the respective front seat
moves forward slightly, when necessary, in
order to avoid contact.
X Vehicles without memory function: if nec-
essary, move the driver's or front-
passenger seat forwards.
X Open the boot.
X Pull right-hand or left-hand rear seat back-
rest release handle :.
The corresponding rear seat backrest is
released. 266
Stowage areasStowing and features