ESP MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV 2012 User Guide

Protection of th
eenvironment Genera
lnotes H
Environmental note
Daimler's declared policy is one of compre-
hensive environmental protection.
The objectives are for the natural resources
which form the basis of our existence on this
planet to be used sparingly and in amanner
which takes the requirements of both nature
and humanity into account.
You too can help to protect the environment
by operating your vehicle in an environmen-
tally-responsible manner.
Fuel consumption and the rate of engine,
transmission, brake and tyre wear depend on
the following factors:
R operating conditions of your vehicle
R your personal driving style
You can influence both factors. You should
bear the following in mind:
Operating conditions:
R avoid short trips as these increase fuel con-
sumption.
R make sure that the tyre pressures are
always correct.
R do not carr yany unnecessary weight.
R keep an eye on the vehicle's fuel consump-
tion.
R remove roof racks once you no longer need
them.
R ar egularly serviced vehicle will contribute
to environmental protec tion. You should
therefor eadhere to the service inter vals.
R always have service work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Personal drivin gstyle:
R do not depres sthe accelerator pedal when
startin gthe engine.
R do not war mupthe engin ewith the vehicle
stationary.
R drive carefully and maintain asafe distance
from the vehicle in front. R
avoid frequent, sudden acceleration.
R change gear in good time and use each gear
only up to Ôof its maximum engine speed.
R switch off the engine in stationary traffic. Returning an end-of-life vehicle
Mercedes-Benz will take back your
Mercedes-Benz to dispose of it in an environ-
mentally responsible manner, in accordance
with the European Union (EU) End of Life
Vehicles Directive.
The End of Life Vehicles Directive applies to
vehicles with agros svehicle weight of up to
3. 5t ,ina ccordance with national regulations.
For several years ,Mercedes-Benz has been
meeting all the legal requirements for a
design which allows for recycling and re-use.
There is anetwor kofreturnpoint sand dis-
assembly plants which can recycle your vehi-
cle in an environmentally-responsible man-
ner. The methods employed in vehicl eand
parts recycling are constantly being devel-
ope dand improved .This means that your
Mercedes-Benz will also con tinue to meet
even the increased recycling quotas in the
future in goo dtime. You can obtain further
information from your national Mercedes-
Benz homepage or your national hotline num-
ber. Product informa
tion
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use
genuine Mercedes-Benz parts, conversion
parts and accessories that have been
approved for the type of vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz tests genuine parts and con-
version parts and accessories that have been
specifically approved for your vehicle for their
reliability, safety and suitability. Despite
ongoing market research, Mercedes-Benz is
unable to assess other parts. Therefore,
Mercedes-Benz accepts no responsibility for
the use of such parts in Mercedes-Benz vehi- Introduction
23 Z

vehicles
.The quality or safety of the vehicle
is improved as aresult of the inspection.
Mercedes-Ben zcan only inform you about
vehicl echeck sifith as yourregistra tion data.
It is possible that your vehicle has not yet
been registered in your nam einthe following
cases:
R if your vehicle was not purchase datan
authorised specialis tdealer.
R if your vehicle has not yet been examined
at aM ercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre.
It is advisabl etoregister your vehicle with a
Mercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre.
Inform Mercedes-Benz as soo naspossible
about any change in address or vehicleown-
ership. Correct use
G
WARNING
Variou swarning sticker sare affixed to your
vehicle. Thei rpurpose is to draw your atten-
tion, and the attention of others, to various
dangers. Therefore, do not remove any warn-
ing stickers unless the sticker clearly states
that you may do so.
If you remove the warning stickers, you or
others could be injured by failing to recognise
certain dangers.
Observe the following information when driv-
ing your vehicle:
R the safety notes in this manual
R the Technical Data section in this manual
R traffic rules and regulations
R laws and safety standards pertainin gto
motor vehicles Implie
dwarranty
! Follo wthe instructions in this manual
about the proper operation of your vehicle
as well as about possible vehicle damage.
Damage to your vehicle that arises from culpable contravention
sagainst these
instructions ar enot covered either by
Mercedes-Ben zimplie dwarrant yorbythe
New or Used-Vehicle Warranty. Data stored in th
evehicle Fault data
Components which are critical for vehicle
operation are equipped with fault data mem-
ories as standard. There are also data storage
devices which recor dhow vehicle compo-
nents have reacted in cer tain drivin gsitua-
tion s(e.g. airbag deployment or ESP ®
inter-
ven tion).
This data is used exclusively to:
R assist in the rec tificatio noffaults and
defects
R help Mercedes -Benz optimise and develop
vehicle fun ctions
The data cannot be used to trac ethe vehicle's
movements.
When your vehicle is serviced by Mercedes-
Ben z,this technical information can be read
out from the fault memory. Thi sisperformed
by authorised employees of the Mercedes-
Benz service network using special diagnos-
tic computers.
Af teraf ault has been rectified, the informa-
tion is deleted from the memory. Other mem-
ory data is constantly overwritten. Other devices tha
tstore data
Depe nding on the equipment level, your vehi-
cle may featur ecommunication sand/or
entertainment systems (e.g .navigation devi-
ces, telephone systems). Thes eallow you to
save and edit data required for the operation
of the respective device.
Fur ther information on operation (e.g. on
deletin gdata) can be found in the separate
operating instructions. 26
Introduction

Warnin
gand indicator lamps Fun
ction Page
:
L
Dipped-bea mhead-
lamps 120
;
T
Side lamps 120
=
÷
ESP® 329
?
K
Main-beam headlamp 122
A
!
Electric parkin gbrake
(red) 332
B
!
Electri cparking brake
(yellow) 332
C
J
Brakes (yellow) 326
D
·
Distance warning 335
E
#!
Turn signals 121
F
h
Tyre pressure monitor 336 Function Page
G
6
SRS 332
H
ü
Seat belt 325
I
%
Diesel engine: pre-
glow 161
J
?
Coolant 333
K
R
Rearfoglamp 120
L
;
Engine diagnostics 333
M
8
Reserve fuel 333
N
å
ESP®
OFF 329
O
!
ABS 327
P
J
Brakes (red) 32632
Instru
ment clusterAtag lance

Centre console
Centre console, upper section
Function Page
:
Audi
o20/COMAND
Online: see the separate
operatin ginstructions ;
c
Seat hea ting 108
=
s
Seat ventilation 109
?
c
PARKTRONIC 216
A
¤
ECO start/sto pfunc-
tion 163 Function Page
B
£
Hazard warning
lamps 122
C
4
PASSENG ER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp 52
D
å
ESP® 66
E
&
Auxiliary heating 14834
Centre consoleAt
ag lance

Usefu
linfor mati on
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. National variation sare pos-
sible. Note that your vehicl emay not be
equippe dwith all of the function sdescri-
bed. This is also the case for system sand
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page25). Occupan
tsafety Impo
rtantsafety notes G
WARNING
If service work is not carrie dout correctly, the
operatin gsafet yofyour vehicle may be affec-
ted. This coul dcause you to lose contro lof
your vehicle and cause an accident. More-
over, the safety syste ms maynolonger be
able to protect you or other sastheya re
designed to do.
Always have se rvicew ork carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
Modification stoorwork performed incor-
rectly on th efollowin gpartsc an result in the
restraint system snot functioning as in tended:
R ther estraint system, consisting of seat
belt sand their anchorage poi nts,belt ten-
sioners ,belt force limi ters and airbags
R the wiri ng
R networked ele ctronicsystems
Airbags and belt tensioners could fail to
deploy or be triggered in an accident despite
the deceleration for cebeing sufficien ttotrig-
ge rthe systems, or coul dbetriggered unin-
ten tionally. For this reason, never mak eany
modifications to the restraint systems.
Therefore, you must not tamper with elec-
tronic compone ntsort heir software. The seat belts, together with SRS (Supple-
men
talR estraint System), are complemen-
tary, co-ordinated restraint systems
(Y page 41). They reduc ethe risk of injury
in specific ,pre-defined types of accident sit-
uations and thereby increas eoccupant
safety. However, seat belts and airbags gen-
erall ydon ot protect against objec tspene-
tratin gthe vehicle from the outside.
To ensur ethat the restraint system scan
deliver their full potential protection, make
sure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 100).
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 47).
R the airbags can inflate unrestricted if
deployed (Y page 42).
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 100).
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied.
An airbag increases the protection of vehicle
occupant swearing aseat belt. However, air-
bags are only an additional restraint system
which complemen ts,b ut does not replace,
the seat belt. All vehicle occupant smust 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.
First ,the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
occupan tinthe best position in relation to the
airbag. Second, in ahead-on collision ,for
example, the seat belt prevent sthe vehicle
occupan tfrom being propelled toward sthe
point of impact. 40
Occupant safetySafety

nor do they provid
eanindicatio nofairbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e.g. the bonnet or the wing, withou tanairbag
being deployed. This is the case if only parts
which are relatively easily deformed are affec-
ted and the rat eofdeceleration is not high.
Conversely, airbags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor defor-
mation. This is the case if, for example, very
rigid vehicle part ssuch as longitudinal body
members are hit, and sufficien tdeceleration
occu rsas aresult.
i The fron tbelt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the seat belt tongues on the front
seats are cor rectly engage dinthe seat belt
buckles.
i Not all airbags ar edeployed in an acci-
dent .The different airbag system swork
independently of each other.
How the airbag system work sisdeter-
mined by the severity of the accident detec-
ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
R head-on collision
R side impact
R overturn Airbags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however ,asubstitute for seat belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the risk
of serious or even fatal injury caused by airbag
deployment:
R all vehicle occupants –inparticular ,preg-
nant women –must wear their seat belt
correctly at all times and lean back against
the backrest, which should be posi tioned
as close to th evertical as possible. The head restraint must support th
eback of the
head at about eye level.
R always secur echildren less than
1.50 mtall or under 12 years of age in suit-
able child restraint systems.
R all vehicle occupant smust select aseat
position that is as far away from the airbag
as possible. The driver' sseat position must
allow the vehicle to be driven safely .The
driver's chest should be as fa raway from
the centre of the driver' sairbag cover as
possible.
R move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible .This is especially important if
you hav esecured achild in achild rest raint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R vehicle occupant s–inparticular ,children
–m ust not lean their heads into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/window-
bag is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fit tedtot he front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger airbag has
been disabled. On the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger airbag is disabled
if ac hild rest raint system with atrans-
ponde rfor automatic child seat recognition
is fit tedtot he front-passenger seat in a
vehicle equipped with automatic chil dseat
recognition. The 4PASSENGE RAIRBAG
OF Findicator lamp must be continuously
lit.
If the front-passenger sea tofyour vehicle
does not have automatic child seat recog-
nition ,oryour rearward-facing child
rest raint system does not have atrans-
ponde rfor automatic child seat recogni-
tion ,children must be secured in achild
rest raint system on asuitable seat in the
rear. If you secure aforward-facing child
rest raint system to the front-passenger
seat, you must move the front-passenger
seat as far back as possible.
R make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in the pockets of clothing. 42
Occupant safetySafety

G
WARNING
Do not le avec hildren unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they ar esecur edinac hild
restraint system .They could injur ethem-
selv eson parts of the vehicle. They could also
be seriously or even fatally injure dbypro-
longe dexpos uretoe xtreme hea torcold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Part softhe chil drestraint sys-
tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/himself on them.
If ac hild opens adoor, the child or other per-
sons coul dbeinjured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Observe the general notes on the HOLD func-
tion, which can be found under the same key-
word. G
WARNING
Unsecured or incorrectly positioned loads
increase the risk of injury for children and all
other occupant sinthe even tof:
R an accident
R sudden braking
R as udden change of direction
Do not transpor theavy or hard objects in the
vehicle interior unless they are secured. You
will fin dfurther information under "Loading
guidelines" in the index.
If ac hild is travellin ginyour vehicle, secure
the child using achild restraint system that is
recommended for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
The child restraint system must be appropri-
ate to the age, weight and size of the child.
You should preferabl yfit the child restraint
system to asuitable rear seat. Make sure that
the child is secured for the trip.
Mercedes -Benz recommends that you use
the listed child restraint systems
(Y page 58). You can obtain further infor-
mation about the cor rect chil drestraint sys-
tem from any Mercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre. i
It is advisabl etou se Mercedes-Ben zcare
product stoclean child restraint systems.
You can obtain information about this at
any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat G
WAR
NING
If the front-passenge rairbag is not disabled:
R ac hild secured in achild rest raint system
on the front-passenger seat could be seri-
ously and even fatally injured by the front-
passenger airbag deploying. This is espe-
cially arisk if the child is in the immediate
vicinit yofthe front-passenger airbag when
it deploys.
R never secur eachild on the front-passenger
seat in arearward-facing child restraint sys-
tem. Only secur earearward-facing child
restraint system on asuitable rear seat.
R alway smove the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secur eachild
in af orward-facing child rest raint system
on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger airbag is not disabled:
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat
R in vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition in the front-passenger seat, if no
special child restraint system with trans-
ponders for automatic child seat recogni-
tion in the front-passenger seat has been
fitted
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat, if the
PASSENGER AIRB AGOFF indicator lamp
4 is not lit.
To make you aware of this danger, acorre-
spondin gwarning sticker has been affixed on
the dashboard and on both sides of the sun
visor on the front-passenger side.
Information about recommended child
restraint systems is available at any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Children in th
evehicle
51Safety Z

Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Parts of the child restraint sys-
tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/h imselfonthem.
If ac hild opens adoor, th echild or other per-
sons coul dbeinjured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Also observe the notes on HOLD .Relevant
information can be foun dinthe index.
Child- proof locks for the rear doors You secure each door individually with the
child-proof locks on the rear doors.
Adoor
secured with achild-proof lock can notbe
opened from inside the vehicle. When the
vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened
from the outside.
X To activate: press the child-proof lock
leve rdown in the direction of arrow ;.
X Make sure that the child-proof lock sare
workin gproperly.
X To deactivate: press thechild-proof lock
lever up in the direction of arrow :.Overrid
efeature for the rear side win-
dows X
To activate/deactivate: press button:.
If indicator lamp ;is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the driv-
er' sd oor. If indicator lamp ;is off ,oper-
ation is possible using the switches in the
rear compart ment. Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems overview
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
(Y pag e61)
R BAS (Brake AssistSystem) (Y page62)
R BAS PLUS ( BrakeAssist System Plus)
(Y pag e62)
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
(Y pag e63)
R Adaptive brak elamps (Y page 65)
R ESP ®
(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Y page 66)
R EBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
(Y page 68)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE (Y page 68)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 68)
R STEE RCONTROL (Y page 70)60
Driving safety systemsSafety

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or
become distracted, th edriving sa fetysys-
tems ca nneith er reduce th erisk of accident
no ro verri dethe law sofphysics. Driving
safety system sare mere ly aids desig nedto
assis tdrivi ng.You ar eresponsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in fr ont, forvehicle speed
and for braking in good time. Alway sadapt
your drivin gstyle to suit the prevailing road
and weather condition sand maintain asafe
distance from the vehicle in front .Drive care-
fully.
i Thed riving safet ysystems described only
work as effectively as possibl ewhen there
is adequate con tact betwee nthe tyres and
the roa dsurface. Pleas epay special atten-
tion to the notes on tyres, recommended
minimum tyre tread depths ,etc.
(Y page 396).
In wintry driving conditions, always use
winter tyres (M+S tyres) and if necessary,
snow chains .Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking .The steerability and brakin gcharac-
teristics ma ybeseverely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safet ysystems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diatel yata qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the infor mation on the ABS warning lamp (Y
page 326) and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (Y page 291).
ABS regulate sbrake pressure in such away
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from aspeed of about 8km/h
upwards, regardless of road-surfac econdi-
tions. AB Sworksons lippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently.
The yellow !ABS warnin glamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition
is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Brakes X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To mak eafull brake application:
depress th ebrake peda lwith full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
ap ulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions, and func-
tions as areminder to take extr acare while
driving.
Off-road ABS An ABS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated on:
R
Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age (Y page 252)
R Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253)
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
lock cyclically during braking. The digging-in
effect achieved in the process reduces the
stopping distance when driving off-road. This
limits steering capability. Driving safety systems
61Safety Z

R
to stationary obstacles
R when cornering
As aresult, Adaptive Br akeA ssist may not
int ervene in al lcritica lconditions .There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay carefu lattention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
Adaptive Brake Assist aids you in braking dur-
ing hazardous situations at speeds above
30 km/h and uses the radar sensor system
to evaluate the traffic situation.
With the hel pofthe adaptive Brake Assist ,the
distanc ewarning signal can detect obstacles
that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
Should you approach an obstacle and the
adaptive Brake Assis thas detected arisk of
collision, the adaptive Brake Assist calculates
the brakin gforc enecessar ytoavoidac olli-
sion with the vehicle in front .Should you
apply the brakes forcefully ,the adaptive
Brake Assist will automatically increase the
brakin gforc etoal evel suitable for the traffic
conditions.
X Keep the brak epedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if:
R you release the brak epedal.
R there is no longer any danger of arear-end
collision.
R no obstacl eisdetected in front of your
vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
If adaptive Brake Assist demands particularly
high braking force, preventative passenger
protec tion measure s(PRE-SAFE ®
)a re activa-
ted simultaneousl y.
Up to vehicl espeeds of around 25 0km/h,
th ea daptiv eBrake Assist is capable of react-
ing to moving objects that have alread ybeen
recognised as such at least once over the
period of observation .Adaptiv eBrake Assist
does not react to stationary obstacles. If th
eadaptiv eBrake Assist is not available
du et oam alfunction in the radar senso rsys-
tem, the brake syste mremains available with
ful lbrake boostin geffect and BAS.
In particular, th edetection of obstacles can
be impaired if there is:
R dirt on the sensors or anything else cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other rada rsources
R the possibility of stron gradar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travelling in front ,e.g. a
motorcycle
R av ehicle travelling in front on adifferent
line
Following damage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensor checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applies to colli-
sions at slow speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle. Adaptive brake lamps
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 50 km/ horifbraking is assisted by BAS
or BAS PLUS, th ebrake lamp sflash rapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 70 km/ htoastandstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically .Ifthe
brakes ar eapplied again, the brak elamps
light up continuously .The hazard warning
lamps switc hoff automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h .You can also switc hoff
th eh azard warning lamps using the hazard
warning button (Y page 122). Driving safety systems
65Safety Z