towing MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV 2021 Owners Manual

Interior lighting ............................................ 167
Wi
ndsc reen wipers and windscreen
wa sher system ............................................ 168
Mir rors ........................................................ 173
Area permeable toradio waves on the
windscreen ................................................ .176
Inf rare d-re0ective windscreen function ........ 177 Climat Climat
e contr
e contr ol
ol........................................... 178 178
Overview of climate control systems ............ 178
Operating the climate control system .......... 179 Dr
Dr
iving and par
iving and par king
king..................................... 190 190
Driving ........................................................1 90
DY NAMIC SELECT switch ........................... .205
Au tomatic transmission .............................. .209
Tr ansfer case ............................................. .213
Fu nction of the 4MATIC ...............................2 15
Re fuelling .................................................... 216
Pa rking .......................................................2 22
Driving and driving saf ety sy stems ............... 229
Tr ailer hitch ................................................ .299
Bicycle rack function ................................... 304
Ve hicle towing instructions .......................... 306 Ins
Ins
tr
trument displa
ument displa y and on-boar
y and on-boar d com-
d com-
put
put er
er........................................................... 308 308
No tes on the inst rument display and on-
board computer .......................................... 308
Overview of instrument display .................... 309
Overview of the buttons on the steering
wheel .......................................................... 310
Operating the on-board computer ................3 10
Overview of displa ysinthe inst rument
display ........................................................ 312
Head-up display .......................................... 312 MBUX multimedia syst MBUX multimedia syst
em
em........................... .315
315
Overview and operation ............................... 315
System settings .......................................... 324
Na vigation .................................................. .328
Te lephone ................................................... 337
Mercedes me app ....................................... 340
Mercedes-Benz emer gency call system ....... 349
Ra dio, media & TV....................................... 356
Sound settings ............................................ 362 Maint Maint
enance and car
enance and car e
e................................. 364 364
ASS YST PLUS service inter val display .......... 364 Engine compartment ................................... 365
Cleaning and care ....................................... 371 Br Br
eakdo
eakdo wn assist
wn assist ance
ance................................. 380 380
Emer gency .................................................. 380
Flat tyre ...................................................... 382
Battery (vehicle) .......................................... 387
To w- starting or towing away ........................ 393
Electrical fuses ............................................ 397 Wheels and tyr Wheels and tyr
es
es......................................... 400 400
No tes on noise or unusual handling char-
acteristics ................................................... 400
No tes on regula rly inspecting wheels and
tyres .......................................................... .400
No tes on snow chains ................................. 400
Ty re pressure .............................................. 401
Wheel change ............................................. 404
Emer gency spa rewheel .............................. .414
Collapsible spare wheel ............................... 416 T
T
ec
ec hnical dat
hnical dat a
a............................................. 420 420
No tes on tech nical data .............................. 420 Contents
3
3

1
B-pillar wi th:
QR code for accessing there scue card →
38
2 Safetyve sts →
380
3 Fire extinguisher →
381
4 ; me button →
340
G SOS button →
340
5 £ Hazard warning light system →
162
6 Tocheck and top up operating 0uids →
425
St arting assis tance →
391
7 Tow- starting or towing away →
394 8
Flat tyre →
382
9 Tow- starting or towing away →
394
A Fuel /ller 0ap with:
information label on fuel type →
216
information label on tyre pressure →
402
QR code for accessing there scue card →
38
B Warning triangle →
380
C TIREFIT kit →
384
D Firs t-aid kit (soT sided) →
381 At
a glance – Emer gencies and breakdowns
19
19

R
PRE-SAFE ®
Sound: pr ovided that the multime-
dia system is switched on, generating a brief
noise signal tostimula tethe innate pr otective
mechanism of a person's hearing.
* N
NOOTE
TE Damage caused byobjects in the
fo ot we ll or behind the seat The automatic adjustment of
the seat position
may result in damage tothe seat and/or the
object. #
Stow objects in a suitable place. R
R
e
ev
ver
er sing t
sing t he PRE-S
he PRE-S AFE
AFE®
®
syst
syst em measur
em measur es
es If an accident did not occur,
the pre-em ptive
measures that we re ta ken are reve rsed.
Yo u will need toper form certain settings yourself. #
Ifth e seat belt pre-tensioning is not reduced,
mo vethe seat backrest back slightl y.
The locking mechanism releases. F
F
unction of PRE-S
unction of PRE-S AFE
AFE®
®
PL
PL US (anticipat
US (anticipat or
ory occu-
y occu-
pant pr ot
pant pr otection plus)
ection plus) PRE-SAFE
®
PLUS can de tect cer tain impacts, par-
ticular lyan imminent rear impact, and take pre-
em ptive measures toprotect theve hicle occu-
pants. These measures cann otnecessarily pre-
ve nt an imminent impact.
PRE-SAFE ®
PLUS can implement thefo llowing
measures independently of each other:
R Tightening the seat belts on the driver's seat
and front passenger seat.
R Activating there ar hazard warning lights at a
higher 0ashing frequency.
R Increasing brake pressure when theve hicle is
stationar y.This brake application is cancelled
automatically when theve hicle pulls away.
If an accident did not occur, the pre-em ptive
measures that we re ta ken are reve rsed.
Syst
Syst em limits
em limits
The system will not initiate any action in thefo l-
lowing situations:
R when reve rsing or
R when theve hicle is towing a trailer and there
is a risk of a rear impact
The system will not initiate any braking application
in thefo llowing situations:
R whilst driving
or
R when entering or exiting a parking space while
using Active Parking Assist F F
unction of PRE-S
unction of PRE-S AFE
AFE®
®
Im
Im pulse Side
pulse Side If an imminent side impact is de
tected, PRE-
SA FE®
Impulse Side can pre-em ptively mo vethe
front seat vehicle occupant's upper body towa rds
th e centre of theve hicle. It does this by rapidly
in0ating an air cushion in the outer seat side bol-
ster of the seat backrest on the side on which the
impact is anticipated. This increases the distance
between the door and theve hicle occupant.
If PRE-SAFE ®
Impulse Side has been deplo yed or
is faulty, thePRE-SAFE impulse side inoperative 56
56
Occupant saf
ety

R
inwe t conditions or in fog
R when towing a trailer #
Ensure that the driven speed complies
with tra1c regulations. #
Adjust the driving speed tosuit cur rent
tra1c and weather conditions. F
F
unction of r
unction of r out
oute-based speed adapt
e-based speed adapt ation
ation
When Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is acti va-
te d, theve hicle speed will be adap ted accordingly
to thero ute events ahead. Depending on the drive
prog ram selected, theve hicle neg otiates a route
ev ent ahead in an economical, comfor table or
dynamic manner. When thero ute event has been
passed, theve hicle accelerates again tothe
stored speed. The set distance totheve hicle in
front, vehicles de tected ahead and speed restric-
tions ahead are take n into account.
Yo u can activate and deactivate route-based
speed adap tation in the multimedia system
(/ page 248).
The following route events are take n into account:
R Bends R
T-junctions, roundabouts and toll stations
R Turns and exits
R Tra1c jams ahead (only with Live Tra1c Infor-
mation )
% When theto ll station is reached, Active Dis-
ta nce Assist DISTRONIC ado ptsth e speed as
th e stored speed.
Also, the speed is reduced if the turn signal indi-
cator tochange lanes is switched on and one of
th efo llowing situations is de tected:
R Turning o. at junctions
R Driving on slowing-down lanes
R Driving on lanes adjacent toslowing-down
lanes
The driver is responsible forch oosing theright
speed and observing other road users. This
applies in particular tojunctions, roundabouts and
tra1c lights, as route-based speed adap tation
does not brake theve hicle toa standstill.
When route guidance is active, the /rst speed
adjustment is car ried out automaticall y.Ifth e turn
signal indicator is switched on, the selected route is con/rmed and fur
ther speed adjustment is acti-
va ted.
Speed adap tation is cancelled in thefo llowing
cases:
R Ifth e turn signal indicator is switched o.
before thero ute event.
R Ifth e driver depresses the accelerator or
brake pedal during the process.
Syst Syst em limits
em limits
Ro ute-based speed adap tation does not take right
of wa yre gulations into account. The driver is
re sponsible for complying with road tra1c regula-
tions and driving at a suitable speed.
The speed ada ptation made bythe system may
not alw ays be suitable, particular lyin thefo llowing
situations:
R thero ad's course not clear lyvisible
R road nar rowing
R varying maximum permissible speeds in indi-
vidual lanes, forex ample at toll stations
R wetro ad sur faces, snow or ice
R when towing a trailer Driving and parking
247 247

R
Depending on t
Depending on t he country
he country:
:th e driver presses
a steering wheel button or operates Touch
Control
If Ac tive Steering Assist de tects that a system
limit has been reached, a visual warning is issued
and a warning tone sounds.
Obser vethe no tes on driving systems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recognise
dangers (/ page 229).
Syst
Syst em limits
em limits
Ac tive Steering Assist has a limited steering tor-
qu efo r lateral guidance. In some cases, the steer-
ing inter vention is not su1cient tokeep theve hi-
cle in the lane or todrive thro ugh exits.
The system may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing instances:
R There is poor visibility, e.g. due tosno w,rain,
fo g, heavy spr ay,gr eatly varying light condi-
tions or strong shadow s onthe car riag ewa y.
R There is glare, e.g. from oncoming tra1c,
di re ct sunlight or re0ections.
R Insu1cient road illumination. R
The windscreen is dirty, mis ted up, damaged
or co vered in the vicinity of the camera, e.g.
by a stic ker.
R No, or se veral, unclear lane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, or the markings change
qu ickl y,forex ample, in a construction area or
junctions.
R The lane markings are wornawa y,dark or co v-
ered up, e.g. bydirt or sno w.
R Ifth e distance totheve hicle in front is too
short and thus the lane markings cannot be
de tected.
R The road is nar row and winding.
R There are obs tacles on the lane or projecting
out into the lane, such as object mar kers.
The system does not pr ovide assistance in thefo l-
lowing conditions:
R On tight bends and when turning.
R When crossing junctions.
R Atroundabouts or toll stations.
R When towing a trailer.
R When the tyre pressure is too lo w. &
W
WARNI NG
ARNI NGRisk of accident if Active Steer-
ing Assist unexpectedly stops functioning
If th e system limits of Active Steering Assist
are reached there is no guarantee that the
system will remain active or will keep theve hi-
cle in lane. #
Alwayske ep your hands on the steering
wheel and obser vethe tra1c carefull y. #
Always steer theve hicle paying attention
to tra1c conditions. &
W
WARNI NG
ARNI NGRisk of accident if Active Steer-
ing Assist unexpectedly inter venes
The de tection of lane markings and objects
may malfunction and cause unexpected steer-
ing inter ventions. #
Steer according totra1c conditions. A A
ctiv
ctiv ating/deactiv
ating/deactiv ating A
ating Activ
ctiveSt
e St eer
eer ing Assist
ing Assist
R
R eq
eq uir
uir ements:
ements:
R ESP ®
is activated, but is not inter vening. 252
252
Driving and parking

straigh
tening manoeuvre. When ca rrying out a
straigh tening manoeuvre, the system calculates
th e articulation angle automatically and straight-
ens theve hicle/trailer combination tothe trailer's
cur rent direction.
Tr ailer Manoeuv ring Assist must be taught-in
before it can adjust the articulation angle
(/ page 298).
Obser vethe no tes on towing a trailer
(/ page 299).
Syst Syst em limits em limits
Obser vethe system limits of thefo llowing func-
tions:
R Active Parking Assist (/ page 291)
R 360° camera (/ page 283)
R Reversing camera (/ page 281)
The system may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing situations:
R The gradient is greater than appr oximately
15%. Using
Tr
Using Trailer Manoeuvr ailer Manoeuvr ing Assist
ing Assist
R
R eq
eq uir
uir ements:
ements:
R The vehicle has been star ted and is stationar y.
R A trailer has been de tected.
R The gradient is less than appr oximately 15%.
R The electric parking brake is not applied.
T
T eac
eac hing in Tr
hing in Trailer Manoeuvr
ailer Manoeuvr ing Assist
ing Assist #
Drive forw ards a short dis tance with the car/
trailer combination.
The comple tedte ach-in process is shown in
th e media displa y.
% The maximum articulation angle depends on
the length of the trailer. This is calculated by
th e system bydriving theve hicle forw ards,
including cornering. Before the length of the
trailer has been calcula ted, the maximum
articulation angle is appr oximately 23°. The
longer the trailer is, the higher the maximum
articulation angle (max. appr oximately 60°). Using
Tr
Using Trailer Manoeuvr ailer Manoeuvr ing Assist
ing Assist #
Engage reve rsege ar k. #
Press but ton1.
The camera ima geis shown in the media dis-
pla y. #
Toadjust the articulation angle: select ¸.
Swipe leT or right on the media display or
to uchpad tochange the articulation angle. 298
298
Driving and parking

or
#
Toactivate the straightening manoeuvre:
select º.
The system calculates the articulation angle in
such a wayth at the direction of the trailer at
th e time of activation is maintained. There is a
short countersteering mo vement of the trailer
while theve hicle is reve rsed, which then
guides it back tothe desired line. In this wa y,
th eve hicle is aligned st raight with the trailer
and, at the same time, the direction of the
trailer is maintained. #
Accelerate and brake as requ ired.
% Pay attention toyour sur roundings and be
re ady tobrake at all times. T
T
r
railer hitch
ailer hitch N
No
ot
tes on tr
es on tr ailer oper
ailer oper ation
ation *
N
NOOTE
TE Mercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. Obser
vethefo llowing no tes on theto ngue weight:
R Do not use a tongue weight that exceeds or
fa lls below the permissible tongue weight
R Use a tongue weight as close as possible to
th e maximum tongue weight
Do not exceed thefo llowing values:
R Perm issible towing capacity
R Perm issible rear axle load of theto wing vehi-
cle
R Perm issible gross weight of theto wing vehicle
R Perm issible gross weight of the trailer
R Maximum permissible speed of the trailer
Ensure thefo llowing before starting a journe y:
R The tyre pressure on there ar axle of theto w-
ing vehicle is set for a maximum load
R The lighting of the connected trailer is opera-
tional
In theev ent of increased rear axle load, the car/
trailer combination must not exceed a maximum
speed of 100 km/h forre asons conce rning the
operating permit. This also applies in countries in which
the permissible maximum speed for car/
trailer combinations is abo ve100 km/h.
V
V ehicles wit
ehicles wit h AIRMA
h AIRMATIC or E-A
TIC or E-A CTIVE BOD
CTIVE BOD Y C
Y CON-
ON-
TR
TR OL:
OL: ifth e soc ket of the trailer hitch is occupied,
e.g. bya trailer or rear bicycle rack ,th eve hicle is
set tothe normal le velre ga rdless of the drive pro-
gr am at speeds greater than 30 km/h.
% When you are reve rsing with a trailer, remem-
ber touse theTrailer Manoeuvering Assist
function (/ page 297). Ext
Ext
ending and re
ending and retr
tracting t
acting t he ball nec
he ball nec k full
k fully electr
y electr i-
i-
cal ly
cally &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of accident due tothe ball
neck not being engaged
If th e ball neck is not engaged, the trailer may
come loose. #
Make sure that the ball neck securely
engages and loc ksinto place. Driving and parking
299
299

Obser
vethefo llowing no tes:
R mount heavy bicycles as close totheve hicle
as possible
R always distribute the load on the bicycle rack
as evenly as possible across theve hicle's lon-
gitudinal axis
Mercedes-Benz recommends removing all de tach-
able parts from bicycles (e.g. bask ets, ch ild seats,
re ch arge able batteries) before loading them onto
th e bicycle rack . This will impr oveth e aerody-
namic resis tance and centre of grav ity of the bicy-
cle rack.
Alw ays secure the bicycles topreve ntthem from
moving around and check them at regular inter-
va ls to ensure that they are secure.
Do not use tarp aulins or other co vers. The driving
ch aracteristics and rear view may be impaired. In
addition, aerodynamic resis tance and the load on
th e trailer hitch will increase. Load distribution on
the bicycle rack
1 Vertical distance between centre of grav ity
and ball head
2 Horizontal distance between centre of grav ity
and ball head
3 The centre of grav ity is on theve hicle's cent re
axis
Obser vethefo llowing information when loading
th e bicycle rack: Loading t Loading t
he bicy he bicycle r
cle rack
ack 3 bicy
3 bicy
cles
cles 4 bicy
4 bicycles
cles
To talwe ight of
bicycle rack and
load Up
to75 kg Up to100 kg
Max. distance
1 420 mm 420 mm
Max. distance
2 300 mm 400 mm When transporting
four bicycles or a tota lwe ight
between 75 kg and 100 kg, alw ays use bicycle
ra ck s with additional support on the trailer hitch
guide pin. V V
ehicle to
ehicle towing ins
wing ins tr
tructions
uctions
The vehicle is not suitable forth e use of tow bar
systems that are used for 0at towing or dinghy
to wing, forex ample. Attach ing and using tow bar
systems can result in damage totheve hicle.
When you are towing a vehicle with tow bar sys-
te ms, safe driving characteristics cann otbe guar- 306
306
Driving and parking

anteed
forth eto wing vehicle or theto we dve hicle.
The vehicle-trailer combination may swer vefrom
side toside.
Obser vethefo llowing information:
R Perm itted towing me thods (/ page 393)
R The no tes on towing theve hicle with bo th
axles on thegr ound (/ page 394) Driving and parking
307
307

th
e emer gency call and faster transfer of the
accident data.
Measu resfo rre scue, reco very or towing away
can then be initiated in quickl y.
R With a Mercedes-Benz emer gency call, the
accident data is only transfer redto the public
coordination centre with the appr oval of the
cus tomer.
In theev ent of an automatically triggered
emer gency call in which there is no voice con-
ta ct, the accident data is transmitted immedi-
ately tothe public emer gency call centre.
R Should the Mercedes-Benz emer gency call
centre not be available, the 112 emer gency
call is ca rried out automaticall y.Ov Ov
er
ervie
vie w of emerg
w of emerg ency call syst
ency call syst ems
ems Bo
th th e Mercedes-Benz emer gency call system
as well as the 112 emer gency call system (EU
eCall) can help toreduce the time between an
accident and the ar riva l of emer gency services at
th e site of the accident. They help locate an acci-
dent site in places that are di1cult toaccess. Bo
th emer gency call systems can initia tean emer-
ge ncy call automatically (/ page 351) or man-
ual ly ( / page 352).
Only make emer gency calls if you or others are in
need of rescue. Do not make an emer gency call in
th eev ent of a breakdown or a similar situation.
Messag
Messag es on t
es on the display
he display
The following message s appear inthe display of
bo th emer gency call systems:
R SOS NOT READY: theve hicle is not switched
on or the emer gency call system is malfunc-
tioning. This does not necessarily indicate
comple tefailure of the emer gency call system.
Eme rgency calls call still be transmitted.
The display only refers to theve hicle and does
not take account of theav ailability of mobile
phone networ ksand the Mercedes-Benz emer-
ge ncy call centre.
The functional readiness of the emer gency call
system on theve hicle can be seen when the
SOS NOT READY displaydisappears once the
ve hicle is switched on. R
G: The icon appears in the display during
an active emer gency call.
% Ifth ere is a malfunction in the emer gency call
system (e.g. a fault with the speaker, micro-
phone, airbag, SOS button), a cor responding
message appears on the inst rument displa y. T T
r
r igg
igg er
ering an aut
ing an aut omatic emerg
omatic emerg ency call
ency call R
R
eq
eq uir
uir ements:
ements:
R The vehicle is switched on.
R The star ter battery is su1ciently charge d.
Bo th th e Mercedes-Benz emer gency call system
as well as the 112 emer gency call system (EU
eCall) automatically initia tean emer gency call
aTer:
R Activation of there straint systems su chas air-
bags or seat belt tensioners aTer an accident
The eme rgency call has been made:
R Avo ice connection is established with the
emer gency call centre. MBUX multimedia system
351
351