MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV 2020 Owners Manual

Setting
the entering and exiting le vel (AIR‐
MATIC)
Re quirements:
R The engine is running.
R The vehicle is moving at speeds below
30 km/h.
Multimedia sy stem:
4 © 5
Settings
5 Schnellzugriff (Quick access)#
Select Lower when entering On.
The vehicle is lo weredto low le vel -2 tofacili‐
ta te entering and exiting.
% The availability of this function depends on
th eve hicle equipment.
% Further information on AIRMATIC
(/ page 262). Lo
weri ng and raising there ar of theve hicle &
WARNING Risk of entrapment from vehi‐
cle lo wering
When lo wering theve hicle, other people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure no one is underneath the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of
th e wheel ar ches when theve hicle is
being lo wered. Re
quirements:
R allvehicle doors are closed
R there is no trailer coupled
R there is no bicycle rack fitted
R the battery is suf ficiently charge d (if neces‐
sar y,start the engine) Lo
weri ngthere ar of theve hicle #
Apply the electric parking brake. #
Shift the transmission toposition j
(/ page 206). #
Pull switch 1inthe load compartment trim
brief ly.
Indicator lamp 2flashes until theve hicle
has been lo wered. 268
Driving and parking

The
vehicle is lo wered at there ar axle by
appr ox. 40 mm. When theve hicle has been
lo we red, indicator lamp 2remains lit.
Lo we ring is inter rupte d in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R ave hicle door is opened.
R switch 1is pulled again.
R theve hicle is being driven fasterthan
2 km/h.
% The vehicle is automatically set tothe le vel
of the selected drive prog ram if you drive at
speeds greater than 2 km/h.
If indicator lamp 2flashes twice and there ar of
th eve hicle does not lo wer: #
Make sure that there qu irements are met.
% Lowe ring there ar of theve hicle allo wsthe
ve hicle tobe loaded more easil y.Obser ve
th e no tes on loading theve hicle when doing
th is (/ page132).
Ra ising there ar of theve hicle #
Che ckifth e battery is suf ficiently charge d. If
necessar y,start the engine. #
Pull switch 1briefly.
Indicator lamp 2goes out.
The vehicle will be raised tothe cur rently
selected le vel.
% The vehicle is automatically set tothe le vel
of the selected drive prog ram if you drive at
speeds greater than 2 km/h.
If th eve hicle cannot be raised: #
Ensure that the battery is suf ficiently
ch arge d; if necessar y,start the engine.
The raising process continues. E-
AC TIVE BODY CONT ROL Fu
nction of E- ACTIVE BODY CONT ROL
E- AC TIVE BODY CONTROL is an electrohydraulic
suspension sy stem with variable damping for
impr oved driving comfort. The all-round le vel
control sy stem ensures the best possible sus‐
pension and const ant ground clearance, even
with a laden vehicle. When driving at speed, the
ve hicle is lo wered automatically toimpr ovedriv‐
ing saf ety and toreduce fuel consum ption. The
suspension setting is adjus ted depending on thero
ad sur face, vehicle load and the drive program
selected.
The ROAD SUR FACE SCAN function de tects
areas of une venness in thero ad before you drive
ove rth em bymeans of a multifunction camera.
This reduces chassis mo vements.
The damping is adju sted individually toeach
wheel and depends on thefo llowing factors:
R Driving style, e.g. sporty
R Road condition, e.g. bumps
R Drive program
E- AC TIVE BODY CONTROL is comprised of the
fo llowing functions and components:
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: ROAD SUR FACE SCAN
R Cur veinclination function CURVE
R Recovery mode
R Individual wheel control
R Air suspension with auto matic level control
R Speed-dependent lo wering toreduce fuel
consum ption Driving and parking
269

R
Manual le vel adjustment
R ADS PLUS: Adaptive Damping Sy stem with
const ant adjustment of damping characteris‐
tics
R DYNA MIC SELECT switch and le vel button
Suspension setting and vehicle le vel per
drive prog ram
Drive program C
R The suspension setting is firm er.
R The vehicle is set toSport le vel.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is deactivated.
R The cur veinclination function is deactivated.
Drive program B
R The suspension setting is evenfirm er.
R The vehicle is set toSport + le vel.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is deactivated.
R The cur veinclination function is active.
Drive prog ram A
R The suspension setting is comfor table.
R The vehicle is set tothe normal le vel. R
When driving at speeds abo veappr oximately
14 0 km/h, theve hicle is lo wered.
R When driving at speeds below appr oximately
40 km/h, theve hicle is raised.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is active.
R The cur veinclination function is deactivated.
Drive program £
R The suspension setting is very comfor table.
R The vehicle is set tothe normal le vel.
R When driving at speeds abo veappr oximately
14 0 km/h, theve hicle is lo wered.
R When driving at speeds below appr oximately
40 km/h, theve hicle is raised.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is active.
R The cur veinclination function is active.
Drive program N
R The suspension setting is com fortable.
R The vehicle is set tothe normal le vel.
R When driving at speeds abo veappr oximately
14 0 km/h, theve hicle is lo wered. R
When driving at speeds below appr oximately
40 km/h, theve hicle is raised again.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is active.
R The cur veinclination function is active.
Drive prog ram ;
R The suspension setting is comfor table.
R The vehicle is set tothe normal le vel.
R When driving at speeds abo veappr oximately
14 0 km/h, theve hicle is lo wered.
R When driving at speeds below appr oximately
40 km/h, theve hicle is raised again.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is deactivated.
R The cur veinclination function is deactivated.
Drive program F
R The suspension setting is suitable for easily
negotiable off-road terrain.
R The vehicle is set tooff-road le vel +1.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is deactivated.
R The cur veinclination function is deactivated. 270
Driving and pa rking

R
When the necessary conditions are met,
re co very mode and individual wheel control
can be activated.
R Vehicles without Off-road pac kage:
- When driving at speeds abo veappr ox‐
imately 80 km/h theve hicle is lo wered.
- When driving at speeds below appr ox‐
imately 45 km/h, theve hicle is raised.
R Vehicles with Off-road pac kage:
- When driving at speeds abo veappr ox‐
imately 115 km/h, theve hicle is lo wered.
- When driving at speeds below appr ox‐
imately 75km/h, theve hicle is raised.
Drive program G
R The suspension setting is suitable for dif ficult
off-road terrain.
R The vehicle is set tooff-road le vel +1.
R When driving at speeds abo veappr oximately
80 km/h, theve hicle is lo wered.
R When driving at speeds below appr oximately
45 km/h, theve hicle is raised.
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN is deactivated. R
The cur veinclination function is deactivated.
R Recovery mode or individual wheel control
can be activated.
Drive program =
R You can call up individual suspension set‐
tings here.
Ope ration with a trailer or bicycle rack
If th e electrical connection has been cor rectly
es tablished tothe trailer or bicycle rack:
R Drive program A,;,£,N,
=, CandB: theve hicle remains at
normal le vel ir respective of speed.
R The cur veinclination function is deactivated.
R Drive prog ram F andG: theve hicle
adopts the normal le velst arting from a
speed of 30 km/h. Le
vel dif fere nces compared tothe normal
le vel Ve
hicle
le vel Ve
hicles
without Off-
ro ad pac kage Ve
hicles with
Off-road pack‐
age
Car wash Appr ox.
+90 mm Appr
ox.
+90 mm
Off-road
le ve l +3 Una
vailable Appr ox.
+90 mm
Off-road
le ve l +2 Una
vailable Appr ox.
+60 mm
Off-road
le ve l +1 Mercedes-
Maybach
vehi‐
cles: appr ox.
+50 mm
All other mod‐
els: appr ox.
+60 mm Appr
ox.
+30 mm Driving and parking
271

Ve
hicle
le vel Ve
hicles
without Off-
ro ad pac kage Ve
hicles with
Off-road pack‐
age
Spor tA pprox.
-15 mm App
rox.
-15 mm
Spo rt+A pprox.
-25 mm App
rox.
-25 mm Fu
nction of ROAD SUR FACE SCAN
% This function is not available in all countries.
The ROAD SUR FACE SCAN function monitors the
ro ad in front of your vehicle using a multifunc‐
tion camera (/ page 224).ROAD SUR FACE
SCAN de tects une venness in thero ad sur face,
e.g. bu mps, before theve hicle drives overth em.
Chassis mo vements are reduced and driving
comfort is increased.
RO AD SUR FACE SCAN is automatically activated
if th efo llowing conditions are me t:
R Drive prog ram A orN is selected.
R The vehicle is set tothe normal le vel. R
You are driving at a speed between 7 km/h
and 180 km/h.
Sy stem limits
RO AD SUR FACE SCAN can be impaired in the
fo llowing situations or can stop functioning:
R Ifth e car riag ewa y is insuf ficiently lit, e.g. at
night.
R In sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in great lyvarying
light conditions.
R Ifth e windscreen in the area of multifunction
camera is dirty, mis ted up, damaged or cov‐
ered.
R Ifth ero ad sur face has no optic stru cture or
re flects light.
R Ifyo u are driving too close totheve hicle in
front.
R If sections of thero ute ha veave ry small
ra dius of cur vature.
R During ab rupt driving manoeuvres, e.g. heavy
braking or sudden acceleration. Obser
vethe no tes on cleaning the multifunction
camera (/ page 369).
Fu nction of reco very mode &
WARNING Risk of inju rydue totheve hi‐
cle moving up and down
During reco very mode, theve hicle mo ves up
and down and can cause injuries. #
When activating reco very mode, make
cer tain that no one is in the vicinity of
th eve hicle. *
NO
TERisk of dama gedue totheve hicle
moving up and down When free driving mode is activated,
the
ve hicle mo ves up and down. Vehicle parts
may be damaged if the underbody bottoms
out. #
Make sure that there is suf ficient
ground clearance when rocking free
mode is activated. 272
Driving and pa rking

Re
covery mode is a function of the suspension
which can assist the driver on loose sur faces
(e.g. sand, snow) when freeing a vehicle which
has become stuc k.
The vehicle body rock s in slo w,vertical motions
when reco very mode has been activated. This
te mp orarily puts the wheels under greater load,
which means they have inc reased traction and
th eve hicle is freed.
Yo u can activate free driving mode via Off- road
Assist (/ page276).
Fu nction of individual wheel control &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
due totheve hicle lo wering
The vehicle can be lo wered when the individ‐
ual wheel control function has been activa‐
te d. Body parts could become trapped if they
are between theve hicle body and the tyres
or underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure that nobody is under the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of th
e wheel ar ches when individual wheel
control is activated. *
NO
TERisk of dama gedue totheve hicle
moving up and down The
vehicle can be lo wered or raised on one
or more wheels when the individual wheel
control function has been activated. Vehicle
parts could be damaged due tocontact wi th
objects. #
Make sure that theve hicle has suf fi‐
cient room tomo vewhen the individual
wheel control function has been activa‐
te d. Individual wheel control is a function of
the sus‐
pension, which can be used toset theve hicle
le ve lfo r each wheel individually. This can help to
impr ove alignment of the body when driving off-
ro ad.
Yo u can activate individual wheel cont rol via Off-
ro ad Assist (/ page276). Ad
justing the vehicle le vel (vehicles with E-
AC TIVE BODY CONT ROL) &
WARNING Risk of accident because
ve hicle le vel is too high
Driving characteristics may be impaired.
The vehicle can drift outwards, forex ample,
when steering or cornering. #
Choose a vehicle le vel which is suited
to the driving style and thero ad sur face
conditions. &
WARNING Risk of entrapment from vehi‐
cle lo wering
When lo wering theve hicle, other people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure no one is underneath the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of
th e wheel ar ches when theve hicle is
being lo wered. Driving and parking
273

&
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
due totheve hicle lo wering
Ve hicles with AIRMATIC or le vel control:
when you unload luggage or lea vetheve hi‐
cle, theve hicle firs trises slightly and then
re turns tothe set le vel shortly af terw ards.
Yo u or an yone else in the vicinity of the
wheel ar ches or the underbody could thus
become trapped.
The vehicle can also be lo wered af ter being
loc ked. #
When leaving theve hicle, make sure
th at nobody is in the vicinity of the
wheel ar ches or the underbody. Re
quirements:
R The vehicle has been star ted.
R Vehicles without Off-road pac kage: the
ve hicle is being driven no fasterthan
65 km/h.
R Vehicles with Off-road pac kage:
- Off-road le vel +1: theve hicle is not mov‐
ing fast erthan 100 km/h. -
Off-road le vel +2: theve hicle is not mov‐
ing fast erthan 65 km/h.
- Off- road le vel +3: theve hicle is not mov‐
ing fast erthan 20 km/h.
Ra ising theve hicle (vehicles without Off-
ro ad pac kage) #
Push rocker switch 1forw ards.
Indicator lamp 2flashes while theve hicle is
being raised and lights up continuously when
it has finished rising.
Yo ur selection is sa ved. The off-road le vel set
re mains stored even af terth e ignition has been
switched off.
The vehicle is lo wered again in thefo llowing sit‐
uations:
R When driving fasterthan 80 km/h.
R When driving brief ly between 65 km/ h and
80 km/h.
R After selecting a dif fere nt drive program
using theDY NA MIC SELECT switch.
The vehicle is adjus tedto the height of the
active drive prog ram.
Lo weri ngtheve hicle (vehicles without Off-
ro ad pac kage) #
Pull rock er switch 1.
The vehicle is adjus tedto the height of the
active drive program.
Operation with a trailer or bicycle rack274
Driving and pa rking

If
th e electrical connection has been cor rectly
es tablished tothe trailer or bicycle rack:
R From appr ox. 30 km/h: off-road le vel +1 can
be selec ted, rega rdless of drive program.
R From appr ox. 30 km/h: theve hicle is adjus‐
te dto normal le vel,re ga rdless of drive pro‐
gram. Ra
ising theve hicle (vehicles with Off-road
pac kage) #
Push rocker switch 1forw ards.
R Off- road le vel +1: one indicator lamp 2
lights up continuously when theve hicle
has finished rising.
R Off-road le vel +2: two indicator lamps 2
light up continuously when theve hicle
has finished rising. R
Off-road le vel +3: thre e indicator lamps
2 light up continuously when theve hicle
has finished rising.
Yo ur selection is sa ved. The off-road le vel set
re mains stored even af terth e ignition has been
switched off.
The vehicle is lo wered again in thefo llowing sit‐
uations:
R Off- road le vel +3: when driving fasterthan
20 km/h.
The vehicle is lo weredto off-road le vel +2.
R Off- road le vel +2:
- When driving fasterthan 80 km/h.
- When driving brief ly between 65 km/h
and 80 km/h.
The vehicle is lo weredto off-road le vel +1.
R Off- road le vel +1:
- When driving fasterthan 115 km/h.
- When driving brief lybetween 100 km/h
and 115 km/h.
The vehicle is lo weredto the normal le vel. Driving and parking
275

R
After selecting a dif fere nt drive program
using theDY NA MIC SELECT switch.
The vehicle is adjus tedto the height of the
active drive program.
Operation with a trailer or bicycle rack
If th e electrical connection has been cor rectly
es tablished tothe trailer or bicycle rack:
R Uptoappr ox. 20 km/h: off-road le vels +1,
+2 and +3 can be selec ted, rega rdless of
drive program.
R Uptoappr ox. 30 km/h: off-road le vels +1,
+2 and +3 can be selec ted, rega rdless of
drive program.
R From appr ox. 30 km/h: theve hicle is adjus‐
te dto normal le vel,re ga rdless of drive pro‐
gr am.
Lo weri ngtheve hicle (vehicles with Off-road
pac kage) #
Pull rock er switch 1.
R Off-road le vel +3: theve hicle is lo wered
to off-road le vel +2. Two indicator lamps
2 light up continuously when theve hicle
has finished lo wering. R
Off-road le vel +2: theve hicle is lo wered
to off-road le vel +1. One indicator lamp
2 lights up continuously when theve hi‐
cle has finished lo wering.
R Off-road le vel +1: theve hicle is lo wered
to the normal le vel. No indicator lamp 2
lights up when theve hicle has finished
lo we ring.
Yo ur selection is sa ved. The off-road le vel set
re mains stored even af terth e ignition has been
switched off.
Setting Off-road Assist
Requ irements:
R theve hicle is stationar y.
R theve hicle is set tooff-road le vel 1 or 2
R the Off-road or Off-road Plus (only vehicles
with Off-road pac kage ) drive program has
been selected
R the ignition is switched on
R all doors and the bonn etare closed
R the transmission is not engaged in position
j R
there is no trailer coupled
R theve hicle is outdoors
R the de tected la tera l inclination of theve hicle
must not exceed appr ox.15 °
R the sy stem is within its operating temp era‐
ture
R the on-board voltage is suf ficiently high
Multimedia sy stem:
4 © 5
Settings 5
Assistance
5 Offroad Assist
Re covery mode
Re covery mode assi ststh e driver when pulling
aw ay on rough terrain, such as sand or sn ow. #
Select Free driving mode. #
Select Start.
Re covery mode is activated. #
Select Stoptostop reco very mode.
Re covery mode is auto maticallydeactivated in
th efo llowing situations:
R you are actually tr avelling fasterthan
15 km/h 276
Driving and pa rking

R
afte r a running time of 30 seconds
R it is de tected that an object has hit the
underbody of theve hicle hard
R not all conditions are met
% Further information on reco very mode
(/ page 272).
Individual wheel control
Individual wheel control enables theve hicle le vel
to be set separately for each wheel. #
Select Individual wheel control. #
Set theve hicle le velfo rth e desired wheel.
% You can also use theto uchsc reen toset the
le ve lfo r two or more wheels at the same
time. #
Select Resettoset all wheels tothe default
setting.
Individual wheel control is automatically deacti‐
va ted in thefo llowing situations:
R you are tra velling fasterthan 15 km/h
R it is de tected that an object has hit the
underbody of theve hicle hard R
not all conditions are met
% Further information on individual wheel con‐
trol (/ page273). Re
versing camera Fu
nction of there ve rsing camera
If yo u ha veactivated the function in the multime‐
dia sy stem (/ page 283), the image from the
re ve rsing camera is shown in the media display
when there ve rsege ar is engaged. Dynamic
guide lines show the path theve hicle will take
with the cur rent steering angle. This helps youto
orient yourself and toavoid obs tacles when
re ve rsing.
The reve rsing camera is only an aid. It is not a
substitute foryo ur attention tothe sur roundings.
The responsibility for safe manoeuvring and
parking remains with you. Make sure that there
are no persons, animals or objects etc., in the
manoeuvring area while manoeuvring and park‐
ing.
% You can open the co ver of there ve rsing
camera manually (/ page 283). The guide lines in
the media display show the
dis tances to yourvehicle. The dis tances dis‐
pl ay ed only apply toroad le vel.
Depending on theve hicle equipment, you can
select from thefo llowing vie ws:
R Normal view
R Wide-angle view
R Trailer view
The area behind theve hicle is displa yed as a
mir ror image, as in the inside rearview mir ror.
Ve hicles without Parking Assist PARKTRONIC
The following camera vie wsare available in the
multimedia sy stem: Driving and parking
277