2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV Owners Manual

Raised level
Example
:vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD
package
Only select raised level if this is appropriate
for the road conditions. Otherwise, fuel con-
sumption may increase and handling may be
affected.
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is not lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes. The vehicle rises
to raised level. During the adjustment, the
Vehicleris‐ ing message
,for example, appear sint he
multifunction display.
If you press the %ora button on the
multifunction steerin gwheel, the message
will disappear.
Onc ethe vehicle has reached raised level,
indicat or lamp ;remains lit.T he Vehicle rising message disappear
sfrom th emulti-
function display. If you try to select raised level at
aspeed
above 65 km/h, the Please reduce speed message appears.
Highway/high-speed level
!
Make sure there is enough groun dclear-
ance when the vehicle is being lowered. It
could otherwise hit the ground, damaging
the underbody. Example: vehicles without the ON&OF
FROAD
package
: Level control button
; Level control indicator lamp
X Start the engine.
If indicator lamp ;is lit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes. The vehicle is
adjusting to highway/high-speed level. During the adjustment
,the bein glowered message
,for example, appears in the multi-
func tion display. 214
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

If yo
upressthe % ora button on the
multifunction steering wheel, the messa ge
wil ldisappear.
Once highway level has been reached, indi-
cator lamp ;goes out. The beinglow‐ ered messa
gedisappears from the multi-
function display.
The vehicle autom atically adjusts to highway
level when you:
R drive faster than 80 km/ hor
R driv eatas peed between 65 km/ hand
80 km/h for approximatel y20seconds.
Dependin gonthe ADS setting selected
(Y page 212), the vehicle is lowered to high-
speed level at high speeds. AM
GR IDE CONTROL sports suspen-
sion
Vehicl elevel The vehicle automatically sets the vehicle
level at the rear axle. Rea raxle level control
ensures the best poss iblesuspension and
that the ground clearanc eremains const ant
even when the vehicle is loaded .This
improves drivin gsafety and fuel consump-
tion.
Suspensio ntuning General notes
Th
ee lectronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your drivin gstyle, e.g. sporty
R the road surface conditio n,e.g .bum ps
R your individual selection of Sport, Sport +
or Comfort
If you select Sport or Sport +mode and
restar tthe engine, the suspension setting
revert stoComfort mode. Spor
tmode The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode when employing
asporty
driving style, e.g. on windin gcountry roads.
X Press the :button once.
Indica torlamp ;lights up. You have selec-
ted Sport mode.
The AMGR ide Control SPORT message
appears in th emultifunction display.
Sport +mode
The very firm settin gofthe suspension tuning
in Spor t+mode ensures the best possible
con tact with the road .Select this mode only
when driving on rac ecircuits.
If indicator lamps =and ;are off:
X Press button :twice.
Indicator lamps =and ;light up. You
have selected Sport +mode.
The AMG Ride Control SPORT + message
appear sint he multifunc tion display.
If indicator lamp ;lights up:
X Press the :button once.
Secon dindicato rlamp =lights up. You
have selected Sport +mode.
The AMG Ride Control SPORT + message
appear sint he multifunc tion display.
Comfort mode
In comfor tmode, the drivin gcharacteristics
of your vehicle ar emore comfortable .There-
fore, selec tthis mode if you prefer amore Driving systems
215Driving and parking Z

comfortable driving style. Select comfort
mod
ealsow hend riving fas tonstraightroads,
e.g. on straight str etche sofm otorway.
X Press button :repeatedly unt ilindicator
lamps =and ;go out.
Yo uh aves elec ted Comfort mode.
The AMG Ride Control COMFORT mes-
sage appears in the multifunctio ndisplay. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WAR
NING
PARKTRONI Cisonly an aid and may not
detect all obs tacles .Itisnotas ubstitut efor
attentive driving.
You are alway sresponsible for safet yand
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings whe nparking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endanger
yourself and others. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvrin grange. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
PARKTRONI Cisanelectronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visuallyand
audibl ythe distanc ebetween your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is activated automaticall yif
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D,Ror N
R release the electri cparking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitor sthe ar ea arou ndyour
vehicle using six sensor sint he front bumper
an df our sensor sint he rear bumper. :
Example :sensor sint he front bumper,
left-hand side
Range of th esensors General notes
! When parking ,pay particular attention to
object sabov eorbelow th esensors, such
as flower pot sortrailer drawbars. PARK-
TRONIC does no tdetec tsuch objects when
they are in the immediate vicinity of the
vehicle. You could damage the vehicle or
the objec ts.
The sensors ma ynot detect sno wand
object swhich absor bultrasonic sources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, alorry' scompressed-ai rbrakes
or ap neumatic drill, could cause PARK-
TRONI Ctom alfunction.
PARKTRONI Cmay not function correctly on
uneven terrain. 216
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Sid
eview Top view
The sensors mus
tbefree of dirt, ice and
slush. Othe rwise, they may not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensor sregularly, taki ng
care not to scratch or damag ethem
(Y page 37 0).
Front sensors Centre approximately 100 cm
Corners approximately 60 cm
Rear sensors
Centre approximately 120 cm
Corners approximately 80 cm
Minimu
mdistance Centre approximately 20 cm
Corners approximately 15 cm
If ther
eisano bstacle within this range, the
relevant warning displays light up and awarn-
ing ton esounds. If the distan cefall sbelow the minimum, the distanc
emay no longer be
shown.
Warning displays Warning display for th
efront area
: Segment sonthe left-hand side of the
vehicle
; Segment sonthe right-hand side of the
vehicle
= Segment sshowing operational readiness
The warning display sshow the distance
betwe enthe sensor sand the obstacle. The
warning displa yfor the front area is located
on the dashboar dabove the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is in the
roof lamp in the rear compartment.
The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into fiv eyellow and two red seg-
men ts.P ARKTRONIC is operational if yellow
segments showing operational readiness =
ligh tup.
The selected transmission position and the
direction in which the vehicle is rollin gdeter-
min ewhich warnin gdispla yisa ctive whe nthe
engin eisrunning. Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling back-
wards Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activatedDriving systems
217Drivingand pa rking Z

One or mor
esegments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, dependin gonthe
vehicle' sdistance from the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warnin gtone for approx-
imately two seconds.
R seventh segmen tonwards ,you will hear a
warnin gtone for approximately two sec-
onds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimu mdistance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC :
Indicator lamp
; To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Active Park Assist is then also
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock.
Towing atrailer !
Foldint he ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitc hisn ot required. PARKTRONIC meas-
ures the min imumdetect ionr ange to an
obstacle from the bumper, no tthe ball cou-
pling.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rea rarea
when yo uestablish an electrica lconnection
between your vehicle and atrailer. 218
Dri
ving systemsDriving and pa rking

Problems wit
hPARKTRONIC Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning display
sare lit.
Yo ua lso hear awarning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately five seconds,
and the indicator lamp
in the PARKTRONIC
button lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X
If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at aqualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning display
sare lit.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vate dafter approx-
imatel yfive seconds. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X
Clean the PARKTRONIC sensors (Y page 370).
X Switc hthe ignition bac kon. The problem may be cause
dbyanexternal source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X See if PARKTRONIC functions in adifferent location. Active Parking Assist
Important safet ynotes G
WARNING
Active Parkin gAssist is merely an aid and may
sometimes recommen dparking spaces that
are not suitable for parking. For example,
these might be spaces where parking is pro-
hibited ,driveways, unsuitabl esurfaces, etc.
Active Parking Assis tmeasures the parking
space as you driv epast it. Any later changes
to the parking space are not taken into
account. For instance, this may be the case
when the vehicle parked in front of or behind
the space changes its positio norwhen an
obstacle is moved int othe parkin gspace.
Active Parking Assist does not reliev eyou of
the responsibilit yofpaying attention. If you
rely solel yonA ctive Parkin gAssist, you could cause an acciden
tand injure yourself and oth-
ers.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings whe nparking and
manoeuvring. G
WARNING
Objects located above the heigh trange of
Active Parking Assis twill not be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated, e. g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. In some circumstances, Active Park-
ing Assist may therefor eguide you into the
parking space too early. This may lead to a
collision. For this reason, you should avoid
using Active Parking Assis tinsuch situations. Driving systems
219Drivingand pa rking Z

G
WARNING
Th ef ront of th evehicle will veer out in the
direction of the oncoming traffic during the
parking operation. In some cases the vehic le
wil lalsot ake you onto sections of the oncom-
ing lane during the parking procedure.
You are responsibl efor safet yatall times and
must pay attention to any road users
approaching or passing. Stop the vehicle if
necessary or cancel the Activ eParking Assist
parking procedure. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
coul dbei njured.
! If unavoidable ,you should driv eover
obstacles such as kerb sslowly and not at
as har pangle .Otherwi se,you ma ydamage
the wheels or tyre s.
Activ eParking Ass isti sane lectroni cparking
aid with ultrasound. Ultrasoun disused to
mea surethe road on bothsides of th evehicle.
As uitable parking space is indicated by the
parking symbol. Activ esteering intervention
can assis tyou during parking. You ma yalso
use PARKTRONIC (Y page 216). When PARK-
TRONIC is switched off, Active Parking Assist
is also unavailable.
Use Active Parking Assist for parkin gspaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same level as the road, e.g.
not on the pavement
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, driv easclosely as possi-
ble past the parkin gspace.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incor rectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lea dtoap arking
space being measured inaccurately. R
pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 217 )warning message sduring the
parking procedure.
R at any time, you can intervene in the steer-
ing procedure to correc tit. Active Parking
Assist will then be cancelled.
R when transporting aload which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parkin gAssist.
R when snow chains or an emergenc yspare
wheel are fit ted, you should not use Active
Parking Assist here either.
R mak esure that the tyre pressures are
always correct. This has adirec tinfluence
on the parking characteristics of the vehi-
cle.
R the wa yyourv ehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factor s. Theseinclude the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. It may be the case that Active
Parking Assist guides you too far into a
parking space, or not far enoug hinto it. In
some cases, it may also lead you across or
onto the kerb. If necessary, you should can-
cel the parking procedure with Active Park-
ing Assist.
R you can also engage forward gea rprema-
turely. Th evehicle redirects and does not
driv easf ar into the parking space. Should
ag ear be changed too earl ytoa chieve a
sensible parkin gposition ,the parkin gpro-
cedure will be cancelled.
Detectin gparking spaces :
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right 220
Driving systemsDri
ving and parking

Active Parking Ass
isti ss witched on automat-
icall ywhend riving forwards .The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
35 km/h. While in operation, the system inde-
pendently locates and measures parking
spaces on both sides of the vehicle. When
drivin gatspeeds below 30 km/ h,you will see
the parking symbol as astatus indicato rinthe
instrumen tcluster .Active Parking Ass ist only
display sparking spaces on the front-
pass enger sid easstandard .Parking spaces
on the driver' sside are displayed as soon as
th et urns ignal on the driver' sside is activa-
ted. To park on the driver' sside, you must
leave the driver' sside tur nsignal switched
on. This must remain switched on until you
acknowledge the use of Activ eParking Assist
by pressing the abutton on the multi-
function steerin gwheel.
When aparking space has been detected, an
arrow towards the right or the left also
appears.
Activ eParking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 1. 5mwide
R that are at least 1. 3mlonger than your
vehicle
Ap arking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 15 maway from it.
Parking G
WARNING
PARKTRONI Cand Activ eParking Assist are
merely parking aids and may not detec tall
obstacles. They do not reliev eyou of the
responsibili tyof payin gattention.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could, otherwise, endanger
yoursel fand others. G
WARNING
Whe nparking, you need to make sure that no
obstacles are located in the vicinity of the
vehicle durin gthe entire opera tion. Active
Parking Assist does not reliev eyou of the
responsibili tyof payin gattention. It merely
aids you by intervenin gactively in the steer-
ing.
To stop the vehi cleo ravoi dana ccident you
need to apply the brakes yourself.
X Stop the vehi clew hen the par king space
symbo lshows the desired par king space in
the instrumen tcluster.
X Shif tthe transmission to position R.
The Star tPark Assist? Yes: OK No: %
message appe arsint he multifunction
display.
X To cancel th eprocedure: press the
% button on the multifunction steering
whee lorp ull away.
or
X To par kusing Active Parking Assist:
press the abutton on the multifunction
steeri ngwheel.
The Park Assist active Accelerate and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Release the multifunction steerin gwheel.
X Reverse the vehicle, being ready to brake
at all times. When reversi ng,d rive at a
spee dbelow 10 km /h.O therwise, Active
Parking Assist will be cancelled.
i In tigh tparking spaces, you will achieve
the best parking results by backin gupas
far as possible .When doing so, also
observe the PARKTRONIC messages.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sound sthe
continuous warnin gtone, if not before.
Manoeuvrin gmay be required in tight park-
ing spaces.
The Park Assist active Select D Observe surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display. Driving systems
221Driving and parking Z