
Effect0045Park position
Shift the automatic transmission
into park position P only when the
vehicle is stopped. The park
position is not intended to serve as
a brake when the vehicle is parked.
Rather, the driver should always
engage the parking brake in
addition to shifting the automatic
transmission into park position P to
secure the vehicle.
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the
gear selector lever in park position
P . With the SmartKey removed from
the starter switch, the gear selector
lever is locked in park position P.
If the vehicle’s electrical system is
malfunctioning, the gear selector
lever could remain locked in park
position P.XHave the vehicle’s electrical
system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.0046Reverse gear
Shift the automatic transmission
into reverse gear R only when the
vehicle is stopped.Effect0044Neutral position
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the
transmission, never shift the
automatic transmission into neutral
position N while driving.
Exception: If the ESP ®
is switched
off or malfunctioning, shift the
automatic transmission into neutral
position N if the vehicle is in danger
of skidding.
! Coasting the vehicle, or driving
for any other reason with the
automatic transmission in
neutral position N can result in
transmission damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.003ADrive position
The automatic transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears are
available.
Driving tips
Kickdown
Use the kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
XU.S. vehicles except AMG vehicles:
Fully depress the accelerator pedal.
Depending on the engine speed the
automatic transmission shifts into a lower
gear.XCanada vehicles and AMG vehicles:
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
point of resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
automatic transmission shifts into a lower
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As a result, you will not be able to see
information about your driving conditions,
such as
Rspeed
Routside temperature
Rwarning/indicator lamps
Rmalfunction/warning messages
Rfailure of any systems
Driving characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, do so with added
caution. Contact an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center as soon as possible.
\000FReset button
For information on changing the instrument
cluster settings, e.g. the language, see
(Y page 122).
Activating the instrument cluster
The instrument cluster is activated when you
Ropen a door
Rswitch on the ignition
Rpress reset button \000F
Rswitch on the exterior lamps
iOpening a door activates the instrument
cluster illumination only for about
30 seconds.
Adjusting the instrument cluster
illumination
Use reset button \000F to adjust the illumination
brightness for the instrument cluster and the
switches on the center console.
XTo brighten illumination: Turn reset
button \000F clockwise until the desired level
of illumination is reached.
XTo dim illumination: Turn reset
button \000F counterclockwise until the
desired level of illumination is reached.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to suit
ambient light conditions.
Coolant temperature gauge
The coolant temperature gauge is located on
the left side in the instrument cluster
(Y page 30).
GWarning!
Driving when your engine is overheated can
cause some fluids which may have leaked into
the engine compartment to catch fire. You
could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns which can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of the
vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle until
the engine has cooled down.
During severe operating conditions, e.g. stop-
and-go traffic, the coolant temperature may
rise close to 248‡ (120†).
! Excessive coolant temperature triggers a
warning in the multifunction display and the
red coolant temperature warning
lamp \000

XPress the reset button in the instrument
cluster (Y page 111) for approximately
3 seconds.
The request to press the reset button once
more to confirm appears in the right
multifunction display.
XPress the reset button once more.
The settings you have changed will not be
reset unless you confirm the action by
pressing the reset button a second time.
Submenus in the Settings menu
XPress button \000Y or \000X repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button \000\).
The collection of the submenus appears in
the right multifunction display. There are
more submenus than can be displayed
simultaneously.
XPress button \000[.
The selection marker moves to the next
submenu.
XScroll down with button \000[, scroll up
with button \000Z.
XWith the selection marker on the desired
submenu, use button \000\) to access the
individual functions within that submenu.
XOnce within the submenu, use button
\000\) to move to the next function or button
\000- to move to the previous function
within that submenu.
XUse button \000Z or \000[ to change the
settings of the respective function.
The following lists show what settings can be
changed within the various menus. Detailed
instructions on making individual settings can
be found on the following pages.
Instrument cluster submenu
RSelecting speedometer/odometer display
mode (Y page 123) (Canada only)
RSelecting digital speedometer display
mode (Y page 123)
RSelecting language (Y page 123)
RSelecting standard display (Y page 124)
Lighting submenu
RSwitching daytime running lamp mode on
or off (USA only) (Y page 124)
RSwitching locator lighting on or off
(Y page 125)
RSwitching night security illumination
(Headlamps delayed shut-off feature) on or
off (Y page 125)
RSwitching interior lighting delayed shut-off
on or off (Y page 126)
Vehicle submenu
RSwitching automatic central locking on or
off (Y page 126)
Convenience submenu
RActivating easy-entry/exit feature
(Y page 127)
Instrument cluster submenu
Access the Instr. Cluster submenu via
the Settings menu. Use the Instr.
Cluster submenu to change the instrument
cluster display settings.
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For safety reasons, resetting all the functions
of all submenus to the factory settings while
driving (Y page 121) will not deactivate the
daytime running lamp mode.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display:
Lighting Cannot be fully reset to
factory settings while driving.
Switching locator lighting on or off
With the locator lighting feature activated and
the exterior lamp switch in position \000Z, the
following lamps will come on during darkness
when the vehicle is unlocked using button
\0006 on the SmartKey:
RParking lamps
RTail lamps
RLicense plate lamps
RSide marker lamps
RFront fog lamps
The locator lighting goes out when the driver’s
door is opened.
If you do not open the driver’s door after
unlocking the vehicle with the SmartKey, the
lamps will go out automatically after
approximately 40 seconds.
XPress button \000Y or \000X repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button \000\).XMove the selection marker with button
\000Z or \000[ to the Lighting submenu.
XPress button \000\) or \000- repeatedly until
the message Locator Lighting appears
in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
XPress button \000Z or \000[ to switch the
locator lighting function On or Off.
XTurn the exterior lamp switch to position
\000Z when exiting the vehicle.
The locator lighting feature is activated.
Switching night security illumination
(Headlamps delayed shut-off feature) on
or off
Use this function to set whether you would
like the exterior lamps to remain on for
15 seconds during darkness after exiting the
vehicle and closing all doors.
With the headlamps delayed shut-off feature
activated and the exterior lamp switch in
position \000Z before the engine is turned off,
the following lamps will come on when the
engine is turned off:
RParking lamps
RTail lamps
RLicense plate lamps
RSide marker lamps
RFront fog lamps
If, after turning off the engine, you do not
open a door or do not close an opened door,
the lamps will automatically go out after
60 seconds.
XPress button \000Y or \000X repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button \000\).XMove the selection marker with button
\000Z or \000[ to the Lighting submenu.
XPress button \000\) or \000- repeatedly until
the message Headlamps Delayed
Switch-off appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
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XPress button \000Z or \000[ to switch the
headlamps delayed shut-off feature On or
Off.
XTurn the exterior lamp switch to position
\000Z before turning off the engine.
The headlamps delayed shut-off feature is
activated.
You can temporarily deactivate the
headlamps delayed shut-off feature:
XBefore exiting the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to position
0.
XThen turn it to position 2 and back to
position 0.
The headlamps delayed shut-off feature is
deactivated. It will reactivate as soon as
you start the engine.
Switching interior lighting delayed shut-
off on or off
Use this function to set whether you would
like the interior lighting to remain on for
10 seconds during darkness after you have
removed the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
XPress button \000Y or \000X repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button \000\).XMove the selection marker with button
\000Z or \000[ to the Lighting submenu.
XPress button \000\) or \000- repeatedly until
the message Interior Lighting
Delayed Switch-off appears in the
multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
XPress button \000Z or \000[ to switch the
interior lighting delayed shut-off feature
On or Off.
Vehicle submenu
Access the Vehicle submenu via the
Settings menu. Use the Vehicle submenu
to set the automatic central locking.
Switching automatic central locking on or
off
Use this function to switch the automatic
central locking on or off. With the automatic
central locking activated, the vehicle is
locked centrally at a vehicle speed of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h).
XPress button \000Y or \000X repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button \000\).XMove the selection marker with button
\000Z or \000[ to the Vehicle submenu.
XPress button \000\) or \000- repeatedly until
the message Automatic Door Lock
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
XPress button \000Z or \000[ to switch the
automatic central locking On or Off.
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Convenience submenu
Access the Convenience submenu via the
Settings menu. Use the Convenience
submenu to activate the easy-entry/exit
feature (Y page 127), or to set the fold-in
function for exterior rear view mirrors
(Y page 127).
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deactivate
the easy-entry/exit feature (Y page 85).
GWarning!
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement do one of
the following:
RMove steering wheel adjustment stalk.
RPress one of the memory position buttons.
RPress memory button M.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
XPress button \000Y or \000X repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button \000\).XMove the selection marker with button
\000Z or \000[ to the Convenience
submenu.
XPress button \000\) or \000- repeatedly until
the message Easy-entry Function
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
XPress button \000Z or \000[ to activate (On)
or deactivate (Off) the easy-entry/exit
feature.
Switching fold-in function for exterior
rear view mirrors on or off
This feature is only available in Canada
vehicles.
Use this function to set the exterior rear view
mirrors to be folded in automatically when
you lock your vehicle.
With this function set to On and the exterior
rear view mirrors folded in using the button
on the door control panel (Y page 88), the
exterior rear view mirrors will not fold out
when you switch on the ignition. You will then
have to fold out the exterior rear view mirrors
using the button on the door control panel
(Y page 88).
Make sure both exterior rear view mirrors are
folded out completely before driving off.
XPress button \000Y or \000X repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button \000\).XMove the selection marker with button
\000Z or \000[ to the Convenience
submenu.
XPress button \000\) or \000- repeatedly until
the message Fold In Mirrors When
Locking appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
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Example illustration (except SL 63 AMG)
SL 63 AMG:
The distance warning function on/off switch
is located on the right side of the center
console.
XActivating/deactivating: Press
switch \000F.
When the distance warning function is
activated, indicator lamp \000G in switch \000F
comes on. A loudspeaker symbol appears
in the right multifunction display
(Y page 136).
RACE START (SL 63 AMG)
RACE START enables optimum acceleration
from a standing start with suitable high-grip
road surface conditions.
GWarning!
RACE START is only available when the SPORT
handling mode is switched on. The SPORT
handling mode stabilizes the vehicle only to a
limited extent if the vehicle starts to skid or
when a wheel is spinning.
RACE START should be used only on closed
tracks. Always adapt your speed and driving
to the prevailing road and weather conditions.
Conditions for activation
RACE START can be activated when
Rthe doors are closed
Rthe engine is running and has reached its
operating temperature of approximately
80†. This is the case when the engine oil
temperature indicator in the multifunction
display stops flashing.
Rthe SPORT handling mode is switched on
(Y page 58)
Rthe multifunction steering wheel is in the
straight-ahead position
Rthe vehicle is standing still and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot)
Rthe automatic transmission is in drive
position D
Activating RACE START
XDepress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
XTurn the program mode selector dial
clockwise (Y page 107) until the RS lamp
on the dial comes on.
The message RACE START Cancel:
Paddle DOWN appears in the left
multifunction display and the message
RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
appears in the right multifunction display.
iWhen the activation conditions are not
fulfilled anymore, RACE START is canceled.
The message RACE START appears in the
left multifunction display and the message
Canceled appears in the right
multifunction display.
XTo cancel: Pull left steering wheel gearshift
control (Y page 108).
or
XTo confirm: Pull right steering wheel
gearshift control (Y page 108).
The message RACE START appears in the
left multifunction display and the message
Available Depress Gas Pedal appears
in the right multifunction display.
iIf you do not depress the accelerator
pedal within 2 seconds, RACE START is
canceled. The message RACE START
appears in the left multifunction display
and the message Not Possible See
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XTurn temperature controls 006E or 0073
( Y page 148) clockwise or
counterclockwise.
The indicator lamp in button 0061 goes out.
or
XPress button 005A.
The indicator lamp in button 005A comes
on. The air volume and air distribution are
adjusted automatically.
or
XPress button 0066.
The indicator lamp in button 0061 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 deactivate 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 Condensated water may drip out from
underneath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs which
are harmful to the ozone layer.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air
conditioning. The interior air will then no
longer be cooled or dehumidified.
XPress button 0058.
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 0058.
The indicator lamp in the button comes on.
Automatic mode
Air distribution and air volume can be
adjusted automatically by the climate control
system. You can also adjust the settings for
air distribution and air volume manually.
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 deactivate 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 151).XActivating: Press button 005A.
The indicator lamp in the button comes on.
The air volume and air distribution are
adjusted automatically.XDeactivating: Press button 005A.
The indicator lamp in the button goes out.
The blower will run at speed setting 3. The
air flows through the center and side air
vents.
or
XPress one button 0056.
The indicator lamp in button 005A goes out.
The climate control settings for the
respective side of the passenger
compartment is adjusted manually.150Climate control systemControls in detail
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