display MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV 2008 Repair Manual

Driving sys
tems 150
R
when the parking brake is applied
R if ESP ®
is deactivated (Y page 58)
R when the automatic transmission is in posi-
tion P,Ror N
X Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 5to the pressure point.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Distronic is activated. The vehicle main-
tains the stored speed until the distance to
the vehicle in front becomes too small.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC Override message
appears in the multi-function display. The
distance to a slower-moving vehicle in front
will then not be governed. You will be driv-
ing at the speed you determine with the
accelerator pedal. Setting a speed X
Press the cruise control lever to the pres-
sure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 5for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
i Deceleration of the vehicle by means of
the cruise control lever is assisted by auto-
matic application of the brakes. On long
downhill gradients, the automatic trans-
mission also shifts down.
Making adjustments in 1 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever to the
pressure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 5for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced. Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever to the
pressure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 5for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for
the current situation. Otherwise, sudden
acceleration or braking could endanger you
or others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 4.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Distronic is activated and accepts the cur-
rent speed if it is activated for the first time,
or adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 151
Setting the specified minimum distance
for Distronic You can set the specified minimum distance
for Distronic by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. This time span
determines the distance that Distronic should
maintain from the vehicle in front, depending
on the road speed. You can read this distance
in the multi-function display (Y page 152).1
To reduce the set distance
2 Thumbwheel
3 To increase the set distance X
To increase: turn thumbwheel 2towards
3.
Distronic then maintains a greater distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front.
X To decrease: turn thumbwheel 2towards
1.
Distronic then maintains a shorter distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front.
i Make sure that you maintain the mini-
mum distance to the vehicle in front
required by law. Adjust the distance to the
vehicle in front if necessary. Distronic displays in the speedometer 1
Speed of the vehicle in front
2 Segments
3 Stored speed
When Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments in the set speed range light up.
i For design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for Distronic.
If Distronic detects a vehicle in front, seg-
ments 2between speed of the vehicle in
front 1and stored speed 3light up. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 152
Distronic displays in the multi-function
display X
Select the Distronic menu on the on-board
computer (Y page 126).
Display when Distronic is deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated, you will see
the following in the multi-function display: 1
Vehicle in front, if detected
2 Distance indicator, displaying current dis-
tance to the vehicle in front
3 Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
4 Own vehicle
Display when Distronic is activated
When Distronic is activated, you will see the
following in the multi-function display: 1
Distronic activated
2 Stored speed
When activating Distronic and when setting
the speed, stored speed 2appears for
around 5 seconds.
Deactivating Distronic 1
To deactivate Distronic
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate Dis-
tronic:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 1.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 3.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i Distronic is not deactivated if you depress
the accelerator pedal. If you accelerate
briefly to overtake, Distronic adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored
after you have finished overtaking.
Distronic is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake
R you are driving at less than 25 km/h Controls
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Driving sys
tems 153
R
ESP ®
is intervening or you deactivate
ESP ®
.
R you shift the automatic transmission to N
while the vehicle is in motion
If Distronic is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the DISTRONIC
Off message in the multi-function display for
approximately five seconds.
Tips for driving with Distronic The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. Distronic is then deacti-
vated.
Cornering, entering and exiting a bend The ability of Distronic to detect vehicles
when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or belatedly.
Vehicles travelling in a different line
Distronic may not detect vehicles travelling
on a different line. The distance to the vehicle
in front will be too short.
Other vehicles changing lane Distronic has not yet detected the vehicle
cutting in. The distance to this vehicle will be
too short.
Narrow vehicles Distronic has not yet detected the vehicle in
front on the edge of the carriageway, because Controls
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Driving sys
tems 155
5
To switch between cruise control or Dis-
tronic* and variable Speedtronic
6 To deactivate variable Speedtronic
Selecting variable Speedtronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2is on.
If it is on, variable Speedtronic is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable Speedtronic is
selected. G
Risk of accident
If there is a change of drivers, advise the
new driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use Speedtronic when you do not have
to accelerate suddenly to a speed higher
than the stored limit speed allows. You
could otherwise cause an accident.
You can only exceed the limit speed stored
if you deactivate variable Speedtronic:
R using the cruise control lever.
R by depressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown). It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking. G
Risk of injury
Variable Speedtronic brakes automatically
in order to avoid exceeding the set speed.
As it does so, the brake pedal is depressed.
Do not place your foot under the brake
pedal as it could become trapped.
Storing the current speed You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 4to the pressure point.
The current speed is stored and shown in
the multi-function display.
The LIM indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for
the current driving and traffic situation. Otherwise, sudden braking could endanger
you or others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
Making adjustments in 1 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever to the
pressure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed to the
pressure point until the desired speed is
set. Press the cruise control lever, up 1
for a higher speed or down 4for a lower
speed.
Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
beyond the pressure point, up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
beyond the pressure point until the desired
speed is set. Press the cruise control lever, Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 156up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for a
lower speed.
Deactivating variable Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate variable
Speedtronic:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
The LIM indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable Speedtronic is
deactivated.
Cruise control or Distronic* is selected.
Variable Speedtronic is deactivated automat-
ically when you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown), but
only if your current speed does not differ by
more than 20 km/h from the stored speed.
You will hear a warning tone if this is the case. G
Risk of accident
It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking. i
The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
Permanent Speedtronic i
Permanent Speedtronic is only available
in certain countries.
You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h (e.g. for driving with winter tyres)
and the maximum speed.
Just before the stored speed is reached, it
appears in the multi-function display.
Permanent Speedtronic remains active, even
if variable Speedtronic is deactivated.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown).
Setting permanent Speedtronic
X Press the èor· button to select the
Settings menu (Ypage 127).
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the jbutton to select Speed
limit (winter tyres) . X
Press the æorç button to select the
desired setting.
The following settings can be selected:
R Off
Permanent Speedtronic is deactivated.
R A limit speed between 240 km/hand
160 km/h in increments of 10 km/h. AIRMATIC package*
AIRMATIC enables a suspension tuning set-
ting to be selected and regulates the damping
behaviour and level of your vehicle. The sys-
tem comprises two components: ADS*
(Adaptive Damping System) (Y page 157)
and level control* (Y page 158).
See the notes on driving with a trailer in the
"Operation" (Y page 243) section. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 159
consumption increases and handling per-
formance is affected.
1
Button
2 Indicator lamp
X Start the engine.
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2flashes. The vehicle rises
to the raised level. While the adjustment is taking place, a mes-
sage appears in the multi-function display,
e.g. : If you press the
æorç button on the
multi-function steering wheel, the message
will disappear.
Once the vehicle has reached the raised level,
indicator lamp 2remains lit. You will see a
message in the multi-function display, for
example: If you have not previously selected the off-
road menu (Y
page 126) in the on-board
computer, the message disappears after
about five seconds. If you try to select the raised level at a speed
above 70 km/h, the Level selection not
permitted message appears
Highway/high-speed level
! Make sure there is enough ground clear-
ance when the vehicle is being lowered. It
could otherwise hit the ground, damaging
the underbody. 1
Button
2 Indicator lamp
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp 2is lit:
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2flashes. The vehicle is
adjusting to highwa y/high-speed level. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 160
While the adjustment is taking place, a mes-
sage appears in the multi-function display,
e.g. : If you press the
æorç button on the
multi-function steering wheel, the message
will disappear.
Once highway level has been reached, indi-
cator lamp 2goes out. You will see a mes-
sage in the multi-function display, for exam-
ple: If you have not previously selected the off-
road menu (Y page 126) in the on-board
computer, the message disappears after
about five seconds. The vehicle automatically selects highway
level if you are driving at a speed above
90 km/h or if you drive at between
70 km/h and 90 km/h for around 20 sec-
onds. At high speeds, the vehicle is lowered
to high-speed level in accordance with the
ADS basic setting (Y page 157).
Vehicles with the Off-Road Pro engi-
neering package* Basic settings
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted.
Select:
R
Off-road level 3 for freeing the vehicle in
impassable terrain at low speeds only
R Off-road level 2 for driving on normal off-
road terrain
R Off-road level 1 for driving on easily nego-
tiable off-road terrain
R Highway/high-speed level for normal roads The individual vehicle levels are:
R
Off-road level 3: 90 mm above highway
level
R Off-road level 2: 60 mm above highway
level
R Off-road level 1: 30 mm above highway
level
R Highway level: +/- 0 mm
R High-speed level: 15 mm below highway
level
Off-road levels G
Risk of accident
Off-road level 3 is not permitted for use on
public roads. Off-road level 3 gives your
vehicle a very high centre of gravity. This
increases the risk of the vehicle tipping
over.
R Only select off-road level 3 for driving off-
road in particularly rough terrain.
R Adjust your driving style to the altered
handling characteristics.
R Do not drive faster than 20 km/h. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 161R
Avoid sudden major steering move-
ments.
R Take account of the altered handling
characteristics.
If you are driving too fast in off-road level 3,
the Bring speed below 20 km/h message
appears in the multi-function display. You
additionally hear a warning tone. The vehicle
is lowered.
i You cannot clear these messages.
Only select an off-road level when this is
appropriate for the road conditions. Other-
wise, fuel consumption increases and han-
dling performance may be affected.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. 1
To raise the level
2 To lower the level
3 Indicator lamps
X Start the engine.
X Turn selector wheel 1clockwise.
The vehicle is raised.
or
X Turn selector wheel 2anti-clockwise.
The vehicle is lowered. Indicator lamps
3for the desired off-road
level flash:
R Off-road level 1: the lower indicator lamp
flashes
R Off-road level 2: the lower and centre indi-
cator lamps flash
R Off-road level 3: all three indicator lamps
flash
The vehicle is being adjusted to the off-road
level selected. As soon as an off-road level is
reached, the corresponding indicator lamp
stops flashing and lights up constantly.
While the adjustment is taking place, a mes-
sage appears in the multi-function display,
e.g. : The vehicle rises from highway level to off-
road level 1.
If you press the
æorç button on the
multi-function steering wheel, the messages
will disappear. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 162
Once off-road level 2 has been reached, you
will see a message in the multi-function dis-
play, for example: Lower and centre indicator lamps
3are on.
If you have not previously selected the off-
road menu (Y page 126) in the on-board
computer, the message disappears after
about five seconds.
The 20 km/h max . message draws your atten-
tion to the maximum speed permitted for off-
road level 3.
While the adjustment from off-road level 2 to
off-road level 3 is taking place, you will see a
message such as the following in the multi-
function display: Once off-road level 3 has been reached, you
will see a message in the multi-function dis-
play, for example:
If you drive above 20 km/h in off-road level
3, you will see the following message in the
multi-function display:
Off-road level 3 is cancelled.
If you then increase the speed again, the mes-
sage remains in the multi-function display.
The newly set level is not displayed until the
vehicle has been set to a level suitable for the
current speed.If you maintain or reduce your speed, you will
see a message such as the following in the
display while the vehicle is being lowered: The vehicle is lowered to off-road level 2.
Once off-road level 2 has been reached, you
will see a message in the multi-function dis-
play, for example: If you select an off-road level when driving at
too high a speed, the
Level selection not
permitted message appears in the multi-
function display. Controls
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