tow MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV 2012 User Guide

Useful information
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. Country-specific differen-
ces are possible. Note that your vehicle
may not be fitted with all features descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 22). Occupant safety
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If service work is not carried out correctly, the
operating safety of your vehicle may be affec-
ted. This could cause you to lose control of
your vehicle and cause an accident. More-
over, the safety system smay no longer be
able to protect you or others as they are
designed to do.
Always have service work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
Modifications to or work performed incor-
rectly on the following parts can result in the
restraint systems no tfunctioning as intended:
R the restraint system, consisting of seat
belts and their anchorage points, belt ten-
sioners, belt force limiters and airbags
R the wiring
R networked electronic systems
Airbags and belt tensioners could fail to
deploy or be triggered in an acciden tdespite
the deceleration force being sufficien tto trig-
ger the systems, or could be triggered unin-
tentionally. For this reason, never make any
modifications to the restraint systems.
Therefore, you must not tamper with elec-
tronic components or their software. Seat belts, together with the Supplemental
Restraint System, SRS (Y page 39), are
complementary, co-ordinated restraint sys-
tems. They reduce the risk of injury in spe-
cific, pre-defined types of accident situations
and thereby increase occupant safety. How-
ever, seat belts and airbags generally do not
protect against objects penetrating the vehi-
cle from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection, make
sure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 90)
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 44)
R the airbags can inflate properly if they are
deployed (Y page 40)
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 90)
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied
An airbag increases the protection of vehicle
occupants wearing a seat belt. However, air-
bags are only an additional restraint system
which complements, but does not replace,
the seat belt. All vehicle occupants must wear
their seat belt correctly at all times, even if
the vehicle is equipped with airbags. The air-
bags are not deployed in all types of acci-
dents. For example, if the protective capacity
of correctly fastened seat belts is not
increased by deploying the airbags, the air-
bags will not deploy.
Airbag deployment only provides increased
protection if the seat belt is worn correctly.
The seat belt helps, firstly, to keep the vehicle
occupant in the best position in relation to the
airbag. Secondly, in a head-on collision, for
example, the seat belt prevents the vehicle
occupant from being propelled towards the
point of impact. 38
Occupant safetySafety

X
Pull movable seat belt tongue Cand route
the seat belt across your body. Without
twisting it, guide the shoulder section of the
seat belt across the middle of your shoulder
and the lap section across your hips.
X Engage movable seat belt tongue Cin
buckle A.
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
Further information on releasing the seat
belts with release buttons Band
=(Y page 46).
Belt height adjustment You can adjust the belt height on the driver's
and front-passenger seat, as well as on the
outer rear seats. Adjust the height so that the upper part of the
seat belt is routed across the centre of your
shoulder.
X
To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: draw belt sash guide
release :forwards and hold it.
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Let go of belt sash guide release :and
make sure that the belt sash guide has
engaged.
Releasing the seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism .This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt. Dam-
aged seat belts can no longer fulfil their
protective function and must be replaced.
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. X
Press release button ?of buckle =and
guide belt tongue ;back towards belt
sash guide :. 46
Occupant safetySafety

Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened sea
tbelts.
Belt tensioners do not pull vehicle occupants
back towards the backrest.
If the seat belt is also fitted with a belt force
limiter and this is triggered, the force exerted
by the seat belt on the vehicle occupan tis
reduced.
The front beltf orce limiters are synchronised
with the front airbags, which take on a part of
the deceleration force. Thus, the force exer-
ted on the occupant is distributed over a
greater area.
The belt tensioners can only be activated if:
R the key is in position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" (Y page 39).
R for each three-point seat belt in front and
for the outer rear seats, the seat belt
tongue is engaged in the belt buckle.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied and
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the front-passenger side.
The belt tensioners are triggered depending
on the type and severity of an accident:
R if, in the event of a head-on or rear-end col-
lision, the vehicle decelerates or acceler-
ates rapidly in a longitudinal direction dur-
ing the initial stages of the impact
R if, in the event of a side impact, on the side
opposite the impact the vehicle deceler-
ates or accelerates rapidly in a lateral direc-
tion
R in certain situations where the vehicle over-
turns and the system determines that it can
provide additional protection
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang, and a small amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is
released generally does not constitute a
health hazard. The 6SRS warning lamp
lights up. Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes G
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal
injury to the child in the event of a sudden
change in direction, braking or an accident:
R children less than 1.50 m tall and under
twelve years of age must always be secured
in special child restraint systems on a suit-
able vehicle seat. This is necessary
because the seat belts are not designed for
children.
R do not secure children less than 1.50 m tall
and under twelve years of age on the front-
passenger seat. Exception: if the vehicle is
equipped with automatic child seat recog-
nition on the front-passenger seat and the
child is secured in a child restraint system
with transponders for automatic child seat
recognition
R if you secure a forward-facing child
restraint system to the front-passenger
seat, you must move the front-passenger
seat as far back as possible.
R children must never travel sitting on the lap
of another occupant. Due to the forces
which occur in the event of a sudden
change of direction, heavy braking or an
accident, it would not be possible to
restrain the child. The child could be thrown
against parts of the vehicle interior and be
seriously or even fatally injured. G
WARNING
The child restraint system cannot perform its
protective function if it is not correctly fitted
to a suitable vehicle seat. The child cannot be
restrained in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or sudden changes of direction .The
child could be seriously or even fatally injured.
For this reason, when fitting a child restraint
system, observe the manufacturer's installa- 48
Children in the vehicleSafety

Tow-away protection
Function An audible and visual alar
mis triggered if your
vehicle's angle of inclination is altered while
tow-away protection is primed. This occurs if
the vehicle is jacked up on one side, for exam-
ple.
Activating X
To prime: lock the vehicle with the key.
Tow-away protection is primed after
approximately 30 seconds.
Switching off X
To deactivate: unlock the vehicle with the
key.
Tow-away protection is switched off auto-
matically.
i To prevent a false alarm, deactivate tow-
away protection manually if your vehicle:
R is being transported
R is being loaded onto a ferry or car trans-
porter, for example
R is parked on a movable surface, e.g. in a
split-level garage
Deactivating X
Remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up briefly.
X Lock the vehicle with the key.
Tow-away protection remains deactivated
until the vehicle is unlocked and locked
again. Interior motion sensor
Function When the interior motion sensor is primed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered if move-
ment is detected in the vehicle interior. This
can occur if someone reaches into the vehicle
interior, for example.
Activating
X
Make sure that:
R
the side windows are closed.
R the sliding sunroof is closed.
R there are no objects, e.g. mascots, hang-
ing on the rear-view mirror or on the grab
handles on the roof trim.
This will prevent false alarms.
X Lock the vehicle with the key.
The interior motion sensor is primed after
approximately 30 seconds.
Switching off X
Unlock the vehicle with the key.
The interior motion sensor is switched off
automatically.
i To prevent a false alarm, deactivate the
interior motion sensor if you lock your vehi-
cle and:
R people or animals remain in the vehicle.
R the side windows remain open.
R the sliding sunroof remains open. Anti-theft systems
65Safety Z

The central locking button does not lock or
unlock the fuel filler flap.
X
To unlock: press button :.
X To lock: press button ;.
i You cannot unlock the vehicle centrally
from the inside if the vehicle has been
locked from the outside using the key.
i It is only possible to lock the vehicle cen-
trally if all doors are closed. Automatic locking feature
:
To switch off
; To activate
X To deactivate: press and hold button :
for about five seconds until a tone sounds.
X To activate: press and hold button ;for
about five seconds until a tone sounds.
i If you press one of the two buttons and
do not hear a tone, the relevant setting has
already been selected. The vehicle is locked automatically when the
ignition is switched on and the wheels are
turning.
You could therefore be locked out if:
R
the vehicle is being pushed.
R the vehicle is being towed.
R the vehicle is being tested on a dynamom-
eter.
You can also switch the automatic locking
function on and off using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 223). Unlocking the driver's door (emer-
gency key element)
If the vehicle can no longer be centrally
unlocked with the key, use the emergency
key element.
If you use the emergenc ykey element to
unlock and open the driver's door, the anti-
thef talarm system will be triggered
(Y page 64).
Take the emergency key elemen tout of the
key (Y page 70). X
Inser tthe emergency key element into the
lock of the driver's door as far as it will go.
X Turn the emergency key element anti-
clockwise to position 1.
The door is unlocked.
i On right-hand-drive vehicles, turn the
emergency key element clockwise. 74
DoorsOpening and closing

X
Detach securing hooks ;.
X Fold up the tonneau cove rand stow it in the
bag in the luggage compartment. 86
Soft top (G-Class Cabriolet)Opening and closing

The following adjustments are made:
R
the seat cushion and head restraint move
down.
R the seat moves forwards or backwards,
depending on the starting position.
R backrest :tilts forwards.
R on the driver's side, the steering wheel
moves upwards and towards the dash-
board.
X Fold backrest :forwards in the direction
of the arrow.
Folding the seat back X
Push backrest :back until the seat
engages.
The seat cushion, head restraint, backrest
and steering wheel (driver's side) move
back to their original positions.
For safety reasons, the seat only moves to
its original position if this is in frontoft he
EASY-ENTRY position.
i Store the seat position using the memory
function (Y page 102).
i If your seat position is behind the EASY-
ENTRY position, you can return to this posi-
tion by pressing one of the memory but-
tons. Foot anti-entrapment feature Interrupting the EASY-ENTRY feature To interrupt the EASY-ENTRY feature you can
do the following:
X
Press one of the seat adjustment buttons
(Y page 92).
X Press the memory function adjustment but-
ton (Y page 102).
X Move the steering wheel adjustment lever
(Y page 97). Switching the seat heating on/off
General notes G
WARNING
Repeatedly setting the seat heating to level
3 may result in excessive seat temperatures.
The health of passengers that have limited
temperature sensitivity or a limited ability to
react to excessively high temperatures may
be affected or they may even suffer burn-like
injuries. Therefore, do not use seat heating
level 3repeatedly.
The red indicator lamps in the button indicate
the heating level you have selected.
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock.
i If the battery voltage is too low, the seat
heating may switch off.
Switching the front-seat heating on/off Seats
95Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

Position of the steering wheel when the
EASY-ENTRY/EXIT featurei s activeThe steering wheel moves upwards and
towards the dashboard if:
R you remove the key from the ignition lock
or
R you open the driver's door with the key in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock.
i The steering wheel only moves upwards
and towards the dashboard if it has not
already reached the upper end stop.
Position of the steering wheel for driv-
ing The steering wheel is moved to the previously
set position if:
R the driver's door is closed and
R you insert the key into the ignition lock
The last position of the steering wheel is
stored when you switch off the ignition or
when you store the setting with the memory
function (Y page 102). Mirrors
Rear-view mirror
X Adjust the rear-view mirror by hand so you
have a good overview of the traffic condi-
tions behind you. Exterior mirrors
Adjusting the exterior mirrors G
WARNING
The exterior mirrors reduce the size of the
image. Objects are actually closer than they
appear. You could misjudge the distance from
vehicles driving behind and cause an acci-
dent, e.g. when changin glane. For this rea-
son, make sure of the actual distance from the
vehicle driving behind by glancing ove ryour
shoulder. X
Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 (Y page 143) in the ignition lock.
X Press button :to select the left-hand
exterior mirror
or
X Press button ;to select the right-hand
exterior mirror.
X Press button =up, down, or to the left or
right until you have adjusted the exterior
mirror to the correc tposition. You should
have a good overview of traffic conditions.
i The convex exterior mirrors provide a
larger field of vision.
i The exterior mirrors are automatically
heated if the rear window heating is
switched on and the outside temperature
is low.
Folding the exterior mirrors in/out elec-
trically Mirrors
99Seats, steering wheel and mirrors 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

Useful information
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. Country-specific differen-
ces are possible. Note that your vehicle
may not be fitted with all features descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 22). Running-in notes
Important safety notes
New brake pads/brake pads and discs that
have been replaced only achieve optimum
braking effec tafter several hundred kilome-
tres of driving. Compensate for the reduced
braking effect by applying greater force to the
brake pedal. The first 1,500 km
If you treat the engine with sufficient care
from the very start, you will be rewarded with
excellent performance for the remainder of
the engine's life.
R Drive at varying vehicle speeds and engine
speeds for the first 1,500 km.
R Avoid overstraining the vehicle during this
period, e.g. driving at full throttle.
R Change gea ringood time, before the rev
counter needle is Ôof the way to the red
area of the rev counter.
R Do not shift down a gear manually in order
to brake.
R Try to avoid depressing the accelerator
pedal beyond the point of resistance (kick-
down).
R The shift ranges 3,2or 1should only be
engaged when driving slowly, e.g. when
driving in mountainous terrain. After 1,500 km, you may gradually bring the
vehicle up to full road and engine speeds.
Additional running-in notes for AMG vehicles:
R
Do not drive at speeds above 140 km/h for
the first 1,500 km.
R Only allow the engine to reach a maximum
engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
R Avoid driving off-road before the differen-
tial oil change at 3,000 km.
R Drive the vehicle mainly in drive program
Cfor the first 1,500 km.
i You should also observe these notes on
running in if the engine or parts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced. AMG vehicles with rear axle differen-
tial lock
To improve the protection of the differential,
change the oil after a run-in distance of
3,000 km. This oil change will lengthen the
service life of the differential. Have the oil
change carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restric tthe
pedal travel or obstruct adepressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle
is jeopardised. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Fit the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficien tclearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats. 142
DrivingDriving and parking