2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV Owners Manual

Off-road progra
m2 X
Selector wheel : engaged:
brieflypress
selector wheel :.
Selector wheel :extends.
X To select: turn selector wheel :unti lindi-
cator lamp ;comes on.
Off-road indicator =appears in the multi-
function display.
R off-road level 2isset and the vehicle is
raised by +6 0mmcompared to the high-
way level.
R DSR is switched on.
R the differential lock is closed.
Off-road program 2automatically switches to
off-road program 1ifyou dri vefaster than
45 km/h.
Select off-roa dprogram 2for rou gh terrain,
e.g. for steep and/o runeven terrain or for
driving on rocky terrain.
i Your vehicl ehas an automatically activa-
te dd ifferential loc kfor the transfer case. It
con trols the balance between the front and
rea raxles. The differential lock improves the vehicle's
traction. 4ETS (Y
page66) controls the bal-
ance between both wheels on an axle.
Yo uc an only activate off-road program 2
when driving at speeds below 40 km/h.
LOW RANGE off- roadgear (vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package) General notes
G
WARNING
Always wait for the gear change process from
HIGH RANGE to LOW RANGE –and from LOW
RANGE to HIGH RANGE –tocomplete. Do not
tur no ff the engine while changing gear and
do not switch the automati ctrans mission to
another gear.
If you do not wait for the gear change process
to complete, it ma ynot be correctly imple-
men ted. The transfer case may then be in
neutral and the connection between the
engine and the driv eaxles may be disen-
gaged. The vehicl ecould then mov efreely,
eve nifa gear is engaged, and coul dinadver-
tently start moving, particularly if it is on a
slope.
Observe the following descriptio nin"Mes-
sages in the multifunc tion display". :
LOW RANGE off -road gear button
; LOW RANGE off-road gear indicator lamp 254
Driving systemsDriving and parking

HIGH RANGE
Positio
nfor all norma lon-
road driving conditions. LOW RANGE
Off-road pos
ition for driv-
ing off-road and fording.
The transmission ratio
between the engine and
wheels is only approx-
imately one third of that in
the HIG HRANGE road
pos ition. The drive torque
is correspondingly higher
as aresult.
Do not use LOW RANGE:
R on slippery road surfa-
ces, e.g. in the even tof
slush
R on snow or ice-covered
roads
R if you hav esnow chains
on you rvehicle The LOW RANGE off
-road gear assists you
when drivin goff-roa dand whe nfordi ng.W hen
LOW RANGE is engaged, the engine’s per-
forma ncec haracteristic sand the gearshifting
characteristic softhe automatic transmission
ar ea dapted for this purpose.
Fur ther information about "Drivin goff-road"
(Y pag e188). Yo uwill find information about
drivin gsafety systems in conjunction with
LOW RANGE in the "Safety" section
(Y page 60).
From HIGH RANG EtoLOW RAN GE
! Only change from HIGH RANGE to LOW
RANGE if:
R the engi neis running
R the transmission is in position N
R you are drivin gatspeeds below
40 km/h
X Press LOW RANGE button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes.
Onc ethe gear change procedur eiscom-
plete, indicator lamp ;lights up. The LOW RANGE display appear
sint he multifunction
displa yand in the status indicator.
While indicator lamp ;is flashing, you can
cancel the gea rchange by pressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
i You can nota ctivate LOW RANGE if the
SPORT on-road program is activated. The
LOW RANG ENot in drive program SPORT message then appears in th
emulti-
function display.
From LOW RANG EtoHIGH RANGE
! Only change from HIGH RANGE to LOW
RANGE if:
R the engine is running
R the transmission is in position N
R if you are driving at speeds below
70 km/h
X Press LOW RANGE button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes.
When the gear change is complete, indica-
tor lamp ;goes out. In the multifunction
display, the LOWR ANGE Off message
appears and status indicator =goes out.
Whil eindicator lamp ;is flashing, you can
cancel the gea rchange by pressing LOW
RANGE button :again. Driving systems
255Driving and parking Z

Mes
sages in the multifunction display
If ag ear change process has not been successful, the following messages may be displayed
in the multifunction display: Display messages Possibl
ecauses/ consequence sand M Solutions
LO
WR ANGE max. speed 40 km/h Yo
uh ave been driving faster than 40 km/h .Additionally, the indi-
cato rlamp on the button in the centre console blinks.
X Driv emore slowly to carry out the gear chan ge process. LOW RANGE Shift to
position
Nbriefly Th
et ransmission is in position Dand yo uare driving at below
40 km/h.
X Shift th etransmission to Nto comple tethe gear change proc-
ess. LOW RANGE Shifting
cancelled Please
reactivate The gear change process was not carried out.
X
Maintain all gear change conditions and carry out the gear
change process again. LOW RANGE Stop
Apply parking brake Aw
arning ton ealso sounds. The gear chang eprocess has not been
comple ted. LOW RANGE is in the neutral position .There is no
con nectio nbetween the engine and the driv ewheels.
! Do not drive any further. You could otherwise damage the
vehicle’ sdrive train.
X Sto pthe vehicle. Take int oaccount the road and traffic condi-
tions whe ndoing so.
X Apply the electric parkin gbrake (Y page 182).
X Repe atthe gear change process.
If th egear change process has been carried out, the LOW RANGE
Stop Appl
yparking brake message disapp
ears. ONOFFROAD men
uint he COMAND dis-
play (vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD
package) Yo
uc an displ ay some driving systems ,driving
programs and additional information in the
COMAND display.
X Make sure that th ekey is in position 2in
the ignition lock.
X Make sure that COMAN DOnline is activa-
ted, see the separate COMAND operating
instructions.
X Pres sfunction button :.
The corresponding displays appea rinthe
COMAN Ddisplay:
R level control
R steering angle
R vehicle' sangle of inclination 256
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin 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

Make sur
ethat the followin gvalues are not
exceeded:
R the permissible trailer drawba rnoseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rea raxle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gros svehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
The applicable permissible values, which
must not be exceeded, can be found:
R in the vehicle documents
R on the identification plates of the trailer tow
hitch, the trailer and the vehicle
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
You will fin dthe values approved by the man-
ufacturer on the vehicle identification plates
and those for the towing vehicle under "Tech-
nical data "(Ypage 433).
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics wil lbedifferent in comparison
to when drivin gwithout atrailer.
Th ev ehicle/ trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbin gcapability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by stron gcrosswinds
R demand smore sensitive steering
R has alarger turnin gcircle
This could impair the handling charac teris-
tics. Adapt your styl eofdriving accordingly.
Maintain asafe distance. Drive carefully.
When towing atrailer, alw aysa djust your
speed to the current road and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis-
sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion.
General notes !
Use adrawbar noseweigh tasc lose as
possible to the maximum permissible nose-
weight. Do not use anoseweight of less than 50kg, otherwise the trailer ma
ycome
loose.
Not ethat the payload and the rea raxle load
are reduce dbythe actual payload.
i Chec kthe tyr epressures when towin ga
trailer. You will find the values in the tyre
pressure table in the fuel filler flap of the
vehicle (Y page 399).
You will find installation dimensions and loads
in the "Technical data" section
(Y page 432).
The maximum permissible trailer drawbar
noseweight on the ball coupling is 140 kg.
However, the actual noseweight must not
exceed the value given on the trailer tow hitch
or trailer identification plates .The lowest
weight applies.
Please not ethat when towing atrailer, PARK-
TRONIC (Y page 216) and Blind Spo tAssist
(Y page 238) ar eonly available with limita-
tions ,orn ot at all.
Driving tips i
Observ ethe information on ESP ®
trailer
stabilisation (Y page 67)and on pulling
away with atrailer. (Y page 162).
Vehicle swith the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: select the trailer program (Y page 250)
with the off- road program selector wheel in
the centre console.
The maximum permissible spee dfor vehicle/
trailer combina tions depends on the type of
trailer .Befor ebeginning the journey, check
the trailer's document stosee what the max-
imu mpermitted speed is. Observ ethe legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For cer tain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the max-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. See "Technica ldata" to
find out whethe rthis applies to your vehicle
(Y page 433). If you utilise any of the added
maximum rea raxle load whe ntowing atrailer,
th ev ehicle/ trailer combination may not
exceed amaximum spee dof100 km/h for 258
Towin
gatrailerDriving an dparking

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