2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV wheel

Drive program
Sis characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R sporty engine and transmission settings
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R as aresul toft he later automatic transmis-
sion shift points, the fuel consumption pos-
sibly being higher Shif
tranges
Introduction In transmission position
D,you can use the
steering wheel gearshift paddle to restric tor
derestrict the shift range for the automatic
transmission (Y page 149).
The shift range selected is shown in the mul-
tifunc tion display. The automatic transmis-
sion shift sonly as far as the selected gear. Driving situations
=
To use the engine's braking effect
5
To use the braking effect of the
engine on downhil lgradients and
for driving:
R on stee pmountain roads
R in mountainous terrain
R in arduous conditions 4
To use the brakin
geffect of the
engine on ext remely steep downhill
gradients and on long downhill
stretches Restricting the shift range
X
Pull the left-han dsteering whee lgearshift
paddle.
The automatic transmission shifts down
one gear and restrict sthe shift range to the
relevant gear.
i If the engin eexceed sthe maximum
engin espeed when shiftin gdown, the auto- matic transmission protect
sagainst engine
damage by not shifting down.
i If the maximum engin espeed for the shift
range is reached and you continue to accel-
erate, the automatic transmission shifts up,
even if the shift range is restricted. This
prevents the engine from overrevving.
Derestricting the shif trange X
Pul lthe right-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle.
The shift range is derestricted.
Clearing th eshift rang erestriction X
Pull and hold the right-hand steering wheel
gearshift paddle until Dis shown again in
the multifunction display.
The automatic transmission shifts from the
current shift range directly to D.
or
X Use the DIRECT SELECT lever to shift the
transmission to position D.
The automatic transmission shifts from the
current shift range directly to D.
Selecting the ideal shift range X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle and hold it in position.
The automatic transmission shifts to the
gear which allow soptimum acceleration
and deceleration. To do this, the automatic
transmission shifts down one or more
gears. Manua
ldrive program
Switchin gonthe manua ldrive program Manual drive program
Mcan be selected
using the program selector button. In manual
drive program M,you can change gear your-
self using the steering wheel gearshift pad-
dles if the transmission is in position D.The 150
Automa
tict ran smissionDriving and parking

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

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

!
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

bodywork structure, steering, chassis and
exhaust system for damage.
X After driving for extended periods across
sand, mud, gravel, water or in similarly dirty
conditions, have the brak ediscs, wheels,
brake pads/linings and axle joints checked
and cleaned.
X If you detec tstrong vibrations afte roff-road
travel ,check for foreign objects in the
wheels and drive train and remov ethem if
nec essary. Foreign object scan disturb the
balance and cause vibrations.
Driving on sand Observe the following rules when driving on
sand:
R vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: select off-road program 1
(Y page 222).
R vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD
package: select the off-road program
(Y page 222).
R select ahigher vehicle level.
R select ashift range appropriate to the ter-
rain.
R drive quickly to overcom ethe rolling resist-
ance. Otherwise, the vehicle could dig itself
int ot he sand.
R drive in the track sofother vehicle sifpos-
sible. Make sure that the ruts ar enot too
deep, that the sand is fir menoug hand that
your vehicl ehas sufficient ground clear-
ance.
Rut sand gravel roa ds Observe the followin
grules when driving
along ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with
loos egravel:
! Check that th eruts are not too deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged
or bottom out and get stuck. R
activate the off-road program
(Y page 222).
R vehicles with the AIRMATI Cpackage:
select araised vehicle level.
R avoid high engine speeds.
R restrict the shift range to 1.
R drive slowly.
R where ruts are too deep, drive with the
wheels on one side on the middle section
of turf if possible.
Driving over obstacles !
Obstacles could damage the floor of the
vehicle or components of the chassis .Ask
passenger sfor guidance when drivin gover
larg eobstacles. Any damage to the vehicle
always increases the risk of an accident.
Observe the followin grules when driving over
tree stumps, large stones and other obsta-
cles:
R Select the off-road program (Y page 222)
or the LOW RANGE off-road gear
(Y page 223).
R Raise the vehicle level.
R Avoid high engine speeds.
R Restrict the shift range to 1.
R Drive very slowly.
R Drive straight over the centre of obstacles. Travellin
guphill
Approach/departur eangle 168
Driving tipsDriving and parking