2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Speed limit

95 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
BAS
The Brake Assist System (BAS) operates in
emergency situations. If you apply the
brakes very quickly, the BAS automatically
provides full brake boost, thereby poten-
tially reducing braking distance. Apply con-
tinuous full braking pressure until the
emergency braking situation is over. The
ABS will prevent the wheels from locking.
When you release the brake pedal, the
brakes function again as normal. The BAS
is then deactivated.
ESP
®
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
® is
operational as soon as the engine is run-
ning. It monitors the vehicle’s traction
(force of adhesive friction between the
tires and the road surface) and handling.
The ESP
® recognizes when a wheel is
spinning or if the vehicle starts to skid. By
applying brakes to the appropriate wheel
and by limiting engine output, the ESP
®
works to stabilize the vehicle. The ESP® is
especially useful while driving off and on
wet or slippery road surfaces. The ESP®
also helps stabilize the vehicle during
braking maneuvers.
The ESP
® warning lampv in the instru-
ment cluster flashes when the ESP
® is en-
gaged.
The ESP
® warning lampv in the instru-
ment cluster come on when you switch on
the ignition. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Warning!
G
If the BAS is malfunctioning, the brake sys-
tem is still functioning, but without the addi-
tional brake boost available that BAS would
normally provide in an emergency braking
maneuver. Therefore, the braking distance
may increase.
Warning!
G
The BAS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking efficiency beyond that
afforded by the condition of the vehicle
brakes and tires or the traction afforded.
The BAS cannot prevent accidents, includ-
ing those resulting from excessive speed in
turns, following another vehicle too closely,
or hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The
capabilities of a BAS equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the
user’s safety or the safety of others.

98 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems
Switching on the ESP
®

Press ESP
® switch1.
The ESP
® warning lampv in the
instrument cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 381).
Off-road – ESP
®
With the off-road driving program switched
on (
page 248), the ESP
® designed for
off-road use is automatically activated. At
speeds below 27 mph (45 km/h), the
ESP
® assists in over-/understeering, thus
improving vehicle traction.
EBP
The EBP enhances braking effectiveness
by allowing the rear brakes to supply a
greater proportion of the braking effort
without a loss of vehicle stability.4-ETS
The 4-Electronic Traction System (4-ETS)
improves vehicle’s ability to utilize avail-
able traction, especially under slippery
road conditions. The brakes are applied to
the spinning wheel and power is trans-
ferred to the wheel(s) with traction.
The ESP
® warning lampv in the instru-
ment cluster, starts to flash at any vehicle
speed, as soon as a tire loses traction and
the wheel begins to spin.
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lampv is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period of time with the ESP
®
switched off. This may cause serious
damage to the drivetrain which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!Turn on the ESP
® immediately if the
aforementioned circumstances do not
apply anymore.
iIf conditions require, switch on
Off-road driving program*
(page 248).

149 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 150).

If it is not displayed, press buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 151) until the trip odom-
eter appears.

Press and hold the reset button on the
instrument cluster (
page 148) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(page 24) denotes excessive engine
speed.To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in
the multifunction display (
page 150).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
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.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

156 Controls in detailControl systemStandard display menu
In basic mode, the multifunction display
shows the trip odometer and the main
odometer. This is known as the standard
display.
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
In case you see another display, press
buttonè orÿ repeatedly until the
standard display appears.
Press buttonk orj to select
the functions in the standard display
menu.The following functions are available:
Call up digital speedometer

Press buttonk orj until the
digital speedometer or the outside
temperature appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
To select whether the digital speedometer
or the outside temperature is shown in the
multifunction display, see “Selecting dis-
play (speed display or outside tempera-
ture) for status display” (
page 165).Call up coolant temperature display

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the coolant temperature appears
in the multifunction display.
Function
Page
Check engine oil level (ML 500)
328
Call up maintenance service
indicator
371
Call up digital speedometer
156
Call up coolant temperature
display
156
Check tire inflation pressure
347
iDuring severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant
temperature may rise close to 248°F
(120°C).!The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

163 Controls in detail
Control system
The table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus. De-
tailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following pag-
es.INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
TIME/DATE
LIGHTING
VEHICLE
CONVENIENCE
Select speedometer display
mode
Set time (hours)
Set daytime running
lamp mode (USA only)
Adjusting compass
zone
Activate easy-entry/exit
feature*
Select language
Set time (minutes)
Set locator lighting
Calibrating compass
Set parking position for
exterior rear view mirror*
Select display (speed display
or outside temperature) for
status line
Set date (month)
Exterior lamps delayed
shut-off
Display when ignition is
switched off
Set fold-in function for
exterior rear view mir-
rors*
Set date (day)
Interior lighting delayed
shut-off
Set automatic locking
Set date (year)
Limiting opening height
of tailgate*

184 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionShifting from D, R, or N to P
If you want to select park positionP with
the transmission being in drive positionD,
reverse positionR or neutral positionN:
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
pressed.

Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(page 52).

Press button at the end of the gear
selector lever in direction of arrow
(page 182) to select park positionP.

Release the brake.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual drive gears automatically, depend-
ing on:

drive positionD with gear ranges
(page 187)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 190)


the vehicle speed
The current transmission gear selection
appears in the multifunction display.
With gear positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control but-
tons (
page 189) to influence transmis-
sion shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
!Shift the automatic transmission
directly from positionD toR, fromR
toD or dire c tly to pos itionP only when
the vehicle is stopped. Otherwise the
automatic transmission could be
damaged.
When trying to free a vehicle stuck in
mud or snow, see “Rocking the vehicle”
(page 191).
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

188 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
With drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control but-
tons to manually shift the gears. When
doing so, you are also limiting or extending
the gear range.
Effect
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.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

190 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionShifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold the inside of one of the
buttons1 on the steering wheel
(page 189).
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the outside of one of the
buttons2 on the steering wheel
(page 189) until
D reappears in the
multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:

Leave the transmission in gear.

Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop longer with the engine
idling and/or on a hill:

Set the parking brake.

Shift into park positionP.
Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:

Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.

Accelerate gently.

Never abruptly step on the accelerator.