MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV 2012 Owners Manual

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variation sare pos-
sible. Note that your vehicl emay not be
equippe dwith all of the function sdescri-
bed. This is also the case for system sand
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page25). Exterior lighting
Impo
rtantsafety notes
For reasons of safety, Mercedes-Benz reco m-
mend sthat you drive with the lights switched
on even during the daytime. In some coun-
tries ,operation of the headlamps varies due
to legal requirements and self-imposed obli-
gations. Driving abroad
Gener alnotes If your jour
neyt akes you to countries where
vehicles are driven on the opposite side of the
road to the country in which the vehicle is
registered, your headlamps must be switched
to symmetrical dipped beam as soon as pos-
sible after crossing the border. This prevents
oncoming traffic from being dazzled. Sym-
metrical lights do not illuminate as large an
area of the edge of the carriageway. Vehicles with halogen headlamps X
Turn protective cap :anti-clockwise and
remov eit.
X Push switchover lever ;down.
X Insert protective cap :and turn it clock-
wise.
Conver tthe headlamps bac ktoasymmetrical
dipped beam as soon as possible after return-
ing across the border.
Vehicle swith Intelligent Light System X
Befor ecrossing th eborder ,set the head-
lamps to symmetrical dipped beam and
when returnin gtoasymmetrica ldipped-
beam using the "Dipped-beam headlamps
for drivin gonthe right or left" func tion on
the on-boar dcomputer (Y page 281).
If the headlamps ar econverted to symmetri-
cal dipped beam ,the "motorway mode "and
"extended range foglamps" functions are not
available. Setting the exterior lighting
Setting options Exterior lighting can be set using the:
R
light switch
R combination switch (Y page121)
R on-board compute r(Ypage 280) 118
Exterior lightingLights and windscreen wipers

Light switch
Operation
1W
Left-handparking lamps
2X Right-hand parking lamps
3T Side lamps, licenc eplatea nd instru-
men tcluster lighting
4Ã Automatic headlamp mode, control-
led by the light sensor
5L Dipped-beam/main-beam head-
lamps
BR Rear foglamp
If you hear awarnin gton ew hen you leav ethe
vehi cle, the light smay still be switched on.
X Turn the light switc htoÃ.
The exterior lighting (except the side lamps/
par king lamps )switches off automatically if
you:
R remove the key fro mthe igni tion lock
R open the driv er'sdoor with the key in posi-
tion 0
Automatic hea dlamp mode G
WARNING
If the light switch is se ttoÃand it is foggy,
snowing or ther eispoor visibility, the dipped-
beam headlamps will not com eonautomati-
cally. This could endanger you and others. In
such situations tur nthe light switc htoL .
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid. The driver is responsible for the vehicle's
lightin gatall times. 1W
Left-hand parking lamps
2X Right-hand parking lamps
3T Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
ment cluster lighting
4Ã Automatic headlamp mode, control-
led by the light sensor
5L Dipped-beam/main-beam head-
lamps
BR Rear foglamp
à is the preferred light switch setting. The
light setting is automatically selected accord-
ing to the brightness of the ambient light
(exception: poor visibility due to weather con-
ditions such as fog, snow or spray):
R Key in position 1in the ignition lock: the
side lamps are switched on or off automat-
ically depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.
R With the engine running: if you have acti-
vated the daytime driving lights function via
the on-board computer, the daytime driving
lights or the dipped-bea mheadlamps and
side lamps are switched on or off automat-
icall ydepending on the brightness of the
ambient light.
X To switc honautomatic headl amp
mode: turn the ligh tswitch to Ã.
The daytime driving lights improve the visibil-
ity of your vehicle during the day. Here, the
daytime driving lights function must be
switched on via the on-board computer
(Y page 280).
When the dipped-beam headlamps are
switched on, the green Lindicator lamp Exterio
rlighting
119Lights and windscreen wipers Z

in the instrumen
tcluster lights up and the
daytime drivin glights go out or are dimmed.
Dipped-beam hea dlamps G
WARNING
If the light switch is se ttoÃand it is foggy,
snowing or ther eispoor visibility, the dipped-
beam headlamps will not com eonautomati-
cally. This could endanger you and others. In
such situations tur nthe light switc htoL .
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid. The driver is responsible for the vehicle's
lightin gatall times. 1W
Left-hand parking lamps
2X Right-hand parking lamps
3T Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
ment cluster lighting
4Ã Automatic headlamp mode, control-
led by the light sensor
5L Dipped-beam/main-beam head-
lamps
BR Rear foglamp
Even if the light senso rdoes not detec tthat
is dark, the side lamps and dipped-beam
headlamps switc honwhen the key is inserted
int ot he ignition lock and the light switc his
set to the Lposition. This is aparticularly
useful function in the event of rain and fog.
X To switch on the dipped-beam head-
lamps: turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to L.
The green Lindicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up. Rear foglamp
1W
Left-hand parking lamps
2X Right-hand parking lamps
3T Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
ment cluster lighting
4Ã Automatic headlamp mode, control-
led by the light sensor
5L Dipped-beam/main-beam head-
lamps
BR Rear foglamp
The rear foglamp improves visibility of your
vehicle for the traffic behind in the event of
heavy fog. Pleas etake note of the country-
specific regulations for the use of rear fog-
lamps.
X To switch on the rear foglamp: turn the
key in the ignition lock to position 2or start
the engine.
X Turn the light switch to LorÃ.
X Press the Rbutton.
The yellow Rindicator lamp in the
instrumen tcluster lights up.
X To switch off th erear foglamp: press the
R button.
The yellow Rindicator lamp in the
inst rument cluster goes out.
Side lamps
! If the bat tery ha sbeen excessively dis-
charged, the side lamps or parking lamps
are automatically switched off to enable
the nex tengine start. Alway sparky our
vehicl esafely and sufficiently li taccording
to lega lstandards. Avoi dthe contin uous 120
Exterio
rlightingLight sand windscreen wipers

use of the
Tside lamps for several
hours. If possible, switc hontheX right
or the Wleft par king lamp. 1W
Left-hand parking lamps
2X Right-hand parking lamps
3T Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
mentcluster lighting
4Ã Automatic headlamp mode, control-
led by the light sensor
5L Dipped-beam/main-beam head-
lamps
BR Rear foglamp
X To switch on: turnlight switc htoT .
The green Tindicator lam pinthe instru-
men tcluster lights up.
Parking lamps 1W
Left-handparking lamps
2X Right-hand parking lamps
3T Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
mentcluster lighting
4Ã Automatic headlamp mode, control-
led by the light sensor 5L
Dipped-beam/main-beam head-
lamps
BR Rear foglamp
Switchin gonthe par king lamps ensures the
correspondin gside of the vehicle is illumina-
ted.
X To switch on th eparki ng lamps: the key
is not in the ignition lock or it is in posi-
tion 0.
X Turn the light switc htoW(left-han dside
of the vehicle) or X(right-han dside of
the vehicle). Combination switch
Turn signals :
Main-beam headlamps
; Turn signal, right
= Headlamp flasher
? Turn signal, left
X To indicate briefly: press the combination
switc hbrieflytot he pressur epoint in the
direction of arrow ;or?.
The correspondin gturns ignal flashes three
times.
X To indicate: press the combination switch
beyond the pressure point in the direction
of arrow ;or?. Exterior lighting
121Lights and windsc reen wipers Z

Main-beam headlamps
:
Main-beam headlamps
; Turn signal, right
= Headlam pflasher
? Turn signal, left
X To switch on the main-beam head-
lamps: turn the key in the ignitio nlock to
position 2or star tthe engine.
X Tur nthe light switch to LorÃ.
X Press the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of
arrow :.
In the Ãposition, the main-beam head-
lamps ar eonly switched on whe nitisdark
and the engine is running.
The blue Kindicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up when the main-beam
headlamps are switched on.
X To switch off the main-beam head-
lamps: move the combinatio nswitch back
to its normal position.
The blue Kindicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
i Vehicles with Adaptive Highbeam Assist:
when Adaptive Highbeam Assist is active,
it controls activation of the main-beam
headlamps (Y page124). Headlamp flasher :
Main-beam headlamps
; Turn signal, right
= Headlam pflasher
? Turn signal, left
X To switch on: turn the key in the ignition
lock to position 1or 2,ors tart the engine.
X Pul lthe combination switch in the direction
of arrow =. Hazard warning lamps
X
To switch on th ehazard warnin glamps:
press button :.
All turn signals flash .Ifyou now switch on
at urn signa lusing the combination switch,
only the tur nsigna llam pont he corre-
sponding side of the vehicle will flash.
X To switch of fthe hazard warn ing
lamps: press button :.122
Exterior lightingLights and windscreen wipers

The hazar
dwarning lamps automatically
switch on if:
R an airbag is deployed.
R the vehicle decelerates rapidly from a
spee dofm ore than 70 km /hand come sto
as tandstill.
The hazard warning lamps switch off auto-
maticall yifthe vehicle reaches aspeed of
over 10 km/ hagain after afull brake appli-
cation.
i The hazard warning lamps still operate if
the ignition is switched off. Headlamp cleanin
gsystem
Th eh eadlamps are cleane dautomaticall yif
the "Wip ewithw ashe rfluid" function is oper-
ated fiv etimes (Y page 131 )while the lights
ar eona nd the engine is running. Whe nyou
switc hoff th eignition, the automatic head-
lam pcleaning system is reset and countin gis
resumed from 0. Intelligent Light Sys
tem
General notes Th
eI ntelligent Light System is asystem that
adjusts the headlamps automatically to suit
the prevailing drivin gand weather conditions.
It offers advanced functions for improved illu-
mination of the road surface, e.g. depending
on the vehicle speed or weather conditions.
The system includes the active light function,
cornering light function, motorway mode and
extended range foglamps. The system is only
active when it is dark.
You can activate or deactivate the "Intelligent
Light System" using the on-board computer
(Y page 281). Active light function
The active light function is
asystem that
moves the headlamps according to the steer-
ing movements of the front wheels. In this
way, relevant areas remain illuminated while
driving. This allows you to recognise pedes-
trians, cyclists and animals.
Active: when the lights are switched on.
Cornering light function The cornering ligh
tfunction improves the illu-
mination of the road over awide angle in the
direction you are turning, enabling better vis-
ibility in tight bends, for example. It can only
be activated when the dipped-beam head-
lamps are switched on.
Active:
R if you are drivin gatspeeds below
40 km/ hand the turn si gnal is activatedor
the steerin gwheel is turned.
R if you ar edriving at speeds between
40 km/h and 70 km/h and tur nthe steer-
ing wheel. Exterior lighting
123Lightsand windscreen wipers Z

Not acti
ve:if yo uare dr iving at speeds above
40 km/ horswitch off the turn signa lorturn
the steering whee ltothe str aight-ahead posi-
tion.
Th ec orn erin glam pm ayremai nlit for ashort
time, but is automati cally switched off after
no mor ethan three mi nutes.
Motorway mode Motorway mode increases the rang
eofthe
beam.
Active: if you ar edriving atas peed above
11 0k m/ hand do not make any large steering
movements for at leas t1000 morify ou are
driving at aspeed abov e130 km/h.
Not active: if you are driving at speeds below
80 km/ hfollowin gactivation.
Extende drange fogla mps The extended range foglamps reduce the
glar
eexperie nced by the driver and improve
the illumination of the edge of the carriage-
way. Active:
if you are drivin gatspeeds below
70 km/ hand yo uswitc honthe rear foglamp
No tactive: if, following activation, you are
driving at speeds above 10 0km/ horify ou
switch off th erear foglamp.
Off-road lights The off-road light
sfacilitat ethe earl yrecog-
nition of objects/obstacles when driving off-
road thank stoasymmetrical, wider and
brighter distribution of ligh tfrom the dipped-
beam headlamps.
Active: whendriving at speeds no faster than
50 km/h and th eoff-road progra mselector
wheel is in position 1or2.
Not acti ve:when driving at speeds above
50 km/h.
When the off-roa dlights are switched on, the
cornering light function is permanent lyacti-
vated ,the act ivel ight function is deactivated
and the headlamp range control is set to
static mode. Adaptive Highbeam Assi
st
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Adaptive Highbeam Assist is only an aid
designed to assist driving. The driver is
responsible for adjusting the vehicle's lighting
to the prevailing light, vision and traffic con-
ditions.
The system may be impaired or deactivated:
R if there is poor visibility, e.g. due to snow,
rain, fog or spray
R if the area of the windscreen around the
optical sensor is dirty, misted up or covered
up, e.g. by asticker 124
Exterior lightingLights and windscree
nwipers

The system may not recognise the following
road users:
R road users that have no lighting, e.g. pedes-
trians
R road users that have poor lighting, e.g.
cyclists
R road users whose lightin gisnot clearly visi-
ble, e.g. road users behind acras hb arrier
R on rare occasions: road users that have
lights that may be recognised too late or not
at all
The automatic main-beam headlamps will not
be deactivated, or they may be activated
despite road users travelling in front of or
approaching the vehicle.
Thus, you could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others. Always observe traffic
conditions and, if necessary, dip the lights
manually. You can use this function to set the head-
lamps to change between dippe dbeam and
mai nbeam automatically. The system recog-
nises vehicles with their lights on, either
approaching from the opposite direction or
travelling in front of your vehicle, and conse-
quently switches the headlamps from main
beam to dipped beam.
The system automatically adapts the dipped-
beam headlam prange depending on the dis- tanc
etot he other vehicle. Onc ethe system
no longer detec tsany other vehicles, it reac-
tivates the main-beam headlamps.
The system's optical senso risl ocated behind
the windscreen near the overhead con trol
panel.
Switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist
on/off :
Main-beam headlamps
; Turnsignal, right
= Headlamp flasher
? Turn signal, left
X To activa te:activate the Adaptive High-
beam Assis tfunction using the on-board
computer (Y page 281).
X Turn the light switch to Ã.
X Press the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of
arrow :(Ypage 121).
The _ indicator lamp in the multifunc-
tion display lights up if it is dark and the
light senso ractivate sthe dipped-beam
headlamps.
If you ar edriving at speeds above
45 km/h:
th eh eadlam prange is set automatically
depending on the distance between the
vehicle and other road users.
If you are driving at speeds above
55 km/ hand no other road users are rec-
ognised: Exterior lighting
125Lights and windscree nwipers Z

the main-bea
mheadlamps are switched on
automatically. The Kindicator lam pin
the instrument cluster also lights up.
If you are driving at speeds below
45 km/ horother road users are recog-
nised or the roads are adequately lit:
the main-beam headlamps are switched off
automatically. The Kindicator lamp in
the instrument cluster goe sout. The _
indicator lamp in the multifunction display
remains lit.
X To deactivate: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The _ indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out. Headlamp
smisted up on the inside
The headlamps may mist up on the inside if
ther eish igh atmospheric humidity.
X Switc honthe lights and drive off.
The level of moistur ediminishes, depend-
ing on the lengt hofthe jour neya nd the
weather conditions (humidity and temper-
ature).
If the level of moisture doe snot diminish:
X Hav ethe headlamps checked at aqualified
specialist workshop. Interior lighting
Overview of interior lighting
Overhead control panel
:
p To switch the left-hand fron treading
lam pon/off
; c To switch the fron tinterior lighting
on
= v To switch the rear interior lighting
on/off
? | To switch the fron tinterior light ing/
automatic int eriorl ightin gcontrol off
A p To switc hthe right-han dfront read-
ing lamp on/off
B To switch th eautomatic interior lighting
control on Rear overhead control panel (second row of seats)
: To switc hthe readin glamp on/off 126
Interior lightingLight
sand windscreen wipers

Rear overhead control panel (thir
drow of seats)
: Readin glamp Interior lightin
gcontrol
General notes In order to preven
tthe vehicle' sbattery from
discharging, the interior lighting functions are
automatically deactivated after some time
except for when the key is in position 2in the
ignition lock.
The colour and brightness of the ambient
lighting may be set using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 281).
Automatic interior lighting control Overhead control panel
:
p To switch the left-hand front reading
lamp on/off
; c To switch the front interior lighting
on
= v To switch the rear interior lighting
on/off ?
| To switch the front interior lighting/
automatic interior lighting control off
A p To switch the right-hand front read-
ing lamp on/off
B To switch the automatic interior lighting
control on
X To switch on: set the switch to centre
position B.
X To switch off: set the switch to the |
position.
The interior lighting automatically switches
on if you:
R unlock the vehicle
R open adoor
R remove the key from the ignition lock
The interior lightin gisactivate dfor as hort
tim ew hen the key is removed from the igni-
tion lock .You can activate this delayed
switch-of fusing the on-boar dcomputer
(Y page 282).
Manua linterior lighting control Overhead con
trolpanel
: p To switch the left-hand front reading
lamp on/off
; c To switch the front interior lighting
on
= v To switch the rear interior lighting
on/off
? | To switch the front interior lighting/
automatic interior lighting control off Interior lighting
127Lights and windscreen wipers Z