2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV engine

Driving sys
tems 148 Distronic*
i Distronic is only available for certain
countries.
Distronic regulates the speed and automati-
cally maintains the distance to the vehicle in
front. It brakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed. On long and steep
downhill gradients, especially if the vehicle is
laden or towing a trailer, you must select shift
range 1,2or 3in good time. By doing so you
will make use of the braking effect of the
engine, which relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. G
Risk of accident
The brake pedal is retracted when Distronic
brakes. Do not restrict the movement of the
pedal in any way.
R Do not put any objects in the footwell.
R Ensure that floor mats and carpets are
fixed securely.
R Do not place your foot under the brake
pedal as it could become trapped.
You could otherwise cause an accident and
injure yourself and others. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This
could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid. G
Risk of accident
Distronic is only an aid designed to assist
driving. The driver remains fully responsible
for the vehicle's distance to other vehicles,
the vehicle's speed and braking in good
time.
Distronic does not react to:
R pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. sta-
tionary or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
Distronic may not detect narrow vehicles
driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise danger in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic causes your vehicle to brake and maintain the preset distance to the vehicle in
front that you have set. G
Risk of accident
Distronic cannot take account of road and
traffic conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, Distronic if it does not detect the
vehicle in front, or if it no longer detects it.
This is especially the case:
R before corners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to a lane with faster mov-
ing traffic
R in complex driving situations or where
the lanes are diverted, e.g. at motorway/
roadway construction sites
Otherwise, Distronic maintains the current
speed or accelerates to the set speed.
Distronic cannot take account of weather
conditions. Deactivate, or do not activate,
Distronic:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 149under braking or acceleration. The vehi-
cle could start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor
visibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog.
Distance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise danger in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If there is no vehicle in front, Distronic oper-
ates in the same way as cruise control. Dis-
tronic functions in the 30 km/h to
180 km/h range. G
Risk of accident
Distronic brakes your vehicle at a maximum
of 2 m/s 2
, depending on its speed. This
corresponds to approximately 20% of your
vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If Distronic detects a risk of collision with a
vehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ldistance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up. Brake to avoid a collision. Cruise control lever You can operate Distronic and variable
Speedtronic with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off:
Distronic is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. 1
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 To adjust the set distance
3 LIM indicator lamp
4 To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed 5
To store the current speed or a lower
speed
6 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic
7 To deactivate Distronic
Selecting Distronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 3is off.
If it is off, Distronic is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 6.
LIM indicator lamp 3in the cruise control
lever goes off. Distronic is selected.
Switching on Distronic, storing and
maintaining the current speed If Distronic is not activated after the cruise
control lever is pressed, you will see the mes-
sage
DISTRONIC - - - km/h in the multi-
function display.
You cannot activate Distronic in the following
circumstances:
R for two minutes after the engine is started
R if you are driving slower than 30 km/h or
faster than 180 km/h
R when braking Controls
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Driving sys
tems 152
Distronic displays in the multi-function
display X
Select the Distronic menu on the on-board
computer (Y page 126).
Display when Distronic is deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated, you will see
the following in the multi-function display: 1
Vehicle in front, if detected
2 Distance indicator, displaying current dis-
tance to the vehicle in front
3 Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
4 Own vehicle
Display when Distronic is activated
When Distronic is activated, you will see the
following in the multi-function display: 1
Distronic activated
2 Stored speed
When activating Distronic and when setting
the speed, stored speed 2appears for
around 5 seconds.
Deactivating Distronic 1
To deactivate Distronic
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate Dis-
tronic:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 1.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 3.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i Distronic is not deactivated if you depress
the accelerator pedal. If you accelerate
briefly to overtake, Distronic adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored
after you have finished overtaking.
Distronic is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake
R you are driving at less than 25 km/h Controls
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Driving sys
tems 154
of its narrow width. The distance to the vehi-
cle in front will be too short. Speedtronic
Speedtronic brakes automatically so that you
do not exceed the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine, which relieves the load
on the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additional braking, depress the
brake pedal repeatedly rather than continu-
ously. G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continu-
ously while the vehicle is in motion, e.g.
never cause the brakes to rub by applying
constant slight pedal pressure. This causes
the brake system to overheat, increases
the braking distance and can lead to the
brakes failing completely. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid.
You can set a variable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. for driving on winter tyres
(Y page 156) G
Risk of accident
Speedtronic is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time.
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed
stored.
Variable Speedtronic With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control, Distronic* and variable
Speedtronic.The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Cruise control or Distronic* is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running. 1
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 Storing the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
4 To store the current speed or a lower
speed Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 155
5
To switch between cruise control or Dis-
tronic* and variable Speedtronic
6 To deactivate variable Speedtronic
Selecting variable Speedtronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2is on.
If it is on, variable Speedtronic is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable Speedtronic is
selected. G
Risk of accident
If there is a change of drivers, advise the
new driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use Speedtronic when you do not have
to accelerate suddenly to a speed higher
than the stored limit speed allows. You
could otherwise cause an accident.
You can only exceed the limit speed stored
if you deactivate variable Speedtronic:
R using the cruise control lever.
R by depressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown). It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking. G
Risk of injury
Variable Speedtronic brakes automatically
in order to avoid exceeding the set speed.
As it does so, the brake pedal is depressed.
Do not place your foot under the brake
pedal as it could become trapped.
Storing the current speed You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 4to the pressure point.
The current speed is stored and shown in
the multi-function display.
The LIM indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for
the current driving and traffic situation. Otherwise, sudden braking could endanger
you or others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
Making adjustments in 1 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever to the
pressure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed to the
pressure point until the desired speed is
set. Press the cruise control lever, up 1
for a higher speed or down 4for a lower
speed.
Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
beyond the pressure point, up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for a lower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
beyond the pressure point until the desired
speed is set. Press the cruise control lever, Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 156up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for a
lower speed.
Deactivating variable Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate variable
Speedtronic:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
The LIM indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable Speedtronic is
deactivated.
Cruise control or Distronic* is selected.
Variable Speedtronic is deactivated automat-
ically when you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown), but
only if your current speed does not differ by
more than 20 km/h from the stored speed.
You will hear a warning tone if this is the case. G
Risk of accident
It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking. i
The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
Permanent Speedtronic i
Permanent Speedtronic is only available
in certain countries.
You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h (e.g. for driving with winter tyres)
and the maximum speed.
Just before the stored speed is reached, it
appears in the multi-function display.
Permanent Speedtronic remains active, even
if variable Speedtronic is deactivated.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown).
Setting permanent Speedtronic
X Press the èor· button to select the
Settings menu (Ypage 127).
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the jbutton to select Speed
limit (winter tyres) . X
Press the æorç button to select the
desired setting.
The following settings can be selected:
R Off
Permanent Speedtronic is deactivated.
R A limit speed between 240 km/hand
160 km/h in increments of 10 km/h. AIRMATIC package*
AIRMATIC enables a suspension tuning set-
ting to be selected and regulates the damping
behaviour and level of your vehicle. The sys-
tem comprises two components: ADS*
(Adaptive Damping System) (Y page 157)
and level control* (Y page 158).
See the notes on driving with a trailer in the
"Operation" (Y page 243) section. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 157
ML 63 AMG The AIRMATIC package is part of the standard
equipment. Due to the sportier suspension
tuning when compared to standard vehicles,
the level positions in the ADS settings and the
speed thresholds for raising and lowering the
vehicle are different.
The vehicle is lowered from highway/high-
speed to ADS Sport level around 20 seconds
after locking. The vehicle is not lowered from
the raised level after locking. When starting
the engine, the previous setting, e.g. ADS
COMF, is restored.
!
Always keep in mind the differences in
ground clearance and vehicle height when
compared to standard vehicles. You could
otherwise damage the vehicle.
You will find different values for ground clear-
ance and vehicle height with regard to:
R off-road driving (Y page 235)
R the general vehicle settings in the "Techni-
cal Data" section (Y page 361) ADS* (Adaptive Damping System)
ADS adapts the damping characteristics to
the current operating and driving situation.
How this is adjusted depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface conditions
R the ADS setting
R the vehicle level setting
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the key from the ignition lock. Vehicle with AIRMATIC package*
1
ADS button
2 SPORT indicator lamp
3 COMF indicator lamp You can choose between the following ADS
settings:
R
AUTO for normal driving situations; indica-
tor lamps 2and 3are off.
R SPORT for sporty driving; indicator lamp
2 is on. In comparison to AUTOor
COMF, the vehicle is 15 mm lower.
The ML 63 AMG is 8 mm lower than with
AUTO.
R COMF for a more comfortable ride; indica-
tor lamp 3is on.
The ML 63 AMG is 7 mm higher than with
AUTO.
X Start the engine.
X Press button 1repeatedly until the
desired setting is selected. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 158 Level control*
The level control adapts the vehicle level
automatically to the current operating and
driving situation. This results in reduced fuel
consumption and improved handling.
When you are driving in ADS* COMFor
AUTO (Ypage 157), the vehicle is lowered to
the high-speed level as the speed increases.
As the vehicle decelerates, the vehicle is
raised back up to highway level.
In ADS* SPORT(Ypage 157), the vehicle
skips highway level and lowers directly to the
high-speed level depending on the basic set-
ting (Y page 158) or (Y page 160).
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level may change visibly when you
park the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. When the temperature drops, the
vehicle level is lower; with an increase in tem-
perature, the vehicle level rises.
When you unlock the vehicle or open a door,
the vehicle begins to balance the load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant level changes, e.g. after the vehi-
cle has been stationary for a long period, the engine must be on. For safety reasons, the
vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed. Lowering is interrupted if a door is
opened and continues when the door has
been closed. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of
the wheel arch or the underbody when you
begin a level change. You could otherwise
trap yourself or others. G
Risk of accident
Always select as low a vehicle level as pos-
sible. If the vehicle level is high, the vehicle
centre of gravity shifts upwards. This
increases the risk of the vehicle tipping
over.
Adapt your driving style to suit the vehicle
level. ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot
override the laws of physics.
! When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance to prevent damage to the vehi-
cle. You will find information about driving off-
road in the "Operation" section
(Y
page 235).
Vehicles with AIRMATIC package* Basic settings, excluding ML 63 AMG
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted. Select raised level for off-road driving or
highway/high-speed level for normal roads.
The individual vehicle levels are:
R
Raised level: 60 mm above highway level
R Highway level: +/- 0 mm
R High-speed level: 15 mm below highway
level
Basic settings for the ML 63 AMG
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the ADS setting selec-
ted. Select raised level for off-road driving or
highway/high-speed level for normal roads.
With AUTO ADS, the vehicle is 73 mm higher
when in raised level than it is in highway level.
Raised level
Only select the raised level when this is appro-
priate for the road conditions. Otherwise, fuel Controls
* optional
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