2007 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 Page 16

265 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching the Downhill Speed
Regulation on/off
The switch is located in the lower part of
the center console.
1DSR on/off
2Indicator lampSwitching Downhill Speed Regulation on

Press DSR switch1 (
page 265).
The indicator lamp2 comes on.
The message
DSR
and the set speed ap-
pear in the multifunction display.
For information on how to program the set
speed while driving, see “Adjusting Down-
hill Speed Regulation speed with DSR
switched on” (
page 266).
Warning!
G
If the accelerator pedal is depressed while
the Downhill Speed Regulation is activated,
the vehicle can drive faster than the pro-
grammed set speed. You should therefore
drive downhill with particular caution as it
could otherwise lead to an accident and/or
serious injury to you or others. Keep in mind
that as soon as you remove the foot from
the accelerator pedal with the DSR switched
on, the DSR will start regulating the vehicle’s
speed including use of brakes if required.
Depending on the programmed set speed,
actual vehicle speed and gradient, the DSR
can cause the vehicle to slow down rapidly.
Sudden and unexpected deceleration can
result in loss of vehicle control, causing an
accident and/or serious personal injury to
you and others.
i
The DSR can only be switched on if the vehi-
cle speed is below 18 mph (Canada: 30 km/h).
i
If the DSR is switched on at a speed above
18 mph (Canada: 30 km/h), the message
DSR
Max. speed 18 mph
(Canada:
30 km/h
) ap-
pears in the multifunction display.

266 Controls in detailDriving systemsSwitching Downhill Speed Regulation off
Press DSR switch1 (
page 265).
The indicator lamp2 goes out.
The message
DSR Off
appears in the
multifunction display.Adjusting Downhill Speed Regulation
speed with DSR switched on
With the DSR switched on (
page 265),
the speed setting can be changed using
the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column.
Cruise control lever1Increase set speed
2Reduce set speed
You can change the set speed between
3 - 10 mph (Canada: 4 - 18 km/h).You can increase or reduce the set speed
in two ways.
Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments
Increase set speed:

Briefly lift the cruise control lever up to
the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 266).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).
i
At a speed above approximately 21 mph
(Canada approx.: 35 km/h), the DSR is automat-
ically switched off. The message
DSR Off

appears in the multifunction display and an
acoustic signal sounds. For information on how
to switch DSR on again, see “Switching Downhill
Speed Regulation on” (
page 265).
i
The set value is increased or decreased in
1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time
you lift or depress the cruise control lever to the
resistance point.

267 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Reduce set speed:
Briefly press the cruise control lever
down to the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 266).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).
Each time the set speed is changed, DSR
will appear in the multifunction dis-
play and the changed set speed is
shown.Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments
Increase set speed:

Briefly lift the cruise control lever up
past the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 266).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
Reduce set speed:

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down past the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 266).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
Each time the set speed is changed, DSR
will appear in the multifunction dis-
play and the newly set speed is shown.
i
The set speed is canceled when DSR is
switched off. If DSR is switched on again, DSR
will use the programmed default speed
(
page 179).
i
The set value is increased or decreased in
5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time
you lift or depress the cruise control lever past
the resistance point.
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will
accelerate or decelerate. Keep in mind that it
may take a brief moment until the vehicle has
reached the new set speed.
i
The set speed is canceled when DSR is
switched off. If DSR is switched on again, DSR
will use the programmed default speed
(
page 179).

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).

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)

270 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe following settings are available:

AUTO (for normal driving situations)
Indicator lamps2 and3 are off.


SPORT (for sporty driving)
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
With the ADS SPORT setting, the vehi-
cle is lowered approximately 0.6 in
(15 mm).
ML 63 AMG:
The vehicle is lowered approximately
0.3 in (8 mm).


COMF (for comfort driving)
Indicator lamp3 comes on.
ML 63 AMG:
The vehicle is raised approximately
0.28 in (7 mm).

Start the engine (
page 39).

Press ADS switch1 repeatedly until
the desired suspension tuning is
reached.
Vehicle level control*
The vehicle level control automatically
regulates the ride height to

reduce fuel consumption


improve driving stability by lowering
the center of gravity
The vehicle automatically regulates its ride
height based on the set vehicle height and
the current speed:


As your driving speed increases, the ve-
hicle is lowered by increments until it
reaches high-speed level.


If you are driving with the ADS setting
COMF or AUTO, the vehicle is raised
back to highway level as your driving
speed decreases.


You can select the high-speed level via
the ADS setting SPORT. In ADS Sport,
the vehicle is lowered directly to
high-speed level as your driving speed
increases.The parked vehicle begins adjusting to the
set vehicle level as soon the doors and tail-
gate are


unlocked
or


opened or closed with the vehicle
unlocked
In order to operate the vehicle level control
switch (
page 271), however, the engine
must be running.
i
The setting is stored when you turn off the
engine.
Warning!
G
Make sure that no one is near the wheel
housing or under the vehicle when you lower
the vehicle while it is standing still. Limbs
could become wedged into or under the ve-
hicle.
For safety reasons, the vehicle can only be
lowered with all doors and the tailgate
closed. Lowering is interrupted if a door or
the tailgate is opened and will continue after
the door is closed again.

271 Controls in detail
Driving systems
For information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (
page 333).Setting the vehicle level
The switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1Vehicle level switch
2Indicator lamp
Warning!
G
Please be aware that by raising the vehicle
level, the center of gravity also rises. There-
fore, always ensure that the vehicle level is
as low as possible. With higher ride height
the ESP
® may activate earlier in certain
situations.
Adapt your speed and driving to possible
changed driving behavior of the vehicle after
changing the vehicle level. The ESP
® cannot
prevent accidents, including those resulting
from excessive speed. The ESP
® cannot pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting
on the vehicle.
!
Keep in mind that in rough or uneven ter-
rain, adjusting the vehicle to a lower level may
cause the vehicle underbody to come in contact
with the ground and result in damage to the vehi-
cle underbody. Always make sure the vehicle has
sufficient ground clearance before adjusting it to
a lower level.
!
Before jacking up the vehicle with equip-
ment that lifts one or more of the wheels com-
pletely off of the ground, remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
!
Please also note the information in the
section on towing (
page 518).

272 Controls in detailDriving systemsBasic settings (all models, except
ML 63 AMG)
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected using the vehicle level
switch in the center console:The following is the approximate change in
ride height for each of the level settings:Basic settings (ML 63 AMG only)
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected using the vehicle level
switch in the center console:
How much the vehicle is lowered or raised
depends on the ADS setting selected. At
the raised level, the vehicle is 2.9 in
(73 mm) higher than at the Highway level
with ADS AUTO.Level
Driving situation
Raised
For off-road driving or driv-
ing in rough terrain. The in-
dicator lamp is on.
Highway
For driving on paved roads
in fair or better condition.
The indicator lamp is off.
i
The third available level is the high-speed
level that is set automatically.
Level
Ride height
Raised
+ 3.1 in (80 mm)
Highway
+/- 0 in (0 mm)
High-speed
- 0.6 in (-15 mm)
i
Depending on the ADS setting
(
page 269), the vehicle will be lowered to the
high-speed level when traveling at higher
speeds. At speeds below 40 mph (64 km/h) at
the latest, it will be returned to the highway level.
i
The high-speed level is not available if tow-
ing a trailer. For more information on towing a
trailer, see “Trailer towing” (
page 342).
Level
Driving situation
Raised
For off-road driving or driv-
ing in rough terrain. The in-
dicator lamp is on.
Highway
For driving on paved roads
in fair or better condition.
The indicator lamp is off.
i
The third available level is the high-speed
level that is set automatically.