warning MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV 2012 Owners Manual

Active Curve System
The Active Curv
eSyste muses activ estabil-
isers to optimis eboth drivin gcomfort and
vehicle agility. Depending on the ADS mode
selected (Y page 212), the Active Curve Sys-
tem also changes the setting.
If you select ADS comfor tmode:
R rolling movemen tisr educed in the even tof
changing surface undul ations.
R the roll angle when cornering is reduced.
R the drivin gstyle is agile.
If you select ADS sport mode:
R the roll angle is reduced significantly.
R the driving style is even more agile.
Leve lcontrol Import
ants afety notes G
WARNING
Mak esure that nobody is near the wheel arch
or vehicle underside when you make achange
to the vehicle level. Otherwise, you or others
ma ybet rapped. G
WARNING
Always select as lo wavehicle level as possi-
ble. If the vehicle level is high, the vehicle
centre of gravity shifts upwards. This increa-
ses the risk of the vehicle tipping over.
Adapt your driving style to suit the vehicle
level. ESP ®
cannot reduc ethe risk of an acci-
dent if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot over-
rid ethe laws of physics.
! When driving on extremel yrough terrain,
select ahigh vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance. You will otherwise damage the
vehicle.
Genera lnotes
Further information abou t"Driving off-road"
(Y page 188).
Level control adapts the vehicle level auto-
matically to the current operating and driving situation. Thi
sresults in reduced fuel con-
sumption and improved handling.
If you select ADS comfor tmode
(Y page 212), the vehicle is lowered to high-
speed leve lasthe speed increases. As the
vehicle decelerates, the vehicle is raised back
up to highway level.
If you selec tADS sport mode (Y page 212),
the vehicle skip shighwa ylevel and lowers
directly to high-speed level dependin gonthe
basic setting (Y page 213).
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level ma ychange visibly if you
par kthe vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehi-
cle level lowers; with an increase in temper-
ature, the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open adoor, the
vehicle begins to compensat efor load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant leve lchanges, e.g. after the vehi-
cle has been stationary for along period, the
engin emust be running. For safety reasons,
the vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed .Lowering is interrupted if adoor is
opened; it con tinues once the doo rhas been
closed.
Basic settings
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted. Select raised level for off-road driving or
highway/high-speed level for normal roads.
The individua lvehicle levels differ from high-
way level as follows:
R highway level: +/ –0mm
R high-spee dlevel: –1 5mm
R raised level :+60 mm Driving systems
213Driving and parking Z

comfortable driving style. Select comfort
mod
ealsow hend riving fas tonstraightroads,
e.g. on straight str etche sofm otorway.
X Press button :repeatedly unt ilindicator
lamps =and ;go out.
Yo uh aves elec ted Comfort mode.
The AMG Ride Control COMFORT mes-
sage appears in the multifunctio ndisplay. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WAR
NING
PARKTRONI Cisonly an aid and may not
detect all obs tacles .Itisnotas ubstitut efor
attentive driving.
You are alway sresponsible for safet yand
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings whe nparking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endanger
yourself and others. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvrin grange. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
PARKTRONI Cisanelectronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visuallyand
audibl ythe distanc ebetween your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is activated automaticall yif
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D,Ror N
R release the electri cparking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitor sthe ar ea arou ndyour
vehicle using six sensor sint he front bumper
an df our sensor sint he rear bumper. :
Example :sensor sint he front bumper,
left-hand side
Range of th esensors General notes
! When parking ,pay particular attention to
object sabov eorbelow th esensors, such
as flower pot sortrailer drawbars. PARK-
TRONIC does no tdetec tsuch objects when
they are in the immediate vicinity of the
vehicle. You could damage the vehicle or
the objec ts.
The sensors ma ynot detect sno wand
object swhich absor bultrasonic sources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, alorry' scompressed-ai rbrakes
or ap neumatic drill, could cause PARK-
TRONI Ctom alfunction.
PARKTRONI Cmay not function correctly on
uneven terrain. 216
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Sid
eview Top view
The sensors mus
tbefree of dirt, ice and
slush. Othe rwise, they may not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensor sregularly, taki ng
care not to scratch or damag ethem
(Y page 37 0).
Front sensors Centre approximately 100 cm
Corners approximately 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre approximately 120 cm
Corners approximately 80 cm
Minimu
mdistance Centre approximately 20 cm
Corners approximately 15 cm
If ther
eisano bstacle within this range, the
relevant warning displays light up and awarn-
ing ton esounds. If the distan cefall sbelow the minimum, the distanc
emay no longer be
shown.
Warning displays Warning display for th
efront area
: Segment sonthe left-hand side of the
vehicle
; Segment sonthe right-hand side of the
vehicle
= Segment sshowing operational readiness
The warning display sshow the distance
betwe enthe sensor sand the obstacle. The
warning displa yfor the front area is located
on the dashboar dabove the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is in the
roof lamp in the rear compartment.
The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into fiv eyellow and two red seg-
men ts.P ARKTRONIC is operational if yellow
segments showing operational readiness =
ligh tup.
The selected transmission position and the
direction in which the vehicle is rollin gdeter-
min ewhich warnin gdispla yisa ctive whe nthe
engin eisrunning. Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling back-
wards Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activatedDriving systems
217Drivingand pa rking Z

Problems wit
hPARKTRONIC Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning display
sare lit.
Yo ua lso hear awarning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately five seconds,
and the indicator lamp
in the PARKTRONIC
button lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X
If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at aqualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning display
sare lit.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vate dafter approx-
imatel yfive seconds. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X
Clean the PARKTRONIC sensors (Y page 370).
X Switc hthe ignition bac kon. The problem may be cause
dbyanexternal source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X See if PARKTRONIC functions in adifferent location. Active Parking Assist
Important safet ynotes G
WARNING
Active Parkin gAssist is merely an aid and may
sometimes recommen dparking spaces that
are not suitable for parking. For example,
these might be spaces where parking is pro-
hibited ,driveways, unsuitabl esurfaces, etc.
Active Parking Assis tmeasures the parking
space as you driv epast it. Any later changes
to the parking space are not taken into
account. For instance, this may be the case
when the vehicle parked in front of or behind
the space changes its positio norwhen an
obstacle is moved int othe parkin gspace.
Active Parking Assist does not reliev eyou of
the responsibilit yofpaying attention. If you
rely solel yonA ctive Parkin gAssist, you could cause an acciden
tand injure yourself and oth-
ers.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings whe nparking and
manoeuvring. G
WARNING
Objects located above the heigh trange of
Active Parking Assis twill not be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated, e. g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. In some circumstances, Active Park-
ing Assist may therefor eguide you into the
parking space too early. This may lead to a
collision. For this reason, you should avoid
using Active Parking Assis tinsuch situations. Driving systems
219Drivingand pa rking Z

G
WARNING
Th ef ront of th evehicle will veer out in the
direction of the oncoming traffic during the
parking operation. In some cases the vehic le
wil lalsot ake you onto sections of the oncom-
ing lane during the parking procedure.
You are responsibl efor safet yatall times and
must pay attention to any road users
approaching or passing. Stop the vehicle if
necessary or cancel the Activ eParking Assist
parking procedure. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
coul dbei njured.
! If unavoidable ,you should driv eover
obstacles such as kerb sslowly and not at
as har pangle .Otherwi se,you ma ydamage
the wheels or tyre s.
Activ eParking Ass isti sane lectroni cparking
aid with ultrasound. Ultrasoun disused to
mea surethe road on bothsides of th evehicle.
As uitable parking space is indicated by the
parking symbol. Activ esteering intervention
can assis tyou during parking. You ma yalso
use PARKTRONIC (Y page 216). When PARK-
TRONIC is switched off, Active Parking Assist
is also unavailable.
Use Active Parking Assist for parkin gspaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same level as the road, e.g.
not on the pavement
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, driv easclosely as possi-
ble past the parkin gspace.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incor rectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lea dtoap arking
space being measured inaccurately. R
pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 217 )warning message sduring the
parking procedure.
R at any time, you can intervene in the steer-
ing procedure to correc tit. Active Parking
Assist will then be cancelled.
R when transporting aload which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parkin gAssist.
R when snow chains or an emergenc yspare
wheel are fit ted, you should not use Active
Parking Assist here either.
R mak esure that the tyre pressures are
always correct. This has adirec tinfluence
on the parking characteristics of the vehi-
cle.
R the wa yyourv ehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factor s. Theseinclude the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. It may be the case that Active
Parking Assist guides you too far into a
parking space, or not far enoug hinto it. In
some cases, it may also lead you across or
onto the kerb. If necessary, you should can-
cel the parking procedure with Active Park-
ing Assist.
R you can also engage forward gea rprema-
turely. Th evehicle redirects and does not
driv easf ar into the parking space. Should
ag ear be changed too earl ytoa chieve a
sensible parkin gposition ,the parkin gpro-
cedure will be cancelled.
Detectin gparking spaces :
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right 220
Driving systemsDri
ving and parking

Active Parking Ass
isti ss witched on automat-
icall ywhend riving forwards .The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
35 km/h. While in operation, the system inde-
pendently locates and measures parking
spaces on both sides of the vehicle. When
drivin gatspeeds below 30 km/ h,you will see
the parking symbol as astatus indicato rinthe
instrumen tcluster .Active Parking Ass ist only
display sparking spaces on the front-
pass enger sid easstandard .Parking spaces
on the driver' sside are displayed as soon as
th et urns ignal on the driver' sside is activa-
ted. To park on the driver' sside, you must
leave the driver' sside tur nsignal switched
on. This must remain switched on until you
acknowledge the use of Activ eParking Assist
by pressing the abutton on the multi-
function steerin gwheel.
When aparking space has been detected, an
arrow towards the right or the left also
appears.
Activ eParking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 1. 5mwide
R that are at least 1. 3mlonger than your
vehicle
Ap arking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 15 maway from it.
Parking G
WARNING
PARKTRONI Cand Activ eParking Assist are
merely parking aids and may not detec tall
obstacles. They do not reliev eyou of the
responsibili tyof payin gattention.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could, otherwise, endanger
yoursel fand others. G
WARNING
Whe nparking, you need to make sure that no
obstacles are located in the vicinity of the
vehicle durin gthe entire opera tion. Active
Parking Assist does not reliev eyou of the
responsibili tyof payin gattention. It merely
aids you by intervenin gactively in the steer-
ing.
To stop the vehi cleo ravoi dana ccident you
need to apply the brakes yourself.
X Stop the vehi clew hen the par king space
symbo lshows the desired par king space in
the instrumen tcluster.
X Shif tthe transmission to position R.
The Star tPark Assist? Yes: OK No: %
message appe arsint he multifunction
display.
X To cancel th eprocedure: press the
% button on the multifunction steering
whee lorp ull away.
or
X To par kusing Active Parking Assist:
press the abutton on the multifunction
steeri ngwheel.
The Park Assist active Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Release the multifunction steerin gwheel.
X Reverse the vehicle, being ready to brake
at all times. When reversi ng,d rive at a
spee dbelow 10 km /h.O therwise, Active
Parking Assist will be cancelled.
i In tigh tparking spaces, you will achieve
the best parking results by backin gupas
far as possible .When doing so, also
observe the PARKTRONIC messages.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sound sthe
continuous warnin gtone, if not before.
Manoeuvrin gmay be required in tight park-
ing spaces.
The Park Assist active Select D Observe surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display. Driving systems
221Driving and parking Z

X
Shift the transmissio ntoposition Dwhile
the vehicle is stationary.
Active Parkin gAssist immediately steer sin
the othe rdirection.
The Park Assist active Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i You will achieve the best results by wait-
ing for the steerin gprocedure to complete
before pulling awa y.
X Drive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
X Stop as soo nasPARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
The ParkAssist active Select R Observe surroundings message appears in
th em ultifunction display.
Further transmissio nshift sm ay be neces-
sary.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the Park Assist switched off mes-
sage appears in the multifunc tion display.
PARKTRONIC is still available.
X Manoeuvr eifnecessary.
X Alway sobserv ethe warnin gmessages dis-
played by PARKTRONI C(Ypage 217).
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, driv easclosely as possi-
ble past the parkin gspace.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incor rectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lea dtoap arking
space being measured inaccurately.
R the way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. Thes einclude the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the condi tions of the
location .Insome cases, Active Parking
Assist ma yguide you too far into aparking
space, or not far enough into it. In some
cases, it may also lead you across or onto
the kerb. If necessary, you should cancel the parking procedure with Active Parking
Assis
t.
R you can also engag eforward gear prema-
turely. The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far int othe parkin gspace. Should
ag ear be changed too early, the parking
procedure will be cancelled. Asensible
parkin gposition can no longer be achieved
from this position.
Exiting aparkin gspace G
WARNING
Active Parking Assist doe snot monitor street
traffic .Insome cases, the vehicle will also
tak eyou onto section softhe oncoming lane
when exitin gaparking space.
You are responsible for safety at all times and
must pay attention to any road users
approaching or passing. Stop the vehicle if
necessary or cancel Active Parking Assis t.
Activ eParking Assis tcan only assis tyou with
exitin gaparking space if you have parked the
vehicle using Active Parking Assis t.
X Start the engine.
X Switch on the turn signal on the side facing
the street.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
The Star tPark Assist? Yes: OK No: %
message appears in th emultifunction
display.
X To cancel the procedure: press the
% button on the multifunction steering
wheel or pull away.
or
X To exit aparkin gspace usin gActive
Parking Assist: press theabutton on
the multifunction steering wheel.
The Park Assis tactive Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appear sinthe multifuncti on display.
X Releas ethe multifunction steeri ngwheel.
X Revers ethe vehi cleo rdrive forwards, being
ready to brake at all times .Donot exceed
am aximum spee dofapproximately 222
Driving systemsDriving and parking

10 km/h wh
enexiting aparking space.
Otherwise ,Active Parking Assist will be
cancel led.
X Stop as soon as PARK TRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
X Shif tthe transmission to position Dor Ras
req uired wh ilet he vehicle is stationary.
Activ eParking Assis timmediatel ysteers in
the othe rdirection.
i You will achieve the best results by wait-
ing for the steering procedure to complete
before pulling away.
If you rever seafter activation, the steering
wheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
X Drive forwards or reverse the vehicle, being
read ytob rake at al ltimes.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuou swarning tone, if not before.
X Drive forwards and revers easinstructed by
the PARKTRONI Cwarning displays.
Once you have exite dthe parkin gspace com-
pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hea ratonea nd
the message Park Assist switched off appear
sinthe multifuncti on display. You will
then have to steer and merg eintot raffic on
you rown. PARKTRONI Cisstill available.
Cancelling Active Parking Assist X
Stop the movemen tofthe multifunction
steeri ngwheel or steer yourself.
Activ eParking Assist will be cancelled at
once. The Park Assist cancelled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
or
X Press the PARKTRONI Cbutton on the
centr econsole (Y page 218).
PARKTRONI Cisswitched off and Active
Parking Assist is immediately cancelled.
The Park Assist cancelled message
appears in the multifunction display. Activ
eParking Assist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R parking using Activ eParking Assist is no
longer possible.
R you are drivin gfaster than 10 km/h.
R aw heel spin sand ESP ®
intervenes or fails.
The ÷ warnin glamp lights up in the
instrumen tcluster.
Aw arning ton esounds. The par king symbol
disappears and the multifunction display
shows the ParkA ssist cancelled mes-
sage.
When Activ eParking Assist is cancelled, you
must steer again yourself.
Towing atrailer For vehicles with
atrailer to whitch, the min-
imum length for parking spaces is slightly
increased.
If yo uhavea ttache datrailer to your vehicle,
yo us houl dnot us eActiv eParking Assist.
Once the electrica lconnection is established
between your vehicl eand the trailer, Active
Parking Assist is no longer available .PARK-
TRONIC is deactivated for the rear area. Reversin
gcamera
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Mak esure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured. G
WARNING
The reversing camera is only an aid and may
sho wad istorted view of obstacles, show
them incorrectly or not at all. The reversing
camer aisnotas ubstitute for paying atten-
tion. The camera cannot sho wobject sinthe
following areas: Driving systems
223Driving and parking
Z

R
very close to th erear bumper
R under the rear bumper
R in close range above the handle on the boot
lid
You are alway sresponsible for safety, and
must alway spay attention to you rsurround-
ings when parking and manoeuvring. This
applies to the areas behind, in front of and
beside th evehicle. Yo ucould otherwise
endanger yoursel fand others. G
WARNING
Unde rthe followin gcircumstances, the
reversing camer awill not func tion, or will
function in alimited manner:
R if the boot lid is open
R in heavy rain, snow or fog
R at night or in very dark places
R if the camer aisexposed to very brigh tlight
R if the area is lit by fluorescen tlight or LED
lighting (the display may flicker)
R if there is asudden change in temperature,
e.g. when driving into aheated garage in
winter
R if the camera lens is dirt yorobstructed
R if the rear of your vehicl eisdamaged. In this
event, have the camera positio nand setting
checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
Do not use the reversing camera in these
types of situation. You could otherwis einjure
others or damage object sand your vehicle
whil eyou are parking.
General notes Reversin
gcamera :is in the handle on the
tailgate.
Reversing camera :is an optical parking
and manoeuvring aid. It shows the area
behind your vehicle with guide lines in the
COMAND displ ay.
Th ea rea behind th evehicle is displayed as a
mirror image, as in the rear-view mirror.
i The text of messages shown in the
COMAN Ddispla ydepends on the language
setting. The following are examples of
reversin gcamera message sint he
COMAN Ddisplay.
Activating/deactivating the reversing
camera X
To activate: make sure that the key is in
position 2in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the func tion show reversing
camera display is selected in COMAND
Online.
X Engage reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown with
guide lines in the COMAN Ddisplay.
X To change the function mode for vehi-
cles with trailer tow hitch: using the
COMAND controller, select symbol :for
the "Reverse parking" func tion or sym-
bol ;for "Coupling up atrailer" (see the
separate COMAND Online operating
instructions).
Th es ymbol of the selected function is high-
lighted. 224
Driving systemsDrivin
gand pa rking

To deactivate:
the reversing camera is deac-
tivated if you:
R sh iftt he transmission to position P
R drive for wards 10 m
R shift th etransmission from Rto another
positio n(after 15 seconds)
R driv eforwards at aspee dofover
10 km/h
Display sintheCOMAN Ddisplay G
WARNING
Usin gthe reversing camera ca nbedangerous
if you are colour-blind or if your abilit ytodis-
tinguish colours is impaired.
Only use th ereversing camera if you can see
and distinguish between all th ecoloured
guide lines that are displayed by the reversing
camera in the COMAN Ddisplay. G
WARNING
Please note that object snot at groun dlevel
may appear to be further away than they
actually are. These include:
R the bumper of avehicle that is parked
behind your vehicle
R at railer drawbar
R theb all coupling of atrailer tow hitch
R thet ail-end of alorry
R slanted posts
The lines are only guides, not accurate meas-
urements of the distance to an obstacle.
Therefore, you should never pass the red line
when approachin ganobstacle. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident and injur eyourself
and others. :
White guide line without turnin gthe steer-
ing wheel, vehicle widt hincluding the
exterior mirrors (static)
; Yellow guid eline at adistance of approx-
imately 4.0 mfrom th erear of the vehic le
= Red guide line for the vehicl ewidth includ-
ing the exterior mirrors, for current steer-
ing whee langle (dynamic)
? Yellow lane marking the course the tyres
willtake at the current steering wheel
angle (dynamic) A
Yellow guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 1.0 mfrom th erear of the vehic le
B Veh icle centr eaxle (marker ass istance)
C Bumper
D Red guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 0.2 5mfrom th erear of the vehic le
Th eg uide lines are sho wn whenthe trans-
mission is in position R.
The distance specifications only apply to
object sthat ar eatground level. Dri
ving systems
225Driving and pa rking Z