2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV weight

R
cond ition of the LOW RAN GEoff-r oad
gear
R the on-roa dtraile rprogram is selected Tow
inga trailer Note
sont owingatrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When reversing the vehicl etowards the
trailer, make sure there is nobod ybetween
the trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncoupl ethe trailer carefully .If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer coul dbecome
detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximu mpermissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
You will fin dthe applicable permissible val-
ues, whic hmust not be exceeded ,inthe vehi-
cle documen ts.
You will find the values approved by the man-
ufacturer on the vehicle identification plates
and those for the towing vehicle in the "Tech-
nical data" section. G
WARNING
If the Checktrailer hitch locking mechanism message appears in th
emulti-
function display while the vehicle is in motion,
pull over immediately and check whethe rthe
ball coupling is correctly engaged. G
WARNING
When towin gatrailer, you rvehicle' shandling
characteristics will be different in comparison
to when driving without atrailer.
Th ev ehicle/ trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbin gcapability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by stron gcrosswinds
R demand smore sensitive steering
R has alarger turnin gcircle
As aresult, the handlin gcharacteristic smay
be impaired and you may lose control of the
vehicle. This could lead to an accident with
serious or even fatal injuries.
When towing atrailer, alway sadjust your
speed to the current road and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis-
sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion. G
WARNING
Never depress the brak epedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion ,e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying cons tant slight
pedal pressure. Thi scauses the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely. G
WARNING
On no account shoul dyou attempt to dra wthe
vehicle/ trailer combination out by increasing
speed. G
WARNING
If you exceed the maximum noseweight when
using acarrier system on the ball coupling:
R the carrier system may be thrown around.
R the ball coupling and the carrier system
may become detached from the vehicle.
As aresult, you may injure others or cause an
accident. 226
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

Do not exceed the maximum noseweight.
When driving with aloaded carriersystem,
always adjust your drivin gstyle to th eprevail-
ing road, traffic and weather conditions and
drive par ticularly carefully.
You can use carrier sys tems, e.g. bi cycle
racks or load-bea ringimplements on th eball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of 75 kg
applies when usin gcarrier system sontheball
coupling.
General information i
Chec kthe tyr epressure when towin ga
trailer. You will find the values in the tyre
pressure table in the fuel filler flap of the
vehicle (Y page 359).
You will find installation dimensions and loads
in the "Technical data" section
(Y page 378).
The maximum noseweight of the trailer draw-
bar on the ball coupling is 18
.H owever, the
actual noseweight must not exceed the value
given on the trailer tow hitc hortrailer identi-
ficatio nplates. The lowest weight applies.
! Use anoseweight as close as possible to
the maximum permissible noseweight .Do
not use anoseweight of less than 50 kg,
otherwise the trailer ma ycome loose.
Bear in min dthat the payload and the rear
axl eload ar ereduced by the actual nose-
weight.
Please note that when towing atrailer, PARK-
TRONIC (Y page 191) and Blind Spo tAssist
(Y page 208) ar eonly available with limita-
tions ,orn ot at all.
i On vehicles withou tlevel control, the
height of the ball couplin gwill alter accord-
ing to the load placed on the vehicle. If nec-
essary, use atrailer wit haheight-adjusta-
ble drawbar. Driving tips i
Observ ethe information on ESP ®
trailer
stabilisation (Y page 65)and on pull ing
away with atrailer. (Y page 141).
Vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package:
selec tthe trailer program (Y page 219) with
the off-road program selector wheel in the
cen treconsole.
Th em aximum permissible spee dfor vehicle/
trailer combination sdepends on the type of
trailer .Befor ebeginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents to see what the max-
imu mpermitted speed is. Observ ethe legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certai nMercedes-Ben zvehicles, the max-
imu mp ermissible rear axle load is inc reased
when towing atrailer. Refer to th e"Techni cal
data" section to fin dout whether this applies
to your vehicle. If you utilise any of the added
maximum rear axle load when towing atrailer,
th ev ehicle/trailer combination may not
exceed amaximum spee dof100 km/ hfor
reasons concer ning the operating permit.
Thi salso applies in countries in which the
permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be differe ntin comparison
to when drivin gwithout atrailer and it will
consume more fuel.
On long and stee pdownhil lgradients ,you
must select shift range 1,2or 3in good time.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise con trol, SPEEDTRONIC or DI S-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the brakin geffect of th eengine,
so les sbraking wil lberequired to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevent sthe brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly .Ifyou need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than con tinuously.
18 Data unavailable at time of going to print. Towing
atrailer
227Driving andparki ng Z

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).Loading guidelines
G
WARNING
Secur eand position the load as described in
the loading guidelines.
Otherwise, vehicl eoccupan tscould
be injured by the loa dbeingthrown around in
th ee vent of sharp braking ,asudden change
in directio noranaccident.
You wil lfind further information in the "Secur-
ing aload" section.
Even if you follow all the loadin gguidelines,
the load will increase the risk of injury in the
event of an accident. G
WARNING
Keep the tailgate closed when the engine is
running. Otherwise, you could be poisoned by
exhaust fumes enterin gthe vehicle.
The handling characteristics of aladen vehi-
cle are dependent on the distribution of the
load within the vehicle. For this reason, you
should observe the following notes when
transporting aload:
R when transpor ting aload, never exceed the
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight or the permissible axle loads for the vehicle
(includin goccupants).
R position heavy loads as far forward saspos-
sible and as low down in the load compart-
men tasp ossible.
R the load must not protrude abov ethe upper
edge of the seat backrests.
R always plac ethe load against the rea ror
front seat backrests .Make sure that the
seat backrests are securely locked into
place.
R hook in the safety net when loading.
R always place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
R secure the load with sufficiently stron gand
wear-resistant lashing material. Pad sharp
edges for protection.
i Load restraints are available at any quali-
fied specialis tworkshop, e.g. aMercedes-
Benz Servic eCentre. Stowage areas
Stowage compartments
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The stowage compartments must be closed
when item sare store dinthem. Luggage nets
ar en ot designed to secur eheavy item sof
luggage.
You or other vehicle occupant scould be
injure dbyo bjectsbeing thrown around if you:
R brak esharply
R change direction suddenly
R arei nvolved in an accident
Sharp-edge dand fragile object smust not be
placed in the luggag enet. 296
Stowage areasStowing and features

Stowage compa
rtment/telephone com-
partment under the armrest
i Depending on the vehicle's equipment, a
USB port and an AUX-I Njack or aMedia
In terf ace are installed in the stowage com-
partment .AMedia In terface is auniversal
interface for portable audi oequipment, e.g.
for an iPod ®
or MP3 player (see the sepa-
rat eA udio or COMAND operating instruc-
tions).
i There is aremovable stowage tray in the
storage compartment, in which objects
such as an iPod ®
can be stored. X
To open: pull handle :upwards.
The armrest folds out.
Rea rstowage compartments Stowage compartment in the rear centre
cons ole X
To open: briefly pres sthe stowage com-
partment marking.
The stowage compartmen topens. i
Depending on the vehicle's equipmen t,
there may be ope nstowag espaces above
and below the stowage compartment. Luggage nets
G
WAR
NING
Only place lightweight obje ctsint he luggage
net .Don ot use it to transport heavy ,sharp-
edged or fragile objects. The luggag enet can-
not secur ethe objects sufficiently in the event
of an accident.
Luggage net sare locate dinthe front-
passenger footwell and on the bac kofthe
driver 'sand the front-passenger seat. Through-loading facility in the rear
compartment
The through-loading facility is opened from
the luggag ecompartmen t. X
Unlatch th erear seat back rests and tilt
them in the cargo/load position.
X Fold down the rea rseat armrest.
X Pull the centr ehead restraint on the rear
benc hseat int othe uppermost position
(Y page 94).
X Slide release cat ch: to the left and swing
flap ;to the left until it is lying on the rear
sid eoft he rea rbenc hseat. 298
Stowage areasStowing and fea
tures

or fragile objec
ts.W hen brakin gsharply,
changing direction quickly or in the even tof
an accident ,the bag hooks will not secur ethe
item ssufficiently. This could result in injury to
yourself or others.
! The bag hoo kcan bear amaximum load
of 3k g. Do not use it to secur eaload.
There is abag hook in the luggag ecompart-
men tont he left-hand side. X
Press bag hook marking :.
X Tur nbag hook :until it engages.
Securing hooks Only secure lightweight luggag
eitems (max-
imum 4kg) on the mounti nghooks. There ar
etwo securing hooks :on each side
of the luggage compart ment. Luggag
ecompartment cover
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The luggage compartment cover is not a
restraint system. Secur ethe load unde rthe
luggag ecompart ment cover by suitable
means. Make sure that the luggage compart-
ment cover is engaged securely. If luggage is
not sufficiently secured, it can be thrown over
the backres tinto the passenger compart-
ment, for instance during heavy braking, sud-
den change sofdirection or in the event of an
accident .You coul dcause an accident or
cause injury to yourself and others.
! When loading the vehicle, make sure that
you do not stack the load in the luggage
compartment higher than the lower edge of
the side windows .Donot plac eheavy
object sontop of the luggage compartment
cover.
Al uggage compartment cover or acombined
luggage cover and net (luggage compar tment
cove rwith safety net) is attached, depending
on equipment, behind the rear bench seat
backrest.
Extending and retracting the luggage
compa rtment cover X
To extend: pull the luggage compartment
cover back by grab handle :and clip it
int or etainers ;on the left and right. Stowage areas
301Stowingandfeatur es Z

Inserting th
ebracket sintot he loading
rail X
Insert bracket :into th ecentr eofl oading
rail ?.
X Press release button ;and push
bracket :intothe desired position in load-
ing rail ?.
X Let go of rel ease button ;.
X Press locking button =.
Bracket :is locked in loading rail ?.
X If necessary, fol dlashin geyelet A
upwards. G
WARNING
Distribute the loa donthe lashing eyelets
evenly.
Otherwise, vehicle occupants could be
injured by objects being thrown around if you:
R brake shar ply
R chang edirection suddenly
R are involved in an accident
Please observe the loading guidelines.
Luggage holder The luggage holder can be use
dtosecure
ligh tloads against the side wall of the luggage
compartment to prev entthem from moving
around.
! Only use the luggage holder to secure
loads with amaximum weight of 7kgand
with dimensions that the luggage holder
can safel yand securely contain. X
To install: insert two brackets Ainto the
left or right loading rail (Y page303).
X Press releas ebutton :of the luggage
holder and pull the strap out slightly.
X Insert luggag eholder ;intob rackets A
and ,while doing so, press release button
= and push the luggage holder downwards
until it engages.
X Press release button :of the luggage
holder and pull the strap out in the direction
of the arrow.
X Plac ethe load between the strap and the
luggage compartment side wall.
X Using one hand, press locking button :of
the luggage holder.
X With your other hand, let the strap go slowly
until the load is secured.
X Make sur ethat locking button ?on brack-
ets Ais pressed.
This keeps brackets Ain plac eonthe
loading rail.
X To remove: press release button =on
respective bracket Aand remove luggage
holder ;by pulling upwards and out.
Telescopic rod The telescopic rod can be used to secure the
load against the rea
rseats to prevent it from
moving around. 304
Stowage areasStowing and features

The bottles are neither secured nor prevented
from tippin gover. Therefore ,donot plac eany
ope ndrink con tainers in the stowage com-
partments.
Cup holder in the front centre console You can remov
ethe rubber ma tofthe cup
holder to clea nit. Clean them with clean,
lukewarm water only. :
Cup holders
; Cover
X To open: slidecover ;to its foremost
position.
Tem perature-controlled cup holder in
the front centre console G
WARNING
When you use the warming function, the metal
insert of the cup holder is heated. Therefore,
do not touch the cup holder insert. Otherwise,
you might burn yourself.
The tem perature-c ontrolle dcup holde rcan
be used to keep cold drinks cold and hot
drinks hot.
You can remove the rubber mat of the cup
holder to clean it. Clean them with clean,
lukewar mwater only. :
Cup holders
; Residua lheat indicator lamp
= Button
X Tur nthe key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X To switch on th ecooling function: press
and hold button =until the blue indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
X To switch on the heating function: press
and hold button =until the red indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
X To switch off the function: press and hold
button =until the indicator lamp on the
button goes out.
When the heating func tion is used, residual
heat indicator lamp ;lights up abov eacer-
tain temperature. This mean sthat the metal
inser tofthe cup holder is hot.
Cu ph older in the rear seat armrest !
Do not sit on or support your body weight
on the rear seat armrest when it is folded
down, as you could otherwise damage it. Features
307Stowingandfeatu res Z

R
the engine is not running.
R there is abrake syst emmalfunction.
R there isam alfunction in the power supply
or the vehicle' selectrical system.
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake forc ebooster do not work when the
engin eisnot running. You will need more
force to steer and brake, you may have to
depress the brake pedal with maximu mforce.
Before towin gaway ,make sure that the steer-
ing can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-star tanothe rvehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximu mper-
missible gross vehicle weight of your vehicle. G
WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOL Dfunction
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLD and DISTRONIC PLUS if the
vehicle is to be towed.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
! You may tow the vehicle for amaximum
of 50 km. Atowing speed of 50 km/h must
not be exceeded.
For towin gdistances over 50 km, the entire
vehicle must be lifted up and transported.
! Make sure that the electric parkin gbrake
is released. If th eelectric parkin gbrake is
faulty, visit aqualified specialist workshop.
! Only secure the tow rope or towing bar to
the towing eyes. The vehicle may otherwise
be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
as this could damage the vehicle. If in
doubt, recover the vehicle with acrane.
! When towing, pull awa yslowly and
smoothly. If the trac tivepower is too high,
the vehicles could be damaged.
! To tow vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use
the key instead of the Star t/Stop button.
Th ea utomatic transmission may otherwise switch to position
Pwhen you open the
driver' sorfront-passenger door which
could damag ethe transmission.
! Vehicles with differential locks: make
sur ethe differential lock sare in automatic
mode. Th edifferential locks must not be
switched on by hand when towing the vehi-
cle. The transmission may otherwise be
damaged.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission dam-
age, have it transported on atransporter or
trailer.
Th ea utomatic transmission must be in posi-
tion Nwhen the vehicle is being towed.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2
R cannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
i Before the vehicle is towed, switch off the
automatic locking feature (Y page 249).
You could otherwis ebelockedout when
pushing or towing the vehicle.
Deactivate tow-away protection
(Y page 69) before the vehicle is towed. Fitting/removing the towing eye
Fitting the towing eye Vehicles with
atrailer to whitch: if you intend
to use the vehicle for towing, fold out the ball
coupling and connect the towbar to it
(Y page 228).
X Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 333).
The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the
front and at the rear ,under the covers. 350
Towing and tow-startingBreakdow
nassistance