2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV wheel

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
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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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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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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
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Opening and closing
...........................58
Tailgate ................................................ 60
Key positions ....................................... 63
Seats .................................................... 64
Steering wheel .................................... 70
Mirrors ................................................. 72
Memory functions* .............................74
Seat belts ............................................. 75
Lights ................................................... 78
Windscreen wipers .............................84
Side windows ...................................... 85
Driving and parking ............................88
Transmission ....................................... 91
Instrument cluster ..............................96
On-board computer .............................97
Off-road driving ................................. 112
Driving systems ................................ 117
Air conditioning ................................. 136
Sliding sunroof .................................. 149
Loading and stowing ........................151
Features ............................................. 161 57Controls
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X
To unlock: press button :.
X To lock: press button ;.
Automatic locking The vehicle will lock automatically once you
have pulled away.
You can switch the automatic locking func-
tion on and off using the on-board computer
(Y page 107).
i The vehicle is locked automatically when
the ignition is switched on and the wheels
begin to turn. There is a risk of being locked
out when the vehicle is being pushed or
tested on a dynamometer. Tailgate
Points to remember
G
Risk of poisoning
Exhaust fumes could enter the vehicle interior
if the engine is running and the tailgate is
open. This could poison you. Therefore, you
should make sure that the tailgate is always
closed when the engine is running.
! The tailgate swings up and to the rear
when opened. Therefore, make sure that
there is sufficient clearance above and
behind the tailgate.
Do not leave the key in the luggage compart-
ment. Otherwise, you could lock yourself out.
On vehicles with a spare wheel bracket*, you
can only open the tailgate after first opening
the spare wheel bracket* completely.
i You will find details of the tailgate opening
dimensions in the Technical data section
(Y page 295). The tailgate can be:
R
opened and closed manually
(Y page 61)
R opened and closed* automatically from
outside (Y page 62)
R opened and closed* automatically from
inside (Y page 62) Spare wheel bracket*
G
Risk of accident
While the spare wheel bracket is folded to the
side, the tail lamps may be blocked from view.
Other road users may then fail to see you and
crash into your vehicle. Additionally, secure
your vehicle using a warning lamp or a warn-
ing triangle.
Do not drive with the spare wheel bracket fol-
ded out.
Make sure that the spare wheel bracket is
closed correctly.
Otherwise, the freely moving spare wheel
bracket could injure people or cause an acci-
dent.
! Do not wash vehicles equipped with a
spare wheel bracket in an automatic car
wash.
Opening the spare wheel bracket 60
TailgateControls
* optional
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X
To unlock centrally: press the%but-
ton on the key.
X Pull handle ;and pull spare wheel
bracket :to the side in the direction of
the arrow. X
Turn handle :in the direction of the arrow
from position 2to position 3.
The spare wheel bracket is locked in the
open position.
Closing the spare wheel bracket X
Turn handle :from position 3to posi-
tion 2.
The spare wheel bracket is released.
X Close the spare wheel bracket until you feel
it engage. Opening and closing manually
X To open: press the %button on the key. X
Pull handle :. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
as you close the tailgate. X
To close: pull down the tailgate using one
of recesses :.
X Push the tailgate closed from the outside.
X Lock the vehicle, if necessary, with
the & button on the key or with KEY-
LESS GO* ( Ypage 58).
Opening the tailgate from inside You can unlock and open the tailgate from the
inside.
The handle is located on the lower part of the
window frame of the tailgate on the right-
hand side when viewed in the direction of
travel. Tailgate
61Controls
* optional
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X
Press handle :in the direction of
arrow ;as far as it will go and hold it there.
X From this position, pull handle :in the
direction of arrow =as far as it will go and
hold it there.
X Swing the tailgate upwards.
i Vehicles with the EASY-PACK tailgate*:
If you do not open the tailgate after unlock-
ing, it will lock again automatically after a
few seconds. Automatically opening/closing* the
vehicle from inside G
Risk of injury
Monitor the tailgate opening and closing pro-
cedures to make sure that nobody can
become trapped. To halt the opening or clos-
ing procedure, press the closing button* on
the tailgate again or pull the handle on the
outside of the tailgate.
Opening the spare wheel bracket You can open the tailgate automatically using
the key or the handle in the tailgate. 11
X To open: press and hold the Fbutton
on the key until the tailgate opens.
or
X When the tailgate is unlocked, pull the han-
dle and let it go again immediately.
Closing the spare wheel bracket You can close the tailgate automatically using
the key 11
, using the closing button 11
or lock-
ing button 12
. X
To close: press closing button :on the
tailgate or press and hold down the F
button until the tailgate closes.
X To close and lock simultaneously:
Press locking button ;on the tailgate.
i The tailgate can only be opened and
closed with the key if there is no key in the
ignition lock.
If the tailgate touches an object while clos-
ing, the closing procedure is interrupted
and the tailgate reopens.
i Only with KEYLESS GO*: if you leave a
KEYLESS GO key* in the luggage compart-
ment, the tailgate will not lock.
The tailgate is not closed unless a KEYLESS
GO* key is recognised. Automatically opening/closing* the
vehicle from inside
You can open/close the tailgate from the
driver's seat when the vehicle is stationary. G
Risk of injury
Monitor the tailgate opening and closing pro-
cedures to make sure that nobody can
become trapped. To halt the opening or clos-
ing procedure, press or pull the tailgate's
remote operating button from the driver's
seat again.
11 Only on vehicles with an EASY-PACK tailgate*.
12 Only on vehicles with an EASY-PACK tailgate* and KEYLESS GO*. 62
TailgateControls
* optional
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