2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV engine

reasons concerning th
eoperating permit.
This also applie sincountries in which the
permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics wil lbedifferen tincomparison
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 prevent the
vehicle from gainin gspeed. This relieves the
load on the brak esystem and prevent sthe
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly .Ifyou need additional braking,
depress the brake pedal repeatedly rather
than con tinuously.
Driving tips If the trailer swings from sid
etoside:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not countersteer.
X Brake if necessary.
R Maintain agreater distance from th evehi-
cle in front than when driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from astandstill refer to sea
level. Whe ndriving in mountainou sareas,
note that th epower outpu tofthe engine,
and consequen tlyt he vehicle' sgradient-
climbing capability ,decrease with increas-
ing altitude. Folding out the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly engaged,
the trailer can detach. There is arisk of an
accident.
Always engage the ball coupling as described. G
WARNING
If you release the ball coupling or it does not
engage correctly when folding in, it will swing
out. Within pivoting range of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstruc ted. Alway smake sure that
the ball coupling engages when folding in.
! AMG vehicles and vehicles with AMG
bodystyling: remove the cover below the
bumper before you fold out the ball cou-
pling. Otherwise, the ball coupling, the
cover and the bumper could be damaged.
Before you can tow atrailer with your vehicle,
yo um ust fold out the ball coupling.
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary. X
AMG vehicles and vehicles with AMG
bodystyling: pull down cover :by han-
dle ;in the direction of the arrow until it
is released. Towin
gatrailer
259Driving an dparking Z

X
AMG vehicles and vehicles with AMG
bodystyling: release cover =from the
bracket at the rea rand sto witsafely. X
Open the tailgate.
X Pull release knob :until the ball coupling
unlocks.
The ball coupling folds out from under the
rear bumper.
The indicator lamp on the release knob
flashes .The trailer socket folds away auto-
matically. X
Press the ball couplin ginthe direction of
the arrow until it engages in avertical posi-
tion.
The indicator lam ponthe release knob
goes off.
The multifunction display shows the
Chec ktrailer hitch lock message
until th eball coupling is engaged.
X Remove the protective covering from the
ball coupling and store it in asafe place. Coupling up
atrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
If you disconnec tthe trailer cable, the vehicle
is lowered. This can cause you or other sto
become trapped between the vehicl ebody
and tyres, or underneat hthe vehicle. This
poses arisk of injury.
Make sure that no-on eisinthe immediate
vicinit yofthe wheel arch or underneath the
vehicle when disconnectin gthe trailer cable.
Vehicles with th eAIRMATIC package X
Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engage the electric parking brake.
X Start the engine.
X Set the vehicle to highway level
(Y page 213).
X Set the Adaptive Damping System (ADS )to
AUTO orCOMF (Ypage 212).
X Switch off the engine.
X Close the doors and tailgate.
X Position the trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Coupl eupthe trailer.
X Establish the electric con nectio nbetween
the vehicle and the trailer.
X Check that the trailer lighting system is
working. 260
Towing
atrailerDriving an dparking

i
If yo uhave coupled atrail er,the vehicle
will remain at highwa ylevel.
The vehicle automatically lowers to high-
way level if you driv efaster than 30km/h
with atrailer. The vehicle is not lowered to
high-speed level even if you are travelling
at higher speeds.
This also applies when using accessories
that are plugged int othe socket of the
trailer tow hitc h(e.g .ab icycle rack). Uncoupling
atrailer
Importan tsafety notes G
WARNING
If yo uuncoupl eatrailer with an engaged over-
ru nb rake ,you coul dtrap your hand be tween
th ev ehicle and th etrailer drawbar .This poses
ar isk of injury.
Do not uncouple atrailer wit hanengaged
overrun brake. G
WARNING
Vehicle swith level control:
If you disconnec tthe trailer cable, the vehicle
is lowered. This can cause you or other sto
become trapped between the vehicl ebody
and tyres, or underneat hthe vehicle. This
poses arisk of injury.
Make sure that no-on eisinthe immediate
vicinit yofthe wheel arch or underneath the
vehicle when disconnectin gthe trailer cable.
! Do not disconnec tatrailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicl ecould be damaged by the rebound-
ing of the overru nbrake.
! Remove th einstalled adapter cable
before folding in the ball coupling. Other-
wise, damage may occur to the rear
bumpe rand the adapter cable. Vehicle
swith the AIRMATIC package X
Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engage the electric parking brake.
X Star tthe engine.
X Close the doors and tailgate.
X Secur ethe trailer against rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer.
X Switc hoff th eengine. Folding in the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If you releas ethe ball coupling or it does not
engage correc tlyw hen folding in, it will swing
out. Within pivotin grange of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that
the ball coupling engages when folding in.
Fold the ball coupling back in if you are not
using the trailer tow hitch.
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary and
the trailer cables are disconnected.
X Place the protective covering on the ball
coupling.
X Open the tailgate. Towin
gatrailer
261Driving an dparking Z

Problems wit
htrailer towing Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The released ball cou-
pling cannot be
engaged. X
Visit aqualified specialist workshop. The ball coupling does
not unlock, even
though:
R
the vehicle is station-
ary
R no trailer cable is
connected
R the release knob to
unlock the ball cou-
pling has been pulled
for more than asec-
ond. The on-boar
dvoltage is insufficient.
X Start the engine.
If the ball coupling still does not unlock:
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 264
Towin
gatrailerDriving an dparking

=
Rev coun ter( Ypage 268)
? Coolan ttemperatur e(Ypage 26 8)
A Multifunction displa y(Ypage 27 0)
B Instrumen tcluster lighting (Y page 268) Instrument cluster lighting
The lighting in the instrument cluster ,inthe
displays and the controls in the vehicle inte-
rior can be adjusted usin gthe brightness con-
trol knob.
The brightness control knob is on the bottom
lef toft he instrumen tcluster (Y page 30).
X Turn the brightness control knob clockwise
or anti-clockwise.
If the light switch is set to Ã,Tor
L,t he brightness is dependant upon
the brightness of the ambient light.
i The light sensor in the instrumen tcluster
automatically controls the brightness of
the multifunction display.
In daylight, the displays in the instrument
cluster are not illuminated. Coolant temperature gauge
The coolant temperature gauge is in the
instrument cluster on the right-hand side
(Y page 30).
Under normal operatin gcondition sand with
the specified coolant level ,the coolant tem-
perature ma yrise to 120 †.
At high outside temperatures and when driv-
ing uphill, the coolant temperature may rise
to the end of the scale. Rev counter
! Do not drive in the overrevving range.
Doin gsow ill damage the engine.
The red band in the rev counter indicates the
engine's overrevving range. The fuel supply is interrupted to protec
tthe
engin ewhen the red band is reached. Outside tem
perature display G
WARNING
At temperatures just above freezing point, the
street may be icy, especially in wooded areas
or on bridges. If you do not adapt your driving
style to the conditio ns,the vehicle coul dskid.
For this reason, adapt your driving style and
speed to the weather conditions.
The outside temperature displa yisinthe mul-
tifunc tion display (Y page 270).
Changes in the outside temperatur eare dis-
played afte rashort delay. Speedomete
rwith segments
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is avai lable.
R Cruise control activated (Y page 193):
The segment slight up from the stored
speed to the maximum speed.
R Variabl eSPEEDTRONIC activated
(Y page 196):
The segments light up from the star tofthe
scal etot he selected limit speed.
R DISTRONI CPLUS activate d(Ypage 198):
One or two segment sinthe set speed
range light up.
R DISTRONI CPLUS detects avehicle in front:
The segments between the speed of the
vehicle in fron tand the store dspeed light
up. 268
Display
sand operationOn-board computer and displays

R
changin gthe conven ience sett ings
( Y pag e285)
R restoring the factory settings
(Y page 286)
Instrumen tcluster submenu Selecting th
eunit of measurement for dis-
tance
The Displa yunit Speed-/odometer: fun
ction allows you to choose whether cer-
tain displays appear in kilometres or miles in
the multifunction display.
You can determin ewhether the multifunction
displa yshows some messa ges in milesorkil-
ometres.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst .cluster submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 buttontoselect the
Displa yunit Speed-/odometer: func-
tion.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: km or
miles .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
The selected unit of measurement for dis-
tance applies to:
R the digital speedometer in the Trip menu
R the total distance recorder and the trip
meter
R the trip computer
R the current consumption and the range
R the navigation instruc tions in the Navi menu
R cruise con trol
R SPEEDTRONIC
R DISTRONIC PLUS
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display Selecting the permanent display function
You can determine whethe
rthe multifunction
display permanen tlys hows your speed or the
outside temperature.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Inst .cluster submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 buttontoselect the
Permanen tdisplay: function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: outside temperature or
Dig. speedo [mph] .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
i Speed is displayed in mph.
i Vehicles for the United Kingdom: this
func tion is unavailable.
Ligh tsubmenu Settin
gthe daytime drivin glights
The Daytim edriving lights functio
ncan
only be switched on while the engine is
switched off.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press :or9 to select the Daytime drivin
glights function.
If the Daytime driving lights have
been switched on ,the con eoflight and the
W symbol in the multifunction display
are shown in red.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Further information on daytime drivin glights
(Y page 119). 280
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

X
Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Amb. ligh t+/- function.
Yo uw ill see the selected setting.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to adjust the
brightness to any level from Off to
Level 5 (bright).
X Press the aor% button to save the
setting.
Setting the ambient lighting colour
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Ambien tlight colour function.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 buttontos et the
colour to SOLAR ,
NEUTRAL or
POLAR .
X Press the aor% button to save the
setting.
Surround lighting and exterior lighting
delayed switch-off
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press :or9 to select the Sur‐ roun
dlighting function.
When the Surround lighting function is
activated, th elight cone and the area
around the vehicle are displaye dinred in
the multifunction display.
X Press the abutton to save the setting. Deac
tivating delayed switch -off of th eexte-
rior lighting tempo rarily:
X Befor eleaving the vehicle, tur nthe key to
position 0in the ignition lock.
X Tur nthe key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
The exterior lighting delayed switch-off is
deactivated.
Delayed switch-off of the exterior lighting is
reactivated the nex ttime you start the
engine.
If you have activated the Surround light‐ ing func
tion and the light switc hisset to
Ã,t he followin gfunctions are activated
when it is dark:
R Surround lighting: the exterior lighting
remains lit for 40 seconds after unlocking
with the key. If you start the engine, the
surround lighting is switched off and the
automatic headlamp mode is activated
(Y page 119).
R Exterior lighting delayed switch-off: the
exterior lighting remains lit for
60 seconds after the engine is switched off.
If you close all the doors and the tailgate,
the exterior lighting goes off after
5s econds.
i Depending on your vehicle's equipment,
when the surround lighting and delayed
switch-off exterior lighting are on, the fol-
lowing light up:
R side lamps
R daytime driving lights
R surround lighting in the exterior mirrors
Activating/deactivating th einterior light-
ing delayed switch-off
If you activa tethe Lighti ngdelayed sw.- off function, th
einterior lighting remains on
for 20seconds after you remove the key from
the ignition lock. 282
Menus and submenusOn-boar
dcomputer and displays

:
To fold the exterior mirror sinorout
If you have switched on the function and you
fold the exterior mirrors in using button :,
the exterior mirrors do not fold out automat-
ically (Y page 113).
You can then only fold out the exterior mirrors
using button :.
Resetting to factor ysettings X
Pres sthe = or; button on th esteer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Factor ysetting submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
The Reset all settings? message
appe ars.
X Pres sthe : or9 button to select
No or
Yes .
X Press ato confir mthe selection.
If you select Yes ,t
he multifunction display
shows aconfirmation message.
For safet yreasons, not all functions are reset:
the Limi tspeed (winter tyres): func-
tion in permanen tSPEEDTRONIC can only be
set in the Vehicle submenu. If you want to
reset the Daytimedriving lights in the
Light submenu, yo
umust turn the key to
position 1in the ignition lock. ON&OFFROAD menu
Example: multifunction display
X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the ON&OFFROAD menu.
You can set the following current settings to
appea rintheON&OFFROAD menu:
R On-road program (Y page 248)
R Off-road program (Y page 253) AM
Gm enu in AMG vehicles
AMG displays :
Digital speedometer
; Gear indicator
= Upshift indicator
? Engin eoil temperature
A Coolant temperature
B ECO start/stop func tion status indicator
(Y page 163)
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the AMG menu.
Upshift indicator UP =
indicates that the
engin ehas reached the overrevving range
when in the manual gearshift program.
Upshift indicator UP =
fades out other mes-
sages until you have shifted up.
When the engine oil temperature is below
80 †, the oil temperature is shown in blue. 286
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays