2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV brakes

R
the seat belt is fastened.
R yo ud epress th eaccelerator pedal.
If the transmiss ioni sinp osition R,the boot
lid must be closed.
If your seat belt is not fastened ,the following
con ditions mus tbefulfilled to automatically
release the electri cparking brake:
R the driver's door is closed.
R yo uh aves hifted out of transmissio nposi-
tion Por you have previousl ydrive nfaster
than 3km/h.
Emergency braking The vehicle can also be braked durin
gan
emergenc yusingthe electric parking brake.
X While driving ,push handle :of the electric
parking brak e(Ypage 161).
i The vehicle is braked as lon gasyou keep
th eh andle of the elect ricp arking brake
pressed. The longer the elect ricp arking
brak ehandle is depressed, the greater the
brakin gforce.
During braking:
R aw arning tone sounds.
R the Releas eparking brake message
ap pe ars.
R the red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster flashes.
When the vehicl ehas been braked to astand-
still ,the electric parkin gbrake is engaged. Parkin
gupthe vehicle
If you le avet he vehicle parked up for longer
than fou rweeks, the batter ymay be damaged
by exhaustive discharge.
X Disconnect the battery ( Ypag e346) or
connect it to atrickl echarger.
i You can obtain information about trickle
chargers from aqualified specialist work-
shop, e.g. aMercedes-Ben zService
Centre. If you leave the vehic
leparked up for longer
than six weeks, the vehic lemay sufferd am-
age as aresult of lack of use.
X Visi taq ualifieds pecialist workshop and
seek advice. Driving tips
General driving tips
Coasting with the engine switched off G
WAR
NING
Never switch the engine off whil ethe vehicle
is in motion.
There is no power assista ncef or the service
brake when the engin eisnot run ning.
You will require considerably more effort to
brake and you could therefore los econtrol of
the vehicle and cause an accident. Engine oil
! Vehicles with adiesel particle filter:
If the vehicle is mostly driven for short dis-
tances, it is possible that malfunctions may
occur durin gthe automa ticc leaning of the
diesel particle filter. This can lead to engine
damage. Therefore, if you frequently drive
short distances, make sure to drive on
motorways or countr yroads for 20 minutes
at least ever y500 km. Brakes
Important safe tynotes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
brakin gonas lippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. 162
Drivin
gtipsDriving and parking

G
WARNING
Make sure tha tother road user sare not
endang ered by your braking.
Downhill gradients On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing
atrailer,
yo um ust select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time.
i This als oapplies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Never depress the brak epeda lconti nuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by apply ingc onstant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the brakin gdistance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately ,but
drive on for ashort while. This allow sthe air-
flo wtoc ool the brakes mor equickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet road surface If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from th ebrake swhen brak-
ing for the first time. This ma yalso occur after
the vehicle has been washed. You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain
agreater distance from the
vehicl einfront.
After driving on awet road or havin gthe vehi-
cle washed, brake firml ywhile paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm
up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protectin gthem against corro-
sion.
Limited braking perfo rmance on salt-
treated roads G
WARNING
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause adelay in the
braking effect ,resultin ginas ignifican tlyl on-
ger brakin gdistance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
R occasionally brake carefully, without put-
ting other road users at risk, when you are
drivin gons alted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain agreater distance to th evehicle
ahead and driv ewith particular care.
R carefully apply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake discs.
New brake pads/linin gs G
WARNING
New brak epads/linings only reach their opti-
mum braking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before this optimum brak-
ing effect is reached, you shoul dcompensate
for the reduced brakin geffect by applying
greate rpressure when braking .This also
applies after the brake discs or the brake
pads/linings hav ebeen replaced.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brak epads/linings Driving tips
163Drivingand parking Z

!
The depth of water must not exceed the
value specified in the table. Not ethat the
possible fording depth is less in flowing
water.
R Establish how deep the water is and the
characteristic softhe body of water before
fording.
R Select the highest possible vehicle level.
R Restrict the shift range to 1or 2.
R Avoid high engin espeeds.
R Enter and exit the water at aflat place and
at as teady walking pace.
! Under no circumstances should you
accelerate before entering the water. The
bow wave could cause water to enter and
damage the engine and neighbouring
assemblies.
R Drive slowl yand at aconstant speed
through the water.
R Do not stop.
! Do not open any of the vehicle' sdoors
while fording. Otherwise, wate rcould get
int ot he vehicle interior and damage the
vehicle' selectronics and interior equip-
ment.
R Water offer sahigh degree of resistance,
and the ground is slippery and in some
cases unstable. Therefore, it is difficult and
dangerous to pull away in the water.
R Ensure that abow wav edoes not for mas
you drive.
R Clea nany mud from the tyre tread after
fording.
R Appl ythe brakes to dry them after fording. Winter driving
Genera lnotes G
WARNING
If the vehicle becomes trapped in snow,
ensure that snow is kept away from the
exhaust pipe and from around the vehicle as long as the engine is running. Otherwise, poi-
sonous carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the
vehicle, resulting in loss of consciousness and
even death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, open
aw indow slightly on the side of the vehicle
not facin gthe wind.
At the onset of winter, have your vehicle win-
terproofed at aqualified special istworkshop,
e.g. at aMercedes-Ben zService Centre.
Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package: if
driving in snow or with snow chains, select
the snow program (Y page 219) with the off-
road program selector wheel in the centre
console.
Driving with summer tyres Observ
ethe notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 357).
Slippery roa dsurfaces G
WARNING
Do not shift down for additiona lengine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Shift the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering.
i For more information on drivin gwith
snow chains, see (Y page 358). Drivin
gtips
165Driving and park ing Z

Off-road driving
Important safet ynotes G
WARNING
Driv eslowly in rough terrain with which you
are unfamiliar. This will allow you to detect
unexpected obstacles more easily and, there-
fore, to reduce the risk of an accident.
Do not make U-turns on mountain roads. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could tip over. If aslope is
too steep for the vehicle, drive back in reverse
gear.
Do not drive at an angle up steep inclines.
Otherwise, the vehicle could tip over. If you
drive up asteep incline at an angle and the
vehicle threatens to overturn, stee rinto the
line of fall immediately.
Never allo wthe vehicle to roll backwards. The
brakin geffect of the engine canno tbeu tilised
in neutral. If you only use the service brake,
you could los econtrol of the vehicle. G
WARNING
Grains of sand, particles of dirt and other
abrasiv ematerials can enter the brake sys-
tem. This can lead to excessive wear and
unpredictable braking efficiency.
After the brakes have been expose dtodirty
conditions ,have them checked and cleaned
at aq ualified specialist workshop ,e.g. a
Mercedes-Benz Service Cent re.O therwise,
there is arisk that braking power may be
insufficient in the event of an emergency, or
that the braking effec tmay be unpredictable. G
WARNING
Damage to the vehicle creates the risk of an
accident for yourself and other road users. If
in doubt, have your vehicle chec kedataq uali-
fied specialist workshop which has the nec-
essary specialist knowledg eand tool stocarry
out the work required. Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you use aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentr efor this purpose. General notes Read this section befor
edriving your vehicle
off- road. Practise by travelling over more gen-
tle off-road terrain first.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
R Off-road program (vehicles without the
ON&OFFROAD package) (Y page 222)
R Off-road program 1and 2(vehicles wit hthe
ON&OFFROAD package) (Y page 222)
R LOW RANGE off-road gear (vehicles with
the ON&OFFROAD package)
(Y page 223)
R Differential lock (vehicles wit hthe
ON&OFFROAD package) (Y page 223)
R Off-road AB S(Ypage 61)
R Off-road 4ETS (Y page 64)
R Off-road ESP ®
(Y page 65)
R AIRMATI Cpackag e(veh icle level)
(Y pag e188)
R DSR (Downh illS peed Regulation)
(Y page 220)
Observe the following notes:
R stop your vehicle and, if necessary, select
the off-road program (Y page 222)orthe
LOW RANGE off -road gear (Y page 223)
befor edriving off-road.
R select avehicle level suitable for the off-
road ter rain. Make sure ther eisalways suf-
ficien tground clearance to prevent dam-
ag etot he vehicle.
R chec kthat item sofluggage and loads are
stowe dsafely and are well secured
(Y page 300).
R always keep the engine running and in gear
when driving on adownhil lgradient. Acti-
vate DSR (Y page 220).
R drive slowly and evenly ,ifnecessar yata
walking pace.
R ensure that the wheels are in contact with
the ground at all times.
R drive with extreme care on unknown off-
road routes where visibility is poor. For 166
Driving tipsDriving and parking

safety reasons, get out of the vehicle first
and survey the off-road route.
R chec kthe depth of water before fording
river sand streams.
R loo kout for obstacle ssuch as rocks, holes,
tree stumps and furrows.
R take care when turning on an uphil lor
downhill slope and when turning at sharp
angles. The vehicle could otherwise tip
over.
R always keep the side windows and the pan-
oram asliding sunroof closed during the
journey.
R do not stray from marked routes or paths.
i Information abou tretrofitting special all-
ter rain tyres is available from any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. H
Environmental note
Protection of the environmen tisofprimary
importance .Trea tnature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Checklist before drivin goff-road X
Engine oi llevel: checkthe engin eoil and
top it up if necessary.
When drivin gonsteep gradients, the oil
level must be sufficiently hig htoensure a
correct oil supply in the vehicle.
X AdBlue ®
tank (BlueTEC vehicl es):check
the fluid leve land, if necessary, refill to the
maximum (13 l) (Y page157).
X Tyre-chang etool kit: check that the jack
is working and make sure you have the
wheelbrace, arobust tow cabl eand afold-
ing spade in the vehicle.
X Wheels and tyres: checkthe tyr etread
depth and tyre pressure.
X Check for damag eand remove any foreign
objects, e.g. small stones, from the
wheels/tyres.
X Repl acea ny missing valve caps. X
Repl aced ented or damaged wheels.
X Wheels: dented or bent wheels can lead to
al oss of tyr epressure and damag etot he
tyr eb ead. Before driving off-road, check
the wheels and replace them if necessary.
Checklist after driving off-road !
If you detect damage to the vehicle after
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on nor-
mal roads. After driving off-road, check the
vehicle. This allow syou to detec tdamage
promptly and reduce the risk of an accident
to yourself and other road users.
X Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: activate the on-road program
(Y page 222).
X Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD
package: deactivate the on-road program
(Y page 222).
X Deactivate the LOW RANGE off-road gear
(Y page 223).
X Deactivate DSR (Y page 220).
X Lower the vehicle level again to alevel suit-
able to the road conditions, e.g. to the high-
way/high-speed level.
X Clean the headlamps and rear lights and
check for damage.
X Clean the front and rear licence plates.
X Clean the wheels/tyres with awater jet and
remove any foreign objects.
X Clea nthe wheels, wheel arches and the
vehicle underside with awater jet; check
for any foreign objects and damage.
X Check whethe rtwigs or other parts of
plants have become trapped. These
increase the risk of fire and can damage
fuel pipes, brake hose sorthe rubber bel-
lows of the axl ejoint sand propeller shafts.
X After the trip, examine without fail the
entire undercarriage, wheels ,tyres, brakes, Driving tips
167Drivingand park ing Z

The table shows approach and departure
angles :and ;when the vehicle is loaded
and ready to drive.
For vehicles with steel springs, loaded and
ready to driv emeans: afull tank, all fluids
topped up and the driver is in the vehicle.
On vehicles with the AIRMATI Cpackag eor
the ON&OFFROAD package, load suptothe
maximu mpermissible load have no influence
on approach/departur eangles. :
: 13
;
Steel-sp
rung
vehicles 26
°14 25
°15 25
°16 Vehicles with
th
eA IRMATIC
package Highway level
23° 22°
22°
17 Raised level
28° 27° 27°
Vehicles with
th
eO N&O FF-
ROA Dpackage Highway level
23° 22°
22°
17 Off-roa
dleve l1 26° 25° 25°
Off-road level 2
28° 27° 27°
Off-road level 3
31° 29° 29°
R
Follo wthe lineoff all when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
R Before driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients ,select th eoff-roa dprogram
(Y page 222) or the LOW RANGE off-road
gear (Y page 223).
R Observ ethe warnings fo roff-roa ddriving
(Y page 166).
R Drive slowly. R
Accelerat egentl yand mak esure that the
wheels are gripping.
R Avoid high engin espeeds, excep twhen
drivin gons andy and muddy routes with
high driving resistance.
R Select ashift range appropriate to the gra-
dient.
R Before tacklin gsteep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1.
Maximum gradient-climbin gcapability On good road surfaces and wit
hthe LOW
RANGE off-road gear selected, the full gradi-
ent -climbing capability is available.
i If the load on the front axle is reduced
when pulling away on asteep uphill slope,
the front wheels have atendency to spin.
4ETS recognises this and brakes the
wheels accordingly. The rear wheel torque
is increased and it is easier to pull away.
Brow of hill When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduc epressure on th eaccelerator immedi-
atel ybefor ereachin gthe brow of the hill.
Make use of the vehicle' sown impetus to
travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
R the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of ahill
R the vehicle from travelling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill R
Driv eslowly.
R Do not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drive
with the front wheels aligned straight. Oth-
13
14
15
16
17 Drivin
gtips
169Driving and park ing Z
The ML 25
0BlueTEC 4MATIC model has an approach angle of 25°.
The ML 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC model with AMG bodystyling has an approach angle of 24°.
The ML 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC model has adeparture angle of 24°.
With AMG bodystyling.
The ML 35 04MATI Cmodel has adeparture angle of 23°.

erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and over turn.
R Before tackling steep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1.
R Activat eDSR. If this is not suffici ent, brake
gently. Whe ndoing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
R Check that the brakes ar eworking normally
after along downhil lstretch.
i Off-road ABS is activated when the off-
road program or LOW RANGE off-road gear
is selected.
At speeds belo w30km/h, th efront wheels
lock cyclicall yduring braking. The digging-
in effect achieved in the process reduces
the stopping distance when driving off-
road. The steerability of the vehicle is con-
siderably reduced if the wheel slock. Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additiona lengine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time. G
WARNING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at aconstant speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding roads). You may otherwise
cause an accident.
R on slipper yroads. The driv ewheels may
lose their grip when brakin goraccelerating
and the vehicle may skid.
R whe nthere is low visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heav yrain or snow.
General notes Cruise control maintains
aconstant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhil lgradients ,especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevent sthe brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise con trol only if roa dand traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for aprolonged period. Yo ucan
store any road spee dabove 30 km/h.
Cruise contro llever :
To activate or increase speed
; LIMi ndicato rlamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control 170
Driving systemsDriving and parking

You can operat
ecruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with th ecruise control lever.
X To switc hbetween variable SPEED-
TRONIC and cruise control: press the
cruis econtrol leve rinthe direction of arrow
A.
LI Mi ndicator lamp ;on the cruise control
lever indicates which function you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indic ator lamp ; off:
cruis econtrol
is selected.
R LIM indic ator lamp ; on:
variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected.
When you activate cruis econtrol, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for fiv eseconds .Inthe multifunction display,
the segments between the stored speed and
the maximum speed light up.
Activation conditions To activate cruise con
trol, all of the following
activation condition smust be fulfilled:
R your vehicle must not be secured by the
electric parking brake.
R you must be driving faster than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not inter-
vening.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R DSR must be deactivated.
R Off-road program 2must be deactivated
(vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package).
R the cruise control function must be selec-
ted (Y page 170).
Activating cruise control You can accept the current spee
difyou are
drivin gfaster than 30 km/h. X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ?.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored speed.
i Cruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored spee donuphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintain sthe
stored speed on downhill gradient sby
automatically applying the brakes.
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up astored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger yoursel forothers by uninten-
tionall ytriggering sudden acceleration or
braking.
X Briefly pull th ecruis econtrol leve rtowards
you =.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The first tim ecruis econtrol is activated, it
stores the curren tspeed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting aspeed X
Press the cruise control lever up :for a
high er spee dordown?for alower speed.
X Keep the cruise contr ol leverpresse duntil
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise contro llever.
The new speed is stored. Driving systems
171Drivingand parking Z