2013 MERCEDES-BENZ GL-Class TOW

Stowage compartment under the
armrest
X
To open: pull handle 0002up.
The armrest folds out.
In the stowage compartment, there is a
stowage tray.
i Depending on the vehicle's equipment, a
USB connection and an AUX IN connection
or a Media Interface are installed in the
stowage compartment.
Media Interface is a universal interface for
mobile audio equipment, e.g. for an iPod ®
or MP3 Player.
i There is a removable stowage tray in the
storage compartment, in which objects
such as an iPod ®
can be stored.
Eyeglasses compartment X
To open: press marking 0002.
The eyeglasses compartmen topens
downwards.
X To close: press marking 0002again and
eyeglasses compartment returns upwards
and engages.
Make sure that the eyeglasses compartment
is always closed while the vehicle is in motion.
Stowage compartment in the front
center console X
To open: slide cover 0002forwards.
Stowage compartment 0003appears.
X To close: pull cover 0002back as far as it will
go.
Stowage compartment in the rear
center console X
To open: briefly press the stowage
compartment marking.
The stowage compartment opens. 338
Stowage areasStowage and features

i
Depending on the vehicle's equipment,
there may be open stowage spaces above
and below the stowage compartment. Stowage nets
G
WARNING
Vehicles with the Occupant Classification
Syste m(OCS):
If the gross weight of the objects in the
stowage net on the back of the front-
passenger seat is greater than 4.4 lb (2 kg),
OCS cannot correctly assess the occupant's
weight category. The front-passenger front air
bag could deploy without cause, or may fail to
deploy in the event of an accident. This poses
an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never exceed the permissibleg ross weight of
4.4 lb (2 kg). Stow and secure heavy objects
in the cargo compartment. 0002
Stowage net in front-passenger footwell 0002
Stowage net on the back of the front seats 0002
Stowage net in cargo compartment
Observe the loading guidelines (Y page 336)
and the safety notes regarding stowage
spaces (Y page 337). Through-loading facility in the rear
If objects or loads are not secured when being
transported in the through-loading facility,
they could slip or be thrown around and
thereby hit vehicle occupants.
Observe the loading guidelines (Y page 336)
and the safety notes regarding stowage
spaces (Y page 337). The through-loading facility is opened from
the cargo compartment.
X
Release the seat backrests in the second
row of seats and tilt them in the cargo/load
position (Y page 107).
X Fold downt he rear seat armrest. Stowage areas
339Stowage and features Z

X
Pull the center head restraint on the rear
bench seat into the uppermost position
(Y page 104).
X Slide release catch 0002to the left and swing
flap 0003to the left until it is lying on the rear
side of the rear bench seat. X
Push cover 0021forward until it is lying on the
rear seat armrest. Cargo compartment enlargement
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the rear bench seat/rear seat and seat
backrest are not engaged they could fold
forwards, e.g. when braking suddenly or in the
event of an accident.
R The vehicle occupant would thereby be
pushed into the seat belt by the rear bench
seat/rear seat or by the seat backrest .The
seat belt can no longer offer the intended
level of protection and could even cause
injuries.
R Objects or loads in the trunk/cargo
compartment cannot be restrained by the
seat backrest.
There is an increased risk of injury.
Before every trip, make sure that the seat
backrests and the rear bench seat/rear seat
are engaged.
! Release and fold the seat cushion
upwards before folding the rear bench seat forward. Otherwise, the backrests may be
damaged.
When the backrest is folded forwards, the
front seats cannot be moved to their
rearmost position. Otherwise, the front
seats and the rear bench seat could be
damaged.
Observe the loading guidelines (Y page 336).
The left-hand and right-hand backrests in the
second row of seats can be folded forwards
separately to increase the cargo
compartment capacity.
On vehicles with a 3rd row of seats, you must
fold down the 3rd row of seats beforehand
(Y page 107) to obtain maximum cargo
compartment enlargement.
Folding the rear bench seat forwards !
The backrest is heavy. Therefore, take
care when folding it down. Make sure that
the head restraints are pushed all the way
in so that the backrests and seat cushions
are not damaged. i
If the driver's or front-passenger seat is
set for a larger person, it may not be
possible to fold the rear bench seat
forwards. In this case, move the front seats
as far forward as possible.
X Move the head restraints to the lowest
position (Y page 106).
X Pull release loop 0002of seat cushion 0003.
X Fold seat cushion 0003upwards. 340
Stowage areasStowage and features

X
Pull release handle 0021in the direction of
the arrow.
The backrest is released.
X Fold the backrest forwards until it reaches
the cargo compartment position. X
Guide seat belts 0003under respective
clips 0002.
Folding the rear bench seat back X
Fold seat backrest 0003back until it engages.
Make sure not to trap the seat belt while
doing so.
X Swing seat cushion 0002back.
X Pull up and adjust the head restraints if
necessary (Y page 106). Securing cargo
Cargo tie-down rings General notes
G
WARNING
The Top Tether anchorages cannot secure a
load. If you secure a load with the Top Tether
anchorages, the Top Tether anchorages could
be pulled out during braking, abrupt changes
in direction or in the event of an accident .The
load could slip, tip over or be flung around and
thereby hit vehicle occupants. There is a risk
of injury.
Only use the cargo tie down rings when
securing a load.
Observe the following notes on securing
loads:
R Secure the load using the cargo tie-down
rings.
R Distribute the load on the cargo tie down
rings evenly.
R Do not use elastic straps or nets to secure
a load, as these are only intended as an
anti-slip protection for light loads.
R Do not route tie-downs across sharp edges
or corners.
R Pad sharp edges for protection. Stowage areas
341Stowage and features Z

Cargo compartment
There are four cargo tie-down rings
0002in the
cargo compartment.
Bag hook G
WARNING
The bag hooks canno trestrain heavy objects
or items of luggage. Objects or items of
luggage could be flung around and thereby hit
vehicle occupants when braking or abruptly
changing directions. There is a risk of injury.
Only hang light objects on the bag hooks.
Never hang hard, sharp-edged or fragile
objects on the bag hooks.
! The bag hook can bear a maximum load
of 6.6lbs (3kg) and should not be used to
secure a load. There is a bag hook in the cargo compartment
on the right-hand side.
X Press bag hook marking 0002.
X Turn bag hook 0002until it engages. Cargo compartment cover
Important safety notes G
WARNING
On its own, the cargo compartment cover
cannot secure or restrain heavy objects,
items of luggage and heavy loads. You could
be hit by an unsecured load during sudden
changes in direction, braking or in the event
of an accident. There is an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
Always store objects so that they cannot be
flung around. Secure objects, luggage or
loads against slipping or tipping over, e.g. by
using tie downs, even if you are using the
cargo compartment cover.
! When loading the vehicle, make sure that
you do not stack the load in the cargo
compartment higher than the lower edge of
the side windows. Do not place heavy
objects on top of the cargo compartment
cover.
The cargo compartment cover may be
installed behind the 2nd or 3rd row of seats.
Extending/retracting the cargo
compartment cover 342
Stowage areasStowage and features

X
To extend: pull the cargo compartment
cove rback by grab handle 0002and clip it
into retainers 0003on the left and right.
X To retract: unhook the cargo compartment
cover from left-hand and right-hand
retainers 0003.
X Guide cargo compartment cover forwards
by grab handle 0002until it is completely
rolled up. Coat hooks on the tailgate
0002
Coat hook Stowage well under the cargo
compartment floor
G
WARNING
If you drive when the cargo compartmen tfloor
is open, objects could be flung around, thus
striking vehicle occupants. There is a risk of
injury, particularly in the even tofsudden
braking or a sudde nchange in direction.
Always close the cargo compartmentf loor
before a journey. The TIREFIT kit, tire-change tool kit, etc. are
located in the stowage compartment.
X
To open: holding the ribbing, press
handle 0002downwards 0003.
Handle 0002folds up.
X Swing the cargo compartment floor
upwards using handle 0002until it rests
against the cargo compartment cover. X
Fold out hook 0021on the underside of the
cargo compartmen tfloor in the direction of
the arrow. Stowage areas
343Stowage and features Z

X
Attach hook 0021to the cargo
compartment's uppe rseal 0020.
X To close: detach hook 0021from the cargo
compartment's upper seal 0020.
X Fasten hook 0021to the bracket on the
underside of the cargo compartment floor.
X Fold the trunk floor down.
X Press the cargo compartment floor
down 0003until it engages. 0004
Cargo compartment floor unlocked
0005 Cargo compartment floor locked
The cargo compartment floor can be locked
and unlocked using the mechanical key. Roof carrier
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When you load the roof, the center of gravity
of the vehicle rises and the driving
characteristics change. If you exceed the
maximum roof load, the driving
characteristics, as well as steering and
braking, will be greatly impaired. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never exceed the maximum roof load and
adjust your driving style.
! Mercedes-Benz recommends that you
only use roof carriers that have been tested
and approved for Mercedes-Benzv ehicles.
This helps to preven tdamage to the
vehicle. Positio
nthe load on the roof carrier in such
a way that the vehicle will not sustain
damage even when it is in motion.
Depending on the vehicle equipment,
ensure that when the roof carrier is
installed you can:
R raise the sliding sunroof fully
R open the panorama roof with power tilt/
sliding panel fully
R open the tailgate fully
The maximum roof load is 220 lbs(100 kg).
Attaching the roof carrier X
Secure the roof carrier to roof rails 0002. In
doing so, observe the manufacturer's
installation instructions. Features
Cup holder
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If objects in the passenger compartment are
stowed incorrectly, they can slide or be
thrown around and hit vehicle occupants.
There is a risk of injury, particularly in the
event of sudden braking or a sudden change
in direction. 344
FeaturesStowage and features

R
Always stow objects so tha tthey cannot be
thrown around in such situations.
R Always make sure that objects do not
protrude from stowage spaces, parcel nets
or stowage nets.
R Close the lockable stowage spaces while
driving.
R Stow and secure objects that are heavy,
hard, pointy, sharp-edged, fragile or too
large in the cargo compartment.
! Only use the cup holders for containers of
the right size and which have lids. The
drinks could otherwise spill.
The stowage compartments in the doors
provide space for bottles with a capacity of
up to 34 fl. oz. (1.0 liter).
The bottles are not secured or prevented from
tipping over. Therefore, do not place any open
drink containers in the stowage
compartments.
Cup holder in the front-compartment
center console 0002
Cup holder
0003 Cover
X To open: slide cover 0003to its foremost
position.
X To close: pull cover 0003back as far as it will
go.
You can remove the cup holder's rubber mat
for cleaning. Cleanw ith clear, lukewarm
water only. Temperature-controlled cup holder in
the front-compartment center console
0002
Cup holder
0003 Residual heat indicator lamp
0021 Switch
The temperature-controlled cup holder can
be used to keep cold drinks cool and warm
drinks warm.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock.
X To switch on the cooling function: press
and hold button 0021until the blue indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
X To switch on the heating function: press
and hold button 0021until the red indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
X To switch off the function: press and hold
button 0021until the indicator lamp on the
button goes out.
When the heating function is used, the metal
insert of the cup holder is heated. Once a
certain temperature is reached, residual heat
indicator lamp 0003lights up. This means that
the metal insert of the cup holder is hot .For
this reason, you must not reach into the cup
holder metal insert.
Do not use hard or sharp objects to clean the
cup holder. Use only a soft cloth to clean it.
Cup holder in the rear seat armrest !
Do not sit on or support your body weight
on the rear seat armrest when it is folded
down, as you could otherwise damage it. Features
345Stowage and features Z