2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV Owners Manual

Checklist after driving off-road
!
If you detect damag etothe vehicl eafter
dri ving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
X Vehicles with th eON&O FFROAD pack-
age: activat ethe on-road program
(Y page 253).
X Vehicles without th eON&O FFROAD
package: deactivate the on- road program
(Y page 252).
X Deac tivate the LOW RANGE off-roa dgear
(Y page 254).
X Deactiva teDS R(Ypage 251).
X Lowe rthe 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,
bodywork structure, steering, chassis and
exhaus tsystem for damage.
X After driving for extended period sacross
sand ,mud, gravel, water or in similarly dirty
conditions, have the brake discs, wheels,
brake pads/lining sand axle joints checked
and cleaned.
X If you detect strong vibrations after off-road
travel, check for foreig nobject sinthe
wheels and drive train and remove them if
necessary. Foreign objec ts candisturb the
balance and cause vibrations. Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than drivin
gonnor-
ma lroads. Af terd riving 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.
Driving on sand Observe the following rules when driving on
sand:
R
vehicle swith the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: select off- road program 1
(Y page 253).
R vehicle swithou tthe ON&OFFROAD
package: select theoff-road program
(Y pag e252).
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' swheels
could becom estuck in loose ground.
R drive in the track sofother vehicle sifpos-
sible. Make sure that:
- the tyr eruts are not too deep.
- the sand is sufficiently firm.
- the ground clearance of the vehicle is
sufficient.
Tyr eruts and gravel roads !
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.
Observe the following rules when driving
along ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with
loos egravel:
R Activate th eoff-road program
(Y pag e252).
R Vehicle swith the AIRMATIC package:
select araised vehicle level.
R Avoid high engine speeds.
R Restrict the shift range to 1.190
Driving tipsDriving and parking

R
Drive slowly.
R Where ruts are too deep ,drive with the
wheels on one side on th emiddlesection
of turf if po ssible.
Driving over obstacles !
Obstacle scould 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 252)
or the LOW RANGE off-road gear
(Y page 254).
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 G
WARNI
NG
If you drive up asteep incline at an angle or
turn on asteep incline, the vehicle could slip
sideways, tip and overturn .There is arisk of
an accident.
When drivin gupanincline, drive into the line
of fall (upwards or downwards in astraight
line) and do not turn. The table shows approach/departure
angles
:and ;loaded and ready to drive.
On vehicle swith the AIRMATIC package or
the ON&OFFROAD package, loads up to the
maximum permissible load have no influence
on approach and departur eangles.
All vehicl es(except AMG vehicles and
vehicles AMG bodystyling) : ;
Vehicles withou
tthe
ON&OFFROAD package Highway level 25° 20°
Raise
dlevel 30° 25°
Vehicles with the
ON&OFFROA
Dpackage Highway level 25° 20°
Off-road level 1 28° 23°
Off-road level 2 30° 25°
Off-road level 3 33° 27°
Vehicle
swith AMG bodystyling : ;
Vehicles without the
ON&OFFROAD package
Highway level 20° 20°
Raise
dlevel 24° 24°Driving tips
191Driving and parking Z

: ;
Vehicles with the
ON&OFFROA
Dpackage Highway level 20° 20°
Off-road level 1 22° 22°
Off-road level 2 24° 24°
Off-road level 3 26° 26°
AMG vehicles
: ;
Highway level (AM
GRIDE
CONTROL sport smode) 19° 19°
Raised level 23° 22°
R
Follo wthe line of fa llwhen driving on slopes
and stee pinclines.
R Before driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients, select the off-road program
(Y page 252) or the LOW RANGE off-road
gea r(Ypage 25 4).
R Obser vethe warnings for off-road driving
(Y page 188).
R Driv eslowly.
R Accelerat egently and mak esure that the
wheel sare gripping.
R Avoi dhigh engin espeeds, except when
drivin gonsandy and muddy routes with
high drivin gresistance.
R Selec tashif trange appropriate to the gra-
dient.
R Befor etackling steep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1.
Do not shift int otransmission position N
when driving off-road .You coul dlose contr ol
of the vehicle if you attempt to brake the
vehicle using the servic ebrake .Ifthe gradient
is too steep for your vehicle, bac kupin
reve rseg ear. Maximum gradient-climbing cap
ability On good road surfaces and with the LOW
RANGE off
-road gear selected, the full gradi-
ent-climbing capabilit yisavailable.
i If th eload on the fron taxle is reduced
whe npulling away on asteep uphill slope,
the fron twheels hav eatendency to spin.
4ETS recognises this and brakes the
wheels accordingly. The rear wheel torque
is increased and it is easier to pull away.
Hilltops When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduc
epressure on th eaccelerator immedi-
atel ybefor ereachin gthe brow of the hill.
Make use of the vehicle' sown impetus to
travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
R the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of ahill
R the vehicle from travelling too quickly down
the other side.
Driving downhill R
Driv eslowly.
R Do not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drive
with the front wheels aligned straight. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and overturn.
R Befor etackling steep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1.
R Activate DSR. If this is not sufficient, brake
gently. When doing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
R Check that the brakes are working normally
after along downhil lstretch.
i Off-road ABS is activated when the off-
road program or LOW RANGE off-road gear
is selected.
At speeds belo w30km/h, th efront wheels
lock cyclicall yduring braking. The digging- 192
Driving tipsDrivin
gand pa rking

in effect achieved in the process reduces
the stoppin gdistanc ewhen drivin goff-
road. Th esteerabilit yofthe vehi cleisc on-
siderably redu cedift he wheels lock. Driving systems
Cruise cont
rol
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslipper yroad surface. This could
cause the driv ewheels to lose their grip and
the vehi clec ould skid. G
WAR
NING
Cruise control cannot tak eaccount of road
and traffic conditions.
Alway spay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruis econtrol is activa ted.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time. G
WAR
NING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at aconstan tspeed (e.g. heavy tra ffic
or winding roads). You may otherwise
cause an accident.
R on slippery roads. The drive wheels may
lose their grip when brakin goraccelerating
and the vehicle may skid.
R whe nther eisl ow visibility ,e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow.
General notes Cruis
econtr ol maintains aconstan troad
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhil lgradients, especiall yifthe
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By doing so, you will make use of the braking
effec
tofthe engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise con trolonly if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for aprolonged period. Yo ucan
store any road spee dabove 30 km/h.
Cruise contro llever :
To activate or increase speed
; LIMi ndicato rlamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
X To switch between variable SPEED-
TRONIC and cruise control: press the
cruise control lever in the direction of arrow
A.
LIM indicator lamp ;on the cruise control
lever indicates which function you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp ; off:
cruise control
is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp ; on:
variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected.
When you activate cruise control, the stored
spee diss hown in the multifunction display Driving systems
193Driving and parking Z

for five seconds
.Inthe multifunction display,
the segments between the stored speed and
the maxim um speedlight up.
Activation conditions To activate cruise control, all of the following
activation condition
smust be fulfilled:
R the electric parkin gbrake mus tbe
released.
R yo ua re driving faster than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
mus tbes witched on, but not inter-
vening.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R DS Rm ust be deactivated.
R off-road program 2must be deactivated
(vehicles with the ON&OFFROA Dpackage).
R the cruise con trol fu nction must be selec-
te d( Ypage 193).
Storing, maintaining and callin gupa
speed Storing and maintaining th
espeed X
Accelerate the vehicl etothe desir ed
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ;.
X Remov eyourfoot from the acc elerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automaticall ymaintains the store dspeed.
Yo uc an accep tthe current speed if you are
drivin gfaster than 30 km/h. i
Cruise control may be unabl etomaintain
the store dspeed on uphil lgradients. The
store dspeed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhil lgradient sby
automaticall yapplyin gthe brakes.
Stor ingorc alling up the speed G
WARNING
Onl ycallupas toredspeed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wis eendanger yoursel forothers by uninten-
tionally triggering sudden acce leratio nor
braking. X
Briefly pull the cruise contro llever towards
you :.
X Remov eyour foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The first tim ecruis econtr ol is activated, it
stores the curren tspeed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed. 194
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Setting
aspeed X
Press the cruise control lever up :for a
high er spee dordown;for alower speed.
X Keep the cruise contr ol leverpresse duntil
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise contro llever.
The new speed is stored.
X Setting in 1-k m/hincrements: press the
cruise control lever up :or down ;to
the pressur epoint.
The last speed stored is inc reased or
reduced in 1km/ hincrements.
X To adjust the set speed in 10-km/h
increments: pressthe cruise contr ol lever
briefl yup: or down ;beyon dthe pres-
sur epoint.
The last speed stored is inc reased or
reduced in 10 km/ hincrements.
i Cruise contro lisnot deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to over take,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking. Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deacti
vate cruise
control:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards =.
or
X Brake
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow ;.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp :in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
R you engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
R yo ua re driving at less than 30 km/h.
R ESP ®
intervenes or yo udeactiva teESP ®
.
R you activate DSR.
R you activate off-road program 2onvehicles
with the ON&OFFROA Dpackage.
R you shift the transmissio ntoposition N
while driving.
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
aw arning tone. You will see the Cruise contro
loff message in th
emultifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
i The last spee dstored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Drivin
gsystems
195Drivingand parking Z

SPEEDTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Never depress the brake peda lcontinuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying constant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the brakin gdistance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
SPEEDTRONI Cisonly an aid designe dto
assis tdriving. Yo uare responsibl efor the
vehicle' sspeed and for braking in good time. G
WARNING
If there is achange of drivers, advise the new
driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use variable SPE EDTRONI Cifyou will not
have to accelerate suddenl ytoaspeed above
that stored as the limit speed. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident.
You can only exceed the limit speed stored if
you deactivate variable SPE EDTRONIC:
R using the cruise control lever
R by depressin gthe accelerator pedal
beyon dthe pressure point (kickdown)
It is not possible to deactivate variable
SPE EDTRONI Cbybraking.
General notes SPE
EDTRONIC brakes automatically so that
you do not exceed the set speed. On long and
steep downhil lgradients ,especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on the brake system and prevent
sthe brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly .If
you need additional braking, depres sthe
brake pedal repeatedly rather than con tinu-
ously.
You can set avariable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speedlimits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. when drivin gwith winter tyres
fitted (Y page 198)
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed
stored.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC Cruise control lever
:
To activate or increase speed
; LIMi ndicato rlamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS and variable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC.
X To switch between variable SPEED-
TRONIC and cruise control/DISTRONIC
PLUS: press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.196
Driving systemsDriving and parking

LIM indicato
rlamp ;on the cruise control
lever indicates which function you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp ; off:
cruise control
or DISTRONI CPLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp ; on:
variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/ hwhile
the engin eisrunning.
Storing the current speed You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the spee dtoa ny speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly pres sthe cruise control lever
up : or down ;.
The curren tspeed is stored and shown in
the multifunction display.
The segment sinthe multifunction display
light up from the start of the scale up to the
stored speed.
Storing the current speed and calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
Only select astored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for the
curren tdriving and traffic situatio n.Other-
wise, sudden brakin gcould endan ger youor
others. X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you :.
Setting aspeed X
To adjust the se tspeed in 10 km/h
increments: brieflypress th ecruise con-
tro llev er up :pas tthe pressure point for
ah igher speed, or down ;for alower
speed.
or
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
beyond the pressure point until the desired
speed is set. Press the cruise control lever
up : for ahigher speed or down ;for a
lowe rspeed.
X To ad just th eset speed in 1km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control
lever up :to the pressure point for a
higher speed or down ;for alower speed.
or
X Keep the cruise contr ol leverpresse dtothe
pressur epoint until the desire dspeed is
set. Press the cruise contro llever up :for Driving systems
197Driving and parking Z