2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV tow bar

Activating/deactivating the inte-
rio
rlightin gdelayed switch-off .......282
Active light function .......................123
Automatic he adlampmode ............ 119
Cornering light function .................123
Dipped-bea mheadlamps ............... 120
Driving abroa d............................... 118
Foglamps (extende drange )........... 124
Hazard warning lamps ...................122
Hea dlam pflasher ........................... 122
Light switc h................................... 119
Ma in-beam headlamps ................... 122
Motorway mode ............................. 124
Off-road lights ................................ 124
Parking lamps ................................ 121
Rea rfoglam p................................. 120
Setting the ambient lighting
bri ghtness (on-bo ardc omputer ).... 281
Setting the ambient lighting col-
ou r(on-board computer) ...... .......... 282
Side lamps ..................................... 120
Switch ingA daptive Highbeam
Assist on/of f................................. 281
Switch ingt he daytime driving
lights on/off (on-board computer) .280
Switch ingt he exteri or lighting
delayed switch-off on/off (on-
board computer) ............................ 282
Switch ingt he surround lighting
on/off (on-board computer) ..........282
Turn signals ................................... 121
se eC hangin gbulbs
see Interior lighting
Light sensor (display message) .......303
LI Mi ndicator lamp
Cruise control ................................ 193
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 200
Variabl eSPEEDTRONIC .................196
Lim iting the speed
see SPEEDTRONIC
Loading guidelines ............................338
Locking seeC entral locking
Locking (doors)
Automatic ........................................ 84
Emergency lockin g........................... 85
From insi de(central lockin gbut-
ton) .................................................. 83Locking centrally
seeC entral locking
Locking verification signal (on-
board computer) ............................... 283
LO WR ANGE
Display message ............................ 309
Off-road ge ar................................. 254
LO WR ANGE off-road gear ................254
Luggage compartmen tcover
Notes/function .............................. 344
Luggage compartmen tenlarge-
ment Important safety notes ..................341
Luggage compartmen tfloor
opening/closing ............................ 344
stow agew ell, under ....................... 344
Lumbar support
Adjusting (o nthe seat) .................. 108
Luxury head restraint .......................103 M
M+S tyres ........................................... 398
Main-beam headlamps Changing bulbs .............................. 130
Display message ............................ 302
Switch ingA daptive Highbeam
Assist on/of f................................. 125
Switch ingo n/off ........................... 122
Matt fin ish( cle anin ginstructions) ..368
Memory card (audi o)......................... 274
Memory function ............................... 115
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre seeQ ualified specialist workshop
Message memory (on-board com-
puter) ................................................. .290
Mes sages
see Display messages
Mirror
see Vanity mirror (in sun visor)
Mirrors
see Exterior mirrors
see Rear-view mirror
Mobile phone
Frequencies ................................... 421
Installati on .................................... .421
Menu (on-bo ardc omputer )............ 275 14
Index

To deactivate:
the reversing camera is deac-
tivated if you:
R sh iftt he transmission to position P
R drive for wards 10 m
R shift th etransmission from Rto another
positio n(after 15 seconds)
R driv eforwards at aspee dofover
10 km/h
Display sintheCOMAN Ddisplay G
WARNING
Usin gthe reversing camera ca nbedangerous
if you are colour-blind or if your abilit ytodis-
tinguish colours is impaired.
Only use th ereversing camera if you can see
and distinguish between all th ecoloured
guide lines that are displayed by the reversing
camera in the COMAN Ddisplay. G
WARNING
Please note that object snot at groun dlevel
may appear to be further away than they
actually are. These include:
R the bumper of avehicle that is parked
behind your vehicle
R at railer drawbar
R theb all coupling of atrailer tow hitch
R thet ail-end of alorry
R slanted posts
The lines are only guides, not accurate meas-
urements of the distance to an obstacle.
Therefore, you should never pass the red line
when approachin ganobstacle. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident and injur eyourself
and others. :
White guide line without turnin gthe steer-
ing wheel, vehicle widt hincluding the
exterior mirrors (static)
; Yellow guid eline at adistance of approx-
imately 4.0 mfrom th erear of the vehic le
= Red guide line for the vehicl ewidth includ-
ing the exterior mirrors, for current steer-
ing whee langle (dynamic)
? Yellow lane marking the course the tyres
willtake at the current steering wheel
angle (dynamic) A
Yellow guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 1.0 mfrom th erear of the vehic le
B Veh icle centr eaxle (marker ass istance)
C Bumper
D Red guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 0.2 5mfrom th erear of the vehic le
Th eg uide lines are sho wn whenthe trans-
mission is in position R.
The distance specifications only apply to
object sthat ar eatground level. Dri
ving systems
225Driving and pa rking Z

No course-correctin
gbrake applicatio nor
brak eapplication adapted to the driving con-
ditions occurs if:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, on both sides of your vehicle.
R av ehicle approaches too closely on the
side.
R you have adopted asport ydriving style with
high cornerin gspeeds.
R you brak eoraccelerat edecisively.
R ad riving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake.
R ESP ®
is deactivated.
R theO ff-roa dprogram is activated (vehicles
without th eON&O FFROAD package).
R Off-road program 1or2isactivated (vehi-
cles with the ON&OFFROAD package).
R the LOW RANGE off-road gear is activated
(vehicle swith the ON&OFFROAD package).
R al oss of tyr epressure or adefec tive tyre is
detected.
Activatin gActive Blind Spot Assist X
Make sure that the radar senso rsystem
(Y page 283 )and Active Blind Spot Assist
(Y pag e279)are activate dint he on-board
computer.
X Tur nthe key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warnin glamps :light up red in the exte-
rior mirrors for approximately 1.5seconds
and then tur nyellow. Towin
gatrailer
If yo uattach atrailer, make sure th at you have
corre ctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is
then deactivated. The indicator lamp lights up
yellow in the exterior mirrors and the Active Blind Spot Assist currently unavail‐
able Se
eOwner's Manual message
appears in th emultifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assis tdoes not keep
your vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid and
may detec tthe lan emarkings on the road
incorrectly or not at all.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R several or no lane markings for asingle lane
are present.
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray.
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun, or reflec tion from other vehicles.
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up or cov-
ered, for insta ncebyasticker, in the vicinity
of the camera.
R the lane markings are worn away ,dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow.
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected.
R the lane markings on the road are unclear,
e.g. near roadworks.
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge.
R the road is narrow and winding.
Active Lane Keeping Assis tcannot detect
road and traffic conditions. It is not asubsti-
tute for attentive driving. You are responsible Driving systems
245Drivingand pa rking
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

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

Country Radio type approval num-
ber
Frequency range (MHz)
SK (Slova-
kia) Article
6ofDirective
1999/5/E CR&TTE
Slovak
206/11/200 54May 05
MHz :27,40 ,433 ,868 UK
(United
Kingdom) Article
6ofDirective
1999/5/E CR&TTE 18 May
05
MHz: 27 ,40, 418, 433, 868 Afri
ca Country Radio type approval num-
ber
Frequency range (MHz)
EG (Egypt) W-KLE-17/08 Mar. 06
MHz: 27, 30, 40, 418
,433,
868 RE (Réun
ion) Article
6ofDirective
1999/5/EC R&TTE 11 July
05
MHz: 27, 40, 433 ,868 ZA (So
uth
Africa) 11 October 2005
MHz: 27, 40, 433
America
Country Radio type approval num-
ber
Frequency range (MHz)
BB (Barba-
dos) Registration not required
MHz: 27, 40, 433, 868
CL (Chile) 38447/F-23 No.3.3634
MHz: 40, 433
GF (French
Guyana) Article
6ofDirective
1999/5/EC R&TTE10668
13 May 05
MHz: 27, 30, 40, 433 ,868 Country Radio type approval num-
ber
Frequency rang
e(MHz) GP (Guade-
lo
up e) Articl
e6of Directive
1999/5/EC R&TTE10668
13 May 05
MHz: 27 ,30, 40, 433, 868 MQ (M
artini-
que) Article
6ofDirective
1999/5/EC R&TTE 11 July
05
MHz: 27, 30, 40, 433 ,868 MX (M
exico) MHz: 280 to 390
Asia
Country Radio typ
eapproval num-
ber
Frequency range (MHz) AE (United
Arab Emi-
rates) 1623/5/10-2/26/76
MHz: 433
JO (Jordan) TRC/LPD/2005/23
MHz: 27, 30, 40, 433, 868
KW (Kuwait) 5O
ctober 2005
MHz: 27, 30, 40, 418, 433,
868 LB (Leba-
non) 2920/O&M/2006
/3July
05
MHz :27, 40, 433, 868 SA (Sa
udi
Arabia) 11_02_05/5024-5-6
MHz: 418, 433
SY (Syria) 279/4/14
/05March 06 TR (Turkey) National Certification 23
July 07
MHz: 433 Features
357Stowing and features Z

C
Warning triangle
D Wheel bolts
E Towing eye
X Lif tthe luggage compar tment floor up
(Y page 344). Flat ty
re Prep
aring the vehicle
Your vehicle may be equipped with:
R MOExtended tyres (tyres with run -flat char-
acteristics) (Y page 378)
R aT IREFIT kit (Y page 379)
R an emergency spare whee l(only for cer tain
countries) (Y page 414)
Information on changing/fitting awheel
(Y page 404).
Vehicle preparation is not necessar yonvehi-
cles with MOExtended tyres.
X Stop the vehicle as far away as possible
from traffic, on solid, non-slipper yand level
ground.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake man-
ually.
X Bring th efront wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X Move the DIRECT SELECT leve rtoP.
X Vehicle swith the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: makesure that highway level is selec-
ted (Y page 207).
X Switch off the engine.
X Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: remove
the key from the ignition lock.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: open the
driver' sdoor.
The on-boar delectronic shave status 0,
which is the same as the key having been
removed.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
Start/Stop button from the ignition lock
(Y page 159). X
All occupants must leave the vehicle. Make
sure that they are not endangered as they
do so.
X Make sure that no one is near the danger
area while awheel is being changed. Any-
one who is not directly assisting in the
wheel change should, for example, stand
behind the barrier.
X Get out of the vehicle. Pay attention to traf-
fic condition swhen doing so.
X Close the driver's door.
X Plac ethe warnin gtriangl easuitable dis-
tance away (Y page 376). Observe legal
requirements.
X Unload heavy luggage.
i Only operate the tyre inflation compres-
sor using a12Vs ocket,even if the ignition
is turned off (Y page 350).
An emergenc ycut-off ensures that the on-
board voltage does not drop too low. If the
on-board voltage is too low, the power to
the sockets is automatically cut. This
ensures that there is sufficient power to
start the engine. MOExtended tyres (tyres with run-flat
characteristics)
G
WARNING
When driving in emergenc ymode, the driving
characteristic sdeteriorate, e.g. when cor ner-
ing, accelerating quickly and when braking.
There is arisk of accident.
Do not exceed the stated maximum speed.
Avoid abrupt steering and drivin gmanoeu-
vres, and driving over obstacles (kerbs, pot-
holes ,off-road) .This applies in particular to a
laden vehicle.
Sto pdriving in emergency mod eif:
R you hear banging noises.
R the vehicl estart stos hake.
R you see smok eand smell rubber. 378
Flat tyreBreakdown assistance

R
Immediately chang eout of clothing which
has come into contact with tyre sealant.
R If an allergic reaction occurs, seek medical
attention immediately.
! Do not operate the tyre inflation com-
pressor for longe rthan eight minutes at a
tim ew ithou tabreak. It may othe rwise
overheat.
The tyre inflation compressor can be oper-
ated again onc eithas cooled down. TIREFIT sticker, 2-part
X
Do not remov eany foreig nobjects which
have penetrated the tyre, e.g. screws or
nails.
X Remov ethe tyr esealan tbottle, the accom-
panying TIREFIT sticker and the tyr einfla-
tion compressor from the stowage well
underneath the luggage compartment floor
(Y pag e377).
X Affix part :of the TIRE FITsticker within
the driver 'sfield of vision.
X Affix part ;of th eTIREFIT sticker near the
valve on th ewheel with the defective tyre. X
Pull plug ?with the cable and hose Aout
of the housing.
X Screw hose Aontoflange Bof tyre seal-
ant bottle :.
X Place tyre sealant bottle :head down-
wards int orecess ;of the tyr einflation
compressor. X
Remove the cap from valve Con the faulty
tyre.
X Screw filler hose Donto valve C.
X Insert connector ?into a12Vs ocket in
your vehicle.
Observ ethe notes on sockets
(Y page 35 0).
X Tur nthe key to position 1in the igni tion
lock (Y page 15 9).
X Press on/off switch =on the tyr einflation
compressor to I.
The tyre inflation compressor is switched
on. The tyre is inflated.
i First, tyre sealant is pumpe dintot he tyre.
The pressur ecan briefly rise to approx-
imately 500 kPa (5 bar/73 psi).
Do not switch off the tyr einfla tion com-
pressor during this phase.
X Let the tyre inflation compresso rrun for
five minutes. The tyre should then have
attained apressure of at leas t180 kPa
(1.8 bar/26 psi).
If at yre pressure of 180 kPa (1.8 bar/
26 psi) has been attained after five minutes:
(Y page 381). 380
Flat tyreBreakdown assistance