MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owners Manual

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

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

X
Start the eng ine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicat or lamp;flashes. Th evehicle rises
to raised level.
While th eadjustmen tistaking 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 ethe vehicle has reached raised level,
indicator lamp ;remain slit. The Vehicle rising message disappears from the multi-
function display.
If you try to select raised level at aspeed
above 65 km/h, the Please reduce speedmessage appears.
Highway/high-speed level
! Make sure there is enough groun dclear-
ance when the vehicle is being lowered. It
could otherwise hit the ground, damaging
the underbody. X
Star tthe engine.
If indicator lamp ;is lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes. The vehicle is
adjustin gtohighway/high-speed level.
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 ehighwa ylevel has been reached, indi-
cator lamp ;goes out. The Lowering mes-
sage disappears from the multifunction dis-
play.
The vehicle automatically selects highway
level if you are driving at aspeed above
80 km/ horifyou drive at aspeed between
65 km/ hand 80 km/h for around 20 sec-
onds .Depending on the ADS settin gselected
(Y page 188), the vehicle is lowered to high-
speed level at high speeds. 190
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

vehicle. Yo
ucould dam aget he vehicle or
the objects.
The sensor smay not detect snow and
objects which absorb ultrasonic sources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, alorry's compressed-air brakes
or ap neumatic drill, coul dcause PARK-
TRONI Ctom alfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not fun ctioncorrectly on
uneven terrain.
Minimum distance Centre approxima
tely 20 cm Corners approximately 15 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, the
relevan twarning displays light up and awarn-
ing ton esounds. If th edistanc efalls below
the minimum, the distanc emay no longer be
shown.
Warning displays The warning displays show the distan
ce
between th esensor sand the obstacle. The
warning display for the fron tarea is located
on th edashboard above the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is in the
roof lamp in the rear compartment. Warning display for the front area
: Segments on the left-hand side of the
vehicle
; Segments on the right-hand side of the
vehicle
= Segments sho wingoperational readiness The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into fiv
eyellow and two red seg-
ments. PARKTRONI Cisoperational if yellow
segment sshowing oper ational readiness =
light up.
The selected transmission position and the
direction in which the vehicle is rolling deter-
mine which warning display is activ ewhen the
engin eisrunning. Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling back-
wards Rea
rand front areas
activated P
No area
sactivated One or more segment
slight up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you wil lhear an
intermitten twarnin gtonef or approx-
imately two seconds.
R seven thsegment onwards, you will hear a
warnin gtonef or approximately two sec-
onds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimu mdistance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC :
Indicator lamp
; To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC 192
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin gand parking

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

Problems wit
hPARKTRONIC Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning display sare lit.
Yo ua lso hear awarning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately 20 seconds,
and the indicator lamp
in the PARKTRONIC
button lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at aqualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning display sare lit.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vate dafter approx-
imatel y20seconds. The PARKTRONI
Csensors are dirt yorthere is interference.
X Clean the PARKTRONI Csensors (Y page 327).
X Switch the ignition back on. The problem may be caused by an exter
nalsource of radio or
ultrasoun dwaves.
X See if PARKTRONIC functions in adifferent location. Active Parking Assist
Important safet ynotes Active Parking Assist is an electronic parking
aid with ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to
measure the road on both sides of the vehicle.
As uitable parking space is indicated by the
parking symbol. Activ esteering intervention
can assis tyou during parking. You ma yalso
use PARKTRONIC (Y page 191). When PARK-
TRONIC is switched off, Active Parking Assist
is also unavailable. G
WARNING
Active Parkin gAssist is merely an aid and may
sometimes recommen dparking spaces that
are not suitable for parking. For example,
these might be spaces where parking is pro-
hibited ,driveways, unsuitabl esurfaces, etc.
Active Parking Assis tmeasures the parking
space as you driv epast it. Any later changes to the parking space are not taken into
account .For insta nce,this ma ybethe case
when the vehicle parked in front of or behind
the space changes its position or when an
obstacle is moved int othe parkin gspace.
Active Parking Assist does not reliev eyou of
the responsibilit yofpaying attention. If you
rely solel yonA ctive Parkin gAssist ,you could
cause an accident and injure yourself and oth-
ers.
You are always responsible for safet yand
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings whe nparking and
manoeuvring. G
WARNING
Objects located above the heigh trange of
Active Parking Assis twill not be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking 194
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin gand parking

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

the turn si
gnal on the driver' sside is activa-
ted. If you wish to park in aspace on the driv-
er' ss ide, the indicator on the driver' sside
must remain on. This must remain switched
on until you acknowledge the use of Active
Parking Assist by pressin gthe a button
on the multifunction steeri ngwheel.
When aparking space has been detected, an
arrow towards the right or the left also
appears. :
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Activ eParking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 1. 5mwide
R that are at least 1. 3mlonger than your
vehicle
Ap arking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 15 maway from it.
Parking G
WARNING
PARKTRONI Cand Activ eParking Assist are
merely parking aids and may not detec tall
obstacles. They do not reliev eyou of the
responsibili tyof paying attention.
You are alway sresponsible for safet yand
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings whe nparking and
manoeuvring. You could, otherwise, endanger
yourself and others. X
Stop the vehicle when the parking space
symbol shows the desired parking space in
the instrumen tcluster.
X Shif tthe transmission to position R.
The Star tPark Assist? Yes: OK No: %
message appe arsint he multifunction
display.
X To cancel th eprocedure: press the
% button on the multifunction steering
whee lorp ull away.
or
X To par kusing Active Parking Assist:
press the abutton on the multifunction
steeri ngwheel.
The Park Assist active Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. G
WARNING
When parking, you need to make sure that no
obstacles are located in the vicinit yofthe
vehicle during the entire operation .Active
Parkin gAssist does not reliev eyou of the
responsibilit yofpaying attention. It merely
aids you by intervenin gactivel yinthe steer-
ing.
To stop the vehicle or avoid an accident you
need to apply the brakes yourself.
X Let go of the multifunction steerin gwheel.
X Reverse the vehicle, being ready to brake
at all times. When reversi ng,don ot exceed
as peed of approximately 10 km/h; other-
wise Active Parking Assist will be deactiva-
ted.
i In tight parking spaces, you will achieve
the best parking result sbybackingupas
far as possible .When doing so, also
observe the PARKTRONIC messages.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sound sthe
continuous warnin gtone, if not before.
Manoeuvring ma yberequired in tight park-
ing spaces.
The Park Assist active Select D Observe surroundings message appear
sin
the multifunction display. 196
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin gand parking

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