
pling
atrailer. Th evehicle level could change
and you could endanger yourself or others.
Never press the ADS button or operate the
leve lcontrol while you are coupling up or
decoupling atrailer.
Steel-spring vehicles X
Make sure that th etransmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Positio nthe trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Coupl eupthe trailer.
X Establish the electrical con nection
betwee nthe vehicle and the trailer.
X Chec kthat the trailer lighting system is
working.
Vehicles wit hthe AIRMATIC package X
Make sure that th etransmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Start th eengine.
X Set the vehicl etohighway level
(Y page 189).
X Set the Adaptive Dampin gSystem (ADS )to
AUTO orCOMF(Y page 188).
X Switch off the engine.
X Close the doors and tailgate.
X Position the trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish the electrical connection
betwee nthe vehicle and the trailer.
X Chec kthat the trailer lighting system is
working.
i If you hav ecoupled atrailer, th evehicle
will remain at highway level.
The vehicle automatically lowers to high-
way level if you driv efaster than 30 km/h
with atrailer. Th evehicle is not lowered to
high-speed level even if you are travelling
at higher speeds. This also applies when using accessories
that are plugged into the socket of the
trailer tow hitch (e.g. abicycle rack). Decoupling
atrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not disconnect atrailer with an engaged
overru nbrake .Otherwise, you rhand could
becom etrapped between th ebumpe rand
drawbar. G
WARNING
As soo nasyou raise the trailer drawbar, the
unladen vehicle rises slightly .The vehicle then
lower stod riving level.
Make sure that nobod yisinthe vicinit yofthe
wheel arch or the underbody. You coul doth-
erwise trap yoursel forothers. G
WARNING
Th ev ehicle is lowered as soo nasyou discon-
nec tthe trailer cable. Make sur ethat nobody
is in the vicinit yofthe wheel arch or the
underbody. You coul dotherwis etrap yourse lf
or othe rs.
As soon as you decoupl ethe trailer ,the unla-
den vehicle rise sslightly. Make sure that you
or others are not injured in the process.
! Do not disconnect atrailer wit han
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damage dbythe rebound-
ing of the overru nbrake.
Steel-spring vehic les X
Ma ke sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Secure th etrailer agains trollin gaway.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Towing
atrailer
229Driving andparki ng Z

Vehicles with the AIRMATIC package
X
Make sure tha tthe transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engage the electric parkin gbrake.
X Start th eengine.
X Clos ethe doors and tailgate.
X Secur ethe trailer against rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer.
X Switc hoff th eengine. Folding in the ball coupling
i Fold the ball coupling back in if you are
not using the trailer tow hitch.
X Make sure that the vehicl eisstationary and
the trailer cables are disconnected.
X Place the protective cap on the ball cou-
pling.
X Ope nthe tailgate. X
Pull the release knob :until the ball cou-
plin gunlocks.
The ball coupling folds dow nfrom under the
rea rbumper. The indicator lamp on the
release knob flashes. X
Press the ball coupling in the direction of
the arrow until it engage saudibly behind
the bumper.
The indicator lamp on the release knob
goes out and the messag einthe multifunc-
tion display disappears. Trailer power supply
When it leaves the factory ,your vehicle's
trailer socket is equipped with apermanent
power supply and apower supply that is
switched on via the ignition lock.
The permanen tpower supply is supplied via
trailer socket pin 9.
The power supply that is switched on via the
ignition lock is supplied via trailer socket pin
10.
! You can con nect consumers with apower
ratin gofupto2 40Wtot he permanent
power supply and up to 18 0Wto the power
supply that is switched on via the ignition
lock.
You must not charge atrailer battery using
th ep ower supply.
The trailer's permanen tpower supply is
switched off in the even toflow vehicle supply
voltage and after six hour satthe latest.
You can obtai nfurther information about
installing the trailer electrics from aqualified
specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre. 230
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

Problems wit
htrailer towing Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The released ball cou-
pling cannot be
engaged. X
Visit aqualified specialist workshop. The ball coupling does
not unlock, even
though:
R the vehicle is station-
ary.
R no trailer cable is
connected.
R the release knob to
unlock the ball cou-
pling has been pulled
for more than asec-
ond. The on-boar
dvoltage is insufficient.
X Start the engine.
If the ball coupling still does not unlock:
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 232
Towin
gatrailerDriving and parking

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment
available to your vehicle at the time of pub-
lication of the Owner's Manual. Country-
specific deviation sare possible .Please
not ethat your vehicle ma ynot be equipped
with all featur es described. This also
applies to safety-releva ntsystems and
functions.
i Please read the information on qualified
specialist workshops (Y page 24).Important safet
ynotes
You will fin danillustration of th einstrument
cluste rinthe "A taglance "section
(Y page 30). G
WARNING
Only use th eon-bo ardc omputer wh en road
and traffic condition spermit .You would oth-
erwise be distracted and unable to concen-
trate properly on driving, and coul dcause an
accident. G
WARNING
No message swill be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative.
As aresult, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such as
speed, outside temperature, warning and indi-
cator lamps, display messages or system fail-
ures. Drivin gcharacteristic smay be impaired.
Adjust your driving style and vehicle speed
accordingly.
Contact aqualified specialist workshop
immediately. G
WARNING
The on-board computer only records and dis-
plays malfunctions and warnings from certain
systems. For this reason, you should always make sure that your vehicle is safe to use. You
could otherwis
ecause an accident by driving
an unsafe vehicle. G
WARNING
The operating safety of your vehicle could be
impaired if maintenance work is carried out
incorrectly. This could cause you to lose con-
trol of your vehicle and cause an accident.
Moreover, the safety systems may no longer
be able to protect you or others as they are
designed to do.
Always have service work carried out at a
qualified specialis tworkshop. Displays and operation
Coolant tempera
tureg auge
Th ec oolant temperatur egauge is in the
instrument cluster on the right-hand side.
Under normal operating conditions and with
the specified coolant level, the coolant tem-
perature may rise to 120 †.
At high outside temperatures and when driv-
ing uphill, the coolant temperature may rise
to the end of the scale. Rev counter
The red band in the rev counter indicates the
engine's overrevvin grange.
! Do not drive in the overrevving range.
Doing so will damage the engine.
The fuel supply is interrupted to protect the
engine when the red band is reached. Outside temperature display
The outside temperature display is in the mul-
tifunction display (Y page 236). G
WARNING
At temperatures just above freezing point, the
street may be icy, especially in wooded areas 234
Displays and operationOn-board computer and displays
![MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owners Manual X
Press :or9 to select the Perma‐ nent display function.
You will see the selected setting: outsidetemperat
ure or
Dig. speedo m[mph] .
X Press the abuttontos ave the setting.
Lights Switching the d MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owners Manual X
Press :or9 to select the Perma‐ nent display function.
You will see the selected setting: outsidetemperat
ure or
Dig. speedo m[mph] .
X Press the abuttontos ave the setting.
Lights Switching the d](/manual-img/4/55578/w960_55578-249.png)
X
Press :or9 to select the Perma‐ nent display function.
You will see the selected setting: outsidetemperat
ure or
Dig. speedo m[mph] .
X Press the abuttontos ave the setting.
Lights Switching the day
time drivin glights on/
off
If you have activated the Daytime driving
lights function and the light switch is set to
Ã,t he daytim edriving lights are automat-
icall yswitched on during daylight hours when
the engine is running. When it is dark, the side
lamps and the dipped-beam headlamps are
also switched on automatically.
X Switc hoff th eengine.
X Pres sthe = or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to con firm.
X Press the :or9 buttontos elect the
Daytim edriving lights function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Switching the Intelligent Light System
on/off
If you activat ethe Intell .Light Sys‐ tem: function
,you activa te thefollowing
func tions:
R motorwa ymode
R active light func tion
R cornering light func tion
R exte nded range foglamps
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm. X
Press :or9 to select the Intell. Ligh
tSys. function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
If you set the dipped-bea mheadlamps for
driving on the right/left (Y page 247),the
multifunction displa yshows the Intell. Ligh
tSystem: System inoperative Inactiv
efor left-side traffic or
Intell. Light System: System inoper‐
ative Inactiv
efor right-side traf‐ fic displa
ymessage instead of the Intell. Ligh
tSystem: functio
nintheLight sub-
menu.
Setting th edipped-bea mheadlamp sfor
driving on the left/right
This function is only available on vehicles with
the Intelligent Light System.
You can use this function to switch between
symmetrical beam and asymmetrical dipped
beam (Y page 106).
If you set the dipped-beam headlamps for
driving on the right/left, then motorway
mode and the extended range foglamps are
not available.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 buttontos elect the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press :or9 to select the Dipped beam
sSetting for function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: Right- side traffic or
Left-s idet raffic .
X Press the abuttontos ave the setting.
When you change the setting, conversion
does not take place until the nex ttime the
vehicle is stationary.
You can also have the dipped-beam head-
lamps set for drivin gonthe right or lef tata
qualified specialist workshop. Menus and submenus
247On-board comp uter and displays Z

Switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist on/
off
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to con firm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Adaptive Main-bea mAssist: function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: Activa‐ted or
Deactivated .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Setting the brightness of the ambient
lighting
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select
Ambien tlight .
Yo uw ill see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to adjust the
brightness to any level from Off to
Level 5 (bright).
X Press the aor% button to save the
setting.
Setting the ambient lighting colour
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Ambien tlight colour function.
X Press the abuttontoc onfirm.
X Press the :or9 button to set the
colou rtoSOLAR ,
NEUTRAL or
POLAR .
X Press the aor% buttontos ave the
setting. Activating/deactivating the surround
lighting and exterior lighting delayed
switch-off
If you have activated the
Surround light‐ ing function and the light switch is set to
Ã,t he followin gfunctions are activated
when it is dark:
R Surround lighting: the exterior lighting
remains lit for 40 seconds after unlocking
with the key. If you start the engine, the
surround lighting is switched off and the
automatic headl ampm ode is activated
(Y page 107).
R Exterior lighting delaye dswitch-off: the
exterior lighting remains lit for 60 seconds
after the engine has been switche doff. If
you close all th edoors, the exterior lighting
goes off after 15 seconds.
If you activate the Surround lighting func-
tion ,the followin glight up depending on the
vehicle' sequipment:
R the side lamps
R the daytim edriving lights
R thes urround lighting in the exterior mirrors
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Surround lighting function.
You will see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Deactivating delayed switch-off of the exte-
rior lighting temporarily:
X Before leaving the vehicle, turn the key to
position 0in the ignition lock.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock and back to position 0.
The exterior lighting delayed switch-off is
deactivated. 248
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Delayed switch-off of the exterio
rlight ing is
reactivate dthe nex ttime yo ustart the
engine.
Activating/deactivating the interior light-
in gd elay ed switch -off
If yo uactivat ethe Interior lighting delay sw. off function, the
interiorlighting
remain sonfor 20 seconds after you rem ove
th ek ey fr om th eignition lock.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Interior lighting dela ysw. off: function.
Yo
uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Vehicle Setting permanent SPEEDTRONIC
You can set permanent SPEEDTRONIC
(Y page 174 )using the Limitspeed (win‐ ter tyres) function.
X Press the =or; buttononthe steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press :or9 to select the Limit spee
d(winter tyres): function.
Yo uw ill see the current setting.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press :or9 to adjust permanent
SPEEDTRONIC in increments of 10
(24 0k m/h to
160 km/h ). The
Off setting
switches permanen tSPEEDTRONIC off.
X Press the abutton to store the entry. Switching th
eautomatic lockin gfeatu re
on/off
If you select the Automatic door lock func-
tion, the vehicle is centrally locked above a
speed of around 15 km/h.
i For further information on the automatic
locking feature, see (Y page 78).
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Automati cdoor lock function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Activating/deactivating the acoustic
locking confirmation
If you switch on the Acoustic Lock feed‐ back func
tion, an acoustic signal sounds
when you lock the vehicle.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Acoustic Lock feedback: function.
You will see the selected setting: Activa‐ ted or
Deactivated .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Activating/deactivating th eradar sensor
system
i Youm ust deactivate the radar senso rsys-
tem in certain countries and near radio
telescope facilities .For further informa-
tion ,see (Y page 380).
When you are close to radi otelescope facili-
ties, the rada rsensor system will be deacti-
vated automatically. Menu
sand submenus
249On-boardcomput er anddisplay s Z

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The yellow
!warning lamp lights up. The red !indicator
lamp flashes fo rabout 10 seconds after the electric parkin gbrake
ha sb een applied or released. It then goes out or remains lit.
The electric parkin gbrake is malfunctioning.
X Switch off th eignition and tur nitback on.
X Apply the electric parkin gbrake.
If it is not poss ible to apply the electric parkin gbrake:
X Shift th etransmission to P.
X Vis itaq uali fieds pecialist workshop.
If it is not possible to release the electric parkin gbrake:
X Releas ethe elec tricp arkin gbrake automaticall y(Ypage 16 1).
If th eelectric parkin gbrake can stil lnot be released:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. The yellow
!warning lamp lights up. If you manually apply or
release the electric parkin gbrake ,the red !indicator lamp
fla shes.
The electric parking brak eismalfunctioning. It is not poss ible to
apply the electric parking brake manu ally.
X Shift the transmission to P.
X Visit aquali fieds pecialist workshop. !
Pk
gb rake inopera‐ tive Th
ey ellow !warning lam plights up. The red !indicator
lamp flashes for about 10 seconds after the electric parkin gbrake
ha sb een applied or released. It then goes out or remains lit.
The electric parkin gbrake is malfunctioning ,e.g. because of over-
voltag eorundervoltage.
X Remove the cause for the overvoltage or undervoltage ,e.g. by
charging the battery or restarting the engine.
X Appl yorr elease the electric parkin gbrake.
If it remains impossibl etoapply or release the electric parking
brake:
X Swit choff the ignition and tur nitback on.
X Apply or release the electric parkin gbrake.
If th eelectric parkin gbrake can stil lnot be released:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. 258
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays