2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class low

X
To dea ctivate :pre ssthe Ì/Á
bu tton.
The indicator lamp inthe Ì/Á
bu tton goesou t. i Re
sidu alhea tisdeactivated
automaticall y:
R after about30 minutes
R when theignition isswitched on
R ifthe battery voltage drops
R ifthe coolant temperature istoo low Setting
theairvents Importa
ntsafety notes G
WARNING When
operating theclimate control,the air
that enters thepassenger compartment
through theairvents canbevery hotorvery
cold (depending onthe settemperature). This
could cause burnsorfrostbite tounprotected
skin inthe immediate areaofthe airvents.
Always keepsufficient distancebetween
unprotected partsofthe body andtheair
vents. Ifnecessary, usetheairdistribution
adjustment todirect theairtoair vents inthe
vehicle interior thatarenot inthe immediate
area ofunprotected skin.
In order toensure thedirect flowoffresh air
through theairvents intothevehicle interior,
please observe thefollowi ngnotes:
R keep theairinlet grille onthe hood andin
the engine compartment onthe front -
passenger sidefreeofblockages, suchas
ice, snow orleaves.
R never covertheairvents orair intake grills
in the vehicle interior. i
For
virtually draft-free ventilation, adjust
the sliders ofthe airvents tothe cent er
position. Setting
thecenter airvents :
Center airvent, left
; Center airvent, right
= Center ventthumbwheel, right
? Center ventthumbwheel, left
X To open/c lose:turnthumbwheels =
and ?tothe right orleft. Setting
theside airvents X
To open/c lose:turn thumbwheel =upor
down. Setting
theglove boxairvent
When automatic climatecontrolisactivated,
the glove boxcanbecooled, forinstance to
cool itscont ents. Thelevel ofairflow depends
on the airflow andairdistribution settings.
At high outside temperatures, opentheair
vent andactivate the"cooling withair
dehumid ification" function. 134
Setting
theairventsClimate control

Useful
information
i This
Operat or'sManual describesall
models andallstan dard andoption al
equipment ofyour vehicle available atthe
time ofpublication ofthe Operat or's
Manual. Country-specificdiffer encesare
possible. Pleasenotethat your vehicle may
not beequipped withallfeature s
descr ibed. Thisalso applies tosafet y-
related systemsand func tions. i
Please
readtheinfor mation onqualified
specialist workshops(Ypage 25). Br
eaking-in notes The
first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more youlook after theengin ewhen itis
new, themore satisfiedyou willbewith its
perfor mancein the future.
R Driv eat varying vehiclespeeds andengin e
speeds forthe first 1000miles (1500km)
for this reason .
R Avo idovers trainingthe vehicle duringthis
period, e.g.drivin gat full throttle.
R Change gearingood time, atthe latest
when thetach omet erneedle is⅔o fthe
way tothe red area inthe tachomet er
displa y.
R Do not manually shifttoalower gearto
brake thevehicle.
R Only select shiftranges 3,2or 1when
driving slowly,e.g. inmountainous terrain.
Aft er1000 miles(1500 km),you can increase
the engine speedgraduall yand bring the
vehicle uptofull speed. i
You
should alsoobserve thesenoteson
runnin gin ifthe engine orparts ofthe drive
train onyour vehicle havebeen replaced. i
Always
observe therespect ivespeed
restr iction s. Driving
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G Make
sureabsolutely noobject sare
obstruct ingthe pedals' rangeofmovemen t.
Keep thedriver's footwell clearofall
obstacles. Ifthere areany floormats or
carpets inthe footwell, makesurethepedals
still have sufficient clearance.
During sudden drivingorbraking maneuvers
the object scould getcaught between the
pedals. Youcould thennolonger brakeor
accelerate. Thiscould leadtoaccident sand
injury. G
WARNIN
G On
slippery roadsurfaces, neverdownshift in
order toobtain braking action.Thiscould
result indrive wheel slipand reduced vehicle
cont rol.Your vehicle's ABSwillnotprevent
this type ofloss ofcont rol. G
WARNIN
G It
is dangerous toshift theautomatic
transm issionoutofparking position Por
neutral position Nifthe engine speedis
higher thanidlespeed. Ifyour footisnot firmly
on the brake pedal, thevehicle could
accelerate quicklyforward orinreverse. You
could losecontrolofthe vehicle andhit
someone orsomethin g.Only shiftintogear
when theengine isidling normally andwhen
your right footisfirmly onthe brake pedal.
! Warm upthe engine quickly. Donot use
the engine's fullperformanc euntil ithas
reached operating temperature.
Only shifttheautomatic transmission to
the desired driveposition whenthevehicle
is station ary.
Where possible, avoidspinnin gthe drive
wheels whenpulling awayonslippery
roads. Youcould otherwise damagethe
drive train. 138
DrivingDriving and parking

X
Insert Start/S topbutton :into ignition
lock ;. i
When
youinsert Start/S topbutton :
into ignition lock;,thesystem requiresa
detection timeofapp roximately two
seconds beforeyoucan useStart/S top
button :. Start/St
opbutton
= USA only
? Cana daonly
X Positio n0: ifStart/S topbutton :has not
yet been pressed ,this corresponds tothe
SmartKey beingremoved fromtheignition.
X Positio n1: press Start/S topbutton :
once.
You cannow activate thewindshi eld
wip ers, forexampl e. i
If
you press Start/S topbutton :twice
when inthis positio n,the powe rsupply is
deac tivat ed again .
X Pos ition 2(ign ition ):pre ssStart /S top
but ton: twice. i
If
you pressStart /S topbut ton: once
when inthis posi tion and thedriv er'sdoor
is open ,th epower supplyis deac tivat ed
again .
As soo nasthe ignition isswitched on,allthe
indicator lampsinthe instrument clusterlight
up. Ifan indicator lampdoesnotgoout after
the engine isstarted orifit lights upwhile the
vehicle isin motion, see(Ypage 271). Star
ting theengin e
Importa ntsafety notes G
WARNING Inhalation
ofexhaust gasishazardous toyour
health. Allexhaust gascont ains carbon
monoxide (CO),andinhaling itcan cause
unconsciousness andpossible death.
Do not run theengine inconfined areas(such
as agarage) whicharenot properly ventilated.
If you think thatexhaust gasfumes are
entering thevehicle whiledriving, havethe
cause determined andcorrect ed
immediately .Ify ou must driveunder these
condit ions,drive onlywith atleast one
window fullyopen atall times. i
Vehicles
withagasoline engine:the
catalytic converter preheats forupto30
seconds afteracold start.Durin gth is time,
th een gin esoun dmay bediff ere nt.
Aut oma tic trans mission X
Sh ift thetrans mis sion toposi tion P.
The trans mis sion position disp layinthe
mult ifunction disp laysho wsP
(Y page 145). i
You
canalso start theen gin ewhen the
tr ans mis sion isin posi tion N.
St artin gpr ocedu rewith theSm artKey X
To star tag asolineeng ine:turn the
SmartKey toposi tion 3in the ignition lock
(Y pag e139) andrelease itas soon asthe
engine isrunning.
X To start adiesel engine: turnthe
Smar tKey toposit ion2in the ignit ionlock
(Y page 139).
The % preglow indicatorlamp inthe
inst rumen tcluster lightsup.
X When the% preglo windic atorlamp
goes out,turnthe SmartK eytoposition 3
(Y page 139)andrelease itas soon asthe
engine isrunning. 140
DrivingDriving and parking

i
You
canstartthe engine without preglow
if the engine iswarm. i
You
canalso usethetouch-st artfunct ion.
To do this, turntheSmartK eytoposition 3
(Y page 139)andrelease itimmediately.
The engine thenstarts automatically .
Using KEYLESS-GO tostar tthe eng ine G
WARNING As
long asthe SmartKey isin you rvehicle, the
vehicle canbestart ed.Therefor e,never leave
children unattended inthe vehicle, asthey
could otherwiseacciden tallystart theengine.
When leaving thevehicle, alwaystake the
Smart Keywith youand lock thevehicle. Do
not leave children unattended inthe vehicle,
or with access toan unlock edvehicle. A
child's unsupervised accesstoavehicle could
result inan acciden tand/o rserious personal
injury. i
The
Start/ Stop button canbeused to
start thevehicle without insertingthe
Smart Keyintothe ignition lock.TheStart/
St op button mustbeinsert edinto the
ignition lockandtheSmart Keymust bein
the vehicle.
X Depress thebrake pedalandkeep it
depressed.
X To star tag asolineeng ine:press the
Start/Stop button(Ypag e139) once.
The engine starts.
X To start adiesel engine: presstheStart/
St op butt on(Ypage 139)onc e.
Preglow isact ivated andtheengin estar ts. Pulling
away
Autom atic transm ission G
WARN
ING It
is danger oustoshift theautomat ic
tr ansm ission outofparkin gposition Por
neutral position Nifthe engine speedis higher
thanidlespeed. Ifyour footisnot firmly
on the brake pedal, thevehicle could
accelerate quicklyforward orinreverse. You
could losecontrolofthe vehicle andhit
someone orsomethin g.Only shiftintogear
when theengine isidling normally andwhen
your right footisfirmly onthe brake pedal. i
It
is only possible toshift thetrans mission
from position Pto the desired position if
you depress thebrake pedal. Onlythenis
the parking lockreleased. Ifyou donot
depress thebrake pedal, youcan move the
DIRECT SELECT lever buttheparking lock
remains engaged.
X Depress thebrake pedalandkeep it
depressed.
X Shift thetrans mission toposition Dor R
(Y page 144).
X Relea sethe brake pedal.
X Carefully depresstheaccelerator pedal.
The electric parking brake(Ypage 156)is
automatically released.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster goesout. i
The
vehicle lockscentrally once youhave
pulled away.The locking knobsinthe doors
drop down.
You canopen thedoors fromtheinside at
any time.
You canalso deactivate theautomatic
locking feature(Ypage 235). i
Upshifts
takeplace athigher engine
speeds afteracold start. Thishelps the
catalytic convertertoreach itsoperating
temperature morequickly.
Pulling awaywithatra iler To
ensure thatyoudonot rollbackwards
when pullingaway onanuphill slope, engage
the electric parking brake. Driving
141Driving and parking Z

Problems
withtheengine Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
The
engine doesnot
start. Thestarter motor
can beheard. R
There isamalfunction inthe engine electron ics.
R There isamalfunction inthe fuel supply .
X Try tostart theengine again(Ypage 140). Avoid excessively
long andfrequent attemptsto start theengine asthese willdrain
the battery.
If the engine doesnotstart after several attempt s:
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
engine doesnot
start. Youcannot hear
the starter motor. The
on-board voltageistoo low because thebattery istoo weak
or discharged.
X Jump-start thevehicle (Ypage 341).
If the engine doesnotstart despite attemptsto jump-st artit:
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
starter motorwasexposed toathermal loadthatwastoohigh.
X Allow thestarter motortocool down forapproximately two
minutes.
X Try tostart theengine again.
If the engine stilldoes notstart:
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
engine isnot
running smoothly and
is misfiring. There
isamalfunction inthe engine electron icsoramechanical
componen tof the engine management system.
X Only depress theaccelerator pedalslightly.
X Have thecause rectifiedimmediately ataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuelmay getinto thecatalytic
conv erter anddamage it. The
coolant
temperature gauge
shows avalue above
248 ‡(120 †). The
coolant levelistoo low. Thecoolant istoo hotand theengine
is no longer beingcooled sufficiently.
X Stop assoon aspossible andallow theengine andthecoolant
to cool down.
X Check thecoolant level(Ypage 315). Observe thewarning
notes asyou dosoand add coolant ifnecessary. Driving
143Driving and parking Z

Aut
oma tic trans mission Imp
ortant safety notes G
WAR
NING It
is dan gerous toshif tthe automatic
transmission outofparking position Por
neutral position Nifthe engine speedis
higher thanidlespeed. Ifyour footisnot firmly
on the brake pedal, thevehicle could
accelerate quicklyforward orinreverse. You
could losecontrolofthe vehicle andhit
someone orsomething. Onlyshiftintogear
when theengine isidling normally andwhen
your right footisfirmly onthe brake pedal. G
WARNING Keep
inmind thatturning offthe engine alone
only willshift theautomatic transmission into
neutral position Nautomatically .
Always shifttheautomatic transmission into
park position Pbefore turning offthe engine.
Otherwise thevehicle couldrollaway which
could result inan accident and/orserious
personal injury. DIREC
TSELECT lever
Over view oftrans mis sion positions The
DIRECT SELECT leve rison the right ofthe
steering column. P
Park position withparking lock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive i
The
DIRECT SELECTlever alwaysreturns
to its original position. Thecurrent
transmission positionP,R, Nor Dappea rs
in the transmission positiondisplay
(Y page 145)inthe multifunction display.
Engagin gpar kposit ionP X
Push theDI RECT SELECT lever inthe
direc tiono farrow P. i
The
automatic transmissi onshifts
au tomatical lyinto park position Pifyou
open thedrive r'sdoor when thevehicl eis
stationary ordrivi ngatvery lowspee d,and
the transmissi onisin posi tion Dor R.
! Ifthe engine speedis too high orthe
vehicl eis moving, donot shift the
au tomatic transmissi ondire ctly from Dto
R, from Rto Dor dire ctly toP.T he
automatic transmission couldotherwise be
damaged.
Engaging parkposit ionPau tom atically Park
positionPis autom atically engaged if:
R you switchoff theeng ineusin gth e
Sm artKey and remove theSm artKey, orif
you switchoff theeng ineusin gth eSt art /
St op butt onand open oneof thefron t
door s.
R theHOL Dfun ction (Ypage 179)or
DI STRO NICPLUS(Y page 169)brak es
your vehicle untilit is statio naryand atleast
on eof thefollo wing condition sis fulf illed:
- there isasyst emmalf unction.
- there isasev ere uphill ordown hillslope .
The electric park ingbrak eis then also
applied.
Engag ingreversegear R !
Onlyshif tthe automatic transmission to
R when thevehicle isstationary. 144
Automat
ictransmissionDriving and parking

X
When thevehicle isstat ionary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push theDIRE CTSELECT leveruppast the
first point ofresistan ce.
Shift ingtoneutr alN X
When thevehicle isstat ionary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push theDIRE CTSELECT leverupordown
to the first point ofresistan ce.
If the engine hasbeen switched off,the
automatic transmission automatic ally
switches toN.
Rema ininginneutr alN
If the automatic transmission isto remain in
neutr alN, e.g. forwashing thevehicle incar
washes withatowing device, pleaseobserve
the following instruct ions: G
WARN
ING When
leaving theSmart Keyinthe start er
switch, donot leave children unattended in
the vehicle. Itis possible forchildren toswitch
on the ignition whichcouldresult in
unsupervised useofvehicle equipment.
Unsuperv iseduseofvehicle equipment could
result inan accident and/orserious personal
injury.
Using theSma rtKey:
R make surethattheignition isswitched on.
R when thevehicle isstat ionary, depress the
brake pedalandkeep itdepressed.
R shift toneutr alN.
R release thebrake pedal.
R ifapplied, releasetheelectr icparking
brake.
R switch offthe ignition andleave the
Smart Keyinthe ignition lock.
Using KEYLESS-GO:
R make surethattheignition isswitched on.
R when thevehicle isstat ionary, depress the
brake pedalandkeep itdepressed.
R engage parkposition P. R
release thebrake pedal.
R remove theStart/ Stop button fromthe
ignition lock.
R insert theSmart Keyinto theignition lock.
R switch onthe ignition .
R depress thebrake pedalandkeep it
depressed.
R shift toneutr alN.
R release thebrake pedal.
R ifapplied, releasetheelectr icparking
brake.
R switch offthe ignition andleave the
Smart Keyinthe ignition lock.
Shift ingtotransmission positionD X
When thevehicle isstat ionary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push theDIRE CTSELECT leverdown past
the first point ofresistan ce. Tr
ansmission positiondisplay
The curren ttransmis sionposition isshow nin
the multifu nctio ndisplay. :
Tran smiss ionposit ion
The arrows inthe transm ission position
display showhowandintowhich
tr ansm ission positionsyoucan chan geusing
the DIRECT SELECT lever .
! Ifthe transm ission positiondisplay inthe
mult ifunc tiondisplay isnot work ing,you
should pullaway carefully tochec kwhether
the desired transmission positionis
engaged. Selecttransmission positionD.
Do not restrict theshift range. Automat
ictransmission
145Driving and parking Z

Trans
mission pos ition s B
Park
position
Do not shiftthe transmi ssion into
po sitio nP(Y page 155) unless the
veh icleis sta tionar y.The parking
lo ck sho uld not beused asabra ke
wh en parking .In additio nto
eng aging the parking lock, you
mu stalwa ysapplythe electri c
pa rking braketosec urethe
veh icle.
If the vehicleelectro nicsare
ma lfunctio ning,the transmi ssion
ma ybe locked inpo sitio nP. Hav e
the vehicleelectro nicschecked at
a qu alifi ed speci alistw orkshop,
e.g. anauthorized Mercedes-B enz
Center, immediately.
The automatic transmission shifts
to Pautomatically ifyou:
R remove theSmart Key
R switch offthe engine wheninR
or Dand open oneofthe front
doors C
Reverse
gear
Only shiftthetrans mission toR
when thevehicle isstation ary. A
Neut
ral
Do not shift thetrans mission toN
while driving. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission couldbe
damaged.
No power istrans mittedfrom the
engine tothe drive wheels.
Releasi ngthe brakes willallow you
to move thevehicle freely,e.g.to
push itor tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated orfaulty:
only shift thetrans mission to
position Nifthe vehicle isin danger
of skidding, e.g.onicy roads.
If you switch offthe engine using
the Smart Keyorthe Start /Stop
button ,the automatic transmission
shifts toneutral Nautomatically.
! Rolling inneutral Ncan damage
the drive train. 7
Drive
The
automatic transmission
changes gearautomatically. All
forward gearsareavaila ble. Changing
gear
The automatic transmission shiftstothe
individual gearsautomatically whenitis in
trans mission position D.Thisautomatic
gearshifting behaviorisdetermined by:
R apossible limitation ofthe shift range
R the position ofthe accelerator pedal
R the road speed 146
Automat
ictransmissionDriving and parking