trailer MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 User Guide

vehicl
eisladen or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you wil lmake use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the loa don
the brake syste mand prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additiona lbraking, depress the
brake peda lrepeatedly rather than continu-
ously.
You can set avariable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speedlimits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term spee drestric-
tions, e.g. when driv ingw ith winter tyres
fitted (Y page174)
i Thes pee dindicated in the spe edometer
ma ydiffer slightly from the limit speed
sto red.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC Cruise control lever
:
To acti vate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the curren tspeed/last
stored speed
? To acti vate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC. X
To switch between variable SPEED-
TRONIC and cruise control/DISTRONIC
PLUS: press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;on the cruise control
lever indicates which function you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp ; off:
cruise control
or DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp ; on:
variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/ hwhile
the engin eisrunning.
Activating variable SPEEDTRONIC
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the spee dtoany speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly pres sthe cruise con trollever
up : or down ?.
The curren tspeed is stored and shown in
the multifunction display.
The segment sinthe multifunction display
light up from the star tofthe scal euptot he
stored speed.
Activating at th ecurren tspeed/last
store dspeed G
WARNING
Only select astored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for the
current driving and traffic situation. Other-
wise ,sudden braking could endanger you or
others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
Setting aspeed
X Press the cruise contro llev er up :for a
higher speed or down ?for alower speed.
X Keep th ecruis econtr ol leve rpresse duntil
the desired speed is reached. Drivin
gsystems
173Drivingand park ing Z

G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS canno ttake account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONI Cdoes not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
alr eady active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R befor ecorners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to alane with faster moving
traffic
R in comple xdriving situations or where lanes
are diverte d,e.g. at roadworks on amotor-
way
DISTRONIC PLU Sotherwise maintains the
current spe ed setbyyou or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLU Scannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONI CPLUS:
R if th eroads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy .The wheels coul dlose their grip when
brakin goraccelerating .The vehicle could
star ttos kid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poo rvis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLU Sisactivate d.
Otherwise, you ma yfail to recognise dangers
in time, caus eanaccident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brake syourvehicle up to a
maximu mof4m /s2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must als oapply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONI CPLUS detects arisk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermit tent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluste rlights
up. Brak etoavoidac ollision. G
WAR
NING
The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. For this reason, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle is to be set in
motion by othe rmeans (e.g. in acar wash or
by towing).
The radar senso rsystem is automatically
deactivated near radio teles cope facilities
(Y page 38 0).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor syste mmust be activated
(Y page 249 )and operational.
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automati cally helps you maintain the dis-
tanc etot he vehicle detected in front. It
brakes automatically in orde rtoavoid
exceedi ngthe set speed.
On long and stee pdownhil lgradients, espe-
ciall yifthe vehicle is laden or towing atrailer,
yo um ust select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time. By doing so, you will make use of the
braking effec tofthe engine. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
If DI STRONIC PLUS detects aslower-moving
vehicle in front ,your vehicle is braked in order
to maintain the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If ther eisnov ehicle in front ,DISTRONIC
PLUS operate sinthe sam eway as cruise
control in the spee drange between
30 km/h and 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in fron tofyou, DI STRONIC operates in the
speed range betwee n0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not us eDISTRONIC PLUS on roa dswith
steep gradients. Driving systems
175Drivingand parking Z

R
the electrica lsystem in thee ngine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you leave the vehicl eorpark it, deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activa-
ted and:
R the driver' sdoor is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engin eisswitched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop func tion.
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
automatically be shifted into position P.AIRMATIC package
General notes AIRMATIC enables
asuspension tuning set-
ting to be selected and regulates the damping
behaviou rand level of your vehicle. The sys-
tem comprises aminimum of two compo-
nents. These are ADS (Adaptive Damping Sys-
tem) (Y page 188 )and level control
(Y page 189) .Your vehicle ma yalso be equip-
ped with the Active Curv eSystem
(Y page 188).
Observe the notes on driving with atrailer
(Y page 226).
ADS (Adaptive Damping System) General notes
ADS adapts th
edamping characteristic sto
the curren toperatin gand driving situation. Thi
sd epends on:
R your drivin gstyle
R the road surface conditions
R the AD Ssetting
R the vehicle level setting
Your selection remains stored even if you
remov ethe key from the igni tion lock. X
Star tthe engine.
Sports tuning
The firmer suspension tunin ginSport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode when employing asporty
drivin gstyle, e.g. on winding country roads.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. You have selec-
ted "Sports tuning". The vehicle is lowered
by 15 mm.
Comfort tuning
In comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. Select
this mode if you prefer amore com fortable
driving style ,but also when drivin gfast on
straight roads, e.g. motorways.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp =lights up. You have selec-
ted "Comfort tuning". The vehicle is raised
by 15 mm.
Active Curve System The Active Curve System uses activ
estabil-
isers to optimis eboth drivin gcomfort and
vehicle agility. Depending on the AD Smode 188
Driving systemsDriving and parking

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

If indicato
rlamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Active Park Assis tisthen also
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you tur nthe key to positi on2in the
ignition lock.
Towing atrailer PARKTRONIC is deactivate
dfor the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between you rvehicle and atrailer.
! Foldint he ball couplin gifthe trailer tow
hitc hisn ot required .PARKTRONIC meas-
ures the minimum dete ction range to an
obstacle from the bumper, not the ball cou-
pling. Drivin
gsystems
193Drivingand park ing Z

procedure is calculated, e. g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. In some cir
cumstances, Active Park-
ing Assist may therefore guide you into the
parking space too early. Thi smay lead to a
collision. For this reason, you shoul davoid
using Active Parking Assist in such situatio ns.G
WARNING
Th ef ront of th evehicle will veer out in the
direc tion of the oncomin gtraffic during the
parking operatio n. Insome cases the vehicle
will also take you onto section softhe oncom-
ing lan eduring the parking procedure.
You are responsible for safety at all times and
must pay attention to any road users
approaching or passing. Stop the vehicle if
necessary or cancel the Active Parking Assist
parking procedure. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
Use Active Parking Assis tfor parkin gspaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same level as the road, e.g.
not on the pavement
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, driv easclosely as possi-
ble past the parkin gspace.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incor rectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lea dtoap arking
space being measured inaccurately.
R pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 192 )warning message sduring the
parking procedure.
R you can intervene in the steering procedure
to correc titatany time. Active Parking
Assist will then be cancelled. R
whe ntransporting aload which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parkin gAssist.
R never use Ac tive Parkin gAssist when snow
chains or an emergenc yspare wheel are
fit ted.
R mak esure that the tyre pressures are
always correct. This has adirec tinfluence
on the parking characteristics of the vehi-
cle.
R the wa yyourv ehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factor s. Theseinclude the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. In some cases, Active Parking
Assist may guid eyou too far int oaparking
space, or not far enough into it. In some
cases, it may also lead you across or onto
the kerb. If necessary, you should abort the
parking procedure with Active Parking
Assist.
R you can also engage forward gear prema-
turely. The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far into the parking space. Should
ag ear be changed too earl ytoa chieve a
sensible parkin gposition ,the parkin gpro-
cedure wil lbeaborted.
! If unavoidable, you should driv eover
obstacles such as kerb sslowly and not at
as har pangle .Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tyres.
Detectin gparking spaces Active Parking Assis
tiss witched on automat-
ically when driving forwards. The system is
operational at speed sofuptoa pproximately
35 km/h. While in operation, the system inde-
pendently locates and measures parking
spaces on both sides of the vehicle. When
driving at speeds below 30 km/ h,you will see
the parking symbol as astatus indicato rinthe
instrumen tcluster. Activ eParking Assist only
displays parking spaces on the front-
passe nger side as standar d.Parking spaces
on the driver' sside are displayed as soon as Driving systems
195Drivingand parking Z

X
Shift the transmissio ntoposition Dwhile
the vehicle is stationary.
Active Parkin gAssist immediately steer sin
the othe rdirection.
The Park Assist active Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i You will achieve the best parkin gresults
by waiting for the steerin gprocedure to
complete before moving forwards.
X Drive forward sand be ready to brake at all
times.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuou swarning tone, if not before.
The Park Assist active Select R Observe surroundings message appears in
the multifunc tion display.
X Further transmission shift smay be neces-
sary.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the Park Assist switched off mes-
sage appears in the multifunc tion display.
PARKTRONIC con tinues to be available.
X Manoeuvre if necessary.
X Always observe the warning message sdis-
played by PARKTRONI C(Ypage 192).
Cancell ingA ctive Parking Assist You can cancel Active Parking Assist at any
time.
X Stop the movemen tofthe multifunc tion
steerin gwheel or steer yourself.
Ac tive Parkin gAssist will be cancelled at
once. The Park Assist cancelled mes-
sage appears in the multifunc tion display.
or
X Press the PARKTRONIC button on the
cen trec onsole (Y page 192).
PARKTRONIC is switched off and Active
Parkin gAssist is immediately cancelled.
The Park Assist cancelled message
appears in the multifunc tion display. Active Parkin
gAssist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R parkin gusing Ac tive Parkin gAssist is no
longe rpossible.
R you ar edriving faster than 10 km/h.
R aw heel spins and ESP ®
intervenes or fails.
The ä warnin glamp lights up in the
instrument cluster.
Aw arning ton esounds. The par king spa ce
sym boldisappear sand the ParkA ssist cancelled messag
eappear sinthe multi-
functio ndisplay.
When Activ eParking Assist is cancelled, you
must steer again yourself.
Towing atrailer For vehicles with
atrailer to whitch, the min-
imum length for parking spaces is slightly
increased.
If yo uhavea ttache datrailer to your vehicle,
yo us houl dnot us eActiv eParking Assist.
Once the electrica lconnection is established
between your vehicl eand the trailer, Active
Parking Assist is no longer available .PARK-
TRONIC is deactivated for the rear area. Reversin
gcamera
Important safety notes Th
er eversing camera is an optica lparking
and manoeuvring aid. It shows the area
behind your vehicle with guide lines in the
COMAND displ ay. G
WARNING
Make sure tha tnopersons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
The reversing camera is in the handle on the
tailgate. Driving systems
197Drivingand park ing Z

:
Reversin gcamera
View through th ecamera Th
ea rea behind the vehicle is displaye dina
mirror-inverted manner, as in the rea r-view
mirror. G
WARNING
The reversin gcamera is only an aid and may
display obstacles in adistorted or incorrect
manner, or may no teven display them at all.
Th er eversing camera does not relieve you of
the responsibility to pay attention. The cam-
era cannot show objects:
R ver ynear to the rear bumper
R belo wthe rea rbumper
R that are located above the tailgate handle
recess
You are alway sresponsible for safet yand
must continue to pay attentio ntoyourimme-
di at es urroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. This applie stothe areas
behind, in front of and nex ttothe vehicle. You
coul dotherwise endang er yourself and oth-
ers. G
WARNING
Under the following circumstances, the
reversing camera will not function, or will
function in alimited manner:
R if the tailgate is open
R in heavy rain, snow or fog
R at night or in very dark places
R if the camer aisexposed to very brigh tlight R
if the area is lit by fluorescen tlight or LED
lighting (the display may flicker)
R if there is asudden change in temperature,
e.g. when driving into aheated garage in
winter
R if the camera lens is dirt yorobstruc ted
R if the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In this
event ,have the camera positio nand setting
checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use
aM ercedes-Benz Servic eCentr efor this
purpose.
Do not use the reversin gcamera in these
types of situation. You could otherwise injure
others or damage objects and your vehicle
while you are parking.
Activating/deactivating the reversing
camera X
To activate: make sure that the key is in
position 2in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the "Reversing camera"
function is selected in COMAND Online
(see the separate operating instructions for
COMAND).
X Engage reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown with
guide lines in the COMAND display. X
To change the function mode: using the
COMAND controller, select symbol :for
the "Reverse parking" function or sym-
bol ;for the "Coupling up atrailer" func- 198
Dri
ving systemsDriving and parking

tion. See the separate COMAND operating
instructi
ons.
The symbo lofthe selected function is high-
lighted.
To deactivate: the reversing camera is deac-
tivated if you:
R shift the transmission to position P
R drive forward ten metres
R shift the transmission from position Rto
anothe rposition (after 15 seconds)
R drive forwards at aspeed of over
10 km/h
Displays in the COMAN Ddisplay G
WARNING
Usin gthe reversing camera can be dangerous
if you ar ecolour-blin dorify our ability to dis-
tinguish colours is impaired.
Only use the reversin gcamera if you can see
and distinguis hbetween all the coloured
guide lines that are displayed by the reversing
camera in the COMAN Ddisplay. G
WARNING
Please note that objects not at ground level
may appea rtobefurther away than they
actually are. Thes einclude:
R the bumper of avehicle that is parked
behind your vehicle
R at railer drawbar
R theb all coupling of atrailer tow hitch
R thet ail-end of alorry
R slanted posts
The lines are only guides, not accurate meas-
urements of the distance to an obstacle.
Therefore, you should never pass the red line
when approachin ganobstacle. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident and injur eyourself
and others. :
Vehicle width includin gexterior mirrors
; Vehicl ewidth including wheel extremities
= Yellow guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 4.0 mfrom th erear area
? Red lane of vehicle width at curren tsteer-
ing whee langle (dynamic)
A Yellow lane of tyres at current steering
wheel angle (dynamic)
B Bumper
C Red guid eline at adistance of approx-
imately 0.2 5mfrom th erear area
D Yellow guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 1.0 mfrom th erear area
E White lane of vehicle width with steering
wheel straight (static)
F Vehicle centre axle (marker assistance)
The guide lines are only shown when the
transmission is in position R.
The distance specification sonly appl yto
objec tsthat are at ground level. Driving systems
199Drivingand park ing Z

Turning the steering wheel
:
Red lane indicating the rout ethe vehicle
will tak ewith the steerin gwheel in its cur-
ren tposition
; Parkin gspace marking
X While the vehicle is at astandstill, turn the
steerin gwheel in the direction of the park-
ing spac euntil the red lane reache sparking
space marking ;.
X Keep the steering wheel in that position
and reverse carefully. Reversing with the steering wheel turned
:
Red lane indicating the route the vehicle
will take with the steering wheel in its cur-
rent position
X Stop the vehicle when it is almost exactly
in front of the parking space.
The white lane should be as close to parallel
with the parking space markin gaspossi-
ble. Drivi
ngto the final position
: White lane at current steerin gwheel angle
; Parkin gspace marking
X Turn the steerin gwheel to the cen trep osi-
tion while the vehicle is stationary. :
Red guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 0.2 5mfrom th erear area
; White lane with steerin gwheel straight
= Endofp arking space
X Reverse carefully until you have reached
the end position.
Red guide line :is then at the end of park-
ing space =.The vehicle is almost parallel
in the parkin gspace.
"Coupling up atrailer" function Thi
sfunction is only available on vehicles with
at railer to whitch. Drivin
gsystems
201Drivingand park ing Z