2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 100

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

Trave
ling uphi ll
App roac h/depa rture angle :
: 14
;
Ste
el-spri ng
ve hic les 26° 25° 25°
Veh
icle swi th
the AIRMA TIC
pac kag e Hig
hway level 23° 22°
22°
15 Ra
ised level 28° 27° 27°
R
Co mpl ywi th the rulesfor off-roaddri ving .
R Do not drive atan ang leon slop es,incl ines
or gra dients, butinstea dfol low the direct
li ne offall.T he maximum gradient-climbing
capabil ityofyour vehicle is100%, which
corresponds toan approach/departure
angle of45°. Note thatthevehicle's
gradient-c limbingcapabilitydepends on
the off-r oad condition s.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Drive slowly .
R Avoid highengine speeds –drive ata
sui table engine speed(maxi mum 3000
rpm). R
When drivingdow nanincli ne, makeuseof
the engine'sbra king effect. Observethe
eng inespeed;do not overrevthe engine.
R Check thebrakes afterdriving off-road for
a long time. G
WARNING Never
turnthevehicle around onsteep
inclines. Thevehicle mightrollover. Ifthe
vehicle cannotcomplete theattempt edclimb,
back itdown inreverse gear. i
Hill
start assist willaidyou when pulling
away onahill.
For further information ,see "Hill start
assist" (Ypage 142).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability For
good roadsurface condition s,the
maximum gradient-climbingcapabilityis
100%, whichcorresponds toan approach/
departure angleof45°. Note thatthe
vehicle's gradient-c limbingcapability
depends onthe off-r oad condition s.
Acc elerate carefully andmake surethatthe
wheels donot spin when driving onsteep
terrain. i
If
the load onthe front axleisreduced
when pullingaway onasteep uphillslope,
the front wheels haveatenden cytospin.
4ETS recogniz esthis and brakes the
wheels accordingly. Therear wheel torque
is increased, makingiteasier todrive off.
Brow ofhill When
driving upanuphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure onthe accelerator
immediately beforereaching thebrow ofthe
hill. Use thevehicle's ownimpetus todrive
over thetop ofthe hill.
14 With AMG bodystyling.
15 166
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

The ML 350 4MATIC model has a departure angle of 23°.

Sid
evie w Top
view
Fro ntsenso rs Ce
nter Appr
oxim ately40 in
(a ppr oxim ately100 cm) Co
rners Appr
oxim ately24 in
(a ppr oxim ately60 cm) Rear
senso rs Ce
nter Appr
oxim ately48 in
(a ppr oxim ately120 cm) Co
rners Appr
oxim ately32 in
(a ppr oxim ately80 cm) !
Whe npark ing,pay particular attentio nt o
object sabove orbelow thesensors, such
as flower potsortrailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC doesnotdetect suchobject s
when theyareinthe immediate vicinityof
the vehicle. Youcould damage thevehicle
or the object s.
The sensors maynotdetect snowandother
object sthat absorb ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic
sourcessuchasan automatic
car wash, thecompressed- airbrakes ona
truck orapneumatic drillcould cause
PARKTRONIC tomalfunct ion.
PARKTRONIC maynotfunct ioncorrec tlyon
uneven terrain.
Minimum distance Center Approx
imately 8in
(approx imately 20cm) Corne
rs Appr
oxim ately 6in
(approx imately 15cm) If
ther eis an obst acle within thisrange ,the
relevan twarn ing displ ayslight upand a
warn ingtone soun ds.Ifth edist ancefalls
below themin imum ,th edist ancemay no
lon ger besho wn.
Wa rning displa ys The
warn ingdispl aysshowthedist ance
bet ween thesen sorsand theo bstac le.The
warning displayforthe fron tarea isloca ted
on the dashboa rdabo vethe center airvents.
The warning displayforthe rear area isin the
roof lamp inthe rear compartment. Warning
displayforthe front area
: Segments onthe left-hand sideofthe
vehicl e
; Segments onthe right-hand sideofthe
vehicl e
= Segments showingopera tional readiness
The warning displayforeach sideofthe
vehicl eis divi ded into fiveyellow and twored 184
Drivi
ngsystemsDriving and parking

Please
notethat when towing atrailer,
PARKTRONIC (Ypage 183)andBlind Spot
Assist (Ypage 198)areonly availabl ewith
limitations ,or not atall. i
On
vehicles withoutlevelcontrol,the
height ofthe ball coupling willalter
accordin gto the load placed onthe vehicle.
If necess ary,useatrailer withaheight-
adjustable drawbar.
Driving tips i
Observe
theinform ationonESP®
trailer
stabilization (Ypage 64)and onpulling
away withatrailer. (Ypage 141).
The maximum permissible speedforvehicle/
trailer combinat ionsdepends onthe type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journ ey,check
the trailer's document sto see what the
maximum permittedspeed is.Observe the
legally prescribed maximumspeedinthe
relevant country.
For cert ainMercedes- Benzvehicles, the
maximum permissible rearaxle load is
incr eased whentowing atrailer. Refertothe
"Technical data"sectiontofind outwhether
this applies toyour vehicle. Ifyou utilize any
of the added maximum rearaxle load when
towing atrailer, thevehicle/t railer
combinat ionmay notexceed amaximum
speed of60 mph(100 km/h)for reasons
conc ernin gthe operating permit.Thisalso
applies incount riesinwhich thepermissible
maximum speedforvehicle/t railer
combinat ionsisabove 60mph(100 km/h).
When towing atrailer, yourvehicle's handling
charact eristics willbedifferen tinc omparison
with when driving without atrail er.
On long andsteep downhill gradients, you
must selectshift range 1,2or 3in good time. i
This
alsoapp liesif you have activated
cruise control orDISTRONIC PLUS.
This willuse thebraking effectofthe engine,
so that lessbraking willbe requ iredto
maintai nthe speed. Thisrelieves theload on
the brake system andprevents thebrakes from
overheating andwearing tooquickly. If
you need additional braking,depressthe
brake pedalrepeatedly ratherthan
cont inuously .
Driving tips R
Maintain agreater distance fromthe
vehicle infront thanwhen driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. Ifpossible, brake
gently atfirst toallow thetrailer torun on.
Then, increase thebraking forcerapidly .
R The values givenforgradient-c limbing
capabil itiesfrom astandst illrefer tosea
level. When driving inmountainous areas,
note thatthepower output ofthe engine,
and consequent lythe vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability,decrease with
increasing altitude.
If the trailer swings fromsidetoside:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter- steer.
X Brake ifnecessary. Assemblin
gthe ball coupling
! Mercedes-Ben zrecomm endsthatyou
have theball coupling assembled ata
qualified specialist workshop.Only a
qualified specialist workshophas the
nec essary specialist knowledge andtools
to carry outthework required. Youcould
other wiseincorrectlyassemble theball
coupling ortight enthe nut with the
incor recttorque. Thiscould leadtothe ball
coupling andtheball coupling carrier
becomin gdetached whiletowing atrailer.
As aresult, youcould cause anacciden t.
Therefor e,have theball coupling
assembled ataqualified specialist
worksho p.
If the assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor 212
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

X
Attach hook= tothe cargo
comp artment' sup pers eal ?.
X To close: detach hook=from thecargo
compart ment'supper seal?.
X Fasten hook=tothe brack eton the
underside ofthe trun kfloor.
X Fold thetrunk floor down.
X Press thetrunk floor down ;untilit
eng ages. Roof
carrier
Imp ortant safety notes G
WARN
ING Only
usecarriers when thebasic carrierbars
have been complete lymoun ted.Theleftand
right roofrails areonly stabilized bymean sof
the basic carrierbars moun ted.
Follow themanuf acturer' sinsta llati on
ins truc tions. Othe rwise, animp roperly
atta chedcar riero rits load cou ldbe come
de tach edfromt hevehicle.
Do not exceed themaximum roofload of
220 lb(100 kg).
Take intoconsideration thatwhen theroof is
loaded, thehandling characterist icsare
different fromthose whenoperating the
vehicle without theroof loaded.
! Mercedes-Ben zrecomm endsthatyou
only useroof carriers thathave been tested
and approved forMercedes- Benzvehicles. This
helps topreven tdamage tothe
veh icle.
Posi tionthe load onthe roof carrier insuch
a way that thevehicle willnotsustain
damage evenwhen itis in motion.
Depending onthe vehicle equipment,
ensure thatwhen theroof carrier is
installed youcan:
R raise thesliding sunroof fully
R open thepanorama roofwith power tilt/
sliding panelfully
R open thetailgate fully
Attaching theroof carrier X
Secure theroof carrier toroof rails :.
X Observe themanufacturer's installation
instruct ions. Features
Cup
holders
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING In
order tohelp prevent spillingliquidson
vehicle occupants and/orvehicleequipment,
only usecont ainers thatfitinto thecup
holder. Uselidsonopen containers anddo
not fillcont ainers toah eight where the
con tents,especially hotliquids, couldspill
during braking ,vehicle maneuvers, orinan
acciden t.Liquids spilledonvehicle occupant s
may cause serious personal injury.Liquids Featur
es
293Stowing and features
Z

enfor
cemen tagency isinfor med ofthe
location ofthe vehicle. i
If
the anti- theftalarm systemisact ive for
long erthan 30seco nds,mbrac e
autom atically inform sthe Merc edes- Benz
Custom erAss istanc eCent er. Gar
age door opener
Imp ortant safety notes The
Hom eLink®
garage dooropener
int egrat edinthe rear- view mirrorallows you
to operat eup tothr ee diff eren tdoor and gate
systems. i Certain
garagedoordrives are
incompat iblewith theintegr atedgarage
door opener. Ifyou have difficulty
programming theintegr atedgarage door
opener, contactanauthorized Mercedes-
Benz Center orcall one ofthe following
telephone hotlines:
R USA: Mercedes-B enzCustomer
Assist anceCenter at
1-8 00- FOR-ME RCedes
R Canada: Customer Serviceat
1-8 00- 387- 0100 G
WARNIN
G Before
programming theintegrat edremote
cont roltoagarage dooropener orgate
operator, makesurepeople andobject sare
out ofthe way ofthe device toprevent
potent ialharm ordamage. When
programming agarage dooropener, thedoor
moves upordown. Whenprogramming agate
operator, thegate opens orcloses.
Do not use theintegrat edremote controlwith
any garage dooropener thatlacks safety stop
and reverse features asrequired byU.S.
federal safetystandards (thisincludes any
garage dooropener modelmanufactured
before April1,1982 ).A garage doorthat
cann otdetect anobject -signaling thedoor to
stop andreverse -does notmeet current
U.S. federal safetystandards.
When programming agarage dooropener,
park vehicle outside thegarage.
Do not run theengine whileprogramming the
integrat edremote control.Inhalation of
exhaust gasishazardous toyour health. All
exhaust gascont ains carbon monoxide(CO),
and inhaling itcan cause unconsciousness
and possible death.Allexhaust gascont ains
carbon monoxide(CO), andinhaling itcan
cause unconsciousness andpossible death. i
USA
only:
This device complies withpart15ofthe
FCC Rules. Operation issubject tothe
following twocondit ions:
1. This device maynotcause harmful
interf erence, and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterf erence
received, includinginterference thatmay
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser's authority to
operate theequipment.
FCC ID:CB2HMIH L4 i
Canada
only:
This device complies withRSS-2 10of
Industr yCanada. Operation issubject to
the following twocondit ions:
1. This device maynotcause interference,
and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterf erence
received, includinginterference thatmay
cause undesired operationofthe device.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser's authority to
operate theequipment.
IC: 279B -HMIHL4 Featur
es
305Stowing and features Z

X
Pull release lever:for the hood.
The hood isreleased.
! Make surethatthewindshield wipersare
not folded awayfromthewindshield. You
could otherwise damagethewindshield
wipers orthe hood. X
Reach intothegap, pullhood catch
handle ;upand liftthe hood.
Onc eyou have lifted thehood about
15 inches (40cm), itis automatically
opened therest ofthe way andheld open
by the gas-filled struts.
Closing thehood G
WARNIN
G When
closing thehood, useextreme caution
not tocatc hhands orfingers. Becareful that
you donot close thehood onanyone.
Make surethehood issecurely engaged
before driving off.Donot cont inue driving if
the hood cannolonger engage afteran
accident ,for example. Thehood could otherwise
comeloosewhilethevehicle isin
motion andinjure youand/or others.
X Lower thehood andletitfall from aheight
of approximately 8inches (20cm).
X Check thatthehood hasengaged properly.
If the hood canberaised slightly, itis not
properly engaged. Openitagain andclose
it with alittle more force. Rad
iator i
Vehicles
withadiesel engine: donot
cov erthe radiator ,for examp lewith a
wint erfron tor bug cover.The reading sof
the on-board- diagnos ticsyste mmay
ot her wise beinac curate.Some ofthese
readings arerequired bylaw and must be
accurate atall times. Engine
oil
Notes onthe oillevel Dependin
gon the driving style,thevehicle
consumes upto0.9 USqts. (0.8 l)of oil over
a distance of600 miles (1000 km).Theoil
consumpt ionmay behigher thanthiswhen
the vehicle isnew orifyou frequently driveat
high engine speeds.
Checking theoillevel using theoil
dipst ick Example:
vehicleswithagasoline engine Engine
compar tment
313Maintenance and care Z

(100
km)as they onlyreach theirfull
perfo rmanceafter thisdistan ce.
R Do not use tiresthat areexcessively worn
as the tire tract ion onwet road surfac es
decr eases significantlywhen thetread
depth isless than 1
/ 8 inc
h(3 mm).
R Replace thetiresafter sixyears atthe
latest ,regardles sof wear. Thisalso applies
to the spare wheel/em ergencyspare
wheel.
The servicelife oftire sdepends onthe
followin gfact orsamong stothe rthings:
R driving style
R tire pressure
R mileage MOExtended
tires(tires withrun-flat
proper ties)
MOExt ended tires(tires withrun-flat
properties) allowyoutocont inue driving your
vehicle evenifone ormore tiresareentirely
deflated.
MOExt ended tiresmaybeused onlyin
conj unction withtheactivated tirepressure
loss warning systemorthe activated tire
pressure monitorin gsystem andonly on
wheels specifically testedbyMercedes-Ben z.
You willfind notes ondriving with
MOExt ended tiresinthe "Breakdown
assistance" section(Ypage 338). Winter
operation Please
bearthefollow inginmind
At the onset ofwinter, haveyourvehicle
winterproofed ataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Observe thenotes inthe "Cha nging awheel"
section (Ypage 374). Driving
withsumm ertires
At temperatures below45‡(+7 †), the
elasticity ofsummer tiresandtherefore also
tract ionand braking capabilityare reduced
considerably —equip your vehicle with
M+S tires.Using summer tiresatvery cold
temper aturescouldcause tearstoform ,
ther eby damaging thetires perman ently.
Mercede s-Benz cann otaccept responsibility
for this type ofdamage. M+S
tires
At temper aturesbelow45‡(+7 †), use
winter tiresorall-season tires.Both types of
tire areidentified bythe M+S marking.
Only winter tiresbearing thei snowflake
symbol inaddition tothe M+S marking
provide thebest possible gripinwintry road
condit ions.Onlythese tireswillallow driving
safety systems suchasABS andESP®
to
funct ionoptimally inwinter, asthese tires
have been designed specifically fordriving on
snow.
Use M+S tiresofthe same make andtread on
all wheels tomaintain safehandling
charact eristics. G
WARNIN
G M+S
tireswithatread depth ofless than 1
/ 6
inch (4mm) must bereplaced. Theyareno
longer suitable forwinter operation.
Always observe themaximum permissible
speed specified forthe M+S tiresyouhave
mounted.
Once youhave mounted thewinter tires:
X Check thetire pressures (Ypage 357).
X Restart thetire pressure losswarning
system (Ypage 357). G
WARNIN
G If
you mount thespare wheel whendriving
with M+S tires, bearinmind thatdriving
stability willbeimpaired duetounstable 352
Winter
operationWheels and tires