2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV suspension

Driving sys
tems 145Driving systems
Overview of driving systems
The vehicle's driving systems are described
on the following pages:
R Cruise control, Distronic* and Speedtronic,
which are used to control the speed of the
vehicle
R AIRMATIC package*, consisting of level
control* for individual adjustment of
ground clearance and ADS* (Adaptive
Damping System), for individual adjust-
ment of suspension tuning
R Parktronic*, which assists you in parking
and manoeuvring
R Reversing camera*, which assists you
when parking and manoeuvring
The ABS, BAS, ESP ®
, EBV and 4-ETS vehicle
safety systems and the distance warning sys-
tem* are described in the "Safety" section
(Y page 57). Cruise control
Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. 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 overheating and wearing too quickly. 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.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
Risk of accident
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time.
G
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do
not allow you to maintain a constant
speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding
roads). You could otherwise cause an
accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerat-
ing could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to
fog, heavy rain or snow
Cruise control lever You can operate cruise control 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:
Cruise control is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. Controls
* optional
164_AKB; 5; 5, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.10.6
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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
164_AKB; 5; 5, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.10.6
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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
164_AKB; 5; 5, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.10.6
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Vehicle dimensions
361Vehicle dimensions
ML 350 ML 500 ML 63 AMG
Vehicle length (ECE) 4,781 mm 4,781 mm 4,814 mm
Vehicle width with mir-
rors folded out 2,124 mm 2,124 mm 2,127 mm
Vehicle height
51 1,815 mm — —
Vehicle height
52 1,774 – 1,884 mm 1,774 – 1,884 mm 1,765 – 1,845 mm
Ground clearance
52 186 – 291 mm 186 – 291 mm 146 – 226 mm
Ground clearance
53 201 mm 201 mm –
Wheelbase 2,915 mm 2,915 mm 2,915 mm
ML 280 CDI ML 320 CDI ML 420 CDI
Vehicle length (ECE) 4,781 mm 4,781 mm 4,781 mm
Vehicle width with mir-
rors folded out 2,124 mm 2,124 mm 2,124 mm
Vehicle height
51 1,815 mm 1,815 mm —
Vehicle height
52 1,774 – 1,884 mm 1,774 – 1,884 mm 1,774 – 1,884 mm
51
Vehicles with roof rails* but without the AIRMATIC package*.
52 Vehicles with roof rails* and with the AIRMATIC package*, Off-Road Pro engineering package* or ML 63 AMG (depending on the current suspension setting). Technical data
* optional
164_AKB; 5; 5, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.10.6
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Vehicle dimensions
362 ML 280 CDI ML 320 CDI ML 420 CDI
Ground clearance
52 186 – 291 mm 186 – 291 mm 186 – 291 mm
Ground clearance
54 201 mm 201 mm 201 mm
Wheelbase 2,915 mm 2,915 mm 2,915 mm
Tailgate opening dimensions
1
Max. headroom
2 Tailgate opening height Vehicle
55 1 2
Steel sus-
pension 199 cm 213 cm
AIRMATIC
pack-
age* 56 195 - 203 cm 208 - 216 cm ML 63
AMG
57 194 - 202 cm 207 - 215 cm
Off-Road
Pro engi-
neering
pack-
age*
58 195 - 206 cm 208 - 219 cm
53
Valid for Highway level suspension setting.
51 Vehicles with roof rails* but without the AIRMATIC package*.
52 Vehicles with roof rails* and with the AIRMATIC package*, Off-Road Pro engineering package* or ML 63 AMG (depending on the current suspension setting).
54 Valid for Highway level suspension setting.
55 These values are approximate and apply to an unladen vehicle with standard equipment.
56 Valid for the suspension settings Highway level with ADS Sport to Raised level.
57 Valid for the suspension settings Highway level to Raised level.
58 Valid for the suspension settings Highway level with ADS Sport to Off-road level 3. Technical data
* optional
164_AKB; 5; 5, en-GB
wobuchh ,V ersion: 2.10.6
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