2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class ESP

nece
ssary.F oreign objectscan disturb the
balance andcause vibrations.
Driving onsand G
WARNIN
G Do
not reduce thetire inflation pressure
before driving through sand.However, ifyou
do so, remember tocorrec tthe tire inflation
pressure beforecontinuing yourtrip.Drivin g
with reduced tireinflation pressure increases
the risk oflosing controlofthe vehicle and
rolling over.
Observe thefollowing ruleswhen driving on
sand:
R vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
select araised vehicle level.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select ashift range appropriate tothe
terrain.
R drive quickly toovercom ethe rolling
resistance. Otherwise,thevehicle coulddig
itself intothesand.
R drive inthe track sof other vehicles if
possible. Makesurethattheruts arenot
too deep, thatthesand isfirm enough and
that your vehicle hassufficient ground
clearance.
Rut sand gravel roads Observe
thefollowing ruleswhen driving
along rutsinoff-r oad terrain oron roads with
loose gravel:
! Check thattheruts arenot too deep and
that your vehicle hassufficient clearance.
Otherwise, yourvehicle couldbedamaged
or bottom outand getstuck.
R for vehicles withAIRMATIC package:select
an increased vehiclelevel.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select shiftrange 1. R
drive slowly .
R where rutsaretoo deep, drivewiththe
wheels ofone side onthe cent ergrassy
area, ifpossible.
Driving overobstacles !
Obstacles coulddamage thefloor ofthe
vehicle orcomponen tsof the chassis. Ask
passengers forguida ncewhen driving over
large obstacles. Thepassenger should
alwa yskeep asafe distance fromthe
vehicle whendoing soinorder toavoid
injury asaresult ofunexpect edvehicle
movement s.Aft erdriving off-road orover
obstacles, checkthevehicle forpossible
damage, especiallyto the underbody and
the componen tsof the chassis.
Observe thefollowing ruleswhen driving over
tree stumps, largestones andother
obstacles:
R raise thevehicle level.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select shiftrange 1.
R drive veryslowly .
R drive straight overthecent erofobstacles. Driving
tips
165Driving and parking Z

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

Cru
isecont rollever :
Toact ivat eor inc reas espee d
; Toact ivat eor reduc espee d
= Todeac tivate cruise control
? Toact ivat eat thecur ren tspeed/last
stor edspeed
When youactiv atecruise control,the stor ed
speed isshown inthe multifun ction display
for five secon ds.Inthe multifun ction display,
the segmen tsbetween thestor edspeed and
the maximum speedlightup.
Activat ionconditions To
activ atecruise control,all ofthe following
activ ation condition smust befulfilled:
R your vehicle mustnotbesecured bythe
elect ricparkin gbrake.
R you aredrivin gfaster than20mph
(30 km/ h).
R ES P®
must beactiv e,but not interven ing.
R the tran smission mustbeinposition D.
R DS Rmust bedeactiv ated.
Activat ingcruise control You
canadopt thecurren tspeed ifyou are
drivin gfaster than20mph (30km/ h). X
Ac celerat ethe vehicle tothe desired
speed.
X Brief lypress thecruise controllever
up : ordown ;.
X Remove yourfootfrom theacceler ator
pedal.
Cruise controlis activ ated. Thevehicle
automatic allymaint ainsthestor edspeed. i
Cruise
controlmay beunable tomaint ain
the stor edspeed onuphill gradient s.The
stor edspeed isresumed whenthegradient
evens out.Cruise controlm aint ains the
st ore dspee don down hillgrad ientsby
auto maticall yapplyin gth ebrak es.
Activ ating with thecur ren tor last
st ored speed G
WAR
NING The
setspee dstore din mem oryshould only
be set again ifpre vailin groad condi tions and
legal speedlimit sper mit.Possible
acceleration ordeceleration differences
arising fromreturn ingtothe preset speed
could cause anaccident and/orserious injury
to you and others.
X Briefly pullthecruise controllever towards
you ?.
X Remove yourfootfrom theaccelerator
pedal.
The first time cruise controlisactivated, it
stores thecurrent speedorregulates the
speed ofthe vehicle tothe previously
stored speed.
Setting aspee d G
WARNI
NG Kee
pin mind thatitm aytak eabrie fmoment
until thevehicle hasmade thenecessary
adjustmen ts.
Inc rease ordecrease thesetvehicle speedto
a value thattheprevailing roadcondit ionsand
legal speed limitspermit. Otherwise, sudden
and unexpect edacceleration ordeceleration 168
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

of
the vehicle couldcause anaccident and/
or serious injurytoyou and others.
X Press thecruise controllever up: for a
higher speedordown ;for alower speed.
X Keep thecruise controllever pressed until
the desired speedisreached.
X Relea sethe cruise controllever.
The new speed isstored.
X Making adjustm entsin1mph
increments (1km/h increments): briefly
press thecruise controllever tothe
pressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in1mph increm ents(1km/ h
increm ents).
X Making adjustm entsin5mph
increments (10km/h increments):
briefly pressthecruise controllever
beyond thepressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in5mph increm ents(10km/ h
increm ents). i
Cruise
controlisnot deactivated ifyou
depress theaccelerator pedal.For
example, ifyou accelerate brieflyto
overtak e,cruise controladjusts the
vehicle's speedtothe last speed stored
after youhave finished overtaking.
Deactivating cruisecontrol There
areseveral waystodeactivate cruise
cont rol:
X Briefly pressthecruise controllever
forwards =.
or
X Brake.
Cruise controlisautomatically deactivatedif:
R you engage theelectric parking brake.
R you aredriving below20mph (30km/ h).
R ESP ®
interv enesoryou deactivate ESP®
. R
you activate DSR.
R you shift thetrans mission toposition N
while driving.
If cruise controlisdeactivated, youwillhear
a warning tone.You willsee the Cruise
Control
Off message
inthe multifunct ion
display forapproximately fiveseconds. i
When
youswitch offthe engine, thelast
speed stored iscleared. DISTRONIC
PLUS
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSrequires familiarity with
its operational characteristics.Westron gly
recommen dthat youreview thefollowing
informat ioncarefully beforeoperating the
system. G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSisaconv enienc e
system. Itsspeed adjustmen treduction
capability isinten dedtomake cruise control
more effectiveand usable whentrafficspeeds
vary. Itis not however, intendedto,nor does
it, replace theneed forextreme care.
The respons ibilityforthe vehicle's speed,
distanc eto the precedin gvehicle and,most
import antly,brake operation toensure asafe
stoppin gdistanc e,alway sremains withthe
driver.
The DISTRONIC PLUScannottake street and
traff iccon ditions intoaccount .
Complex drivingsituation sare not alway s
fully recogn izedbythe DISTRONIC PLUS.This
could result inwrong ormissing distance
warnings. G
WARN
ING The
DISTRONIC PLUSadaptive cruisecontrol
is not asubstit uteforactive driving
involvem ent.It does notreact topedestrian s
or on stat ionary objects,nor does itrecogn ize Driving
systems
169Driving and parking
Z

or
predict thecurvature andlane layou torthe
movement ofpreceding vehicles.The
DISTRONIC PLUScanonly apply amaximum
of 40% ofthe vehicle's brakingpower.
The DISTRONIC PLUSmaynotdetect narrow
vehicles possibly drivinginfront ofyou, such
as motorc yclesandvehicles drivinginan
offset formation.
It is the driver's responsibility atall times to
be attent ivetothe road, weather andtraffic
conditions .Addition ally,thedriver must
provide thesteer ing,brakin gand other driving
inputs necessary toremain incon trol ofthe
vehicle.
High- frequenc ysources suchastoll stat ions,
speed measuring systemsetc.can caus eth e
DI STRO NICPLUSsyst emtotempor arily
ceas efun ction ing. G
WAR
NING The
DISTRO NICPLUScan nottak eroad and
tr aff iccon dition sint oacc oun t.On lyuse the
DI STRO NICPLUSifth eroad, weatherand
tr aff iccon dition smak eit advis abletotravel
at acon stant spee d. G
WAR
NING Use
oftheDI STRO NICPLUScan be
dang erouson slippe ryroads .Rapid chang es
in tiretract ion can result inwheel spinand
loss ofcon trol.
The DISTRO NICPLUSdoes notfun ction in
adver sesigh tand dista nce cond itions. Donot
us ethe DISTR ONICPLUSdurin gco nd ition sof
fog ,heav yrain ,sn ow orslee t. G
WAR
NING The
DIST RONI CPLU Scan nottak eweat her
co nd ition sint oacc oun t.Swit choff the
DI ST RONI CPLU Sor do notswit chiton if:
R road sare slipp eryorcover edwithsn ow or
ice .The wheels couldlosetractionwhile
braking oraccelerating, andthevehicle
could skid.
R the DISTRONIC PLUSsystem sensorcovers
are dirty orvisibili tyisdiminished dueto snow,
rainorfog, forexample. Thedistance
cont rolsystem functionality couldbe
impaired.
Always payattent iontosurrounding traffic
conditions evenwhile theDISTRONIC PLUSis
switched on.Otherwise, youmay notbeable
to recognize dangerous situationsuntilitis
too late. Thiscould cause anaccident inwhich
you and/or otherscouldbeinjured. G
WARNING The
"Resu me"funct ionshould onlybe
operated ifthe driver isfully aware ofthe
previously setspeed andwishes toresume
this particular presetspeed. G
WARNING Your
undivided attentiontostreet andtraffic
conditions isnecessary atall times whether
DISTRONIC PLUSisactive ornot.
The useofDISTRONIC PLUScanbe
dangerous onwinding roadsorinheavy traffic
because conditions donot allow safedriving
at aconst antspeed.
DISTRONIC PLUSdoesnotreact tostationary
object son the road (forexample, avehicle
stopped intraffic oran abandoned vehicle).
DISTRONIC PLUSlikewise doesnotreact to
oncomin gvehicles.
Deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS:
R when changing tothe right lane, ifthe
vehicles inthe left lane aredriving slower
R when driving intoafilter laneoran
expressway exit
R in complex drivingsituations, forexample
in const ruction sitesonanexpressway
In these situations DISTRONIC PLUSwill
maintain thesetspeed ifit is not deactivated.
DISTRONIC PLUSisintended onlyfor
maintaining aset speed andaset distance
from theobject smoving infront ofthe
vehicle. 170
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

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

This
device hasbeen approved bythe FCC
as a“Vehicular RadarSyst em” .The radar
sensor isinten dedforuse inan automotive
radar system only.Removal, tampering, or
altering ofthe device willvoid any
warranties, andisnot permitted bythe
FCC. Donot tamper with,alter, oruse in
any non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment. i
Canada
only:Thisdevice complies with
RSS-2 10ofIndustry Canada.Operation is
subject tothe following twocondition s:
1. This device maynotcause interfer ence,
and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterfer ence
received, includinginterferencethatmay
cause undesired operationofthe device.
Removal, tampering, oraltering ofthe
device willvoid anywarranties, andisnot
permitted. Donot tamper with,alter, oruse
in any non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment.
Cruise control lever :
Toactivate orincrease speed
; Toactivate orreduce speed
= Todeactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
? Toactivate atthe current speed/last
stored speed
A Toset the specified minimum distance Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS Activation
conditions
In order toactivate DISTRONIC PLUS,the
following conditionsmust befulfilled :
R the engine mustbestarted. Itmay take up
to two minutes afterpullingaway before
DIS TRONIC PLUSisoperational.
R the electric parking brakemustbe
released.
R ESP ®
must beactive, butnot interven ing.
R the transmission mustbeinposition D.
R the driver's doormust beclosed whenyou
shift from Pto Dor your seatbeltmust be
fastened.
R the front -passenger doorandrear doors
must beclosed.
R DSR must bedeactivated.
R the vehicle mustnotskid.
Activating whiledriving
When driving atspeeds below20mph
(30 km/h) ,you can only activate DISTRONIC
PLUS ifthe vehicle infront hasbeen detect ed
and isshown inthe multifunct iondisplay .If
the vehiclein fro ntisno longe rdetec tedand
displayed, DISTRONIC PLUSswitch esoff and
a ton esounds.
X Briefly pullthecruise control lever towards
you ?,orbriefly pressup: ordown ;.
DIS TRONIC PLUSisselect ed.
X Keep thecruise control lever pressed
up : ordown ;until thedesired speed
is set.
X Remove yourfootfrom theaccelerat or
pedal.
Your vehicle adaptsitsspeed tothat ofthe
vehicle infron t,but only uptothe desired
stor edspeed. i
If
you donot fully release theaccelerat or
pedal, the DISTRON
ICPLUS Passive message
appearsinthe multifunc tion
display. Thesetdistanc eto aslower-
movin gvehicle infron twill then notbe
maint ained. Youwillbedriving atthe speed 172
Driving
systemsDriving and parking