2013 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class Owner's Manual

X
If appropriate for the driving conditions,
engage the LOW RANGE off-road gear
(Y page 199).
Traction control is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels
individually if they spin. This enables you to
pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces,
for example if the road surface is slippery on
one side. In addition, more drive torque is
transferred to the wheel or wheels with
traction.
Traction control remains active if you
deactivate ESP ®
.
At speeds above approximately 37 mph
(60 km/h), traction control is no longer
active.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels
individually if they spin. This enables you to
pull away and accelerate on slippery surfaces,
for example if the road surface is slippery on
one side. In addition, more drive torque is
transferred to the wheel or wheels with
traction.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
no longer
stabilizes the vehicle. There is an increased
risk of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in the situations
described in the following.
! Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP ®
deactivated.
You

could otherwise damage the drivetrain. X
To deactivate: press button : until the
å warning lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster.
X To activate: press button : until the
å warning lamp goes out in the
instrument cluster.
ESP ®
is activated automatically when the
engine is started.
i Vehicles with the ECO start/stop
function: the ECO start/stop function
automatically

switches the engine off when
the vehicle comes to a stop. The engine
starts automatically when the driver wants
to pull away again. ESP ®
remains in its
previously selected status. Example: if
ESP ®
was deactivated before the engine
was switched off, ESP ®
remains
deactivated when the engine is switched on
again.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the
following situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R traction control is still activated. Driving safety systems
63
Safety Z

R
ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
R and are driving at above
37 mph
(60 km/h), ESP ®
still intervenes when one
wheel reaches its grip limit even though it
is switched off.
i If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the ÷ warning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. In such
situations, ESP ®
will not stabilize the
vehicle.
i If ESP ®
is deactivated, it is automatically
reactivated when you drive faster than
37 mph (60 km/h) or if a predefined lateral
acceleration threshold has been exceeded.
Trailer stabilization G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer
stabilization will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from
swerving. Trailers with a high center of gravity
can tip over before ESP ®
can detect this.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the
prevailing road and weather conditions.
Trailer stabilization does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated because of a malfunction.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and can
detect if the vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by braking and limiting the engine output until
the vehicle/trailer combination has
stabilized.
Trailer stabilization is active above speeds of
about 37 mph (60 km/h). EBD (electronic brake force
distribution)
i Observe the "Important safety notes"
section ( Y page 60). G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the rear wheels can
still lock, e.g. under full braking. This
increases

the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps ( Y page 250) as well as
display messages ( Y page 228).
EBD monitors and controls the brake
pressure on the rear wheels to improve
driving stability while braking. ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE
BRAKE provides increased braking
safety. In addition to the braking function,
ADAPTIVE BRAKE also has the HOLD function
(Y page 192) and hill start assist
(Y page 141). Theft deterrent locking system
Immobilizer
X To activate: remove the SmartKey from
the ignition lock.
X To deactivate: switch on the ignition.
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. The
engine can be started by anyone with a valid
SmartKey that is left inside the vehicle.
i The immobilizer is always deactivated
when you start the engine. 64
Theft deterrent locking system
Safety

In the event that the engine cannot be
started when the starter battery is fully
charged, the immobilizer may be faulty.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center
or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the
USA) or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada). ATA (anti-theft alarm system)
X
To arm: lock the vehicle with the
SmartKey.
Indicator lamp : flashes. The alarm
system is armed after approximately
15 seconds.
X To deactivate:
unlock the vehicle with the
SmartKey.
i If
you then do not open a door or the rear
door, the alarm system switches back on
again after approximately 40 seconds.
X To stop the alarm: insert the SmartKey
into the ignition lock.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the % or & button on the
SmartKey.
The alarm is switched off.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed and you open:
R a door
R a door using the mechanical key
R the rear door
R the hood The alarm is also triggered if:
R
the position of the vehicle is changed.
R a window is smashed.
The alarm is not switched off, even if you
close the open door that has triggered it,
for example.
i If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, the Tele Aid system
automatically initiates a call to the
Customer Assistance center. The mbrace
emergency call system initiates the call if:
R you have subscribed to the Tele Aid
service.
R the Tele Aid service has been activated
properly.
R the

required mobile phone, power supply
and GPS are available. Theft deterrent locking system
65
Safety Z

66

Useful information ..............................
68
SmartKey ............................................. 68
Doors .................................................... 73
Rear door ............................................. 77
Side windows ...................................... 78
Sliding sunroof .................................... 79 67Opening/closing

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional
equipment of your vehicle available at the
time of publication of the Operator's
Manual. Country-specific differences are
possible.
Please note that your vehicle may
not be equipped with all features
described. This also applies to safety-
related systems and functions.
i Read the information on qualified
specialist workshops: ( Y page 23).SmartKey
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
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.
G
WARNING
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 G
WARNING
If you attach heavy or large objects to the
SmartKey, the SmartKey could be
unintentionally

turned in the ignition lock. This
could cause the engine to be switched off.
There is a risk of an accident.
Do not attach any heavy or large objects to
the SmartKey. Remove any bulky keyrings
before inserting the SmartKey into the
ignition lock. SmartKey functions
G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of
parking position P.
R shift the manual transmission into neutral.
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury. 68
SmartKey
Opening/closing

When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey
with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. :
& To lock the vehicle
; % To unlock the vehicle
X To unlock centrally: press the %
button.
If you do not open the vehicle within
approximately

40 seconds of unlocking:
R the vehicle is locked again.
R the theft deterrent locking system is
armed again.
X To lock centrally: press the & button.
The SmartKey centrally locks/unlocks:
R the doors
R the rear door
R the fuel filler flap
i When unlocking, the turn signals flash
once.

When locking, they flash three times.
You can also set an audible signal to confirm
that the vehicle has been locked. The audible
signal can be activated and deactivated using
the on-board computer (Y page 221).
When it is dark, the surround lighting also
comes on if it is activated in the on-board
computer (Y page 219). Changing the settings of the locking
system
You can change the setting of the locking
system in such a way that only the driver's
door

and the fuel filler flap are unlocked. This
is useful if you frequently travel on your own.
i If the setting of the locking system is
changed within the signal range of the
vehicle, pressing the & or % button
locks or unlocks the vehicle.
X To change the setting: press and hold
down the % and & buttons
simultaneously for approximately six
seconds until battery check lamp :
flashes twice.
The SmartKey now functions as follows:
X To unlock the driver's door and fuel
filler flap: press the % button once.
X To unlock centrally: press the %
button twice.
X To lock centrally: press the & button. SmartKey
69
Opening/closing Z

Restoring the factory settings
X
Press the % and & buttons
simultaneously for approximately six
seconds until battery check lamp :
flashes twice. Mechanical key
General notes If the vehicle can no longer be unlocked with
the SmartKey, use the mechanical key.
If you use the mechanical key to unlock and
open the driver's door or the rear door, the
anti-theft alarm system will be triggered
(Y page 65).
X
To end the alarm: insert the SmartKey into
the ignition lock.
Removing the mechanical key :
Release catch
; Mechanical key X
Push release catch : in the direction of
the arrow and at the same time remove
mechanical key ; from the SmartKey. SmartKey battery
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Batteries contain toxic and corrosive
substances.
If batteries are swallowed, it can
result in severe health problems. There is a
risk of fatal injury.
Keep batteries out of the reach of children. If
a battery is swallowed, seek medical attention
immediately.
The SmartKey batteries contain perchlorate
material, which may require special handling
and regard for the environment. National
guidelines must be observed during disposal.
In California, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/
index.cfm.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have
the batteries replaced at a qualified specialist
workshop.
Checking the battery X
Press the & or % button.
The battery is working properly if battery
check lamp : lights up briefly. 70
SmartKey
Opening/closing