automatic transmission MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV 2012 User Guide

Doors
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If children are lef tunsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission ou tof
parking position P.
R shift the manual transmission into neutral.
R start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children or animals unattended in the vehicle.
Always keep the key out of reach of children. Unlocking and opening the doors
from the inside
You can open a door anytime from inside the
vehicle, even if it has been locked, unless the
child-proof locks (Y page 59) have been acti-
vated.
If the vehicle has previously been locked with
the key, opening a door from the inside will
trigger the anti-thef talarm system. Switch off
the alarm (Y page 64).
You can only open the rear compartment
doors fro minside the vehicle if they are not
secured by the child-proof locks (Y page 59). X
Pull door handle ;.
If the door is locked, locking knob :pops
up .The door is unlocked and can be
opened. Centrally locking and unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of
parking position P.
R shift the manual transmission into neutral.
R start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children or animals unattended in the vehicle.
Always keep the key out of reach of children.
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the inside. This feature may be useful if,
for example, you wish to unlock the front-
passenger door from the inside or lock the
vehicle before you pull away. Doors
73Opening and closing Z

X
Pull handle Bupwards and push down the
tailgate. Closing
X Fold the tailgate upwards.
The tailgate engages audibly.
X If necessary, lock the vehicle with the
& button on the key.
X Zip up the tonneau cover.
X Turn the quick-release fasteners to the left.
X Swing the spare wheel bracket to the left
until it sits on the tailgate.
X Press the lever to the right until the retain-
ing hook engages audibly. Side windows
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
While opening the side windows, body parts
could become trapped between the side win-
dow and the door frame as the side window
moves. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that nobody touches the side win-
dow during the opening procedure. If some-
body becomes trapped, release the switch or
pull the switch to close the side window again. G
WARNING
While opening the side windows, body parts
in the closing area could become trapped.
There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that no body parts are in close
proximity during the closing procedure. If
somebody becomes trapped, release the
switch or press the switch to open the side
window again. G
WARNING
If children operate the side windows they
could become trapped, particularly if they are
left unsupervised. There is a risk of injury. Activate the override feature for the rear side
windows. When leaving the vehicle, always
take the key with you and lock the vehicle.
Never leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle.
G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of
parking position P.
R shift the manual transmission into neutral.
R start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children or animals unattended in the vehicle.
Always keep the key out of reach of children. Opening and closing the side win-
dows
The switches for all side windows are located
on the driver's door. There is also a switch on
each door for the corresponding side window.
The switches on the driver's door take prec-
edence. Side windows
77Opening and closing Z

Useful information
............................142
Running-in notes ............................... 142
Driving ............................................... 142
Automatic transmission ...................149
Refuelling ........................................... 156
Parking ............................................... 163
Driving tips ........................................ 164
Driving systems ................................ 173
Off-road driving systems ..................201
Towing atrailer ................................. 206 141Driving and parking

G
WARNING
Unsuitable footwea rcan hinder correc tusage
of the pedals, e.g.:
R shoes with thick soles
R shoes with high heels
R slippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals. G
WARNING
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. G
WARNING
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
R overheat and cause a fire
R lose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only set the automatic transmission to the
respective drive positions when the vehicle
is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. Otherwise, you could damage the
drive train.
! Avoid high engine speeds when the
engine is cold. The engine's service life
could otherwise be significantly shortened.
Do not use the engine's full performance
until it has reached operating temperature. !
AMG vehicles: at low engine oil temper-
atures (below +20 †), the maximum
engine speed is restricted in order to pro-
tect the engine. To protect the engine and
maintain smooth engine operation, avoid
driving at full throttle when the engine is
cold. Key positions
g
To remove the key
1 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windscreen wipers
2 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3 To start the engine
i The indicator and warning lamps light up
in the instrument cluster when you switch
on the ignition. They go out when the
engine is running. This shows that the indi-
cator and warning lamps for each system
are operational.
i You can only remove the key if:
R the key is in position 0in the ignition
lock.
R the automatic transmission selector
lever is in P. Driving
143Driving and parking Z

Starting the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation.
! Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
Starting procedure X
Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
The transmission position display in the
multifunction display shows P.
i You can also start the engine when the
automatic transmission is in position N.
i For further information about the auto-
matic transmission, see (Y page 149).
i If you depress the brake when starting the
engine, pedal travel is unusually long and
there is less pedal resistance.
X Make sure that the parking brake is
applied.
X To start a petrol engine: turn the key to
position 3in the ignition lock
(Y page 143) and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
X To startad iesel engine: turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock
(Y page 143).
The % preglow indicator lamp in the
instrumen tcluster lights up.
X When the %preglow indicator lamp
goes out, tur nthe key to position
3(Y page 143)and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
i You can start the engine without preglow
if the engine is warm. i
You can also use the touch-start function.
To do this, turn the key to position 3
(Y page 143) and release it immediately.
The engine then starts automatically. Pulling away
Automatic transmission G
WARNING
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.
! Only shift the automatic transmission to
reverse gear Ror park position Pwhen the
vehicle is stationary. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be damaged.
! If a warning tone sounds and the
Release park. brake message appears
in the multifunction display, the parking
brake is still applied. Release the parking
brake.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion Dor R.
i Before driving off, wait until the gear
change is fully completed.
X Release the parking brake (Y page 164).
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i It is only possible to shift the automatic
transmission from position Pto a different
position if you depress the brake pedal.
Only then is the selector lever lock
released.
i The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away.T he locking knobs in the doors
drop down. 144
DrivingDriving and parking

You can open the doors fro
mthe inside at
any time.
You can also deactivate the automatic lock-
ing feature (Y page 223).
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly.
Hill starta ssist G
WARNING
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 helps you when pulling away
forwards 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 depress it before the vehicle begins to
roll.
X Take your foot off the brake pedal.
i Once you have taken your foot off the
brake pedal, the vehicle is held for around
one second.
X Pull away.
Hill start assist will not function if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or a
downhill gradient.
R the transmission is in position N.
R the parking brake is applied.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning. ECO start/stop function (AMG vehi-
cles)
Important safety notes G
WARNING
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 is only available
for the G 63 AMG.
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle stops
moving.
When pulling away again, the engine starts
automatically. The ECO start/stop function
thereby helps you to reduce the fuel con-
sumption and emissions of your vehicle.
The ECO start/stop function is activated each
time the engine is switched on.
The ECO start/stop function is only available
in drive program
C.
The system is operational when the ¤
symbol is shown in green in the multifunction
display.
The system is operational if all conditions for
automatic engine switch-off have been fulfil-
led (Y page 146) and the ¤symbol is
shown in green in the multifunction display.
In addition, the Stop/Start active mes-
sage is shown in the AMG menu in the multi-
function display.
If not all conditions for automatic engine
switch-off are fulfilled (Y page 146), the
¤ symbol is shown in yellow in the multi-
function display.
In addition, the Stop/Start inactive mes-
sage is shown in the AMG menu in the multi-
function display. Driving
145Driving and parking Z

In addition, the
Stop/Start inactive mes-
sage is shown in the AMG menu in the multi-
function display.
i If you shift the transmission from Rto D,
the ECO start/stop function is available
again once the ¤symbol reappears in
green in the multifunction display.
i The engine can be automatically switched
off an unlimited number of times.
i You can also activate the HOLD function
when the vehicle is stationary if the engine
has been switched off automatically. It is
then not necessary to continue applying
the brakes during the automatic stop
phase.W hen you depress the accelerator
pedal, the engine starts automatically and
the braking effect of the HOLD function is
deactivated. Depress the accelerator pedal
gently, as the engine must be started first.
i During automatic engine switch-off, the
climate control system only operates at a
reduced capacity. If you require full climate
control capacity, the ECO start/stop func-
tion can be deactivated by pressing the
ECO button (Y page 146). Automatic engine start The engine is started automatically if:
R
In general:
-you switch off the ECO start/stop func-
tion by pressing the ECO button.
- you release the brakes when in transmis-
sion position Dor N, when the HOLD
function is inactive.
R By the driver:
-you release the brakes when in transmis-
sion position Dor N.
- you depress the accelerator pedal.
- you engage reverse gear R.
- you move the transmission out of posi-
tion P.
- you switch to drive program Sor M.
- you unfasten your seat belt or open the
driver's door.
R By the system:
-the vehicle starts to roll.
- the brake system requires this.
- the temperature in the vehicle interior
deviates from the set range.
- the system detects moisture on the
windscreen when the air-conditioning
system is switched on.
- the battery's charge status is too low.
i Shifting the transmission to position P
does not start the engine. Driving
147Driving and parking Z

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. A
display message may
also appearint
he mul-
tifunction 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.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant
to cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 293). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct, the radiator fan may be faulty. The
coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled suffi-
ciently.
X
If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
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.
i Bear in mind that the power transmission
between the engine and the transmission
is interrupted when the engine is switched
off. Therefore, to prevent the vehicle from
rolling away, shift the automatic transmis-
sion to position Pand apply the parking
brake when the engine is switched off and
the vehicle is stationary. Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions !
If the engine speed is too high or if the
vehicle is rolling, do not shift the transmis- sion directly from
Dto R, from Rto Dor
directly to P.
Do not open the driver's door while the
vehicle is in motion. At low speeds in trans-
mission position Dor R, park position Pis
otherwise engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged. Selector lever
j
Park position
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
When you select a transmission position, the
selector lever subsequently returns to its
original position. Automatic transmission
149Driving and parking Z

The curren
ttransmission position P,R, Nor
D appears in the transmission position dis-
play in the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display :
Transmission position
; Drive program
Current transmission position :and current
drive program ;appear in the multifunction
display.
When the selector leve ris in position D, you
can influence the gearshifts made by the
automatic transmission by:
R restricting the shift range
R changing gear yourself
Engaging parkp osition PX
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Press the Pbutton in the centre console.
i If you depress the brake pedal and push
the selector lever forwards or back to the
first poin tofresistance, park position Pis
disengaged. The transmission shifts to neu-
tral N. Park position
Pis automatically engaged:
R if you remove the key from the ignition lock
R if you open the driver's door while travelling
at low speed in transmission position Dor
R
R if DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 182) brakes
your vehicle until it is stationary and at least
one of the following conditions is fulfilled:
- the engine is switched off.
- the driver's door is open and the seat belt
is not fastened.
- there is a system malfunction.
- the power supply is insufficient.
Engaging reverse gear R !
Only shift the automatic transmission to
R when the vehicle is stationary.
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Push the selector lever forwards past the
first point of resistance.
Transmission position Ris engaged.
i For AMG vehicles: when reverse gear is
engaged and the ECO start/stop function
is switched on, the engine starts up auto-
matically (Y page 145).
Shifting to neutral (N) If the vehicle is stationary:
X
Depress the brake pedal.
X Depending on the curren ttransmission
position, press the selector leve rforwards
or backwards to the first point of resist-
ance.
The automatic transmission shifts to N.
When the engine is switched off, the auto-
matic transmission shifts to Nautomatically.
i For AMG vehicles: the ECO start/stop
function switches the engine off automati-
cally if the vehicle is braked to a standstill
when in neutral Nand the brake is still
depressed (Y page 145).150
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

Staying in neutral (N)
G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of
parking position P.
R start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children or animals unattended in the vehicle.
Always keep the key out of reach of children.
X Make sure the ignition is switched on.
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Select neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X If the parking brake is applied, release it.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the key in
the ignition lock.
Shifting to transmission position D X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Push the selector lever back past the first
point of resistance.
Transmission position Dis engaged.
i For AMG vehicles: the ECO start/stop
function switches the engine off automati-
cally if the vehicle is braked to a standstill
when in transmission position Dand the
brake is still depressed (Y page 145). Transmission positions
B
Park position
This prevents the vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Do not
shift the transmission into position
P(Y
page 149) unless the vehicle is
stationary.
i The key can only be removed if
the transmission is in position P.
When there is no key in the igni-
tion lock, the selector lever is
locked in position P.
Have the vehicle electronics
checked immediately at a qualified
specialist workshop. C
Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. A
Neutral
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.
Do not shift the transmission to N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
If you want to engage the transfer
case, shift briefly into N
(Y page 202).
! Rolling in neutral Ncan lead to
damage to the transmission. 7
Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available. Automatic transmission
151Driving and parking Z