warning MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owners Manual

play. The set distance to
aslower-moving
vehicle in fron twill then not be maintained.
You will be drivin gatthe speed you deter-
mine by the position of the accelerator
pedal.
Activating when driving towar dsasta-
tionary vehicle
If the vehicl einfront of yo uisstationary, you
can onl yactivate DISTRONI CPLUSo nce your
vehicl eisstationary as well.
X Briefl ypullt he cruis econtr ollever towards
you ?or press it up :or down A.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
i DISTRO NIC PLUS can only be activate dat
under 30 km/h if avehicle in front has been
detected. Therefore, the DISTRONIC PLUS
distance display in the instrumen tcluster
should be activated (Y page 245).
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
up : or down Auntil the desired speed
is set.
i You can use the cruise control lever to set
the stored speed and the control on the
cruise control lever to set the specified
minimum distance (Y page 180).
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up astored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger yoursel forothers by uninten-
tionally triggering sudden acce leratio nor
braking.
X Briefly pull the cruise contro llever towards
you ?.
X Remov eyour foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DI ST RONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the curren tspeed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value. Displa
ywhen DISTRO NICP LUS is activa-
ted DISTRONIC PLU
Sdisplays in the speedometer
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or
two segments ;in the set speed range light
up.
i For desig nreasons ,the speed displayed
in the speedometer ma ydiffer slightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLU S.
If DISTRONIC PLUS dete ctsav ehicle in front,
segments ;between speed of the vehicle in
front :and stored speed =light up. Distanc
edisplay with DISTRONIC PLUS activated
in the multifunction display
: DISTRONIC PLUS activated
; Own vehicle
= Specified minimu mdistanc etothe vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
? Vehicle in front, if detected
In the Assistanc emenu (Y page 24 4)of the
on-boar dcompu ter,you can select the dis-
tanc edisplay. Drivin
gsystems
177Drivingand park ing Z

X
Select the Distance display function
using the on-b oard computer
(Y page 245).
i Youw ills ee the stored speed for about
five seconds when you act ivate DISTRONIC
PLUS.
Drivin gwithD ISTRONI CPLUS Pullin
gaway
X If the vehicle in fron tpullsa way: remove
you rfoot from the brake pedal.
X Briefl ypull the cruise control lever
(Y page 176 )towards you.
or
X Accelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapt sits
speed to that of the vehicle in front.
Driving G
WARNING
If you depres sthe brake, DI STRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
DISTRONIC PLUS then no longe rbrake syour
vehicle. In such cases, control the distance
from vehicles travelling in front with the brake
alone. You coul dotherwis ecause an accident
and thereby injure yourself and others. The
driver remains fully responsible for the vehi-
cle's distance from other vehicles, the speed
being driven and for braking in good time.
If there is no vehicle in front ,DISTRONIC
PLUS operate sinthe sam eway as cruise
control.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detect sthat the vehicle
in front has slowed down, it brakes your vehi-
cle. In this way ,the distanc eyou have selec-
ted is maintained.
If DI STRONIC PLUS detects afaster-moving
vehicle in front ,itaccelerates your vehicle,
but only up to the speed you have stored. Changing lanes
If you wis
htochange to the passin glane (in
countries where traffic drives on the right, the
passing lane is the left-hand lane), DIS-
TRONIC PLUS supports you if:
R you are driving faster than 60 km/h.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is maintainin gthe dis-
tan cetoav ehicle in front.
R you switc honthe appropriate tur nsignals.
R DISTRONIC PLU Sdoes not detec tadanger
of collision.
If these conditions are met, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted
if changin glanes takes too long or if the dis-
tanc ebetween your vehicle and the vehicle in
front becomes too small. G
WARNING
DI ST RONIC PLUS and Active Blind Spot Assist
are only an aid designed to assist driving.
The ydon ot relieve you of the responsibility
of payin gattention. The driver remains fully
responsibl efor the vehicle' sdistance from
other vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for
braking in good time. Always pay attention to
traffic conditions and your surroundings. Oth-
erwise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, cause an accident and injur eyourself
and others.
Vehicles with COMAND Online
i The following function is not operational
in all coun tries.
DI ST RONIC PLUS uses additional information
from your navigation syste msothat it can
adapt to cer tain traffic situations. This is the
case if, while following avehicle, DI STRONIC
PLUS is active and you:
R approach or drive around aroundabout
R approach aTjunction
R turn off at amotorway exit
Even if the vehicle in front leaves the detec-
tion range, DI STRONIC PLUS temporarily
maintains the current driving speed and does 178
Driving systemsDrivin
gand parking

not accelerate. Thi
sisbasedonthe current
map data in the navigation system. Example: roundabout
The current speed is maint
ained:
R approximatel y10second sbefore the
roundabout/T junction and for approx-
imatel y1.5 second swhend riving on the
roundabout
R approximatel y12second sbefore reaching
am otorwa yexita nd approximatel y4sec-
onds after the motorwa yexit
Afterwards ,the vehicle accelerates bac kto
the set speed you specified.
Stopping G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated.
DISTRONIC PLUS must also never be oper-
ated, activated or deactivated by apassenger
or from outside the vehicle.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not replace the elec-
tric parkin gbrake and mus tnot be used for
parking.
The DI STRONIC PLUS brakin geffect is can-
celle dand the vehicl ecan start movin gif:
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated using the
cruis econtrol lever.
R you accelera te.
R there is amalfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g. bat-
tery failure. R
the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the batter yorthe fuses ar etam-
pered with.
R the batter yisdisconnected.
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it,
deactiva teDISTRONIC PLUS and secure the
vehicle agains trolling away.
If DI STRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in fron tisstopping, it brakes your vehicle until
it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
i After atime, the electric parkin gbrake
secure sthe vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
i Depending on the specifie dminimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to astandstill
at as ufficient distance behind the vehicle
in front .The specifie dminimum distance is
set using the control on the cruise control
lever.
The electric parkin gbrake secure sthe vehicle
automatically if DI STRONIC PLUS is activated
and:
R the driver's doo risopen and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off ,unles sitisa uto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R as ystem fault occurs.
R the powe rsupply is not sufficient.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there
is am alfunction, the transmission may also
be automatically shifted into position P. Driving systems
179Drivingand parking Z

or
X
Briefl ypres sthe cruise con trol leve rinthe
direction of arrow =.
Variable SPE EDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
When you deactivate DI STRONIC PLUS, the
DISTRONIC PLU Soff message is show
nin
the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel-
erate to overtake, DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
R you engag ethe electric parkin gbrake or if
th ev ehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake.
R you are driving slower than 25 km /hand
there is no vehicle in front ,orifthe vehicle
in front is no longer detec ted.
R ESP ®
intervenes or if you deactivat eESP®
.
R the transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition.
R the vehicle is near aradio telescop efacility
(Y page 380).
R you switch off the radar senso rsystem
(Y page 249).
R you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger doo rorone of the rear doors is
open.
R you activate DSR.
R you activate off-road program 2onvehicles
with the ON&OFFROA Dpackage.
R the vehicle has skidded.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear awarning tone. The DISTRONICP LUS off message is show
ninthe multifunction
displa yfor approximately fiv eseconds.
In the Assistanc emenu (Y page 24 4)of the
on-boar dcompu ter,you can select the dis-
tanc edisplay. Distance display when DISTRONI
CPLUS is deacti-
vated
: Vehicl einfront, if detected
; Distance indicator: curre ntdistanc eto
the vehicle in front
= Specified minimum distanc etothe vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
? Own vehicle
X Select the Distancedisplay function
usin gthe on-boar dcompu ter
( Y page 24 5).
Tips for driving with DISTRO NICP LUS Genera
lnotes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traf ficc ondition sinwhich you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. DI STRONIC PLUS is then
deactivated. Driving systems
181Drivingand park ing Z

Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLU
Smay mistakenly detect
vehicles that are crossin gyour lane .Activat-
ing DISTRONIC PLUS at traffi cligh ts with
crossing traffic, for example, could cause
your vehicle to pull away unintentionally. Leve
lcon trol (vehicle switht he
ON&OFFROA Dpackage)
Importan tsafety notes Leve
lcontrol adapts the vehicle level auto-
matically to the current operating and driving
situation. Thi sresults in reduced fuel con-
sumption and improved handling.
Make changes to the vehicle level whil ethe
vehicle is in motion. Thi senable sthe vehicle
to adjus ttothe new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level ma ychange visibly if you
par kthe vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperatur edrops, th evehi-
cle level lowers; with an increase in temper-
ature, the vehicle level rises.
If you unloc kthe vehicle or open adoor, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant leve lchanges, e.g. after the vehi-
cle has been stationar yfor along period, the
engin emust be on. For safety reasons, the
vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed .Lowering is interrupted if adoor is
opened; it con tinues once the doo rhas been
closed. G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody is near the wheel arch
or vehicle underside when you make achange
to the vehicle level. Otherwise, you or others
ma ybet rapped. G
WARNING
Always select as lo wavehicle level as possi-
ble. If the vehicle level is high, the vehicle
centre of gravity shifts upwards. This increa-
ses the risk of the vehicle tipping over.
Adapt your driving style to suit the vehicle
level. ESP ®
can notreduce the risk of an acci-
dent if you driv etoo fast .ESP ®
cannot over-
ride the laws of physics.
! When driving on extremely roug hterrain,
select ahigh vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance to prevent damage to the vehi-
cle.
For information about drivin goff-road, see
(Y pag e166).
Basi csettings The exten
ttowhich the vehicle is raised or
lowered depend sonthe basic setting selec-
ted.
Select:
R Highway/high-spee dlevel for driving on
normal roads
R Off -road level 1for drivin goneasily nego-
tiable off-road terrain
R Off-road level 2for drivin gonnormal off-
roa dterrain
R Off -road level 3for freeing the vehicle from
especially difficult off -road terrain at low
speeds
The individual vehicle levels differ from high-
way level as follows:
R Highway level: +/– 0mm
R High-speed level: –15 mm
R Off-road leve l1:30mma bove highway
level Driving systems
183Drivingand parking Z

R
Off-road level 2: 60 mm abov ehighway
level
R Off-road level 3: 90 mm above highway
level
Highway/high-speed level !
Make sure there is enough ground clear-
ance when the vehicle is being lowered .It
could oth erwise hit the ground, damaging
the underbody. :
Selector wheel
; To raise the level
= Indicator lamps
? To lowe rthe level
X Star tthe engine.
X Selector wheel : engaged:
brieflypress
selecto rwheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
If one or mor eindicato rlamps =are on:
X Turn selector wheel :anti-clockwise ?
until all indicator lamps =that are lit start
to flash.
The vehicle is lowered to highway level. As
soon as the next lowes tlevel is reached,
the indicator lam pstops flashing and goes
out.
While the adjustment is taking place, ames-
sage appears in the multifunction display,
e.g.: If you press the
%ora button on the
multifunction steerin gwheel, the message
will disappear.
Onc ehighway level has been reached, all indi-
cator lamps =go out. You will see amessage
in the multifunction display, for example: The vehicle automatically select
shighway
level if you are drivin gataspeed above
11 5k m/ horify ou drive at between
10 0k m/ hand 11 5km/ hfor aroun d20sec-
onds. The vehicle is lowered to high-speed
level if you are travelling at higher speeds.
Off-road levels G
WARNING
Off-road level 3isnot perm itted for use on
public roads. Off-road leve l3gives your vehi-
cle avery high centr eofgravity. This increa-
se st he risk of the vehi clet ippin gover.
R Onl yselec toff-road level 3for drivin goff-
road in particularl yrough terrain.
R Adjust your drivin gstyle to the altered han-
dling charac teristics.
R Do not drive faster than 20 km/h.
R Avoid sudden majo rsteering movements.
R Take account of th ealtered handling char-
acteristics.
Only select an off-road level if this is appro-
priate for road conditions. Otherwise, fuel 184
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin gand parking

If yo
udrive above 20 km/h at off-roa dlevel 3,
you will see the following message shown in
red in the multif unctio ndisplay: You also hear
awarning tone. The vehicle is
lowered.
i You cannot clear these messages.
Off-road level 3iscancelled.
If you continue to increase your speed, the
red message continues to be shown in the
multifunction displ ay.T he newl yset level is
not displayed until the vehicle has been set
to alevel suitable for the curren tspeed.
If you maintain or reduc eyour speed, you will
see amessage shown in white while the vehi-
cle is being lowered, such as: The vehicle is lowered to off-road level 2.
Once off-road level 2has been reached, you
will see amessage in th emultifunction dis-
play, for example: If you sele
ctan off-road level when driving at
too high aspeed, the Please reduce speed message appears in the mult
ifunction
display.
You can select the following:
R Off-road leve l1atspeeds up to
10 0k m/h
R Off-road level 2atspeeds up to 65 km/h
R Off -road leve l3atspeeds up to 20 km/h
If you are drivin gabove 80 km/ hordrive
between 65 km/h and 80 km/h for longer
than 20 seconds ,off-roa dlevel 2will be can-
celled. The vehicle is lowered to off-road
level 1.
You will see amessage in the mul tifunction
display, for example: If you are drivin
gabove 11 5km/ hordrive
betwee n100 km/h and 115 km/h for longer
tha n20s econds ,off-road level 1will be can-
celled. Dependin gonthe vehi cle's speed and
the AD Smode selected (Y page 188), the
vehicle is automatically lowered to highway
or high-speed level.
You will see amessage in the multifunc tion
display, for example: 186
Driving systemsDriving and parking

HOL
Dfunction
Gen eral notes Th
eH OLD function ca nassist the driver in the
foll owing situations:
R when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when manoeuvrin gonsteep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD
function is deactivated when you depress the
accelerator peda ltop ull away.
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R the vehicle is stationary.
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R the driver' sdoor is closed or if your seat
belt is fastened.
R the electric parkin gbrake is released.
R thet ransmission is in position D,Ror N.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
Activatin gthe HOL Dfunction X
Make sure that th eactivation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal. X
Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until HOLD display
:appears in the multi-
function display.
Th eH OLD func tion is activated. You can
release the brake pedal. i
If depressing the brake pedal the first
tim edoes not activate the HOL Dfunction,
wait briefly and then try again. G
WARNING
The vehicle's brakes are applied when the
HOLD function is activated. For this reason,
deactivate the HOLD function if the vehicle is
to be set in motion by other means (e.g. in a
car wash or by towing).
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R you accelerate and the transmission is in
position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position P.
R you apply the brakes again with acertain
amount of pressur euntil HOLD disappears
from the multifunctio ndisplay.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric
parkin gbrake.
R yo ua ctivate DISTRONIC PLUS.
i After atime, the electric parkin gbrake
secure sthe vehicle and relieves the service
brake. G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when the HOLD
func tion is activated.
The HOL Dfunction must never be operated
or deactivated by apassenger or from outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD function does not replace the elec-
tric parking brake and must not be used for
parking.
The braking effect of the HOLD function is
cancelled and the vehicle could roll away if:
R the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator pedal or the
brake pedal.
R there is amalfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply ,e.g. bat-
tery failure. Driving systems
187Drivingand parkin g
Z

selected (Y
page 188), the Ac tiveCurve Sys-
tem also changes the setting.
If you select ADS comfort mode:
R rolling movement is reduced in the event of
changing surface undulations.
R the roll angle when cornering is reduced.
R the driving style is agile.
If you select ADS sport mode:
R the roll angle is reduced significantly.
R the driving style is even more agile.
Leve lcontrol Import
ants afety notes
Leve lcontrol adapts the vehicle leve lauto-
matically to the current operating and driving
situation. This results in reduced fuel con-
sumption and improved handling.
If you select ADS comfort mode
(Y page 188), the vehicle is lowered to high-
spee dlevel as the speed increases. As the
vehicle decelerates, the vehicle is raised back
up to highway level.
If you select ADS sport mode (Y page 188),
the vehicle skips highway level and lowers
directly to high-speed level dependin gonthe
basic setting (Y page 189).
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level ma ychange visibly if you
par kthe vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehi-
cle level lowers; with an increase in temper-
ature, the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open adoor, the
vehicle begins to compensat efor load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant leve lchanges, e.g. after the vehi-
cle has been stationary for along period, the
engin emust be on. For safety reasons, the
vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed .Lowering is interrupted if adoor is opened; it con
tinues once the doo rhas been
closed. G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody is near the wheel arch
or vehicle underside when you make achange
to the vehicle level. Otherwise, you or others
ma ybet rapped. G
WARNING
Always select as lo wavehicle level as possi-
ble. If the vehicle level is high, the vehicle
centre of gravity shifts upwards. This increa-
ses the risk of the vehicle tipping over.
Adapt your driving style to suit the vehicle
level. ESP ®
cannot reduc ethe risk of an acci-
dent if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot over-
rid ethe laws of physics.
! When driving on extremel yrough terrain,
select ahigh vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance to prevent damage to the vehi-
cle.
For information abou tdriving off-roa d, see
( Y page 166).
Basic settings
The exten ttowhich the vehicle is rai sedor
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted. Select raised level for off-road driving or
highway/high-spee dlevel for normal roads.
The indiv idua lvehicle levels differ from high-
way level as follows:
R Highway level: +/ –0mm
R High-speed level: –15 mm
R Raised level: +60 mm
Raise dlevel
Only select raise dlevel if this is appropriate
for the road conditions. Otherwise, fuel con-
sumption may increase and handling may be
affected. Driving systems
189Drivingand parking Z

PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
PARKTRONI Cisonly an aid and may not
detect all obstacles .Itisnotas ubstitute for
attentive driving.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwis eendanger
yourself and others. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visual lyand
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically if
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmissio ntoposition D,Ror N
R release the electric parkin gbrake
PARKTRONIC is deactivate datspeeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds.
PARKTRONI Cmonitor sthe area around your
vehicle usin gsix sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper. :
Example: sensors in the front bumper,
left-han dside Range of the sensors Genera
lnotes
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush; otherwise, they may not func tion cor-
rectly. Clean the sensor sregularly, taking
car enot to scratc hordamage them
(Y page 327). Side view
Top view
Front sensors
Centre approximately 100 cm
Corners approximately 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre approximately 120 cm
Corners approximately 80 cm
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars. PARK-
TRONIC does not detect such objects when
they are in the immediate vicinity of the Driving systems
191Drivingand parking Z