2003 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG cruise control

Contents
Climate control .................................. 150
Setting the temperature ............... 152
Adjusting air distribution and
volume ......................................... 153
Defrosting .................................... 154
Air recirculation............................ 154
Rear window defroster ................. 155
Residual engine heat utilization.... 156
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 156
Air conditioning ............................ 157
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 157
Power windows.................................. 158
Opening and closing the windows 158
Sliding/pop-up roof ........................... 160
Opening and closing the
sliding/pop-up roof ...................... 160
Driving systems ................................. 162
Cruise control .............................. 162
Rear Park Assist* ......................... 165
Loading.............................................. 168
Roof rack ..................................... 168
Cargo area cover.......................... 168
Enlarged cargo area ..................... 169
Split rear seat bench .................... 169Partition net* (MB Accessory) ...... 171
Loading instructions ..................... 173
Cargo tie-down rings ..................... 175
Useful features ................................... 176
Interior storage spaces ................. 176
Ashtrays........................................ 179
Cigarette lighter ............................ 181
Electrical outlet ............................. 181
Telephone* ................................... 182
Tele Aid ......................................... 183
Garage door opener ...................... 191
Heated steering wheel .................. 194
Operation.......................................... 195
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 196
Driving instructions ............................ 197
Drive sensibly – save fuel.............. 197
Drinking and driving ...................... 197
Pedals ........................................... 197
Power assistance .......................... 198
Brakes........................................... 198
Driving off ..................................... 199
Parking.......................................... 199
Tires .............................................. 200
Hydroplaning................................. 200Tire traction .................................. 201
Tire speed rating ........................... 201
Winter driving instructions ............ 202
Standing water ............................. 203
Passenger compartment............... 203
Off-road driving ............................. 203
Control and operation of radio
transmitters .................................. 210
Driving abroad .............................. 211
Catalytic converter ....................... 211
Emission control ........................... 212
Coolant temperature .................... 212
At the gas station ............................... 214
Check regularly and
before a long trip .......................... 215
Engine compartment .......................... 216
Hood ............................................. 216
Engine oil ...................................... 217
Transmission fluid level ................ 220
Coolant level ................................. 220
Windshield/rear window washer
system and headlamp cleaning
system .......................................... 222
Battery ............................................... 223

23 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Combination switch

Turn signals
46


Windshield wipers
47


High beam
46
2
Headlamp cleaning system
148
3
Cruise control lever
162
4
Instrument cluster
24
5
Lever for voice control sys-
tem, see separate operat-
ing instructions
Item
Page
6
Starter switch
33
7
Glove box
176
8
Multifunction steering
wheel
26,
112,
194
9
Horn
10
Steering wheel adjustment
stalk
37,
194
11
Exterior lamp switch
46,
100
12
Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment
38

162 Controls in detailDriving systems
Driving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control, with which the vehicle
can maintain a preset speed.


Rear Park Assist*, with which you can
assist your parking maneuvers.
The BAS, ABS, ESP, 4-ETS and EBB driving
systems are described in the “Safety and
Security” section (
page 71).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set any speed
over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 22).
iThe cruise control should not be acti-
vated during-off road driving.
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

163 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at previously set speed
Saving current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control will be canceled. The
last speed set will be stored for later
use.iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Moving gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

164 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting stored speed
(“Resume” function)
Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position4.
Cruise control will resume the last pre-
viously set speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed

Lift the cruise control lever to
position1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control lever to
position2 and hold it down until the
desired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph (1 km/h) in-
crements
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could endanger yourself and others.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate the cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing), the
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not brake the vehi-
cle sufficiently.

202 OperationDriving instructionsWinter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move selector lever to positionN. Try to
keep the vehicle under control by correc-
tive steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal brake effect.
We therefore recommend depressing the
brake pedal periodically when traveling at
length on salt-strewn roads.
This can bring road salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal. Be very careful
that you carry out these braking maneu-
vers without endangering any other road
users.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
For more information on winter driving
(
page 228).
iInformation on driving with snow
chains (
page 229).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.
Do not engage the transfer case in position
LOW when driving on ice or packed snow. At
speeds below 18 mph (30 km / h) vehicle
steering is adversely affected by the LOW
RANGE – ABS (
page 72).
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.

204 OperationDriving instructionsRead this chapter carefully before you be-
gin off-road travel.
Familiarize yourself with the vehicle char-
acteristics and gear changing before you
attempt any difficult terrain off-road driv-
ing. We recommend that you start out with
easy off-road travel.Special driving features for off-road
driving
The following driving features are available
for specific kind of operation:


ABS (
page 71)


ESP (
page 75)


4-ETS (
page 74)


Differential lock (
page 145)


Transfer case (
page 141)
Off-road driving rules

Engage the transfer case in position
LOW before driving under off-road con-
ditions (
page 141).

If necessary activate differential locks
(page 145).
The ABS, BAS and ESP are switched off
automatically when the differential
locks are activated.

Fasten items being carried as securely
as possible (
page 173).
Never let the vehicle roll backwards in idle.
You may lose control of the vehicle if you
use only the service brake.
Sand, dirt, mud and other material having
friction property can cause exceptional wear
and tear as well as brake failure.
Have the brakes checked for dirt build-up
and cleaned. There is otherwise a risk that
full braking power may not be available in an
emergency.
iWhenever driving in off-road mode, we
recommend:

Keeping doors, tailgate, windows
and sliding/pop-up roof closed.


Switching cruise control off.
!Observe the following during off-road
driving:

Adjust vehicle speed to condition of
terrain. The more uneven, rutty and
steeper the terrain, the lower the
speed should be. Drive through wa-
ter slowly at an even speed, avoid-
ing a bow wave.


Be especially careful when driving
in unknown territory. It may be nec-
essary to get out of the vehicle and
scout the path you intend to take.


Watch out for obstacles, such as
rocks, holes, tree stumps and ruts.

254 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
Category
Ñ
CRUISE CONTROL
VISIT WORKSHOP!
Cruise control is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
2
J
DOOR OPEN!
You are attempting to drive with one
or more doors open.

Close the doors.
1
e
ENGINE AIR FILTER
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The engine filter is clogged and must
be replaced.

Visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.
2
:
ENGINE OIL LEVEL
STOP, ENGINE OFF!
There is no oil in the engine. There is
a danger of engine damage.
See also comments on the following
page.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a
halt as soon as possible.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil and check the
engine oil level (
page 218).
1
ENGINE OIL LEVEL
CHECK LEVEL!
The engine oil level is too low.
See also comments on the following
page.

Check the engine oil level
(page 218) and add oil as re-
quired.
2
ENGINE OIL LEVEL
REDUCE OIL LEVEL!
You have added too much engine oil.
There is a risk of damaging the en-
gine or the catalytic converter.
See also comments on the following
page.

Have oil siphoned. Observe all
legal requirements with re-
spect to its disposal.
2