stop start MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owner's Manual

G
WARNING
Make sure tha tother road user sare not
endang ered by your braking.
Downhill gradients On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing
atrailer,
yo um ust select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time.
i This als oapplies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Never depress the brak epeda lconti nuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by apply ingc onstant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the brakin gdistance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately ,but
drive on for ashort while. This allow sthe air-
flo wtoc ool the brakes mor equickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet road surface If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from th ebrake swhen brak-
ing for the first time. This ma yalso occur after
the vehicle has been washed. You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain
agreater distance from the
vehicl einfront.
After driving on awet road or havin gthe vehi-
cle washed, brake firml ywhile paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm
up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protectin gthem against corro-
sion.
Limited braking perfo rmance on salt-
treated roads G
WARNING
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause adelay in the
braking effect ,resultin ginas ignifican tlyl on-
ger brakin gdistance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
R occasionally brake carefully, without put-
ting other road users at risk, when you are
drivin gons alted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain agreater distance to th evehicle
ahead and driv ewith particular care.
R carefully apply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake discs.
New brake pads/linin gs G
WARNING
New brak epads/linings only reach their opti-
mum braking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before this optimum brak-
ing effect is reached, you shoul dcompensate
for the reduced brakin geffect by applying
greate rpressure when braking .This also
applies after the brake discs or the brake
pads/linings hav ebeen replaced.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brak epads/linings Driving tips
163Drivingand parking Z

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

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

cons
umption may incr easeand handling per-
formance may be affected. X
Start the engine.
X Selecto rwheel : en
gaged: briefly press
selector wheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To raise: turns elector wheel :clock-
wise ;.
The vehicle is raised.
or
X To lower: turns elector wheel :anti-
clockwise ?.
The vehicle is lowered.
Indicator lamps =for the desired off-road
level flash:
R Off-road level 1: thel ower indicator lamp
flashes.
R Off-road level 2: thel ower and centr eindi-
cator lamps flash.
R Off-road leve l3:allthree indicator lamps
flash.
The vehicle is being adjusted to the off-road
leve lselected. As soon as an off-road level is
reached, the corresponding indicator lamp
stops flashing and lights up constantly.
Whil ethe adjustment is taking place, ames-
sage appears in the multifunction display,
e.g.: The vehicle rises from highway level to off-
road level 1.
If you press the %ora button on the
multifunction stee ring wheel, the message
will disappear.
i Up to off-road level 2, you can hid ethe
messages usin gthe % ora button
on the multifunction steering wheel.
Onc eoff-roa dlevel 2has been reached, you
will see amessage in th emultifunction dis-
play, for example: Lower and
centre indicator lamps =areo n.
While the adjustment from off-ro adlevel 2to
off -ro ad level 3istaking place, you will see a
message such as the following in the multi-
function displ ay: The
Max. speed 20 km/h message draws
your attentio ntothe maximum speed permit-
ted for off-road level 3.
Onc eoff-roa dlevel 3has been reached, you
will see amessage shown in whit einthe mul-
ti fu nction display, for example: Driving systems
185Drivingand pa rking Z

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

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

9
:
Press and hold:
R
In the Audio menu: select
sthe
previous/next station or selects
an audio track or avideo scene
using rapid scrolling
R In the Tel (telephone) menu:
starts rapid scrolling through the
phone book a R
Confirms selection/display mes-
sage
R In the Tel (telephone) menu:
switches to the telephone book
and starts dialling the selected
number
R In the Audio menu: stops the
station search func tion at the
desire dstation Right control panel
~ R
Rejects or ends acall
R Exit stelephone book/redial
memory 6 R
Makes or accepts acall
R Switches to the redial memory W
X R
Adjusts the volume 8 R
Mute Back button
%
Press briefly:
R
Back
R Switches off LINGUATRONIC
R Hides display message sorcalls
up the last Trip menu function
used
R Exit sthe telephone book/redial
memory %
Press and hold:
R
Calls up the standar ddisplay in
the Trip menu
Multifunction display
Values and settings as well as display mes-
sages are shown in the multifunction display. :
Time
; Outside temperature or speed
(Ypage 246)
= Description field
? Menu bar
A Driv eprogram
B Transmission position
X To sho wmenu bar ?:press the =
or ; button on the steering wheel. 236
Displays and operationOn-board computer and displays

You can place your mobile phone in the
mobile phone bracket (Y
page 310), or set
up aB luetooth ®
connection to the audio sys-
tem or COMAN DOnline(see the separate
operating instructions).
i You ca nobtain fur ther information about
suitabl emobile phones and connecting
mobile phones via Bluetooth ®
:
R in any Mercedes Ben zServic eCentre
R on the Internet at http://
www.mercedes-benz.com/connect G
WAR
NING
Observe the lega lrequir ements of the country
in which you are cur rently drivin gregarding
the use of mobile phones in the vehicle.
If it is permitted to use mobile phones while
the vehicle is in motion, you should only use
the mw hen the roa dand traffic conditio ns
allow. Otherwise, you may be distrac tedf rom
th et raffic conditions, caus eanaccident and
injure yourself and others.
X Switch on the mobile phone and audi osys-
tem or COMAND Online (see the separate
operating instructions).
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing whee ltoselect the Tel men
u.
Yo uw ills ee one of the following display mes-
sage sint he multifunction display:
R Please enter PIN :t
he mobile phone has
been placed in the mobile phone bracket
and the PIN has not been entered.
X Enter the PIN usin gthe mobile phone, LIN-
GUATRONIC ,the audio system or
COMAN DOnline.
The mobil ephone will search for anetwor k.
R Telephon eready or th
ename of the net-
work provider: the mobile phone has found
an etwor kand is ready to receive.
R Telephone No Service :non
etwor kis
available, or the mobile phone is searching
for anetwor k. Accepting
acall If someone call
syou when you are in the
Tel menu,
adisplay message appears in the
multifunction display ,for example: X
Press the 6button on the steering
wheel to accept an incomin gcall.
If you are not in the Tel menu, you can still
accept acall.
Rejecting or ending acall X
Press the ~buttonont he steer ing
wheel.
If you are not in the Tel menu, you can still
reject or end acall.
Dialling anumbe rfrom the phone book If you
rmobile phone is able to receive calls,
you can search for and dial anumber from the
phone book in the audio system or COMAND
Online at any time.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Tel menu.
X Press the 9,:ora button to call
up the phone book.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
desired name.
To start scrolling rapidly ,pres sand hol dthe
9 or: button for longer than one
second. After ashort time, the rapid scroll
speeds up.
Rapid scrolling stops when you release the
button or reach the end of the list. Menu
sand submenus
243On-boardcomput er anddisplays Z

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
÷
in
operative See Owner'
sManual G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
,B AS ,PRE-SAFE ®
,t he HOL Dfunction ,hill start assist and
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation are no tavailab ledue to amalfunction.
The adaptive brake lights, BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may
als oh ave failed.
In addition, the ÷andå warning lamp slight up in the
instrument cluster.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above.
X Driv eonc arefully.
X Visi taq ualifieds pecialist workshop. T!
÷
inoperativ
eSee Owner'
sManual G
Ris
kofa ccident
EB D( electroni cbrake force dist ribution) ,ABS ,ESP ®
,B AS, PRE-
SAFE ®
,t he HOL Dfunction, hill start assist and ESP ®
trailer stabi-
lisation are not available due to amalfunction.
The adaptive brake lights, BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may
als oh ave failed.
In addition, the ÷,åand! warning lamp slight up in
the instrument cluster and awarning tone sounds.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
The brake system continue stofunction normally, but withou tthe
func tions listed above. The wheels coul dtherefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist worksho pimmediately. !
Release parking
brake Th
er ed ! indicator lam pflashes and awarning tone sounds.
Ac ondition for automatic release of the electric parkin gbrake is
not fulfill ed (Ypag e161).
Yo ua re driving wit hthe electric parkin gbrake appl ied.
X Release the electric parking brake manually. The red
!indicator lamp flashe sand aw arning tone sounds.
You are making an emergency stop using the electric parking
brake (Y page 161). 256
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays

Engine
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
+
Top
up co
olant See
Owner'
sManual Th
ec oolant leve listoo low.
X Top up th ecoolant ,obser ving the warning note swhen doin gso
( Y page 321).
X If th ecoolant needs toppin gupmoreo ften than usual ,have the
engin ecoolant system checked at aqualified specialist work-
shop. ?
Co
olantS topv ehi‐ cle Switch engine
off Th
ec oolant is to ohot.
Aw arning ton ealso sounds.
X Stop th evehicle immediately, payin gattentio ntoroad and traf-
fic conditions, and switc hoff th eengine.
X Make sure that the air supply to the engine radiato risn ot
blocked, e.g. by frozen slush.
X Wait until the display message disappears befor erestar ting the
engine. Otherwise, there is arisk of engine damage.
X Pay attention to the coolant tempera turedisplay.
X If the temperature increases again, visit aqualified specialist
worksho pimmediately. ? Th
ef an motor is faulty.
X If the coolant temperature is less than 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialis tworkshop.
X Avoid heav yloads on the engin easyou do so, e.g. drivin gon
mountain roads and stop-start traffi c.266
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays