ESP MERCEDES-BENZ GLA 2020 Repair Manual

Dri
veprogr am S+(Sp ortPlu s)
Dr ive programS+ isch arac teriz ed bythefo l-
lowin g:
R theveh icleex hibi tspart icularl yspo rty dri v-
in g ch arac teris tics .
R theaut oma tic trans mis sionshi fts up later.
R thefue lco nsumpt ionpossiblybein ghig her
as ares ult ofthelat er aut oma tic trans mis -
sio nshi ftpoin ts.
R thesusp ensio nex hibi tspart icularl yst iff
spr ingin gand damp ing set ting s(ve hicles
wit hAM Gadapt ivespo rtsusp ensio nsys-
te m).
R glid ing mod eis no tavail able.
R theECO start /stopfun ction isno tavail able.
Dri veprogr am RACE (vehicles withAMG
ad aptive sportsus pen sion system)
i The
RACE drive pro grammay notbe used
on norm alroa ds. RACE muston lybe act iva-
te dand used ondedi catedrac ecir cui ts,no t
on publi croa ds.
The RACE drive pro gramisch arac teriz ed by
th efo llowi ng:
R theveh icleex hibi tsdri vin gch arac teris tics
suit able forth erac etrac k.
R all veh iclesyst ems aresetformax imum
spo rtin ess .
R theaut oma tic trans mis sionshi fts up later.
R thefue lco nsumpt ionpossiblybein ghig her
as ares ult ofthelat er aut oma tic trans mis -
sio nshi ftpoin ts.
R thesusp ensio nex hibi tspart icularl yst iff
spr ingin gand damp ing set ting s.
R glid ing mod eis no tavail able.
R theECO start /stopfun ction isno tavail able. Ma
nua lgea rshif ting
Gen eral not es You
canchang egear yourselfusingth est eer -
in g whee lpaddl eshi fters .The trans mis sion
mus tbe inpos ition 005Btodo this.
De pen dingon whic hsteer ing whee lpaddl e
shi fter ispulle d,theaut oma tic trans mis sion
imm ediat elyshifts in to thene xt gear down or
up, ifper mitted. Mer
cedes-AMG vehicles :to use man ualshift-
in g, you havetw oopt ions:
R tempo raryset ting
R per man entset ting
If you activat eman ualgear shiftin g, themult i-
fun ction disp laywill showthecur ren tgear
in st ead oftrans mis sionpos ition 005B.
If man ualgear shiftin g is deac tivat ed, thegear s
will besele cted aut oma tical ly.
Te mp oraryset ting X
To act ivate: shifttheDI RECT SELECT lever
to pos ition 005B.
X Pull steer ing whee lpaddl eshi fter 0043 or0044.
Tem porary setting will beact ive fora ce rtain
amo untoftime. Under certain cond ition sth e
min imum amountoftime isex tend ed, e.g. in
th ecas eof latera lacc eler ation,duri ngan
ove rrun phas eor when drivin gon steep ter-
rain .
X To dea ctivate: pull steer ing whee lpaddl e
shi fter 0044 and holdit in plac e.
or
X Use theDI RECT SELECT leverto swit chthe
tr ans mis sionpos ition .
or X Allveh icles (ex cept Mer cedes -AMG vehi-
cle s): use theDY NA MIC SELECT but tonto
ch ang eth edri ve pro gram.
Mer cedes -AMG vehicles: use theDY NA MIC
SE LECT control ler tochang eth edri ve pro -
gra m. 140
Aut
omatic tran sm issionDri ving andpa rki ng

Perma
nentsetting (Mercedes-AMG
vehicle s) X
To activate: shifttheselector leverto005B.
X Press button 0043.
X To deactivat e:press button 0043.
or X Ifposition D(automatic transmission) is
selected forthe transm issionindrive pro-
gram I:shift todrive program Iwith the
DYNAMI CSEL ECT controller.
Shifting gears !
Mercedes-AMG
vehicles:theautomatic
transm issiondoesnotshift upautomatically
even when theengine limiting speedforthe
current gearisreached. Whentheengine
limiting speedisreached, thefuel supply is
cut toprevent theengine fromoverrevving.
Always makesurethattheengine speed
does notreach thered area ofthe tachome-
ter. There isotherwise arisk ofengine dam-
age. X
To shift up:pull steering wheelpaddle
shifter 0044.
The automatic transmissionshiftsuptothe
next gear. All
vehicles (exceptMercedes-AMG vehi-
cles) :if the maximum enginespeedonthe
current lyengaged gearisreached andyou
cont inue toaccelerate, theautomatic trans-
mission automatically shiftsupinorder to
prevent enginedamage.
X To shift down: pullsteering wheelpaddle
shifter 0043.
The automatic transmissionshiftsdownto
the next gear.
Automatic downshifting occurswhencoast-
ing.
If the engine exceeds themaximum engine
speed whenshifting down,theautomatic
transm issionprotect sagainst enginedam-
age bynot shifting down.
Shift recommendat ion The
gearshift recommen dationsassistyouin
adopting aneconomical drivingstyle.Therec-
ommended gearisshown inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Shift torecommen dedgear 0044according to
gearshift recommen dation0043when shown
in the multifunct iondisplay .
Upshifting (Mercedes-AMG vehicles) !
In
manual mode,theautomatic transmis-
sion does notshift upautomatically even
when theengine limiting speedforthe cur-
rent gear isreached. Whentheengine limit-
ing speed isreached, thefuel supply iscut
to prevent theengine fromoverrevving.
Always makesurethattheengine speed
does notreach thered area ofthe tachome-
ter. There isotherwise arisk ofengine dam-
age. Automat
ictransmission
141Drivingandparking Z

Befor
ethe engi nespe edrea ches thered area,
an upshi ftindi cator willbe show nin the multi-
functi ondispl ay.
X Shift torecom mende dgea r0043 whe nmes-
sag e0044 isshow nin the multifunction dis-
pl ay .
Ki ckdo wn X
For maxi mum acceleration, dep ress the
acce lerator pedalbey ond thepressu re
poi nt.
The automa tictransm ission shifts toalow er
gea rdep endi ngon the engi nespe ed.
X Shift back up once thedesiredspe edis
rea ched . Duri
ngkickdo wn,youcannot shiftgea rsusi ng
the stee ring wheelpa ddl eshi fters.
If yo uap plyful lthrottle ,the automa tictrans-
mis sionshi fts uptothe next gearwhe nthe
maxi mum enginespe edisrea ched .Thi spre -
vents theengi nefrom overrevvi ng.
Merc edes-AMG vehicle s: itis only possible
to use kickdo wnintempo rarymanu aldri ve
prog ramM.Whe nmanu aldri ve prog ramMis
per mane ntlyactivate d,kickdo wnisnot possi-
bl e. Prob
lems with the transmis sion Prob
lem Pos
siblecaus es/c on sequen cesand 0050 0050
Sol utio ns The
transm ission has
prob lemsshi fting gear. The
transm ission islos ing oil.
X Have thetransm ission checke dat aqu alifi ed spe cialist wor kshop
imme diatel y. The
acce leration ability
is dete riorati ng.
The transm ission no
long ershi fts into allof
the gears.
Re vers egea rcan no
long erbe enga ged. The
transm ission isin eme rgency mode.
X Stop thevehi cle.
X Shift thetransm ission topos ition005D.
X Swi tch offthe engi ne.
X Wa itat lea stten seco ndsbefore resta rting theengi ne.
X Shift thetransm ission topos ition005B.
X Have thetransm ission checke dat aqu alifi ed spe cialist wor kshop
imme diatel y. Refue
ling Impo
rtant safetynotes G
WARNI
NG
Fue lis hig hly flammab le.Risk offire and
expl osion byimp rope rhand ling offue l. You
mustavo idfire ,ope nfla mes, smoki ng
and crea ting sparks. Switch offthe ignition
bef ore refu eling and ,if pre sent, switch off
the auxiliary hea ting. 142
Refue
lingDri vin gand parking

when
thetraffic situation permits.If you are
unsur e,pull over toasafe locat ionand stop
befo reoper atingth etele phon e.
Bear inmin dth at ataspeed ofonly 30mph
(appro ximately 50km/h), thevehic lecov ers a
dist anceof 44 ft(appro ximately 14m)per
sec ond .
Drive sensibly –sav efuel Obser
vethefollo wing tipstosave fuel:
R The tires should always beinflated tothe
rec omm endedtirepres sure.
R Remov eunn eces sary loads.
R Remov eroof rackswhen they are not nee-
ded.
R Warm uptheeng ineatlow enginespeeds .
R Av oid frequent accelerat ionorbrak ing.
R Have allmain tenanc ework carried outas
indic ated bytheserv iceinterv als inthe
Maint enanceBoo klet orby theserv iceinter-
val display.
Fuel consumpt ionalso increase swhen driving
in cold weath er,instop- start traffic andinhilly
ter rain .
Drink ingand driving G
WAR
NING
Dr ink ing and drivingand/ ortak ing drugs
and drivingare verydang erous combina-
tio ns.Ev en asmall amoun tof alcoh olor
drugs canaffectyour reflexe s,perc eptions
and judg men t.
The poss ibilityof aserio usoreven fatal
acc iden tis great lyinc rease dwhen youdrink
or tak edrugs anddrive.
Do not drinkor tak edrugs anddriveor allow
anyon eto driv ewho hasbeen drinkingor
tak ing drugs .
Emiss ioncontr ol G
DANGER
Combust ionengines emit poison ous
exh aust gases suchascar bon mon oxide.
In halin gth ese exhaust gases ishazar dous to
healt hand canresult inpoison ing.Ther eis a
risk offat alinj ury. Ther efore,nev erleave the eng
inerunningan enc losed spacewith out
adequat even tilat ion.
Cert aineng inesyst ems aredesign edtokee p
th elevel ofpoison ouscom ponentsin exh aust
fume swith inlegal limits.
These systems onlywork atpeak efficien cyif
th ey are serv iced exactlyinacc ordan cewith
th eman ufact urer'sspec ification s.Always have
work ontheeng inecarried outataqualified
spec ialist workshop. Mercedes- Benzrec om-
men dsthat you useanautho rized Merc edes-
Ben zCent erfor this purpos e.In part icular ,
work relevanttosafet yor on safet y-relate d
syst ems must becar ried outataqualified spe-
cialis twork shop.
The enginesettings must notbechan ged
under anycircums tances .Furt herm ore,all
spec ificserv icework must becar ried outat
regular interv als and inacc ordan cewith the
Merc edes- Benzserv icerequir ements.Det ails
can befoun din theMaint enanceBoo klet. ECO
display
The ECO display showsyouhow econom ical
your drivingstyle is.The ECO display assists
you inachie vingth emost econom icaldriving
st yle fortheselec tedsettings and prev ailing
con ditions .Your drivingstyle can significant ly
inf luenc eth evehic le'sconsumpt ion. 0043
Accele ration
0044 Coast ing
0087 Cons tant
0085 Add itional rangeachie ved
Range 0085isshown underBonusfr. Start Bonu
sfr. Start
and represen tstheaddit ional rangeachie ved
sin ce thebegin ningof thejour ney asaresult
of an adapte ddriv ingstyle.
If th efuel level hasdropp edintoth erese rve
ran ge, theFuel Low Fuel
Lowmess ageisshown inthe
mult ifunction display instead ofran ge0085. The
00B6 warninglamp intheins trumen tclust er
also lightsup (Ypage 239). Drivin
gtip s
149Driving andparking Z

The
ECO display consistsof three section s,
with aninner andouter area.Thesection scor-
respond tothe following threecategories: 0043
Acce
leration (evaluation ofthe
acceleration processes):
R the outer areafillsupand the
inner arealights upgreen: moder-
ate acceleration ,especially at
higher speeds
R the outer areaempties andthe
inner areaisgray: sporty acceler-
ation 0044
Coasting
(evaluation ofall deceler-
ation processes):
R the outer areafillsupand the
inner arealights upgreen: antici-
patory driving, keeping yourdis-
tanc eand early release ofthe
accelerator. Thevehicle can
coast without useofthe brakes.
R the outer areaempties andthe
inner areaisgray: frequent heavy
braking 0087
Constant
(continuous evaluation
over theentir ejourney):
R the outer areafillsupand the
inner arealights upgreen: con-
stant speed andavoidance of
unnec essary acceleration and
deceleration
R the outer areaempties andthe
inner areaisgray: fluctuations in
speed The
three innerareas display thecurrent driv-
ing style andlight upgreen asaresult ofapar-
ticularly economicaldriving style.Dependin g
on the driving situation, uptotwo areas may
light upsimultaneously.
At the beginning ofthe journey, thethree
outer areas areempty andfillup asaresult of
econom icaldriving. Ahigher levelindicates a
more econom icaldriving style.Ifthe three
outer areas arecompletely filledatthe same
time, thedriver hasadopted themost eco-
nomical drivingstyleforthe selected settings
and prevailing conditions.TheECO display
border lightsup.
The ECO display doesnotindicate theactual
fuel consumpt ion.Theadditionally achieved range
display edunder Bonus fr.Start Bonus
fr.Start does
not indicate afixed consumpt ionreduction .
In addition todriving style,theactual con-
sumption isaffect edbyother factors,such as:
R Load
R Tire pressure
R Cold start
R Choice ofroute
R Act ive electric alconsumer s
These factorsare not included inthe ECO dis-
play.
An econom icaldriving stylespecially requires
driving atmoderate enginespeeds.
Achievin gahigher valueinthe categories
"Accelerat ion"and"Constant ":
R observe thegearshift recommendations .
R drive thevehicle indrive program Cor E
(vehicles withaDYNA MICSELECT button ).
On long journeys ataconst antspeed, e.g.on
the highway, onlytheouter areafor"const ant"
will change.
The ECO display summarizes thedriving style
from thestart ofthe journey toits completion .
Therefore, therearemore marked changes in
the outer areas atthe start ofajourney. On
longer journeys, therearefewer changes. For
more marked changes, performamanual rest
(Y page 193).
For more inform ationonthe ECO display ,see
(Y page 192). Br
aking
Import antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G
If you shift down onaslippery roadsurface
in an attempt toincrease theengine's brak-
ing effect ,the drive wheels couldlosetheir
grip. There isan increased dangerofskid-
ding andaccident s.
Do not shift down foradditional enginebrak-
ing onaslippery roadsurface.
Dow nhill gradients !
On
long andsteep gradients, youmust
reduce theload onthe brakes byshiftin gto
a lower gearingood time. Thisallows youto 150
Driving
tipsDriving andparking

take
advantag eof eng inebraking .For this
yo umu stfirst acti vate ma nua lge arshi ftin g.
Thi she lpsyo uto avoid ove rheating the
bra kes and wearing themoutexce ssivel y.
Wh enyoutake advantag eof eng inebraking ,
it is po ssi ble tha ta dri ve wheelwi llnot
rota tefor som etim e,e.g .on aslip pe ry roa d
su rfa ce. Thiscou ldcau sedama getothe
dri ve train. Thistyp eof dama geisnot cov-
ere dby the Merced es-Benz warranty.
Bri eflyde pre ssing the accelera tor pedalon
do wnh ill gra dients while the manua ldri ve pro -
gra mM istemp orarilyacti vated :the automa tic
tra nsmi ssion maysw itch tothe last acti ve
au toma ticdrive pro gramEor S.The automa tic
tra nsmi ssion mayshi ftto ahighe rge ar.Thi s
can reduce theengine'sbra king effect.
He avy and light loads G
WA
RNING
If yo ures tyo ur foo ton the brakepedal
wh ile dri vin g,the braking syste mcan over-
he at. Thisincr easesthe stop ping dista nce
and canevencau sethe braking syste mto
fa il. The reisaris kof an acc ident.
Nev erusethe brakepedalas afoo tres t.
Nev erdepre ssthe brakepedaland the
acc elera tor pedalat the same time.
! Dep
ressing the brakepedalcons tantly
res ults inexce ssive and prematurewe arto
the brakepads.
If the brakes have been subje cted toahe avy
lo ad ,do not stop thevehicleim med iatel y.
Dri veon for asho rtwh ile. Thi sal lo ws the air-
flo wto coo lthe brakes morequ ickl y.
We troad s If
yo uha ve driven foralong tim ein he avyra in
wi thou tbra king ,the rema ybe ade laye drea c-
tio nfro mthe brakes when bra king forthe first
tim e.Thi sma yal so occu raf ter the vehicleha s
be en washe dor driven throughde ep water.
Yo uha ve todepre ssthe brakepedalmor e
fir ml y.Ma inta inagre aterdi sta nce fromthe
veh iclein fro nt.
After drivin gon awe troa dor havin gthe vehi-
cle washe d,bra kefirml ywh ile pa ying atte ntion
to the trafficcond itions .Thi swi llwa rm upthe bra
kediscs ,the reb ydry ing themmor equ ickl y
and protecti ngthe magainst corr osion.
Li mite dbrak ingperf orman ceon salt-
treate droad s If
yo udri ve on salte droa ds,a laye rof saltres i-
du ema yfor mon the brakediscs and brake
pa ds.Th iscan resultin asigni ficantl ylo nge r
bra king dista nce.
R In ord erto pre vent anysaltbu ild-u p,apply
the brakes occa siona lly wh ile pa ying atte n-
tio nto the trafficcond itions .
R Ca ref ully de pre ssthe brakepedaland the
be ginning andend ofajou rney .
R Ma inta inagre aterdi sta nce tothe vehicle
ah ead.
Se rvi cing the brak es !
Th
ebra kefluidlevel maybe too low, if:
R ifthe red brakewarning lamp lights upin
the instrument cluste rand
R youhe ar awa rning tone while the engine
is running
Ob serve additio nal warning mes sage sin the
mu ltifu nctio ndisp lay.
Th ebra kefluidlevel maybe too low du eto
bra kepadwe aror leaki ng bra kelines .
Hav ethe brakesyste mche cked immed i-
ate ly.Co nsu ltaqu alifi ed speci alistwo rk-
sho pto arrange this.
! A
functio nor perfo rma nce testsho uld onl y
be car riedou ton a2-a xle dynam ome ter.If
yo uwi sh toopera tethe vehicleon such a
dy nam ome ter,plea se cons ulta qu alifi ed
sp eci alistwo rksh opinad vance. Youcou ld
othe rwise da ma gethe drive trainor the
bra kesyste m.
! As
the ESP ®
sy ste mopera tes automa ti-
cal ly,the engineand theigniti onmu stbe
sw itch edoff (theSma rtKeymu stbe inpo si-
tio n0092 or0047 inthe igniti onlock), ifthe
el ectr icpa rki ng bra keistes ted onabra king
dy nam ome ter(ma ximum 10second s).
Bra king triggered automa tically by ESP ®
ma ycau sesever eda ma getothe brakesys-
tem.
All che cks and mainte nanc ewo rkon the brake
sy ste mmu stbe car riedou tat aqu alifi ed spe-
cia list wo rksh op. Dr
ivi ng tips
151Dr ivi ng andparki ng Z

For
this reason, inthe event ofhea vyrainor in
condi tions inwhi chhydrop laning mayoccur ,
yo umus tdri ve inthe follow ing manne r:
R low eryour spe ed
R avo idruts
R avo idsud den steer ingmove ments
R bra kecare fully
Dri vin gon floode droads !
Bea
rin mind thatvehicles trave ling infront
or inthe oppositedir ectio ncrea tewa ves.
Thi smay causethe maxi mum permiss ible
wa ter dep thto be excee ded.
Fai lure to obs erve these notes mayresultin
da mag eto the engi ne,electrica lsy stems
and transmi ssion.
If yo uhav eto drive on stretche sof roa don
whi chwater has collected ,ple ase bearin mind
that:
R in the case ofstand ingwater, thewater
lev elmay beno higher than theloweredg e
of the vehi clebod y
R youshou lddri ve no faster than walking pace Win
terdrivi ng G
WARNI
NG
If yo ushi ftdow non asli ppe ryroa dsur face
in an attemp tto increa sethe engi ne's brak-
ing effe ct,the drive whe elscou ldlos ethei r
gri p.The reisan increa seddanger ofskid -
ding andaccidents.
Do not shiftdow nfor additi onal enginebra k-
ing onasli ppe ryroa dsur face . G
DA
NGER
If the exha ustpipeis blo cked oradequ ate
ventil ation isnot possible, poi sonou sga ses
such ascarb onmonoxi de(CO) may enter
the vehi cle. Thisis the case ,e.g. ifthe vehi -
cle beco mestrapped insnow .The reisarisk
of fata linjur y.
If yo ulea vethe engi neorthe auxili ary heat-
ing runni ng,make surethe exha ustpipeand
are aaro und thevehi cleare clea rof snow .
To ensu rean adequ ate supplyoffresh air, ope
nawi ndow onthe sideof the vehi cle
that isnot facinginto thewind.
Have your vehi clewinter-pro ofedataqu alifi ed
spe cialist wor kshop atthe onset ofwinter.
Drive particu larly care fullyon slippe ryroa d
sur face s.Avoid sudden acce leration, steer ing
and braking mane uvers.Do not use cruise
control orActive DistanceAssistDISTR ONIC.
If the vehi clethrea tenstoskid orcannot be
stopp edwhe nmovi ngatlow speed:
X Shift thetransmi ssion topos ition005C.
X Try tobring the vehi cleund ercontrol using
corre ctive steering.
The outsid etempe ratureindi cator isnot
des igne dto serve asan ice-w arningdevi ce
and isthere foreunsu itable forthat purpos e.
Cha nges inthe outsid etempe ratureare dis-
pla yedafte ra shor tdel ay.
Indi cated tempe raturesjust above thefree zing
poi ntdo not guara ntee thattheroadsur face is
free ofice. The roadmay stillbe icy,esp ecia lly
in woo ded areasoron bridge s.
You shou ldpa yspe cialattenti ontoroa dcon-
diti ons whentempe raturesare around freezing
poi nt.
For more informationondriving with snow
chai ns,see (Ypage 308).
For more informationondriving with sum mer
tires ,see (Ypage 307 ).
Obs erve thenotes inthe "Winter operation"
secti on(Ypage 307 ). Off-ro
addrivi ng
Impo rtant safetynotes G
WARNI
NG
If yo udri ve on asteep inclineatan angl eor
turn whendri ving onanincli ne,the vehi cle
cou ldslipsid eways, tip and rollov er. The reis
a risk ofan acci dent.
Alw aysdri ve on asteep inclineinthe line of
fal l(stra ightup ordow n)and donot turn the
vehi cle. Dri
vin gtips
153Drivin gand parking Z

G
WARNING
Flamma blemateria lsuch aslea ves, grass or
twigs mayignite ifthey come intocontact
with hotparts ofthe exhau stsystem. There
is arisk offire.
When drivingon anunpa vedroad oroff-
road ,check thevehicl eunders ideregu larly.
In particu lar,remove trappedpla ntparts or
other flamma blemateria l.Contact aqua li-
fied speci alist worksho pimmed iatelyif dam-
age isdetected.
! There
isarisk ofdama getothe vehicl eif:
R the vehicl ebecome sstuck, e.g.onahigh
curb oran unpa vedroad
R you drive toofast over anobstacl e,e.g. a
curb, aspee dbump orapothol ein the
road
R ahea vyobject strikes theunderb odyor
parts ofthe chassi s
In situa tions likethis, thebody ,the under-
body ,chassi sparts, wheelsor tires couldbe
dama gedwitho utthe dama gebeing visib le.
Comp onents damagedinthis way canunex-
pectedl yfail or,inthe case ofan accide nt,
no longer withsta ndthe loadsthey are
desi gned to.
If the underb odypanel ingisdama ged,com-
bus tible materia lssuch aslea ves, grass or
twigs cangather betweenthe underb ody
and theunderb odypanel ing.Ifthese materi-
als come incontact withhotparts ofthe
exhau stsystem, theycancatch fire.
In such situations, havethevehicl echecked
and repa iredimmed iatelyat aqua lified spe-
cial istworksho p.Ifon continuing yourjour-
ney you notice thatdrivingsafety is
impa ired,pul lover andstop thevehicl e
immed iately,pay ing attention toroad and
traffic conditions. Insuch cases, consult a
qua lified speci alist worksho p.
The vehicl eis only designed foreasi lynegotia -
ble off-road terrainandpoor roadsurfaces.
When drivingoff-road ,sub stances suchas
sand, mudandwate ror wate rmixed withoil
may getinto thebrakes .This couldresu ltin a
redu cedbraki ngeffect orintotal brake failure
and alsoin increas edwea rand tear. Thebrak-
ing chara cteristics changedepending onthe
materia lentering thebrakes .Cle anthe brakes
after drivingoff-road .If you detect aredu ced braki
ngeffect orgrindi ngnoises ,have the
brake system checked inaqua lified speci alist
worksho pas soon aspossi ble.Adapt your
drivi ngstyle tothe differ entbraki ngchara cter-
istics.
Driving off-road increasesthe likel ihoo dof
dama getothe vehicl e,whi ch, inturn, canlead
to fail ure ofthe mechani calasse mbly orsys-
tems. Adapt yourdrivi ngstyle tosui tthe ter-
rain conditions. Drivecarefu lly.Have damage
to the vehicl erectified immediatelyat aqua li-
fied speci alist worksho p.
Do not shift intotransmissi onposi tion 005C
when drivingoff-road .You couldlose control
of the vehicl eif you attempt tobrake thevehi-
cle using the service brake.Ifthe grad ientis
too steep foryou rvehicl e,drive backdownin
reverse gear.
Gene ralnote s H
Envi
ronmental note
Protection ofthe environment isof prima ry
importa nce.Treatnature withrespe ct.
Observe allprohi biting signs.
Rea dthis section carefullybefore drivingyou r
vehicl eoff-road .
Off-road drivingisonly possi blewith the
ON&OFFROAD package.
The followi ngdrivi ngsystems arespeci ally
ada pted fordrivi ngover easilynegotia bleoff-
road terrain:
R Off-road program(Y pag e170)
R Off-road ABS(Ypag e60)
R Off-road 4ETS(Ypag e64)
R Off-road ESP®
(Y pag e66)
R DSR (Downhi llSpeed Regulation)
(Y pag e169)
Observe thefollowi ngnotes:
R Stop thevehicl ebefore starting todrive
alo ng anoff-road route.Ifnecessa ry,acti-
vate theoff-road program(Y pag e132) .
R To avoi ddama gingthevehicl e,make sure
there isalw ayssuffi cient groundclea rance.
R Che ckthat items oflug gage andloadsare
stowed safelyand arewellsecure d
(Y pag e256).
R Alwa yskeep theengine running andingea r
when drivingon adow nhill gradient. Acti-
vate DSR (Ypag e169) . 154
Drivi
ngtipsDrivi ngand parking

R
Driv eslow lyand evenly,if nece ssaryat a
wa lking pace.
R Ensu retha tthe wheelsarein conta ctwith
the ground atalltime s.
R Driv ewi th extre mecareon unf amilia roff -
roa drou tes where visibility ispo or. For
sa fety reasons ,ge tou tof the vehiclefir st
and surve ythe off-roa drou te.
R Ch eck thedepth ofwa ter befor efor ding riv-
ers and streams.
R Wa tch outfor obsta cles.
R Take car ewh en turning onanuphillor
do wnh ill sl op eor wh en drivin gacr oss a
sl op e.The vehiclecou ldothe rwise tip ove r.
R Alw ayskee pthe side windo wsand thepan-
ora ma roofwi th powe rtil t/sl iding panel
clo sed durin gthe journey .
R Do not devia tefro mma rked routes.
R Do not usethe HOLD functio nwh en drivin g
off -roa d,on stee pup hillor downh ill gra di-
ents oron slip pe ry or loose surfa ces .The
HOLD functio ncanno thol dthe vehicleon
su ch surfa ces .
Ch eckli st before driv ingof f-ro ad X
En gine oille ve l:che ckthe engineoille vel
and addoilif nece ssary.
Wh endrivin gon stee pgra dients ,the engine
oi lle vel mustbe sufficie ntly high toens urea
corr ectoilsu pp lyin the vehicle.
X Whe elsand tires:che ckthe tire trea d
de pth and tirepressu re.
X Ch eck fordama geand remove anyforeign
ob jects ,e.g .sma llstone s,fro mthe wheels/
tire s.
X Re place anymissing valve cap s.
X Re place dented ordama gedwh eels.
X Rims :de nted orbent rim scan resultin a
lo ss oftire pressu reand dama gethe tire
be ad.Befo redrivin goff -roa d,che ckthe
wh eelsand replace the mifnece ssary.
Ch eckli st afte rdriv ingof f-ro ad !
If
yo ude tect dama getothe vehicleaf ter
dri vin goff -roa d,have the vehicleche cked
imm ediatel yat aqu alifi ed speci alistwo rk-
sho p.
X Dea ctivate off-roa dpro gram(Y page 132) .
X Dea ctivate DSR (Ypage 169 ). X
Clea nthe headlamps andrearlights and
che ckfor dama ge.
X Clea nthe frontand rearlicens eplate s.
X Clea nthe wheelsand tireswi th awa ter jet
and remove anyforeign objects .
X Clea nthe wheels,wh eelhou sings and the
veh icleund erside wi th awa ter jet; checkfor
any foreign objects anddama ge.
X Ch eck wheth ertwi gsorothe rpa rts ofplants
ha ve become trapped.The seincr ease the
ris kof fireand candama gefuel pipe s,bra ke
hos esorthe airbe llow sof the axlejoi nts
and propeller sha fts.
X After thetrip,exa min ewi thou tfa ilthe entire
und erca rriag e, wh eels,tire s,bra kes ,bo dy-
wo rkstru ctur e,stee ring,cha ssisand
exh aust system fordama ge.
X After drivin gin sand, mud,gra vel,wa ter or
si mil ardirty cond itions, have the followi ng
che cked andcleane d:
R bra kediscs
R wh eels
R bra kepads
R axl ejoi nts
X Ifyo ude tect strongvibratio ns after off-roa d
tra vel ,che ckfor foreign objects inthe
wh eelsand drive trainand remove themif
nece ssary.Fore ign ob jects candistu rbthe
ba lance and causevibratio ns.
Driv ingoverpo or roa dsu rfa ces place sgre ater
de ma nds onyour veh icletha ndri vin gon nor-
ma lroa ds.After drivin goff -roa d,che ckthe
veh icle. Thi sal lo ws youto detect dama ge
pro mptl yand reduce theriskof an acc ident to
yo ursel fand othe rroa dus ers .
Dri ving on san d Ob
ser vethe followi ng ruleswh en drivin gon
sa nd:
R Activ atethe off-roa dpro gram(Y page 132 ).
R Avoi dhigh eng inespee ds.
R Use theleft-ha ndstee ringwh eelpa dd le
shi fter toshi ftto alowe rge ar appro priate to
the terrain. Dr
ivi ng tips
155Dr ivi ng andparki ng Z

R
Driv equ ickl yto ove rcom ethe rolling res ist-
ance .Othe rwise the vehicle's wheelscou ld
be come stuckinloose ground .
R Driv ein the tracks ofothe rveh icles ifpo ssi -
bl e. Ma kesure tha t:
- the tire ruts arenot too deep.
- the sand issu fficie ntly firm.
- the ground clearance ofthe vehicleis su f-
fic ient.
Tire ruts andgrav elroad s !
Ch
eck thatthe ruts arenot too deep and
tha tyo ur veh icleha ssu fficie ntcle arance .
Othe rwise, your veh iclecou ldbe dama ged
or bottom outand getstu ck.
Ob ser vethe followi ng ruleswh en drivin galong
ru ts inoff -roa dterr ain or on roa dswith loose
gra vel:
R Activ atethe off-roa dpro gram(Y page 132 ).
R Avoi dhigh eng inespee ds.
R Shi ftto alowe rge ar using the left-ha nd
stee ringwh eelpa dd leshi fter .
R Driv eslow ly.
R Wh ere ruts aretoo deep,dri ve with the
wh eelsof one side on the cente rgra ssy
ar ea ,if po ssi ble. Trave
ling uphi ll
App roac h/depa rture angle G
WA
RNING
If yo udri ve on astee pincl ine atan ang leor
tur nwh en drivin gon anincl ine,the vehicle
cou ldslip side wa ys,tip and rollover .The reis
a ris kof an acc ident.
Alw aysdri ve on astee pincl ine inthe line of
fa ll(s tra ight up ordown) and donot turnthe
veh icle.
R Ob ser vethe warnings foroff-roa ddri vin g
(Y page 153 ).
R Fol low the line offallwh en drivin gon slop es
and steepincl ines.
R Befo redrivin gon extre meuphilland down-
hi llgra dients ,sel ect the off-roa dpro gram
(Y page 132 ).
R Driv eslow ly. R
Accel erategently and makesure tha tthe
wh eelsaregri pping .
R Avoi dhigh eng inespee ds,exce ptwh en driv-
ing onsandy and muddyrou tes with high
dri vin gres istance .
R Use theleft-ha ndstee ringwh eelpa dd le
shi fter toshi ftto alowe rge ar appro priate to
the gradient.
R Use theleft-ha ndstee ringwh eelpa dd le
shi fter toshi ftinto alowe rge ar ingo od time
on long and steepdo wnh ill gra dients .
Hil lsta rtas sist willai d yo uwh en pulling away
on ahill. For furthe rinfo rma tionab ou thi ll
sta rtas sist, see (Ypage 128 ).
Do not shiftinto transmi ssion positio n005C
wh en drivin goff -roa d.Yo ucou ldlose contro l
of the vehicleif yo uatte mpt tobra kethe vehi-
cle using the servicebra ke. Ifthe gradient is
too stee pfor your veh icle, dri ve back down in
rev ers ege ar.
Alw aysob ser vethe appro ach /de partu reang le
va lues (Y page 342 ).
Maxi mum gradient-c limbi ngcapabi lity Alw
aysob ser vethe maxim um gradient climb-
ing ability values (Y page 342 ).
Hil ltops Wh
endrivin gup anuphillgra dient, slig htl y
red uce pressu reon the accelera tor imm edi-
ate lybe for erea ching the browof the hill.
Ma keuseof the vehicle's ownimp etusto
tra vel ove rthe brow.
Thi ssty leof dri vin gpre vents :
R the vehiclefro mlifting offthe ground onthe
bro wof ahill
R the vehiclefro mtra vel ing too quickl ydo wn
the othe rsi de
Dri ving dow nhill R
Driv eslow ly.
R Do not drive atan ang ledo wn stee p
incl ines.Stee rinto theline offalland drive
wi th the frontwh eelsalig ned straight. Oth-
erw ise, the vehiclecou ldslip side wa ys,tip
and rollover .
R Shi ftto alowe rge ar using the left-ha nd
stee ringwh eelpa dd leshi fter befor etackl ing
stee pdo wnh ill gra dients . 15
6 Dr
ivi ng tipsDrivi ng andparki ng