2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class park assist

Limi
tedbraking performa nce onsalt -
tr eat edroa ds G
WAR
NING The
layer ofsalt ontheb rake discs andthe
brake pads/linings maycauseadelay inthe
brakin geffec t,resultin gin asignific antly
longer brakingdistanc e,which couldleadto
an acciden t.
To avoid thisdanger, youshould:
R occ asionally brakecarefully, without
puttin gother roadusers atrisk, when you
are driving onsalted roads. Thishelps to
remov eany salt that may have startedto
build upon the brake discsandthebrake
pads/linin gs.
R maint ainagreater distancetothe vehicle
ahead anddrive withparticular care.
R carefully applythebrakes atthe end ofa
trip and immediately aftercommen cinga
new trip,sothat saltresidues areremoved
from thebrake discs.
Servicing thebrakes !
Ifthe red brake warning lamplights upin
the instr ument cluster andyouhear a
warning tonewhile theengine isrunnin g,
the brake fluidlevel maybetoo low.
Observe additional warningmessages in
the multifunct iondisplay .
The brake fluidlevel maybetoo low due to
brake padwear orleaking brakelines.
Have thebrake system checked
immediately. Thiswork should becarried
out atan authorized Mercedes-B enz
Center.
All check sand mainten ancework onthe
brake system mustbecarried outata
quali fiedspecialist workshop only.Have this
work carried outatan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Have thebrake padsreplaced andthebrake
fluid renewed ataquali fiedspecialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enz
Center. G
WARNING If
brake padsorbrake fluidother thanthose
recommen dedareused, thebraking
properties ofthe vehicle canbedegraded to
an exten tthat safe braking issubstantially
impaired. Thiscould result inan accident.
! Afunct ionorperformance testshould
only becarried outona2 -axl e
dy nam ome ter.Ifyo uar eplanni ngtohave
the vehicleteste don such ady nam ome ter,
conta ctan author izedMer cedes-B enz
Ce nter toobtainfu rthe rinfo rma tionfir st.
Othe rwise, youcou ldda ma gethe drive
trai nor the brakesystem .
! Asthe ESP ®
sy stem opera tes
au toma tically, the engineand theigniti on
mu stbe switch edoff (Sma rtKeyin po sitio n
0 or 1in the igniti onlock orStar t/Stop
bu tton inpo sitio n0 or 1) wh ile the electri c
pa rking brakeisbe ing teste don abra ke
dy nam ome ter(ma ximu m10secon ds).
Brak ingtrigger edautomatic allybyESP®
may seriously damagethebrake system.
If your brake system issubject onlyto
moderate loads,youshould testthe
func tionality ofyour brakes atregular
int ervals bypressing firmlyonthe brake pedal
at high speeds. Thisimproves thegrip ofthe
brake pads. G
WARN
ING Make
surethatyoudonot endanger other
road users whenyouapply thebrakes.
You canfind adescript ionofBrak eAssist
(BAS )on (Ypage 61)orofBA SPLUS on
(Y page 62). 160
Driving
tipsDriving 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°.

This
style ofdriving prevent s:
R the vehicle fromlifting offthe ground onthe
brow ofahill
R the vehicle fromtraveling tooquickly down
the other side
Driving downhill R
Drive slowly.
R Do not drive atan angle down steep
inclines. Steer into theline offall and drive
with thefron twheels aligned straight.
Otherwise, thevehicle couldslipsidewa ys,
tip and rollover.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Act ivate DSR. Ifthis isnot sufficient, brake
gently. Whendoingso,make surethatthe
vehicle isfacing inthe direction ofthe line
of fall.
R Check thatthebrakes areworking normally
after along downhill stretch. i
The
special off-road ABS settin genables
a precise, briefandrepeated lockingofthe
front wheels, causing themtodig into the
loose earth. Beaware thatthefront wheels
easily skidacross theground surface if
completely brakedandtherefore losetheir
abili tyto steer. Driving
systems Cruise
control
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING The
cruise controlisaconven iencesystem
designed toassist thedriver during vehicle
operation. Thedriver isand must always
remain responsible forthe vehicle's speed
and forsafe brake operation.
Only usethecruise controlifthe road, traffic,
and weather condition smake itadvisabl eto
travel ataconst antspeed. R
The useofthe cruise controlcan be
dangerous onwinding roadsorinheavy
traffic because condition sdo not allow safe
driving ataconst antspeed.
R The useofthe cruise controlcan be
dangerous onslippery roads.Rapid
changes intire tract ioncan result inwheel
spin andloss ofcont rol.
R Deactivate thecruise controlwhen driving
in fog.
The "Resu me"funct ionshould onlybe
operated ifthe driver isfully aware ofthe
previously setspeed andwishes toresume
this particular presetspeed. G
WARNING The
cruise controlbrakes automatically so
that thesetspeed isnot exceeded.
General notes Cruise
controlmaintains aconst antroad
speed foryou. Itbrakes automatically inorder
to avoid exceeding thesetspeed. Onlong and
steep downhill gradients, especiallyif the
vehicle isladen ortowing atrailer, youmust
select shiftrange 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so,you willmake useofthe braking
effect ofthe engine, whichrelieves theload
on the brake system andprevents thebrakes
from overheating andwearing tooquickly.
Use cruise controlonly ifroad andtraffic
condition smake itappropriate tomaintain a
steady speedforaprolonged period.Youcan
set any road speed above20mph
(30 km/h). i
Cruise
controlshould notbeactivated
during off-road driving. Driving
systems
167Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING An
intermittent warningsound sand the
dista ncewarning lamp · inthe instrument
cluster isillumina tedifthe DISTRONIC PLUS
system calculates thatthedista ncetothe
vehicl eahe adand yourvehicle's current
speed indicat ethat theDISTRONIC PLUSwill
not becapable ofslowing thevehicle
sufficien tlytomaint ainthe preset following
distanc e,which createsadanger ofa
collision.
Immediately brakethevehicle toincr ease
your distanc eto the precedin gvehicle. The
warning soundisinten dedasafinal caution
in which youshould intercede withyour own
braking inputstoavoid apoten tially
dangerous situation.Donot wait forthe
operation ofthe warning signaltointerc ede
with your ownbraking. Thiswillresult in
potent iallydangerous emergencybraking
which willnotalway sresult inan impact being
avoided.
Tailgating increasestherisk ofan accident . G
WARNING DIS
TRONIC PLUSbrakes yourvehicle witha
maximum deceleration of13 ft/s2
(4 m/s 2
).
This isequivalent toapproximately 40%of
your vehicle's maximum possible
deceleration.
You need tobrake yourself toprevent a
collision. DISTRONIC PLUSbrakes thevehicle
to restore thesetdistance fromthevehicle
ahead orthe setspeed. G
WARNING If
you donot receive visualoracoustic
warning signalsduringacritic altraffic
situation, DISTRONIC PLUShaseither not
recogn izedthecollision risk,hasbeen
deactivated orismalfunct ioning.
Remember, whetherornot DISTRONIC PLUS
is operating, itis ultimately alwaysthe drivers
responsibility toapply thebrakes inorder to
cont rolthe vehicle andavoid acollision. G
WARNING The
vehicle canbebraked whenDISTRONIC
PLUS isactivated. Forthis reason, deactivate
DIS TRONIC PLUSifthe vehicle isto be set in
motion byother means (e.g.inacar wash or
by towing).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUStoassist you,
the radar sensor system mustbeactivated
(Y page 236)andoperational.
General notes DIS
TRONIC PLUSregulates thespeed and
automatically helpsyoumaintain the
distance tothe vehicle detectedinfront .It
brakes automatically inorder toavoid
exceeding thesetspeed.
On long andsteep downhill gradients,
especially ifthe vehicle isladen ortowing a
trailer, youmust select shiftrange 1,2or 3
in good time. Bydoing so,you willmake use
of the braking effectofthe engine, which
relieves theload onthe brake system and
prevent sthe brakes fromoverheating and
wearing tooquickly.
If aslower-moving vehicleisdetect edinfront ,
DIS TRONIC PLUScauses yourvehicle to
brake andmaintain thepreset distance tothe
vehicle infront .
If there isno vehicle drivinginfront ofyou,
DIS TRONIC PLUSfunctionslikecruise
cont rolataspeed rangebetween 20mph
(Canada :30 km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).If avehicle isdriving in
front ofyou, itfunct ionsataspeed range
between 0mph (0km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUSwhiledriving on
roads withsteep gradients.
As DIS TRONIC PLUStransmitsradar waves,
it can resemble theradar detect orsofthe
responsible authorities.Youcanrefer tothe
applicabl esection inthe Operator's Manualif
there areany questions concerning this. i
USA
only: Driving
systems
171Driving and parking Z

X
Sel ect the Dis
tanceDisplay functi
on
us ing the on-bo ardcomp uter
(Y page 232) . i
Yo
uwi llsee thestore dspe edfor abou t
fiv eseco ndswhen youacti vate DISTR ONIC
PLU S.
Dri vin gwi th DISTRONI CPL US Pul
ling awa y
X Ifthe vehic lein fron tpulls away: remove
you rfoot from thebrake pedal.
X Briefly pullthecruise controllever
(Y page 172)towards you.
or
X Acc elerate briefly.
Your vehicle pullsaway andadapts its
speed tothat ofthe vehicle infront .
Driving G
WARNIN
G If
you depress thebrake, DISTRONIC PLUSis
deactivated unlessyourvehicle isstation ary.
DIS TRONIC PLUSthennolonger brakes your
vehicle. Insuch cases, controlthe distance
from vehicles travelling infront withthebrake
alone. Youcould otherwise causeanaccident
and thereby injureyourself andothers. The
driver remains fullyresponsible forthe
vehicle's distancefromother vehicles, the
speed beingdriven andforbraking ingood
time.
If there isno vehicle infront ,DIS TRONIC
PLUS operates inthe same wayascruise
cont rol.
If DIS TRONIC PLUSdetect sthat thevehicle
in front hasslowed down,itbrakes your
vehicle. Inthis way, thedistance youhave
selected ismaintained.
If DIS TRONIC PLUSdetect sthat thevehicle
in front hasincreased speed,itincreases your
driving speed,butonly uptothe speed you
have stored. Changing
lanes
If you wish tochange tothe passing lane(in
count rieswith right- hand traffic ,the passing
lane isthe left- hand lane), DISTRONIC PLUS
supports youif:
R you aredriving fasterthan40mph
(60 km/ h).
R DIS TRONIC PLUSismaintainin gthe
distance toavehicle infront .
R you switch onthe appropriate turnsignals.
R DIS TRONIC PLUSdoesnotdetect adanger
of collision.
If these condit ionsaremet, yourvehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration willbeinter rupted
if changing lanestakes toolong orifthe
distance between yourvehicle andthe
vehicle infront becomes toosmall. G
WARNIN
G DIS
TRONIC PLUSandActiveBlind SpotAssist
are only aidsdesigned toassist driving.
They donot relieve youofthe responsibility
of paying attention.Thedriver remains fully
responsible forthe vehicle's distancefrom
other vehicles, thevehicle's speedandfor
braking ingood time. Always payatten tionto
traffic conditionsandyour surroundings.
Otherwise, youmay failtorecogn izedangers
in time, cause anaccident andinjure yourself
and others.
Vehicles withCOMAND i
The
following functionisnot operational
in all count ries.
DIS TRONIC PLUSusesadditional information
from yournavigation systemsothat itcan
react appropriately tocert aintraffic
situations. Thisisthe case if,while following
a vehicle, DISTRONIC PLUSisactive andyou:
R approach ordrive through atraffic circle
R approach aTinter section
R turn offatafreeway exit
Even ifthe vehicle infront leaves the
detect ionrange, DISTRONIC PLUS
temporarily maintainsthecurrent driving 174
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

There
areseveral waystodeactivate
DIS TRONIC PLUS:
X Briefly pressthecruise controllever
forwards :.
or
X Brake, unless thevehicle isstation ary.
When youdeactivate DISTRONIC PLUS,the DISTRONIC
PLUSOff message
isshown in
the multifunct iondisplay forapproximately
five seconds. i
The
lastspeed stored remains storeduntil
you switch offthe engine. i
DIS
TRONIC PLUSisnot deactivated ifyou
depress theaccelerator pedal.Ifyou
accelerate toovert ake,DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts thevehicle's speedtothe last
speed stored afteryouhave finished
overt aking.
DIS TRONIC PLUSisautomatically
deactivated if:
R you engage theelectric parking brakeorif
the vehicle isautomatically securedwith
the electric parking brake
R you aredriving slowerthan
15 mph (25km/ h)and there isno vehicle
in fron t,or ifthe vehicle infron tisno longer
detected
R ESP ®
interven esoryou deactivate ESP®
.
R the transmission isin the P,Ror Nposition.
R you switch offthe radar sensor system
(Y page 236).
R you pull thecruise controllever towards
you inorder topull awayand the front- pa
sse nge rdoor orone ofthe rear doors is
open.
R you activate DSR.
R the vehicle hasskidded.
If DIS TRONIC PLUSisdeactivated, youwill
hear awarning tone.The DISTRONIC
PLUS Off message
isshown inthe multifunct ion
display forapproximately fiveseconds.
You canselect thedistance displayinthe
Assist ancemenu (Ypage 232)ofthe on-
board computer. Distan
cedisplay whenDISTRONIC PLUSis
deactivated
: Vehicle infront ,if detect ed
; Distan ceindicator, currentdistance to
the vehicle infront
= Specified minimum distancetothe
vehicle infront ;adjustable
? Own vehicle
X Select the Distance
Display funct
ion
using theon-board computer
(Y page 232).
Tips fordriving withDISTRONIC PLUS Import
antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G The
DISTRONIC PLUSworks tomaintain the
speed selected bythe driver unless amoving
obstacle proceeding directlyaheadofitin the
same travel direction isdetect ed(e.g.
following anothervehicleaheadofyou atyour
set distance). Driving
systems
177Driving and parking
Z

segments.
PARKTRONIC isoperational if
yell ow segments showingoperational
readiness =light up.
The selected transmission positionandthe
direction inwhich thevehicle isrolling
determine whichwarning displayis active
when theengine isrunning. Tra
nsmission
position Warning
display D
Front
areaactivated R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling
backwards Rear
andfront areas
activated P
No
areas activated One
ormore segments lightupasthe vehicle
approa chesanobstacle, depending onthe
vehicle's distancefromtheobstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, youwillhear an
intermitt entwarning tonefor
approximately twoseconds.
R seventh segment onwards, youwillhear a
warning toneforapproximately two
seconds. Thisindicates thatyouhave now
reached theminimum distance.
Deac tivating/activating PARKTRONIC:
Indicator lamp
; Todeactivate/activate PARKTRONIC If
indicator lamp:lights up,PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Active Park Assist isthen also
deactivated. i
PARKTRONIC
isautomaticall yactivated
when youturn theSmartKey toposition 2
in the ignition lock.
Tra iler towing PARKTRONIC
isdeactivated forthe rear area
when youestablish anelectrical connection
between yourvehicle andatrailer.
! Fold inthe ball coupling ifthe trailer tow
hitch isnot required. PARKTRONIC
measures theminimum detection rangeto
an obstacle fromthebumper, nottheball
coupling. Driving
systems
185Driving and parking Z

Problems
withPARKTRONIC Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
Only
thered segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displaysare lit.
You also hear awarning
tone forapproximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately
20 seconds, andthe
indicator lampinthe
PARKTRONIC button
lights up. PARKTRONIC
hasmalfunction edand hasswitched off.
X Ifproblems persist,havePARKTRONIC checkedataqual ified
specialist workshop. Only
thered segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displaysare lit.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately 20
seconds. The
PARKTRONIC sensorsaredirty orthere isinterf erence.
X Clea nthe PARKTRONIC sensors(Ypage 322).
X Switch theignition backon. The
problem maybecaused byan extern alsource ofradio or
ultrasound waves.
X See ifPARKTRONIC functionsinadifferent location. Active
Parking Assist
Import antsafety notes Act
ive Parking Assistisan electronic parking
aid with ultrasound. Ultrasoundisused to
measure theroad onboth sides ofthe vehicle.
As uitable parkingspac eis ind icat edbythe
park ingsymb ol.Active steer ing interv ention
can assis tyou during parking. Youmay also
use PARKTRONIC (Ypage 183). When
PARKTRONIC isswitched off,Active Parking
Assist isalso unavailab le. G
WARNIN
G Act
iveParking Assistismerely anaid and may
sometimes recommendparking spacesthat
are not suitable forparking. Forexample,
these might bespaces whereparking is
prohibited, driveways,unsuitablesurfaces,
etc. Act
ive Parking Assistmeasures theparking
space asyou drive pastit.Any later changes
to the parking spacearenot taken into
account .For instan ce,this may bethe case
when thevehicle parkedinfront ofor behind
the space changes itsposition orwhen an
obstacle ismoved intotheparking space.
Act ive Parking Assistdoesnotrelieve youof
the responsibility ofpaying attention.Ifyou
rely solely onAct ive Parking Assist,you could
cause anaccident andinjure yourself and
others.
You arealway sresponsible forsafety and
must continue topay atten tiontoyour
immediate surroundings whenparking and
maneuvering. 186
Driving
systemsDriving and parking