sport MERCEDES-BENZ S63AMG 2008 W221 Owner's Manual

60 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
Occupants, especially children, should al-
ways sit as upright as possible, properly use
the seat belts and use an appropriately sized
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances
require you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the OCS senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard
appropriate child restraint on the front
passenger seat.

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front
passenger front air bag inflates in a
collision which could occur under some
circumstances, even with the air bag
technology installed in your vehicle. The
only means to completely eliminate this
risk is to never place a child in a rear-fac-
ing child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.

If you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the 59
indicator lamp is illuminated, indicating
that the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated. Should the
59indicator lamp not illu-
minate or go out while the restraint is in-
stalled, please check installation.
Periodically check the 59
indicator lamp while driving to make
sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
59indicator lamp goes out
or remains out, do not transport a child
on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired.
A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates.

If you have to place a child in a for-
ward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat, move the seat as far
back as possible, use the proper child
restraint recommended for the age, size
and weight of the child, and secure child
restraint with the vehicle’s seat belt ac-
cording to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions. For children larger than the
typical 12-month-old child, the front
passenger front air bag may or may not
be activated (
page 48).


106 Control systems
COMAND satellite radio* (USA only)
Introduction to Satellite radio
SIRIUS Satellite Radio provides 100 chan-
nels, so called streams, of digital-quality
radio, among others music, sports, news,
and entertainment free of commercials.
SIRIUS Satellite Radio uses a fleet of
high-power satellites to broadcast
24 hours per day, coast-to-coast, in the
contiguous US.
This diverse, satellite-delivered program-
ming is available for a monthly subscrip-
tion fee.
For more information and service availabil-
ity call the SIRIUS Service Center
(
page 111), or go to
www.siriusradio.com.
Switching to satellite radio
Select “Audio”
“Audio”
“Sat Ra-
dio”.
or
Press the M shortcut button once or
twice. The Satellite radio menu appears
if it was the last active radio mode.
The screen which then appears de-
pends on the activation status of the
satellite radio service.
The following options are possible:

Satellite radio service is not activat-
ed

Only the preview channel is activat-
ed

Satellite radio service is fully acti-
vated
iA subscription to SIRIUS satellite radio ser-
vice provider is required for the satellite radio op-
eration described in this chapter. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for details
and availability for your vehicle.
iSatellite radio service may be unavailable or
interrupted from time to time for a variety of rea-
sons, such as environmental or topographic con-
ditions and other things we can’t control. Service
might also not be available in certain places
(e.g., in tunnels, parking garages, or within or
next to buildings) or near other technologies. In
such situations, the satellite radio’s main menu
shows the “Acquiring signal...” screen. At this
point, the radio’s functions are restricted to
manual channel number entry (
page 109) and
service info display (
page 111).

409 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is used
to adjust

shift program

suspension tuning of Airmatic
(
page 440) or ABC* (page 442)

engine control
Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Program mode selector switch (S 63 AMG
and S 65 AMG only)
M Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 413)
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
Effect
èThe transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
çThe transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades

in mountainous regions

under extreme operating
conditions
æThe transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

410 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current program modePress the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectC for comfort driving (S 63 AMG
and S 65 AMG: standard driving):

The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.

Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.

Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.SelectS for standard driving
(S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG: sporty driv-
ing):

The vehicle starts out in first gear.

Upshifts occur later.
!Never change the program mode when the
automatic transmission is out of park positionP.
This could result in a change of driving character-
istics for which you may not be prepared.
iThe last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

413 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold left shift button1 or
pull and hold left shift paddle1.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Manual shift program (S 63 AMG and S65AMGonly)
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
Manual shift programM differs with regard
to spontaneity, response time, and shifting
smoothness from automatic shift
programS.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift con-
trol paddles to the left and right of the
steering wheel (
page 411).
Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

440 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Obstacles and stationary vehicles
DISTRONIC Plus does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example,
the vehicle detected in front of you chang-
es lanes to bypass an obstacle or station-
ary vehicle in front of it, DISTRONIC Plus
will not brake for the obstacle or stationary
vehicle.Cross-traffic
DISTRONIC Plus may inadvertently detect
crossing vehicles. If you switch on DIS-
TRONIC Plus, for example, at a traffic light
with cross-traffic, the vehicle may sudden-
ly start to drive off.Airmatic (S 550 only)
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle.
Airmatic consists of two components:

Level control system

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driv-
ing conditions. At the same time the
suspension is set to either sporty or
comfort.

442 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Press switch1 again to lower the ve-
hicle. The indicator lamp2 is off.Suspension tuning
The Adaptive Damping System (ADS) auto-
matically tunes shock absorbers and
springs.
The suspension tuning is set according to:

your driving style

road surface conditions

the vehicle loading

your choice of suspension style
The program mode selector switch (C/S)
(
page 409) is used to adjust the suspen-
sion tuning:
Start the engine.
Select the desired driving program.
Active Body Control (ABC)*
The ABC system is an active, comput-
er-controlled system that hydraulically ad-
justs the suspension at all four wheels in
response to various driving situations. It
automatically selects the optimum suspen-
sion tuning and ride height for your vehicle.
iThe selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is turned off
and restarted except when you

exceed a speed of 75 mph (120 km/h)
or

maintain a speed of between 50 mph
(80 km/h) and 75 mph (120 km/h) for more
than 3 minutes
The vehicle then lowers to regular level.
Driving programSuspension tuning
CComfortcomfortable
(default setting)
SSportsporty
for dynamic driving
Warning!G
S63AMG and S65AMG only:
When you switch off the engine, the entire
vehicle is lowered. You should therefore
make sure that no one is near the wheel
housing or under the vehicle when you
switch off the engine. Otherwise, parts of
the individuals body could be trapped.
!S63AMG and S65AMG only:
When you switch off the engine, the entire vehi-
cle is lowered. When parking, position your vehi-
cle in such a way that it will not scrape against a
curb, for example, when it is lowered. Your vehi-
cle could otherwise be damaged.


444 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Selecting a normal level
Start the engine.
If indicator lamp2 is on:
Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The vehicle
is adjusted to a normal level.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

your driving style

road surface conditions

the vehicle loading

your choice of suspension styleThe program mode selector switch (C/S)
(
page 409) or (S/C/M) (page 413) is
used to adjust the suspension tuning:
Start the engine.
Select the desired driving program.
Parktronic system*
Driving programSuspension tuning
CComfortcomfortable
(default setting)
SSport
MManualsporty
for dynamic driving
Warning!G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always remains with the driver.
Warning!G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.
!Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes (e.g.
trailer couplings, painted posts, elevated cross-
bars or road curbs). Such objects may not be de-
tected by the system and can damage the
vehicle.

468 Controls in detail
Air vents
Opening and closing air vents
Center air vents
Opening: Turn thumbwheels 4
and5 upward (
page 466).
Closing: Turn thumbwheels 4 and 5
downward.
Side air vents
Opening: Turn thumbwheels next to
side air vents2 and8 upward
(
page 466).
Closing: Turn thumbwheels down-
ward.
Rear center console air vents
Increasing/decreasing air volume:
Turn thumbwheelsa or d to the left
or right (
page 466).
Ventilated storage compartment
In vehicles without rear passenger com-
partment climate control*: the storage
compartment under the front armrest can
be ventilated when the automatic climate
control is switched on.1Switching ventilation off
2Switching ventilation on
The air volume is dependent on the setting
of:

air distribution control

air volume control

air vents in the dashboard
The air temperature is about the same as
that of the dashboard air vents. It cannot
be regulated separately.
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for the center air vents 3 and 6 (
page 466)
to the middle position.
iVehicles without rear passenger compart-
ment climate control*:
The temperature at the air ventsb andc
(
page 466) for rear passenger compartment
will be approximately the same as at the dash-
board center air vents.
!Extreme temperatures can occur in the stor-
age compartment. Switch off the air vents in the
storage compartment while the heating is
switched on if you are transporting heat-sensi-
tive items in the compartment.
Keep the air vents free of obstruction.

480 Controls in detail
Trunk
Vehicles with trunk opening/closing
system*
1Remote trunk opening/closing* switch
Press and hold switch1 until the
trunk is opened.
The indicator lamp in switch1 comes
on and remains lit until the trunk is
closed.
To interrupt the opening procedure:
Release switch1.Trunk opening-height restriction*
Vehicles with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem*:
The trunk lid opening height can be limited
when transporting goods on a roof rack
(e.g. presence of an optional MB sport lug-
gage container). When activated, the trunk
opens to approximately the height of the
roof edge.
Activate the limiting opening height of
trunk lid using the COMAND system
(
page 249).
Closing trunkClosing trunk from outside manually
1Handles
Lower trunk lid by pulling firmly on
handles1.
Close the trunk with hands placed flat
on the trunk lid.
The power closing assist automatically en-
sures that the trunk lid is pulled closed
completely (
page 342).
iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.
iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk will lock automatically after
closing it. All turn signal lamps flash three times
to confirm locking.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: To prevent a possi-
ble inadvertent lockout, the trunk will open auto-
matically if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
recognized inside the vehicle or in the trunk. The vehicle is only locked when the turn signals
flash three times. If you are carrying a second
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, you can
still lock the vehicle.