2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV tailgate

tha
tthere is sufficient clearanc eabove and
behind the tailgate.
i Tailgate opening dimensions
(Y page 431).
Opening the tailgate automatically You can open the tailgat
eautomatically with
the key or the handle in the tailgate.
X Press and hold the Fbutton on the key
until the tailgate opens.
or
X When the tailgate is unlocked, pull the han-
dle and let it go again immediately.
Closing the tailgate automatically Closing and locking button (example: vehicle with
KEYLE
SS-GO)
: Closing button
; Locking button
X To clos e:press closing button :on the
tailgate.
or
X Press and hold the Fbutton on the key
unti lthe tailgat ecloses.
Vehicles with KEYL ESS-GO:you can simulta-
neously close and lock the tailgate.
X Press locking button ;on the tailgate.
If aK EYLESS-GO key is detected outside
the vehicle ,the tailgat ecloses and locks. All the doors must be shut and the key
located in the vicinity of the tailgate.
i The tailgate cannot be opened and closed
with the key if there is akey in the ignition.
If the tailgate touches an object while clos-
ing, the closing procedure is interrupted
and the tailgate reopens.
i IfaK EYLESS-GO key is detected in the
lugg age compartment, the tailgate wil lnot
lock. Opening/
closing automatically from
the inside
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Monitor the tailgate opening and closing pro-
cedures to make sure that nobody can
become trapped. To halt the opening or clos-
ing procedure, press or pull the tailgate's
remote operating button from the driver's
seat again.
! The tailgate swings upwards and to the
rear when opened. Therefore, make sure
that there is sufficient clearance above and
behind the tailgate.
i Tailgate opening dimensions
(Y page 431).
Opening and closing Luggage compartment
87Opening and closing Z

You can open and close the tailgat
efrom the
driver's seat whe nthe vehicle is stationary
and unlocked.
X To open: pull remote operating switch :
for the tailgat euntil the tailgate opens.
X To clos e:turn the key to position 1or 2in
the ignitio nlock.
X Press remote operatin gswitch for tail-
gate :until the tailgate is closed.
i If the tailgate touches an object while
closing, the closing procedure is interrup-
ted and the tailgate reopens. Limiting the opening angle of the tail-
gate
Important safety notes !
Make sure there is sufficient clearanc eto
open the tailgate fully when settin gthe
opening angle. The tailgat ecould otherwise
be damaged. Ideally, set the openin gangle
outside.
Activating You can limit the opening angle of the tail-
gate .This is possible in the top half of its
opening range, up to approximatel y10cm
befor ethe stop.
This could be useful, for example, if ther eis
insufficient space above the tailgate.
X To open the tailgate: pull the handle on
the tailgate.
X To stop the opening procedure at the
desired position: press the closing button
(Y page 86) in the tailgate or pull the handle
on the outside of the tailgate again.
X To store the position: press and hold the
closing button in the tailgate until you hear
as hort tone.
The opening angl elimiter is activated. The
tailgate then stops in the stored position
when opened. Switching off X
Press and hold the closing button
(Y page 86) in the tailgate until you hear
two short tones. Tailgat
eemergency release
Important safety notes !
The tailgate swing supwards and to the
rear when opened. Therefore, mak esure
that there is sufficient clearance above and
behind the tailgate.
i Opening dimensions of the tailgate
(Y page 431).
If the tailgate can no longer be opened from
outsid ethe vehicle, use the emergency
release on the insid eofthe tailgate.
Opening X
Take the emergenc ykey elemen tout of the
key (Y page 78).
X Insert emergency key element ;into the
opening in trim :.
X Turn emergency key element ;90°clock-
wise.
X Push emergenc ykey element ;in the
direction of the arrow and open the tail-
gate. 88
Luggage compa
rtmentOpening and closing

R
very close to th erear bumper
R under the rear bumper
R in close range above the handle on the boot
lid
You are alway sresponsible for safety, and
must alway spay attention to you rsurround-
ings when parking and manoeuvring. This
applies to the areas behind, in front of and
beside th evehicle. Yo ucould otherwise
endanger yoursel fand others. G
WARNING
Unde rthe followin gcircumstances, the
reversing camer awill not func tion, or will
function in alimited manner:
R if the boot lid is open
R in heavy rain, snow or fog
R at night or in very dark places
R if the camer aisexposed to very brigh tlight
R if the area is lit by fluorescen tlight or LED
lighting (the display may flicker)
R if there is asudden change in temperature,
e.g. when driving into aheated garage in
winter
R if the camera lens is dirt yorobstructed
R if the rear of your vehicl eisdamaged. In this
event, have the camera positio nand setting
checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
Do not use the reversing camera in these
types of situation. You could otherwis einjure
others or damage object sand your vehicle
whil eyou are parking.
General notes Reversin
gcamera :is in the handle on the
tailgate.
Reversing camera :is an optical parking
and manoeuvring aid. It shows the area
behind your vehicle with guide lines in the
COMAND displ ay.
Th ea rea behind th evehicle is displayed as a
mirror image, as in the rear-view mirror.
i The text of messages shown in the
COMAN Ddispla ydepends on the language
setting. The following are examples of
reversin gcamera message sint he
COMAN Ddisplay.
Activating/deactivating the reversing
camera X
To activate: make sure that the key is in
position 2in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the func tion show reversing
camera display is selected in COMAND
Online.
X Engage reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown with
guide lines in the COMAN Ddisplay.
X To change the function mode for vehi-
cles with trailer tow hitch: using the
COMAND controller, select symbol :for
the "Reverse parking" func tion or sym-
bol ;for "Coupling up atrailer" (see the
separate COMAND Online operating
instructions).
Th es ymbol of the selected function is high-
lighted. 224
Driving systemsDrivin
gand pa rking

R
uphill or downhill gradien tinpercentage
R on-road/off-road program selected
R condition of the differential lock for the
transfer case
R the LOW RANGE off -road gear is selected
R condition of the LOW RANGE off -road
gear
R the on-roa dtrailer progra misselected Towing
atrailer Note
sont owingatrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Veh icle sw ithl evel control:
Th ev ehicle level can be change dinadver-
tently, e.g. whe nchanged by anot her person.
If yo uare coupling up or uncoupling atrailer
when this happens ,you coul dbecom etrap-
ped. Bod yparts can also become trapped
between the vehicle body and tyres, or under-
neath the vehicle. This pose sarisk of injury.
When coupling up or uncoupling, make sure
that no-one:
R opens or closes the doors or tailgate
R initiates the level control or presses the
AD Ss witch
R locks or unlock sthe vehicle. G
WARNING
The brakin gsystem can overheat if you leave
your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increase sthe brakin gdistanc eand could
even cause the braking system to fail. There
is ar isk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as afootrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal and the accelera torp edal while driving. G
WAR
NING
You could los econtrol of the vehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve. The vehi- cle/
trailer combination could even overturn.
There is arisk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten out the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion by increasing speed. Decrease your
speed and do not countersteer .Brake if nec-
essary. G
WARNING
If you excee dthe permissible noseweight
while carrying aload, the carrier system could
detac hfrom th evehicle and fall on the road.
There is arisk of an acciden tand injury.
Always maintain the permissible noseweight
whe ncarrying loads. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly engaged ,it
coul ddetac hwhile drivin gand fall on the road.
There is arisk of an acciden tand injury.
Engag ethe ball coupling as described. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not cor rectly engaged,
the traile rcan detach. There is arisk of an
accident.
Always engage the ball coupling as described.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
You can use carrier systems, e.g. bicycle
rack sorload-bearing implements, on the ball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of
75 kg applies when using carrier system son
the ball coupling.
Whe nreversin gthe vehicle towards the
trailer ,make sure there is nobody between
the trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer could become
detached. Towin
gatrailer
257Driving 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

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

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
A The tailgat
eisopen.
G WARNING
When the engine is running ,exhaus tgases can enter the vehicle
interior if the tailgate is open.
There is arisk of poisoning.
X Close the tailgate. ? The bonnet is open.
Aw
arning ton ealso sounds.
G WARNING
The open bonne tmay then block your view when the vehicle is in
motion.
There is arisk of an accident.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible ,paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 181).
X Close the bonnet. Active bonnet mal‐
function Se
eOwn‐ er's Manual Th
ea ctive bonnet (pedestrian prote ction) is not activ edue to a
malfunction or because it has already been triggered.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. C At least one door is open.
Aw
arning ton ealso sounds.
X Close all doors. _
2nd
se
at row, left
Not locked or
2nd sea
tr ow,r ight Not locked Th
es econ drow of seat sisnot engage donthe left-hand and/or
ri gh t-hand side in the rear.
X Fol db ackt he second row of seats unt ilit engages. _
3rd
seat row, left
No
tl ocked or
3rd sea
trow,r ight Not locked Th
et hird row of seats is not engaged on the left-hand or ri ght-hand
side.
X Fol db ackt he third row of seats unt ilit engages. 320
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays