tailgate MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV 2012 User Guide

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

R
uphill or downhill gradien tinpercentage
R on-road/off-road program selected
R condition of the differential lock for the
transfer case
R the LOW RANGE off -road gear is selected
R condition of the LOW RANGE off -road
gear
R the on-roa dtrailer progra misselected Towing
atrailer Note
sont owingatrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Veh icle sw ithl evel control:
Th ev ehicle level can be change dinadver-
tently, e.g. whe nchanged by anot her person.
If yo uare coupling up or uncoupling atrailer
when this happens ,you coul dbecom etrap-
ped. Bod yparts can also become trapped
between the vehicle body and tyres, or under-
neath the vehicle. This pose sarisk of injury.
When coupling up or uncoupling, make sure
that no-one:
R opens or closes the doors or tailgate
R initiates the level control or presses the
AD Ss witch
R locks or unlock sthe vehicle. G
WARNING
The brakin gsystem can overheat if you leave
your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increase sthe brakin gdistanc eand could
even cause the braking system to fail. There
is ar isk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as afootrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal and the accelera torp edal while driving. G
WAR
NING
You could los econtrol of the vehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve. The vehi- cle/
trailer combination could even overturn.
There is arisk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten out the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion by increasing speed. Decrease your
speed and do not countersteer .Brake if nec-
essary. G
WARNING
If you excee dthe permissible noseweight
while carrying aload, the carrier system could
detac hfrom th evehicle and fall on the road.
There is arisk of an acciden tand injury.
Always maintain the permissible noseweight
whe ncarrying loads. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly engaged ,it
coul ddetac hwhile drivin gand fall on the road.
There is arisk of an acciden tand injury.
Engag ethe ball coupling as described. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not cor rectly engaged,
the traile rcan detach. There is arisk of an
accident.
Always engage the ball coupling as described.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
You can use carrier systems, e.g. bicycle
rack sorload-bearing implements, on the ball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of
75 kg applies when using carrier system son
the ball coupling.
Whe nreversin gthe vehicle towards the
trailer ,make sure there is nobody between
the trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer could become
detached. Towin
gatrailer
257Driving an dparking Z

X
AMG vehicles and vehicles with AMG
bodystyling: release cover =from the
bracket at the rea rand sto witsafely. X
Open the tailgate.
X Pull release knob :until the ball coupling
unlocks.
The ball coupling folds out from under the
rear bumper.
The indicator lamp on the release knob
flashes .The trailer socket folds away auto-
matically. X
Press the ball couplin ginthe direction of
the arrow until it engages in avertical posi-
tion.
The indicator lam ponthe release knob
goes off.
The multifunction display shows the
Chec ktrailer hitch lock message
until th eball coupling is engaged.
X Remove the protective covering from the
ball coupling and store it in asafe place. Coupling up
atrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
If you disconnec tthe trailer cable, the vehicle
is lowered. This can cause you or other sto
become trapped between the vehicl ebody
and tyres, or underneat hthe vehicle. This
poses arisk of injury.
Make sure that no-on eisinthe immediate
vicinit yofthe wheel arch or underneath the
vehicle when disconnectin gthe trailer cable.
Vehicles with th eAIRMATIC package X
Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engage the electric parking brake.
X Start the engine.
X Set the vehicle to highway level
(Y page 213).
X Set the Adaptive Damping System (ADS )to
AUTO orCOMF (Ypage 212).
X Switch off the engine.
X Close the doors and tailgate.
X Position the trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Coupl eupthe trailer.
X Establish the electric con nectio nbetween
the vehicle and the trailer.
X Check that the trailer lighting system is
working. 260
Towing
atrailerDriving an dparking

i
If yo uhave coupled atrail er,the vehicle
will remain at highwa ylevel.
The vehicle automatically lowers to high-
way level if you driv efaster than 30km/h
with atrailer. The vehicle is not lowered to
high-speed level even if you are travelling
at higher speeds.
This also applies when using accessories
that are plugged int othe socket of the
trailer tow hitc h(e.g .ab icycle rack). Uncoupling
atrailer
Importan tsafety notes G
WARNING
If yo uuncoupl eatrailer with an engaged over-
ru nb rake ,you coul dtrap your hand be tween
th ev ehicle and th etrailer drawbar .This poses
ar isk of injury.
Do not uncouple atrailer wit hanengaged
overrun brake. G
WARNING
Vehicle swith level control:
If you disconnec tthe trailer cable, the vehicle
is lowered. This can cause you or other sto
become trapped between the vehicl ebody
and tyres, or underneat hthe vehicle. This
poses arisk of injury.
Make sure that no-on eisinthe immediate
vicinit yofthe wheel arch or underneath the
vehicle when disconnectin gthe trailer cable.
! Do not disconnec tatrailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicl ecould be damaged by the rebound-
ing of the overru nbrake.
! Remove th einstalled adapter cable
before folding in the ball coupling. Other-
wise, damage may occur to the rear
bumpe rand the adapter cable. Vehicle
swith the AIRMATIC package X
Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engage the electric parking brake.
X Star tthe engine.
X Close the doors and tailgate.
X Secur ethe trailer against rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer.
X Switc hoff th eengine. Folding in the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If you releas ethe ball coupling or it does not
engage correc tlyw hen folding in, it will swing
out. Within pivotin grange of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that
the ball coupling engages when folding in.
Fold the ball coupling back in if you are not
using the trailer tow hitch.
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary and
the trailer cables are disconnected.
X Place the protective covering on the ball
coupling.
X Open the tailgate. Towin
gatrailer
261Driving an dparking Z

X
Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Amb. ligh t+/- function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to adjust the
brightness to any level from Off to
Level 5 (bright).
X Press the aor% button to save the
setting.
Setting the ambient lighting colour
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Ambien tlight colour function.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 buttontos et the
colour to SOLAR ,
NEUTRAL or
POLAR .
X Press the aor% button to save the
setting.
Surround lighting and exterior lighting
delayed switch-off
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press :or9 to select the Sur‐ roun
dlighting function.
When the Surround lighting function is
activated, th elight cone and the area
around the vehicle are displaye dinred in
the multifunction display.
X Press the abutton to save the setting. Deac
tivating delayed switch -off of th eexte-
rior lighting tempo rarily:
X Befor eleaving the vehicle, tur nthe key to
position 0in the ignition lock.
X Tur nthe key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
The exterior lighting delayed switch-off is
deactivated.
Delayed switch-off of the exterior lighting is
reactivated the nex ttime you start the
engine.
If you have activated the Surround light‐ ing func
tion and the light switc hisset to
Ã,t he followin gfunctions are activated
when it is dark:
R Surround lighting: the exterior lighting
remains lit for 40 seconds after unlocking
with the key. If you start the engine, the
surround lighting is switched off and the
automatic headlamp mode is activated
(Y page 119).
R Exterior lighting delayed switch-off: the
exterior lighting remains lit for
60 seconds after the engine is switched off.
If you close all the doors and the tailgate,
the exterior lighting goes off after
5s econds.
i Depending on your vehicle's equipment,
when the surround lighting and delayed
switch-off exterior lighting are on, the fol-
lowing light up:
R side lamps
R daytime driving lights
R surround lighting in the exterior mirrors
Activating/deactivating th einterior light-
ing delayed switch-off
If you activa tethe Lighti ngdelayed sw.- off function, th
einterior lighting remains on
for 20seconds after you remove the key from
the ignition lock. 282
Menus and submenusOn-boar
dcomputer and displays

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
A The tailgat
eisopen.
G WARNING
When the engine is running ,exhaus tgases can enter the vehicle
interior if the tailgate is open.
There is arisk of poisoning.
X Close the tailgate. ? The bonnet is open.
Aw
arning ton ealso sounds.
G WARNING
The open bonne tmay then block your view when the vehicle is in
motion.
There is arisk of an accident.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible ,paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 181).
X Close the bonnet. Active bonnet mal‐
function Se
eOwn‐ er's Manual Th
ea ctive bonnet (pedestrian prote ction) is not activ edue to a
malfunction or because it has already been triggered.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. C At least one door is open.
Aw
arning ton ealso sounds.
X Close all doors. _
2nd
se
at row, left
Not locked or
2nd sea
tr ow,r ight Not locked Th
es econ drow of seat sisnot engage donthe left-hand and/or
ri gh t-hand side in the rear.
X Fol db ackt he second row of seats unt ilit engages. _
3rd
seat row, left
No
tl ocked or
3rd sea
trow,r ight Not locked Th
et hird row of seats is not engaged on the left-hand or ri ght-hand
side.
X Fol db ackt he third row of seats unt ilit engages. 320
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays

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). Stowage areas
Loadin
gguidelines G
WARNING
Secure and positio nthe load as described in
the loadin gguidelines.
Otherwise, vehicle occupants could
be injured by the load being thrown around in
the event of sharp braking, asudden change
in direction or an accident.
You will find further information in the "Secur-
ing aload" section.
Even if you follow all the loadin gguidelines,
the load will increase the risk of injury in the
event of an accident. G
WARNING
Keep the tailgate closed when the engine is
running. Otherwise, you could be poisoned by
exhaust fumes enterin gthe vehicle.
The handling characteristics of aladen vehi-
cle are dependent on the distribution of the
load within the vehicle. For this reason, you
should observe the following notes when
transporting aload:
R when transpor ting aload, never exceed the
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight or the permissible axle loads for the vehicle
(includin
goccupants).
R position heavy loads as far forward saspos-
sible and as low down in the load compart-
men tasp ossible.
R the load must not protrude abov ethe upper
edge of the seat backrests.
R always plac ethe load against the rea ror
front seat backrests .Make sure that the
seat backrests are securely locked into
place.
R hook in the safety net when loading.
R always place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
R secure the load with sufficiently stron gand
wear-resistant lashing material. Pad sharp
edges for protection.
i Load restraints are available at any quali-
fied specialis tworkshop, e.g. aMercedes-
Benz Servic eCentre. Stowage compartments
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The stowage compartments must be closed
when item sare store dinthem. Luggage nets
ar en ot designed to secur eheavy item sof
luggage.
You or other vehicle occupant scould be
injure dbyo bjectsbeing thrown around if you:
R brak esharply
R change direction suddenly
R arei nvolved in an accident
Sharp-edge dand fragile object smust not be
placed in the luggag enet. 338
Stowage areasStowing and features

Luggage compartment cover
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The luggage compartmen tcover is not a
restraint system .Secur ethe load unde rthe
luggag ecompart ment cover by suitable
means. Make sure that the luggage compart-
ment cover is engaged securely. If luggage is
not sufficiently secured, it can be thrown over
the backres tinto the passenger compart-
ment, for instance during heavy braking, sud-
den change sofdirection or in the event of an
accident .You coul dcause an accident or
cause injury to yourself and others.
! When loading the vehicle, make sure that
you do not stack the load in the luggage
compartment higher than the lower edge of
the side windows .Donot plac eheavy
object sontop of the luggage compartment
cover.
The luggage compartment cover ma ybe
installed behind the 2nd or 3r drow of seats.
Extending and ret racting the luggage
compartment cover X
To extend: pull the luggage compartment
cover back by grab handle :and clip it
into retainers ;on the left and right.
X To retract: unhook the luggage compart-
ment cover from left-hand and right-hand
retainers ;.
X Guide luggage compartment cover for-
wards by grab handle :until it is com-
pletely rolled up. Coat hooks on the tailgate
G
WARNING
The tailgate may close if too great aload is
placed on the coat hooks.
This coul dcause you or others to be trapped
and injured.
If you use the coat hooks ,only hang light
clothing on them. Make sure that nobody can
become trapped. :
Coat hook Stowage well underneat
hthe lug gage
compartment floor G
WARNING
Never driv ewith the luggage compartment
floor open.
Otherwise, you and other vehicle occupants
could be injured by objects being thrown
around the vehicle in the event of sharp brak-
ing, asudden change in direction or an acci-
dent. 344
Stowage areasSto
wing and features

cond
itions and drive with partic ularcareift he
roof is laden.
! Mercedes-Benz recommends that you
only us eroof carrier sthat hav ebeen tested
and approved for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
This helps to prevent damage to the vehi-
cle.
Position the load on the roof carrier in such
aw ay that the vehicle will not sustain dam-
age even when it is in motion.
Depending on the vehicle equipment,
ensure that when the roof carrier is fitted
you can:
R raise the sliding sunroof fully
R open the panorama sliding sunroof fully
R open the tailgate fully
Attaching the roof carrier X
Secure the roof carrier to roof rails :.In
doing so, observe the manufacturer's
installation instructions. Features
Cup holders
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Keep the cup holder closed while the vehicle
is in motion. Otherwise, vehicle occupants
could be injured by object sbeing thrown
around if you: R
brak esharply
R change direction suddenly
R arei nvolved in an accident
Only use the cup holders for containers of a
suitable size and which have lids .The drinks
coul dotherwis espill.
Cup holders should not be used for hot drinks.
You may otherwise scald yourself. G
WARNING
Do not transport any heavy, sharp-edged or
fragile bottles in the stowage compartments.
In the event of an accident, the stowage com-
partment scannot secure the bottles ade-
quately .You and/or other vehicle occupan ts
co uld be injured.
The stowag ecompart ments in the doors pro-
vide space for bottles with acapacity of up to
1.0 l.
The bottles are not secured or prevented from
tipping over. Therefore, do not place any open
drink containers in the stowage compart-
ments.
Cup holder in the front centre console :
Cup holders
; Cover
X To open: slide cover ;to its foremost
position.
X To close: pull cover ;back as far as it will
go. 346
FeaturesStowing and features

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). Where wil
lIfind...? Wa
rning triangle
Removing the warning triangle Storage locatio
nofthe warnin gtriangl e(example:
vehicle with TIREFI Tkit)
Warning triangle :is located in the stowage
well under the luggage compartmen tfloor.
X Open the tailgate.
X Lif tthe luggage compar tment floor up
(Y page 34 4).
i Dependin gonthe vehi cle's equipment,
warnin gtriangle :may also be located in
other places under the luggag ecompar t-
ment fl oor.
X Remove warnin gtriangle :. Setting up th
ewarnin gtriangle :
Press-s tud
; Reflectors
= Feet
X Fold feet =down and out to the side.
X Pull side reflectors ;upwards to for ma
triangle and lock them at thet op using
upper press-stud :. First-aid kit
X
Open the tailgate.
X Remove first-aid kit :from the luggage
net.
i Check the expir ydate on the first-aid kit
at least once ayear. Replace the contents
if necessary, and replace any missing
items. 376
Where wil
lIfind...?Breakdown assistance