2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV Owners Manual

Off-road ABS
An AB
Ssystem specifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically once th eoff-
road program (Y page 222) is activated.
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
loc kc yclically durin gbraking .The digging-in
eff ect ac hieved in the process red ucesthe
stopping distanc eonoff-road terrain. This
limits steering capability. BAS (Brak
eAssist)
i Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usua lonce you
releas ethe brake pedal. BA Sisd eactivated. G
WARNING
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with ful lbrake boosting
effect. However, braking force is not auto-
matically increased in emergency braking sit-
uations and th estopping distance may
increase. BAS PLU
S(Brak eAssist System Plus)
BA SP LUS is only availabl eonvehicles with
DI ST RONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS PLUS assists you in braking during haz-
ardous situations at speeds above 30 km/h
and uses the radar sensor syste mtoevaluate
the traffic situation.
With the hel pofthe radar sensor system ,BAS
PLUS can detect obstacles that are in the path of your vehicl
efor an exte nded period of
time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h ,BAS
PLUS may also detect stationary obstacles,
for example ,stopped or parked vehicles.
Shoul dyou approach an obstacle and BAS
PLU Shas detected arisk of collision, BAS
PLU Scalculates the braking force necessary
to avoid arear-end collision .Should you apply
the brakes forcefully ,BAS PLUS can auto-
matically increase the braking force to alevel
suitabl efor the traffic conditions.
If BA SPLUS demand sparticularly high brak-
ing force, preventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)a re activate dsimul-
taneously.
X Keep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergenc ybraking situatio nisover.
ABS prevent sthe wheels from locking.
The brakes will wor knormally again if:
R you release the brake pedal.
R ther eisnol onger any danger of arear-end
collision.
R no obstacl eisdetected in front of your
vehicle.
BAS PLU Sisthen deactivated .Ifyou have
activated DSR (Y page 220), BASPLUS is
likewise deactivated.
Th er adar senso rsystem is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities in the following vehicles:
R vehicles with COMAND Online and naviga-
tion
R vehicles with Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP
PILOT
Becker ®
MAP PILOT must be connected;
see the separate Audio 20 operating
instructions. 62
Driving safety systemsSafety

The radar sensor system must be switched off
using the on-boar
dcomputer in the vicinit yof
radio telescop efacilities in the following vehi-
cles:
R vehicles without COMAND Online and nav-
igation
R vehicles without Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP PILOT
R vehicles for Australia
Information about switching off the rad ar sen-
so rs ystem using the on-board computer can
be found in the "On-board computer and dis-
plays “section (Y page 249).
For BAS PLUS to assist you when driving, the
rada rsensor system must be switched on and
operational; see "Radar sensor system "inthe
index. G
WARNING
BA SP LUS cannot alway sclearly identify
objects and complex traf fics ituations. BAS
PLU Scannot interven einthese cases.
There is arisk of an accident. Always pay
careful attention to the traf fics ituation and be
ready to brake.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if ther eis:
R dir tont he sensor soranything els ecover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heav yrain
R interference by other radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travellin ginfront, e.g .a
motorbike
R av ehicle travellin ginfront on adifferent
line G
WAR
NING
BAS PLUS doe snot react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomin gvehicles
R to crossin gtraffic
R when cornering As
aresult, BAS PLU Smay not interven ein
critical situatio ns.T here is arisk of an acci-
dent .Always pay careful attention to the traf-
fic situation and be ready to brake.
Followin gdamage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensors checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applie stocolli-
sion sats low speeds where ther eisnovisible
damage to the fron tofthe vehi cle.
If BA SPLUS is no tavailable du etoam alfunc-
tion in the rada rsensor system ,the brake
system remain savailable wit hfull brake
boostin geffect and BAS. Adaptiv
ebrak elamps
i Adapti vebrak elamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 50 km/ horifb raking is assisted by BAS
or BAS PLUS, th ebrake lamp sflas hrapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from aspee dofm ore
than 70 km/h to astandsti ll,t he hazard warn-
ing lam psare activated automatically .Ifthe
brakes ar eapplied again, the brak elamps
light up continuously .The hazard warning
lamps switc hoff automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h .You can also switc hoff
th eh azard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (Y page 109). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes i
See the "Importan tsafety notes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver ,one
or more wheels are braked to stabilis ethe
vehicle. If necessary, the engin eoutput is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired Driving safety systems
63Safety Z

course withi
nphysical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can als ostabilise the vehi-
cle durin gbraking.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashe sinthe instrumen tcluster. G
WAR
NING
If the ÷ warnin glamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivat eESP®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessar ywhen pulling away.
R adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into askid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
! Only operate the vehicl efor am aximum
of ten seconds on abrake dynamometer.
Switch off th eignition.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
ma yoth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Function or performanc etest sm ay only
be performed on a2-axle dynamometer. If
you wis htooperatethe vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aMercedes-
Benz Servic eCentr ebeforehand. You could
otherwise damage the driv etrain or the
brake system.
i Only us ewheels with the recommended
tyr es izes. Only then will ESP ®
func tion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
Traction control is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
viduall yifthey spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slipper ysurfaces, for example if the road surface is slippery on one
side .Ina ddition, mor edrive torqu eistrans-
ferre dtot he wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction con trol remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP ®
.
X In appropriate drivin gsituations, activate
the off- road program (Y page 222). G
WARNING
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. Traction control
cannot override the laws of physics.
Off-road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem)
A4 ETS syste mspecifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically onc ethe off-
roa ddrive progra m(Ypage 22 2)is activated.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
ESP ®
is activate dautomaticall ywhen the
engin eisstarted.
i Vehicle swith ECO start/stop func tion:
the ECO start/stop func tion switches the
engin eoff automatically when th evehicle
comes to astop. The engine starts auto-
matically when the driver wants to pull
away again. ESP ®
remains in its previously
selected status .Example: if ESP ®
was
deactivated before the engine was
switched off, ESP ®
remains deactivated
whe nthe engin eisswitched on again.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
WARNING
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply .ESP ®
will
oth erwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle 64
Drivin
gsafety systemsSafety

if the vehicle starts to skid or
awheel starts
to spin.
When you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves drivin gstabili ty.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in acuttin gaction, which
provides bet terg rip.
R tractio ncontrol is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides suppor twhen you
bra ke.
If ESP ®
is deactivate dand one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilis ethe vehicle. X
To deactivate: press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warnin glamp in the
instrument cluster lights up. G
WARNING
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running.
If the ÷ warning lamp and åwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not availa-
ble due to amalfunction.
There is an increased risk of your vehicle skid-
ding in certain situations.
You shoul dalway sadapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. X
To activate: press button :.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrumen tcluster goes out.
Off- road ESP® An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program (Y page 222)isa ctivated. It
intervene swithadelay if there is oversteering
or understeering, thus improvin gtraction.
ESP ®
traile rstabilisation If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilis ethe vehicle/ trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and can
detect if the vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by brakin gand limiting the engine output until
the vehicle/traile rcombination has stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active abov espeeds of
about 60 km/h. G
WARNING
If road and weather condi tions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent
the trailer from swerving and will thus be
unable to reduce the risk of an accident .Trail-
ers wit hahigh centr eofgravity can tip over
before ESP ®
can detec tthis.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disable dbecause of amal-
function. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61).
EBD monitors and control sthe brake pres-
sur eonthe rea rwheels to improv edriving
stab ility while braking. Driving safety systems
65Safety Z

G
WARNING
If EBD ha smalfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect. However, the rear wheels can still lock,
e.g. under full braking. This coul dcaus eyou
to lose control of your vehicle and cause an
accident. You shoul dtherefore adapt your
drivin gstyle to the different handling charac-
teristics.
X Observe the notes on warning and indica tor
lamps (Y page 286) as well as display mes-
sages (Y page 256). ADAPTIV
EBRAKE
ADAPTI VEBRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIV EBRAKE
als oh as the HOLD function (Y page187) and
hi ll st art assist (Y page141). For further
information, se eDriving tip s(Ypage 162). PRE-SAFE
®
Brake
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is only available in vehic les
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61).
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can help you to minimise
the ris kofaf rontal collision wit havehicle
ahead or reduce the effects of such acolli-
sion. If PRE-SAFE ®
Brake has detected arisk
of collision, you wil lbewarned visuall yand
acoustically as wel lasbyautomatic braking.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot prevent acollision
withou tyou rintervention.
Thi sfun ctio nwill issue awarnin gats peeds of
arou nd 30 km/h or moreif:
R for aperiod of several seconds ,the dis-
tance to the vehi cleinf ront is to oshor tfor
the speed at which you ar etravelling .The ·
distanc ewarning lamp then lights up
in the instrument cluster.
R you are rapidly approaching the vehicle in
front .Ani ntermittent warning tone will
then sound and the ·distance warning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster.
X Brake immediately in order to increas ethe
distanc efrom th evehicle in front.
or
X Take evasiv eactio nprovide ditiss afe to do
so.
If the driver and passengers have fastened
their seat belts, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can also
can also perform the following at speeds of
above approximately 30 km/h:
R brake the vehicle automatically from a
spee dofuptoa pproximately 20 0km/h
R trigge rpreventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-S AFE®
)( Ypage 45)
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause
unnecessar ywarnings or the unnecessary
intervention of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake. To end this,
you can either depress the accelerator pedal
further, activate kickdown or release the
brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is
ended automatically if:
R you drive slowe rthan approximately
15 km /h.
R you manoeuvre to avoid the obstacle.
R there is no longe rany danger of arear-end
collision.
R there is no longer an obstacl edetected in
front of your vehicle.
If you have activated DSR (Y page 220), PRE-
SAFE ®
brak eisd eactivated.
With the help of the rada rsensor system,
PRE- SAFE ®
Brake can detect obstacles that
are in front of your vehicle for an exte nded
period of time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km /h,
PRE- SAFE ®
Brake may als odetect stationary 66
Driving safet
ysystemsSafety

obstacles, for example stopped or parked
vehicles.
If you approach an obstacle and PRE-
SAFE®
Brake detects arisk of acollision ,the system
will initiall yalert you both visually and acous-
tically. If you do not brake or take evasive
action, the system will warn you by automat-
ically brakin gthe vehicle gently. If ther eisan
increased risk of collision, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)
are activated (Y page 45). If the risk of colli-
sion remains and you do not brake, take eva-
sive action or accelerate significan tly, the
vehicle may perform automatic emergency
braking. Automatic emergency braking is not
performed until immediately prior to an acci-
dent that can no longe rbea voided. G
WARNING
Even if PRE-SAFE ®
Brake slow sthe vehicle
befor eani mminent rear-en dcollision ,the
system can nota vert acollision withou tthe
intervention of the driver .There is arisk of an
accident .Brake according to th esituation or
take evasive action. Delayed intervention by
the driver can lead to an accident. G
WARNING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brak ecannot alway sclearly iden-
tify object sand comple xtraffic conditions.
In thes ecases, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
R not give awarning or intervene
There is arisk of an accident .Always pay par-
ticular attention to the traffic situation and be
ready to brake, especially if PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
warns you. Terminat ethe interv entionina
non-critical drivin gsituation.
In particular, the detec tion of obstacles can
be impaired if there is:
R dir tont he sensors or any thing else cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources R
the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travellin ginfront,e.g. a
motorbike
R av ehicle travellin ginfront on adifferent
line G
WAR
NING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brak edoes not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomin gvehicles
R to cr ossin gtraffic
R when cornering
As aresult ,PRE-SAFE ®
Brak emay not give
warnings or intervene in critical situations.
There is arisk of an accident .Always pay
careful attention to the traffic situation and be
ready to brake.
In order to maintain the appropriate distan ce
to the vehicle in front and thus prevent acol-
lision ,you must apply the bra kesy ourself.
X To activate/deac tivate: activate or deac-
tivate PRE -SAFE®
Brak eint he on-board
compute r(Ypage 24 5).
The Ä symbol appear sinthe multifunc-
tion displa yaslong as the HOL Dfunction
is not activated (Y page 187).
On vehicles with Active Parking Assist ,the
Ä symbolisd isplayed when Pis
engaged or you are driving faste rthan
35 km/h.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinit yofradio telescope
facilities in the following vehicles:
R vehicles with COMAND Online and naviga-
tion
R vehicles with Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP
PILOT
Becker ®
MAP PILOT must be connected;
see the separate Audio 20 operating
instructions. Driving safety systems
67Safety Z

The radar sensor system must be switched off
using the on-boar dcomputer in the vicinit yof
radio telescop efacilities in the following vehi-
cles:
R vehicles without COMAND Online and nav-
igation
R vehicles without Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP PILOT
R vehicles for Australia
Information about switching off the rad ar sen-
so rs ystem using the on-board computer can
be found in the "On-board computer and dis-
plays “section (Y page 249).
For PRE- SAFE®
Brake to assist you whe ndriv-
ing ,the radar sensor system must be
switc hed on (Y page 249) an dbeopera-
tional.
Followin gdamage to the fron tend of the vehi-
cle ,havet he configuration and operation of
the radar sensors checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applie stoc olli-
sions at slow speeds where ther eisnovisible
damage to the fron tofthe vehicle. STEE
RCONTROL
The steering assistan tSTEE RCONTROL helps
you by transmittin ganoticeable steering
force to the steering wheel in the direction
required for vehicle stabilisation.
This steering assistance is provided in partic-
ular if:
R both right wheels or both left wheels ar eon
aw et or slippery road surface when you
brake
R the vehicle starts to skid
You have control over the steerin gatall
times. G
WARNING
If there is an ESP ®
malfunction, you will not
receiv eany steering assistance from the
STEER CONTROL. The steering continues to
function with steering assistance. Anti-theft systems
Immobiliser
The immobilise rprevents your vehicl efrom
being starte dwithout the correct key.
X To activate with the key: removethe key
from the ignition lock.
X To activate wit hKEYLESS-GO: switch the
ignition off and open the driver' sdoor.
X To deactivate: switchont he ignition.
i The immobiliser is always deactivated
when you star tthe engine. ATA (Anti-Thef
tAlarm system)
Av isual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is prime dand you ope n:
R ad oor
R the vehicle with the emergency key ele-
ment
R the tailgate
R the bonnet
The alar misnot switched off ,even if you
close th eopen door that has triggere dit, for
example. X
To prime: lock the vehicle with the key or
KEYLESS-GO.
Indicator lamp :flashes. The alarm sys-
tem is primed after approximately 15 sec-
onds.
X To deactivate: unlock the vehicle with the
key or KEYL ESS-GO.68
Anti-thef
tsystemsSafety

X
To sto pthe alarm using the key: insert
th ek ey into the ignition lock.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Pres sthe % or& button on the key.
The alarm is switched off.
X To stop th ealarm using KEYLESS-GO:
grasp the outside door handle. The key
must be outside the vehicle.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the Star t/Stopbutton on the dash-
board. The key must be inside the vehicle.
The alarm is switched off. Tow-away protection
An audible and visual alarm is triggered if your
vehicle's angle of inclination is altered while
tow-away protection is primed. This occurs if
the vehicle is jacked up on one side ,for exam-
ple.
X To pri me:lock the vehicle with the key or
KEYLESS-GO.
Tow-away protection is primed after
approximately 30 seconds.
X To deactivate: unlock the vehicle with the
key or KEYLESS-GO.
Tow-away protection is deactivated auto-
matically.
To prevent afalse alarm, deactivate tow-away
protection manually if your vehicle:
R is being transported
R is being loade donto aferr yorc ar trans-
porter, for example
R is parked on amovable surface, e.g. in a
split-leve lgarage
Deactivating:
X Remove the key from the ignition lock. X
Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up briefly.
X Lock the vehicle with the key or KEYLE SS-
GO.
Tow-awa yprotectio nisdeactivated.
Tow-away protection remains deactivated
until:
R the vehicle is unlocked again.
R ad oor is opened and closed again.
R the vehicle is locked again. Interior motion sensor
If the interior motion sensor is primed, avis-
ual and audible alarm is triggered if move-
ment is detected in the vehicle interior while
the vehicle is locked. This occur sifsomeone
reaches int othe vehicle interior, for example.
To activate:
X Make sur ethat the side windows and the
slidin gsunroof/panorama sliding sunroof
are closed.
This will prevent false alarms.
X The interior motion senso risp rime dafter
approximately 30 seconds.
To switch off:
X Unlock th evehicle with the key or KEY-
LESS-GO.
The interior motion sensor is deactivated
automatically. Anti-theft systems
69Safety Z