2012 MERCEDES-BENZ R-Class ground clearance

GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system, and do not give them access
to an unlocked vehicle. A child's unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury. They could:
R injure themselves on vehicle parts
R be seriously or fatally injured by extreme
heat or cold
R injure themselves or have an accident with
vehicle equipment that may still be in
operation even after the SmartKey has
been removed from the ignition, such as the
seat adjustment, steering wheel
adjustment or memory function.
If children open a door, they could cause
severe or even fatal injury to other persons; if
they get out of the vehicle, they could injure
themselves when doing so or be seriously or
even fatally injured by any passing traffic.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system's
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and a child could be burned on these
parts.
GWARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment or cargo
compartment unless they are firmly secured
in place.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child's risk of injury in the event
of
R strong braking maneuvers
R sudden changes of direction
R an accident
GWARNING
Make sure the tailgate is closed when the
engine is running and while driving. Among
other dangers, deadly carbon monoxide (CO)
gases may enter vehicle interior resulting in
unconsciousness and death.
! The tailgate swings upwards and to the
rear when opened. Therefore, make sure
that there is sufficient clearance above and
behind the tailgate.
To open the tailgate completely, a minimum
clearance of 7.20 ft (2.20 m) above the
ground is necessary.
You can:
R open and close the tailgate manually from
outside
R open and close the tailgate automatically
from outside
R open and close the tailgate automatically
from inside
R open the tailgate manually from inside
R limit the opening angle of the tailgate
Opening/closing from the outside
Opening
XPress the % button on the SmartKey.XPull handle :.XRaise the tailgate.
Closing
GWARNING
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the cargo
82Cargo compartmentOpening/closing

compartment opening when closing the
tailgate. Be especially careful when small
children are around.XPull the tailgate down using recess :.XPush the tailgate closed from outside the
vehicle.XIf necessary, lock the vehicle with
the & button on the SmartKey
( Y page 72) or with KEYLESS-GO
( Y page 73).
i
If a KEYLESS-GO key is detected in the
cargo compartment, the tailgate will not
lock.
Opening/closing automatically from
outside
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Make sure the tailgate is closed when the
engine is running and while driving. Among
other dangers, deadly carbon monoxide (CO)
gases may enter vehicle interior resulting in
unconsciousness and death.
! The tailgate swings upwards and to the
rear when opened. Therefore, make sure
that there is sufficient clearance above and
behind the tailgate.
To open the tailgate completely, a minimum
clearance of 7.20 ft (2.20 m) above the
ground is necessary.
Opening
You can open the tailgate automatically using
the SmartKey or the handle in the tailgate.
XPress and hold the F button on the
SmartKey until the tailgate opens.
or
XWhen the tailgate is unlocked, pull the
handle and let it go again immediately.
Closing
GWARNING
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being
injured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from the
cargo compartment opening when closing the
tailgate. Be especially careful when small
children are around. To stop the closing
procedure, do one of the following:
R Press or pull the remote tailgate opening/
closing switch on the driver's door.
R Press the tailgate closing switch.
R Press the KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch.
R Pull outside handle on the tailgate.
R When no SmartKey is inserted in the starter
switch (vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: Make
sure the vehicle's on-board electronics
have status 0): Press button F on the
SmartKey.
You can close the tailgate automatically using
the SmartKey, the closing button 5
or the
locking button 6
.
5 For vehicles with the EASY-PACK tailgate only.
6 For vehicles with the EASY-PACK tailgate and KEYLESS-GO only.Cargo compartment83Opening/closingZ

ADS (Adaptive Damping System)
ADS is continuously electronically-controlled.
It adapts the damping characteristics to suit
the current operating conditions. The
damping is controlled for each wheel
individually. This improves driving safety and
tire comfort.
This depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface conditions
R the ADS setting
R the vehicle level setting
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
You can choose between the following ADS
settings:
R AUTO for normal driving situations;
indicator lamps ; and = are off.
R SPORT for sporty driving; indicator
lamp ; is on.
R COMF for a more comfortable ride;
indicator lamp = is on.
XStart the engine.XPress button : repeatedly until the
desired setting is selected.
Level control
Level control adapts the vehicle level
automatically to the current operating and
driving situation. This results in reduced fuel
consumption and improved handling.
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as
possible.
The vehicle level may change visibly when you
park the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. When the temperature drops, the
vehicle level is lower; with an increase in
temperature, the vehicle level rises.
When you unlock the vehicle or open a door,
the vehicle begins to balance the load
discrepancies while still parked. However, for
significant level changes, e.g. after the
vehicle has been stationary for a long period,
the engine must be on. For safety reasons,
the vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed. Lowering is interrupted if a door is
opened and continues once the door has
been closed.GWARNING
Make sure no one is near the wheel housing
or under the vehicle when you lower the
vehicle while it is standing still. Limbs could
become wedged into or under the vehicle.
For safety reasons, the vehicle can only be
lowered with all doors and the tailgate closed.
Lowering is interrupted if a door or the tailgate
is opened and will continue after the door is
closed again.
! When driving in very poor road conditions,
select a high vehicle level in good time.
Make sure that there is always sufficient
ground clearance to prevent damage to the
vehicle.
! Remove the key from the ignition lock
before raising the vehicle completely, e.g.
with a vehicle lift.
Basic settings
Select raised level for very poor road
conditions ( Y page 182) or highway level for
normal road conditions ( Y page 182).
Driving systems181Driving and parkingZ

The vehicle is automatically lowered to high-
speed level when you:
R drive faster than 70 mph (112 km/h)
R drive between 60 mph (96 km/h) and
70 mph (112 km/h) for approximately
20 seconds.
The individual vehicle levels differ from
highway level as follows:
R +1.97 in (+ 50 mm) at the raised level
R +/-0 in (+/-0 mm) at the highway level
R -0.47 in (-12 mm) at the high-speed level
i The high-speed level is not available if you
are pulling a trailer. Observe the notes on
driving with a trailer ( Y page 191).
i Observe the speed limitations. Drive
carefully at an appropriate speed.
Raised level
Only select raised level when this is
appropriate for the road conditions.
Otherwise, fuel consumption may increase
and handling may be affected.
If you select the raised level at a speed of over
40 mph (64 km/h) the Level Selection
Not Permitted message appears in the
multifunction display.XStart the engine.
Indicator lamp ; is not lit:
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; flashes. The vehicle rises
to raised level.While the adjustment is taking place, a
message appears in the multifunction
display, e.g.:
If you press the V, U , * or &
button on the multifunction steering wheel,
the message will disappear.
Once the vehicle has reached raised level,
indicator lamp ; remains lit. A message
appears in the multifunction display for
approximately five seconds, e.g.:
The level is automatically taken up to highway
level if you drive faster than 25 mph
(40 km/h).
Highway level
! Make sure that there is enough ground
clearance when the vehicle is being
lowered. It could otherwise hit the ground,
damaging the underbody.
XMake sure that the doors are closed.XStart the engine.182Driving systemsDriving and parking

Driving systemsDisplay messagesPossible causes/consequences and M Solutions°
Vehicle Rising
Wait brieflyThe vehicle level is too low when the vehicle is stationary.XDo not pull away.
The vehicle level is set when the display message disappears.°
STOP Car Too LowGRisk of accident
You have pulled away while the vehicle level is still too low or
AIRMATIC is defective.
AIRMATIC sets the vehicle to the selected level after a short
period. While the display message is displayed:
XMake only slight steering movements. Otherwise, the front
fender or the tires could be damaged if the steering movement
is too large.XListen for scraping sounds.XDo not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h).
If the display message continues to be displayed:
XHave the vehicle checked at a qualified specialist workshop.°
Level Selection
Not PermittedYou cannot change the vehicle level because you are exceeding
the permissible speed for the selected vehicle level.XDrive more slowly and then select the desired vehicle level again
( Y page 180).°
Compressor Cooling
DownYou have selected a higher vehicle level. The compressor first
needs to cool down because of frequent level changes.XDrive in a manner appropriate for the current vehicle level.XMake sure that there is sufficient ground clearance.XAllow the compressor to cool down.
When the compressor has cooled down, the display message
disappears. The vehicle then continues rising to the selected
level.°
MalfunctionAIRMATIC is malfunctioning.XDo not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h).XMake sure that there is sufficient ground clearance.XHave the vehicle checked at a qualified specialist workshop.Display messages229On-board computer and displaysZ

Vehicle dimensions, R 350 BlueTECVehicle height65.6 in (1666 mm)46Wheelbase126.6 in (3215 mm)Front track64.5 in (1638 mm)Rear track64.4 in (1636 mm)Ground clearance5.9 in (150 mm)46Turning circle41.3 ft (12.6 m)Vehicle weight, R 350 BlueTECMaximum roof
loadMaximum 220 lb
(100 kg)
Vehicle data, R 350
The data stated here refers specifically to a
vehicle with standard equipment. Consult an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for the
data for all vehicle variants and trim levels.
Vehicle dimensions, R 350Vehicle length203.3 in (5163 mm)Vehicle width
including exterior
mirrors86.0 in (2183 mm)Vehicle height65.5 in (1663 mm) 47Wheelbase126.6 in (3215 mm)Front track64.5 in (1638 mm)Rear track64.4 in (1636 mm)Ground clearance6.0 in (152 mm)47Turning circle41.3 ft (12.6 m)Vehicle weight, R 350Maximum roof
loadMaximum 220 lb
(100 kg)46 These values refer to an unladen vehicle with standard equipment. On vehicles with the AIRMATIC package,
the values vary according to the vehicle level.
47 These values refer to an unladen vehicle with standard equipment. On vehicles with the AIRMATIC package,
the values vary according to the vehicle level.Vehicle data361Technical dataZ