MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owners Manual

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment
available to your vehicle at the time of pub-
lication of the Owner's Manual. Country-
specific deviation sare possible .Please
not ethat your vehicle ma ynot be equipped
with all featur es described. This also
applies to safety-releva ntsystems and
functions.
i Please read the information on qualified
specialist workshops (Y page 24).Running-i
nnotes Important safet
ynotes G
WARNING
New brake pads/lining sonlyh aveo ptimal
braking performanc eafter se veral hu ndred
kilometres. Until then ,compensate for this by
applying greater force to the brake pedal. This
also applies whe nbrake pads/linings or
brak ediscs have been changed. The first 1,500 km
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its
performanc einthe future.
R Therefore, drive at varying speeds and
engin espeeds for the first 1,500 km.
R Avoi dheavy loads on the engine during this
period, e.g. driving at ful lthrottle.
R Change gear in good time, at the latest
when the rev counter needl eis2
/ 3 of the
way to the red area in the rev coun terd is-
play.
R Do not manually shift to alower gear to
brake the vehicle. R
If possible, do not depress the accelerator
pedal past the point of resistanc e(kick-
down).
R Only select shift ranges 3,2or 1whe ndriv-
ing slowly, e.g .inmountainou sterrain.
Af ter1 ,50 0km, yo umay gradually bring the
vehicle up to full road and engine speeds.
i You should also observe these notes on
runnin ginift he engin eorparts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Do not keep any object sinthe driver's foot-
well. If you use afloormat or carpet in the
driver's footwell, make sure that they are cor-
rectly secured and that there is sufficient
clearance for the pedals.
Do not place several floormats on top of one
another.
The object sorfloormats could otherwise get
between the pedals in the event of sudden
braking or acceleration. You may then no lon-
ger be able to brake or accelerate as intended.
This may result in an accident and injury. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. This could cause you
to lose control of your vehicle and cause an
accident.
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performanc euntil it has
reache doperating temperature.
Only set the automatic transmission to the
respective driv eposition swhen the vehicle
is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinnin gthe drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery 138
DrivingDriving and parking

roa
ds. Othe rwise,you could dam aget he
drive train. Key positions
Key g
To remove the key
1 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windscreen wipers
2 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3 To start the engine
i If the key does not belong to the vehicle,
it can still be turned in the ignition lock.
However ,the igni tion will not be switched
on The engin ecannot be started.
KEYLESS-GO Genera
lnotes
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO are equipped with
ak ey featuri ngan integrated KEYLESS-GO
function and adetachable Start /Stopbutton.
The Start/Stop button must be inserted in the
ignition lock and the KEYLESS-GO key must
be in the vehicle.
Pressi ngthe Start/Stop button several times
in successio ncorresponds to the different
key position sinthe igni tion lock .This is only
the case if you ar enot depressing the brake
pedal.
If you depress the brake pedal and press the
Start/S topb utton, the engine starts immedi-
ately. X
Position 0:ifStart/Stop button :has not
yet bee npressed, this correspond stothe
key being removed from the ignition.
X Position 1:pressStart/Stop button :
once.
You can now activate the windscreen wip-
ers, for example.
i If you press Start/Stop button :twice
when in this position, the powe rsupply is
deactivated again.
X Position 2(ignition): press Start/Stop but-
ton :twice.
i If you press Start/Stop button :once
when in this position and the driver' sdoor
is open, the power supply is deactivated
again.
Removing th eStart/Stop button
You can remove the Start/Stop butto nfrom
th ei gnition lock and star tthe vehicle as nor-
ma lusing the key.
i You do not hav etoremov ethe Star t/Stop
butto nfrom th eignition lock when you
leav ethe vehicle.
i It is only possible to switc hbetween KEY-
LE SS -GO mode and key operation whe nthe
transmission is in position P. Driving
139Drivingand park ing Z

X
Remov eStart/Stop button :from ig nition
lock ;.
i When you insert Star t/Stopbutton:
int oignition lock ;,thesystem needs
approximately two seconds recognition
time before you ca nuse Star t/Stop but-
ton :. Startin
gthe engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Never leav ethe engin erunnin ginenclosed
spaces. The exhaust gase scontai ncarbon
monoxide. Inhalin gexhaust fumes consti-
tutes ahealt hhazard and could lead to loss
of consciousness or eve ndeath.
i Vehicles with apetrol engine: the cata-
lytic conver terp reheats for up to 30 sec-
ond safter acold star t.The sound of the
engin emay change during this time.
Automatic transmission X
Shift the transmission to position P.
The transmission position displ ay inthe
multifunction displa yshows P
(Y page 146).
i You can also star tthe engin ewhen the
transmission is in position N.Sta
rting procedur ewith the key X
To star tapetrol engine: turn the key to
position 3in the ignition lock
(Y page 139 )and releas eita ss oon as the
engin eisrunning.
X To star tadiesel engine: turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock
(Y page 13 9).
The % preglow indicator lam pinthe
instrumen tcluster lights up.
X When the %preglow indicator lamp
goes out, tur nthe key to position 3
(Y page 139) and release it as soon as the
engin eisrunning.
i You can start the engine without preglow
if the engine is warm.
i You can also use the touch-star tfunction.
To do this, turn the key to position 3
(Y page 139 )and releas eitimmediately.
Th ee ngine then starts automatically.
Using KEYLESS-GO to start the engine G
WARNING
You rvehicle can be star tedu sing avalid KEY-
LESS-GO key. For this reason, children should
never be left unsupervised in the vehicle.
Always take the key with you when leaving the
vehicle, even if you are only leaving it for a
short time.
i The Start/Stop button can be used to
start the vehicle without inserting the key
into the ignition lock. The key must be in
the vehicle and the Start/Stop button must
be inserted in the ignition lock. This mode
for starting the engine operates independ-
ently of the ECO start/stop automatic
engine start function. 140
DrivingDrivin
gand parking

X
Depres sthe brake peda land kee pit
depressed.
X To star tapetrol engine: press the Start/
Stop button (Y page 139) once.
The engin estarts.
X To start adiesel engine: press the Start/
Stop button (Y page 139)once.
Preglow is activated and the engin estarts. Pulling away
Automatic transmission i
It is only possible to shift the transmission
from position Pto the desired position if
you depress the brake pedal. Only then is
the parkin glock released. If the brake
pedal is not depressed, the DIREC TSELE CT
lever can still be move dbut the parking lock
remains engaged.
X Depress the brak epedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift th etransmissio ntoposition Dor R
(Y page 145).
X Releas ethe brak epedal.
X Carefully depress th eaccele rator pedal.
The electric parki ngbrak e(Ypage 16 1)is
automatically released.
The red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
i The vehicle locks centrally onc eyou have
pulled away .The lockin gknobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time.
You can also deactivat ethe automatic lock-
ing featur e(Ypage 24 9).
i Upshif tstake place at higher engine
speeds after acold star t.This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature mor equickly. Pullin
gaway with atrailer To ensure that you do not roll backwards
when pulling away on an uphill slope, engage
the electric parking brake. X
Press and hol dhandle :.
The electric parking brake continues to
brake and prevent the vehicle from rolling
backwards.
The red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster remains on.
X Depress the accelerator pedal.
X As soon as the vehicle/trailer combination
is held by the driving force of the engine,
release lever :.
The electric parking brake is released.
The red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
Hill star tassist Hill star
tassist helps you when pulling away
forwards or in reverse on an uphil lgradient.
It hold sthe vehicle for ashort tim eafter you
have removed you rfoot from the brake pedal.
This gives you enough tim etomove your foot
from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal
and depress it befor ethe vehicle begin sto
roll. G
WARNING
Neve rleave the vehicle when it is held by hill
star tassist. Af tera pproximately one second,
hill start assist will no longer brak eyour vehi-
cle and it coul droll away. Driving
141Drivingand parking Z

X
Take your foot off the brake pedal.
i Onc eyou have taken your foot off the
brake pedal, the vehicle is held for around
one second.
X Pull away.
Hill star tassist will not func tion if:
R you ar epulling away on alevel road or a
downhill gradient.
R the transmission is in position N.
R the electric parking brak eisapplied.
R ESP ®
is malfunc tioning. ECO sta
rt/stop function
General notes The ECO start/stop func
tion switches the
engin eoff automatically if th evehicle stops
moving.
The engine star tsautomatically when you pull
away again. The ECO start/stop function
thereby helps you to reduce the fuel con-
sumption and emissions of your vehicle.
The ECO start/stop function is activated each
time the engine is switched on. The system is
operational when ECO symbol ¤is shown
in the multifunc tion display.
If the ECO star t/stop func tion is deactivated
(Y page 143), ECO symbol ¤is not
shown. G
WARNING
If the ECO symbol appears in the multifunc-
tion displa ywhen the engin eisswitched off,
the engine was switched off automatically.
However, all vehicle systems remain active. If
you open the door, unfasten your seat belt or
remove your foot from the brake pedal, the
engine will automatically start .The vehicle
ma ybegin moving. There is arisk of accident.
To prevent the vehicle from accidentally pull-
ing away, do not release the brake pedal until
you want to drive on. Do not leave the vehicle until you have
switched off the ignition and secured the vehi-
cle to prevent it from rolling away.
! Always switch the ignition off and take the
key with you when leaving the vehicle.
Automa tice ngine switch-off The ECO start/stop function switches the
engin
eoff automatically in certain situations.
To do this ,the vehicle must brake to astand-
still and the brakes must remain depressed
with the transmission in position Dor N.
The engine is only switched off if:
R the vehicle is at astandstill.
R the outside temperature is withi nthe range
that is suitable for the system.
R the engin eisatnormal operatin gtemper-
ature.
R the set temperature for the vehicle interior
has been reached.
R the batter yissufficiently charged.
R the system detects that the windscreen is
not misted up when the air-conditioning
system is switched on.
R the bonnet is closed.
R the driver' sdoor is closed and the seat belt
is fastened.
i If you shift the transmission from Rto D,
the ECO start/stop func tion is available
again onc ethe ¤ ECO symbol reap-
pear sint he multifunction display.
i The engin ecan be switched off automat-
ically amaximum of three times in succes-
sion. The automatic engine switch-off is
then available again after the ¤ECO
symbol appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
i You can still activate the HOLD function
when the vehicle is stationary, even if the
engine has been switched off automati-
cally. It is then not necessary to continue
applying the brakes during the automatic
stop phase .When you depress the accel- 142
DrivingDriving and parking

erator pedal, the engin
estart sautomati-
cally and the brakin geffect of th eHOLD
function is deactivated. Depress the accel-
erator pedal carefully ,asthe engin emust
be started first.
Automatic engin estart The engi
neis started automatically if:
R you depress the accelerator pedal.
R you release the brakes when in transmis-
sion position Dor N,w hen the HOL Dfunc-
tion is not active.
R the ECO start/stop function is deactivated
by pressing the ECO button.
R the vehicle start storoll.
R the driver's seat belt is removed or the driv-
er' sd oor is opened.
R you shift the transmission to position R.
R you switc htodrive program M.
R yo us witch to an off-road program.
R the brake system requires this.
R the system detect smoistur eont he wind-
screen when the air-conditionin gsystem is
switched on.
R the battery' scharge status is too low.
R the bonnet is opened.
R the temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range.
i Shif ting the transmissio ntoposition P
does not star tthe engine.
Deactiva ting/activa ting th eECO start/
stop function X
To deactivate: press button:.
Indicator lamp ;and the ¤ECO sym-
bol in the multifunction display go out.
X To activate: press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up and the ¤
ECO symbol is shown in the multifunction
display.
If not all conditions are fulfilled, the ¤
ECO symbol is not shown in the multifunc-
tion display. If this is the case, the ECO
start/stop function is not available.
If indicator lamp ;is off, the ECO start/stop
function has been deactivated manually or as
the result of amalfunction. The engine will
then not be switched off automatically when
the vehicle stops.
i The ECO start/stop function is activated
each time the engine is switched on. Driving
143Drivingand parking Z

Problems wit
hthe engine Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Th
ee ngine doe snot
start. The starter motor
can be heard. R
There is amalfunction in the engine electronics.
R There is amalfunction in the fuel supply.
X Before attempting to start the engine again, turn the key in the
ignition back to position 0or press the Start/Stop button
repeatedly until all indicator lamps in the instrumen tcluster go
out.
X Try to start the engin eagain (Y page 14 0).A void excessively
long and frequen tattempt stostartthe engine, as this will drain
the battery.
If the engine doe snot star tafter several attempts:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre. The engine does not
start .The starter motor
can be heard. The
reserve fuel warning
lam pisl it and the fuel
gauge displa yshows 0. The fuel tan
kise mpty.
X Refue lthe vehicle. The engin
edoes not
start. You cannot hear
the starter motor. The on-boar
dvoltage is too low because the battery is too weak
or discharged.
X Jump-start the vehicle (Y page 348).
If the engin edoes not star tdespite attempt stojump-start it:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre. The starter motor was exposed to
athermal load that was too high.
X Allo wthe starter motor to cool down for approximatel ytwo
minutes.
X Try to start the engine again.
If the engine still does not start:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre. 144
DrivingDriving and parking

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Vehicles with
apetrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is
amalfunction in the engine electronics or in amechanical
componen tofthe engin emanagement system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at aqualified specialist
workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz Servic eCentre.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it. The coolan
ttempera-
tur ed isplay is showing
more than 120 †. The
coolant warnin glamp
may also be on and a
warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant
to cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 321). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct
,the radiator fa nmay be faulty. The
coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled suffi-
ciently.
X At coolant temperatures under 120 †, drive on to the nearest
qualified specialis tworkshop, e.g. to aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving on
mountain roads and stop-start traffic. Automa
tict ransmission Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The movement of the pedal smust not be
impaired in any way. Do not keep any objects
in the driver's footwell. Make sure that floor-
mats or carpets are correctly secured and
that there is sufficient clearance for the ped-
als.
Do not place several floormats on top of one
another. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. This could cause you to lose control of your vehicle and cause an
accident. DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmissio npositions The DIRECT SELECT leve
risonthe right of the
steering column. Automa
tict ran smission
145Drivingand park ing Z

P
Park position with parkin glock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive
i The DIREC TSELE CT lever alway sretur ns
to its original position. The curren ttrans-
mission position P,R, Nor Dap pe ars in the
transmission position display
(Y pag e146) in the mult ifunction display.
Transmissi onposition and driv epro-
gram display The current transmission pos
ition and drive
program appear in the multifunction display. :
Trans mission position display
; Driv eprogram display
i Thea rrow sint he transmission position
displa yshow how and int owhich transmis-
sion position syou can chan ge usingthe
DIRECT SELECT lever.
! If the transmission position displa yint he
multifunction displa yisnot working, you
should pull away carefully to chec kwhether
the desired transmission position is
engaged. Ideally, you should selec ttrans-
mission position Dand drive program Eor
S.Don ot restric tthe shift range. Engaging pa
rk position P X
Push th eDIRECT SELECT lever in the direc-
tion of arrow P.
i The automatic transmission shi ftsa uto-
matically int opark posi tion Pif you open
th ed river' sdoor when th evehicle is sta-
tionar yordriving at very lo wspeed ,and the
transmission is in position Dor R.
i If you dep ress th ebrake peda land push
the DIRECT SELECT lever up or dow n,the
parking lock is disengaged and the trans-
mission shifts to neutral N.
If you want to shift from park position P
directly to Ror D,d epress the brak eand
pus hthe DIREC TSELECT lever up or down
past the first point of resistance.
! If the engine speed is too high, do not shift
the automatic transmission directly from
D to R,f rom Rto Dor directly to P.Other-
wise ,the automatic transmission could be
damaged.
Engaging pa rk position Pautomatically Park position
Pis automatically engaged if:
R you switch off th eengine using the key and
remove the key, or if you swi tcho ff the
engin eusingthe Start/Stop button and
open on eofthe front do ors.
R HOL D(Ypage 187) or DISTRONI CPLUS
(Y page 174) bra keyour vehicle until it is
stationar yand at leas tone of th efollowing
condition sisfulfilled:
- there is asystem malfunction.
- there is asevere uphill or downhill slope.
The electric parking brak eisthena lso
applied.
Engaging revers egear R !
Only shif tthe automatic transmission to
R when the vehicle is stationary.
X Push the DIREC TSELECT lever up past the
first point of resistance. 146
Automatic transmissionDrivin
gand parking

Neutral
NwithE CO st art/stop function
act ivated Th
eE CO start/sto pfunctio nswitches the
engin eoff automatically if the vehicle is
braked to astandstill whe ninneutral Nand
th eb rake is still depressed.
For further information on the ECO start/stop
function, se e(Ypage 142).
Shifting to neutra lNX
Push th eDIRECT SELECT lever up or down
to the first point of resistance.
Transmission position Dwith ECO
start/stop function activated The ECO start/stop fun
ction switches the
engin eoff automatically if th evehicle is
braked to astandstill when in transmission
position Dand the brake is still depressed.
For further information on the ECO start/stop
function, see (Y page 142).
Shifting to transmissio nposition D X
Push the DIRECT SELECT lever down past
the first point of resistance. Transmission position display
The curren ttransmission positio niss hown in
th em ultifunctio ndisplay. :
Transmission position
The arrows in the transmission position dis-
play show how and int owhich transmission
positions you can change usin gthe DIRECT
SELECT lever. !
If the transmission position displa yinthe
multifunction displa yisnot working, you
should pull away car efullytoc heckwhether
the desired transmission position is
engaged. Select transmission position D.
Do not restrict the shift range. Transmissio
npositions B
Park position
This prevent
sthe vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Do not
shift the transmission int oposition
P (Y page 160) unless the vehicle
is stationary.
The automatic transmission shifts
to Pautomatically if you:
R remove the key
R switc hoff th eengine whe ninR
or Dand open one of the front
doors C
Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. Automatic transmission
147Drivingand parking Z