Sport MERCEDES-BENZ S350 2006 W221 Owner's Manual

18 IntroductionReporting safety defectsFor the USA only:
The following text is published as required of manufacturers under Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal Regulations, Part 575 pursuant to the
“National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966.”Reporting safety defects
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual problems between you, your dealer,
or Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236 (or 366-0123 in Washington, D.C. area) or
write to: NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 20590. You can also obtain other information about motor ve-
hicle safety from the Hotline.

105 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Limiting opening height of trunk lid*
Vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system*:
The trunk lid opening height can be limited
when transporting goods on a roof rack
(e.g. presence of an accessory MB sport
luggage container*). When activated, the
trunk lid opens to approximately the height
of the roof edge. 
Activate the limiting opening height of
trunk lid using the control system
(page 169).
Closing the trunk
Closing the trunk from the inside auto-
matically*
In vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system* you can close the trunk from the
inside using the remote trunk lid switch.
Press remote trunk lid switch
(page 104) until the indicator lamp in
the switch goes out and trunk lid is
closed. To interrupt the closing procedure:

Release remote trunk lid switch.
If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high) in the upper motion
sequence, the closing procedure is
stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.iYou can also close the trunk by hand.Warning!
G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
door mounted switch. Monitor the closing
procedure carefully to make sure no one is
in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk lid switch.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the start-
er switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the remote trunk lid switch can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.

171 Controls in detail
Control system

Move the selection marker to the CONVENIENCE
submenu using theæ
orç button.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the multi-
function display:
MIRROR SETTING WHEN
PARKING
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to switch function ON or
OFF
.
Depending on vehicle production date, this
feature has been deactivated at the facto-
ry. If deactivated, the screen shown above
does not appear in the multifunction dis-
play. To have this feature activated and ap-
pear in the multifunction display, contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Without this screen appearing and set to
ON, the rear view mirror parking position
feature (
page 187) is not available.
Adjusting drive-dynamic seats*
Use this function to adjust the settings for
the drive-dynamic seat (
page 124).

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to
the
CONVENIENCE
submenu.

To adjust the drive-dynamic seat press
buttonj ork repeatedly until
you see this message in the multifunc-
tion display:
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Message for the driver’s seat
Message for the front passenger seat:DRIV. DYN. SEAT ADJ.
FRONT PASSENGER
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
Press buttonæ orç to select
the desired setting.
The following settings are available:
LEVEL 1
(Sporty) Strong lateral sup-
port and fast air pressure
build-up in the air chambers
of the backrest side bolsters
LEVEL 2
(Comfort) Less lateral sup-
port and slow air pressure
build-up in the air chambers
of the backrest side bolsters

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
C/S) are
indicated in the tachometer display
(
page 174).

Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the letter of
the desired program mode appears in
the tachometer display.
SelectCfor comfort 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.
!Never change the program mode when
the gear selector lever is out of
positionP. This could result in a
change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.iThe last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted.

183 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program S 55 AMG and S65AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
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 but-
tons to the left and right of the steering
wheel (
page 181) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the tachometer display
(
page 174).
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
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.

213 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof

To open, close, raise or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the switch to
resistance point in the required
direction1to4.

Release the sunroof switch when the
tilt/sliding sunroof has reached the de-
sired position.
Fully opening (Express-open) and clos-
ing (Express-close) the power the
tilt/sliding sunroof

To open, close, raise or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the switch
past the resistance point in the re-
quired direction1to4 and release.
The tilt/sliding sunroof opens or closes
completely.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment can cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the tilt/sliding
sunroof.
Do not open the tilt/sliding sunroof if
there is snow or ice on the roof, as this
could result in malfunctions.
The tilt/sliding sunroof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 391).
iYou can also open or close the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof using the SmartKey, see
“Summer opening feature”
(page 210) and “Convenience clos-
ing feature” (
page 211).
You can close and reopen the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof using the air recirculation
button, or the charcoal filter
buttone in the climate control pan-
el (
page 193).
iWith the SmartKey in starter switch po-
sition 0 or removed from the starter
switch, the tilt/sliding sunroof can be
operated

until you open the driver’s or pas-
senger door


for up to approximately five min-
utes


229 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Lane changing
Distronic has not yet detected the vehicle
changing lanes. There will be insufficient
distance to the lane-changing vehicle.Narrow vehicles
Because of their narrow profile, the vehi-
cles traveling near the outer edge of the
lane have not yet been detected by Dis-
tronic. There will be insufficient distance to
the vehicles ahead.
Airmatic
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. Airmatic consists of two com-
ponents:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Level control system
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either sporty or regular.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
“Comfort”, “Sports 1” or “Sports 2”,
which you select using the damping
button.

230 Controls in detailDriving systems1Indicator lamps
2Damping button
Start the engine.

Press the damping button2 until the
desired suspension style is set.

If both indicator lamps are out, you
have chosen the automatic mode
for soft damping. The message:AIRMATIC
CONVENIENCEfor Comfort suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.


If one indicator lamp is on, the con-
trol system supports a primarily dy-
namic style of driving. The
message:AIRMATIC
SPORTS 1for Sporty 1 suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.


If both indicator lamps are on, the
system is set for a dynamic style of
driving. The message:AIRMATIC
SPORTS 2for Sporty 2 suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.Vehicle level control with Airmatic
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:


reduce fuel consumption


increase vehicle safety
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


With increasing speed, ride height is re-
duced by up to approximately 0.8 in
(20 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.
iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.
iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.

232 Controls in detailDriving systemsActive Body Control (ABC)*
The ABC system automatically selects the
optimum suspension tuning and ride
height for your vehicle.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

your driving style


road surface conditions


the vehicle loading


your choice of suspension style
You can set following suspension style:


regular (convenience)


sportyThe ABC button with the indicator lamps is
located on the upper part of the front cen-
ter console.
1Indicator lamp
2ABC button

Start the engine.
Suspension for sporty driving style
The setting for sporty driving is selected
when indicator lamp1 is illuminated.

Press button2.
Indicator lamp1 comes on.The message:
ACTIVE BODY CONTROL
ABC
SPORTSappears in the multifunction display for
a short time.
Suspension for regular driving style
The setting for regular driving is selected
when indicator lamp1 is off.

Press button2.
Indicator lamp1 goes out.
The message:ACTIVE BODY CONTROL
ABC
CONVENIENCEappears in the multifunction display for
a short time.
iThe selected setting is stored, even if
the engine is turned off.

240 Controls in detailLoadingLoading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage/cargo should not ex-
ceed the load limit or vehicle capacity
weight as indicated on the corresponding
placard located on the driver’s door B-pillar
(page 300).
Cargo tie-down hooks
Six hooks are located in the trunk.
Carefully secure cargo by applying
even load on all hooks with rope of suf-
ficient strength to hold down the cargo.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo. Put luggage or car-
go in the trunk if possible. Do not pile lug-
gage or cargo higher than the seat backs.
Do not place anything on the rear-window
shelf.
Never drive vehicle with trunk open. Deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter ve-
hicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.