2007 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS engine

247 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Activating cruise control
You can activate the cruise control when
the vehicle speed is above
20 mph (30 km/h).
In the following cases you cannot activate
the cruise control:

when you brake


when you have set the parking brake


when the automatic transmission is set
to positionP, R, or N


if the ESP
® is switched off


if the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunctionSetting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.
The current set speed appears in the
multifunction display for approximately
5 seconds.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3 (
page 246).
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
i
The vehicle speed displayed in the speedom-
eter can briefly vary from the speed setting for
the cruise control system.
i
On uphill grades, the cruise control may not
be able to maintain the set speed. Once the
grade eases, the set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control maintains
the set speed by braking with the vehicle’s
braking system. In addition, on longer downhill
grades the automatic transmission will down-
shift automatically.
i
The last stored set speed is canceled when
the engine is turned off.
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249 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Briefly lift the cruise control lever up
past the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 246).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
Setting a lower speed
You can reduce the speed in two ways.Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down to the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 246).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will
accelerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.
i
When you use the cruise control lever to
decelerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.
i
The set value is decreased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down to the resis-
tance point.
Warning!
G
You can decrease the vehicle speed in
5 mph (Canada 10 km/h) increments. When
using this feature, keep in mind that it may
take a brief moment until the vehicle has
reached the set speed.
Decelerate the vehicle speed to a value that
the prevailing road conditions permit. Other-
wise, sudden and unexpected deceleration
of the vehicle could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.i
The set value is decreased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down past the
resistance point.
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256 Controls in detailDriving systems1Setting current or higher speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to
the resistance point) or 5 mph
increments (past the resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
2Setting current or lower speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to
the resistance point) or 5 mph
increments (past the resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
3Deactivating Distronic
4Activating Distronic or resuming to last
set speedActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic when the vehi-
cle speed is between 20 mph (30 km/h)
and 110 mph (180 km/h).
When Distronic is activated the multifunc-
tion display will show a message such as
DISTRONIC 55 mph
.
If Distronic has not been activated after
pressing the cruise control lever, you will
see the message DISTRONIC Off
in the
multifunction display.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to 2 minutes after starting the
engine


when you brake


when you have set the parking brake


when the automatic transmission is set
to positionP, R, or N


if the ESP
® is switched off


if the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunctionSetting the current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2 (
page 255).
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
i
If you do not take your foot off of the accel-
erator pedal and continue to accelerate past the
set speed, the following message will appear in
the multifunction display:
DISTRONIC OverrideThe distance to a slower moving vehicle in front
of you will not be set. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accelerator
pedal position.
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258 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a lower speed
You can reduce the set speed in two ways.
Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments
Briefly press the cruise control lever
down to the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 255).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down past the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 255).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed decreases in
increments of 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h).
i
When you use the cruise control lever to
decelerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.
i
The set value is decreased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down to the resis-
tance point.
Warning!
G
You can decrease the vehicle speed in
5 mph (Canada 10 km/h) increments. When
using this feature, keep in mind that it may
take a brief moment until the vehicle has
reached the set speed.
Decelerate the vehicle speed to a value that
the prevailing road conditions permit. Other-
wise, sudden and unexpected deceleration
of the vehicle could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.i
The set speed value is decreased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down past the
resistance point.
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will
decelerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.
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259 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)
Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow4 (
page 255).
The Distronic resumes to the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The last set speed or, if no speed is stored,
the current set speed appears in the
multifunction display for approximately
5seconds.Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:

Step on the brake pedal.
or

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3 (
page 256).
Distronic will be deactivated. The last set
speed will be stored in memory.
Warning!
G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.
i
The following message appears in the multi-
function display for approximately 5 seconds:
DISTRONIC Off
.
The last stored set speed is deleted when the
engine is turned off.
i
The Distronic switches off automatically
when


you step on the brake pedal


you depress the parking brake pedal
In this case, the Distronic speed segments in the
speedometer (
page 253) will go out.


the vehicle speed falls below 20 mph
(30 km/h)


the ESP
® is in operation


the ESP
® is switched off with the ESP
®
switch (
page 99)


the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunction (
page 419)


you set the automatic transmission toN
while driving
The Distronic speed segments in the
speedometer (
page 253) will go out and an
acoustic warning will sound.
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264 Controls in detailDriving systemsDownhill Speed Regulation (DSR)For more information, see “Off-road driv-
ing” (
page 333).
The DSR is an aid for driving downhill. DSR
regulates your vehicle’s speed when driv-
ing downhill to the value set in the control
system (page 179). The steeper the
downhill gradient is, the greater the brake
application. On flat road surfaces, DSR
brakes only slightly or not at all.
DSR regulates the vehicle’s speed in auto-
matic transmission positionsD, orR.
You can drive slower or faster than the set
speed at any time by braking the vehicle or
depressing the accelerator pedal.
Warning!
G
Downhill Speed Regulation is a convenience
system designed to assist the driver during
vehicle operation. The system must be set
to be appropriate for the topographical and
weather conditions encountered which can
change quickly. The driver is and must
remain at all times responsible for the vehi-
cle speed and for safe brake operation.
Depending on the programmed speed
(page 179), actual vehicle speed and gra-
dient, switching on the DSR while driving
can cause the vehicle to slow down rapidly
and you may hear a sound which is caused
by the activation of the vehicle’s brake sys-
tem through the DSR. Sudden and unex-
pected deceleration can result in loss of
vehicle control, causing an accident and/or
serious personal injury to you and others.
Do not switch on the DSR in a circumstance
where rapid deceleration could result in a
loss of vehicle control.
i
In addition, make use of the engine’s braking
effect by shifting the automatic transmission
into a lower gear.
i
Whenever DSR is switched on, DSR will use
the programmed default speed to regulate the
vehicle’s speed. The default speed programmed
at the factory is 4 mph (Canada: 6 km / h). The
default speed can be reprogrammed using the
control system (
page 179). The next time DSR
is switched on, DSR will use the newly pro-
grammed default speed to regulate the vehicle’s
speed.
Once DSR is switched on, you can adjust the set
speed using the cruise control lever
(
page 255). Keep in mind that adjusting the
set speed using the cruise control lever with DSR
switched on will not change the programmed
default speed. If DSR is switched off and then
switched on again, DSR will use the programmed
default speed.
Depending on the road surface and level of
downhill grade, the DSR may not be able to
maintain the set speed. To maintain the set
speed, apply the brakes if necessary.
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268 Controls in detailDriving systemsOff-road driving program
The off-road driving program is designed to
assist the driver when driving off-road in
terrain and crossing water. The off-road
driving program adjusts the engine power
and shifting of the automatic transmission
to be more suitable for the off-road use of
the vehicle. In addition, the ABS, ESP
®, and
4-ETS designed for off-road use are
automatically activated.
In the following situations you should
switch to the off-road driving program:


during off-road driving


when crossing water (
page 338)


when towing up or down on steep
gradientsThe switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1Switch for off-road driving program
2Indicator lampSwitching Off-road driving program on

Press switch1 (
page 268).
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The
symboly appears in the lower
multifunction display.
Switching Off-road driving program off

Press switch1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The
symboly disappears.
i
In the ML 63 AMG, the off-road driving
program is switched on and off via the control
system (
page 159).
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269 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Air suspension package*
The system consists of two components.
The vehicle level control* regulates the
ride height of the vehicle. The Adaptive
Damping System (ADS)* optimizes your
vehicle’s suspension tuning.

Suspension tuning: Adaptive Damping
System (ADS)* (
page 269)


Vehicle level control* (
page 270)
ML 63 AMG
Adaptive Damping System (ADS)*
The fine tuning of the damping and suspen-
sion is dependent on:

your driving style


road surface conditions


your personal ADS settings


your personal vehicle level settings
The ADS switch is located on the upper
part of the center console.
1ADS switch
2Indicator lamp for SPORT setting
3Indicator lamp for COMF setting
i
The Air suspension package is part of the
standard equipment range. Due to the vehicle’s
sportier suspension tuning, in comparison with
standard vehicles, the level positions in the ADS
settings as well as the speed thresholds for rais-
ing and lowering the vehicle have been modified.
i
From the Highway/High-speed level, the
vehicle is lowered to the ADS Sport level approx.
20 seconds after it is locked.
From the raised level, the vehicle is not lowered
after it is locked.
When the engine is started, the previously se-
lected setting, e.g. ADS COMF, is selected again.
!
Be sure to observe this vehicle’s differing
values for ground clearance and vehicle height in
comparison to standard vehicles. You could oth-
erwise damage the vehicle. The values for


opening the tailgate (
page 119)


driving off-road (
page 333)


the vehicle’s main dimensions can be found
in the “Technical data” section (
page 541)
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