2008 MERCEDES-BENZ GL320 steering wheel

148 Controls in detail
Lighting
Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Switch on the left or right turn signal
(
page 62), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the area in the direc-
tion into which you are turning.
or
Turn steering wheel in desired direc-
tion.
The front fog lamp on the side of your
steering direction comes on.Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after
making the turn, the turn signal and the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps can be
switched off by returning the combination
switch to its original position.Driving in reverse
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to
reverse gearR (
page 191).
The front fog lamp opposite to your
steering direction comes on.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to a
gear other than reverse gearR
(
page 191).
The respective corner-illuminating
front fog lamp goes out.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
temporarily come on on both sides of the vehicle
if you turn the steering wheel in one direction
and then again in the other direction shortly
thereafter.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
come on automatically depending on the steer-
ing angle and vehicle speed, even if you did not
switch on either turn signal. If the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps came on
automatically, they will also go out automatically
depending on the steering angle and vehicle
speed.
iThere may be a brief delay before the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps switch off.
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153 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Adjusting instrument cluster illumina-
tion
Use button1 or3 to adjust the illumina-
tion brightness for the instrument cluster.
To brighten illumination
Press and hold button3 until the
desired level of illumination is reached.
To dim illumination
Press and hold button1 until the
desired level of illumination is reached.
Resetting trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 155).
If it is not displayed, press buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 156) repeatedly until
the trip odometer appears in the multi-
function display.
Press and hold reset button2 in the
instrument cluster (
page 152) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(
page 26) 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 155).
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to suit am-
bient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will also be
adjusted automatically when you switch on the
vehicle’s exterior lamps.
iWith the exterior lighting switched on, the
brightness of the switches in the center console
will also be adjusted when using button
1 or3.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds, as
it may result in serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Warning!G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
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.
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155 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 (
page 42) or as
soon as the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton* is in position1 (
page 44). The con-
trol system enables you to

call up information about your vehicle

change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for maintenance service, to set the
language for messages in the instrument
cluster display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
3Transmission position indicator
4Status indicator (outside temperature
or digital speedometer)
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(
page 158).
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
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156 Controls in detail
Control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
Depending on the selected menu
(
page 158), pressing the buttons on the
multifunction steering wheel will alter what
is shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or
CD operations under
AUDIO, for example).
These functions serve to call up relevant
information or to customize the settings
for your vehicle.
1Multifunction display
Operating the control system
2Telephone*:
Press button
sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming call
3Selecting the submenu or setting
the volume:
Press button
æup/to increase
çdown/to decrease
4! Voice Control System* on1,
see separate operating instructions
1Vehicles without Voice Control System*: Button
without function.
5Moving within a menu:
Press button
jfor next display
kfor previous display
60 Voice Control System* off1,
see separate operating instructions
7Menu systems:
Press button
èfor next menu
ÿfor previous menu
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181 Controls in detail
Control system
Limiting opening height of tailgate*
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the limiting opening height of the tailgate.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Vehicle
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Opening Limiter
Tailgate
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to switch
the limiting opening height of the
tailgate
On or Off.Comfort submenu*
Access the
Comfort submenu via the
Settings menu. Use the Comfort submenu
to change the settings for a number of con-
venience features.
The following functions are available:Activating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and
deactivate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 48).
FunctionPage
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature*181
Setting fold-in function* for
exterior rear view mirrors182
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement, do one of
the following:

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk*
(
page 50).

Press one of the stored position
buttons* or the memory buttonM*
(
page 141).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
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186 Controls in detail
Control system
TEL* menu
You can use the functions in the
TEL menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.
Switch on the telephone and COMAND
system.
Press buttonÿ orè on the
multifunction steering wheel repeated-
ly until the message
TEL appears in the
multifunction display.Which messages will appear in the multi-
function display depends on whether your
telephone is switched on or off:

If the telephone is off, the message
TEL Off appears in the multifunction
display.

If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the multi-
function display is empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network, the message
Ready appears in
the multifunction display.
This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can
operate it using the control system.
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.
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192 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from D or R to N
If you want to select neutral positionN
with the transmission being in drive
positionD or reverse gearR:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(
page 67).
Move gear selector lever up to resis-
tance point when in drive positionD or
down to resistance point when in
reverse gearR to select neutral
positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

drive positionD (page 192) with gear
ranges (
page 197)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 195)

the vehicle speedWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (
page 198) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
Transmission positions
The current transmission position appears
in the multifunction display.
1Current transmission position
iWhen the vehicle needs to be moved with
the engine switched off and the transmission set
to neutral positionN (
page 192), do not
depress the parking brake pedal.!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.
!If the current transmission position does not
appear in the multifunction display due to a
malfunction, for example, make sure that the
automatic transmission is in the desired position
by carefully driving off with the transmission in
drive positionD.
Do not limit the gear range.
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197 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
On uphill grades with a gradient angle of
more than 5°, the hill start assist system
maintains the pressure in the brake sys-
tem for approximately 1 second after you
have released the brake pedal. Therefore,
you can start off smoothly without the
vehicle moving immediately after releasing
the brake pedal.
The hill start assist system is inactive

when starting off on a level road or
downhill grades

with the transmission in neutral
positionN

with the parking brake set

if the ESP® has switched off due to a
malfunctionTowing a trailer
If you tow a trailer, note the following
points:

Manually shift to a lower gear range
(
page 197) if the transmission hunts
between gears on inclines.
A lower gear range and reduction of
speed reduces the chance to overload
or overheat the engine.
For more information on trailer towing, see
the “Operation” section (
page 364).
Gear ranges
With the automatic transmission in drive
positionD, you can select a gear range for
the automatic transmission to operate
within.
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the left gearshift button on the steering
wheel gearshift control, and reverse the
gear range limit by pressing the right gear-
shift button on the steering wheel gearshift
control (
page 198).The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current gear range
Effect
ïThe transmission shifts through
sixth gear only.
îThe transmission shifts through
fifth gear only.
éThe transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
èThe transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
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