XAllow the engine and coolant to cool off.XCheck the coolant level and add coolant if
necessary (Y page 156).
In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking fuel:
XDo not start the engine under any
circumstances.
XExit the vehicle at a safe distance from the
roadway.
XNotify local fire and/or police authorities.
If the extent of the damage cannot be
determined:
XContact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call Roadside Assistance.
If no damage on major assemblies, fuel
system, and engine mount can be
determined:
XStart the engine in the usual manner.
Parking
GWarning!
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system. These materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
Vehicle movement can cause serious
personal injury or damage to the vehicle or
the vehicle drivetrain. Therefore, always do
the following before turning off the engine and
leaving the vehicle:
RKeep right foot on the brake pedal.
REngage the parking brake.
RShift the automatic transmission into park
position P.
RSlowly release the brake pedal.
RWhen parked on an incline, always turn the
front wheels towards the road curb.
RTurn the SmartKey in the starter switch to
position 0 and remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch.
RTake the SmartKey with you and lock the
vehicle when leaving.
Parking brake
GWarning!
Engaging the parking brake while the vehicle
is in motion can cause the rear wheels to lock
up. You could lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident. In addition, the vehicle’s
brake lights do not light up when the parking
brake is engaged.
GWarning!
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it with
you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Children could
release the parking brake and/or shift the
automatic transmission out of park position
P, either of which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
XReleasing: Pull up slightly on parking brake
lever : and press release button ;.
XPush parking brake lever : down to its
original position.
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning lamp
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$ (USA only) or J (Canada only) in
the instrument cluster goes out.
XEngaging: Pull up parking brake lever :
firmly.
When the engine is running, the brake
warning lamp $ (USA only) or J
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
comes on.
Turning off the engine
GWarning!
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the engine
not running, there is no power assistance for
the brake and steering systems. In this case,
it is important to keep in mind that a
considerably higher degree of effort is
necessary to brake and steer the vehicle.
XShift the automatic transmission into park
position P.
XEngage the parking brake.
iAlways engage the parking brake in
addition to shifting the automatic
transmission into park position P.
XTurn the SmartKey in the starter switch to
position 0.
XRemove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
The SmartKey can only be removed from the
starter switch with the automatic
transmission in park position P.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
For information on driving with an automatic
transmission, see “Driving and parking”
(Y page 85).
GWarning!
Make sure absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all
obstacles. If there are any floormats or
carpets in the footwell, make sure the pedals
still have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between or
under the pedals. You could then no longer
brake or accelerate. This could lead to
accidents and injury.
! Allow the engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature has
been reached.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces.
This may cause serious damage to the
engine and the drivetrain which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more quickly
to operating temperature.
Gear selector lever
Gearshift pattern for automatic transmission
jPark position with gear selector lever lockkReverse gearAutomatic transmission89Controls in detail463_AKB; 3; 35, en-USd2ureepe,Version: 2.11.8.12009-07-16T20:59:56+02:00 - Seite 89Z
Working on the vehicleGWarning!
When working on the vehicle, engage the
parking brake and shift the automatic
transmission into park position P. Otherwise
the vehicle could roll away which could result
in an accident and/or serious personal injury.
Gear ranges
With the automatic transmission in drive
position D, you can limit or extend the gear
range, see “One-touch gearshifting”
(Y page 92).
The current gear range appears in the
multifunction display.
:Gear range indicator
! If the transfer case is in off-road position
LOW, the automatic transmission will not
shift up automatically, even when the
engine has reached the speed limit for that
gear. There is a risk of damaging the
engine.
It is very important to make sure the
permissible engine speed is not exceeded.
Effect=With this selection you can use the
braking effect of the engine.
5Allows the use of the engine’s
braking effect when driving
Ron steep downgrades
Rin mountainous regions
Runder extreme operating
conditions
4For maximum use of the engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.
One-touch gearshifting
With the automatic transmission in drive
position D, you can limit or extend the gear
range using the gear selector lever.
Limiting gear range
GWarning!
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in
order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle
control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not prevent
this type of loss of control.
XBriefly press the gear selector lever to the
left in the D- direction.
The automatic transmission will shift into
the next lower gear as permitted by the
shift program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the automatic
transmission.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting, the automatic transmission
will not shift into a lower gear if the engine’s
maximum speed would be exceeded.
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The ABS, BAS, and ESP® are switched off
automatically when the transfer case
differential lock is activated.
For more information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (Y page 184).
A few words about differentials and
differential locks
When a vehicle negotiates a turn, wheels on
the outside of the curve must travel farther
and rotate faster than the inside wheels. The
differential, the operation of a set of gears
that allows the powered wheels in a vehicle
to turn at different speeds, makes this
essential function possible.
The drawback is that the differential also
sends most of the engine’s power to the
wheel with the least load or strain on it. For
example, if one of a vehicle’s powered wheels
sits on a patch of snow and spins because
there is no traction, all of the engine’s power
will go to that wheel because the power will
take the path of least resistance. Meanwhile,
the opposite wheel, sitting on dry pavement
where it could get enough grip to start the
vehicle moving, sits idle because it receives
no power.
The 4-ETS addresses this problem and
provides for good control and steering ability
by automatically slowing the slipping wheel
and thus increasing the power to the other
non-slipping drive wheels to get the vehicle
moving. The ESP® and the 4-ETS in this
vehicle feature such intelligent limited-slip
differential technology, ideally suited for on-
road and light off-road driving. Transfer case
position LOW (Y page 93) also enhances off-
road driving capabilities.
More extreme off-road conditions may call for
another solution, engaging a differential lock
or preventing the differential from operating
altogether. This vehicle comes with three
differential locks: front, transfer case
(center), and rear. Each can be engaged
simply by pushing dashboard-mounted
switches in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (Y page 96). When the transfer case
(center) differential is locked, half of the
engine’s power is automatically distributed to
the front wheels and half to the rear wheels.
When the rear differential is locked, power
going to the rear wheels is equally distributed,
so that both rear wheels turn at the same
speed and torque. Please be aware that
engaging the differential locks will
significantly reduce the steering ability of the
vehicle.
For your safety and the safety of others and
to prevent damage to the vehicle, the
differential locks must not be engaged when
driving on paved roads. It is important to
understand that during on-road/paved
driving, differentials are absolutely necessary
for providing the essential control and
steering ability of the vehicle. The differential
locks, therefore, must not be engaged when
driving on paved roads and should only be
used to the extent necessary to negotiate off-
road conditions which cannot be handled by
the systems (the 4-ETS, the ESP®, and the
manual switch position “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.
Switching differential locks on and off
The switches are located on the upper part of
the center console.
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?Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)AFunction indicator lamps (red)
The differential locks can only be switched on
in the sequence :, ; , = .
Switching differential locks on
! To avoid damage to the transfer case and
differential locks:
R Engage the differential locks only at low
speed (walking speed, not more than
5 mph [8 km/h]).
R Do not engage the differential locks if the
driving wheels are spinning due to lack
of traction.
R Do not engage the differential locks on
paved roads.
Transfer case differential lock
XPress switch :.
Yellow engagement indicator lamp ? for
the transfer case differential lock comes
on.
The ESP ®
warning lamp d in the
instrument cluster comes on.
When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp A comes on.
The message ABS not available
Differential Locked appears in the
multifunction display.
The ESP ®
warning lamp d and the !
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster come
on.
Once the transfer case differential lock is
switched on, you can now, if needed, switch
on rear axle differential lock ;, or switch on
rear axle differential lock ; and front
differential lock =.
Rear axle differential lockXPress switch ;.
Yellow engagement indicator lamp ?
comes on first, followed by red function
indicator lamp A.
The rear axle differential lock is switched
on.
Front differential lock
XPress switch =.
Yellow engagement indicator lamp ?
comes on first, followed by red function
indicator lamp A.
The front differential lock is switched on.
Switching differential locks off
There are two different methods to disengage
differential locks:
R You can switch the differential locks off in
reverse order ( =, ; , : ).
R To switch off all differential locks at the
same time:
XPress switch :.
Yellow engagement indicator
lamps ? go out first. Red function
indicator lamps A go out when the
switching process has been carried
out in the differential.
To activate the ESP ®
, BAS, and ABS systems,
drive again for 3 seconds using a constant
driving style.
All messages in the multifunction display
disappear. The ESP ®
warning lamp d and
the ! indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster go out.
i If red function indicator lamps A do not
go out when the differential locks are
disengaged, bring vehicle to a stop and
then continue driving. Changing the vehicle
load can help to disengage the differential
locks.
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Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns which can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of the
vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle until
the engine has cooled down.
During severe operating conditions, e.g. stop-
and-go traffic, the coolant temperature may
rise close to 248‡ (120†).
! Excessive coolant temperature triggers a
warning in the multifunction display.
The engine should not be operated with a
coolant temperature above 248‡ (120†),
i.e. in the red zone of the coolant
temperature gauge. Doing so may cause
serious engine damage which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Resetting trip odometer
XMake sure you are viewing the standard
display ( Y page 102) in the multifunction
display.XPress and hold the reset button in the
instrument cluster (Y page 98) until the trip
odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
( Y page 26) denotes excessive engine speed.
! Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds,
as it may result in serious engine damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply is
interrupted if the engine is operated within
the red marking.
Control system
Introduction
The control system is activated as soon as the
starter switch is in position 1.
The control system enables you to call up
information about your vehicle and to change
vehicle settings.
For example, you can use the control system
to find out when your vehicle is next due for
maintenance service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster display,
and much more.
GWarning!
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions permit
it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximately
14 m) every second.
The control system relays information to the
multifunction display.
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display and
the settings in the control system are
controlled by using the buttons on the
multifunction steering wheel.
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:Multifunction display;Press buttonW
X
to select submenus in the
Settings menu
to set values
to set the volume
=Press button6to answer a call
to dial2
to redial
~to end a call
to reject an incoming call
?Press buttonV
U
to select next or previous menuAPress button briefly&
*
to move within a menu
Within Audio/DVD menu to
select previous or next track,
scene or stored station
Within Telephone menu to
switch to the phone book and
select a name or number
Press and hold button&
*
Within Audio/DVD menu to
select previous or next track
with quick search or to select
previous or next station in
station list or wave band
Within Telephone menu to
start the quick search in the
phone book
iCanada and AMG vehicles:
The steering wheel in this vehicle may vary
from steering wheel shown. However,
multifunction steering wheel symbols and
feature description apply to Canada and
AMG vehicles as well.
Depending on the selected menu, pressing
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel will alter what appears in the
multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunction
display is arranged in menus and
accompanying functions and submenus.
The individual functions are then found within
the relevant menu (radio or CD operations
under Audio/DVD menu, for example).
These functions serve to call up relevant
information or to customize the settings for
your vehicle.
It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being
arranged in a circular pattern.
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Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deactivate
the easy-entry/exit feature (Y page 71).
GWarning!
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement do one of
the following:
RMove steering wheel adjustment stalk.
RPress one of the memory position buttons.
RPress the memory button.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
XPress button V or U repeatedly until
the Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
XPress button &.XMove the selection marker with button
W or X to the Convenience
submenu.
XPress button & or * repeatedly until
the message Easy-entry Function
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
XPress button W or X to activate (On)
or deactivate (Off) the easy-entry/exit
feature.
Trip computer menu
Use the Trip computer menu to call up
statistical data on your vehicle.
The following information is available:
RFuel consumption statistics since start
(Y page 112)
RFuel consumption statistics since last reset
(Y page 113)
RResetting fuel consumption statistics
(Y page 113)
RDistance to empty (Y page 113)
When you enter the Trip computer menu,
you will always see the fuel consumption
statistics since start first.
Fuel consumption statistics since start
XPress button U or V repeatedly until
the message From Start appears in the
multifunction display.
:Distance driven since start;Time elapsed since start=Average speed since start?Average fuel consumption since start
All statistics stored since the last engine start
will be reset approximately 4 hours after the
SmartKey in the starter switch is turned to
position 0 or removed from the starter switch.
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