differential MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS 2018 User Guide

Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
Rin road and traffic conditions that do not allow
you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating can cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
Rwhen there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple, in parking garages
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehicle
in front, DISTRONIC PLUS may unexpectedly
accelerate the vehicle to the stored speed.
This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a filter lane or an exit lane
Rbe so high in the right lane that you pass vehi-cles driving on the left (left-hand drive coun-
tries)
Rbe so high in the left lane that you pass vehi-
cles driving on the right (right-hand drive
countries)
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Activates or increases speed
;Activates or reduces speed
=Deactivates DISTRONIC PLUS
?Activates at the current speed/last stored
speed
ASets a specified minimum distance
When you activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the stored
speed appears in the multifunction display for
five seconds.
Speedometer with segments: when
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, the segments
from the stored speed to the end of the scale
light up.
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS
Activation conditions
In order to activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up to
two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
Rthe parking brake must be released.
Rthe differential lock must be disengaged.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
Rthe automatic transmission is in position h.
Rthe driver's door must be closed or your seat
belt must be fastened when you shift the
transmission from positionjtoh.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
Rthe vehicle must not slide.
Rthe transfer case must in the HIGH RANGE
on-road position.
Rthe vehicle must not be on an uphill or down-
hill gradient of more than 22‑25%.
Activating
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?, up :or down ;.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS Passive
mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in
front will then not be maintained. You will be
driving at the speed you determine by the
position of the accelerator pedal.
136Driving system s
Driving an d parking

DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactivated
if:
Ryou apply the parking brake
Ryou are driving slower than 15 mph (25 km/h)
and there is no vehicle in front, or if the vehicle
in front is no longer detected
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe automatic transmission is in positionj,
k ori
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards you
in order to pull away and the front-passenger
door or one of the rear doors is open
Rthe vehicle slips
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, an intermit-
tent warning tone sounds and the DISTRONIC
PLUSOffmessage appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
RCornering, entering and exiting a bend: the
ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehicles
when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or late.
RDriving on a different line: DISTRONIC PLUS
may not detect vehicles which are not driving
in the middle of their lane. The distance to the
vehicle in front will be too short.
ROther vehicles changing lane: DISTRONIC
PLUS has not detected the vehicle cutting in
yet. The distance to this vehicle will be too
short.
RNarrow vehicles: DISTRONIC PLUS does not
detect the vehicle in front on the edge of the
road because of its narrow width. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
RObstacles and stationary vehicles:
DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals an
obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS will not brake for these.
RCrossing vehicles: DISTRONIC PLUS may mis-
takenly detect vehicles that are crossing your
lane. Activating DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic
lights with crossing traffic, for example, could
cause your vehicle to pull away uninte
ntion-
ally.
In such situations, brake if necessary.
DISTRONIC PLUS is then deactivated.
Blind Spot Assist
General notes
Blind Spot Assist monitors the areas on either
side of the vehicle that are not visible to the
driver with two lateral, rear-facing radar sen-
sors. A warning lamp lights up in the exterior
mirrors and draws your attention to vehicles
detected in the monitored area. If you then
switch on the corresponding turn signal to
change lane, you will also receive an optical and
audible warning.
Blind Spot Assist supports you from a speed of
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Blind Spot Assist does not react to:
Rvehicles overtaken too closely on the side,
placing them in the blind spot area
Rvehicles which approach with a large speed
differential and overtake your vehicle
As a result, Blind Spot Assist may not give
warnings in such situations. There is a risk of
an accident.
Always observe the traffic conditions care-
fully, and maintain a safe lateral distance.
Blind Spot Assist is only an aid. It may fail to
detect some vehicles and is no substitute for
attentive driving. Always ensure that there is
sufficient distance to the side for other road
users and obstacles.
iUSA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as
a "Vehicular Radar System". The radar sensor
is intended for use in an automotive radar
system only. Removing, tampering with, or
altering the device will void any warranties,
and is not permitted by the FCC. Do not tam-
per with, alter, or use in any non-approved
way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
140Driving system s
Driving an d parking

Differential locks
General notes
GWARNING
Whe nth edifferential locks are engaged, ABS,
4ETS ,ES P
®and BA Sare deactivated. As a
result ,th ewheels could loc kwhen braking
and th ebraking distanc eis increased. There is
a ris kof an accident.
Disengage th edifferential locks immediately
on fir msurfaces wit hgoo dgrip.
!In order to avoid damage to th etransfe r
case, you mus toperat eth evehicle on adyna-
mometer (1-axl edynamometer) only if:
Rth eaxl eno tdriven on is jacked up
or
Rth ecorrespondin gpropeller shaft is dis -
connecte dand th etransfe rcas edifferen -
tial loc kis engaged.
Differential locks improve th etraction of th e
vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped wit h adifferential loc k
eac hfor:
Rth etransfe rcase: this controls th ebalance
between th efron tand rea raxles.
Rth erea raxle: this controls th ebalance
between th ewheels on th erea raxle.
Rth efron taxle: this controls th ebalance
between th ewheels on th efron taxle.
Information on differential gea rsyste m
an ddifferential lock
Whe nth evehicle drives around acurve, th e
wheels on th eoutsid eof th ecurve mus tcover a
greater distance. Therefore, th ewheels turn
more rapidly than on th einside. The differential,
a gear syste min th edrive train ,allow sfo rdif -
ferin grotational speeds and facilitates corner-
ing.
The disadvantage of adifferential is that th e
wheels that hav eth eleas tgrip, get th emost
drive. Fo rexample, awhee lon adrive axl elies
on snow-covered groun dand therefore has no
traction .The differential sends most of th edrive
forc eto this whee lbecause th eforc etake sth e
rout eof th elowest resistance. The opposite
whee lon this axle, however, whic hstand son
fir m groun dand could therefore allow propul- sion, receives no drivin
gpower. 4ETS compen-
sates fo rthis disadvantage. 4ETS provides goo d
steerability by automatically braking th espin-
ning wheel. 4ETS provides th ewhee lon th efir m
surfac ewit hmore drive force, whic hin turn pro -
vides propulsion .
ES P
®and 4ETS are traction systems that are
idea lfo rroad drivin gand suitable fo rligh toff-
road driving. The LOW RANGEoff-road g
ear
also improves off-road capability.
Mor echallengin goff-road condition srequire
additional measures suc has locking on eor
more differential.
Your vehicle is equipped wit hthree differential
locks :
Rforth etransfe rcas e
Rforth efron taxl e
Rforth erea raxl e
Each differential loc kcan be engage dwit hth e
correspondin gswitch on th ecenter console. If
th edifferential in th etransfe rcas eis locked, th e
fron tand rea rwheels rotate at th esam espeed.
If th edifferential fo rth erea raxl eis locked, bot h
rea rwheels rotate at th esam espeed, regard -
les sof their respective torque. Note, engaging
th edifferential loc kgreatly impairs th evehicle' s
steerability.
Note, it is imperative to use th edifferential func-
tion when drivin gon fir mroad surfaces. Under
no circumstances should th edifferential be
locke dwhen drivin gon fir mroad surfaces. Oth-
erwise ,th evehicle may no tbe steerable and you
could los econtro lof th evehicle. Therefore, only
engage th edifferential loc kwhen drivin goff-
road. You should only engage th edifferential
loc kif act ivati
n
g4ETS and ES P®drivingsystems
and LOW RANGE off-road gear prove to be
insufficient.
Engaging th edifferential lock s
General notes
The switches are located on th ecenter console.
Off-road driving systems15 1
Driving an d parking
Z

:Function indicator lamps (red)
;Differential lock for the front axle
=Differential lock for the transfer case
?Differential lock for the rear axle
AActivation indicator lamps (yellow)
Engage the differential locks:
Roff-road
Rto deactivate ABS, 4ETS, ESP®and BAS while
off-road
Rwhen fording
For further information on driving off-road, see
(
Ypage 129).
You can engage the differential locks in the fol-
lowing order: =,?,;.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When differential locks are engaged on a firm,
high-grip surface, the vehicle's steerability is
greatly impaired. In particular, engaging the
differential locks when cornering could lead
to you losing control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Disengage the differential locks immediately
on firm surfaces with good grip.
GWARNING
When the differential locks are engaged, ABS, 4ETS, ESP
®and BAS are deactivated. As a
result, the wheels could lock when braking
and the braking distance is increased. There is
a risk of an accident.
Disengage the differential locks immediately
on firm surfaces with good grip.
!Only engage the differential locks when:
Ryou are driving at walking pace
Rthe drive wheels are not spinning
Ryou are not driving on a firm road surface
Differential lock for the transfer case
XTo engage: switch the transfer case to the
LOW RANGE off-road driving position
(
Ypage 149).
XPress switch =.
If the transfer case is in the LOW RANGEoff-
road position, the yellow activation indicator
lamp under switch =lights up.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
If the differential is locked, the red function
indicator lamp above switch =lights up.
In the multifunction display you see the:
Differential Locks Active ABS and
ESP Not Available
The å!÷ warning lamps light up in
the instrument cluster.
The differential lock for the transfer case is
engaged.
4ETS, ESP
®, BAS and ABS are deactivated.
The vehicle's ability to steer is severely restric-
ted. Drive carefully and accelerate gently for
optimum traction.
You can now engage the differential lock for rear
axle ?and the differential lock for front axle ;
as required.
Differential lock for the rear axle
XTo engage: press switch ?.
Yellow activation indicator lamp Alights up
first, followed by red function indicator
lamp :of switch ?.
The differential lock for the rear axle is
engaged.
Differential lock for the front axle
XTo engage: press switch ;.
First, the yellow activation indicator lamp
lights up, followed by the red function indica-
tor lamp.
The differential lock for the front axle is
engaged.
152Off-road driving systems
Driving and parking

Disengaging thedifferential lock s
You can disengage th edifferential locks in th e
followin gorder :; ,? ,= .
XTo simultaneously disengage all differen-
tial locks: press switch =.
Yellow activation indicator lamp sA and red
function indicator lamp s: go out .
Afte rapproximately three seconds of normal
driving, ABS, 4ETS ,ES P
®and BA Sare activa-
ted.
The Differential Locks Active ABS
and ESP Not Availablemessag edisap-
pear sin th emultifunction display and th e
å!÷warning lamps in the instru-
ment cluster go out.
XShift the transfer case to the HIGH RANGE
on-road position (Ypage 149).
If red function indicator lamps :do not go out
when disengaging the differential locks, stop
the vehicle safely in accordance with the traffic
conditions and then drive on. The load change
can disengage the differential locks.
Towing a trailer
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When the vehicle/trailer combination begins
to lurch, you could lose control of it. The vehi- cle/trailer combination could even rollover.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten up the vehicle/trailer combination
by increasing the speed. Reduce vehicle
speed and do not countersteer. Apply the
brake as necessary.
GWARNING
If you install a ball coupling other than the one
delivered with the vehicle, the trailer tow hitch
and the rear axle may be overloaded. This
applies especially if the ball coupling in ques-
tion is longer or angled differently. This could
seriously impair the driving characteristics
and the trailer can come loose. There is a risk
of an accident.
Only install the ball coupling delivered with
the vehicle or a ball coupling that is designed to meet your trailer towing requirements. Do
not modify the ball coupling or the trailer tow
hitch.
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed correctly or not secured with the bolt provided and the
corresponding spring cotter, the trailer may
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter.
!If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
changes to the engine cooling system may be
necessary, depending on the vehicle type.
If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
observe the anchorage points on the chassis
frame.
The installation of a trailer tow hitch is only per-
missible if a towing weight is specified in your
vehicle documents. If this is not the case, then
the vehicle is not approved for the towing of a
trailer.
For more information, please contact a qualified
specialist workshop.
Please observe the manufacturer's operating
instructions for the trailer coupling if a detach-
able trailer coupling is used.
Exceeding the maximum permissible nose-
weight of the trailer drawbar on the ball coupling may cause damage.
Damage may be caused to the following:
RTowing vehicle
RTrailer
RBall coupling
RTrailer tow hitch
The vehicle/trailer combination could become
unstable.
If the noseweight used is lower than the mini-
mum permissible noseweight, the vehicle/
trailer combination could also become unstable.
Towing a trailer153
Driving and parking
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
TCShiftConditionsNot Fulfilled
Select NEUTRA LGea r
You hav eno tmet on eor mor eshift conditions.
XShift th eautomatic transmission int oneutral position i.
XRepeat thegearshift process.
TCShiftCondition sNot Fulfilled
Max.Speed 40 mph
You hav eexceeded th emaximum speed for th egearshift process.
XDrive mor eslowly.
XRepeat th egearshift process.
LOW RANGE
On
The transfer cas eis in th eLOW RANGE off-road gear.
HIGHRANGE
On
The transfer cas eis in th eHIG HRANGE on-road position .
Differential LocksAvailable OnlyInLOW RANGE
The LOW RANGE butto nhas been pressed. The transfer cas eis in
LOW RANGE off-road gear and adifferential loc kis engaged.
XDisengage th edifferential loc k (Ypage 151).
XRepeat thegearshift process.
TC NEUTRA L
On
The transfer cas eis in th eNeutral neutral position .
A warning tone will also soun dwhen th edriver's door is opened and
th ebrak epedal is no tdepressed.
XClos eth edriver's door .
XSecureth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 122).
XShift th etransfer cas eaccording to drivin gcondition s
(Ypage 149).
Differential Loc kPreselected
ESP Not Available
Adifferential loc kwas engaged. The differential gear system has no t
yet locke dth erespective differential. The activation indicator lamp
(yellow) (
Ypage 151) of th eswitch lights up.
ES P®is unavailable .
AB Sis still available.
Differential LocksActive
ABS and ESP NotAvailable
A differential loc kwas engage dand th edifferential gear system has
locke dth erespective differential. The yellow activation indicator lamp
and red function indicator lamp (
Ypage 151) on theswitch lights up.
AB Sand ES P®are unavailable .
184Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Warning/
indicator
lampNSignal type
Possible causes/consequences and M
Solutions
!NThe yellow ABS warning lamp is lit while the engine is running.
ABS is temporarily unavailable.
Other driving and driving safety systems may also be unavailable.
Possible causes are:
RSelf-diagnosis is not yet complete.
RThe on-board voltage may be insufficient.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed
above. The wheels could therefore lock if you brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affected. The braking
distance in an emergency braking situation can increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is a risk of an accident.
XCarefully drive on a suitable stretch of road, making gentle steering movements
at speeds of above 12 mph (20 km/h).
The functions mentioned above are available again when the warning lamp goes
out.
If the warning lamp is still on:
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
!N The yellow ABS warning lamp is lit while the engine is running.
You have engaged the differential locks. ABS is deactivated.
XDisengage the differential locks.
Subsequently ABS is reactivated.
Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster195
On-board computer and displays
Z

Warning/
indicator
lampNSignal type
Possible causes/consequences and M
Solutions
÷åNThe yellow ESP®and ESP®OFF warning lamps are lit while the engine is running.
ESP®is temporarily unavailable.
Other driving and driving safety systems may also be unavailable.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed
above.
The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can thus increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XCarefully drive on a suitable stretch of road, making gentle steering movements
at speeds of above 12 mph (20 km/h).
The functions mentioned above are available again when the warning lamp goes
out.
If the warning lamp is still on:
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
åN The yellow ESP®OFF warning lamp is lit while the engine is running.
The differential lock is engaged. ABS, ESP®, 4ETS and BAS have been deactivated.
XDisengage the differential lock.
ESP®, 4ETS and BAS are subsequently reactivated.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction display.
6N The red restraint system warning lamp is lit while the engine is running.
The restraint system is malfunctioning.
GWARNING
The air bags or Emergency Tensioning Devices may either be triggered uninten-
tionally or, in the event of an accident, may not be triggered.
There is an increased risk of injury.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction display.
XDrive on carefully.
XContact a qualified specialist workshop and have the restraint system checked.
For further information about the restraint system, see (
Ypage 38).
198Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
On-board computer and displays