2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class transmission

because
ofits narro wwidth. Thedistan ceto
the vehicle infron twillbe too shor t.
Obst ructions andstationa ryvehicles DI
STRON ICPLUS doesnotbrak efor
obst acles orstation aryvehic les.If,for
exam ple,thedete cted vehic letur ns acor ner
and reve alsanobst acle orstation aryvehic le,
DI STRON ICPLUS willnotbrak efor these.
Crossin gvehicles DI
STRON ICPLUS maymistaken lydete ct
vehic lesthat arecrossin gyour lane.
Ac tivatin gDI STRON ICPLUS attraffic lights
with crossin gtr affic ,for exam ple,could cause
your vehic leto pull away unintention ally. HOLD
function
Gener alnotes The
HOL Dfunc tion can assis tthe driver inthe
following situations:
R when pullingaway ,especiall yon steep
slopes
R when maneuvering onsteep slopes
R when waiting intraffic
The vehicle iskept stationary withoutthe
driver having todepress thebrake pedal.
The braking effectiscanceled andtheHOLD
funct iondeactivated whenyoudepress the
accelerator pedaltopull away .
Activation conditions You
canactivate theHOLD functionif:
R the vehicle isstationary.
R the engine isrunning.
R the driver's doorisclosed orifyour seat
belt isfastened.
R the electric parking brakeisreleased.
R the transmission isin position D,Ror N.
R DIS TRONIC PLUSisdeactivated.
Activating theHOLD function X
Make surethattheactivation conditions
are met.
X Depress thebrake pedal. X
Quickly depress thebrake pedalfurther
until HOLD displa
y: appea rsinthe
multifunction display.
The HOLD functionisactivated. Youcan
release thebrake pedal. Driving
systems
179Driving and parking Z

i
If
depres singthebrake pedalthe first
time does notactivate theHOLD function,
wait briefly andthen tryagain. G
WARNING The
vehicle's brakesareappli edwhen the
HOLD functionisactivated. Forthis reason,
deactivate theHOLD functionifthe vehicle is
to be set inmotion byother means (e.g.ina
car wash orby towing).
Deactivating theHOLD function The
HOLD functionisdeactivated
automatically if:
R you accelerate andthetransmission isin
position Dor R.
R the transmission isin position P.
R you apply thebrakes againwithacertain
amount ofpressure until HOLD disappe
ars
from themultifunction display.
R you secure thevehicle usingtheelectric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS. i
Aft
eratime, theelectric parking brake
secures thevehicle andrelieves theservice
brake. G
WARNING Never
getout ofthe vehicle whentheHOLD
funct ionisactivated.
The HOLD functionmust never beoperated
or deactivated byapassenger orfrom outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD functiondoes notreplace the
electric parking brakeandmust notbeused
for parking.
The braking effectofthe HOLD functionis
canceled andthevehicle couldrollaway if:
R the HOLD functionisdeactivated by
depressing theaccelerator pedalorthe
brake pedal.
R there isamalfunction inthe system oran
interruption inthe power supply,e.g.
battery failure. R
the electrical systeminthe engine
compartmen t,the battery orthe fuses are
tampered with.
R the battery isdisconnec ted.
The electric parking brakeautomatically
secures thevehicle ifthe HOLD functionis
activated and:
R the driver's doorisopen andthedriver's
seat beltisunfastened.
R the engine isswitched off.
R asystem malfunction occurs.
R the power supply isnot sufficient.
On steep uphillordownhill inclinesorifthere
is amalfunction, thetransmission mayalso
automatically beshifted intoposition P. AIRMATIC
package
General notes AIRMATIC
enablesasuspension tuning
settin gto be selected andregulates the
damping behaviorandlevel ofyour vehicle.
The system comprises aminimum oftwo
componen ts:ADS (Adaptive Damping
System) (Ypage 180)andlevel control
(Y page 181). Yourvehicle mayalsobe
equipp edwith theActive Curve System
(Y page 181).
Observe thenotes ondriving withatrailer
(Y page 210).
ADS (Adaptive DampingSystem) General
notes
ADS adapts thedamping characterist icsto
the current operating anddriving situation.
This depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface condition s
R the ADS settin g
R the vehicle levelsettin g
Your selection remainsstoredevenifyou
remove theSmartK eyfrom theignition lock. 180
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

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

and
meas uresparkingspac eson bot hsides
of theveh icle.When driving atspeeds below
19 mph (30km/h), youwillsee theparking
symbol asastatus indicator inthe instrumen t
cluster. Bydefault, Active Parking Assistonly
displa ysparking spacesonthe front -
passenger side.Parking spacesonthe
driver's sidearedispla yedassoon asthe turn
signal onthe driver's sideisactivated. Ifyou
wish topark inaspace onthe driver's side,
the indicator onthe driver's sidemust remain
on. This must remain switched onuntil you
acknowledge theuse ofAct iveParking Assist
by pressing thea button onthe
multifunction steeringwheel.
When aparking spacehasbeen detect ed,an
arrow towards theright orthe left also
appea rs. :
Detec tedparking spaceonthe left
; Parking symbol
= Detec tedparking spaceonthe right
Act ive Parking Assistwillonly detect parking
spaces:
R that areparall elto the direction oftravel
R at least 59in(1.5 m)wide
R at least 51in(1.3 m)longer thanyour
vehicle
Ap arking spac ewill bedispl ayed toyou as
you driveby unt ilyou areappro ximately50 ft
(15 m)away from it.
Par king G
WAR
NING PA
RKTRO NICandActivePark ingAssist are
mer elypark ingaids andmay notd etec tall
obst acles. Theydonot reliev eyou ofthe
respo nsibilit yof paying attent ion. You
arealways responsible forsafet yand
must continue topay attent ion toyour
immed iatesurro undin gswhen parkingand
mane uverin g.You could otherwise endanger
yourself andothers.
X Stop the vehic lewhen thepark ingspace
symbol showsthedesired parkingspace in
the instrumen tclust er.
X Shif tthe transmission toposition R.
The Start
ParkAssist? Yes:OKNo: %
message appearsinthe multifunction
displa y.
X To cancel theprocedur e:press the
% button onthe multifunction steering
wheel orpull away .
or
X To par kusing Active ParkingAssist:
press thea button onthe multifunc tion
steerin gwheel.
The Park
Assist ActiveAccelera te and
Brake Observe Surroundings message
appearsinthe multifunc tion
display. G
WARNIN
G When
parking, youneed tomake surethatno
obstacles arelocated inthe vicinit yof the
vehicle duringtheentireoperation. Active
Parking Assistdoesnotrelieve youofthe
respons ibilityofpaying attention.Itmerely
aids youbyinter venin gactively inthe
steerin g.
To stop thevehicle ortoavoid anaccident ,
you need toapply thebrakes yourself.
X Let goofthe multifunc tionsteerin gwheel.
X Back upthe vehicle, beingready tobrake
at all times. Donot exceed aspeed of
approximately 6mph(10 km/ h)while
backin gup; Active Parkin gAssist will
other wisebecanc eled. i
In
tight parkin gspaces, youwillachieve
the best parkin gresults bybackin gup as 188
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

far
aspossi ble.W hen doing so,also
observe thePARKTRONIC messages.
X Stop assoon asPARKTRONIC soundsthe
cont inuous warning tone,ifnot before.
Maneuvering mayberequired intight
parking spaces.
The Park
Assist ActiveSelectD Observe Surroundings message
appearsin
the multifunction display.
X Shift thetransmission toposition Dwhile
the vehicle isstationary.
Act iveParking Assistimmediately steersin
the other direction.
The Park
Assist ActiveAccelerate and
Brake Observe Surroundings message
appearsinthe multifunction
displa y. i
You
willachieve thebest parking results
by waiting forthe steering procedure to
complete beforemoving forwards.
X Drive forwards andbeready tobrake atall
times.
X Stop assoon asPARKTRONIC soundsthe
cont inuous warning tone,ifnot before.
The Park
Assist ActiveSelectR Observe Surroundings message
appearsin
the multifunction display.
X Further transmission shiftsmaybe
necessary.
As soon asthe parking procedure is
complete, the Park
Assist Finished message
appearsinthe multifunction
displa y.PARKTRONIC continues tobe
availa ble.
X Maneuver ifnecessary.
X Always observe thewarning messages
displa yedbyPARKTRONIC (Ypage 184).
Cancel ingActive Parking Assist You
cancancel Active Parking Assistatany
time. X
Stop themovement ofthe multifunction
steering wheelorsteer yourself.
Act ive Parking Assistwillbecanceled at
once. The Park
Assist Canceled message
appearsinthe multifunction
displa y.
or
X Press thePARKTRONIC buttononthe
cent erconsole (Ypage 185).
PARKTRONIC isswitched offand Active
Parking Assistisimmediately canceled.
The Park
Assist Canceled message
appea rsinthe multifunction display.
Act ive Parking Assistiscanceled
automatically if:
R parking usingActive Parking Assistisno
longer possible.
R you aredriving fasterthan6mph
(10 km/h).
R awheel spins,ESP®
interven esorfails. The
ä warning lamplights upinthe
instrumen tcluster.
Aw arning tone soun ds.The park ingspac e
symb oldisapp earsandthe Par
kAss ist Can
celed mes
sage appear sin the
mult ifunction displ ay.
When ActivePark ingAssist iscan celed, you
must steer again yourself.
Tr ailer towin g For
vehicleswit hatrailer tow hit ch,th e
min imum lengthfor park ingspac esissligh tly
inc reas ed.
If you have attach edatrailer toyour vehicle,
you should notu se Act ive Parking Assist.
Once theelectrical connection isestablished
between yourvehicle andthetrailer, Active
Parking Assistisno longer available.
PARKTRONIC isdeactivated forthe rear area. Driving
systems
189Driving and parking Z

control
,cau sing anacci dent and/or serious
per sona linju ryto youand othe rs.Do not
swi tch onDSR inasitu ation whe rerap id
dece lerati oncou ldresu ltin alos sof vehi cle
control .
DSR control sthe setspeedwhe nitisactive
and theautomatic transmission isin the D,
R or Nposition. Youcandrive atahigher or
a lower speed thanthatsetonthe on-board
computer atany time byaccelerating or
braking. G
WARNING If
you depress theaccelerator pedalwithDSR
activated, thevehicle candrive faster thanthe
programmed setspeed. Youshould therefore
drive downhill withparticular cautionasit
could leadtoan accident and/orserious
injury toyou orothers. Keepinmind thatas
soon asyou remove yourfootfrom the
accelerator pedalwithDSR switched on,DSR
will start regula tingthevehicle's speed
including useofbrakes ifrequired. Depending
on the programmed setspeed, actualvehicle
speed andgradient, DSRcancause the
vehicle toslow down rapidly.Sudden and
unexpected deceleration canresult inloss of
vehicle control,causing anaccident and/or
serious personal injurytoyou and others.
For information ondriving off-road, see
(Y page 162).
Activating/deac tivatingDSR Activating
You
canonly activate DSRifyou aredriving
at 25 mph (40km/h) orslower. X
Press button :.
Indicator lamp;lights up.
The followi ngmessages appearint he
multifunction displayand inthe status
indicator, forexample: If
the driving speedistoo fast, theDSR
symbol andthe Max.
Speed 25mph (Canada
: 40
km/h )
message appearint he
multifunction display. i
You
cannot activate DSRifthe SPORT on-
road program isactivated. TheDSR symbol
and the Not
inDrive Program SPORT message
thenappea rint he multifunction
displa y.
Deactivating
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp;goes out.
The DSR symbol appearsinthe
multifunction displaywith the Off
message.
DSR isdeactivated automatically ifyou are
driving fasterthan30mph (Canada :
45 km/h). TheDSR symbol appearsinthe
multifunction displaywith the Off message.
Stat usindicator =goes out.Youalso hear a
warning. Off-r
oaddriving systems
209Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING Do
not disconnect atrail erwith anengag ed
overru nbrake. Otherwi se,you rhand could
bec ome trapped between thebumpe rand
trai lerd rawb ar.
Observe themaximu mpermissible trailer
dimension s(width andlengt h).
Most federal statesand allCanadian
provin cesrequire bylaw:
R safety chains between thetowing vehicle
and thetrailer. Thechains should becross -
wound underthetrailer drawbar. Theymust
be fasten edtothe vehicle's trailer
coupling, nottothe bumper orthe axle.
Allow forenough playinthe chains to
facilitat eturn ingtight corners.
R aseparate brakesystem forcert aintypes
of trailer.
R asafety switch forbraked trailers. Check
the specific legalrequirement sapplicable
to your federal state.
If the trailer detaches fromthetowing
vehicle, thesafety switch applies the
trailer's brakes.
! Donot connectthe trailer's brakesystem
(if featured) tothe hydrau licbrake system
of the towing vehicle, asthe latter is
equipp edwith ananti-lock brakesystem.
Doing sowill result inaloss offunct ionof
the brake systems ofboth thevehicle and
the trailer.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
select highway level.
X Vehicles withtheadaptive damping
system: setADS toAUTO orCOMF.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Coupl eup the trailer.
X Est ablish allelectrical connections. i
Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC package:
if you couple upatrailer, thevehicle always
remains athighway level.When coupling up
a trailer, please observe thefollowing:
R ifhighway levelhasnotbeen set
manually ,the vehicle willautomatically
sink tohighway levelassoon asit
reaches aspeed of5m ph(8km/ h).
R high-spe edlevel isnot available.
These restrictions apply toall access ories
powered through acon nection tothe trailer
power socketofyour vehicle, e.g.abicycle
carrier . Towing
atrail er
Th ere arenum erouslega lreq uirem ents
conce rning the towingofatra iler, e.g.speed
rest rictions. Make surethatyour vehicle/
trailer combin ationcomplies withthelocal
requiremen tsnot only inyour areaof
residen cebut also atany location towhich
you aretrav eling. Thepolice andlocal
authorit iescan provide reliableinformation .
Please observe thefollowing whentowinga
trailer:
R To acquaint yourselfwithdrivin gwith a
trailer andwith theresultin gchang esto
handling, youshould practicecorn ering,
stoppin gand backin gup inatraf fic-free
location .
R Befor edrivin g,chec k:
- the trailer towhitch
- the safety switchfor braked trailers
- the safety chains
- the elect ricalconnection s
- the lights
- the wheels
R Adj ust the exterior mirror sto provide an
unobst ructedview ofthe rear sectionofthe
trailer.
R Ifthe trailer features electronic ally
con trolled brakes, pullaway thevehicle/
trailer combin ationcarefully, manually 216
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

brake
usingthebrake controller, andchec k
the brakes forcorr ectfunc tion.
R Sec ureany objec tson the trailer topreven t
the cargo fromslipping whenthevehicle is
in mot ion.
R Ifyou couple upatrailer, regularly check
the cargo forsecure fasteningand make
sure thatthetrailer lamps and(if
applicable) thetrailer brakes are
func tioningcorr ectly.
R Bear inmind thatthehandling willbeless
stable whentowingatrailer thanwhen
drivin gwithout one.Avoid sudden steering
movem ents.
R The vehicle/ trailercombin ationisheavier,
acceler atesmore slowly, hasadecreased
gradient climbingcapability andalonger
brakin gdistan ce.
It is more suscept ibletoside winds and
requires morecareful steering.
R Ifpossible, avoidabrupt braking.Depres s
the brake pedalmoderat elyatfirst ,so that
the trailer canactiv ateitsown brakes. Then
incr ease thepressure onthe brake pedal.
R Ifthe automatic transmission continues to
shift back andforthbetween twogears
when drivingup ordownhill, restrict the
shift range. Selectshiftrange 4,3,2,or 1.
Al ower gearandlower speed reduce the
risk ofengine failure.
R On long andsteep gradients thatare
difficult todrive down inshift range 1,
switch tothe off-road program orengage
the LOW GEAR off-road gear.
R When driving downhill, shifttoalower gear
to utilize theengine's brakingeffect.
Avoid continuous brakeapplication asthis
may overheat thevehicle brakesand,if
installed, thetrailer brakes.
R Ifthe coolant temperat ureincreases
dramatically whiletheair-con ditioning
system isswitched on,switch offthe air-
condit ioning system.
Coolant heatcanadditionally bedissipated
by opening thewindows andbysett ingthe blower
fanand theinterior temperat ureto
maximum.
R When overtak ing,payparticular attention
to the exten dedlength ofyour vehicle/
trailer combinat ion.
Due tothe length ofyour vehicle/t railer
combinat ion,youwillhave totravel an
additional distancebeyondthevehicle you
are overtak ingbefore returningtothe
previous lane. Deco
upling atrail er G
WA
RNI NG Ve
hicle swi th airs uspen sionprogram :While
you arecoupling ordecoupling atrailer, make
sure nobody locksorunlocks thevehicle and/
or opens orcloses doorsorthe tailgate.
The vehicle's levelcould change andyou
could endanger yourselfand/orothersasa
result.
Make surethatyoudonot operate theADS
switch orthe vehicle levelcontrolsystem
when coupling/decoupling thetrailer.
! Donot disconnec ta trailer withan
engaged overrunbrake.Otherwise, your
vehicle couldbedamaged bythe
rebounding ofthe overrun brake.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Apply thetrailer's parkingbrake. G
WARNING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:As
soon asyou disconnec tthe electrical
conn ection between thetrailer andthe
vehicle, thevehicle willlower. Tohelp avoid
personal injury,makesurenoone isnear the
wheel housing orunderneath thevehicle
before theelectrical connection is
disconnec ted. Tr
ailer towing
217Driving and parking
Z