2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class weight

You
willfindthe values approve dby the
manuf acturer onthe vehic leident ification
plates andthosefor the towin gvehic lein the
"Techn icaldata" section. G
WARN
ING When
towingatrailer, yourvehic le'shandlin g
char acterist icswill bediffe rentinc omparison
with when driving without atrail er.
The vehicl e/trail ercombina tion:
R isheavi er
R isrestricted inits accele rationand
grad ient-climbi ngcapa bility
R has anincrease dbraking distance
R isaffected morebystrong crosswi nds
R dema ndsmore sensitive steering
R has alarg erturning circle
As aresul t,the handl ingchara cteristics may
be impa iredandyoumay losecontrol ofthe
vehicl e.This could leadto an accide ntwith
serio usoreven fatalinjurie s.
When towing atrail er,alw aysadju styou r
speed tothe current roadandweather
conditions. Donot exceed themaximu m
permis siblespeed foryou rvehicle/t railer
combin ation. G
WARN
ING Never
depress thebrake pedalcontinuously
while thevehicle isin motion ,e.g. never cause
the brakes torub byapplying constant slight
pedal pressure. Thiscauses thebrake system
to overheat ,incr eases thebraking distance
and canlead tothe brakes failingcomplet ely. G
WARN
ING Under
nocirc umstan cestrytostraight enthe
vehicle/ trailercombin ationbyincr easing the
speed. General
information R
Do not exceed thelegally prescribed
maximum speedforvehicle/t railer
combin ationsinthe relevant country.
This lowers therisk ofan acciden t.
R Only installan approved trailercoupling on
your vehicle.
Furt herinfor mation onavailabil ityand on
inst allation isavailable fromanyauthorized
Mercedes- BenzCenter .
R The bumpers ofyour vehicle arenot
suitable forinst alling detachable trailer
couplings.
R Do not installhired trailer couplings or
other detachable trailercouplings onthe
bumpers ofyour vehicle.
R To reduce therisk ofdamage tothe ball
coupling, removeitfrom theball coupling
recess whennotinuse. i
When
towing atrailer, setthe tire
pressure onthe rear axle ofthe towing
vehicle foramaximum load;seethetire
pressure tableinthe fuel filler flap
(Y page 371).
You willfind installation dimension sand loads
in the "Technic aldata" section
(Y page 391).
The maximum noseweight ofthe trailer
drawbar onthe ball coupling is16
.However,
the actual noseweight mustnotexceed the
value given onthe trailer towhitchor trailer
identif ication plates.Thelowest weight
applies.
! Use adrawbar noseweight asclose as
possible tothe maximum permissible
noseweight .Donot use anoseweight of
less than theminimum permissible
noseweight, asthe trailer mayotherwise
come loose. Missing valueswerenot
availa bleattime ofgoing toprint.
Note thatthepayloa dand therear axle load
are reduced bythe actual payload.
16 Missing valuesunavailable attime ofgoing toprint. Tr
ailer towing
211Driving and parking Z

corre
ctinsta llati on and torqu eat aqu alifi ed
spe cialist wo rksho p. G
WARNI
NG The
ballcou pling can bedamag edifthe nut is
tigh tened onthe ballcou pling with the
incor recttorqu e.Thi scou ldcau sethe trailer
to deta chwhi ledri ving andanacci dent could
occu rasa result.
Therefore, pleaseobserve thefollowi ng:
R do not exceed themaximum permitted
noseweight ofthe ball coupling, thetrailer
coupling andthetrailer towhitch.
R when installing, alwaysuse aretainin gring
between thenut and themount ingsurface
of the ball coupling carrier.
R ifthe assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor
corr ectinst allation andtorque ataqualified
specialist workshop.
R check thatthethread underthenut isof
the corr ectlengt h.
! Mercedes- Benzrecom mends thatyou
only useball couplings testedand
approved foruse onMercedes- Benz
vehicles. Thishelps toavoid damage tothe
vehicle.
Observe themanufact urer'sinstallation
inst ruct ions ifyou useaball coupling other
than theone supplied. i
Also
observe theheight ofthe trailer
coupling andthetrailer manufact urer's
inst ruct ions. i
Depen
dingonthe height ofthe trailer
coupling, itis possible thattheball coupling
will have tobe rotat edby180° onthe ball
coupling carrierforcorr ectinst allation. The
assembly isother wiseidentic al. X
Inser tball couplin g: throug hth ehole in
ball couplin gcar rier ;asfar asitwill go. X
Slid eret aini ngring? onto theth read of
ball couplin g= asfar asitwill go.
X Sc rew onnut Aastightly as poss ible. X
Wit hato rque wrench,tig hten nut Btoa
to rque of516 lb-ft(700 Nm).
X Check thatproje cting thread Chas the
requisite lengthof 0.32 in(8 mm )beneath
nut B.
X Check theassembled ballcoupling for
corr ectinstallation. Tr
ailer towing
213Driving and parking Z

Inst
alling thebal lcoup ling G
WAR
NING If
th eveh icle/t raile rco mbin ation isno t
sec ured ,th etrailer maycome loos e.As a
res ult,you could caus ean acc iden t.
Ther efore, mak esur eth at theball couplin gis
sec ured withth ebolt suppl iedand the
co rrespo nding spring cotter. G
WAR
NING The
ballcouplin gcan bedamag edifth enut is
ti ght ened on theball couplin gwiththe
inc orre cttor que. Thiscould cause thetrailer
to detac hwhile drivingand anacc ident could
occ uras aresult .
There fore,please observethe followin g:
R do not exceed themaxim umperm itted
nos eweight ofthe ball couplin g,the trailer
couplin gand thetrailer towhitch.
R when installing, always usearetainin gring
between thenut and themount ingsurface
of the ball coupling carrier.
R ifthe assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor
corr ectinst allation andtorque ataqualified
specialist workshop.
R check thatthethread underthenut isof
the corr ectlengt h.
The detachable ballcoupling islocated inthe
stowage wellunder thecargo compart ment
floor (Ypage 292).
X Open thecargo compart mentfloor
(Y page 292). Ball
coupling andballcoupling stowagewell
(example)
X Remove ballcoupling :with thebolt and
spring cotter from ballcoupling stowage
well ;. Protec
tivecap
X Pull protec tivecap=inthe direct ionofthe
arrow, outofthe ball coupling recess.
X Place protec tivecap=into theball
coupling stowagewell. Ball
coupling recess 214
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

When
youdecouple thetrailer, thevehicle is
tempor arilyraised because thesprings are
relieved ofload. Beespecially carefulduring
this process, asyou could otherwise injure
yourself and/orothers.Make sure that any
pers onsrem ainin gin theveh icle donotp ress
the switches forvehicl elevel control orthe
ADS.
X Remo vethe trail ercabl eand decou plethe
trail er.
X Switch offthe engine. Permissi
bletrailer loadsanddrawbar
nos eweig hts
Weig htspec ifications The
gross trailerwei ght iscalcu lated by
add ingthe weight ofthe trail erto the weight
of the loadand equipme nton the trail er.
Maximu mgross vehicl ewei ght: 17
.
The maximu mpermissible trailerdrawbar
noseweight isthe maximum weightwith
which thetrailer drawbar canbeloaded: 17
Threshold forMercedes- Benzapproved
trailer towhitches.
Loading atrail er R
Wh enload ing the trailer, makesure tha t
nei the rthe permissible grossweight ofthe
trailer northegross vehicle weightare
exceeded. Thepermissible grossvehicle
weight isindicated onthe identification
plate onthe B-pillar onthe driver's sideof
the vehicle.
You canfind themaximum permissible
values onthe type plates ofyour vehicle
and thetrailer. Always observe thelowest
respective valuewhen determining the
maximum weightwithwhich youcan load
the vehicle andthetrailer.
R The trailer drawba rload onthe ball coupling
must beadded tothe rear axle load toavoid exceeding
thepermissible grossaxle
weight. Thepermissible grossvehicle
weight isindicated onthe identificat ion
plate onthe B-pillar onthe driver's sideof
the vehicle. i
Mercedes-B
enzrecomm endsloading the
trailer sothat thedrawbar noseweight
remains between 8%and 15% ofthe
permissible grosstrailer weight. i
The
weight ofadditional accessories,
passengers, andcargo reduces the
permissible trailerloadanddrawbar
noseweight foryour vehicle.
Checking thevehicle andtrailer weight R
To check thattheweights ofthe towing
vehicle andthetrailer comply withthe
maximum permissible values,havethe
vehicle/t railercombinat ion(including the
driver, passengers, andcargo withafully
laden trailer) weighed onacalibrated
weighbridge.
R Check thegross axleweight ratingofthe
front andrear axles, thegross weight ofthe
trailer andtrailer drawbar noseweight. Removing
theball coupling
X Remove thespring cotter.
X Remove thebolt from theball coupling
recess.
X Remove theball coupling fromtheball
coupling recess.
X Clean theball coupling ifit is dirty.
Infor mation oncleaning andcare ofthe trailer
tow hitch canbefound at(Y page 322). Storing
theball coupling G
WARNIN
G Do
not carry theball coupling inthe vehicle
interior ifit is not secured.
17 Missing valueswerenotavailabl eattime ofgoing toprin t. 218
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions Fro
ntPassenger Air
bag Enabled See
Operator's Man
ual The
fron t-pass enger airbag isen abled duringthejo urn ey, even
th ough :
R ach ild, asm alladult oran obj ectw eighing lessthan the
system' sweight threshold islocated onthe fron t-passenger
seat.
R the fron t-passenger seatisunocc upied.
The system maydetec tobjec tsor forc esapplying additional
weight onthe seat.
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyassoon aspossible, paying
att ent ion toroad andtrafficcon dition s.
X En gage theparkin gbrake.
X Switc hoff the ignit ion.
X Open thefron t-passenger door.
X Remove thechild andthechild restraint system fromthefron t-
passenger seat.
X Ifnec essary, securethechild inachild restraint system ona
suitable rearseat.
X Make surethatthereare noobjec tson the seat adding tothe
weight.
The system mayother wisedetec tthe additional weightand
interpret theseat occupant's weightasgreater thanitactually
is.
X Keep theseat unoccupied, closethefront -passenger doorand
switch onthe ignition.
Observe the45(Y page44)indicator lampandthe
multifunction displayand check thefollowing:
Seat unoccupied andignition switched on:
R the 45 indicatorlampmust lightupand remain lit.When
the indicator lampison, OCS (Ypage 44)has deactivated the
front -passenger airbag.
R the Front
Passenger AirbagEnabled SeeOperator's Manual or Front
Passenger AirbagDisabl'd See Operator's
Manual displa
ymessages mustnotappea rint he
multifunction display.Wait foraperiod ofat least 60seconds
until thenecessary systemcheckshave been completed andto
make surethatthedispla ymessages donot appea rint he
multifunction display.
If these condition sare fulfilled ,the front -passenger seatcanbe
occupied again.Whether the45 indicatorlampremains lit
or goes outdepends onhow OCS classifies theoccupant.
If the condition sare not fulfilled ,the system isnot operating
correct ly. 248
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions X
Vis itaqualif iedspecialist wor kshop immediat ely. G
WAR
NING If
th e45 indic ato rlamp remains offeven afterperf ormingtheabove correctivest eps, do
no th ave any childre n12years oldand under andother smallindividuals usethefron t-passenger
seat until thesystem hasbeen repaired. Display
messages Possible
causes/consequences andM Solutions
Front
Passeng er Airbag
Disabl' d See
Operato r's Manual The
front-passenger airbag isdeactivat edduring thejourn eyeven
though anadult oraperson largerthanacert ainsize isoccupying
the fron t-passenger seat.Ifadditional forcesare applied tothe
seat, thesystem mayinterpret theoccupant 'sweight aslower
than itactually is.
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyassoon aspossible, paying
atten tiontoroad andtrafficcon ditions .
X En gage theparking brake.
X Switc hoff the ignition .
X Have theoccupant getout ofthe vehicle.
X Keep theseat unocc upied, closethefron t-passenger doorand
switch onthe ignition .
Observe the45(Y page44)indicat orlamp andthe
multifunc tiondisplay andchec kthe following:
Seat unoccupied andignition switched on:
R the 45 indicatorlampmust lightupand remain lit.When
the indicator lampison, OCS (Ypage 44)has deactivated the
front -passenger airbag.
R the Front
Passenger AirbagEnabled SeeOperator's Manual or Front
Passenger AirbagDisabled See Operator's
Manual displa
ymessages mustnotappea rint he
multifunction display.Wait foraperiod ofat least 60seconds
until thenecessary systemcheckshave been completed andto
make surethatthedispla ymessages donot appea rint he
multifunction display.
If these condition sare fulfilled ,the front -passenger seatcanbe
occupied again.Whether the45 indicatorlampremains lit
or goes outdepends onhow OCS classifies theoccupant.
If the condition sare not fulfilled ,the system isnot operating
correct ly.
X Visit aqual ified specialist workshop immediately. Display
messages
249On-board computer and displays Z

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). Loading
guidelines G
WARN
ING Always
fastenitems being carriedas secur ely
as possi ble. Use cargotie-do wn rings and
fa ste ning materi alsap pro priate forthe weight
and size ofthe load .
In an acc ident, durin gh ard brak ingorsudden
man euver s,loos eite ms will bethrown aroun d
ins ide theveh icle.This can cause injuryto
vehicle occupants unlesstheitems are
securely fastened inthe vehicle.
To help avoid personal injuryduring acollision
or sudden maneuver, exercisecarewhen
transport ingcargo. Donot pile luggag eor
cargo higher thantheseat backrests.
The cargo compartmen tist he preferred place
to carry object s.Always usecargo tie-down
rings, andifso equipp ed,alwa ysuse thecargo
net when transport ingcargo.
Never driveavehicle withthetailgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO)gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in
unconsc iousness anddeath.
The gross vehicle weight(GVW)isthe vehicle
weight including fuel,vehicle toolkit,spare
wheel, installed accessories, vehicle
occupants andlugga ge/cargo.
The gross loadlimit andthegross vehicle
weight rating(GVWR) foryour vehicle must never
beexceeded. Thegross loadlimit and
the GVWR arespecified onthe vehicle
identification plateonthe B-pillar ofthe
driver's door(Ypage 362).
The load must alsobedistributed sothat the
weight oneach axlenever exceeds thegross
axle weight rating(GAWR) forthe front and
rear axles. Thespecifications forGVWR and
GAWR areonthe vehicle identification plate
on the B-pillar ofthe driver's door
(Y page 362).
Further information canbefound inthe
"Loadi ngthe vehicle" section(Ypage 362).
The handling characterist icsofaladen
vehicle aredependent onthe distribution of
the load within thevehicle. Forthis reason,
you should observe thefollowing noteswhen
transport ingaload:
R position heavyloadsasfar forwards as
possible andaslow down inthe cargo
compartmen taspossible .
R the load must notprotrude abovetheupper
edge ofthe seat backrests.
R alwa ysplace theload againstthe rear or
front seatbackrests. Makesurethatthe
seat backrests aresecurely lockedinto
place.
R hook inthe cargo netwhen loading.
R alwa ysplace theload behind unoccupied
seats ifpossible .
R secure theload withsufficiently strongand
wear-resistant tiedown. padsharp edges
for protect ion. Stowage
areas Stowage
compartments
Importa ntsafety notes G
WARNING To
help avoid personal injuryduring acollision
or sudden maneuver, exercisecarewhen
storing objects inthe vehicle. Putlugga geor
cargo inthe cargo compartment ifpossible . 284
Stowage
areasStowing and features

Stowage
compartments inthe rear Stowage
pockets G
WARNING Stor
age bags areinten dedforstoring light-
weight itemsonly.
Heavy objects,object swith sharp edges or
fragile objectsmay notbetransport edinthe
storage bag.Inan accident, duringhard
braking, orsudden maneuvers, theycould be
thrown around insidethevehicle andcause
injury tovehicle occupants.
Stor age bags cannot protect transport ed
goods inthe event ofan accident.
Stor age bags arelocated inthe rear
compartmen ton the driver's andfront -
passenger seatbackrest s. Parcel
nets G
WARNING Vehicles
withOccupant Classification System
(OCS)
Do not place object swith acombined weight
of more than4.4lbs(2kg) into theparcel net
on the back ofthe front passenger seat.
Otherwise, theOCS maynotbeable to
properly approximate theoccupant weight
category. G
WARNING Parcel
netsareinten dedforstoring light-
weight itemsonly,suchasroad maps, mail,
etc.
Heavy objects,object swith sharp edges, or
fragile objectsmay notbetransport edinthe
parcel nets.Inan accident, duringhard
braking, orsudden maneuvers, theycould be
thrown around insidethevehicle andcause
injury tovehicle occupants.
Parcel netscannot protect transport edgoods
in the event ofan accident. Parcel
netsarelocated inthe front -passenger
footwell andonthe back ofthe driver's and
the front -passenger seat. Thr
ough-loading facilityinthe rear
compar tment G
WARNING Do
not transport anyunsecured itemsinthe
through-loading area.
The through-loading facilityisopened from
the cargo compartmen t. X
Unlatch therear seat backrest sand tilt
them inthe cargo/load position.
X Fold down therear seat armrest.
X Pull thecent erhead restraint onthe rear
bench seatintotheuppermost position
(Y page 97).
X Slide release catch:tothe left and swing
flap ;tothe left until itis lying onthe rear
side ofthe rear bench seat. 286
Stowage
areasStowing and features