2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV ESP

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
* optional
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh,
Version: 2.11.8.1 2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 50
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:16:48; WK

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
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh, Version: 2.11.8.1 2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 51 Z
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:16:48; WK

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
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.11.8.1
2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 52
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:16:49; WK

G
Risk of accident
If EBV is malfunctioning, the brake system is
still available with full brake boosting effect.
However, the rear wheels can still lock, e.g.
under full braking. This could cause you to
lose control of your vehicle and cause an acci-
dent. You should therefore adapt your driving
style to the different handling characteristics. 4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
4ETS makes it possible to pull away or accel-
erate on a slippery surface. It brakes the
wheels individually if they start to spin.
The d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up briefly when the engine is
started. This indicates that the warning lamp
is operational.
X Activate the LOW RANGE off-road gear
(Y page 114) if appropriate to driving con-
ditions.
The d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes at any speed if at least one tyre
has exceeded its tyre grip limit. G
Risk of accident
If the d warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R accelerate less when driving.
R adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could skid.
If you drive too fast, 4ETS cannot reduce the
risk of an accident. 4ETS 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 If the brakes are subjected to heavy loads,
4ETS switches off automatically for a brief
period so that the brakes do not heat up
further. If, for this reason, 4ETS does not
engage, the dwarning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up. The message
ABS, ESP unavailable see Owner's
Manual also appears in the multi-function
display.
! The engine must be off when the parking
brake is being checked on the brake dyna-
mometer. Application of the brakes via
4ETS may otherwise destroy the braking
system.
Off-road terrain-4ETS (Electronic Trac-
tion System) A 4ETS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically if the LOW
RANGE* off-road gear is selected
(Y page 114). Distance warning function* (vehicles
with Distronic*)
This function will issue a warning at speeds of
around 30 km/h or more if:
R for a period of several seconds, the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front is too short for
the speed at which you are travelling. The
· distance warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster will light up.
R you are approaching the vehicle in front too
rapidly. An intermittent warning tone will
then sound and the ·distance warning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster. Driving safety systems
53Safety
* optional
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh,
Version: 2.11.8.1 2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 53 Z
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:16:49; WK

X
To open: pull remote operating switch :
until the tailgate opens.
X To close: turn the key to position 1or 2in
the ignition lock.
X Press remote operating switch for tail-
gate :until the tailgate is closed. Limiting the tailgate opening angle*
You can limit the opening angle of the tailgate
in the top half of its opening range. This could
be useful, for example, when there is insuffi-
cient space above the tailgate.
! Make sure there is sufficient clearance to
open the tailgate fully when setting the
opening angle. The tailgate could otherwise
be damaged. Ideally, limit the opening
angle outside.
Activating X
To open the tailgate: pull the handle on
the tailgate.
X To stop the opening procedure at the
desired position: press the closing button
(Y page 62) in the tailgate or pull the handle
on the outside of the tailgate again.
X Press and hold the closing button in the
tailgate until you hear a short tone.
The opening angle limiter is activated. The
tailgate will now stop in the stored position
when opening. Deactivating X
Press and hold the closing button
(Y page 62) in the tailgate until you hear
two short tones. Key positions
Key
g
To remove the key
1 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windscreen wipers
2 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3 To start the engine
i Even if the key is not for the vehicle in
question, it will still turn in the ignition lock.
The ignition is not switched on. The engine
cannot be started. KEYLESS GO*
If you press the Start/Stop button repeatedly
without depressing the brake pedal, its func-
tion corresponds to the different key posi-
tions in the ignition lock.
If you depress the brake pedal and press the
Start/Stop button, the engine starts immedi-
ately. Key positions
63Controls
* optional
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.11.8.1
2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 63 Z
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:16:54; WK

X
Position 0: if Start/Stop button :has not
yet been pressed, this corresponds to "key
removed".
X Position 1: press Start/Stop button :
once.
It is now possible to switch on the wind-
screen wipers, for example.
i If you press Start/Stop button :in this
position twice, the power supply is discon-
nected again.
X Position 2(ignition): press Start/Stop but-
ton :twice.
i If you press Start/Stop button :in this
position, the power supply is disconnected
again.
Removing the Start/Stop button You can remove the Start/Stop button from
the ignition lock and start the vehicle with a
key as usual.
i You do not need to remove the Start/
Stop button from the ignition lock when you
leave the vehicle.
i Switching between KEYLESS GO mode
and key mode is only possible when the
transmission is in position P. X
Remove Start/Stop button :from ignition
lock ;.
i If you switch from key mode to KEYLESS
GO mode, the system requires a two-sec-
ond recognition period before you can use
the Start/Stop button. Seats
Points to remember
For information about folding the rear bench
seat forwards, see the "Luggage compart-
ment enlargement" section (Y page 154). G
Risk of injury
The seats can still be adjusted when there is
no key in the ignition lock. For this reason,
children should never be left unsupervised in
the vehicle. They could become trapped when
adjusting a seat. G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the driver's seat when the vehicle
is stationary. You will otherwise be distracted
from the road and traffic conditions and you
could lose control of the vehicle as a result of
the seat moving. This could cause an acci-
dent. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
when you adjust the seat.
Observe the notes concerning the airbag sys-
tem. 64
SeatsControls
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh,
Version: 2.11.8.1 2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 64
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:16:55; WK

From the rear door
X
To fold up: fold the right-hand seat in the
second row of seats forwards.
X Briefly press switch :.
The seat folds up.
X To fold down: briefly press button ;.
The seat folds down. From the tailgate
X
To fold up: briefly press switch :.
The seat folds up.
X To fold down: briefly press button ;.
The seat folds down.
Detachable panel (third row of seats*) If you drop objects underneath the seats in
the third row, you can remove the panel in
order to reach beneath the seat.
! If there are objects underneath the seat,
the seat can no longer be folded up or down
correctly. The seat could be damaged.
Only drive with the panel fitted correctly. X
To open: fold the corresponding seat up or
down (Y page 67).
X When the seat is halfway folded up or down,
lock the backrest manually.
X Grasp the panel recess.
X Pull the panel in the direction of the arrow
and remove it.
X To close: fold the corresponding seat up or
down (Y page 67).
X When the seat is halfway folded up or down,
lock the backrest manually.
X Attach the panel using the guide pins.
X Push the panel downwards until it engages.
X Fold the seat up and down fully to check
that the panel is seated correctly. Rear seat head restraints
G
Risk of injury
Occupants should only travel sitting on seats
which have the head restraints fitted. On a
seat which is occupied, pull the head restraint
up into the upright position. This reduces the
risk of injury to the passenger in the event of
an accident.
Adjusting the head restraint height G
Risk of injury
Make sure that the central area of the head
restraint supports the back of your head at
about eye level. You could seriously injure
your neck if your head is not correctly sup- 68
SeatsControls
* optional
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh
,V ersion: 2.11.8.1
2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 68
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:16:59; WK

Easy-entry/exit feature*
The EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature makes getting
in and out of your vehicle easier.
The steering wheel swings upwards when
you:
R remove the key from the ignition lock
R open the driver's door when the key is in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock
When the key is inserted into the ignition lock
with the driver's door closed, the steering
wheel is automatically moved to the previ-
ously set position. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
when you activate the easy-entry/exit fea-
ture.
If there is a risk of becoming trapped, stop the
adjustment procedure. To halt the procedure:
R press the steering-column adjustment
switch
R press one of the memory function position
buttons
The steering column stops moving immedi-
ately.
Never leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle. They could open the driver's door and
thereby unintentionally activate the easy-
entry feature and become trapped.
The most recent position of the steering
wheel is stored when you switch off the igni-
tion or when you store a memory position
(Y page 74).
You can activate and deactivate the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature via the on-board com-
puter (Y page 108).
i The crash-responsive EASY-EXIT fea-
ture* can only be activated after an acci-
dent if the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature is
activated in the on-board computer.
When the crash-responsive EASY-EXIT fea-
ture is triggered in an accident, the steering
wheel column will move upwards irrespec- tive of the position of the key in the ignition
lock. This makes it easier to exit the vehicle
or rescue the occupants. Mirrors
Rear-view mirror
X Adjust the rear-view mirror by hand so you
have a good overview of the traffic condi-
tions.
Rear-view mirror (manual anti-dazzle) X
Anti-dazzle mode: flick anti-dazzle
switch :forwards or back. Exterior mirrors
G
Risk of accident
The exterior mirrors reduce the size of the
image. Objects are actually closer than they
appear. You could misjudge the distance from
vehicles driving behind and cause an acci-
dent, e.g. when changing lane. For this rea-
son, make sure of the actual distance from the
vehicle driving behind by glancing over your
shoulder.
The convex exterior mirrors provide a larger
field of vision.
At low outside temperatures, the exterior mir-
rors are heated automatically. 72
MirrorsControls
* optional
X164_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
wobuchh,
Version: 2.11.8.1 2009-03-31T14:14:58+02:00 - Seite 72
Dateiname: 6515431202_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 01. Apr 2009 00:17:03; WK