Page 201 of 417
200 Controls in detail
Useful features
Electrical outlet
Electrical outlet in the rear passenger 
footwell
Electrical outlet on the left side (driver’s 
side) of the cargo compartment
Switch on the ignition (page 35).
Flip up cover and insert electrical plug 
(cigarette lighter type).Warning!G
Never touch the heating element or sides of 
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the 
knob only.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the 
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it 
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave 
children unattended in the vehicle, or with 
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause 
an accident and/or serious personal injury.
N
N
i
The electrical outlet can be used to ac-
commodate electrical consumers (e.g. 
air pump, auxiliary lamps) up to a max-
imum of 180 W. 
     
        
        Page 227 of 417

226 Operation
Driving instructions
Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal 
force may become necessary to produce 
the normal brake effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically 
when traveling at length on salt-strewn 
roads can bring road-salt-impaired braking 
efficiency back to normal.
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.
For more information, see “Winter driving” 
(
page 278).
Standing water
For more information, see “Driving through 
water” (
page 231).
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 81).
Warning!G
Make sure not to endanger any other road 
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.
Warning!G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make 
sure snow is kept clear of the exhaust pipe 
and from around the vehicle with the engine 
running. Otherwise, deadly carbon monox-
ide (CO) gases may enter vehicle interior re-
sulting 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-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and 
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.
!
Do not drive through flooded areas or 
water of unknown depth. Before driving 
through water, determine its depth. 
Never accelerate before driving into 
water. The bow wave could force water 
into the engine and auxiliary equip-
ment, thus damaging them. 
If you must drive through standing wa-
ter, drive slowly to prevent water from 
entering the passenger compartment 
or the engine compartment. Water in 
these areas could cause damage to 
electrical components or wiring of the 
engine or transmission, or could result 
in water being ingested by the engine 
through the air intake, causing severe 
internal engine damage. Any such dam-
age is not covered by the 
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
 
     
        
        Page 233 of 417

232 Operation
Driving instructions
Comply with the warnings 
(
page 227) and rules for off-road 
driving (
page 228).
Switch off the exterior lamps as well as 
the climate control.
Select gear range2 or1 on the auto-
matic transmission (
page 154).
Enter the water only at a shallow spot, 
driving at walking speed.
Do not stop vehicle while immersed in 
water, and do not shut off the engine.
There is a very high level of driving re-
sistance in water. The surface is slip-
pery and may not be firm, making 
pulling away in water difficult and dan-
gerous.
Clean mud off the tire tread after driv-
ing through water.
To dry the brakes, apply pressure to the 
brake pedal several times after leaving 
the water.
Crossing obstacles!
Never accelerate before driving into 
the water. The bow wave could force 
water into the engine and auxiliary 
equipment, thus damaging them. 
!
If possible, use the assistance of a sec-
ond person outside the vehicle to scout 
the path you intend to take and check 
for adequate ground clearance when 
you cross obstacles with your vehicle. 
The person assisting you outside the 
vehicle should always be a safe dis-
tance away from the vehicle and posi-
tioned so that he or she cannot get hurt 
in case of any unexpected vehicle 
movement.
After off-road driving or crossing obsta-
cles, inspect vehicle for any damage, 
especially vehicle underbody and sus-
pension components. Failure to do so 
can adversely affect the vehicle’s fu-
ture performance, including increased 
chance of an accident.