2016 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class Owner's Manual

iBear in mind that the power transmission
between the engine and the transmission is
interrupted when the engine is switched off.
For this reason, shift the automatic transmis-
sion to Pwhen the engine is switched off and
the vehicle is at a standstill. Apply the parking
brake to prevent the vehicle from rolling
away.
Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions
!If the engine speed is too high or if the vehi-
cle is rolling, do not shift the transmission
directly from Dto R, from Rto Dor directly to
P.
Do not open the driver's door while the vehi-
cle is in motion. At low speeds in transmission
position Dor R, park position Pis otherwise
engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
Selector lever
j
Park position
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
When you select a transmission position, the
selector lever subsequently returns to its origi-
nal position.
The current transmission position P,R, Nor D
appears in the transmission position display in
the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
!If the transmission position display in the
multifunction display is not working, you should pull away carefully to check whether
the desired transmission position is engaged.
Select transmission position D. Do not
restrict the shift range.
:Transmission position
;Drive program
Current transmission position :and current
drive program ;appear in the multifunction
display.
The current position of the selector lever is
shown by the indicators next to the selector
lever.
The indicators light up when the SmartKey is
inserted into the ignition lock. The indicators go
out when the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock.
When the selector lever is in position D, you can
influence the gearshifts made by the automatic
transmission by:
Rrestricting the shift range
Rchanging gear yourself
Engaging park position P
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XPress the Pbutton in the center console.
iIf you depress the brake pedal and push the
selector lever forwards or back to the first
point of resistance, park position Pis disen-
gaged. The transmission shifts to neutral N.
Automatic transmission119
Driving and parking
Z

Park positionPis automatically engaged:
Rif you remove the SmartKey from the ignition
lock
Rif you open the driver's door while traveling at
low speed in transmission position Dor R
Rif DISTRONIC PLUS (Ypage 147) brakes your
vehicle until it is stationary and at least one of
the following conditions is fulfilled:
-the engine is switched off.
-the driver's door is open and the seat belt is not fastened.
-there is a system malfunction.
-the power supply is insufficient.
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only shift the automatic transmission to R
when the vehicle is stationary.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XPush the selector lever forwards past the first
point of resistance.
Transmission position Ris engaged.
iWhen reverse gear is engaged and the ECO
start/stop function is switched on, the engine starts up automatically (
Ypage 114).
Shifting to neutral N
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
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.
If the vehicle is stationary:
XDepress the brake pedal.
XDepending on the current transmission posi-
tion, press the selector lever forwards or
backwards to the first point of resistance.
The automatic transmission shifts into N.
If the engine has been switched off, the auto-
matic transmission automatically shifts to N.
iIf the vehicle is braked to a standstill when in
neutral Nand the brake pedal continues to be
depressed, the ECO start/stop function
switches the engine off automatically
(
Ypage 114).
Remaining in neutral N
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
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.
XMake sure that the ignition is switched on.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
120Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

XIf the parking brake is applied, release it.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
Shifting to transmission position D
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XPush the selector lever back past the first
point of resistance.
Transmission positionDis engaged.
iIf the vehicle is braked to a standstill when in
transmission position D(Ypage 114) and the
brake pedal continues to be depressed, the
ECO start/stop function switches the engine
off automatically.
Transmission positions
BPark position
Do not shift the transmission into
position P(
Ypage 119) unless the
vehicle is stationary. The parking lock should not be used as a brake when
parking. In addition to engaging the
parking lock, you must always apply
the parking brake to secure the vehi-
cle.
iThe SmartKey can only be
removed if the transmission is in
position P. When there is no
SmartKey in the ignition lock, the
selector lever is locked in position P.
CReverse gear
Only shift the transmission to Rwhen
the vehicle is stationary.
ANeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you to
move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push
it or tow it.
Do not shift the transmission to N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
If ESP
®is deactivated or faulty: only
shift the transmission to position Nif
the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
e.g. on icy roads.
If you want to engage the transfer
case, shift briefly into N
(
Ypage 162).
!Rolling in neutral Ncan damage
the drive train.
7Drive
The automatic transmission changes
gear automatically. All forward gears
are available.
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gearshifting
behavior is determined by:
Ra shift range restriction, if selected
Rthe position of the transfer case ( HIGH
RANGE orLOW RANGE )
Rthe position of the accelerator pedal
Rthe road speed
Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle: early upshifts
Rmore throttle: late upshifts
Automatic transmission121
Driving and parking
Z

Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
XDepress theaccelerato rpedal beyon dth e
pressur epoint.
The automatic transmission shift sto alower
gear depending on th eengin espeed.
XEas eoff th eaccelerato rpedal once th e
desire dspeed is reached.
The automatic transmission shift sbac kup.
Kickdown is no tavailable in th epermanen tman -
ual drive progra mon AM Gvehicles.
Rocking the vehicle free
Shifting th etransmission repeatedly between
gear sD and Rmay help to free th evehicl eif it
has become stuck in slus hor snow. The vehi-
cle's engin emanagemen tsystem limits th e
speed to amaximum of 5mph (9 km/h) when
shifting bac kand forth .To shift bac kand forth
between transmission position sD and R,mov e
th eselector lever forward sand backwards past
th epoin tof resistance.
Towing a trailer
XDrive in th emiddle of th eengin espee drange
on uphil lgradients .
XVehicles excep tAMG vehicles: shift down
to shift range 3or 2depending on th euphil lor
downhill gradien t (
Ypage 123), evenif cruise
control or SPEEDTRONI Cis activated.
AMG vehicles: shift down to gear 3or 2
depending on th euphil lor downhill gradien t
(
Ypage 123), eve nif cruise control ,
DISTRONI CPLU Sor SPEEDTRONI Cis activa-
ted.
XShift th etransfer cas eint olow-range drivin g
position LOW RANGE on extreme uphil lgra -
dients or steep downhill gradients
(
Ypage 162).
Program selector button
Gene ral notes
The progra mselector butto nallows you to
choos ebetween drive programs wit hdifferen t
drivin gcharacteristics .
iIn AMGvehicles, drive progra mEis called
drive progra mC.
iThe automatic transmission switches to
automatic drive progra mE(drive progra mCin
AM Gvehicles) eac htime th eengin eis star-
ted.
iOnly chang efrom automatic drive progra m
C or Sto manual drive progra mM when th e
vehicl eis stationary.
Drive program excep tfor AMG vehicles
E EconomyComfortable, economical
drivin g
SSportSport ydrivin gstyle
M ManualManual gear shifting
Drive program son AMG vehicles
C Controlle d
EfficiencyComfortable, economical
drivin g
SSportSport ydrivin gstyle
M ManualManual gear shifting
iForfurther information on th eautomatic
drive program, see (Ypage 123).
122Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Selecting the drive program
Program selector button (except for AMG vehicles)
Program selector button (AMG vehicles)
XPress program selector button:repeatedly
until the letter for the desired gearshift pro-
gram appears in the multifunction display.
Steering wheel paddle shifters
In the automatic drive program, you can restrict
or derestrict the shift range by using steering
wheel paddle shifters :and ;(
Ypage 123).
In the manual drive program you can change
gears manually using steering wheel paddle
shifters :and ;(
Ypage 124).
iYou can only change gear with the steering
wheel paddle shifters when the transmission
is in position D.
Automatic drive program
Drive program E(drive program Con AMG vehi-
cles) is characterized by the following:
Rcomfort-oriented engine and transmission
settings
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting up sooner
Rthe vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the accel-
erator pedal is depressed fully
Rincreased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for exam-
ple
Rthe automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being driven
at lower engine speeds and the wheels being
less likely to spin
Drive program Sis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rsporty engine and transmission settings
Rthe vehicle pulling away in first gear
Rthe automatic transmission shifting up later
Rthe fuel consumption possibly being higher as
a result of the later automatic transmission
shift points
Shift ranges
Introduction
When the automatic transmission is in position
D, it is possible to restrict or derestrict the shift
range.
The shift range selected is shown in the multi-
function display. The automatic transmission
shifts only as far as the selected gear.
Setting the shift range is not possible on AMG
vehicles.
Automatic transmission123
Driving and parking
Z

Driving situations
=You can use theengine's braking
effec t
5The braking effec tof th eengin ecan
be utilized on downhill gradients or
when driving:
Ron steep mountai nroads
Rin mountainous terrain
Rin arduous condition s
4The braking effectof th eengin ecan
be utilized on extremely steep down -
hill gradients and lon gdownhill
stretches.
Restricting the shift range
XPull th eleft-han dsteering whee lpaddl e
shifter (Ypage 123).
The automatic transmission shift sdown on e
gear and restrict sth eshift range to th erele-
van tgear .
iIf theengin eexceeds th emaximum engin e
speed when shifting down ,th eautomatic
transmission protect sagainst engin edamag e
by no tshifting down .
iIf themaximum engin espeed for th eshift
range is reached and you continu eto accel-
erate, th eautomatic transmission shift sup in
order to preven tth eengin efrom overrevving ,
eve nif th eshift range is restricted.
Derestri cting the shift range
XPull th eright-hand steering whee lpaddl e
shifter (Ypage 123).
The automatic transmission shift sup on e
gear and restrict sth eshift range to th erele-
van tgear .
Clearing the shift range restriction
XPull and hold th eright-hand steering whee l
paddl eshifter (Ypage 123) until Dis shown
again in th emultifunction display.
The automatic transmission shift sfrom th e
curren tshift range directl yto D.
Selecting the ideal shift range
XPull th eleft-han dsteering whee lpaddl e
shifter (Ypage 123) and hold it in position .
The automatic transmission shift sto th egear
whic hallows optimum acceleration and
deceleration .To do this, th eautomatic trans -
mission shift sdown on eor mor egears.
iThe automatic transmission canno tshift
down beyon dsecon dgear .To shift to first
gear ,you hav eto pull th elef tsteering whee l
paddl eshifter.
Manual gear shifting
Temporary setting
XTo activate: shift theDIRECT SELECT lever to
position D.
XPull steering whee lpaddl eshifter :or;.
Temporary setting will be active for acertain
amount of time. Under certain condition sth e
minimum amount of time is extended, e.g. in th e
cas eof lateral acceleration ,during an overrun
phas eor when drivin gon steep terrain .
XTo deactivate:pull steering whee lpaddl e
shifter ;and hold it in place.
or
XUse th eDIRECT SELECT lever to switch th e
transmission position .
or
XUse th eDYNAMIC SELECT switch to chang e
th edrive program.
Shifting gears
!The automatic transmission does no tshift
up automatically eve nwhen th eengin elimit-
ing speed for th ecurren tgear is reached.
124Automatic transmission
Driving an d parking

When the engine limiting speed is reached,
the fuel supply is cut to prevent the engine
from overrevving. Always make sure that the
engine speed does not reach the red area of
the tachometer. There is otherwise a risk of
engine damage.
XTo shift up:pull steering wheel paddle
shifter ;.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
XTo shift down: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter :.
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
Automatic down shifting occurs when coast-
ing.
If the engine exceeds the maximum engine
speed when shifting down, the automatic
transmission protects against engine damage by not shifting down.
Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
XIf relevant gearshift recommendation :
appears in the multifunction display on the
instrument cluster, pull the corresponding
steering wheel paddle shifter (
Ypage 123).
The automatic transmission shifts to recom-
mended gear ;.
XIf relevant gearshift recommendation :
appears in the multifunction display in the
instrument cluster, pull the corresponding
steering wheel paddle shifter (see the Digital
Operator's Manual).
The automatic transmission shifts to recom-
mended gear ;.
Manual drive program
General information
In manual drive program M, you can perma-
nently change gear yourself by using the steer-
ing wheel paddle shifters. The transmission
must be in position D. The gear currently selec-
ted and engaged is shown in the multifunction
display.
Manual drive program Mdiffers from drive pro-
grams Eand Swith regard to spontaneity,
responsiveness and smoothness of gear
changes.
Switching on the manual drive program
XShift the transmission to position D.
XPress the program selector button repeatedly
untilMappears in the multifunction display.
Upshifting
!In manual drive program M, the automatic
transmission does not shift up automatically
even when the engine limiting speed for the
current gear is reached. When the engine lim-
iting speed is reached, the fuel supply is cut to
prevent the engine from overrevving. Always
make sure that the engine speed does not
reach the red area of the tachometer. There is
otherwise a risk of engine damage.
Automatic transmission125
Driving and parking
Z

XIf corresponding gearshift recommenda-
tion:appears in the multifunction display
on the instrument cluster, pull on the right-
hand steering wheel paddle shifter
(
Ypage 123).
The automatic transmission shifts to recom-
mended gear ;.
Downshifting
XPull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter (Ypage 123).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
iIf you slow down or stop without shifting
down, the automatic transmission automati-
cally shifts down.
Selecting the optimal gear for maxi-
mum acceleration
XPull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter until the transmission selects the opti-
mum gear according to the speed.
Switching off the manual drive program
XPress the program selector button repeatedly until Cor Sappears in the multifunction dis-
play.
126Automatic transmission
Driving and parking