automatic transmission MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owners Manual

Ambient lighting
Setting the brightness (on-board
computer) ...................................... 248
Setting the colou r(on-boar dcom-
puter )............................................. 248
Ant i-glare film .................................... 316
Ant i-loc kB rakin gSystem
se eA BS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Anti-Thef tAlarm system
se eA TA (Anti-Theft Alarm system)
Anti-theft system
Immobilise r...................................... 68
Approach/departure ang le.............. 168
Aquaplaning ....................................... 164
Ashtray ............................................... 308
Assistanc emenu (on-board com-
puter) ................................................. .244
AS SYST PLUS
see ASSYS TPLUS service interval
di sp lay
ASSYST PLU Sservice interval dis-
play Displaying service messages .........323
Hid ings erv icem essages ............... 323
Note s............................................. 323
Service message s.......................... 322
ATA (Anti-Theft Alarm system)
Activating/deactivating ...................68
Functio n.......................................... .68
Interio rmotion sensor ..................... 69
Switch ingo ff th ealarm .................... 68
To w-awa yprotectio n........................ 69
ATTENTIO NASSIST
Ac tivating/deactivating .................245
Display message ............................ 269
Function/notes ............................. 202
Audio men u(on-boa rd computer) ....241
AUT Olights
Display message ............................ 265
se eL ights
Automatic engine start (ECO start/
stop function) .................................... 143
Automatic en gine switch-off (ECO
start/stop function) ..........................142
Automatic headlamp mode ..............107Automatic transmission
Accelerator pe dalposition ............. 148
Automatic drive program ...............149
Ch anging gear ............................... 148
DIREC TSELECT leve r..................... 145
Display message ............................ 280
Driving tip s.................................... 148
Emergency running mod e.............. 152
Kickdow n....................................... 148
Manual drive program ....................150
Pro blem (fault) ............................... 152
Progra mselector button ................148
Pullin gaway................................... 141
Shift rang es................................... 150
Starting the engine ........................140
Steering wh eelgearshift paddles ...149
Traile rtowing ................................. 148
Transmissio nposition dis-
play .. ..................................... .146, 147
Transmissio nposition s.................. 147
Automatic transmiss ione mer-
gency runnin gmode ......................... 152
Aux iliary heating
Activating/deactivating .................130
Activating/deactivating (o nthe
centr econsole) .............................. 131
Display message ............................ 281
Important safety notes ..................130
Pro blem (display message) ............134
Remote control .............................. 131
Setting ........................................... 250
Setting the de parture time ............. 132
Aux iliary ventilation
Activating/deactivating .................130
Activating/deactivating (o nthe
centr econsole) .............................. 131
Pro blem (display message) ............134
Remote control .............................. 131 B
Bag hook ............................................ 300
Ball coupli ng
Folding in ....................................... 230
Fol ding out ..................................... 228
BAS (Brake Assist System) .................62
Basi csettings
see Settings Index
5

Door
Automati clocki ng(on-boar dcom-
puter )............................................. 249
Automatic lockin g(switch) ...... ........ .78
Cent rallocking/unlocking (key) ......72
Contro lpane l................................... 37
Display message ............................ 281
Emergency lockin g........................... 79
Emergency unlocking .......................79
Important safety notes ....................77
Opening (fro mthe inside) ................ 77
Downhil lSpee dRegulation
see DS R(Downhill Speed Regulation)
Drink sholder
see Cup holders
Drive program
Automatic ...................................... 149
Display (DIRE CTSELECT lever) ......146
Manual .......................................... .150
Dri veprograms
se eO ff-roa dprog rams
Driver' sdoor
see Door
Driver's seat
see Seats
Driv esyst em
Active Blind Spot Assist .................212
Dri ving abroad
Service24 h.................................... 323
Symmetrical di pped bea m............. 106
Dri ving in mountainous terrain
Approach/departure angle ............168
Dri ving off-road
see Off-road driv ing
Driving programs
see On-road programs
Driving safety system
BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System
PLUS) .............................................. .62
Electroni cBrake-force Distribu-
tio n.................................................. 65
ESP ®
(Electroni cStability Pro-
gram) ............................................... 63
Important safety gu idelines ............. 61
Dri ving safety systems
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) ...64
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) .......61 ADAPTIVE BRAKE
............................. 66
Ada ptive brake lamps ......................63
BAS (Brak eAssist System ).............. 62
Overview .......................................... 60
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake ............................. 66
Steering assistant STEER CON-
TROL ................................................ 68
Dri ving system
Active Lan eKeeping Assist ............215
Active Parking Assis t..................... 194
Leve lcontrol (vehicle with AIR-
MATI Cpackage) ............................ .189
On-road programs .......................... 218
Dri ving systems
Active Curve System ...................... 188
Active Drivin gAssistanc epack-
age ................................................. 212
ATTENTION ASSIST ........................202
Blind Spo tAssist ...... ...................... 208
Cruise control ................................ 170
Display message ............................ 269
Distronic Pl us................................ 174
HOLD function ............................... 187
Lane Kee ping Assist ...................... 210
Lane package ................................ 208
Leve lcontrol (vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package) ................183
Nig htVie wA ssist Plus ................... 205
PARKTRONIC ................................. 191
Revers ingc amera .......................... 197
Speed Limi tAssist ......................... 203
Dri ving tips
Aquaplaning ................................... 164
Automatic transmission .................148
Brake s........................................... 162
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 181
Downhill gradient ........................... 163
Driving abroa d............................... 106
Driving in winte r............................ .165
Driving on flo oded roads ................ 164
Driving on sand .............................. 168
Driving on we troads ...................... 164
Driving ove robstacles ................... 168
Gen eral .......................................... 162
Icy road surfaces ........................... 165
Limited brak inge fficiency on sa l-
ted road s....................................... 163
New brak epads/linings ................ 163 Index
9

Permanent four-wheel drive
see 4MATIC (permanen tfour-
wheel drive)
Petrol .................................................. 152
Plastic trim (cleaning instructions) .329
Po we rw indows
see Side windows
PRE-SAFE ®
(preventive occupant
safety system) Display message ............................ 259
Operatio n......................................... 45
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (vehicles with
DISTRONI CPLUS)
Display message ............................ 260
Function/notes ................................ 66
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (v ehicles with
DISTRONI CPLUS)
Switching on/off ........................... 245
Warn ingl am p................................. 293
Prev entive occupant safety sys-
tem
see PRE-SAFE ®
(preventive occu-
pant safety system)
Program selector button ..................148
Pul ling away
Automatic transmission .................141
Traile r............................................ 141Q
Qual ified specialist wor kshop ........... 24 R
Radar se nsor system
Activating/deactivating .................249
Co untry overview ........................... 380
Display message ............................ 272
Radiato rcover ................................... 320
Radio Selecting astation ......................... 241
se es eparat eoperating instructions
Radio- controlled device s(fitting) ....316
Rain clos ingf eature
Panorama sliding sunroo f................ 88
Sli ding sunroo f................................. 87
Readi nglamp ..................................... 112Rear compartment
Setting the ai rvent s...................... 136
Setting the temperature ................126
Rear-c ompartment seat bel tsta-
tus indicator ........................................ 49
Rear foglamp Display message ............................ 264
Switch ingo n/off ........................... 107
Rear seat
Adjusting ......................................... 96
Rear-vie wmirror
Anti-dazzle mode (automatic) ........102
Dipping (manual )........................... 100
Rear windo wheating
Problem (fault) ............................... 128
Switch ingo n/off ........................... 128
Rear windo wwiper
Replacing the wiper blade .............. 118
Switching on/off ........................... 117
Refuell ing
Fuel gauge ....................................... 30
Important safety notes ..................152
Refuellin gproce ss......................... 154
se eF uel
Remote control
Auxiliary heating/ventilatio n.......... 131
Changing the batteries (auxiliary
heating) ......................................... 132
Garage door opene r....................... 313
Replacin gthe battery (aux iliary
heating remot econt rol) .................... 132
Reserve (fuel tank) see Fuel
Reserve fuel
Disp laym essage ............................ 267
Warn ingl am p................................. 291
Residual heat (climate control) ........129
Restrain tsyst em
se eS RS (Supplemental Restraint
System)
Rev counter ........................................ 234
Reversing camera Cleaning instructions .....................327
Function/notes ............................. 197
Rev ersing lamps
Display message ............................ 26416
Index

Automati
canti-dazzle mirrors G
WA
RNING
If inciden tlight fro mheadlamps is prevented
from striking the sensor in the rear-view mir-
ror ,for instance, by luggage piled too high in
the vehicle, the mirror's automatic anti-dazzle
fun ction will not operate.
Incident light could then blind you. This may
distrac tyou from the traffic condition sand,
as aresult, you may cause an accident.
The rear-view mirror and the exterior mirror
on the driver' sside automatically go into anti-
dazzle mode if the ignition is switched on and
inciden tlight from headlamps strikes the sen-
sor in the rear-view mirror.
The mirror sdonot go int oanti-dazzle mode if
reverse gea risengaged or if the interior light-
ing is switched on. Parking position for the exterior mir-
ror on the front-passenge rside
Setting and storing the parking position You can position the front-passenger side
exterior mirror in such away that you can see
the rear wheel on that side as soon as you
engage revers egear. You can stor ethis posi-
tion. X
Make sur ethat the vehicle is stationary and
that the key is in position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Engage revers egear.
The exterior mirror on the front-passenger
side moves to the preset parkin gposition.
X Use adjustment button =to adjust the
exterior mirror to aposition that allows you
to see the rea rwheel and the kerb.
The parkin gposition is stored.
i If you shift the transmission to anot her
po sition ,the exterior mirror on the front-
passenger side retur nsto the driving posi-
tion.
i You can also store the parking position
using memory button M?.
X Make sure that the key is in position
2in the ignitio nlock.
X With the exterior mirror on the front-
passenger side activa ted, use adjust-
ment button =to adjust the exterior
mirror to aposition which allows you
to see the rea rwheel and the kerb.
X Press memory button M? and one of
the arrow sonadjustment button =
within three seconds.
The parkin gposition is stored if the
exterior mirror does not move.
If the mirror moves out of position ,repeat
the steps.
Calling up astore dparkin gposition set-
ting X
Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Adjus tthe exterior mirror on the front-
passenger side with the correspondin gbut-
ton (Y page 100).
X Engage reverse gear.
The exterior mirror on the front-passenger
side moves to the stored parking position. 102
MirrorsSeats, steerin
gwhee land mirrors

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

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

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