2008 MERCEDES-BENZ R-CLASS MPV towing

Loading and stowing
187
Luggage net behind the front seats
1
Luggage net Loading guidelines
G
Risk of injury
Secure and position the load as described
in the loading guidelines.
Otherwise, vehicle occupants could
be injured by the load being thrown around
in the event of sharp braking, a sudden
change in direction or an accident. This also
applies to seats which have been removed.
You will find further information in the
"Securing a load" section. Even if you follow all the loading guidelines,
the load will increase the risk of injury in the
event of an accident.
G
Risk of poisoning
Keep the tailgate closed when the engine is
running. Otherwise, you could be poisoned
by exhaust fumes entering the vehicle.
The handling characteristics of a laden vehi-
cle are dependent on the distribution of the
load within the vehicle. You should therefore
load your vehicle as shown in the illustrations. Load distribution
Observe the following notes when transport-
ing a load:
R
When transporting a load, never exceed the
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight Controls
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Loading and stowing
188or the permissible axle loads for the vehicle
(including occupants).
R Position heavy loads as far forwards and as
low down in the luggage compartment as
possible.
R The load must not protrude above the
upper edge of the backrests.
R Always place the load against the front or
rear seat backrests. Make sure that the
backrests and the seats are securely
locked into place.
R Secure the load with sufficiently strong and
wear-resistant load restraints. Pad sharp
edges for protection.
i Load restraints are available at any quali-
fied specialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre. Securing a load
Lashing eyelets* G
Risk of injury
Distribute the load on the lashing eyelets
evenly.
Otherwise, vehicle occupants could be
injured by objects being thrown around if
you:
R brake sharply
R change direction suddenly
R are involved in an accident
Please observe the loading guidelines.
Observe the following points or guidelines
when securing loads:
R Secure the load using the lashing eyelets.
R Do not use elastic straps or nets to secure
a load as these are only intended as an anti-
slip protection for light loads.
R Do not route lashing materials across sharp
edges or corners.
R Pad sharp edges for protection. 2nd row of seats*
There is one lashing eyelet in the footwell
behind the driver’s seat and one in the foot-
well behind the front-passenger seat.
1
Lashing eyelet in the rear footwell Controls
* optional
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Loading and stowing
189
The 3rd row of seats
There is one lashing eyelet in the footwell
behind the seats in the 2nd row. 1
Lashing eyelet in the rear footwell Luggage compartment
There are four lashing eyelets in the luggage
compartment. 1
Lashing eyelets Securing hooks There is a mounting hook on each of the side
panels in the luggage compartment.
1
Securing hooks
Only secure lightweight luggage items (max-
imum 4 kg) on the mounting hooks. Controls
* optional
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Loading and stowing
190 Enlarging the luggage compartment
To enlarge the luggage compartment, the rear
bench seats of the 2nd and 3rd rows of seats
can be folded forwards separately. You can
enlarge the luggage compartment partially
(Y page 190) or fully ( Ypage 191). G
Risk of injury
Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside
the vehicle or in the luggage compartment
unless they are secured.
Otherwise, you and other vehicle occu-
pants could be injured by objects being
thrown around the vehicle in the event of
sharp braking, a sudden change in direction
or an accident.
When using the luggage compartment
enlargement feature, you must always fully
fold down the respective backrests and
attach the safety net. G
Risk of poisoning
Always drive with the tailgate closed.
Exhaust fumes could otherwise enter the
vehicle interior.
! If you want to fold the outer seats down
in the 2nd row of seats, the front seats must
not be in the rearmost position. Otherwise, you could damage the front seats and the
2nd row outer seats.
! Close the cup holder* before folding
down the 2nd row of seats. You could oth-
erwise damage the seats or cup holder.
Enlarging the luggage compartment
partially Folding the seats in the 3rd row forwards
X
Move the head restraint of the correspond-
ing seat down fully ( Ypage 83). 1
Backrest release handle
2 Retainer for the seat belt
3 Backrest X
Clamp the seat belt behind retainer 2.
X Pull release handle 1of backrest 3
upwards in the direction of the arrow.
Backrest 3is released.
X Fold backrest 3slowly forwards.
Seat cushion 1is released and moves
automatically to a vertical position. 1
Seat cushion
2 Loop
3 Backrest
i Loop 2can be used to pull the backrests
of the 3rd row of seats upright when the
seats are moved into the original position
(Y page 81). Controls
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Loading and stowing
191
X
Fold backrest 3forwards into a horizontal
position.
Enlarging the luggage compartment
fully G
Risk of injury
Folding down the seats in the 2nd row of
seats, in combination with folding the seats
in the 3rd row of seats, serves the purpose
of fully enlarging the luggage compartment.
Vehicle occupants in the 3rd row of seats
must not use the folded-down seats of the
2nd row of seats as a footrest.
Vehicle occupants in the 3rd row of seats
must not use the folded-down seats of the
2nd row of seats as a table or stowage
space, e. g. for drinks or items of luggage.
Otherwise:
R they could suffer serious or fatal head
injuries
R they or others could be injured by objects
being thrown around:
if you brake suddenly, change direction
abruptly or have an accident. Make absolutely sure that you adhere to the
specified folding order when fully enlarging
the luggage compartment.
Folding the middle seat in the 2nd row of
seats
!
On vehicles with a short wheelbase, the
head restraint must be removed before the
centre seat is folded. You could otherwise
damage the head restraint or the centre
console. X
Fold the centre seat to the armrest position
(Y page 81). Armrest position
1
Seat release loop
2 Seat
X Pull release loop 1in the direction of the
arrow and hold it securely.
The seat is released and folds up.
X Press seat 2further down until the front
of the seat engages in the luggage com-
partment floor position. Controls
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Loading and stowing
192Luggage compartment floor position
Folding the outer seats of the 2nd row of
seats
! If you want to fold the outer seats down
in the 2nd row of seats, the front seats must
not be in the rearmost position. Otherwise,
you could damage the front seats and the
2nd row outer seats.
X Move the seat concerned in the 2nd row to
its rearmost position (Y page 81).
X Remove the centre console* for the
2nd row of seats, if installed
(Y page 195).
i On vehicles with a long wheelbase, the
centre console* for the 2nd row of seats
can remain in place if it has been installed in the forward position (position 1)
(Y
page 195). However, the loading area
will not be level. The stowage compartment
and cup holder will only be illuminated if the
centre console is fitted in the rear position
(position 0) (Y page 195).
X Remove the head restraints of the seats
concerned (Y page 83). 1
Backrest
2 Release catch
3 Seat cushion
X Lay the head restraints on the seat cushion
of the corresponding seat.
X Relieve the pressure on backrest 1and
pull release lever 2upwards in the direc- tion of the arrow beyond the pressure point
to the stop.
Backrest
1and the seat are unlocked.
X Fold backrest 1forwards until it is resting
horizontally on seat cushion 3. 1
Backrest
2 Seat cushion
X Now push backrest 1down further until
seat cushion 2engages on the floor.
Folding the seats in the 3rd row forwards
X Push down the respective head restraints
in the 3rd row as far as they will go
(Y page 83). Controls
* optional
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Loading and stowing
1931
Backrest release handle
2 Retainer for the seat belt
3 Backrest
X Clamp the seat belt behind retainer 2.
X Pull release handle 1of backrest 3
upwards in the direction of the arrow.
Backrest 3is released.
X Fold backrest 3slowly forwards.
Seat cushion 7(3rd row of seats) is
released and moves automatically to a ver-
tical position. 3
Backrest (3rd row of seats)
4 Recess (on backrest in 2nd row of seats)
5 Guide pin (on backrest in 3rd row of seats)
6 Backrest (2nd row of seats)
7 Seat cushion (3rd row of seats)
8 Loop
i Loop 8can be used to pull the backrests
of the 3rd row of seats upright when the
seats are moved into the original position
(Y page 81).
X After it has been moved to a vertical posi-
tion automatically, fold seat cushion 7
further forwards until it reaches a horizon-
tal position. Make sure that guide pin 5of seat cushion
7(3rd row of seats) catches
fully in recess 4of backrest 6.
X Fold backrest 3forwards into a horizontal
position.
Moving the seats back into the driving
position G
Risk of injury
Ensure that the seats are locked and the
backrests are in the upright position before
driving.
The outer seats in the 2nd row are only
locked if the lock verification indicator is
folded in and the indicator area is barely
visible.
If the backrests are not locked, they could
fold forwards in case of sudden braking, a
sudden change of direction or an accident.
This means that they cannot provide the
intended level of restraint, and could cause
additional serious or even fatal injury.
Make absolutely sure that you reset the seats
to the driving position in the specified order.
Resetting seats in the 3rd row of seats
! Make absolutely sure that you reset the
seats to the driving position in the specified Controls
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Loading and stowing
194order. If you attempt to fold down the seat
cushion before the seat backrest has been
folded into the upright position, the seat
cover may be damaged.
X Grip loop 8(Ypage 193) and pull seat
backrest 3(3rd row of seats)
(Y page 193) into an upright position.
X Pull release handle 1(Ypage 192) and put
backrest 3(3rd row of seats)
(Y page 193) into the desired position.
X Bring seat cushion 7(3rd row of seats)
(Y page 193) into the vertical position.
X After putting it into an upright position, fold
seat cushion 7(3rd row of seats)
(Y page 193) further back until it audibly
engages in place. Resetting seats in the 2nd row of seats 1
Backrest
2 Release catch
3 Seat cushion
X Pull release lever 2upwards beyond the
pressure point to the stop and fold backrest
1 upwards by about 45°.
X Insert the head restraint (Y page 83).
X Pull release lever 2to the pressure point
and adjust backrest 1to the desired posi-
tion.
X Check that the seat is correctly engaged.
X Set the seat head restraint to the desired
position (Y page 83). Lock verification indicator for outer seats
in the 2nd row of seats Seat unlocked
1
Lock verification indicator
2 Indicator area
When the seat is unlocked, locking display
1 is folded out and indicator area 2is
clearly visible.
X When the seat is locked, fold the backrest
back until you hear the seat engage. Controls
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