2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV transmission

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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&
*
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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not receive channel lists): press and briefly
hold the &or* button.
Operating the DVD video* X
Switch on COMAND and select video DVD
(see the separate operating instructions).
X Press VorU on the steering wheel
to select the Audio/TV/DVD menu. DVD changer display* (example)
:
Current DVD (for DVD changer*)
; Current scene
X Press the &or* button to select a
scene. Navigation* menu
In the Navigation menu, the navigation
instructions from the navigation system
appear in the multi-function display.
Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
X Press the VorU button to select the
Navigation menu.
X Switch on the audio system or COMAND
APS* (see separate operating instruc-
tions).
Route guidance inactive The direction of travel appears in the multi-
function display. When the name of the street
is part of the navigation system data, this will
also be displayed. Vehicle heading display (example)
Route guidance active
The multi-function display shows navigation
instructions, for example:
Off-road menu*
You can set the following current settings to
appear in the Off-roadmenu:
R Off-road level (Y page 129)
R Compass (Y page 166)
R Differential locks (Y page 116)
i Large buildings, power cables or powerful
transmission masts as well as metallic
objects on or in the vehicle may interfere
with the compass display.
Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
X Press the VorU button to select the
Off-road menu. Message in the multi-function display (example)102
On-board computerControls
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Calling up the range
X
Press VorU on the steering wheel
to select the trip computer menu.
X Press &or* to select Range:
The multi-function display shows the esti-
mated range of the vehicle, based on the
current driving style and the fuel level. If
there is only a small amount of fuel remain-
ing in the fuel tank, a vehicle refuelling
C appears instead of the range.
Displaying current fuel consumption X
Press VorU to select the Trip com-
puter menu.
X Press &or* to select Consump‐
tion.
The current fuel consumption is displayed. Telephone menu
Functions and displays depend on the
optional equipment installed in your vehicle.
You can place your mobile phone in the
mobile phone bracket* (Y page 164), or set
up a Bluetooth connection to the audio sys-
tem or to COMAND APS* (see separate oper-
ating instructions). G
Risk of accident
Observe the legal requirements of the country
in which you are currently driving regarding
the use of mobile phones in the vehicle.
If it is permitted to use mobile phones while
the vehicle is in motion, you should only use
them when the road and traffic conditions
allow. Otherwise, you may be distracted from the traffic conditions, cause an accident and
injure yourself and others.
Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
X Switch on the mobile phone and audio
equipment or COMAND APS*; see the sep-
arate operating instructions.
X Press the VorU button to select the
Telephone menu.
Mobile phone on PIN code not yet entered
Once you have inserted the mobile phone into
the mobile phone bracket*, the multi-func-
tion display shows the Please enter PIN
message.
X Enter the PIN using the mobile phone, Lin-
guatronic*, the audio system or COMAND
APS*.
The mobile phone will search for a network.
Mobile phone operational
You will see Readyor the name of the mobile
phone network provider in the multi-function
display. If the mobile phone operational read-
iness symbol goes out, your vehicle is outside
of the transmission and reception range. In
this case you will see No Servicein the
multi-function display.
Accepting a call If someone calls you when you are in the
Telephone
menu, a display message appears
in the multi-function display, for example: X
Press the 6button to accept the call. On-board computer
111Controls
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Deactivating
X
Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
The DSR symbol appears in the multi-func-
tion display with the Offmessage.
DSR switches off automatically if you drive
faster than 35 km/h. The DSR symbol
appears in the multi-function display with the
Off message. You also hear a warning tone.
Changing the set speed while the vehi-
cle is in motion When DSR is activated, you can change the
set speed to a value between 4 km/h and
18 km/h while the vehicle is in motion. X
To increase or reduce the set speed by
1 km/h increments: briefly press the
cruise control lever to the pressure point,
up : for a higher set speed or down ;for
a lower set speed.
The set value appears in the multi-function
display.
X To increase or reduce the set speed in
10 km/h increments: briefly press cruise
control beyond the pressure point, up :
for a higher set speed or down ;for a
lower set speed.
The set value appears in the multi-function
display. LOW RANGE off-road gear
The LOW RANGE off-road gear assists you in
driving off-road and when fording. When LOW
RANGE is engaged, the engine’s performance
characteristics and the gearshifting charac-
teristics of the automatic transmission are
adapted for this purpose. ABS, ESP ®
and
4ETS programs especially adapted to off-road
driving are also activated. You will find infor-
mation about driving off-road in the "Opera-
tion" section (Y page 188). You will find infor-
mation about driving safety systems in con-
junction with LOW RANGE in the "Safety" sec-
tion (Y page 49).
Shift ranges HIGH RANGE
Road position for all nor-
mal driving situations
LOW RANGE
Off-road position for driv-
ing off-road and fording
The gear ratio between the
engine and wheels is only
approximately one third of
that in the HIGH RANGE
road position. The drive
torque is correspondingly
higher as a result.
Do not use LOW RANGE:
R on slippery road surfa-
ces, e.g. in the case of
slush
R on snow or ice-covered
roads
R if you have snow chains
on your vehicle G
Risk of accident
Always wait for the gear change process from
HIGH RANGE to LOW RANGE – and from LOW
RANGE to HIGH RANGE – to complete. Do not
turn off the engine while changing gear and 114
Off-road drivingCont
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do not switch the automatic transmission to
another gear.
If you do not wait for the gear change process
to complete, it may not be correctly imple-
mented. The transfer case may then be in
neutral and the connection between the
engine and the drive axles may be disen-
gaged. The vehicle could then move freely,
even if a gear is engaged, and could inadver-
tently start moving, particularly if it is on a
slope.
Observe the messages in the multi-function
display.
From HIGH RANGE to LOW RANGE
! Only carry out the gear change process if:
R the engine is running
R the automatic transmission is in N
R you are not driving above 40 km/h
X Press LOW RANGE button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes. LOW RANGE
indicator =appears in the multi-function
display.
When the gear change is complete, indica-
tor lamp ;lights up. While indicator lamp
;is flashing, you can
cancel the gear change by pressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
From LOW RANGE to HIGH RANGE
! Only carry out the gear change process if:
R the engine is running
R the automatic transmission is in N
R you are not driving above 70 km/h
X Press LOW RANGE button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes.
If the gear change process has taken place,
indicator lamp ;and LOW RANGE indica-
tor =in the multi-function display go out.
While indicator lamp ;is flashing, you can
cancel the gear change by pressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
Messages in the multi-function display
If a gear change process has not been suc-
cessful, the following messages may be dis-
played in the multi-function display:
R Max. speed 40 km/h
You have been driving faster than
40 km/h. Indicator lamp ;also flashes.
X Drive more slowly to carry out the gear
change process.
R Engage N briefly
The automatic transmission is in Dand you
are now driving below 40 km/h.
XMove the DIRECT SELECT lever to Nto
carry out the gear change process.
R Shifting process cancelled Reacti‐
vate
The gear change process was not carried
out.
XMaintain all gear change conditions
and carry out the gear change process
again.
R Stop vehicle. Apply parking brake Off-road driving
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