wheel MERCEDES-BENZ S600 2008 W221 Owner's Guide

264 Control systems
Instrument cluster control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position2 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(
page 346) is in position2. The control
system enables you to:

call up information about your vehicle

change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to call up statistical data
on your vehicle, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Line for main menus
2Text field in multifunction display
Settings, functions, submenus as well as
any malfunctions are shown to you in the
text field.
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

265 Control systems
Instrument cluster control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled using the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-menus. For example, in the “Settings”
menu, you will find functions for making
settings to your vehicle. There are func-
tions for calling up information and for
making settings to your vehicle.
It is helpful to think of the menus as being
arranged in a circular pattern:
Press & or ( repeatedly to
switch menus.
The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.
Press button L to return to the next
highest menu level.
From a menu’s highest level, you will al-
ways see the screen from the “Trip” menu
that was last active. When you press L
again, you switch to the standard display
(
page 268).
For information about warning and mal-
function messages appearing in the multi-
function display (
page 612).
1Multifunction display
2sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming call
æto increase volume
çto decrease volume
Fto mute
3!to accept a call
to activate Voice Control*
4Lback/to cancel Voice
Control*
5$to scroll up
%to scroll down
&to scroll to the right
(to scroll to the left
#to confirm selection

274 Control systems
Instrument cluster control system
1Gear indicator
2RACETIMER
3Seconds display
4Lap
Starting RACETIMER: Press æ.
Displaying intermediate time:
Pressç.
The intermediate time is shown for
5 seconds.
Stopping RACETIMER: Press æ.
To select a different display, press
$, ( or &.Saving lap time and starting a new lap
Press buttonç while the timer is
running.
The intermediate time will be shown for
5 seconds.
Press buttonç within 5 seconds.
The intermediate time shown will be
saved as a lap time.
The RACETIMER begins timing the new
lap. The new lap begins to be timed as
soon as the intermediate time is called
up.
1Gear indicator
2RACETIMER
3Best lap time
iYou can start the RACETIMER when the en-
gine is running or the starter switch is in
position2 (
page 344).
iWhile the RACETIMER is being displayed,
you cannot adjust the audio volume using but-
tons æ or ç.
iWhen you stop the vehicle and turn the
Smartkey to position 1 (
page 344) or, in vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*, turn off the engine and
do not open the driver’s door, the RACETIMER
stops timing. Timing is resumed when you switch
the ignition back on or restart the engine and
then press æ button.
iWhen you switch on the Night View Assist*
(
page 461) while the RACETIMER is operating,
the RACETIMER will continue to run in the back-
ground but cannot be operated with the multi-
function steering wheel buttons.
To stop the RACETIMER, switch off the Night
View Assist* first.
iYou can save up to 16 laps.


285 Control systems
Voice Control* introduction
Voice Control* introduction
The Voice Control System gives you the ca-
pability to control the following systems on
your vehicle using spoken commands:

Telephone* (page 289)

Navigation (page 296)

Address book (page 306)

Audio (page 309) (AM/FM radio,
CD/DVD changer, MP3 player)You control these systems using spoken
commands. Moreover, controls such as
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 287) allow you to keep your
hands on the steering wheel.
The command vocabulary consists of
approximately 300 ready to use phrases.
The Voice Control System recognizes com-
mands and number sequences, irrespec-
tive of the speaker. To optimize speech
recognition for your voice follow the indi-
vidualization process (
page 330).
You can use the Voice Control System to
call up all of COMAND’s main menu items,
with the exception of the main menus for
“Vehicle” and “Navi”.The commands and digit sequences can be
spoken without pausing between the indi-
vidual words. If an unavailable or incorrect
command is used, the Voice Control Sys-
tem will prompt you for a new command by
asking “Please repeat” or “Please repeat
your entry”.
In order to provide for a safe and comfort-
able dialog, the Voice Control System ac-
knowledges important commands.

287 Control systems
Voice Control* introduction
Controls
Operation via the multifunction
steering wheelActivating Voice Control
Switch on COMAND (page 85).
Press !.
An audible tone (beep) confirms the ac-
tivation of the system.
Speak a command.
Canceling Voice Control
Press L.
or
Speak the command “Cancel”
(except for speaking voice entries, en-
tering a town or city or carrying out in-
dividualization).
or
Press any COMAND button.
Item
1!to activate Voice Control
to accept a call
2Lto cancel Voice Control
3æto increase volume
çto decrease volume
sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming call
iVoice Control can be cancelled at any time,
even during a dialog. Please note that if the Voice
Control System is cancelled during a dialog, then
the complete procedure is stopped and Voice
Control is cancelled.

288 Control systems
Voice Control* introduction
Setting volume level
Activate Voice Control.
Speak a command, for example “Help”.
Pressæ orç. The volume is in-
creased or decreased during voice out-
put.
or
Set volume for voice output using the
COMAND volume thumbwheel on the
lower part of the front center console
(
page 96).
Displays
COMAND Display
In addition to the acoustic help function,
a visual help function (
page 237) is avail-
able on the COMAND display.
Upon activating the Voice Control, the
most important available commands for
the currently active system appear on the
COMAND display.When the Voice Control System requires
additional information from the user, a se-
lection list is shown on the COMAND dis-
play in the address book and navigation
system.
1COMAND display
Multifunction display
For example: telephone numbers are
shown on the multifunction display while
dialing when the main “Telephone” menu
is selected in the instrument cluster con-
trol system.1Multifunction display
Symbols
The following symbols are found in follow-
ing Voice Control System pages:
sThis symbol stands for commands
and voice entries you are speaking.
tThis symbol stands for voice output
by the system.
uThis symbol indicates that informa-
tion is available on the COMAND
display.

291 Control systems
Voice Control* telephone
“Dial number”
You can dial a phone number using the
command “Dial number”.
Digits from “Zero” to “Nine” may be used.
The phone number must be spoken

as a continuously spoken string of
digits, or

in digit blocks (three to five digits in
each block).
After each digit block (separate the digit
blocks by using an approximately 0.5 sec-
ond pause), the Voice Control System re-
peats the recognized digits and waits until
you continue speaking.
When dialing 1800 numbers, you may pro-
nounce the first four digits as “One eight
hundred” and the system will recognize the
spoken entries as “One eight zero zero”.
All other numeric entries must be spoken
as individual numbers.Sample dialog:
sDial number
tPlease say the number
sOne two three
tOne two three
sFour five six seven
tFour five six seven
sOK
tDialing“Confirm”
Using the command “Confirm” will repeat
all digits spoken up to that point. Upon re-
peating the digits, the system will prompt
you to continue your input.
Sample dialog:
sDial number
tPlease say the number
sOne two three
tOne two three
sConfirm
tOne two three, please continue
sFour five six seven
tFour five six seven
sOK
tDialing
iYou can also dial the telephone number spo-
ken by pressing buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel (instead of using the
command “OK”):
You can dial the telephone number before all
numbers are recited in full.

331 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Starter switch positions
Seats
Steering wheel
Mirrors
Memory function
Fastening the seat belts
Lighting
Windshield wipers
Power windows
Driving and parkingAutomatic transmission
Instrument cluster
Driving systems
Air vents
Automatic climate control
Trunk
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*
Loading and storing
Useful features

342 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Power closing assist for doors and
trunk lid
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. An electrical power-assist-
ed mechanism draws doors and trunk lid
closed quietly and automatically once door
and trunk lid has been latched. When the
electrical power-assisted mechanism has
stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.
Power closing assist for doors: Press
the doors gently past the initial engage
position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid:
Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.For more information on closing the trunk
lid, see “Closing trunk” (
page 480).
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. The
locking knobs in the doors move down.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the COMAND system (
page 245).
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk lid opening when closing a door or
the trunk. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside
door handle, or pull the trunk lid handle.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
Warning!G
Only drive with the doors closed. Otherwise,
one or more of the doors could open while
the vehicle is in motion, putting you and/or
others at risk.
Warning!G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.
These fumes may be damaging to your
health.
iThe doors are designed to unlock automati-
cally after an accident if the force of the impact
exceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle locks automatically when the ignition
is switched on and the wheels are turning at ve-
hicle speeds of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h)
or more. You could therefore lock yourself out
when the vehicle

is pushed or towed

is on a test stand

347 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
Seat adjustment
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint adjustments, as well
as fastening of seat belts, must be done be-
fore the vehicle is put into motion.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belts provide the best restraint when
the wearer is in a nearly upright position and
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body.
Warning!G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt
(
page 368).
Observe the following points:

Adjust the backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the steer-
ing wheel.

Adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The po-
sition should be as far back as possible
with the driver still able to operate the
controls properly.

Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the
center of the head restraint supports
the back of the head at eye level.

Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is be-
ing adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in injury to per-
sons.
Warning!G
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.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the power seats
can be operated when the respective door is
open. Therefore, do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.