2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV brake

Protection of the environment
H
Environmental note
Daimler's declared policy is one of integrated
environmental protection.
The objectives are for the natural resources
which form the basis of our existence on this
planet to be used sparingly and in a manner
which takes the requirements of both nature
and humanity into account.
You too can help to protect the environment
by operating your vehicle in an environmen-
tally-responsible manner.
Fuel consumption and the rate of engine,
transmission, brake and tyre wear depend on
the following factors:
R operating conditions of your vehicle
R your personal driving style
You can influence both factors.
You should bear the following in mind:
Operating conditions
R avoid short trips as these increase fuel con-
sumption.
R make sure that the tyre pressures are
always correct.
R do not carry any unnecessary weight.
R keep an eye on the vehicle's fuel consump-
tion.
R remove roof racks once you no longer need
them.
R a regularly serviced vehicle will contribute
to environmental protection. You should
therefore adhere to the service intervals.
R always have maintenance work carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop, e.g. a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Personal driving style
R
do not depress the accelerator pedal when
starting the engine.
R do not warm up the engine with the vehicle
stationary.
R drive carefully and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front.
R avoid frequent, sudden acceleration.
R change gear in good time and use each gear
only up to 2
/ 3of its maximum engine speed.
R switch off the engine in stationary traffic. Returning used vehicles
Mercedes-Benz will take back your
Mercedes-Benz to dispose of it in an environ-
mentally-responsible manner, in accordance
with the European Union (EU) End of Life
Vehicles Directive.
The End of Life Vehicles Directive applies to
vehicles of up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight, in
accordance with national regulations. For
several years, Mercedes-Benz has been
meeting all the legal requirements for a
design which allows for recycling and re-use.
There is a network of return points and dis-
assembly plants which can recycle your vehi-
cle in an environmentally-responsible man-
ner. The options for recycling vehicles and
parts are constantly being developed and
improved. This means that your Mercedes-
Benz will also continue to meet even the
increased recycling quotas in the future in
good time. You can obtain further information
from your national Mercedes-Benz homepage
or your national hotline number. Introduction
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Cockpit
Left-hand-drive vehicles
Function Page
:
Combination switch 78
;
Cruise control lever 117
=
Instrument cluster 25
?
DIRECT SELECT lever 92
A
PARKTRONIC* warning dis-
play
134
B
Overhead control panel 30
C
Controls Thermatic or
Thermotronic*
136
D
Ignition lock 63
Start/Stop button*
63 Function Page
E
Adjusts the steering wheel
manually
71
F
Opens the bonnet 174
G
Releases the parking brake 90
H
Parking brake 90
I
Light switch 78
J
Adjusts the steering wheel
electrically*
71
Steering wheel heating* 71Cockpit
23At a glance
* optional
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Right-hand-drive vehicles
Function Page
:
PARKTRONIC
*warning dis-
play 134
;
Overhead control panel 30
=
Combination switch 78
?
Cruise control lever 117
A
Instrument cluster 25
B
DIRECT SELECT lever 92
C
Light switch 78
D
Parking brake 90
E
Opens the bonnet
174 Function Page
F
Ignition lock* 63
Start/Stop button* 63
G
Adjusts the steering wheel
manually
71
H
Adjusts the steering wheel
electrically*
71
Steering wheel heating* 71
I
Releases the parking brake 90
J
Controls Thermatic or
Thermotronic*
13624
CockpitAt a glance
* optional
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Indicator and warning lamps
Function Page
:
ABS warning lamp (Anti-
lock Braking System)
235
;
LIM indicator lamp 126
=
ESP
®
(Electronic Stability
Program) warning lamp 235
?
Distance warning lamp*
1 53
A
Brake warning lamp 236
B
Tyre pressure monitor
warning lamp*
237
C
Turn signal indicator lamp 81
D
Turn signal indicator lamp 81
E
Seat belt warning lamp
238 Function Page
F
Diesel engine: preglow indi-
cator lamp
89
G
SRS (Supplemental
Restraint System) warning
lamp 236
H
Dipped-beam headlamps
indicator lamp 80
I
Engine diagnostics warning
lamp 237
J
Main-beam headlamps indi-
cator lamp 81
K
Reserve fuel warning lamp 239
1
On vehicles without Distronic*, the symbol lights up briefly but has no function. Instrument cluster
27At a glance
* optional
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The windowbags are integrated into the side
of the roof frame They are located between
the front door (A-pillar) and the rear windows
(D-pillar). Windowbags
:are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of vehicle acceleration or deceleration in a
lateral direction
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R independently of the front airbags
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of the seat belt use PRE-SAFE
®
* system
PRE-SAFE ®
system takes pre-emptive meas-
ures to protect you in certain hazardous sit-
uations.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes in the event of:
R emergency braking situations, e.g. if the
BAS Brake Assist intervenes
R critical situations involving driving dynam-
ics, e.g. if the vehicle oversteers or under-
steers significantly due to physical limits
being exceeded If you are driving faster than approximately
30 km/h,
PRE-SAFE®
may take the following
measures in these situations:
R it tensions the front seat belts.
R on vehicles with memory functions*: it
adjusts the front-passenger seat if this is in
an unfavourable position.
R if the vehicle skids, it closes the sliding/
tilting sunroof* and the side windows so
that only a small gap remains.
if the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pretensioning. You can then reverse
all settings made by PRE-SAFE ®
.
If the seat belts are not released:
X Move the backrest or the seat back slightly
until the belt tension is reduced.
The locking mechanism releases. G
Risk of injury
When adjusting the seat, make sure that
nobody can become trapped.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when adjusting
the seats. You could otherwise damage the
seats and the objects. NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-
PRO luxury head restraints*
NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury
head restraints are designed to increase pro-
tection of the driver’s and front-passenger’s
head and neck. To this end, the head
restraints on the driver's and front-passenger
seats are moved forwards and upwards in the
event of a rear-end collision when viewed in
the direction of travel. This provides better
head support. G
Risk of injury
Head restraint covers prevent NECK-PRO
head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head 40
Occupant safetySafety
* optional
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X
Hook TopTether hook* Ainto TopTether
anchorage ?.
X Tighten TopTether belt* B. Comply with
the manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
X Move head restraint =back down again
slightly if necessary (Y page 68). Make
sure that you do not interfere with the cor-
rect routing of TopTether belt* B.
Child-proof locks If children are travelling in the vehicle, you can
activate the child-proof locks for the rear
doors.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors
The child-proof locks on the rear doors enable
you to secure each door individually. A locked
door cannot be opened from the inside. The
door can be opened from the outside if the
vehicle is unlocked.
G
Risk of accident and injury
Activate the child-proof locks for the rear
doors and the override switch for the rear
windows if children are travelling in the vehi-
cle. Otherwise, the children could open doors
or windows while the vehicle is in motion and
injure themselves or others. X
To activate: press latch;downwards.
X Make sure that the child-proof locks are
working properly.
X To deactivate: press latch:upwards. Override feature for the rear side win-
dows G
Risk of accident and injury
Activate the child-proof locks for the rear
doors and the override switch for the rear
windows if children are travelling in the vehi-
cle. Otherwise, the children could open doors
or windows while the vehicle is in motion and
injure themselves or others. X
To activate: press button :.
Button :engages. The rear side windows
can only be operated using the switches on
the driver's door.
X To deactivate: press button:.
Button :pops out and is flush with the
other buttons. You can operate the rear
side windows using the switches in the rear
compartment. Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
( Electronic Stability Program)
R EBV (electronic brake-power distribution) Driving safety systems
49Safety
* optional
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R
4ETS ( Electronic Traction Support)
R Distance warning function* (vehicles with
Distronic*)
i In wintry driving conditions, always use
winter tyres (M+S tyres) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effectively as possible. G
Risk of accident
The risk of an accident is significantly
increased by driving too fast. This is particu-
larly the case when cornering as well as on
wet or slippery roads or when driving too close
to the vehicle in front.
The driving safety systems described in this
section can neither reduce this risk nor over-
ride the laws of physics.
For this reason, always adapt your driving
style to suit prevailing road and weather con-
ditions. Maintain sufficient distance from
other road users and objects on the road. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 8 km/h
upwards, regardless of road-surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently. G
Risk of accident
Do not depress the brake pedal several times
in quick succession (pumping). Depress the
brake firmly and evenly. Pumping the brake
pedal reduces the braking effect.
Braking If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
a pulsing in the brake pedal. X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force. G
Risk of accident
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the vehi-
cle when braking and the braking distance
may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to a malfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated. There
is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style to
suit prevailing road and weather conditions.
Off-road ABS An ABS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically if the LOW
RANGE (Y
page 114) off-road gear is selec-
ted.
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
lock cyclically under braking. The resulting
digging-in effect reduces the stopping dis-
tance on off-road terrain. This limits steering
capability. BAS (Brake Assist)
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. G
Risk of accident
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting 50
Driving safety systemsSafety
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effect. However, braking force is not auto-
matically increased in emergency braking sit-
uations and the stopping distance may
increase. Adaptive brake lamps
i Adaptive brake lamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 25 km/ho r if braking is assisted by BAS,
the brake lamps flash rapidly. In this way,
traffic travelling behind you is warned in an
even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 70 km/h to a standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically. If the
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
light up continuously. The hazard warning
lamps switch off automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h. You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (Y page 81).ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between tyres and
the road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. If necessary, the engine output is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
When ESP ®
intervenes, the dwarning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. G
Risk of accident
If the d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows: R
do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could skid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
! Only operate the vehicle briefly (for a max-
imum of ten seconds) on a brake dyna-
mometer. Turn the key in the ignition lock
to position 0or 1. You could otherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
! A function or performance test should
only be carried out on a twin-axle dyna-
mometer. If you wish to operate the vehicle
on such a dynamometer, please consult a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre in advance.
You could otherwise damage the drive train
or the brake system.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation If your trailer begins to lurch, you can only
stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP
®
assists you and can
detect when the trailer begins to lurch.
ESP ®
slows the vehicle down by braking and
limiting the engine output until the vehicle/
trailer combination has stabilised.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 65 km/h. G
Risk of accident
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent Driving safety systems
51Safety
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