
the Service and Guarantee booklet or simply
call the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
Center (USA) at the hotline number
1-800-FOR-MERCede s(1-800-367-6372 )or
Customer Service (Canada) at
1-800-387-0100. Vehicle operation outside the USA
and Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in foreign
countries, please be aware that:
R service facilities or replacement parts may
not be readily available.
R unleaded fuel for vehicles with a catalytic
converter may not be available. Leaded fuel may cause damage to the catalytic con-
verter.
R the fuel may have a considerably lower
octane rating. Unsuitable fuel can cause
engine damage.
Some Mercedes-Benz models are available
for delivery in Europe through our European
Delivery Program. For details, consult an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or write to
one of the following addresses.
In the USA
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
European Delivery Department
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645-0350
In Canada
Mercedes-Benz Canada, Inc.
European Delivery Department
98 Vanderhoof Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M4G 4C9 Sports Utility Vehicle
G
WARNING
Due to the high center of gravity, the vehicle
may start to skid and roll over in the event of
an abrupt steering maneuver and/or when the vehicle's speed is not adapted to the road
conditions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
the vehicle's driving characteristics and to theprevailing road and weather conditions.
Utility vehicles have a significantly higher roll-
over rate than other types of vehicles.
Failure to operate this vehicle safely may
result in an accident, rollover of the vehicle,
and severe or fatal injury.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is sig- nificantly more likely to die than a person
wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should always
wear your seat belts. Operating safety
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you do not have the prescribed service/
maintenance work or any required repairs
carried out, this can result in malfunctions or system failures. There is a risk of an accident.
Always have the prescribed service/mainte-
nance work as well as any required repairs
carried out at a qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving. G
WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust system. There is a risk of fire. Introduction
27 Z

Instrument cluster
Displays and controls
Function Page
0043
Speedometer with seg-
ments
267
0044
Fuel gage
0087
Tachometer 267 Function Page
0085
Coolant temperature 266
0083
Multifunction display 268
0084
Instrument cluster lighting 266Instrument cluster
35At a glance

Warning and indicator lamps
Function Page
0043
0058
Low-beam head-
lamps 121
0044
0060
Parking lamps 122
0087
00E5
ESP® 323
0085
0057
High-beam head-
lamps 124
0083
Electric parking brake (red) 326
0049
(USA only) 0024
(Canada only) 0084
0024
Electric parking brake
(yellow) 326
006B
00BA
Distance warning 330
006C
003E003D
Turn signals 123
006D
0077
Tire pressure monitor 331 Function Page
006E
0075
Restraint system 44
006F
00E9
Seat belt 318
0070
0028
Diesel engine: pre-
glow 160
0071
00AC
Coolant 328
0072
005E
Rear fog lamp 122
0073
00B9
Check Engine 327
0074
00B6
Reserve fuel 327
0075
00BB
ESP®
OFF 323
0076
0025
ABS 321
0077
Brakes 320
0027
(USA only) 004D
(Canada only) 36
Instrument clusterAt a glance

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 button0043.
The SmartKey centrally locks/unlocks:
R the doors
R the tailgate
R the fuel filler flap
The turn signals flash once when unlocking
and three times when locking.
You can also set an audible signal to confirm that the vehicle has been locked. The audiblesignal can be activated and deactivated using
the on-board computer (Y page 279).
When it is dark, the surround lighting also
comes on if it is activated in the on-board
computer (Y page 278). KEYLESS-GO
General notes Bear in mind that the engine can be started by
any of the vehicle occupants if there is a KEY- LESS-GO key in the vehicle.
Locking/unlocking centrally You can start, lock or unlock the vehicle using
KEYLESS-GO. To do this, you only need carry
the SmartKey with you. You can combine the functions of KEYLESS-GO with those of a con-
ventional SmartKey. Unlock the vehicle by
using KEYLESS-GO, for instance, and lock it
using the 0037button on the SmartKey.
When locking or unlocking with KEYLESS-GO,
the distance between the SmartKey and the
corresponding door handle must not be
greater than 3 ft (1 m). KEYLESS-GO checks whether a valid Smart-
Key is in the vehicle by periodically establish- ing a radio connection between the vehicle
and the SmartKey. This happens:
R when the external door handles are
touched
R when starting the engine
R while the vehicle is in motion X
To unlock the vehicle: touch the inner
surface of the door handle.
X To lock the vehicle: touch sensor sur-
face 0043.
X Convenience closing feature: touch
recessed sensor surface 0044for an exten-
ded period.
Further information on the convenience clos-
ing feature (Y page 95).
If you pull on the handle of the tailgate, only
the cargo compartment of the vehicle is
unlocked. Changing the settings of the locking
system
You can change the settings of the locking
system. This means that only the driver's door and the fuel filler flap are unlocked when the
vehicle is unlocked. This is useful if you fre-
quently travel on your own.
X To change the setting: press and hold
down the 0036and0037 buttons simulta-
neously for approximately six seconds until SmartKey
81Opening and closing Z

the battery check lamp flashes twice
(Y page 83).
i If the setting of the locking system is
changed within the signal range of the vehi- cle, pressing the 0037or0036 button:
R locks or
R unlocks the vehicle
The SmartKey now functions as follows:
X To unlock the driver's door: press the
0036 button once.
X To unlock centrally: press the0036but-
ton twice.
X To lock centrally: press the0037button.
The KEYLESS-GO function is changed as fol-
lows:
X To unlock the driver's door: touch the
inner surface of the door handle on the
driver's door.
X To unlock centrally: touch the inner sur-
face of the door handle on the front-
passenger door or the rear door.
X To lock centrally: touch the outer sensor
surface on one of the door handles
(Y page 81).
X To restore the factory settings: press
and hold down the 0036and0037 buttons
simultaneously for approximately six sec-
onds until the battery check lamp flashes
twice (Y page 83). Mechanical key
General notes If the vehicle can no longer be locked or
unlocked with the SmartKey, use the
mechanical key.
If you use the mechanical key to unlock and
open the driver's door, the anti-theft alarm
system will be triggered (Y page 77).There are several ways to turn off the alarm:
X To deactivate the alarm with the Smart-
Key: press the 0036or0037 button on the
SmartKey.
or
X Insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or
X To deactivate the alarm with KEYLESS-
GO: press the Start/Stop button in the igni-
tion lock. The SmartKey must be in the
vehicle.
or
X Lock or unlock the vehicle using KEYLESS-
GO. The SmartKey must be outside the
vehicle.
If you unlock the vehicle using the mechanical key, the fuel filler flap will not be unlocked
automatically.
X To unlock the fuel filler flap: insert the
SmartKey into the ignition lock.
Removing the mechanical key X
Push release catch 0043in the direction of
the arrow and at the same time remove
mechanical key 0044from the SmartKey.
For further information about: R unlocking the driver's door (Y page 88)
R unlocking the cargo compartment
(Y page 93)
R locking the vehicle (Y page 88)82
SmartKeyOpening and closing

Unlocking and opening doors from
the inside
You can open a door from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked. You can only open
the rear doors from inside the vehicle if they
are not secured by the child-proof locks
(Y page 66).
If the vehicle has been locked with the Smart-
Key or with KEYLESS-GO, opening a door from the inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm sys-
tem. Switch off the alarm (Y page 77).X
Front door: pull door handle 0044.
If the door is locked, locking knob 0043pops
up. The door is unlocked and can be
opened.
X Rear door: pull up locking knob 0043on the
relevant rear door.
The rear door is unlocked and can be
opened. Centrally locking and unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the inside. The buttons are located on
both front doors. 0043
To unlock
0044 To lock
X To unlock: press button 0043.
X To lock: press button 0044.
If the front-passenger door is closed, the
vehicle locks.
Meanwhile, the fuel filler flap will not be
locked or unlocked.
You cannot unlock the vehicle centrally from
the inside if the vehicle has been locked with the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO.
You can open a front door from inside the
vehicle even if it has been locked.
If the vehicle has been locked using the lock-
ing button for the central locking, or has been
locked automatically, and a door is opened
from the inside:
R the vehicle will be fully unlocked if it had
previously been fully unlocked
R only the door which has been opened form
the inside is unlocked if only the driver's
door had been previously unlocked Doors
87Opening and closing Z

X
Take the mechanical key out of the Smart-
Key (Y page 82).
X Insert the mechanical key into the lock of
the driver's door as far as it will go. X
Turn the mechanical key clockwise as far as
it will go to position 0047.
X Turn the mechanical key back and remove
it.
X Make sure that the doors and the tailgate
are locked.
X Insert the mechanical key into the Smart-
Key.
i If you lock the vehicle as described above,
the fuel filler flap is not locked. The anti-
theft alarm system is not armed. Cargo compartment
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle. G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. If the tailgate is open when the engine is running, particu-
larly if the vehicle is moving, exhaust fumes
could enter the passenger compartment.
There is a risk of poisoning. Turn off the engine before opening the tail-
gate. Never drive with the tailgate open.
G
WARNING
If objects, luggage or loads are not secured or not secured sufficiently, they could slip, tip
over or be flung around and thereby hit vehicle
occupants. There is a risk of injury, particu-
larly in the event of sudden braking or a sud-
den change in direction.
Always store objects so that they cannot be
flung around. Secure objects, luggage or
loads against slipping or tipping before the
journey.
! The tailgate swings upwards and to the
rear when opened. Therefore, make sure
that there is sufficient clearance above and
behind the tailgate.
i Tailgate opening dimensions
(Y page 456).
You should preferably place luggage or loads
in the cargo compartment. Observe the load- ing guidelines (Y page 334).
Do not leave the SmartKey in the cargo com- partment. You could otherwise lock yourself
out.
Vehicles without the EASY-PACK tailgate:
the tailgate can be:
R opened and closed manually from outside
R unlocked from inside with the emergency
release
For vehicles with the EASY-PACK tailgate you can:
R 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 unlock the tailgate from inside with the
emergency release
R limit the opening angle of the tailgate Cargo compartment
89Opening and closing Z

Useful information
............................156
Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle ............................................................. 156
Driving ............................................... 156
Automatic transmission ...................168
Refueling ............................................ 177
Parking ............................................... 182
Driving tips ........................................ 186
Driving systems ................................ 195
Towing a trailer ................................. 256 155Driving and parking