2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV trailer

the trailer from swerving and will thus be
unable to reduce the risk of an accident. Trail-
ers with a high centre of gravity can tip over
before ESP ®
can detect this.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of a mal-
function.
Activating/deactivating ESP ®ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle
if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts
to spin.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. Spinning of the
wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
i If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the dwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. In such
situations, ESP ®
will not stabilise the vehi-
cle. X
To deactivate: press button:.
The d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up. G
Risk of accident
If the d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster is continuously lit when the engine is
running, ESP ®
is deactivated or not available
due to a malfunction. There is an increased
risk of your vehicle skidding in certain situa-
tions.
You should always adapt your driving style to
suit prevailing road and weather conditions.
X To activate: press button :.
The d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Off-road ESP ® An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically if the LOW
RANGE off-road gear (Y page 114) is selec-
ted. It intervenes with a delay if there is over-
steering or understeering, thus improving
traction. EBV (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
EBV monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability when braking. 52
Driving safety systemsSafety
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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
* optional
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The engaged differential appears in the multi-
function display:
A
The differential lock for the transfer case
is locked.
The differential locks are not controlled auto-
matically. The steerability of the vehicle is
restricted considerably. Drive carefully and
accelerate gently for optimum traction.
You can switch back to automatic mode at
any time. For safety reasons, the differential
locks disengage automatically at speeds
above 50 km/h. If you stop the vehicle and
switch off the ignition for longer than ten sec-
onds, the differential locks switch back to
automatic mode.
Message in the multi-function display
Diff. lock system overheated.
Wait briefly
The differential lock system has overheated
and briefly disengaged.
X Continue driving.
The differential locks cool off and are soon
available once again. Driving 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 Adaptive damping system (ADS), for indi-
vidual adjustment of suspension tuning R
level control, for individual adjustment of
ground clearance
R PARKTRONIC*, which assists you in park-
ing and manoeuvring
R reversing camera*, which assists you when
parking and manoeuvring
The ABS, BAS, adaptive brake lights, ESP ®
,
EBV and 4ETS driving safety systems and the
distance warning function* are described in
the "Driving safety systems" section
(Y page 49). 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. Driving systems
117Controls
* optional
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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
Driving systemsControls
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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
Driving systemsControls
* optional
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Range of the sensors
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush; otherwise, they may not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(Y page 203). Side view
Top view
Front sensors
Centre Approximately 100 cm
Corners Approximately 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre Approximately 120 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer towbars. PARK-
TRONIC does not detect such objects when
they are in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle or
the objects.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumatic drill could cause PARK-
TRONIC to malfunction.
Minimum distance Centre Approximately 20 cm
Corners Approximately 15 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, all
warning displays light up and a tone sounds.
If the distance falls below the minimum clear-
ance, it may no longer be shown.
Warning displays The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and the obstacle. The
warning display for the front area is located
on the dashboard above the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is in the
roof lamp in the rear compartment. Warning display for front area
:
Left-hand side of the vehicle
; Right-hand side of the vehicle
= Indicator segments
The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into five yellow and two red seg-
ments. PARKTRONIC is operational if yellow
indicator segments =light up. 134
Driving systemsControls
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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
135Controls
* optional
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Running-in notes
............................... 172
Refuelling ........................................... 172
Engine compartment ........................174
Tyres and wheels .............................. 179
Winter driving ................................... 185
Driving tips ........................................ 186
Off-road driving ................................. 188
Driving abroad ................................... 193
Trailer towing* .................................. 193
Service ............................................... 199
Care .................................................... 201 171Operation
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