
4 Contents
Practical hintsFirst aid kit  .....................................228
Fuses ................................................228
Electrical outlet  ..............................230
Stowing things in the vehicle  ......230
Hood ................................................. 231
Checking engine oil level  .............233
Automatic transmission 
fluid level  ...................................234
Engine oil consumption  ................234
Coolant level  ...................................234
Adding coolant  ...........................235
Windshield washer/headlamp 
cleaning system .........................236
Windshield and
headlamp washer fluid 
mixing ratio  ................................237Vehicle jack, wheel bolt
wrench and screwdriver  ......... 237
Air pump ......................................... 239
Wheels ............................................ 240
Tire replacement  ....................... 240
Rotating wheels  ......................... 241
Spare wheel .................................... 242
Changing wheels  ........................... 245
Tire inflation pressure  ................. 250
Battery ............................................. 251
Jump starting  ................................. 253
Towing the vehicle  ........................ 255
Transmission selector lever, 
manually unlocking  .................. 259
Stranded vehicle  ............................ 259Exterior lamps  ................................260
Headlamp assembly ................... 261
Taillamp assemblies  ..................265
Adjusting headlamp aim ...............268
Remote control
battery replacement  .................270
Synchronizing
remote control  ............................ 271
Emergency operation of 
sliding/pop-up roof  ...................272
Emergency operation of
Skyview Top ...............................273
Manual release for 
fuel filler flap ............................. 274
Replacing wiper blades .................275
Roof rack  ......................................... 276 

174 Driving instructions
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Driving instructions
Drive sensibly – save fuel
Fuel consumption, to a great extent, depends on driving 
habits and operating conditions.
To save fuel you should:
•keep tires at the recommended inflation pressures,
•remove unnecessary loads,
•remove roof rack when not in use,
•allow engine to warm up under low load use,
•avoid frequent acceleration and deceleration,
•have all maintenance work performed at regular 
intervals by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light 
Truck Center.
Fuel consumption is also increased by driving in cold 
weather, in stop-and-go traffic, on short trips and in hilly 
country.Drinking and driving
Pedals
Wa r n i n g !
Drinking or taking drugs and driving can be a very 
dangerous combination. Even a small amount of 
alcohol or drugs can affect your reflexes, 
perceptions and judgement.The possibility of a serious or even fatal accident is 
sharply increased when you drink or take drugs 
and drive.Please don’t drink or take drugs and drive or allow 
anyone to drive after drinking or taking drugs.Wa r n i n g !
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times. Objects 
stored in this area may impair pedal movement. 

184 Driving instructions
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Checklist before off-road driving
•Tires: Check the tread depth and maintain specified 
tire pressure (see tire pressure label inside the fuel 
filler flap). Check tires for possible damage and 
remove foreign objects. The valve caps must be 
mounted.
•Rims: Dented or bent rims can cause tire pressure 
loss and damage the tire beads. For this reason 
change rims before driving off-road.
• Vehicle tool kit: Check if the vehicle jack is 
functional. In all cases take the vehicle tool kit, a 
strong tow rope, a shovel and a small plank (to put 
under the vehicle jack on sandy soil) with you.Driving in steep terrain
Slope angle:
126° (ML 320 and ML 430)
23° (ML 55 AMG)
226° (ML 320 and ML 430)
21° (ML 55 AMG)
Switch to LOW RANGE mode before starting to drive up 
or down steep inclines, see page 209.
Maximum vehicle climbing ability is a 60% grade.
1
2 

212 What you should know at the gas station
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What you should know at the gas station
Fuel supplyOpen f l ap by pu ll ing  at rear (arrow). Turn f uel c ap to t he 
left and hold on to it until possible pressure in tank has 
been released, then remove cap. Failure to remove 
slowly could result in personal injury.
The fuel filler cap is tethered to the fuel filler neck. Do 
not drop the cap. It could damage the vehicle paint 
finish.
Manual release of fuel filler flap, see page 274.
Important!
When refueling vehicle make certain that no gasoline 
comes into contact with plastic taillamp, to prevent 
damaging the lens.
Fuel
To prevent fuel vapors from escaping into open air, fully 
insert filler nozzle unit.
Only fill fuel tank until the filler nozzle unit cuts out – 
do not top up or overfill.
Wa r n i n g !
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous. It 
burns violently and can cause serious injury. 
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid inhaling 
fumes and skin contact, extinguish all smoking 
materials. Never allow sparks, flame or smoking 
materials near gasoline! 

213 What you should know at the gas station
Te ch n ica l
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cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Leaving the engine running and the fuel cap open can 
cause the “CHECK ENGINE” lamp to illuminate.
Fuel tank capacity approximately 19.0 US gal (72.0 l).
This includes approximately 3.2 US gal (12.0 l) reserve.
Use premium unleaded gasoline: Posted Octane 
Index 91 (Average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
•Engine oil
Engine oil level check, see page 89 and page 233.
Fill quantity between upper and lower dipstick 
marking level: 2.1 US qt (2.0 l).
Recommended engine oils, see Approved Service 
Products sheet.• Coolant
For normal replenishing, use water (potable water 
quality).
For further information (e.g. anticorrosion/
antifreeze), see page 292.
• Spark plugs
Approved spark plugs, see page 290.
• Tire pressure
For tire pressure, refer to tire pressure label inside 
the fuel filler flap. See page 250 for further details.
• Air conditioner
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant, see 
page 294.
Wa r n i n g !
Overfilling of fuel tank may result in creating 
pressure in the system which could cause a gas 
discharge such as the gas spraying back out upon 
removing the filler nozzle which could cause 
personal injury. 

227 Contents - Practical hints
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments 
and controlsOperation DrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hintsCar care Index
Practical hintsFirst aid kit  .....................................228
Fuses ................................................228
Electrical outlet  ..............................230
Stowing things in the vehicle  ......230
Hood ................................................. 231
Checking engine oil level  .............233
Automatic transmission 
fluid level  ...................................234
Engine oil consumption  ................234
Coolant level  ...................................234
Adding coolant  ...........................235
Windshield washer/headlamp 
cleaning system .........................236
Windshield and
headlamp washer fluid 
mixing ratio  ................................237Vehicle jack, wheel bolt
wrench and screwdriver  ......... 237
Air pump ......................................... 239
Wheels ............................................ 240
Tire replacement  ....................... 240
Rotating wheels  ......................... 241
Spare wheel .................................... 242
Changing wheels  ........................... 245
Tire inflation pressure  ................. 250
Battery ............................................. 251
Jump starting  ................................. 253
Towing the vehicle  ........................ 255
Transmission selector lever, 
manually unlocking  .................. 259
Stranded vehicle  ............................ 259Exterior lamps  ................................260
Headlamp assembly ................... 261
Taillamp assemblies  ..................265
Adjusting headlamp aim ...............268
Remote control
battery replacement  .................270
Synchronizing
remote control  ............................ 271
Emergency operation of 
sliding/pop-up roof  ...................272
Emergency operation of
Skyview Top ...............................273
Manual release for 
fuel filler flap ............................. 274
Replacing wiper blades .................275
Roof rack  ......................................... 276 

250 Tires, Wheels
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Tire inflation pressure
A table (see fuel filler flap) lists the tire inflation 
pressures specified for Mercedes-Benz recommended 
tires as well as for the varying operating conditions.
Important!
Tire pressure changes by approximately 1.5 psi (0.1 bar) 
per 18°F (10°C) of air temperature change. Keep this in 
mind when checking tire pressure inside a garage – 
especially in the winter.
Example:
If garage temperature = approximately +68°F (+20°C) 
and ambient temperature = approximately +32°F (0°C) 
then the adjusted air pressure = specified air pressure 
+3 psi (+0.2 bar).Tire pressures listed for light loads are minimum values 
offering high driving comfort. Increased inflation 
pressures for heavy loads produce favorable handling 
characteristics with lighter loads and are perfectly 
permissible. The ride of the vehicle, however, will 
become somewhat harder.
Tire temperature and pressure increase with the vehicle 
speed. Tire pressure should therefore only be checked 
and corrected on cold tires. Correct tire pressure in 
warm tires only if pressure has dropped below the 
pressure listed in the table and the respective operating 
conditions are taken into consideration.
An underinf lated tire due to a slow leak (e.g. due to a 
nail in the tire) may cause damage such as tread 
separation, bulging etc.. Regular tire pressure checks 
(including the spare tire) at intervals of no more than 
14 days are therefore essential. 

295 Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Te ch n ica l
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cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Premium unleaded gasoline
Caution!
To maintain the engine’s durability and performance, 
premium unleaded gasoline must be used. If premium 
unleaded is not available and low octane fuel is used, 
follow these precautions:
•have the fuel tank filled only partially with unleaded 
regular and fill up with premium unleaded as soon 
as possible,
•avoid full throttle driving and abrupt acceleration,
•do not exceed an engine speed of 3000 rpm, if the 
vehicle is loaded with a light load such as two 
persons and no luggage,
•do not exceed 2 / 3 of maximum accelerator pedal 
position, if the vehicle is fully loaded or operating in 
mountainous terrain.Fuel requirements
Use only Premium unleaded meeting ASTM 
standard D 439:
The octane number (posted at the pump) must be 
91 min. It is an average of both the Research (R) octane 
number and the Motor (M) octane number: [(R+M) / 2]. 
This is also known as ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates such as 
Ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be used provided the 
ratio of any one of these oxygenates to gasoline does not 
exceed 10%, MTBE not to exceed 15%.
The ratio of Methanol to gasoline must not exceed 3% 
plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of Ethanol and Methanol is not allowed. 
Gasohol, which contains 10% Ethanol and 90% unleaded 
gasoline, can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel requirements 
such as resistance to spark knock, boiling range, vapor 
pressure etc..