2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV ESP

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

ah
igher speed or down ;for alower
speed.
Deactivatin gvariable SPEED TRONIC G
WARNING
It is no tpossible to deactivate variable Speed-
tronic by braking. There are several ways to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
LI Mi ndicato rlamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
deactivated.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is automatically
deactivated if:
R you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the pressure point (kickdown), but only if
your current spee ddoes not differ by more
than 20 km /h from the stored speed. You
will hear awarning tone if this is the case.
R you activate DSR.
R you activate off-road program 2(vehicles
wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package).
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Permanent SPEEDTRONIC
You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to avalue between
16 0k m/ h(e.g .for dri ving on winter tyres) and
the maximum speed (Y page283).
Shortly before th estore dspeed is reached, it
appear sinthe multifunction display.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC remain sactive,
even if variabl eSPEEDTRONI Cisdeactivated.
You can note xceed the sto redl imit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown). DISTRONIC PLUS
Importan tsafety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additiona lengine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLU Siso nly an aid designe dto
assis tdriving. Th edrive rremain sfully respon-
sible for the vehicle's distance from other
vehicles, the vehicle's spee dand for braking
in goo dtime.
DISTRONIC PLU Sdoes not react in particular
to:
R pedestrians
R stationar yobstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossin gtraffic
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cle sdriving in front, e.g .motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on adifferen tline. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic condition seven
when DISTRO NICP LUS is activated. Other-
wise ,you may fai ltorecognise danger sin
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. 198
Drivin
gsystemsDrivin gand parking

G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS canno ttake account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONI Cdoes not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
alr eady active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R befor ecorners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to alane with faster moving
traffic
R in comple xdriving situations or where lanes
are diverte d,e.g. at roadworks on amotor-
way
DISTRONIC PLU Sotherwise maintains the
current spe ed setbyyou or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLU Scannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONI CPLUS:
R if th eroads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy .The wheels coul dlose their grip when
brakin goraccelerating .The vehicle could
star ttos kid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poo rvis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLU Sisactivate d.
Otherwise, you ma yfail to recognise dangers
in time, caus eanaccident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brake syourvehicle up to a
maximu mof4m /s2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must als oapply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONI CPLUS detect sarisk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermit tent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluste rlights
up. Brak etoavoidac ollision. G
WAR
NING
The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. For this reason, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle is to be set in
motion by othe rmeans (e.g. in acar wash or
by towing).
The radar senso rsystem is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio teles cope
facilities (Y page 433).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor syste mmust be activated
(Y page 283 )and operational.
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automati
cally helps you maintain the dis-
tanc etot he vehicle detected in front. DI S-
TRONIC PLU Sbrake sautomatically so that
the set spee disnot exceeded.
On long and steep downhil lgradients, espe-
ciall yifthe vehicle is laden or towing atrailer,
yo um ust 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.
If DI STRONIC PLUS detects aslower-moving
vehicle in front ,your vehicle is braked in order
to maintain the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If ther eisnov ehicle in front ,DISTRONIC
PLUS operate sinthe sam eway as cruise
control in the spee drange between
30 km/h and 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in fron tofyou, DI STRONIC operates in the
speed range betwee n0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not us eDISTRONIC PLUS on roa dswith
steep gradients. Driving systems
199Drivinga nd parking Z

Cruise control lever
:
To activat eorincrease speed
; To set the spe cified minimum distance
= LIM indica torlamp
? To activat eatthe current speed/la st
stored speed
A To activate or reduc espeed
B To switc hbetween DI STRONIC PLUS and
variable SPEEDTRONIC
C To deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
With the cruise contro llever ,you can operate
DI ST RONIC PLUS and variable SPEED-
TRONIC.
X To switch between variable SPEED-
TRONIC and DISTRONIC PLUS: press the
cruise contro llever in the direc tion of arrow
B.
LI Mi ndicator lamp =on the cruise control
lever indicates which function you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp = off:
DISTRONIC
PLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp = on:
variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected. Activating DISTRO
NICP LUS Activation conditions
To activate DISTRONIC PLU
S,the following
conditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine must be running. It may take up
to two minutes of driving before DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is ready for use.
R the electric parking brake must be
released.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not inter-
vening.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R the driver' sdoor must be closed when you
shift from Pto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
R the front-passenger door and the rear
doors must be closed.
R Off -road program 2must be deactivated
(vehicles with the ON&OFFROA Dpackage).
R DS Rm ust be deactivated.
R the vehicle must not be skidding.
R the DI STRONIC PLUS function must be
selected (Y page 200).
Activating while driving 200
Driving systemsDrivin
gand parking

X
Briefly pull the cruise contro llev er towards
you ;or press it up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLU Sisselected.
X Press the cruise control lever repeatedly
up : or down =until the desired speed
is set.
X Remove your foot from the acc elerator
pedal.
You rvehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
If the vehicle in fron thas been detected and
is shown in the multifunction display, you can
also activat eDISTRONIC PLUS when driving
at speeds belo w30km/h. If th evehicle in
fron tisnol onger detected and displayed, for
example because it has changed lanes, DIS-
TRONIC PLU Sisd eactivated. You will hear a
warning tone if this is the case.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONICPLUS inactive message appe
arsint he multifunction dis-
play. The set distance to aslower-moving
vehicle in front will then not be maintained.
You will be drivin gatthe speed you deter-
mine by the position of the accelerator
pedal.
Activating when driving towards asta-
tionary vehicle
X Briefl ypullt he cruis econtr ollever towards
you ;or press it up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
X Keep the cruis econtrol leve rpressed
up : or down =unti lthe desired speed
is set.
If the vehicle in front of you is stationary ,you
can only activate DISTRONIC PLU Sonce your
vehicl eisstationary as well.
i DISTRONIC PLUS can only be activated at
under 30 km/h if avehicle in front has been
detected. Therefore, the DISTRONIC PLUS
distance display in the instrumen tcluster
should be activated (Y page 277).i
You can use the cruise control lever to set
the stored speed and the control on the
cruise control lever to set the specified
minimum distance (Y page 204).
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up astored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger 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.
DI ST RONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the curren tspeed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value.
Driving with DISTRONIC PLUS Pulling awa
yand driving G
WAR
NING
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unles syour vehicle is stationary.
DI ST RONIC PLUS then no longe rbrake syour
vehicle. In such cases, contr ol thedistance
from vehicles travelling in fron twith the brake
alone. You could otherwise cause an accident
and thereby injure yourself and others. The
drive rremain sfully responsible for the vehi- Driving systems
201Drivingand pa rking
Z