automatic transmission MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV 2021 Owners Manual

O
Thechild restraint system must not be put
under strain bythe head restraint. Adjust the
head restraints as appropria te.
O Never place objects (e.g. cushions) under or
behind thech ild restraint system. &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of injur y or death due to
objects between the seat sur face and the
ch ild restraint system
Objects between the seat sur face and the
ch ild restraint system could a.ect the function
of the automatic front passenger airbag shut-
o.. #
Do not place any objects between the
seat sur face and thech ild restraint sys-
te m. #
Always make sure that thech ild restraint
system is co rrectly /t ted. #
Set the front passenger seat as far back as
possible and mo vethe seat into the highest
position if possible. #
Fully retract the seat cushion length adjust-
ment. #
Adjust the seat cushion inclination so that the
front ed geofthe seat cushion is in the highest
position and there ar edge of the seat cushion
is in the lo west position. #
Set the seat backrest tothe most vertical
position possible. #
Install thech ild restraint system.
The entire base of thech ild restraint system
must al ways rest on the sitting sur face of the
front passenger seat. #
Always make sure that the shoulder belt strap
is cor rectly routed from the seat belt outlet of
th eve hicle tothe shoulder belt guide on the
ch ild restraint system.
The shoulder belt strap must be routed for-
wa rds and down wards from the seat belt out-
let. #
If necessar y,adjust the seat belt outlet and
th e front passenger seat accordingl y. Child safe
Child safe
ty locks
ty loc ks A
A
ctiv
ctiv ating or deactiv
ating or deactiv ating t
ating the c
he child safe
hild safe ty loc
ty lock f
k for
or
t
t he r
he r ear doors
ear doors &
W WARNING
ARNING Risk of accident and injury due
to leaving children unattended in theve hi-
cle
If ch ildren are leT unattended in theve hicle,
th ey could, in particular:
R open doors, thereby endangering other
persons or road users.
R get out and be struck byoncoming tra1c.
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, forex ample.
In addition, thech ildren could also set the
ve hicle in motion by,fo rex ample:
R releasing the parking brake.
R changing the transmission position.
R starting theve hicle. #
Never lea vechildren unattended in the
ve hicle. 78 78
Occupant saf
ety

A
A
ut
ut omatic anti-dazzle mirr
omatic anti-dazzle mirr or
ors function
s function &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of acid burns and poison-
ing due tothe anti-dazzle mir ror electro-
ly te
Electrolyte may escape if the glass in an auto-
matic anti-dazzle mir ror breaks.
The electrolyte is hazardous tohealth and cau-
ses ir rita tion. It must not come into contact
with your skin, eyes, respiratory or gans or
clo thing or be swallo wed. #
Ifyo u come into contact with electrolyte,
obser vethefo llowing:
R Immediate lyrinse the electrolyte
from your skin with water and seek
medical attention.
R If electrolyte comes into contact with
your eyes, immediately rinse them
th oroughly with clean water and seek
medical attention.
R Ifth e electrolyte is swallo wed, imme-
diately rinse your mouth out thor-
oughl y.Do not induce vomiting. Seek
medical attention immediatel y. R
Immediately change out of clo thing
which has been contaminated with
electrolyte.
R If an allergic reaction occurs, seek
medical attention immediatel y. The inside
rear-view mir ror and the outside mir ror
on the driver's side will automatically go into anti-
dazzle mode if light from a headlamp hits the sen-
sor on the inside rear-view mir ror.
Syst Syst em limits
em limits
The system will not go into anti-dazzle mode if: R theve hicle is switched o..
R Reversege ar is engaged.
R The interior lighting is switched on. F
F
r
ront-passeng
ont-passeng er outside mirr
er outside mirr or par
or parking position
king position
function
function %
The parking position is available only in vehi-
cles with a memory function.
The parking position makes parking easier. In
thefo llowing situations, the front-passenger
outside mir ror will swivel down wards in the direc-
tion of there ar wheel on the front passenger's
side:
R the parking position is stored (/ page 176)
R The front-passenger mir ror is selected
R Reversege ar is engaged.
The front-passenger outside mir ror will mo veback
to its original position in thefo llowing situations:
R You shiT the transmission toano ther transmis-
sion position
R You are tr avelling at speeds greater than
15 km/h
R You press the button forth e outside mir ror on
th e driver's side Light and sight
175
175

Please also obser
vethefo llowing running-in
no tes:
R In cer tain driving and driving saf ety sy stems,
th e sensors adjust automatically while a cer-
ta in distance is being driven aTer theve hicle
has been deli vered or aTer repairs. Full sys-
te m e.ectiveness is not reached until the end
of this teach-in process.
R Brakepads, brake disks and tyres that are
either new or ha vebeen replaced only achie ve
optimum braking e.ect and grip aTer se veral
hund red kilometres of driving. Compensate for
th ere duced braking e.ect byapplying greater
fo rc eto the brake pedal. N
No
ot
tes on op
es on op timised acceler
timised acceler ation
ationIf all necessary
requ irements and activation con-
ditions are ful/lled, the best possible acceleration
can be achie ved from a standstill.
Do not use the optimised acceleration on public
ro ads. Individual wheels could spin and you could
lose control of theve hicle. There is an increased
ri sk of skidding and/or accident. Be sure
toobser vethe saf ety no tes and informa-
tion on ESP ®
(/ page 232). Mo
Mo
ving awa
ving away wit
y wit h op
h optimised acceler
timised acceler ation
ation &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of skidding and having an
accident from wheels spinning
When you use optimised acceleration, individ-
ual wheels could spin and you could lose con-
trol of theve hicle.
If ESP ®
is deactivated, there is a risk of skid-
ding and accident! #
Make sure that no persons or obs tacles
are in the close vicinity of your vehicle. R
R
eq
eq uir
uir ements:
ements:
R theve hicle is run in (/ page 193).
R theve hicle and tyres are in good condition.
R you are on a high-g rip ro adw ay.
R the engine and transmission are at normal
operating temp erature. *
N
NO OTE
TE Increased wear due tooptimised
acceleration When pulling
away with optimised accelera-
tion, all components of the driv etra in are sub-
jected toave ry high load.
This can lead toincreased component wear. #
Do not alw ays pull away with optimised
acceleration. #
Engage theh drive position (/ page 211). #
Movethe steering wheel tothe straight-ahead
position. #
Select the sportiest available drive prog ram
B orC(/ page 207). #
Deactivating ESP ®
(/ page 234). #
Depress and hold the brake pedal /rmly with
yo ur leT foot. #
With your right foot , fully depress the acceler-
ator pedal. 194
194
Driving and parking

R
ShiT the transfer case tothe on-road position
HIGH RAN
HIGH RAN GE
GE.
R Deactivate DSR.
R Lowe rth eve hicle le vel again toa le vel suitable
to thero ad conditions, e.g. tothe normal
le ve l.
R Apply the brakes todry them aTer ford ing.
R Check that the service brake is working nor-
mally aTer a long downhill str etch.
R Clean thefo llowing components every time
aTer driving o.- road:
- licence plate number
- headlamps and tail lamps
- tyres, wheels and wheel ar ches
- underbody
R ATer driving thro ugh sand, mud, water or
gr av el, ha vethefo llowing components
ch ecked and cleaned:
- brake disks and brakepads
- tyres and wheels
- axle joints EC
EC
O st
O st ar
art/st
t/st op function
op function EC
EC
O st
O st ar
art/st
t/st op function
op function
% Depending on the engine, the ECO start/s top
function is not available in all drive prog rams.
Obser vethe status display in the inst rument
display forth is.
Mer
Mer cedes-Ma
cedes-Ma ybac
ybach v
h vehicles:
ehicles: the Glide mode
function is not available.
The engine is switched o. automatically in thefo l-
lowing situations if all vehicle conditions for an
automatic engine stop are met:
R you brake theve hicle toa standstill in trans-
mission position hori.
R V
V ehicles wit
ehicles with a 48 V on-boar h a 48 V on-boar d electr
d electrical sy
ical sys-
s-
t
t em:
em: you depress the brake pedal when tr avel-
ling at a low speed.
If th e system has de tected one of thefo llowing
situations, the engine will not stop:
R you stop at a stop sign and there is no vehicle
in front of you.
R theve hicle that stopped in front of you starts
up again. R
you manoeuvre, turn the steering wheel
sharply or engage reve rsege ar.
% Ifth e system de tects an intelligent stop inhibi-
to r,fo rex ample, a stop sign, the engine will
not stop.
If yo u activate the HOLD function or engage
th e park position j,the engine can be
switched o. in spite of an intelligent stop
inhibitor.
The engine restarts au tomatically in thefo llowing
cases:
R you engage transmission position hork.
R you depress the accelerator pedal.
R theve hicle requ ires an automatic engine start.
R youre lease the brake pedal.
R V
V ehicles wit ehicles wit h a 48 V on-boar
h a 48 V on-boar d electr
d electrical sy
ical sys-
s-
t
t em:
em:
- youre lease the brake pedal on a downhill
gr adient and theve hicle does not roll.
- theve hicle rolls on a downhill gradient and
does not automatically enter glide mode at
20 km/h. Driving and parking
201
201

j
Park position
k Reversege ar
i Neutral
h Drive position
Eng
Eng aging rev
aging rever
erse g
se g ear R
ear R #
Depress the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT le ver upwards past the /r stpoint of
re sis tance. Eng
Eng aging neutr
aging neutr al N
al N #
Dep ress the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT le ver up or down tothe /rst point of
re sis tance.
% ToshiT into neutral iwith theve hicle
switched on, push the selector le ver up or
down for se veral seconds tothe /rst point of
re sis tance.
Subsequently releasing the brake pedal will allow
yo uto mo vetheve hicle freel y,e.g. topush it or
to w it away.
Pr
Pr oceed as f
oceed as f ollow
ollow s if y
s if you w
ou w ant t
ant the aut
he aut omatic
omatic
tr
tr ansmission t
ansmission t o r
o remain in neutr
emain in neutr al
ali
i ev
even if t
en if t he
he
v
v ehicle is switc
ehicle is switc hed
hedo.
o.or t
or t he dr
he dr iv
iver's door is
er's door is
opened:
opened: #
Depress the brake pedal and engage neutral
i when the car is stationar y.
The N permanently active Risk of vehicle roll-
ing messa geappears in the inst rument dis-
pla y. #
Release the brake pedal. #
Switch o. theve hicle. %
Ifyo uth en exitth eve hicle leaving theke y in
th eve hicle, the automatic transmission
re mains in neut rali.
The park position jis automatically re-engaged
as soon as one of thefo llowing conditions is met:
R You switch totransmission position hork.
R You press the button j.
Eng
Eng aging par
aging par k position P
k position P #
Obser vethe no tes on parking theve hicle
(/ page 222). #
Depress the brake pedal until theve hicle
comes toa standstill. #
When theve hicle is at a standstill, press but-
to nj.
When the transmission position display sho ws
j ,th e park position is engaged. If no trans-
mission position display jappears, secure
th eve hicle toprev ent it from rolling away.
% Depending on the situation, it may take a
short time until jis engaged. Therefore,
alw ays pay attention tothe transmission posi-
tion displa y. 210
210
Driving and parking

Pa
rk position jis engaged automatically if one
of thefo llowing conditions is met:
R You switch the stationary vehicle o. in trans-
mission position hork.
R You open the driver's door when theve hicle is
at a standstill or when driving at a very low
speed and the transmission position is hor
k.
R When theve hicle is rolling, you switch if o. in
transmission position hork and bring it to
a standstill.
R You switch o. the engine, bring theve hicle to
a standstill and open the driver's door when
th eve hicle is stationary or when theve hicle is
ro lling and the transmission position is i.
R Engaging park position jautomatically is
re qu ired bytheve hicle.
% Tomanoeuv rewith an open driver's door,
open the driver's door while at a standstill and
engage transmission position hork again. Eng
Eng aging dr
aging dr iv
ive position D
e position D #
Depress the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT le ver down past the /r stpoint of
re sis tance.
When the automatic transmission is in transmis-
sion position h, it shiTsthege ars automaticall y.
This depends, among other things, on thefo llo w-
ing factors:
R The selected drive prog ram
R The position of the accelerator pedal
R The driving speed Manual
Manual
g
gear
ear shiTing
shiTing P
P
er
er manent se
manent se tting (v
tting (vehicles wit
ehicles wit h
hO.-R
O.-R oad
oadpack-
pac k-
ag
ag e or E-A
e or E-A CTIVE BOD
CTIVE BOD Y C
Y CONTR
ONTR OL)
OL)
* NO
NOTE
TEMercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. #
A Activ ctiv ating/deactiv
ating/deactiv ating:
ating:Pullrock er switch 1.
If indicator lamp is lit, manual shiTing is acti-
va ted. The cur rent gear is displ ayed inthe
inst rument displa y. Driving and parking
211 211

T
T
em
em por
por ar
ary se
y se tting
tting #
T
To activ
o activ at
ate:
e: Pull steering wheel gearshiT pad-
dle 1 or2.
Manual shiTing is activated for a short time.
Tr ansmission position pand the cur rent gear
appear in the inst rument displa y. #
T
To deactiv
o deactiv at
ate:
e: Pull steering wheel gearshiT
paddle 2and hold it in place.
Tr ansmission position happears in the
inst rument displa y.
% Topermanently shiT thege ars manually in
drive prog ram = usingthe steering wheel
ge arshiT paddles, select thep setting for
th e transmission. ShiTing
ShiTing #
T
T o
o shiT
shiT up:
up:Pull steering wheel gearshiT pad-
dle 2. #
T
T o
o shiT
shiT do
down:
wn: Pull steering wheel gearshiT
paddle 1. Gear
Gear
shiT
shiT r
recommendation
ecommendation The
gearshiT recommendation assists you in
adopting an economical driving style. #
Ifth ege arshiT recommendation 1appears
next tothe transmission position displa y,shiT
to there commended gear. Using kic
Using kic
kdo
kdown
wn #
Maximum acceler
Maximum acceler ation:
ation:depress the accelera-
to r pedal be yond the pressure point.
To protect against engine overrev ,th e automatic
transmission shiTs up tothe next gear when maxi-
mum engine speed has been reached. Glide mode function
Glide mode function
*
N
NOOTE
TE Mercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. %
Mer
Mercedes-Ma
cedes-Ma ybac
ybach v
h vehicles:
ehicles: the Glide mode
function is not available.
Wi th an anticipatory driving st yle, Glide mode
helps youto reduce fuel consum ption.
Glide mode is characterised bythefo llowing:
R The combustion engine is disconnected from
th e driv etra in and continues torun in neutral. 212
212
Driving and parking

#
Wait until the transfer case shiT opera-
tion is comple te.This function is only
available in vehicles with O.-
ro ad pac kage.
ShiT the transfer case tothe on-road position
HIGH RAN
HIGH RAN GE
GEor into the LLO
O W RAN
W RAN GE
GEo.-road
ge ar.
Do not switch o. the engine during shiT operation
and do not shiT the automatic transmission to
ano ther position.
ShiT
ShiT r
rang
ang es
es
R HIGH RAN
HIGH RAN GE:
GE: Road position for all normal on-
ro ad driving situations
R LO
LOW RAN
W RAN GE:
GE:O.-road gear for driving o.-
ro ad, when ford ing and on steep uphill or
downhill inclines
Properties of theLO W RANGE o.- road gear:
R reduced maximum permissible speed:
50 km/h
R increased tractive po wer R
changing the transmission ratio byafa ctor of
about three
R increased drive torque
Do not use LOW RANGE in thefo llowing situa-
tions:
R when driving on public roads. ShiTing
ShiTing
t
the tr
he tr ansf
ansfer case
er case ShiTing ShiTing
t to t
o t he LO
he LOW RAN
W RAN GE
GEo.-r
o.-r oad
oad g
gear
ear Re
quirements:
R You are not driving on a pa ved or public road.
R The vehicle is stationar y.214
214
Driving and parking

Electr
Electr
ic par
ic parking br
king br ake
ake F
F
unction of t
unction of t he electr
he electric par
ic parking br
king br ak
ake (appl
e (appl ying
ying
aut
aut omaticall
omaticall y)
y) &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of accident and injury due
to leaving children unattended in theve hi-
cle
If ch ildren are leT unattended in theve hicle,
th ey could, in particular:
R open doors, thereby endangering other
persons or road users.
R get out and be struck byoncoming tra1c.
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, forex ample.
In addition, thech ildren could also set the
ve hicle in motion by,fo rex ample:
R releasing the parking brake.
R changing the transmission position.
R starting theve hicle. #
Never lea vechildren unattended in the
ve hicle. #
When leaving theve hicle, alw aysta ke the
ke y with you and lock theve hicle. #
Keep theve hicle key out of there ach of
ch ildren. The electr
The electr
ic par
ic parking br
king br ak
ake is applied if t
e is applied if t he tr
he trans-
ans-
mission is in position
mission is in position j
jand one of t
and one of t he f
he follo
ollowing
wing
conditions is
conditions is ful/lled:
ful/lled:
R The vehicle is switched o..
R The seat belt tongue is not inse rted in the seat
belt buckle of the driver's seat and the driver's
door is opened.
R The transfer case is in the LLO
O W RAN
W RAN GE
GEposi-
tion.
% Toprev ent application: pull the handle of the
electric parking brake (/ page 227).
In t
In t he f
he f ollo
ollowing situations, t
wing situations, t he electr
he electric par
ic parking
king
br
br ak
ak e is also applied:
e is also applied:
R The HOLD function is keeping theve hicle sta-
tionar y.
R Active Parking Assist is keeping theve hicle
stationar y. R
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is bringing
th eve hicle toa standstill.
R In addition, one of t
In addition, one of t he f
he follo
ollowing conditions
wing conditions
mus
mus t be
t be ful/lled:
ful/lled:
- The vehicle is switched o..
- The seat belt tongue is not inse rted in the
seat belt buckle of the driver's seat and
th e driver's door is opened.
- There is a system malfunction.
- The po wer supply is insu1cient.
- The vehicle is stationary for a lengt hy
period.
When the electric parking brake is applied, the
re d! indicator lamp lights up in the inst ru-
ment cluster.
% The electric parking brake is not automatically
applied if theve hicle is switched o. bythe
ECO start/s top function. 226 226
Driving and parking

A
A
ctiv
ctiv ating/deactiv
ating/deactiv ating A
ating Activ
ctive
eTr
Tra1c
a1c Jam Assist
Jam Assist
Multimedia system:
4 © 5
Settings 5
Quick access #
Select ¬. DSR (Do
DSR (Do
wnhill Speed R
wnhill Speed R egulation)
egulation) F
F
unction of DSR (Do
unction of DSR (Do wnhill Speed R
wnhill Speed Regulation)
egulation)
DSR is an aid toassist you when driving downhill.
It ke eps the speed of tr avel at the selected target
speed. The steeper the downhill gradient, the
gr eater the DSR braking e.ect on theve hicle. On
0at st retches of road and uphill gradients, the
DSR brakes theve hicle minimally or not at all.
When DSR is activated and the transmission is in
position h,kori, DSR controls the driving
speed. The targetspeed can be set toava lue
between 2 km/h and 18 km/h. By braking or
accelerating, you can drive at a higher or lo wer
speed than thetarg etspeed at any time.
DSR is deacti vated automatically if you drive at
speeds greater than 45 km/h or select drive pro-
gr am C orB. The îoffmessage then
appears in the multifunction displa y.The status indicator in
the multifunction display disappears.
Yo u also hear a warning tone.
Mer
Mer cedes-Ma
cedes-Ma ybac
ybach v
h vehicles:
ehicles: in drive prog ram
£ ,th e DSR function is lik ewise not available.
Inf
Inf or
ormation on DSR
mation on DSR &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of skidding and accident
when DSR is activated on slippery road
sur faces
If th e driven speed and thetarg etspeed di.er,
th e wheels may lose traction. #
Take into account thero ad sur face and
th e di.erence between the driving speed
and targetspeed before activating DSR. Obser
vethe no tes on driving systems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recognise
dangers (/ page 229).
Yo u are alw aysre sponsible forke eping control of
th eve hicle and for assessing whe ther the downhill
gr adient can be neg otiated. Depending on road
sur face and tyres, DSR may not alw ays be able to
ke ep tothetarg etspeed. Select a targetspeed suitable
forth e environmental conditions and also
apply the brakes yourself if requ ired.
A
A ctiv
ctiv ating/deactiv
ating/deactiv ating DSR (v
ating DSR (vehicles wit
ehicles with
hO.-
O.-
r
r oad
oad pack
pack ag
age or E-A
e or E-A ctiv
ctive Body Contr
e Body Contr ol)
ol)
R
R eq
eq uir
uir ements:
ements:
R You are driving at 40 km/h or slo wer.
If th e cur rent vehicle speed is too high, the
Max. speed 40 km/h message appearsinthe
multifunction displa y.
R You ha venot selected drive prog ram C or
B.
R Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is deactiva-
te d. Driving and parking
249
249