2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV Owners Manual

Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Trailer towing
X Drive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
X Shift down to shift range 3or 2depending
on the incline of the uphill or downhill gra-
dient (Y page 94), even if cruise control
is activated. Steering wheel gearshift paddles*
and manual drive program*
You can restrict or derestrict the shift range
by using the steering wheel gearshift paddle.
You can change gear yourself by using the
steering wheel gearshift paddle in the manual
drive program. :
Left-hand steering wheel gearshift pad-
dle: to shift down
; Right-hand steering wheel gearshift pad-
dle: to shift up
Shift ranges In transmission position
D, you can use the
steering wheel gearshift paddle to restrict or
derestrict the shift range for the automatic
transmission.
The shift range selected is shown in the multi-
function display. The automatic transmission
shifts only as far as the selected gear.
i If the maximum engine speed for the shift
range is reached and you continue to accel-
erate, the automatic transmission shifts up
in order to prevent the engine from over-
revving, even if the shift range is restricted. Driving situation
=
The braking effect of the engine can
be used in this position
5
To use the braking effect of the
engine on downhill gradients and
for driving:
R on steep mountain roads
R in mountainous terrain
R in arduous conditions 4
To use the braking effect of the
engine on extremely steep downhill
gradients and long downhill
stretches 94
TransmissionCont
rols
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Extending the shift range/shifting up
X
Pull right-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle.
The shift range is derestricted. If you are
driving in manual drive program M, the
automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
i If the maximum engine speed for the shift
range is reached and you continue to accel-
erate, the automatic transmission shifts up,
even if the shift range is restricted.
Restricting the shift range/shifting
down 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.
X Pull left-hand steering wheel gearshift pad-
dle.
The automatic transmission shifts down
one gear and restricts the shift range to this
gear.
If you are driving in manual drive program
M, the automatic transmission shifts down
to the next gear.
i In order to prevent the engine from over-
revving, the automatic transmission does
not shift down when the engine speed is
too high.
Derestricting the shift range X
Pull the right-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle until the number for the gear disap-
pears from the multi-function display.
or
X Move the DIRECT SELECT lever to position
D.
The automatic transmission shifts from the
current shift range directly to D.Selecting the ideal shift range X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle repeatedly until the optimum gear
is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts to the
gear which allows ideal acceleration and
deceleration. To do this, the automatic
transmission shifts down one or more
gears.
Program selector button You can select either drive program
Sor M.
The program selector button is located on the
centre console. S
Sport sporty driving style
M
Manual manual gearshifting
X
To activate: press program selector but-
ton :repeatedly until Mappears in the
multi-function display.
The automatic transmission changes to
manual drive program M.
i Regardless of whether automatic drive
program Sor manual drive program Mis
selected, the automatic transmission
always switches to automatic drive pro-
gram Cwhen you next start the engine. Transmission
95Controls
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Drive program
Sis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R sporty engine and suspension configura-
tion
R the vehicle pulling away in first gear
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R the late shift point of the automatic trans-
mission can lead to higher fuel consump-
tion
If you have selected transmission position D,
you can activate the manual drive program
and shift up or down through the individual
gears. The gear currently selected and
engaged is shown in the multi-function dis-
play.
X To deactivate: press program selector
button :repeatedly until Sor Mappears
in the multi-function display.
or
X Restart the engine.
The automatic transmission then switches
to the automatic drive program.
Upshifting
X Pull right-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 94).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
Downshifting 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.
X Pull left-hand steering wheel gearshift pad-
dle (Y page 95).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
i If you brake the vehicle or stop without
shifting down, the automatic transmission will shift down to a gear that will allow the
vehicle to accelerate or pull away again.
Kickdown
You can also use kickdown for maximum
acceleration in manual drive program M.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Shift back up once the desired speed is
reached.
i If you apply full throttle, the automatic
transmission shifts up to the next gear
when the maximum engine speed is
reached. This prevents the engine from
overrevving. Instrument cluster
Points to remember
You will find an illustration of the instrument
cluster in the "At a glance" section
(Y page 25). G
Risk of accident
No further messages can be displayed if the
instrument cluster and/or the multi-function
display fails.
This means that you will not see information
about the driving situation, such as the speed,
outside temperature, warning/indicator
lamps, display messages or system failures.
The vehicle's handling characteristics may be
affected. Adjust your driving style and speed
accordingly.
Immediately consult a qualified specialist
workshop which has the necessary specialist
knowledge and tools to carry out the work
required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that
you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for
this purpose. In particular, work relevant to
safety or on safety-related systems must be
carried out at a qualified specialist workshop. 96
Instrument clusterControls
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Speedometer with segments
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is available.
Distronic* mode:
One or two segments around the stored
speed light up. Rev counter
The red band in the rev counter indicates the
engine's overrevving range. The fuel supply is
interrupted to protect the engine when the
red band is reached.
! Do not drive in the overrevving range.
Doing so will damage the engine. Outside temperature display
G
Risk of accident
At temperatures just above freezing point, the
road could be icy, particularly in wooded areas
or on bridges. The vehicle could start skidding
if you fail to adapt your driving style. You
should therefore always adapt your driving
style and speed to suit the weather condi-
tions.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay. On-board computer
Points to remember
The on-board computer is activated as soon
as you turn the key to position 1in the ignition
lock. G
Risk of accident
Only use the on-board computer when road
and traffic conditions permit. You would oth-
erwise be distracted and unable to concen-
trate properly on driving, and could cause an
accident. Multi-function steering wheel
You can control the multi-function display and
the settings in the on-board computer using
the buttons on the multi-function steering
wheel. :
Multi-function display
;
6
~
Makes/accepts or rejects
ends a call
W
X R
selects submenus in the
Settings menu
R changes values
R adjusts the volume
? Activates Linguatronic* – see
the separate operating
instructions =
V
U
Selects a menu: scrolls back
and forth
A Deactivates Linguatronic* –
see the separate operating
instructions On-board computer
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&
*
Press briefly:
scrolls back
and forth within a menu
In the Audio/TV*/DVD*
menu: selects a stored sta-
tion, an audio track or a video
scene
In the Telephone menu,
switches to the phone book
and selects a name or a tele-
phone number &
* Press and hold:
in the
Audio/TV*/DVD* menu,
selects the next/previous sta-
tion or selects an audio track
using rapid scrolling
In the Telephone menu,
starts rapid scrolling through
the phone book Multi-function display
To activate the multi-function display:
R switch on the ignition.
R switch on the lights. R
open a front door.
R press the .reset button in the instrument
panel.
Values, settings and display messages are
shown in the multi-function display. :
Display area for menus or submenus
; Transmission position
= Drive program
? Status bar with outside temperature or
speed (Y page 104) 98
On-board computerControls
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Menus and submenus
Function
:
Standard display
menu
(Y page 99)
R tyre pressure loss warning
(Y page 182) or tyre pressure mon-
itor* (Y page 183)
R ASSYST PLUS service interval dis-
play
R checking engine oil level*
(Y page 176) ;
Audio/TV*/DVD*
menu
(Y page 100) =
Navigation*
menu (Ypage 102) ?
Off-road*
menu (Ypage 102)
R off-road level (Y page 129)
R compass display (Y page 166)
R differential locks (status indicator)
(Y page 116) A
Distronic*
menu (Ypage 119) Function
B
Message memory
menu19
(Y page 211) C
Settings
menu (Ypage 103) D
Additional functions
menu
(Y page 109) E
Trip computer
menu (Ypage 110) F
Telephone
menu (Ypage 111) The number of menus shown depends on the
optional equipment in the vehicle.
Depending on the audio system fitted, the
Audio, Navigation* and Telephonemenus
are slightly different. The examples given in
this Owner's Manual apply to vehicles equip-
ped with COMAND APS*. Standard display menu
Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
19 The menu is only visible when there is a display message. On-board computer
99Controls
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X
Press the VorU button to select the
standard display. Standard display
:
Trip meter
; Total distance
You can select the following functions in the
Standard display menu using the&or
* button:
R tyre pressure loss warning (Y page 182) or
tyre pressure monitor* (Y page 183)
R coolant temperature (Y page 100)
R digital speedometer or outside tempera-
ture (Y page 104)
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display
R engine oil level* (Y page 176)
X To reset the trip meter: press and hold
the .reset button in the instrument clus-
ter until the trip meter is reset.
Displaying the coolant temperature X
Press the VorU button to select the
standard display.
X Press the &or* button to select the
coolant temperature. Under normal driving conditions, with the cor-
rect anti-corrosion and antifreeze additive concentration, the reading may rise to
120 †.
Displaying the digital speedometer or
outside temperature If you have selected the digital speedometer
as the status line (Y
page 104), select the
outside temperature display here 20
.
X Press the VorU button to select the
standard display.
X Press the &or* button to select
digital speedometer or the outside temper-
ature. Digital speedometer
Outside temperature
Audio/TV*/DVD* menu
Use the functions in the Audio/TV/DVD
menu to operate the audio equipment or
COMAND APS*.
Selecting a radio station You can only store new stations using the
audio system or COMAND APS* (see the sep-
arate operating instructions).
20 Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the outside temperature is always displayed. 100
On-board computerControls
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X
Switch on the audio system or COMAND
APS* and select the radio; see the separate
operating instructions.
X Press VorU on the steering wheel
to select the Audio/TV/DVD menu. :
Waveband 21
; Current channel
X To select a stored channel: briefly press
the & or* button.
X To select a channel from the channel
list: press and briefly hold the &or
* button.
X To select a station using the station
search (only if no station list is received):
press and briefly hold the &or*
button.
i DAB* radio mode 22
( Digital Audio Broad-
casting); see the separate operating
instructions.
Operating the audio drive or audio
media* Audio data from various audio devices or
media can be played, depending on the equip-
ment fitted in the vehicle.
X Switch on the audio system or COMAND
APS* and select the audio player or
medium, see the separate operating
instructions.
X Press VorU on the steering wheel
to select the Audio/TV/DVD menu. CD changer display* (example)
:
Current CD (for CD/DVD changer *)
; Current track
X To select the next/previous track:
briefly press the &or* button.
X To select a track from the track list
(rapid scrolling): press and briefly hold the
& or* button.
The current track will not be displayed in
audio AUX mode ( Auxiliary audio mode: exter-
nal audio source connected).
Operating the TV* X
Switch on COMAND and select TV (see the
separate operating instructions).
X Press VorU on the steering wheel
to select the Audio/TV/DVD menu. :
Function 21
; Current channel
X To select a stored channel: briefly press
the & or* button.
X To select a channel from the channel
list: press and briefly hold the &or
* button.
X To select a channel with the channel
search function (only if COMAND does
21 When current channel ;has been stored, the memory position will also be displayed.
22 Only for certain countries. On-board computer
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