SAFETY

The CLS550's two sets of lower Latch anchors make child-safety seat installation a piece of cake. There's no searching or digging for the anchors since they sit out in the open. Just flip the rubber cover and easily attach the restraint to the Latch anchor. If every car had a Latch system like this, our world would instantly be free of an astounding amount of aggravation and despair. Rear- and forward-facing car seats fit well in the CLS.

The 2012 CLS550 hasn't been crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The CLS has standard rear-wheel drive, all-disc antilock brakes with brake assist, an electronic stability system, traction control and 10 airbags, including knee airbags for the front row and side curtains for both rows. Also standard are Mercedes' Pre-Safe system, which closes the sunroof and windows, tightens seat belts and adjusts seats to their safest positions if the car senses that there's about to be a collision, and Attention Assist, a driver-drowsiness monitor.

Optional safety features include all-wheel drive, rear-seat side-impact airbags, adaptive headlights, a blind spot monitoring system and a lane departure warning system. Distronic Plus, also known as adaptive cruise control, brakes and accelerates the car to maintain a safe distance between you and the car ahead.

    See also:

    Important safety notes
    WARNING   When leaving the vehicle, always remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in the ve ...

    Left control panel
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    Checking tire pressures manually
    To determine and set the correct tire pressure, proceed as follows: – Remove the valve cap of the tire that is to be checked. – Press the tire pressure gauge securely onto the valve. – Read t ...