winter tyres MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owners Manual

R
ABS ( Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R BAS PLU S(Brake Assist Sys tem Plus*)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
(Elec tronic Stability Program)
R EBD ( electronic brake force distribution)
R ADAP TIVE BRA KE
R PRE- SAFE ®
Brake
R STEER CONTROL Important safety notes
If yo ufail to adap tyou rd riving style, the driv-
ing safety systems ca nneither reduc ethe risk
of accident nor override the laws of physics.
Drivi ngsafety systems ar emerely aids
designed to assist driving. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front ,for
vehicle speed and for brakin gingood time.
Always adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the
prevailing road and weather conditions, as
well as the traffic conditions and maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front .Drive
carefully.
i Please note that th edriving safetys ys-
tems described only work as effectively as
possibl ewhen ther eisadequate contact
between the tyres and the road surface.
Pay particula rattention to the information
regarding tyres, recommended minimum
tyre tread depth setc. in the "Wheels and
tyres" sectio n(Ypage 356).
In wintr ydriving conditions ,always use
winter tyres (M+S tyres) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effec tivel yasp ossible. ABS (Anti-loc
kBrak ing System)
Impor tant safety notes i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). ABS regulates brake pressure in such
away
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from aspeed of about 8km/h
upwards, regardless of road-surfac econdi-
tions. AB Sworksons lippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently. G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the vehi-
cle when brakin gand the braking distance
may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to amalfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated. There
is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You shoul dalways adapt your drivin gstyle to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
Braking If ABS intervenes whe
nbraking, yo uwill feel
ap ulsing in the brake pedal.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depressthe
brake pedal with force until the brakin gsit-
uation is over.
X To mak eafull brake application:
depress th ebrake peda lwith full force.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and func-
tions as areminder to take extr acare while
driving. G
WARNING
Do not depress the brake pedal several times
in quick succession (pumping). Pumping the
brake pedal reduces the braking effect .You
might otherwise not be able to stop the vehi-
cle in tim eand could cause an accident.
Depres sthe brake pedal firmly and smoothly. Driving safety systems
61Safety Z

!
The depth of water must not exceed the
value specified in the table. Not ethat the
possible fording depth is less in flowing
water.
R Establish how deep the water is and the
characteristic softhe body of water before
fording.
R Select the highest possible vehicle level.
R Restrict the shift range to 1or 2.
R Avoid high engin espeeds.
R Enter and exit the water at aflat place and
at as teady walking pace.
! Under no circumstances should you
accelerate before entering the water. The
bow wave could cause water to enter and
damage the engine and neighbouring
assemblies.
R Drive slowl yand at aconstant speed
through the water.
R Do not stop.
! Do not open any of the vehicle' sdoors
while fording. Otherwise, wate rcould get
int ot he vehicle interior and damage the
vehicle' selectronics and interior equip-
ment.
R Water offer sahigh degree of resistance,
and the ground is slippery and in some
cases unstable. Therefore, it is difficult and
dangerous to pull away in the water.
R Ensure that abow wav edoes not for mas
you drive.
R Clea nany mud from the tyre tread after
fording.
R Appl ythe brakes to dry them after fording. Winter driving
Genera lnotes G
WARNING
If the vehicle becomes trapped in snow,
ensure that snow is kept away from the
exhaust pipe and from around the vehicle as long as the engine is running. Otherwise, poi-
sonous carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the
vehicle, resulting in loss of consciousness and
even death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, open
aw indow slightly on the side of the vehicle
not facin gthe wind.
At the onset of winter, have your vehicle win-
terproofed at aqualified special istworkshop,
e.g. at aMercedes-Ben zService Centre.
Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package: if
driving in snow or with snow chains, select
the snow program (Y page 219) with the off-
road program selector wheel in the centre
console.
Driving with summer tyres Observ
ethe notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 357).
Slippery roa dsurfaces G
WARNING
Do not shift down for additiona lengine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Shift the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering.
i For more information on drivin gwith
snow chains, see (Y page 358). Drivin
gtips
165Driving and park ing Z

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

X
Release the cruise con trol lever.
The ne wspeed is stored.
X Makin gadjustments in1k m/ hincre-
ments: brieflypress the cruis econtrol
lever to the pressurepoint.
The last store dspeed increase sordecrea-
ses in 1km/ hincre ments.
X Mak ing adjustment sin10km/hincre-
ments: brieflypress the cruis econtrol
lever beyon dthe pressur epoint.
The last store dspeed increase sordecrea-
ses in 10 km/h increments.
Deactivating variabl eSPEED TRONIC G
WARNING
It is not possible to deactivate variable Speed-
tronic by braking.
There are severa lways to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
deactivated.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is automatically
deactivated if:
R you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the pressure point (kickdown), but only if
your current spee ddoes not differ by more
than 20 km /h from the stored speed. You
will hear awarning tone if this is the case.
R you activate DSR.
R you activate off-road program 2(vehicles
wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package).
i When you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared. Permane
nt SPEEDTRONIC You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to
avalue between
16 0k m/ h(e.g. for driving on winter tyres)
and th emaximum speed ( Ypage 249).
Shor tlyb efore th estore dspeed is reached, it
appear sinthe multifunction display.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC remain sactive,
even if variabl eSPEEDTRONI Cisdeactivated.
You can note xceed the sto redl imit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown). DISTRONIC PLUS
Importan tsafety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additiona lengine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLU Siso nly an aid designe dto
assis tdriving. Th edrive rremain sfully respon-
sible for the vehicle's distance from other
vehicles, the vehicle's spee dand for braking
in goo dtime.
DISTRONIC PLU Sdoes not react in particular
to:
R pedestrians
R stationar yobstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossin gtraffic
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cle sdriving in front, e.g .motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on adifferen tline. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic condition seven
when DISTRO NICP LUS is activated. Other-
wise ,you may fai ltorecognise danger sin
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. 174
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin gand parking

R
Hig hway level is set.
R ADS (Adaptive Damping System) adjusts
the comfort damping characteristics to
the current operating and driving condi-
tions.
R The automatic transmission selects the
automatic drive progra mforac omforta-
ble and efficien tdriving style ,and the
shift points are optimally adjusted.
R The differential lock is engaged when
pulling away. Off-road driving systems
4MATIC (permanent all-wheel drive)
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are per-
manently driven. Togethe rwith ESP ®
and
4ETS, it improves the trac tion of your vehicle
whenever adrive whee lspins due to insuffi-
cient grip. G
WARNING
4MATI Ccannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast.
If ad rive whee lspins due to insufficien tgrip:
R onl ydepress the accelerator peda lasfar as
necessary when pulling away.
R accelerate less when driving.
R adapt you rdriving style to su itroa dand
traffic conditions.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. Thi smay damage the transfer case.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz implied warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground
or be fully raised. Observe the instructions
for towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tyres (M+S tyres), with snow
chains if necessary. !
Functio norperformanc etests ma yonly
be performed on a2-axle dynamometer. If
you wis htooperatethe vehicle on such a
dynamometer, pleas econsult aMercedes-
Benz Service Centr ebeforehand. You could
otherwise damage th edrive train or the
bra kesystem.
Fo rinformation abou tdriving off-roa d, see
( Y page 166). DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
Important safety notes DSR assists you when driv
ingd ownhill .It
keeps the spee doftravel at th espeed set on
the on-board comp uter. Th esteeper the
downhil lgradient ,the greate rthe DS Rbrak-
ing effect on th evehicle. When driving on flat
stretches of road or on an uphill gradient, the
DSR braking effect is minima lornon-existent. G
WARNING
DSR is only an aid designe dtoassist you when
driving downhill. You ar eresponsible for keep-
ing control of the vehicle and for assessing
whether the downhill gradien tcan be man-
aged.
When activating DSR the vehicle may brake
suddenly due to DSR intervening. This is
dependent on the downhill gradient and the
difference between the current spee dand the
speed set. DSR may not always be able to
keep to the set speed, depending on road sur-
face and tyre conditions .You coul dlose con-
trol of the vehicle and cause an accident.
Selec taset speed suitable for the prevailing
conditions and when necessary, apply the
brakes manually.
DSR con trols the set speed when it is active
and the automatic transmission is in the D,
R or Nposition. By accelerating or braking,
you can always drive at ahigher or alower
speed than that set on the on-boar dcom-
puter. 220
Off-road driving systemsDriving and parking

Delayed switch-off of the exterio
rlight ing is
reactivate dthe nex ttime yo ustart the
engine.
Activating/deactivating the interior light-
in gd elay ed switch -off
If yo uactivat ethe Interior lighting delay sw. off function, the
interiorlighting
remain sonfor 20 seconds after you rem ove
th ek ey fr om th eignition lock.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Interior lighting dela ysw. off: function.
Yo
uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Vehicle Setting permanent SPEEDTRONIC
You can set permanent SPEEDTRONIC
(Y page 174 )using the Limitspeed (win‐ ter tyres) function.
X Press the =or; buttononthe steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press :or9 to select the Limit spee
d(winter tyres): function.
Yo uw ill see the current setting.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press :or9 to adjust permanent
SPEEDTRONIC in increments of 10
(24 0k m/h to
160 km/h ). The
Off setting
switches permanen tSPEEDTRONIC off.
X Press the abutton to store the entry. Switching th
eautomatic lockin gfeatu re
on/off
If you select the Automatic door lock func-
tion, the vehicle is centrally locked above a
speed of around 15 km/h.
i For further information on the automatic
locking feature, see (Y page 78).
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Automati cdoor lock function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Activating/deactivating the acoustic
locking confirmation
If you switch on the Acoustic Lock feed‐ back func
tion, an acoustic signal sounds
when you lock the vehicle.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Acoustic Lock feedback: function.
You will see the selected setting: Activa‐ ted or
Deactivated .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Activating/deactivating th eradar sensor
system
i Youm ust deactivate the radar senso rsys-
tem in certain countries and near radio
telescope facilities .For further informa-
tion ,see (Y page 380).
When you are close to radi otelescope facili-
ties, the rada rsensor system will be deacti-
vated automatically. Menu
sand submenus
249On-boardcomput er anddisplay s Z

X
Press the :or9 to select the Fold mirror
sinwhen locking: function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Resetting to factor ysettings For safety reasons
,not al lfunction sare reset:
the Limit speed (winter tyres) function
in permane ntSPEEDTRONI Ccan only be set
in the Vehicle submenu. If you want to reset
the Daytim edriving lights: fun
ction in
the Light submenu, you must tur
nthe key in
the ignition lock to position 1.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Factor ysetting submenu.
X Press the abuttontoc onfirm.
The Rese tall settings? message
appe ars.
X Pres sthe : or9 button to select
No or
Yes .
X Press the abutton to confir mthe selec-
tion.
If you select Yes ,t
he multifunction display
shows aconfirmation message. ON&OFFROAD menu
In the ON&OFFROAD menu, you can display the
curren tsettings of the on-road (Y page 218)
or off-road programm e(Ypage 222):
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the ON&OFFROAD menu.
Message in the multifunction display (example)252
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

X
Release the electric parking brake.
X Switc hoff the ig nition and leav ethe key in
th ei gnition lock.
! Mak esuret hat:
R the side windows and slidin gsunroo fare
close dcompl etely.
R the blower for the ventilation/heating is
switched off (OFF button is depressed).
R the windscreen wiper switch is at posi-
tion 0.
The vehic lecoul dotherwise be damaged.
After using an automatic car wash, wip eoff
wa xfrom th ewindscreen and the wiper
blades. This wil lprevent smears and red uce
wiping noises cause dbyresidue on the wind-
screen.
Washing by hand In some countries, washing by hand is only
allowed at speciall
yequipped washing bays.
Observe the lega lrequirements for each indi-
vidual country.
X Do not use hot water and do not wash the
vehic lein direct sunlight.
X Use asoft sponge to clean.
X Use amild cleaning agent, such as acar
shampoo approved by Mercedes-Benz.
X Thoroughly hos edown the vehicle with a
gentle jet of water.
X Do not point the water jet directly towards
the air inlet.
X Use plenty of water and rinse out the
sponge frequently.
X Rinse the vehicle with clean water and dry
thoroughly with achamois.
X Do not let the cleanin gagent dry on the
paintwork.
When using the vehicle in winter, remove all
traces of roa dsalt deposits carefully and as
soon as possible. High-pressure cleanin
gequipment G
WARNING
Do not use high-pressure cleaners with circu-
lar-jet nozzles (dirt grinders) to clean your
vehicle, in particular the tyres. You could oth-
erwis edamage the tyres and cause an acci-
dent.
! Always maintain adistance of at least
30 cm between the vehicle and the high-
pressure cleaner nozzle. Information about
the correct distance is available from the
equipment manufacturer.
Move the high-pressure cleaner nozzle
around when cleaning your vehicle.
Do not aim directly at any of the following:
R tyres
R door gaps, roof gaps, joint setc.
R electrical components
R battery
R connectors
R lights
R seals
R trim elements
R ventilatio nslots
Damaged seals or electrical components
can lead to leaks or failures.
Cleanin gthe whee ls !
Do not use acidic whee lcleaning products
to remov ebrake dust .This could damage
wheel bolts and brake components.
! Do not par kupthe vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleanin git, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosio nofthe brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for afew minutes after clean-
ing. Brakin gheats the brak ediscs and the
brake pads/linings, thus drying them. The
vehicle can then be parked up. Care
325Maintenance andcare Z

A
Jack
B Ratchet rin gspanner "M
inispare" emergency spare wheel
The "Minispare" emergency spar ewheel can
be fou ndin th estowage well unde rthe lug-
gage compartmen tfloor.
X Lif tthe luggage compar tment floor up
(Y page 30 5). X
Tur nemergency spare whee lretainer ;
anti-clockwise and rem ove it.
X Remove "Minis pare" emergency spare
wheel :.
For fur ther information on changing awheel
and fittin gthe spar ewheel, see
(Y page 33 4). Flat tyre
Preparing th
evehicle
Your vehicle may be equipped with:
R aT IREFIT kit
R an eme rgency spare wheel
R MOExtende dtyre s(tyres with run-flat char-
acteristics) (Y page 342)
i Vehicle preparation is not necessary on
vehicles with MOExtended tyres.
i Vehicles with MOExtended tyre sare not
equippe dwithaTIREFIT kit at th efactory. It is therefore recommended that you addi-
tionally equip your vehicle with
aTIREFIT kit
if yo ufit tyre sthat do not fea ture run-flat
prope rties, e.g. winter tyres. ATIREFIT kit
can be obtaine dfrom aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre.
X Make sure that highway level is selec-
ted 22
(Y page 183).
X Stop the vehicle as far away as possible
from traffic on solid, non-slippery and level
ground.
X Switch on the hazar dwarning lamps.
X Apply the electric parking brake manually
(Y page 161).
X Bring the front wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X Move the DIRECT SELECT lever to P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: remove
the key from the ignition lock.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: open the
driver' sdoor.
The on-boar delectronics have status 0,
which is the same as the key having been
removed.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: removethe
Star t/Stop butto nfrom th eignition lock
(Y page 139).
X All occupants must get out of the vehicle.
Make sure that they ar enot endangered as
they do so.
X Make sure that no one is near the danger
area whilst awheel is being changed. Any-
one who is not directly assisting in the
wheel change should, for example, stand
behind the barrier.
X Get out of the vehicle. Pay attention to traf-
fic condition swhen doing so.
X Close the driver's door.
22 Vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package. 334
Flat tyreBreakdown assistance

It is therefore recommende
dthat you addi-
tionally equip your vehicle with aTIREFIT kit
if yo ufit tyres that do not featur erun-flat
properties, e.g. winter tyres. ATIREFIT kit
can be obtaine dfrom aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre. Battery
Important safety notes
In orde rfor the batter ytoachieve the maxi-
mum possibl eservic elife, it must always be
sufficiently charged.
Hav ethe batter ycharge checked mor efre-
quently if yo uuse the vehicle mainl yfor short
trips or if you leav eitstanding idle for a
lengthy period.
Only replace abatter ywithabatter ythat has
been recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
Consult aMercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre if
you wis htoleave your vehicle parked up for
al ong period of time. G
WARNING
Comply with safety precaution sand take pro-
tective measure swhen handling batteries. Risk of explosion
Fire, naked flames and
smoking ar eprohibited
when handling th ebattery.
Avoid creating sparks. Battery acid is caustic.
Avoid contact with the skin,
eyes or clothing.
Wear suitable protective
clothing, in particular
gloves, an apron and aface
mask.
Immediately rinse acid
splashes off with clean
water. Consult adoctor if
necessary. Wear eye protection.
Keep children away.
Observ
ethis Owner's Man-
ual. H
Environmental note Bat
terie sc ontain pollutants.
It is against the law to dis-
pose of them with the house-
hold rubbish. They must be
collec teds eparately and
recycled in an environmen-
tally responsible man ner. Dispose of batteries in an
environmentally responsible
manner. Take discharged
batteries to aqualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. a
Mercedes -Benz Ser vice
Centre, or to aspecial col-
lection point for old batter-
ies. G
WAR
NING
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use batteries which have
bee ntested and approved for your vehicle by
Mercedes-Benz .These batteries provide
increased impact protection to prevent vehi-
cle occupants from suffering aci dburns
should the battery be damaged in the event
of an accident.
To prevent acid burns, observe the following
safety notes when handling batteries:
R do not lean over the battery.
R do not place any metal objects on abattery.
Otherwise ,you coul dcause ashort circuit
and the battery's gas mixtur ecould ignite. Battery
343Breakdownassistance
Z