141 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission, you
can change the gears manually when the
gear selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D–direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action si-
multaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 142).Upshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simulta-
neously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D+direction until
Dreappears in
the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal accelera-
tion and deceleration. This will involve
shifting down one or more gears.
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 loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to the
D- direction, the transmission will not
shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.
142 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD,
you can limit the transmission’s gear range
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
left (D-), and reverse the gear range limit
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
right (D+).
The selected gear range will appear in the
multifunction display. If you press on the
accelerator when the engine has reached
its rpm limit, the transmission will upshift
beyond any gear range limit selected.
Gear selector lever position
!If the transfer case is in off-road driving
position LOW, the automatic transmis-
sion will not shift up automatically,
even when the engine has reached the
speed limit for that gear. There is a risk
of damaging the engine.
It is very important to make sure the
permissible engine speed is not ex-
ceeded.
Effect
é
The transmission shifts
through fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts
through third gear only.
With this selection you can
use the braking effect of the
engine.
ç
The transmission shifts
through second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving
on steep downgrades
in mountainous regions
under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep
or lengthy downgrades.
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
145 Controls in detail
Transfer case
Transfer case
For more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 213).
Gear range
Switching transfer case
The switch is located in the center console.1Transfer case indicator
2Gear range indicator
Transfer case indicator1 in the multi-
function display shows the gear position of
the transfer case.
H
HIGHRoad position
L
LOWOff-road position
This position is intended for
driving off-road and step gradi-
ents.
The transmission will not up-
shift automatically to the next
higher gear range when driving
at the rpm limit.The transfer case supports the
engine’s driving force (approx. 1/2speed). Output is there-
fore increased.
N
NeutralNo power is transmitted from
the engine to the drive axle.
146 Controls in detailTransfer caseSwitching from HIGH to LOW
Press upper half (“LOW”) of the trans-
fer case switch.
Once the shift is complete, gear
position
L is displayed in the transfer
case indicator.
Put gear selector in D.Switching from LOW to HIGH
Press lower half (“HIGH”) of the trans-
fer case switch.
Once the shift is complete, gear
position
H is displayed in the transfer
case indicator.
Put gear selector in D.Messages in the multifunction display
If a shift was not completed and the multi-
function display shows one of the following
messages:
TC SHIFT CONDITIONS NOT FULFILLEDThe shift did not take place. At least
one shift condition was not met.
Repeat the shift procedure.
TC IN NEUTRAL The shift did not take place. The trans-
fer case is in neutral. The gear
position
N is displayed in the transfer
case indicator1.
Repeat the shift procedure.
!The shift procedure can only be per-
formed when:
The engine is running.
The gear selector lever for the auto-
matic transmission is in positionN.
The vehicle is not at standstill.
The vehicle speed does not exceed
25 mph (40 km/h).
iIf the shift procedure does not take
place press upper half (“LOW”) of the
transfer case switch again.
!The shift procedure can only be per-
formed when:
The engine is running.
The gear selector lever for the auto-
matic transmission is in positionN.
The vehicle is not at standstill.
The vehicle speed does not exceed
40 mph (70 km/h).
iIf the shift procedure does not take
place press lower half (“HIGH”) of the
transfer case switch again.
Warning!
G
If TC is in neutral, transmission positionP
will not hold vehicle. The parking brake must
be applied to hold vehicle in place.
150 Controls in detailDifferential locksSwitching differential locks on and off
The switch is located in the center console.
1Transfer case (center) differential lock
2Rear axle differential lock
3Front differential lock
4Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)
5Function indicator lamps (red)Switching differential locks on
Transfer case differential lock
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 for the transfer case differen-
tial lock comes on.
The ESP warning lampv comes on.
When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp5 comes on.The message
ABS NOT AVAILABLE –
DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED
appears in the
multifunction display.
The ESP warning lampv and the
ABS- warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster come on.
Once the transfer case differential lock
is switched on, you can now, if needed,
switch on rear axle differential
lock2
or
switch on rear axle differential lock
and front differential lock2
and3.
iThe differential locks can only be
switched on in the sequence 1,
2,3.
!To avoid damage to the transfer case
and differential locks:
Engage differential locks only at low
speed (walking speed, not more
than 5 mph).
Do not engage differential locks if
the driving wheels are spinning due
to lack of traction.
Do not engage on paved roads.
151 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Rear axle differential lock
Press switch2.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The rear axle differential lock is
switched on.
Front differential lock
Press switch 3.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The front differential lock is switched
on. Switching differential locks off
There are two different methods to disen-
gage differential locks:
You can switch the differential locks off
in reverse order (3, 2,1).
To switch off all differential locks at the
same time:
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamps4 go out first. The red func-
tion indicator lamps5 go out
when the switching process has
been carried out in the differential.To activate the ESP, BAS and ABS systems,
drive again for three seconds using a con-
stant driving style.
All messages in the multifunction display
disappear. The ESP warning lampv
and the ABS- warning lamp in the in-
strument cluster go out.
iIf the function lamps do not go out
when the differential locks are disen-
gaged, bring vehicle to a stop and then
continue driving. Changing the vehicle
load can help to disengage locks. Warning!
G
Always remember to disengage the differen-
tial locks when returning to drive on paved
roads, see “A few words about differentials
and differential locks” (
page 149).
190 Controls in detailUseful featuresTele Aid The Tele Aid system
(Telematic Alarm Identification on
Demand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:
Automatic and manual emergency
Roadside Assistance and
Information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the multifunction steering wheel. To
raise, press buttonæ and to lower,
press buttonç.
To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• or
the Information button¡, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your ac-
quaintance call, you will receive a user ID
and password via first call mail. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
( U S A o n l y ) , y o u w i l l h a v e a c c e s s t o a c c o u n t
information, remote door unlock, profile
and more.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by com-
pleting the subscriber agreement and
placing an acquaintance call using the
SOS button. Failure to complete either
of these steps will result in a system
that is not activated. If the system is
not activated, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after turning
SmartKey in starter switch to
position2 and the message
TELE AID
EMERG. CALL – NOT ACTIVATED
will be
shown in the multifunction display for
approx. 10 seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response Cen-
ter at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
iThe SOS button is located above the in-
terior rear view mirror.
The Roadside Assistance button•
and the Information button¡ are
located below the center armrest cov-
er.!The Tele Aid system utilizes the cellular
network for communication and the
GPS (Global Positioning System) satel-
lites for vehicle location. If either of
these signals are unavailable, the
Tele Aid system may not function and if
this occurs, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.
191 Controls in detail
Useful features
System self-check
Initially, after turning the SmartKey in
starter switch to position2, malfunctions
are detected and indicated (the indicator
lamps in the SOS button, the Roadside As-
sistance button• and the Information
button¡ stay on longer than
10 seconds or do not come on). The mes-
sage
TELE AID – DRIVE TO WORKSHOP!
ap-
pears for approx. 10 seconds in the
multifunction display.Emergency calls
An emergency call is initiated automatical-
ly:
following an accident in which the
emergency tensioning devices (ETDs)
or airbags deploy
if the anti-theft alarm or the tow-away
alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds. See anti-theft alarm sys-
tem (
page 82) and tow-away alarm
(
page 83)
An emergency call can also be initiated
manually by opening the cover next to the
interior rear view mirror labeled SOS, then
briefly pressing the button located under
the cover. See below for instructions on
initiating an emergency call manually.
Once the emergency call is in progress, the
indicator lamp in the SOS button will begin
to flash. The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CONNECTING CALL
appears in the multifunc-
tion display. When the connection is estab-
lished, the message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
appears in the
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamps in the SOS button, in
the Roadside Assistance button and/or in
the Information button do not come on dur-
ing the system self-check or if any of these
indicators remain illuminated constantly in
red and/or the message
TELE AID -
DRIVE TO WORKSHOP
is displayed in the
multifunction display after the system
self-check, a malfunction in the system has
been detected.
If a malfunction is indicated as outlined
above, the system may not operate as ex-
pected. Have the system checked at the
nearest Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
as soon as possible.