2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV manual transmission

gear curren
tlys elected and engaged is shown
in the multifunc tion display.
X Press the program selector button
(Y page 148) repeatedly until Mappear sin
the multifunction display.
X Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: press the program selector button
(Y page 148).
M appears in the multifunction display.
Upshifting X
Pull the right-hand steering whee lgearshift
paddle (Y page 149).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
Downshifting X
Pull the left -hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 149).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
i If you slow down or stop without shifting
down, the automatic transmission auto-
matically shifts down.
i For maximum acceleration, pull the left-
hand steering wheel gearshift paddle until
the transmission selects the optimum gear
for the current speed.
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 alower gear
depending on the engin espeed.
X Shif tback up once the desired spee dis
reached.
i If yo uapply full throttle, the automatic
transmission shifts up to the next gear
when the maximum engine speed is
reached. This prevent sthe engin efrom
overrevving. Switchin
goff the manual drive program X
Press th eprogram selecto rbutton
(Y page 148 )repeatedly until Eor S
appear sint he multifunc tion display.
X Vehicles with th eON&OFFROAD pack-
age: press the program selector button.
M is no longer shown in the multifunction
display. Automatic transmission
151Drivingand park ing Z

X
Release AdBlue ®
refill bottle :.
X Turn AdBlue ®
refill bottle :anti-clockwise
and remove it.
X Screw the protective cap onto AdBlue ®
refill bottle :again.
Closing th eAdBlue ®
filler cap and fuel
filler flap X
Fit AdBlue ®
filler cap ;on the filler neck
and tur nitclockwise.
X To close th efuel filler flap ,press it in the
di rectio nofarrow:.
X Drive faster than 15 km/h.
The Refill AdBlue See Owner' sMan‐ ual messag
egoeso ut after approximately
on em inute.
i If the Refill AdBlue See Owner's Manual messag
eremain sinthe mu ltifunc-
tion display, you mus ttop up with more
AdBlue ®
. Parking
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary, as you can not
steer the vehicle when the key is removed.
Never leav echildren unsupervised in the vehi-
cle. They might release the electric parking
brake. This coul dlead to aserious or fatal
accident. G
WAR
NING
Under no circumstances should the exhaust
system come into contact with flammable
materials such as dry grass or petrol ,for
example. Do not par kthe vehicle on dry grass-
lan dorh arvested grain fields. The hot exhaust
system could otherwise ignite the flammable
material and set the vehicle on fire.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally:
R the electric parking brake must be applied.
R the transmission must be in position Pand
the key must be removed from the ignition
lock.
R on steep uphill or downhill gradients, turn
the fron twheels towards the kerb. Switching of
fthe engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Neve rswitch off the engine while the vehicle
is in motion.
There is no brake boost for the service brake
if the engine is not running. If the ignition is
switched off, there is also no power assis-
tance for the steering.
You will require considerably more effort to
steer and brake and you could therefore lose
control of the vehicle and cause an accident.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
Using the key X
Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
i If you switch the engine off with the trans-
mission in position Ror D,t he automatic
transmission shift stoNautomatically. 160
ParkingDriving and parking

If yo
uthen open one of the front doors or
remove the key from the ignition ,the auto-
matic transmission shift stoP.
If yo ushift the automatic transmission to
N before switching off the engine, the auto-
matic transmission remains in Neven when
ad oor is opened.
Using KEYLESS-GO X
Press the Start/Stop button (Y page 139).
The engin estops and all the indicator
lamp sint he instrumen tcluster go out.
i If you use the Start/Stop button to switch
off the engine, the automatic transmission
shifts to Nautomatically. If you then open
one of the front doors, the automatic trans-
missio nshift stoP .
i The engin ecan be turned off while the
vehicle is in motion by pressing and holding
the Start/Stop button for three seconds.
This function operates independently of the
ECO start/stop automatic engine switch-
off function. Electric parking brake
General notes i
The electric parking brake carries out a
function check at regular intervals when
the engine is switched off. Noises that
occur are normal. Engaging/releasing manually
X
To engage: push handle :.
The red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
i The electric parking brake can also be
applied when the key is removed.
X To release: pull handle:.
The red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
i The electric parking brake can only be
released when the key in the ignition lock
is in position 1or the ignition is switched
on using the Start/Stop button.
To ensure that you don't roll backwards when
pulling away on an uphill slope, engage the
electric parking brake (Y page 141).
Engaging automatically Your vehicle's electric parking brake is auto-
matically applied if DISTRONIC PLUS or the
HOLD function bring the vehicle to
astand-
still ,ora re engaged to kee pthe vehicle sta-
tionary. In addition, at least one of the follow-
ing condition smust be fulfilled:
R the engine is switched off.
R the driver' sdoor is open and the seat belt
is not fastened.
R the vehicle is stationar yfor alengthy
period.
The red !indicator lam pint he instrument
cluster lights up.
i The electric parkin gbrake is not automat-
icall yengaged if the engine is switched off
by the ECO start/stop function.
Releasing automatically The electric parking brake of your vehicl
eis
release dautomatically when all of the follow-
ing conditions are fulfilled:
R the engine is running.
R the transmission is in position Dor R. Parking
161Drivingand park ing Z

R
Hig hway level is set.
R ADS (Adaptive Damping System) adjusts
the comfort damping characteristics to
the current operating and driving condi-
tions.
R The automatic transmission selects the
automatic drive progra mforac omforta-
ble and efficien tdriving style ,and the
shift points are optimally adjusted.
R The differential lock is engaged when
pulling away. Off-road driving systems
4MATIC (permanent all-wheel drive)
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are per-
manently driven. Togethe rwith ESP ®
and
4ETS, it improves the trac tion of your vehicle
whenever adrive whee lspins due to insuffi-
cient grip. G
WARNING
4MATI Ccannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast.
If ad rive whee lspins due to insufficien tgrip:
R onl ydepress the accelerator peda lasfar as
necessary when pulling away.
R accelerate less when driving.
R adapt you rdriving style to su itroa dand
traffic conditions.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. Thi smay damage the transfer case.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz implied warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground
or be fully raised. Observe the instructions
for towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tyres (M+S tyres), with snow
chains if necessary. !
Functio norperformanc etests ma yonly
be performed on a2-axle dynamometer. If
you wis htooperatethe vehicle on such a
dynamometer, pleas econsult aMercedes-
Benz Service Centr ebeforehand. You could
otherwise damage th edrive train or the
bra kesystem.
Fo rinformation abou tdriving off-roa d, see
( Y page 166). DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
Important safety notes DSR assists you when driv
ingd ownhill .It
keeps the spee doftravel at th espeed set on
the on-board comp uter. Th esteeper the
downhil lgradient ,the greate rthe DS Rbrak-
ing effect on th evehicle. When driving on flat
stretches of road or on an uphill gradient, the
DSR braking effect is minima lornon-existent. G
WARNING
DSR is only an aid designe dtoassist you when
driving downhill. You ar eresponsible for keep-
ing control of the vehicle and for assessing
whether the downhill gradien tcan be man-
aged.
When activating DSR the vehicle may brake
suddenly due to DSR intervening. This is
dependent on the downhill gradient and the
difference between the current spee dand the
speed set. DSR may not always be able to
keep to the set speed, depending on road sur-
face and tyre conditions .You coul dlose con-
trol of the vehicle and cause an accident.
Selec taset speed suitable for the prevailing
conditions and when necessary, apply the
brakes manually.
DSR con trols the set speed when it is active
and the automatic transmission is in the D,
R or Nposition. By accelerating or braking,
you can always drive at ahigher or alower
speed than that set on the on-boar dcom-
puter. 220
Off-road driving systemsDriving and parking

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
!
Pa
rkingb rake See Owner'
sManual Th
ey ellow !warning lamp lights up.
The electric parkin gbrak eism alfunctioning.
To apply:
X Switc hoffthe ignition.
X Press the electric parking brake handle fo ratleast 10 seconds.
X Shif tthe transmission to P.
X Consult aqualified specialist worksho p. The yellow
!warnin glamp and the red !indicator lamp
are lit.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.
To release:
X Switch off the ignitio nand turn it back on.
X Releas ethe electric parkin gbrake manu ally.
or
X Release the electric parkin gbrake automatically (Y page 161).
If the yellow !warning lamp remains lit or continues to flash:
X Do not drive on.
X Consult aqualified specialist worksho p. The red
!indicator lam pflashes and the yellow !warning
lamp is lit.
The electric parkin gbrake is malfunctioning.
To rel ease:
X Switch off the ignitio nand turn it back on.
X Releas ethe electric parkin gbrake manu ally.
To apply:
X Switch off the ignitio nand turn it back on.
X Appl ythe electric parkin gbrake manu ally.
If the red !indicator lamp continues to flash:
X Do not drive on.
X Secur ethe vehicle against rolling away (Y page 338).
X Shif tthe transmission to P.
X Tur nthe front wheels towards the kerb.
X Consult aqualified specialist worksho p. Display messages
257On-boardcomputer and displays 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

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The display message is only shown while th
evehicl eisinm otion.
The red !indicato rlamp flashes and the yellow !warning
lamp is lit.
It is not possible to apply the electric parkin gbrake manually.
X Shift th etransmission to P.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. !
Turn on th
eigni‐ tion to release
the parking brake Th
er ed ! indicator lam pislit.
You attempted to release the electric parkin gbrake whil ethe igni-
tion was switched off.
X Key: turnthe key to position 1in the ignition lock.
X KEYLESS-GO: switchont he ignition. J
Chec
kbrake fluid level G
Ris
kofa ccident
There is insufficien tbrake flui dinthe brake flu idreservo ir.Ina ddi-
tion, the red Jwarning lamp in the instrumen tcluster lights
up and awarning tone sounds.
X Pul lover and stop th evehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions. Do not continue driv ing
under any circumstances.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Consult aqualified specialist worksho p.
X Do not top up the brake fluid. Thi sdoes not correc tthe error. #
Chec
kbrake wear Th
eb rake pa ds/linings have reach edtheir wea rlimit.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. PRE-SAFE
inoperativ
eSee Owner's Manual G
Ris
kofi njury
Impor tant functions of PRE-SAFE ®
have failed. All other occupant
safety sys tems,e.g. airbags, remain available.
X Visit aqualified specialist worksho pimmediately. Display mess
ages
259On-boa rd comp uter and displays Z

?
Vehicl eidentification number (VIN)
A Maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight
B Gross combination mass
C Maximum permissible front axle load
D Maximum permissible rear axle load
E Paint code Vehicle identification number (VIN)
In addition to being stamped on the vehicle
identification plate, the vehicle identification
number (VIN) is also stamped onto the vehicle
body. It is located in the lower part of the
right-han dA-pillar. X
Ope nthe front right-hand door.
X Open cover :in the direction of the arrow
and remove it.
You will see the vehicle identification num-
ber (VIN). Engine number
The engin enumber is stamped into the crank-
case. More information can be obtained from
any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Service products and capacities
Important safety notes
Service products include the following:
R fuels (e.g. petrol, diesel)
R additives for exhaust gas aftertreatment
(AdBlue ®
)
R lubricants (e.g. engine oil, transmission oil)
R coolant
R brake fluid
R windscreen washe rfluid
Vehicle component sand thei rrespective
lubricants must match. Mercedes-Ben zrec-
ommends that you use products that have
been tested and specially approved by
Mercedes-Ben z.These product sare listed in
this Mercedes-Be nzOwner's Manual in the
relevant section.
You can recognise service product sapproved
by Mercedes-Ben zbythe fol lowinginscrip-
tion on the cont ainers:
R MB-Freigabe (e.g. MB-Freigabe 229.51)
R MB Approva l(e.g. MB Approval 229.51)
Other designation sorrecommendations
relat etoal evel of qualit yoras pecification in
accordance wit hanMBSheet number (such
as MB 229.5). They hav enot necessaril ybeen
approved by Mercedes-Benz.
You can obtain further information from any
Mercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre. G
WARNING
Whe nhandling, storing and disposing of any
servic eproducts, please observe th erelevant
regulations, as you could otherwise endanger
yourself and others.
Keep servic eproducts awa yfrom children.
To protect your health ,donot allow service
products to com einto contact with your eyes
or ope nwounds. See adoctor immediately if
any service product is swallowed. H
Environmental note
Dispose of service products in an environ-
men tally-responsible manner. Service products and capacities
373Technicaldata Z