brake MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS 2018 Owner's Guide

verter to reach its operating temperature
more quickly.
Pulling away with a trailer
To ensure that you do not roll back when pulling
away on an uphill slope, apply the parking brake.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
hork.
iAlways wait until the shifting process is
complete before driving off.
XRelease the parking brake (Ypage 123).
XRelease the brake pedal.
XCarefully depress the accelerator pedal.
Hill start assist
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
forward or in reverse on an uphill gradient. It
holds the vehicle for a short time after you have
removed your foot from the brake pedal. This
gives you enough time to move your foot from
the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and to
depress it before the vehicle begins to roll.
GWARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no lon-
ger brake your vehicle and it could roll away.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist will not function if:
Ryou are pulling away on a level road or on a
downhill gradient
Rthe transmission is in position i
Rthe parking brake is applied
RESP®is malfunctioning
ECO start/stop function
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the engine is switched off automatically and
you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted
automatically. The vehicle may begin moving.
There is a risk of accident and injury.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the ignition and secure the vehicle against
rolling away.
General notes
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle stops
moving.
The engine starts automatically when the driver
wants to pull away again. The ECO start/stop
function thereby helps you to reduce the fuel
consumption and emissions of your vehicle.
The ECO start/stop function is activated each
time the engine is switched on or when you
switch the drive program (except Mercedes-
AMG vehicles).
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the ECO start/stop
function is activated after the engine is restarted
and is only available in drive program C. When
drive program Sor Mis selected, the ECO start/
stop function is deactivated.
The system is operational if all conditions for
automatic engine switch-off have been fulfilled
(
Ypage 108) and the èsymbol is shown in
green in the multifunction display.
If not all conditions for automatic engine switch-
off are fulfilled (
Ypage 108), the èECO
symbol is shown in yellow in the multifunction
display.
If the ECO start/stop function has been man-
ually deactivated (
Ypage 108) or a malfunction
has caused the system to be deactivated, the
è ECO symbol is not displayed.
Driving107
Driving and parking
Z

Deactivating/activating theECO start/
stop function
XTo activate :press butto n:.
Indicator lamp ;on butto n: and th eè
EC Osymbol in th emultifunction display go
out .
Selecting drive program Sor Min Mercedes -
AM Gvehicles automatically deactivates th e
EC Ostart/sto pfunction .
XTo activate :press butto n:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles :if drive program S
or Mis active ,th eautomatic transmissio n
switches to drive program C.
If all condition sfo rautomatic engin eswitch -
of f (
Ypage 108) are fulfilled, th eè sym-
bol is shown in green in th emultifunction dis -
play.
If th econdition sfo rautomatic engin eswitch -
of fare no tall fulfille d (
Ypage 108), th eè
EC Osymbol is lit yellow. If this is th ecase, th e
EC Ostart/sto pfunction is no tavailable .
iIf indicator lamp ;is off, th eEC Ostart /
stop function has bee ndeactivated manually
or as th eresult of amalfunction .The engin e
will then no tbe switched of fautomatically
when th evehicle stops .
Automatic engin eswitch-off
If th evehicle is brake dto astandstill wit hth e
transmissio nin h ori ,th eEC Ostart/sto p
function switches of fth eengin eautomatically. The EC
Ostart/sto pfunction is operational and
th eè ECOsymbol is shown in green in th e
multifunction display, if:
Rth eindicator lamp in th eè ECObutto nis
lit green
Rth etransfe rcas eis in th eHIG HRANGE on-
road position
Rth evehicle is stationary
Rth eoutsid etemperature and th eatmospheri c
air pressure is within th erange that is suitable
fo rth esyste m
Rtheengin eis at normal operatin gtemperature
Rth eset temperature fo rth evehicle interio r
has bee nreached
Rth ebattery is sufficientl ycharged
Rth esyste mdetects that th ewindshield is no t
fogge dup when th eair-conditionin gsystem is
switched on
Rth ehoo dis close d
Rthedriver's doo ris close dand th edriver's
seat belt is fastene d
If th econdition sfo rautomatic engin eswitch-off
are no tall fulfilled, th eè ECOsymbol is
shown in yellow.
iIf you shift th etransmissio nfrom Rto D, the
EC Ostart/sto pfunction is avai lable again
once th eè ECOsymbol reappears in
green in th emultifunction display.
iThe engin ecan be automatically switched
of fan unlimite dnumber of times .
iYou can still activat eth eHOLD function
when th evehicle is stationary, eve nif th e
engin ehas bee nswitched of fautomatically. It
is then no tnecessary to continue applyin gth e
brake sdurin gth eautomatic stop phase.
Whe nyou depress th eaccelerator pedal, th e
engin estart sautomatically and th ebraking
effect of th eHOLD function is deactivated.
Depress th eaccelerator peda lcarefully, as
th eengin emus tbe started first .
iDuringautomatic engin eswitch-off ,th ecli-
mat econtro lsystem only operates at a
reduce dcapacity. If you require full climat e
contro lcapacity, th eEC Ostart/sto pfunction
can be deactivated by pressing th eEC Obut -
to n (
Ypage 108).
108Driving
Driving and parking

Automa tic engine start
The engin estart sautomatically if:
RIn general :
-you switch off th eECO start/sto pfunction
by pressing th eECO butto n
-you release th ebrakes when in transmis -
sion position hori, when th eHOLD
function is inactive
RBy th edriver :
-you release th ebrakes when in transmis -
sion position hori
-you depress th eaccelerato rpedal
-you engage revers egear k
-you mov eth etransmission out of position
j
-you switch to drive program Sor M
(Mercedes-AM Gvehicles)
-you unfasten your seat belt or open th e
driver's door
RBy th esystem:
-th evehicl estart sto rol l
-thebrak esystem require sthis
-th etemperature in th evehicl einterior devi-
ate sfrom th eset range
-th esystem detects moisture on th ewind-
shield when th eair-conditioning system is
switched on
-th econdition of charge of th ebattery is to o
low
iShifting th etransmission to position j
does no tstart th eengine.
Driving109
Driving and parking
Z

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The coolant temperature
gauge is in the area
marked in red behind the
H. A display message
may also appear in the
multifunction display
and a warning tone may
sound.The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine is no
longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 234). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
If the coolant level is correct, the radiator fan may be faulty. The cool-
ant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
XIf the coolant temperature is below the Hmarking, drive to the
nearest qualified specialist workshop.
XAvoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in moun-
tainous terrain and stop-and-go traffic.
Adjustable damping
General notes
With adjustable damping you can choose
between two different suspension settings.
Suspension settings
COMFcomfortable suspension setting
Sportsports suspension setting
Selecting the suspension setting
iIf you select the sports suspension setting,
the vehicle will dampen more roughly.
XPress button :.
The indicator lamp lights up. SPORTis dis-
played in the multifunction display. The sports
suspension setting is activated.
iIf you select the comfortable suspension
setting, the vehicle will dampen more softly.
XPress button ;.
The indicator lamp lights up. COMFis dis-
played in the multifunction display. The com-
fortable suspension setting is activated.
Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
iBear in mind that the power transmission
between the engine and the transmission is
interrupted when the engine is switched off.
Automatic transmission111
Driving and parking
Z

For this reason, shift the automatic transmis-
sion to jwhen the engine is switched off
and the vehicle is stationary. Apply the park-
ing brake to prevent the vehicle from rolling
away.
Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions
!If the engine speed is too high or the vehicle
is in motion, do not shift the automatic trans-
mission directly from htok, from ktoh
or directly to j.
Do not open the driver's door while the vehi-
cle is in motion. At low speeds in transmission
position hork, otherwise park position j
is engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
:B button: park position with parking lock
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
When you select a transmission position, the
selector lever subsequently returns to its origi-
nal position.
The current transmission position j,k,ior
h is shown on the transmission position dis-
play on the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
!If the transmission position display in the
multifunction display is not working, you
should pull away carefully to check whether
the desired transmission position is engaged. Select transmission position D. Do not
restrict the shift range.
Current transmission position :and current
drive program ;appear in the multifunction
display.
The current position of the selector lever is
shown by the indicators next to the selector
lever.
The indicators light up when the SmartKey is
inserted into the ignition lock. The indicators go
out when the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock.
When the selector lever is in position h, you
can influence the gearshifts made by the auto-
matic transmission by:
Rrestricting the shift range
Rchanging gear yourself
Selecting park position
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XPress the Bbutton on the center console.
If you depress the brake pedal and push the
selector lever forwards or back to the first point of resistance, park position jis disengaged.
The transmission shifts to neutral i.
Engaging reverse gear
!Only move the automatic transmission to
k when the vehicle is stationary.
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XPush the selector lever forwards past the first
point of resistance.
The transmission position kis engaged.
If you engage reverse gear and the ECO start/
stop function is activated, the engine starts
automatically (
Ypage 107).
112Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Engaging neutral
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children.
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XDepending on the current transmission posi-
tion, press the selector lever forwards or
backwards to the first point of resistance.
The automatic transmission shifts to i.
When the engine is switched off, the automatic
transmission shifts to iautomatically.
If the vehicle is braked to a standstill in neutral
i, the ECO start/stop function switches off
the engine automatically (
Ypage 107).
Remaining in neutral
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children.
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary.
XMake sure that the ignition is switched on.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutral i.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XMake sure that the parking brake is released.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
Engaging the drive position
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XPush the selector lever back past the first
point of resistance.
The automatic transmission shifts to h.
If the vehicle is braked to a standstill with the
transmission in position h, the ECO start/stop
function switches off the engine automatically
(
Ypage 107).
Automatic transmission113
Driving and parking
Z

Transmission positions
BPark position
This prevents the vehicle from rolling
away when stopped.
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tion j(
Ypage 112) when the vehi-
cle is stationary. The parking lock
should not be used as a brake when
parking. Always apply the parking
brake in addition to the parking lock
in order to secure the vehicle.
The SmartKey can only be removed if
the transmission is in position j.
When there is no SmartKey in the
ignition lock, the selector lever is
locked in position j.
CReverse gear
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tionkwhen the vehicle is station-
ary.
A!Coasting in neutral imay
cause damage to the drive train.
Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to i
while driving. The automatic trans-
mission could otherwise be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you to
move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push
it or tow it.
If ESP
®is deactivated or faulty and
the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
e.g. on icy roads: shift the transmis-
sion to i.
If you engage the transfer case, shift briefly to i(
Ypage 149).
7Drive
The automatic transmission changes
gear automatically. All forward gears
are available.
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts through the
individual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position h. This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by:
Ra shift range restriction, if selected
Rthe position of the transfer case ( HIGH
RANGE orLOW RANGE )
Rthe position of the accelerator pedal
Rthe road speed
Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle: early upshifts
Rmore throttle: late upshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
XDepress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a lower
gear depending on the engine speed.
XEase off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Kickdown is not available in the permanent man-
ual drive program on Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
Rocking the vehicle free
Rocking free by shifting back and forth between
transmission positions Dand Rcan help to free
the vehicle if it gets stuck. The vehicle's engine
management system limits the speed to a max-
imum of 5 mph (9 km/h) when shifting back and
forth.
Shifting back and forth between transmission
positions Dand R:
XMove the selector lever forwards or back-
wards past the point of resistance.
114Automatic transmission
Driving an d parking

Problems with the fuel and fuel tank
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Fuel is leaking from the
vehicle.GWARNING
The fuel line or the fuel tank is defective.
There is a risk of fire or explosion.
XApply the parking brake.
XSwitch off the engine.
XRemove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XDo not restart the engine under any circumstances.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The fuel filler flap cannot
be opened.The fuel filler flap is not unlocked.
XUnlock the vehicle (Ypage 63).
XOpen the rear door.
XManually unlock the fuel filler flap using the emergency release
(Ypage 121).
The SmartKey battery is discharged or nearly discharged.
XUnlock the vehicle using the mechanical key (Ypage 64).
The fuel filler flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is jammed.
XManually unlock the fuel filler flap using the emergency release
(Ypage 121).
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
Parking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is a risk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rials come into contact with parts of the vehi-
cle which are hot. Take particular care not to
park on dry grassland or harvested grain
fields.
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
122Parking
Driving and parking

To ensure that the vehicle is safeguarded
against rolling away unintentionally:
Rthe parking brake must be applied.
Rthe transmission must be in positionPand the
SmartKey must be removed from the ignition
lock
Rthe transfer case must not be in the neutral
position
Rthe front wheels must be turned towards the
curb on steep uphill or downhill gradients
Rthe empty vehicle must be secured at the
front axle with a wheel chock or similar
object, for example, on uphill or downhill gra-
dients
Ra laden vehicle must also be secured at the
rear axle with a wheel chock or similar object, for example, on uphill or downhill gradients
Switching off the engine
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
j.
XTurn the SmartKey to position gin the igni-
tion lock and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.
XApply the parking brake firmly.
XTurn the steering wheel until the steering
wheel lock engages.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position korh the automatic trans-
mission shifts to iautomatically.
If you then open the driver's door or the front-
passenger door or remove the SmartKey from
the ignition, the automatic transmission shifts
to j automatically.
If you switch off the engine while the transmis-
sion is in position i, the automatic transmis-
sion remains in ieven if a door is opened. The
automatic transmission only automatically shifts into
jwhen you remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
Parking brake
GWARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels could lock. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi-
cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly. If the
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begin turning again.
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
If you brake the vehicle with the parking brake,
the brake lamps will not light up.
If you pull away with the parking brake applied,
a warning tone sounds.
Parking123
Driving and parking
Z

XTo apply:pull parking brake lever ;up
firmly.
When the ignition is switched on, the F
(USA only) or J(Canada only) indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
XTo release: pull parking brake lever ;
slightly.
XPress release button :and guide parking
brake ;down to the stop.
The F (USA only) or J(Canada only)
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster goes
out.
The vehicle can also be braked during an emer-
gency by using the parking brake.
XTo brake in an emergency: press and hold
release button :and carefully pull parking
brake lever ;upwards.
If you drive on wet roads or dirt-covered surfa-
ces, road salt and/or dirt could get into the
parking brake.
In order to prevent corrosion and a reduction in
the braking power of the parking brake, observe
the following:
Rpull the parking brake up with release but-
ton :depressed from time to time before
beginning a journey
Rdrive for approximately 110 yds (100 m) at a
maximum speed of 12 mph (20 km/h)
Parking the vehicle for a long period
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than
four weeks, the battery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than six
weeks, the vehicle may suffer damage as a
result of lack of use.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop and seek
advice.
iYou can obtain information about trickle
chargers from a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Driving tips
General driving tips
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
GWARNING
If you operate mobile communication equip-
ment when driving, you may be distracted
from the traffic situation. You could also lose
control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an
accident.
Only operate this equipment when the vehicle
is stationary.
Observe the legal requirements for the country
in which you are driving. Some jurisdictions pro-
hibit the driver from using a mobile phone while driving a vehicle.
If you make a call while driving, always use
hands-free mode. Only operate the telephone
when the traffic situation permits. If you are
unsure, pull over to a safe location and stop
before operating the telephone.
Bear in mind that at a speed of only 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), the vehicle covers a
distance of 44 ft (approximately 14 m)per sec-
ond.
Drive sensibly – save fuel
Observe the following tips to save fuel:
XThe tires should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tire pressure.
XRemove unnecessary loads.
XRemove roof carriers when they are not nee-
ded.
XWarm up the engine at low engine speeds.
124Driving tips
Driving and parking