MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV 2012 Owners Manual

R
you have switched on the tur nsignals. In
this event ,the warnings are suppressed
for acertai nperio doft ime.
R ad riving safety syst em intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
If Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tio no ccurs if:
R yo uh aves witched on the turn si gnals.In
thi se vent, th ewarnings ar esuppr essed
for acertai nperio doft ime.
R ad riving safety syst em intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R yo ua ccelerate hard, e.g .kickdown.
R you brak ehard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerv etoavoid
an obstacle or cha ngelane quickly.
R you cut the corner on ashar pbend.
Towing atrailer
If yo uattach atrailer, make sure th at you have
corre ctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. On-road programs (vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package)
Genera lnotes The on-road program
ssupport you when driv-
ing on roads and the off-road programs sup-
port you when driving off-road (Y page 253).
The following program messages remain in
the multifunction display until the corre-
sponding vehicle level has been set. Up to off-
road level 2, you can hide the program mes-
sage susing the %ora button on the
multifunc tion steerin gwheel. AUTO program
Select the AUTO program for
amore com-
for table ride under all normal driving condi-
tions.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Selecto rwheel : engaged:
brieflypress
selecto rwheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To select: turnselector wheel :until indi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
AUTO indicator =appear sint he multi-
func tion display.
R Highwa ylevel is set.
R AD S(Adaptive Damp ingS ystem) adjusts
the comfort damping characteristics to
the current operating and driving condi-
tions.
R The automatic transmission selects the
automatic drive progra mforac omforta-
ble and efficien tdriving style. 248
Dri
ving systemsDriving and pa rking

SPORT program
Select the SPOR
Tprogram for sport ydriving
dynamics.
Your selection remains store deven if you
remove th ekey from the ignition lock.
X Selector wheel : engaged:
briefly press
selector wheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To select: turnselector wheel :until indi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
SPORT indicator =appear sint he multi-
func tion display.
R High-speed level, -1 5mmcompared to
highway level, is set.
R ADS (Adaptiv eDamping System) adjusts
the sporty damping characteristics to the
current operating and driving conditions.
R The automatic transmissio nselects the
automatic driv eprogram for asporty
driving style.
R The sporty accelerator pedal curve is
selected. This mean sthat the accelera- tor pedal does not need to be depressed
as fa
rwhen accelerating.
R The sport ysteering curve is selected.
Thi sm eans that mor eeffort is required
when steering.
i Youc annot select the SPORT program if
LOW RANGE has been selected .The
Driv eprogram SPORT Not in LOW RANGE message then appears in th
emulti-
function display.
Snow program Select the snow program when driving in
snow or with snow chains.
X
Selector wheel : engaged:
briefly press
selector wheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To select: turn selector wheel :until indi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
Snow indicator =appears in the multi-
function display. Driving systems
249Drivingand pa rking Z

R
Hig hway level is set.
R ADS (Adaptive Damping System) adjusts
the comfort damping characteristics to
the current operating and driving condi-
tions.
R 4ETS and the differential lock are adap-
ted for driving on snow-cover edroads.
R Th ea utomatic transmi ssion selects the
automatic drive program for acomforta-
ble and efficien tdriving style.
R Th es mooth accelerato rpedal curve is
selected. This mean sthat the accelera-
tor pedal needs to be depressed much
further when accelerating.
R The optimal gear for pulling away is
engaged.
Trailer program Select the trailer program when towing a
trailer. X
Selector wheel : engaged:
brieflypress
selecto rwheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To select: turnselector wheel :until indi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
Trailer indicator =appear sint he multi-
func tion display.
R Highwa ylevel is set.
R AD S(Adaptive Damp ingS ystem) adjusts
the comfort damping characteristics to
the current operating and driving condi-
tions.
R The automatic transmission selects the
automatic drive progra mforac omforta-
ble and efficien tdriving style ,and the
shift points are optimally adjusted.
R The differential lock is engaged when
pulling away. Off-road driving systems
4MATIC (permanent all-wheel drive) G
WARNING
4MATIC cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast.
If ad rive whee lspins due to insufficien tgrip:
R onl ydepress the accelerator peda lasfar as
necessary when pulling away.
R accelerate less when driving.
R adapt you rdriving style to su itroa dand
traffic conditions.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. Thi smay damage the transfer case.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz implied warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground
or be fully raised. Observe the instructions
for towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
! Afunction or performanc etest should
only be carried out on atwin-axle dyna-
mometer .Before you operate th evehicle 250
Driving systemsDriving and parking

on such
adynamometer, pleas econsult a
qualified workshop. You coul dotherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are per-
manently driven. Togethe rwith ESP ®
and
4ETS, it improves the trac tion of your vehicle
whenever adrive whee lspins due to insuffi-
cient grip.
i In wintr ydriving conditions ,the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tyres (M+ Styres), with snow
chain sifn eces sary.
Fo rfurther information on "Driving off-road",
see (Y page 188).
DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) Important safet
ynotes G
WARNING
DS Riso nlyana id designed to assist you when
drivin gdownhill .You are responsible for keep-
ing control of the vehicle and for assessing
whether the downhil lgradient can be man-
aged.
When activating DSR th evehicle may brake
suddenly due to DSR inter vening. Thi sis
dependent on the downhill gradien tand the
difference between the current speed and the
speed set. DSR may not alway sbeable to
keep to the set speed, depending on road sur-
fac eand tyre conditions .You coul dlose con-
trol of the vehicle and cause an accident.
Selec taset speed suitable for the prevailing
conditions and when necessary, apply the
brakes manually. G
WARNING
If you depress the accelerator pedal wit hDSR
activated, the nthe set speed can be excee-
ded. Drive downhill with specia lcare and
alway skeep in min dthat DSR brakes the vehi-
cle as soon as you remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. The vehicle ma ybrake sud-
denly due to DSR intervening, depending on
th ed ownhill gradient and the differen ce between the current speed and the set speed.
You could lose control of the vehicl
eand
cause an accident.
DSR assists you whe ndriving downhill. It
keeps th espeed of travel at the speed set on
the on-boar dcomputer .The steeper the
downhill gradient ,the greater the DS Rbrak-
ing effect on th evehicle. When driving on flat
stretches of road or on an uphill gradient, the
DSR braking effect is minima lornon-existent.
DSR con trols the set speed when it is active
and the automatic transmission is in the D,
R or Nposition .Bya ccelerating or braking,
you can always drive at ahigher or alower
speed than that set on the on-boar dcom-
puter.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(Y page 188).
Activating DSR Example: vehicles wit
hthe ON&OFFROAD package
: DSR button
; DSR indicator lamp
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
The à DSR symbol appear sint he mul-
tifunction display.
You can only activate DS Rwhen drivin gat
speeds below 40 km /h.
If the current vehicle speed is too high, the
à DSR symbol appears in the multifunc-
tion display with the Max.speed 40 km/h message. Drivin
gsystems
251Drivingand pa rking Z

i
You cannot activate DS Rifthe SPORT on-
roa dprogram is activated. The ÃDSR
symbo land the Not in drive program SPORT message then appe
ar inthem ulti-
function display.
Deactivating DSR
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
The à DSR symbol appears in the mul-
tifunction displa ywith the off message.
DSR switches off automatically if you drive
faster than 45 km/h. The ÃDSR symbol
appears in the multifunction displa ywith the
off message. The status indicator in the mul-
tifunction displa ygoes out. You also hear a
warnin gtone. On vehicles with the ON&OFF-
ROAD package, if you select adifferent on-
road/off-road program ,DSR is als odeactiva-
ted.
Changing th eset speed X
To increase or reduce the set speed in
1k m/h increments: briefly press the cruise control lever, up
:for ahigher set
speed or down ;for alower set speed.
The set speed appears in the multifunction
display with the ÃDSR symbol. It is also
displayed in status indicator =.
When DSR is activated, you can change the
set speed to avalue between 2km/h and
18 km/h.
i TheD SR se tspee disa lways changed in
1k m/h increments .This is regardless of
whether you press the cruise control lever
to or beyond the pressure point.
Off- road program (vehicle swithou tthe
ON&OFFROAD package) :
Off-road progra mbutton
; Off-road program indicator lamp
X To switch on: press button:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. The Çoff-
road indicator appears in the multifunction
display.
X To switch off: press the:button.
Indicator lamp ;and the Çoff-road
indicator go out in the multifunction dis-
play.
The off-road program assists you in driving
off-road. The engine’s performanc echarac-
teristics and the gearshifting characteristics
of the automatic transmission ar eadapted for
this purpose. ABS ,ESP ®
and 4ETS programs
es pe cially adapted to off-road driving are acti-
vated. Agentle accelera torp edal curve is also
selected, i.e. the accelera torp edal must be 252
Driving systemsDriving and parking

depressed muc
hfurther in order to acceler-
ate.
Do not use the off-road program on roads that
are snow-covered or icy or if you have fitted
your vehicle with snow chains.
For information about drivin goff-road, see
(Y pag e188).
Off-road programs (vehicle swith the
ON&OFFROAD package) Gener
alnotes
The off -road program sassist you in drivi ng
off -road. The engine’s performanc echarac-
teristic sand the gearshifting characteristics
of the automati ctransmission are adapted for
this purpose .ABS ,ESP ®
and 4ET Sprograms
especiall yadapted to off -road drivin gare acti-
vated. An accele rator peda lcurve suitable for
the terrain is selected, i.e. the accelerator
pedal must be depressed further to acceler-
ate.
Do not use the off-road programs on roads
that are snow-covered or icy or if you have
fitted your vehicle with snow chains.
For information about drivin goff-road, see
(Y pag e188).
Th ef ollowin gprogram message sremai nin
the multifunction display until the corre-
sponding vehicle level has bee nset. Up to off-
road level 2, you can hide the program mes-
sages using the %or the abutton on
the multifunction steering wheel. Off
-road program 1 X
Selector wheel : engaged:
briefly press
selector wheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To select: turn selector wheel :until indi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
Off-road indicator =appears in the multi-
function display.
Off-road level 1isset to +3 0mmabove the
highwa ylevel.
Off-road program 1switches to the AUTO
program if you drive faster than 110 km/h.
Select off-road program 1for easily negotia-
ble off -road terrain, e.g. for gravel or sand
surfaces or tracks. The engine's torque is
restricted to alimited degree and the drive
wheels can spin. The spinnin gofthe wheels
results in acutting action for better traction.
You can only activate off-road program 1
when driving at speeds below 100 km/ h.The
Driv eprogram OFFROAD 1Max. speed 100 km/h message appears in th
emultifunc-
tion display. Driving systems
253Drivingand pa rking Z

Off-road progra
m2 X
Selector wheel : engaged:
brieflypress
selector wheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To select: turn selector wheel :unti lindi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
Off-road indicator =appears in the multi-
function display.
R off-road level 2isset and the vehicle is
raised by +6 0mmcompared to the high-
way level.
R DSR is switched on.
R the differential lock is closed.
Off-road program 2automatically switches to
off-road program 1ifyou dri vefaster than
45 km/h.
Select off-roa dprogram 2for rou gh terrain,
e.g. for steep and/o runeven terrain or for
driving on rocky terrain.
i Your vehicl ehas an automatically activa-
te dd ifferential loc kfor the transfer case. It
con trols the balance between the front and
rea raxles. The differential lock improves the vehicle's
traction. 4ETS (Y
page66) controls the bal-
ance between both wheels on an axle.
Yo uc an only activate off-road program 2
when driving at speeds below 40 km/h.
LOW RANGE off- roadgear (vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package) General notes
G
WARNING
Always wait for the gear change process from
HIGH RANGE to LOW RANGE –and from LOW
RANGE to HIGH RANGE –tocomplete. Do not
tur no ff the engine while changing gear and
do not switch the automati ctrans mission to
another gear.
If you do not wait for the gear change process
to complete, it ma ynot be correctly imple-
men ted. The transfer case may then be in
neutral and the connection between the
engine and the driv eaxles may be disen-
gaged. The vehicl ecould then mov efreely,
eve nifa gear is engaged, and coul dinadver-
tently start moving, particularly if it is on a
slope.
Observe the following descriptio nin"Mes-
sages in the multifunc tion display". :
LOW RANGE off -road gear button
; LOW RANGE off-road gear indicator lamp 254
Driving systemsDriving and parking

HIGH RANGE
Positio
nfor all norma lon-
road driving conditions. LOW RANGE
Off-road pos
ition for driv-
ing off-road and fording.
The transmission ratio
between the engine and
wheels is only approx-
imately one third of that in
the HIG HRANGE road
pos ition. The drive torque
is correspondingly higher
as aresult.
Do not use LOW RANGE:
R on slippery road surfa-
ces, e.g. in the even tof
slush
R on snow or ice-covered
roads
R if you hav esnow chains
on you rvehicle The LOW RANGE off
-road gear assists you
when drivin goff-roa dand whe nfordi ng.W hen
LOW RANGE is engaged, the engine’s per-
forma ncec haracteristic sand the gearshifting
characteristic softhe automatic transmission
ar ea dapted for this purpose.
Fur ther information about "Drivin goff-road"
(Y pag e188). Yo uwill find information about
drivin gsafety systems in conjunction with
LOW RANGE in the "Safety" section
(Y page 60).
From HIGH RANG EtoLOW RAN GE
! Only change from HIGH RANGE to LOW
RANGE if:
R the engi neis running
R the transmission is in position N
R you are drivin gatspeeds below
40 km/h
X Press LOW RANGE button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes.
Onc ethe gear change procedur eiscom-
plete, indicator lamp ;lights up. The LOW RANGE display appear
sint he multifunction
displa yand in the status indicator.
While indicator lamp ;is flashing, you can
cancel the gea rchange by pressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
i You can nota ctivate LOW RANGE if the
SPORT on-road program is activated. The
LOW RANG ENot in drive program SPORT message then appears in th
emulti-
function display.
From LOW RANG EtoHIGH RANGE
! Only change from HIGH RANGE to LOW
RANGE if:
R the engine is running
R the transmission is in position N
R if you are driving at speeds below
70 km/h
X Press LOW RANGE button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes.
When the gear change is complete, indica-
tor lamp ;goes out. In the multifunction
display, the LOWR ANGE Off message
appears and status indicator =goes out.
Whil eindicator lamp ;is flashing, you can
cancel the gea rchange by pressing LOW
RANGE button :again. Driving systems
255Driving and parking Z

Mes
sages in the multifunction display
If ag ear change process has not been successful, the following messages may be displayed
in the multifunction display: Display messages Possibl
ecauses/ consequence sand M Solutions
LO
WR ANGE max. speed 40 km/h Yo
uh ave been driving faster than 40 km/h .Additionally, the indi-
cato rlamp on the button in the centre console blinks.
X Driv emore slowly to carry out the gear chan ge process. LOW RANGE Shift to
position
Nbriefly Th
et ransmission is in position Dand yo uare driving at below
40 km/h.
X Shift th etransmission to Nto comple tethe gear change proc-
ess. LOW RANGE Shifting
cancelled Please
reactivate The gear change process was not carried out.
X
Maintain all gear change conditions and carry out the gear
change process again. LOW RANGE Stop
Apply parking brake Aw
arning ton ealso sounds. The gear chang eprocess has not been
comple ted. LOW RANGE is in the neutral position .There is no
con nectio nbetween the engine and the driv ewheels.
! Do not drive any further. You could otherwise damage the
vehicle’ sdrive train.
X Sto pthe vehicle. Take int oaccount the road and traffic condi-
tions whe ndoing so.
X Apply the electric parkin gbrake (Y page 182).
X Repe atthe gear change process.
If th egear change process has been carried out, the LOW RANGE
Stop Appl
yparking brake message disapp
ears. ONOFFROAD men
uint he COMAND dis-
play (vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD
package) Yo
uc an displ ay some driving systems ,driving
programs and additional information in the
COMAND display.
X Make sure that th ekey is in position 2in
the ignition lock.
X Make sure that COMAN DOnline is activa-
ted, see the separate COMAND operating
instructions.
X Pres sfunction button :.
The corresponding displays appea rinthe
COMAN Ddisplay:
R level control
R steering angle
R vehicle' sangle of inclination 256
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin 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