2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV towing

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 is fully responsible for the
vehicle's distance from other vehicles, the
vehicle's speed and for 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 driv-
ing in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehicles driv-
ing on a different line. Therefore, always pay
attention to traffic conditions even when Dis-
tronic is activated. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognise dangers in time, 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 acti-
vate, 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 in filter lanes
R when changing to a lane with faster moving
traffic
R in complex driving situations or where the
lanes are diverted, e.g. at motorway/road-
way 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 when
braking or accelerating. The vehicle could
start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor vis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognise dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and oth-
ers.
If no car is driving in front of you, Distronic
works like cruise control in the speed range
between 30 km/h and 200 km/h. If a vehicle
is driving in front of you, Distronic Plus works
in the speed range between 0 km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not use Distronic while driving on roads
with steep gradients. 120
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G
Risk of accident
Distronic brakes your vehicle at a maximum
of 4m /s2
, depending on its speed. This cor-
responds to approximately 40% of your vehi-
cle's maximum brake force. 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 ·distance warn-
ing 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. :
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; To adjust the specified distance
= LIM indicator lamp
? To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
A To store the current speed or a lower
speed B
To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic
C To deactivate Distronic
Selecting Distronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp =is off.
If it is off, Distronic is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow B.
LIM indicator lamp =in the cruise control
lever goes off. Distronic is selected.
Switching on Distronic, storing and
maintaining the current speed G
Risk of accident
The vehicle can be braked when Distronic is
activated. For this reason, deactivate Dis-
tronic if the vehicle is to be set in motion by
other means (e.g. in a car wash or by towing).
You can activate Distronic in the following
circumstances:
R for about two minutes after the engine is
started
R when the engine is running
R if you do not brake during the journey
R when the parking brake is not applied
R if ESP ®
is activated
R if the automatic transmission is in position
D
R if the bonnet is closed
Activating while driving
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you
can only activate Distronic if the vehicle in
front has been detected and is shown in the
multi-function display. If the vehicle in front is
not shown in the multi-function display and is
no longer being detected, because it has
changed lanes, for example, Distronic is
deactivated and you hear a warning tone. Driving systems
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of its narrow width. The distance to the vehi-
cle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles Distronic does not brake for obstructions or
stationary vehicles. If, for example, the detec-
ted vehicle turns a corner and there is an
obstacle or stationary vehicle ahead of it, Dis-
tronic will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles Distronic may detect vehicles that are cross-
ing your lane by mistake. Activating Distronic
at, for example, a traffic light with crossing
traffic, could cause your vehicle to pull away
at the wrong time. 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 continuously
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 128) 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 Speed-
tronic.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off: 126
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The automatic transmission position deter-
mines which warning display is active when
the engine is running:
Automatic trans-
mission position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R
or N Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance to the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for approx-
imately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. You have reached the minimum dis-
tance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC :
To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
; Indicator lamp
If indicator lamp ;is on, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Trailer towing* PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between your vehicle and a trailer.
!
Remove the detachable trailer coupling if
it is no longer required. PARKTRONIC
measures the minimum detection range to
an obstacle from the bumper, not the ball
coupling. Reversing camera*
The reversing camera is an optical aid. It
shows the area behind your vehicle in the
COMAND APS display. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
The reversing camera is located in the handle
strip of the tailgate. :
Reversing camera
View through the camera The area behind the vehicle is displayed in a
mirrored fashion, as in the rear-view mirror.
G
Risk of accident
The reversing camera is only an aid and may
display obstacles in a distorted or incorrect
manner, or may not even display them at all.
The reversing camera does not relieve you of Driving systems
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direction of arrow
;until the sliding/tilt-
ing sunroof is closed.
The sliding/tilting sunroof is closed with
more force.
If the sliding/tilting sunroof locks up during
closing again:
X Immediately after it locks up, pull the
switch again to the pressure point in the
direction of arrow ;until the sliding/tilt-
ing sunroof is closed.
The sliding/tilting sunroof is closed without
the anti-entrapment feature.
Rain closing feature* The sliding/tilting sunroof closes automati-
cally:
R
if it starts to rain
R after 12 hours
The rear of the sliding/tilting sunroof is then
raised in order to ventilate the interior of the
vehicle.
i The sliding/tilting sunroof is opened
slightly again if it is obstructed while being
closed by the rain closing feature. The rain
closing feature is then deactivated.
The sliding/tilting sunroof does not close if:
R it is raised at the rear
R it is blocked
R no rain is falling on the area of the wind-
screen being monitored by the rain sensor
(e.g. because the vehicle is under a bridge
or in a carport)
Resetting Reset the sliding/tilting sunroof if it does not
open smoothly, or if the battery has been dis-
connected or has become discharged.
X
Switch the ignition off and then on again.
X The sliding/tilting sunroof is raised fully at
the rear. X
Keep the switch pressed for an additional
second.
X Make sure that the sliding/tilting sunroof
can be opened or closed fully again
(Y page 150).
X If this is not the case, consult a qualified
specialist workshop. Loading and stowing
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.
You will find further information in the "Secur-
ing 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. For this reason, you
should observe the following notes when
transporting a load:
R never exceed the maximum permissible
gross vehicle weight or 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 seat backrests.
R always place the load against the rear or
front seat backrests. Make sure that the Loading and stowing
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seat backrests are securely locked into
place.
R always place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
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. Stowage compartments
G
Risk of injury
The stowage compartments must be closed
when items are stored in them. Luggage nets
are not designed to secure heavy items of
luggage.
You or other 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
Sharp-edged and fragile objects must not be
placed in the luggage net.
Glove compartment i
Depending on the vehicle's equipment,
there is an AUX-IN connection installed in
the glove compartment, or a Media Inter-
face*, which is a universal interface for
portable audio equipment, e.g. for an iPod
or USB device. The glove compartment can be locked and
unlocked using the emergency key element
(Y
page 250).
X To open: pull handle :in the direction of
the arrow and fold down cover ;.
X To close: fold cover ;upwards until it
engages.
Stowage compartment in the centre
console X
To open: briefly press marking ;.
X To close: push stowage compartment :
in the direction of the arrow until it
engages. 152
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Stowage compartment under the arm-
rest
X
To open: pull handle :and fold the arm-
rest upwards.
Stowage compartment in the rear
centre console X
To open: press lightly on the top of the
stowage compartment.
The stowage compartment moves out auto-
matically. Cup holder
G
Risk of injury
Keep the cup holder closed while the vehicle
is in motion. 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
Only use the cup holders for containers of a
suitable size and which have lids. Otherwise,
the drinks could spill.
Cup holders should not be used for hot drinks.
Otherwise, you may scald yourself.
Cup holder in the centre console :
Cup holder
; Brace with card holder
i You can remove the cup holder to clean
it. Clean the cup holder with clean, luke-
warm water only.
X To remove: place your fingers into the cen-
tral recesses of cup holder :and pull up
sharply.
X To fit: place the cup holder into the guides
and insert. Loading and stowing
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Cup holder in the rear seat armrest
X
Fold down rear seat armrest :.
Cup holder in the side trim of the
3rd row of seats* :
Cup holder Luggage nets
G
Risk of injury
Only place lightweight objects in the luggage
net. Do not use it to transport heavy, sharp-
edged or fragile objects. The luggage net can-
not secure the objects sufficiently in the event
of an accident. Luggage net in the front-passenger
footwell :
Luggage net
Luggage net behind the front seats :
Luggage net Enlarging the luggage compartment
The left-hand and right-hand rear seats can
be folded down to increase the luggage com-
partment capacity. 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 occupants
could be injured by objects being thrown
around the vehicle in the event of sharp brak-
ing, a sudden change in direction or an acci-
dent.
When using the luggage compartment
enlargement feature, you must always fully 154
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