tow MERCEDES-BENZ METRIS 2016 MY16 Operator’s Manual

have sufficient tread depth, depending on the
depth of water on the road. There isarisk of
an accident.
For this reason, avoid tire ruts and brake care-
fully.
Therefore, in heavy rain or other conditions in
which hydroplaning can occur, drive as follows:
Rreduce your speed
Ravoid tire ruts
Rapply the brakes with care
Driving on flooded roads
!Do not drive through flooded areas. Check
the depth of any water before driving through
it. Drive slowly through standing water. Oth-
erwise, water may enter the vehicle interior or
the engine compartment. This can damage
the electronic components in the engine or
the automatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by the engine's air suction nozzles
and this can cause engine damage.
If you have to drive on stretches of road on which
water has collected, please bear in mind that:
Rthe water level of standing water should not
be above the lower edge of the front bumper
Rdo not drive faster than walking speed
Driving in winter
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect,t he drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission may
roll only briefly in the neutral position N.Pro-
longed rolling of the wheels, e.g. when being
towed, will result in transmission damage.
Have your vehicle winterproofed at aqualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter. Drive particularly carefully on slippery roads.
Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and braking
maneuvers. Do not use cruise control.
If the vehicle threaten stoskid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the transmission to position N.
XTry to maintain control of the vehicle using
corrective steering.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after ashort delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges. If you do not adjust
your driving style, the vehicle may start to skid.
Always adapt your driving style and drive at a
speed to suit the prevailing weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
You can find further information under:
R"M+S tires" (Ypage 269)
R"Snow chains" (Ypage 270)
R"Driving with summer tires" (Ypage 269)
Also observe the notes under "Winter operation" (
Ypage 269).
Driving off-road
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you drive on asteep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on asteep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
GWARNING
When driving off-road, your body is subject to
forces from all directions, due to the uneven
surface. You could be thrown from your seat,
for instance. There is arisk of injury.
138Driving tips
Driving and parking

Alwayswearas eatb elt, eve nwhend riving off-
road.
GWARNING
If yo udrive ove robstacle sorinr uts, the steer-
ing whee lmayjerk outofy ourg rip, causing
injury to your hands.
Alway sholdt he steering whee lfirmly with
both hands. Whe ndriving ove robstacles, you
must expect steering forces to increase
briefl yand suddenly.
GWARNING
Flammabl ematerial such as leaves, grass or
twigs mayi gnite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaus tsystem .There is arisk
of fire.
Whe ndriving off roa doronunpaved roads,
check the vehicle's undersid eregularly .In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammabl ematerial swhich have become
trapped. In the cas eofdamage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
!Whe ndriving off-roadoronu npaved surfa-
ces ,check the undersid eofthe vehicl eand
the wheels and tire satregular intervals .In
particular, remove any trappe dforeign
objects, e.g .stone sand branches.
Such foreig nobjects may:
Rdamage the chassis, the fuel tank or the
brake system
Rcause imbalance sand thusv ibrations
Rbe flung outw heny ou continue driving
If ther eisany damage, inform aquali fied spe-
cialist workshop.
Whe ndriving off-roada nd on construction sites,
sand, muda nd water mixe dwitho il,f or exam-
ple, mayg et into the brakes. Thi smaylead to a
reduction in braking performance or totalb rake
failure, also as aresul tofi ncreased wear .The
braking characteristics will vary depending on
the material thath asgot into the system .Clean
the brakes afte rdriving o
ff-road. If yo uth
en
notice reduce dbraking performance or hear
scraping noises ,hav et he brake system checked
at aq uali fied specialist workshop.A djust your
driving style to the changedb raking character-
istics. Driving off-roadoronc
onstruction sites increa-
ses the possibility of vehicl edamag ewhich may
in turn lead to the failure of certain assemblies
and systems. Adapt your driving style to the off- roa ddriving conditions. Driv ecarefully. Have
any vehicl edamag erectifie dataq ualified spe-
cialist workshop as soo naspossible.
Whe nloadin gyourvehicl efor driving off-roado r
on aconstruction site, kee pthe vehicle's center
of gravity as lo waspossible.
Rule sfor drivin goff-road
!Alway sbearthe vehicle's ground clearance
in mind and avoido bstacles, e.g .deepr uts.
Obstacles mayd amagethe following parts of
the vehicle:
Rthe chassis
Rthe drive train
Rthe fuel and supply tanks
For thisr eason, yo ushoul dalway sdrive
slowly when driving off-road. If yo uhavet o
drive ove robstacles, have the front
passengerd irect you.
iWe recommend thaty ouadditionally carry a
shovel and arecover yrop ew iths hackle in the
vehicle.
REnsure thatl oadsand items of luggage are
securel ystowed or lashe ddown
(
Ypage 232).
RBefore driving off-road, stop the vehicl eand
shift to alow gear.
RIf the surface requires ,temporaril ydeactivate
ESP®when pulling away (Ypage 64).
ROnlyd rive off-roadw itht he engine running
and ageare ngaged.
RDriv eslowly and smoothly. Walking pace is
necessary in many situations.
RAvoi dspinning the drive wheels.
RMake sure thatt he wheels always remai nin
contact with the ground.
RDriv ewithe xtreme car eoveru nknown terrain
where yo ucan onlys ee forashort distance.
As aprecaution, get outoft he vehicletotake
al oo katt he route to be take ninadvance.
RCheck the water depth before fording.
RWatch outf or obstacles(e.g. rocks ,holes,
tree stumps and ruts).
RAvoi dedges where the surface could crumble
or break away.
Driving tips139
Driving an dparking
Z

Storing and maintaining the current
speed
XAccelerate the vehicle to the desired speed
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefly push the cruise control lever up:or
down =.
XRelease the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The current speed
is stored and shown briefly in the display's
text field.
The display also shows the Vsymbol and
the stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 170)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 176)
Resuming the stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is arisk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;.
XRelease the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated and resumes the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored.
The stored speed is shown briefly in the dis-
play.
The display also shows the Vsymbol and
the stored speed:
Rin the header on vehicles without steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 170)
Rin the status area on vehicles with steering
wheel buttons (Ypage 176)
iWhen you pull the cruise control lever
towards you for the first time after startin gthe
engine, cruise control adopts the current
speed.
Setting the speed
It may be amoment before the vehicle starts to
accelerate or brake to the set speed. Take this
delay into account when settingt he speed.
XPress the cruise control lever up:to
increase the speed or down =to reduce the
speed.
The vehicle will accelerate or decelerate. The
speed is shown in the display.
XRelease the cruise control lever once the
desired speed is reached.
The displayed speed is stored.
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever as far as
the 1st pressure point up :or down =.
The last speed stored is increased/reduced in increments of 1mph (1 km/h).
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever beyond
the pressure point up :or down =.
The last speed stored is increased/reduced in increments of 5mph (10 km/h).
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you acceler-
ate briefly to overtake, for example, cruise
control resumes the vehicle’s speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
To deactivatec ruise control
There are various ways to deactivate cruise con-
trol:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards?.
or
XApply the brakes.
The last speed set remains stored. The last
speed stored is deleted when you switch off the
engine.
Cruise control is deactivated automatically
when:
Ryou apply the brakes
Ryou apply the parking brake and the F
(only USA) or J(only Canada) indicator
lamp in the instrumentc luster lights up
Ryou are driving slower than 20 mph (30 km/h)
Ryou shift the automatic transmission to neu-
tral positionNwhile the vehicle is in motion
142Driving systems
Driving and parking

The intensity of warning lamps:depends on
the brightness of the ambient light and is con-
trolled automatically.
Collision warning
If av ehicle is detected in the monitoring range of
Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the corre-
sponding turn signal, adouble warning tone
sounds once. The warning lamp in the corre-
sponding exterior mirror flashes. If the turn sig-
nal remains on, detected vehicles are indicated
by the flashing of the warning lamp in the exte-
rior mirror. There are no further warning tones.
Activating Blind Spot Assist
XMake sure that Blind Spot Assist is activated
in the on-board computer (Ypage 184).
XTurn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
The warning lamps in the exterior mirrors light
up for approximately 1.5 seconds.
Status indicators in the status overview submenu
If Blind Spot Assist is activated, the display
shows symbol :in the StatusOverviewsub-
menu of the on-board computer (Ypage 183). If
you are driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) ,
the symbo lalsos hows rada rwaves between the
two vehicles ;.Blind Spo tAssist is thenr eady
for use.
Towin gatrailer
If youattach atrailer, make sure thaty ouhave
correctl yestablishe dthe electrical connection.
Thi scan be accomplishe dbychecking the trailer
lighting. Blind Spo tAssist is thend eactivated
and the Blind Spo tAssist Currently
Unavail. See Operator' sManualmessage
appear sinthe display.
Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicl ebymeans of camera :which is
mounted at the top of the windshield. Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
roa dand can warn yo ubefor ey ou leav eyour
lane unintentionally.
This functio nisa vailable in the range between
40 mph (60 km/h )and 125 mph (20 0km/h).
Aw arning maybeg iven if afront whee lpasses
ove ralanem arking. It will warn yo ubymeans of
intermittent vibratio nthroug hthe steering
whee lfor up to 1.5 second s.
Importan tsafety notes
GWARNING
Lane Keeping Assist may not always clearly
recognize lane markings.
In this case, Lane Keeping Assist may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give awarning
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spayparticula rattention to the traffic
situation and stay in lane, in particula rif
warned by Lane Keeping Assist.
GWARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning doe snot
return the vehicl etothe original lane. There is
ar iskofana ccident.
Yo us houl dalway ssteer, brake or accelerate
yourself, in particula rifwarned by Lane Keep-
ing Assist.
Driving systems147
Driving and parking
Z

Standard:the sensitivity with which the sys-
tem determines the attention level is set to
normal.
Sensitive: the sensitivity is set higher. The
driver is warned earlier.
When ATTENTION ASSIST is switched on and
the vehicle engine is running:
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons,
the À indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up
Ron vehicles with steering-wheel buttons, the
display shows the Àsymbol:
-in the status area
-in the Status Overviewof the Assist.menu (Ypage 183)
For vehicles with steering wheel buttons, if you
deactivate ATTENTION ASSIST, the system is
automatically re-activated when you start the
engine. The system sensitivity then corresponds to the last selection activated –standard or sen-
sitive.
If you switch off ATTENTION ASSIST in avehicle
without steering wheel buttons, the system
remains switched off even after you start the
engine. The status of the system after switching
on the engine always corresponds to the status
last selected.
Warning in the display
If the system detectst iredness or increasing
lapses in concentration, the warning Atten‐
tion Assist: TakeaBreak!orAttent.Asst: Take Break!is shown in the display.
An additional warning tone sounds.
XIf necessary, take abreak.
XConfirm the message by pressing the a
button on the steering wheel.
On long journeys, take regular breaks in good
time to allow yourself to rest. If you do not take
ab reak and ATTENTION ASSIST continues to
detect increasing lapses in concentration, you
will be warned again after 15 minutes at the
earliest. This will only happen if ATTEN-
TION ASSIST still detectst ypical indicators of
fatigue or increasing lapses in concentration.
PARKTRONIC
General notes
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid. The
system is equipped with ultrasonic sensors in
the front and rear bumpers to monitor the area
around your vehicle. PARKTRONIC indicates vis-
uallya nd audibly the distance between your
vehicle and an object.
Your vehicle features two separate sound emit-
ters with different frequencies for the warning
tones. The warning ranges in front of and behind the vehicle are indicated by different warning
tones.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
Rturn the key to position 2in the ignition lock
Rrelease the parking brake and
Rmove the selector lever to D,Nor R
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). PARKTRONIC is reactivated
at speeds below 10 mph (16 km/h).
Important safety notes
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It cannot replace
your own awareness of the immediate surround-
ings. You are responsible for safe maneuvering,
parking and pulling away.W hen maneuvering,
parking and pulling away,m ake sure that there
are no persons, animals or object sinthe maneu-
vering area.
!Pay particular attention to obstacles above
or below the sensors when parking, such as
flower pots or trailer towbars. PARKTRONIC
does not recognizes uch objectswhen they
are in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.
You could damage the vehicle or objects.
PARKTRONIC can suffer interference from:
Rultrasonic sources such as atruck's
compressed-air brakes, an automatic car
wash or apneumatic drill
Rattachments to the vehicle, e.g. rear moun-
ted racks
Rnumber plates (vehicle license plates) that
are not affixed flat against the bumper
Rdirty or icy sensors
Remove adetachable trailer coupling if it is no
longer required. PARKTRONIC measures the
minimum detection range to an obstacle from
the bumper, not the ball coupling.
150Driving systems
Driving and parking

Towingatrailer
PARKTRONI Cdetects acoupled trailer if your
vehicl eisequippe dwitht he corresponding elec-
trical installations for trailer towing.
PARKTRONI Cisd eactivated for the rea rarea
when yo uestablis hanelectrical connection
between your vehicl eand atrailer. If yo uusean
adapter for the socket, remove it fromt he
socket after detaching the trailer. Otherwise,
PARKTRONI Cremains deactivated for the rear
area.
Driving system s153
Driving an dparking
Z

iYou will achievethe best resultsbyw aiting
for the steeringp rocedure to complete before
pulling away.
If you back up afte ractivation, the steering
wheel is movedtot he straight-ahead posi-
tion.
XDrive forwards and back up as prompted by
the PARKTRONIC warnin gdisplays, several
times if necessary.
Onc eyou have exited the parking space com-
pletely:
RThe display shows the Park Assist Fin‐ishedmessage.
Ratones ounds.
Rthe steeringw heel is movedtot he straight-
ahead position.
The parking assistanc efunction of Activ ePark-
ing Assist is stopped. You will the nhave to steer
and mergei ntot raffic on your own.
PARKTRONIC is still available.
You can tak eover the steeringb eforethe vehi-
cle has exited the parking space completely.
This is useful, for example when you recognize
that it is already possible to pull out of the park-
ing space.
Canceling activ eparki ng assistance
XStop the movementoft he steeringwheel or
steer yourself.
or
XPress the fbutton and deactivate
PARKTRONIC (Ypage 152).
Parking assistanc eiscanceled immediately
and Activ eParking Assist is stopped. The dis-
play shows the Park
AssistCanceledmes-
sage.
Activ eparking assistanc eiscanceled automat-
ically if:
Rapply the parking brake.
Rparking using Activ eParking Assist is no lon-
ger possible
Ryou are drivingf aster than6mph (1 0km/ h)
Raw heel spins and ESP®intervenes or fails.
The ÷ warnin glamp in the instrument
cluster the nlightsu p.
Ryou unfasten your seat belt
Ryou open adoor or the tailgate/rear door
Ryou shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P Aw
arnin gtones ounds ,the parking symbol in
the display goes out and the Park Assist
Canceledmessageappears.
Onc eactive Parking Assist has been canceled,
you must steer and brakea gain yourself.
If as yste mm alfunction occurs, vehicles are
automatically braked down to astandstill. To
continue driving, you must depresst he acceler-
ator pedal again.
Rear view camera
Genera lnotes
On vehicles with atailgate, the rear view camera
is nex ttothe tailgat ehandle (Ypage 257).
On vehicles with rear doors,t he rear view cam-
era is in the top of the license plate molding
(
Ypage 257).
The rear view camer aisavisual parking aid. It
shows you the area behindt he vehicle in the
audio display.
The area behindt he vehicle is displayed in a
mirrored fashion,asint he rear-view mirror or
the exterior mirrors. The guide lines displayed
assist you in backing up.
The messaged isplays dependont he language
settin gofthe audio system. The followingr ear
view camer adisplays are examples.
Important safetyn otes
!Objectsthat are not at groundl evel appear
further away than the yactually are, for exam-
ple:
Rthe bumper of the vehicle parked behind
Rthe drawbar of atrailer
Rthe ball couplin gofatrailer tow hitch
Rthe tail-end of atruck
Rslanted posts
Only use the camer aguide lines for orienta-
tion .Don ot get any close rtoobject sthan the
lowest horizontal guide line. You may other-
wise damage your vehicle and/or the object.
The rear view camer aisonly an aid. It cannot
replacey our own awarenes softhe immediate
surroundings. You are responsible for safe
maneuveringa nd parking. When maneuvering
and parking, make sure that there are no per-
sons, animals or object sinthe maneuvering
area.
158Driving systems
Driving and parking

The rear view camera may show obstacles in
perspectival distortion, incorrectly or not at all.
The rear view camera cannot display all objects
located very near and/or under the rear
bumper. It does not warn you ofacollision, per-
sons or objects.
Under the following circumstances, the rear
view camera will not function, or will function in
al imited manner:
Rif the tailgate or rear door is open
Rif it is raining very heavily or snowing, or it is
foggy.
Rat night or in very dark places
Rif the camera is exposed to very bright light.
White lines may appear in the camera image.
Rif the area is lit by fluorescent light or LED
lighting. The camera image may flicker.
Rif the camera lens fogs up, e.g. when driving
into aheated garage in winter, causing arapid
change in temperature.
Rif the camera lens is dirty or obstructed.
Observe the notes on cleaning (Ypage 257).
Rif the rear of the vehicle is damaged. In this
case, have the camera position and setting
checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
Do not use the rear view camera in these situa-
tions. You could otherwise injure others or dam-
age object sand the vehicle while parking and
maneuvering.
The field of vision and other functions of the rear
view camera may be restricted due to additional accessories on the rear of the vehicle (e.g.
license plate holder, rear-mounted bicycle
rack).
Guide lines are alwayss hown at road level. In
trailer mode, the guide lines are shown at the
level of the trailer coupling.
If you change wheel size, make sure they corre-
spond to the correctw heel size category
(
Ypage 267). If the category is changed without
recoding the control units in the vehicle, the rear
view camera cannot be precisely calibrated. The
guide lines at road level or at the level of the
trailer tow hitch will not be displayed correctly.
In vehicles with atailgate, the rear view camera
is protected from raindrops and dust by means
of aflap. When the rear view camera is activa-
ted, this flap opens.
The flap closes again when:
Ryou have finished the maneuvering process
Ryou switch off the engine For technical reasons, the flap may remain open
briefly after the rear view camera has been
deactivated.
Switching the rear view camera on or
off
XTo switch on: make sure that the key is in
position 2in the ignition lock.
XShift the transmission to position R.
On vehicles with atailgate, the rear view cam-
era flap opens. The audio display shows the
area behind the vehicle. The rear area shown
is divided by guide lines.
In vehicles with atrailer coupling installed, the
function mode of the rear view camera can be
switched over when the trailer is reached. The
rear view camera then changes the viewing
angle and shows alocating aid for the ball cou-
pling of the trailer tow hitch to help reach the
drawbar.
XTo switch function mode: select and con-
firm "Reverse parking" function :or "Cou-
pling up atrailer“ function ;using the audio
system control knob.
Information on the audio system control knob
can be found in the separate operating
instructions.
The symbol of the selected function is high-
lighted.
XTo switch off: shift the transmission to posi-
tion Nor D.
The dynamic guide lines are hidden and after
about 15 sthe rear view camera switches
itself off.
or
XDrive forwards more than about 30 ft (10 m).
or
XDrive forwards faster than 6mph (10 km/h) .
Driving system s159
Driving an dparking
Z

XBack up carefully untilyouhav ereached the
end position.
Re dg uide lineAis then aligne dwitht he
marking at the end of parking space ?.The
vehicle is almost parallel in the parking space.
"Coupling up atrailer" function
:Trailer drawbar
;Locating ai d–vehicle center point on the
yellow guid elineatad istance of approx-
imately 3ft(1.0m) from the rearofthe vehi-
cle
Thi sfun ctio niso nlya vailable on vehicles with a
trailer tow hitch attached.
XBefore coupling up the trailer, sett he height
of trailer drawbar :so thatiti ssligh tly
highe rthant he ball coupling.
XPositio nthe vehicl ecentrally in front of trailer
drawbar :.
:Trailer drawbar
;Trailer drawbar locating aid
="Coupling up atrailer" functio nselect ed
?Ballcoupling
ARe dg uide line at adistance of approximately
12 in (0.3 0m)fromt he ball coupling
XSelect and confirm "Coupling up atrailer"
function =with the audi osystemc ontrol
knob. Informatio
nonthe audi osystemc ontrolknob
can be found in the separate operating
instructions.
Symbol =is highlighted. The distance spec-
ifications now onl yapply to objects thata reat
the same level as the ball coupling.
XBac kupcarefully, making sure thatt railer
drawbar locating aid ;points approximately
in the direction of trailer drawbar :.
XBackupcarefull yuntiltrailer drawbar :rea-
che sred guid eline A.
The distance between trailer drawbar :and
ball coupling ?is now approximately 12 in
(0.30 m).
XCouplethe trailer (Ypage 162).
Towin gatrailer
Note sont railer towing
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Installing an unsuitable ball coupling may
resul tino verloading of the trailer tow hitch
and the rea raxle. This applie sespecially if the
ball coupling in questio nislon gerora ngled
differently. This could seriously impair the
drivin gcharacteristics and the trailer can
come loose .Ther eisar iskofana ccident.
Yo us houl donlye verinstal laballc oupling
thath asthe permissibl edimensions and that
is designe dtomeety ou rtrailer-towing
requirements .Donot modify the ball coupling
or the trailer tow hitch.
GWARNING
If yo uuseab allc oupling thati snot approved
for your vehicle, it mayc ause excessive strain
on the trailer tow hitch. This can cause dam-
ag etot he vehicl eand the trailer mayc ome
loose durin gthe journey .The handling may be
impaired an dthe rea raxlem aybe overloaded.
Thi sm aylead to an accident involvin gserious
or eve nfatal injury.
162Towin gatrailer
Driving an dparking

Therefore notethe following:
ROnly installaball coupling that is approved
for your vehicle.
RBefore the journey, make sure that the ball
coupling is correctly installed and secured.
To do this, observe the operating instruc-
tions of the ball coupling manufacturer.
RDo not make any modification stothe ball
coupling or the trailer tow hitch.
You must observe the operating instructions
of the trailer tow hitch or ball coupling manu-
facturer.
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly installed
and secured, it could come loose while driving and endanger other road users. There is arisk
of an accident and injury.
Install and secure the ball coupling as descri-
bed in the ball coupling manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions .Make sure that the ball
coupling is correctly installed and secured
before every journey.
GWARNING
When the vehicle/trailer combination begins
to lurch, you could lose control of it. The vehi- cle/trailer combination could even rollover.
There is arisk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten up the vehicle/trailer combination
by increasingt he speed. Reduce vehicle
speed and do not countersteer. Apply the
brake as necessary.
You can attach carrier systems such as bicycle
racks or load-bearing implements on the ball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of 165 lb
(75 kg) applies when using carrier systems on
the ball coupling.
Always observe the operating instructions pro-
vided by the manufacturers of the trailer cou-
pling and the ball coupling.
Couple and decouple the trailer carefully. When backing up the towing vehicle, make sure
nobody is standin gbetween the vehicle and the
trailer. At
railer which is incorrectly coupled to the tow-
ing vehicle could break away.Ac orrectly cou-
pled trailer must be positioned horizontally
behind the towing vehicle.
Ensure that the following weights are not excee-
ded:
Rthe permissible noseweight
Rthe permissible trailer load
Rthe permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
Rthe maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
Rthe maximum permissible gross weight of
vehicle/trailer combination
The applicable permissible values that may not
be exceeded can be found:
Rin your vehicle documents
Ron the type plates for the trailer tow hitch
Ron the type plates for the trailer
Ron the vehicle identification plate
(Ypage 294).
Where the values differ, the lowest is valid.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the vehicle identification plates and
those for the towing vehicle in the "Technical
data" section (
Ypage 305).
Your vehicle behaves differently with atrailer
than without one.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
Ris heavier
Ris restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
Rhas an increased braking distance
Ris more susceptible to stron gcrosswinds
Rrequires more sensitiv esteering
Rhas alarger turnin gcircle
This may impair the handling characteristics.
When towing atrailer, alwaysa djust your speed
to suit the road and weather conditions. Drive
carefully. Maint ainasafe

distance.
If you require any further explanation regarding
the information contained in the Operating
Instructions, please contact aMercedes-Benz
Commercial Van Center.
Towing atrailer163
Driving and parking
Z