2015 MERCEDES-BENZ GL-Class heating

Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface. G
DANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a quali-
fied specialist workshop at the onset of win-
ter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and braking maneuvers. Do not use the cruise
control or DISTRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Shift the transmission to position N.
Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package:
if driving in snow or with snow chains, select
the snow program (Y page 256) with the off-
road program selector wheel in the center
console.
i Vehicles with a diesel engine:
do not
cover the radiator, e.g. with a protective
cover. The measuring function of the
onboard diagnosis system may otherwise
provide inaccurate values. Some of these
values are required by law and must there-
fore always be accurate.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay. Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges. You
should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around the
freezing point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (Y page 409).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see (Y page 408).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 408). Off-road driving
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle. G
WARNING
If the vehicle level is high, the vehicle center of gravity is raised. This could cause the vehicleto tip over more easily on uphill or downhill
gradients. There is a risk of an accident.
Select the lowest possible vehicle level.
When driving off-road, sand, mud and water,
possibly mixed with oil, for example, could get
into the brakes. This could result in a reduced braking effect or in total brake failure and also
in increased wear and tear. The braking char- acteristics change depending on the materialingressing the brakes. Clean the brakes after
driving off-road. If you detect a reduced brak- ing effect or grinding noises, have the brake
system checked in a qualified specialist work-shop as soon as possible. Adapt your driving
style to the different braking characteristics. Driving
tips
199Driving an d parking Z

R
When driving down an incline, make use of
the engine's braking effect. Observe the
engine speed; do not overrev the engine.
R Before driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients, select the LOW RANGE off-
road gear (Y page 261).
R Drive slowly.
R Avoid high engine speeds. Drive at appro-
priate engine speeds (maximum
3,000 rpm).
R Use the left-hand paddle shifter to shift into
a lower gear in good time on long and steep
downhill gradients.
R Check the brakes after prolonged off-road
driving.
i Hill start assist will aid you when pulling
away on a hill.
For further information about hill start
assist, see (Y page 171).
Do not switch to transmission position N
when driving off-road. If you try to brake the
vehicle using the service brake, you could
lose control of the vehicle. If the gradient is
too steep for your vehicle, drive back down in
reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure
angle values (Y page 457).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability Always observe the maximum gradient climb-
ing ability values (Y page 457).
Hilltops When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immedi-
ately before reaching the brow of the hill. Use
the vehicle's own impetus to drive over the
top of the hill.
This style of driving prevents:
R the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of a hill
R the vehicle from traveling too quickly down
the other side Driving downhill R
Drive slowly.
R Do not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drive
with the front wheels aligned straight. Oth- erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and rollover.
R Shift to a lower gear using the left-hand
paddle shifter before tackling steep down-
hill gradients.
R Activate DSR. If this is not sufficient, brake
gently. When doing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
R Check that the brakes are working normally
after a long downhill stretch.
i The special off-road ABS setting enables a
precise, brief and repeated locking of the
front wheels. This causes them to dig into
loose earth. Be aware that the front wheels easily skid across the ground surface if
completely braked and therefore lose their
ability to steer. Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. You must
select a lower gear in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. By doing
so, you will make use of the braking effect of
the engine. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can store any road speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h). Driving systems
203Driving and parking Z

Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
R you engage the electric parking brake
R you are driving at less than 20 mph
(30 km/h)
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R you activate DSR
R you activate off-road program 2 on vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package
R you shift the transmission to position N
while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a warning tone. You will see the Cruise Con‐
Cruise Con‐
trol Off
trol Off message in the multifunction dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i When you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared. DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. DIS-
TRONIC PLUS brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded.
You must select a lower gear in good time on
long and steep downhill gradients, especially
if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a slower-moving
vehicle in front, your vehicle is braked in order
to maintain the preset distance to the vehicle in front.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk
of a collision, you will be warned visually and acoustically. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot pre-
vent a collision without your intervention. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and
the distance warning lamp will light up in the instrument cluster. Brake immediately in
order to increase the distance to the vehicle in front or take evasive action provided it is
safe to do so.
For DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the radar
sensor system must be operational.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 20 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h). If a vehicle is driving in front of
you, it operates in the speed range between
0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on roads with steep gradients.
As DISTRONIC PLUS transmits radar waves, it
can resemble the radar detectors of the
responsible authorities. You can refer to the
relevant chapter in the Operator's Manual if
questions are asked about this.
i USA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The radar
sensor is intended for use in an automotiveradar system only. Removing, tampering
with, or altering the device will void any
warranties, and is not permitted by the
FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment.
i Canada only: This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and
2. this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the
device will void any warranties, and is not
permitted. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in any non-approved way. 206
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

overheating and wearing too quickly. If you
need additional braking, depress the brake
pedal repeatedly rather than continuously.
Driving tips If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter-steer.
X Brake if necessary.
R Maintain a greater distance from the vehi-
cle in front than when driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from a standstill refer to sea
level. When driving in mountainous areas,
note that the power output of the engine
and, consequently, the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decreases with
increasing altitude. Installing the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly installed
and secured, it can come loose during the
journey and endanger other road users. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed correctly or not secured with the bolt provided and the
corresponding spring cotter, the trailer may
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed and secured
correctly the trailer may come loose. There is
a risk of an accident.
Install and secure the ball coupling as descri-
bed in the ball coupling installation instruc-
tions. Make sure that the ball coupling is
installed and secured correctly before every
journey. Cover cap
X Pull protective cap 0043in the direction of the
arrow, out of the ball coupling recess.
X Place protective cap 0043in the ball coupling
recess. 266
Towing a trailerDriving and parking

R
Always stow objects so that they cannot be
thrown around in such situations.
R Always make sure that objects do not pro-
trude 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.
Observe the loading guidelines (Y page 342).
! Only use the cup holders for containers of
the right size and which have lids. The
drinks could otherwise spill.
Do not keep the KEYLESS-GO key in the tem-
perature-controlled cup holder (Y page 351).
Otherwise, the KEYLESS-GO key will not be
recognized.
The stowage compartments in the doors pro- vide space for bottles with a capacity of up to
34 fl. oz. (1.0 l).
The bottles are not secured or prevented from
tipping over. Therefore, do not place any open
drink containers in the stowage compart-
ments.
Cup holder in the front-compartment
center console 0043
Cup holder
0044 Cover X
To open: slide cover 0044to its foremost
position.
X To close: pull cover 0044back as far as it will
go.
You can remove the cup holder's rubber mat
for cleaning. Clean with clear, lukewarm
water only.
Temperature-controlled cup holder in
the front-compartment center console 0043
Cup holder
0044 Residual heat indicator lamp
0087 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 igni-
tion lock.
X To switch on the cooling function: press
and hold button 0087until the blue indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
X To switch on the heating function: press
and hold button 0087until the red indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
X To switch off the function: press and hold
button 0087until 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 cer-
tain temperature is reached, residual heat
indicator lamp 0044lights 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. Features
351Stowage an d features Z

X
To open: briefly press cover 0044at the top.
The ashtray opens.
X To remove the insert: push into recess0087
from the right.
Ashtray insert 0043slides out slightly to the
right.
X Lift insert 0043up and out.
X To re-install the insert: place insert0043
into the holder and press down on the right until it engages.
Vehicles without a Rear Seat Entertainment
System have an ashtray in the center console
in the rear compartment. Cigarette lighter
G
WARNING
You can burn yourself if you touch the hot
heating element or the socket of the cigarette lighter.
In addition, flammable materials can ignite if:
R the hot cigarette lighter falls
R a child holds the hot cigarette lighter to
objects, for example
There is a risk of fire and injury.
Always hold the cigarette lighter by the knob.
Always make sure that the cigarette lighter is
out of reach of children. Never leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
! The cigarette lighter in the center console
in the front compartment is not intended
for operating the tire inflation compressor. Your attention must always be focused on the
traffic conditions. Only use the cigarette
lighter when road and traffic conditions per-
mit.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock (Y page 167).
X To open: slide cover 0043to its foremost
position.
X Press in cigarette lighter 0044.
Cigarette lighter 0044will pop out automati-
cally when the heating element is red-hot.
X To close: pull cover 0043back as far as it will
go. 12 V sockets
General notes X
Turn the SmartKey to position 1in the igni-
tion lock (Y page 167).
With the exception of the socket in the front
center console, all sockets can be used for
accessories with a maximum current draw of 240 W (20 A). The socket in the front center
console can be used for accessories with a
maximum current draw of 180 W (15 A).
Accessories include such items as lamps or
chargers for mobile phones.
If you use the sockets for long periods when
the engine is switched off, the battery may
discharge.
i An emergency cut-out ensures that the
on-board voltage does not drop too low. If
the on-board voltage is too low, the power 354
FeaturesSto
wage an d features

!
For cleaning your vehicle, do not use any
of the following:
R dry, rough or hard cloths
R abrasive cleaning agents
R solvents
R cleaning agents containing solvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch the surfaces or protective
films with hard objects, e.g. a ring or ice
scraper. You could otherwise scratch or
damage the surfaces and protective film.
! Do not park the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after clean-
ing. Braking heats the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings, thus drying them. The
vehicle can then be parked.
Regular care of your vehicle is a condition for
retaining the quality in the long term.
Use care products and cleaning agents rec-
ommended and approved by Mercedes-Benz. Washing the vehicle and cleaning the
paintwork
Automatic car wash G
WARNING
Braking efficiency is reduced after washing
the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
After the vehicle has been washed, brake
carefully while paying attention to the traffic
conditions until full braking power is restored. !
If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations. To prevent dam-
age to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC
PLUS and the HOLD function in the follow-
ing or other similar situations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
! Never clean your vehicle in a Touchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
! Make sure that:
R the side windows and the sliding sunroof
are fully closed.
R the ventilation/heating is switched off
(the OFF button has been pressed).
R the windshield wiper switch is in position
0.
Otherwise, the vehicle might be damaged.
! In car washes with a towing mechanism,
make sure that the automatic transmission
is in transmission position N, otherwise the
vehicle could be damaged.
R Vehicles with a SmartKey:
Do not remove the SmartKey from the
ignition lock. Do not open the driver's
door or front-passenger door when the
engine is switched off. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission selects park
position Pautomatically and locks the
wheels. You can prevent this by shifting
the automatic transmission to Nbefore-
hand.
R Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO:
Do not open the driver's door or front-
passenger door when the engine is
switched off. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission selects park position P
automatically and locks the wheels.
Observe the following to make sure that the
automatic transmission stays in position N:378
CareMaintenance and care

R
differences in the texture
R marks caused by growth and injury
R slight nuances of color
These are characteristics of leather and not
material defects.
Seat covers of other materials
! Observe the following when cleaning:
R Clean artificial leather covers with a cloth
moistened with a solution containing 1% detergent (e.g. dish washing liquid).
R Clean cloth covers with a microfiber
cloth moistened with a solution contain-
ing 1% detergent (e.g. dish washing liq-
uid). Rub carefully and always wipe entire
seat sections to avoid leaving visible
lines. Leave the seat to dry afterwards.
Cleaning results depend on the type of
dirt and how long it has been there.
R Clean Alcantara® covers with a damp
cloth. Make sure that you wipe entire
seat sections to avoid leaving visible
lines.
Cleaning the seat belts G
WARNING
Seat belts can become severely weakened if
bleached or dyed. This could cause the seat
belts to tear or fail, for instance, in the event of an accident. This poses an increased risk of
injury or fatal injury.
Never bleach or dye the seat belts.
! Do not clean the seat belts using chemical
cleaning agents. Do not dry the seat belts
by heating at temperatures above 176 ‡
(80 †) or in direct sunlight.
X Use clean, lukewarm water and soap solu-
tion. Cleaning the headliner and carpets X
Headliner: if it is very dirty, use a soft brush
or dry shampoo.
X Carpets: use the carpet and textile clean-
ing agents recommended and approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Care
385Maintenance and care Z