2016 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class trailer

Towing eyeFront .............................................. 257
Rear ...............................................2 57
Trailer
7-pin connector .............................1 69
Power supply ................................. 168
Trailer coupling (cleaning instruc-
tions) ..................................................2 45
Trailer loads
Technical data ............................... 298
Trailer tow hitch
Ball position ................................... 298
Trailer towing
ESP
®................................................ 58
PARKTRONIC ................................. 160
Transfer case
General notes ................................ 162
Shift range ..................................... 162
Shifting .......................................... 162
Shifting (general notes) .................. 162
Shifting (important safety notes) ... 162
Shifting to neutral .......................... 163
Switching off the off-road gear
ratio ............................................... 163
Switching on the off-road gear
ratio ............................................... 163
Transmission
see Automatic transmission
Transmission positions .................... 121
Transporting the vehicle .................. 258
Traveling uphill
Brow of hill ..................................... 140
Trip computer (on-board com-
puter) .................................................. 173
Trip odometer
Calling up ....................................... 173
Resetting (on-board computer) ...... 174
Turn signals
Changing bulbs (front) ..................... 94
Display message ............................ 190
Switching on/off .............................. 88
TWR (Tongue Weight Rating) (defi-
nition) ................................................. 281
Type identification plate
see Vehicle identification plate
U
UnlockingEmergency unlocking ....................... 66
From inside the vehicle (central
unlocking button) ............................. 65
V
Vanity mirrorSun visor ........................................ 221
Variable SPEEDTRONIC
Function/notes ............................. 145
Vehicle
Correct use ...................................... 23
Data acquisition ............................... 24
Display message ............................ 201
Emergency locking ........................... 66
Emergency unlocking ....................... 66
Equipment ....................................... 20
Individual settings .......................... 178
Limited Warranty ............................. 24
Loading .......................................... 271
Locking (SmartKey) .......................... 60
Lowering ........................................ 284
Maintenance .................................... 21
Parking for a long period ................ 132
Pulling away ................................... 113
Raising ........................................... 282
Reporting problems ......................... 23
Securing from rolling away ............ 282
Tow-starting ................................... 256
Towing away .................................. 256
Transporting .................................. 258
Unlocking (SmartKey) ...................... 60
Vehicle data ................................... 295
Vehicle data ....................................... 295
Vehicle data (off-road driving)
Approach/departure angle ............ 296
Fording depth ................................ 296
Maximum gradient climbing abil-
ity .................................................. 297
Vehicle dimensions ........................... 295
Vehicle identification number
see VIN
Vehicle identification plate .............. 288
Vehicle tool kit .................................. 248
Index17

Pets in the vehicle
GWARNING
If you leave animals unattended or unsecured
in the vehicle, they could press buttons or
switches, for example.
As a result, they could:
Ractivate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
Ractivate or deactivate systems, thereby
endangering other road users
Unsecured animals could also be flung around
the vehicle in the event of an accident or sud-
den steering or braking, thereby injuring vehi-
cle occupants. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Never leave animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Always secure animals properly during
the journey, e.g. use a suitable animal trans-
port box.
Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
RABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
(Ypage 55)
RBAS ( Brake Assist System) (Ypage 56)
RAdaptive brake lights (Ypage 56)
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Ypage 57)
REBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
(Ypage 58)
RADAPTIVE BRAKE (Ypage 59)
RTrailer stabilization
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The ABS, the BAS, and the ESP
®switch off
when the differential locks are switched on.
When the ABS, the BAS, and the ESP
®are
switched off
Rwheels may lock during hard braking
Rsteering capabilities are reduced
Rbraking distance is increased
Rvehicle stability in standard driving maneu-
vers is increased
Make sure the differential locks are switched on at all times except when driving off-road for
example. Switch on the differential locks
immediately when returning from off-road
driving.
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are
inattentive, the driving safety systems can nei-
ther reduce the risk of an accident nor override the laws of physics. Driving safety systems are
merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed and for braking in good
time. Always adapt your driving style to suit the
prevailing road and weather conditions and
maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in
front. Drive carefully.
iPlease note that the driving safety systems
described only work as effectively as possible
if there is adequate contact between the tires
and the road surface. Pay particular attention
to the information regarding tires, recommen-
ded minimum tire tread depths etc. in the
"Wheels and tires" section (
Ypage 262).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tires (M+S tires) and if necessary, snow
chains. Only in this way will the driving safety
systems described in this section work as
effectively as possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 55).
Driving safety systems55
Safety
Z

XTo deactivate:press button:until the
å warning lamp lights up in the instrument
cluster.
XTo activate: press button :until the å
warning lamp goes out in the instrument clus-
ter.
ESP
®is activated automatically when the engine
is started.
iVehicles with the ECO start/stop func-
tion: the ECO start/stop function automati-
cally switches the engine off when the vehicle comes to a stop. The engine starts automati-
cally when the driver wants to pull away again.
ESP
®remains in its previously selected sta-
tus. For 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 follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
Rthe engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of the wheels results in a cutting action, which pro-
vides better grip.
Rtraction control is still activated.
RESP®still provides support when you brake.
Rand are driving at above 37 mph (60 km/h)
(on AMG vehicles above 62 mph (100 km/h)),
ESP
®still intervenes when one wheel reaches
its grip limit even though it is deactivated.
iIf ESP®is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the ÷warning lamp in the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
iIf ESP®is deactivated, it is reactivated auto-
matically if you are driving at above 37 mph
(60 km/h) (on AMG vehicles above 62 mph
(100 km/h)) or you exceed a certain lateral
acceleration.
Trailer stabilization
GWARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. 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 prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Trailer stabilization does not work if ESP
®is
deactivated because of a malfunction.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer com-
bination) 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 brak-
ing and limiting the engine output until the vehi-
cle/trailer combination has stabilized.
Trailer stabilization is active above speeds of
about 37 mph (60 km/h).
EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 55).
GWARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
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 spe-
cialist workshop.
58Driving safety systems
Safety

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

SPEEDTRONIC
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
!Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, SPEED-
TRONIC can neither reduce the risk of accident
nor override the laws of physics. SPEEDTRONIC
cannot take account of road, weather and traffic
conditions. SPEEDTRONIC is only an aid. You
are responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good time
and for staying in lane. Only engage SPEED-
TRONIC when the current road, weather and
traffic conditions permit it to be done safely.
Drive carefully and maintain a suitable distance
to the vehicle in front.
General notes
SPEEDTRONIC brakes automatically so that you
do not exceed the set speed. On long and steep
downhill gradients, especially if the vehicle is
laden or towing a trailer, you must select shift
range 1,2or 3in good time. By doing so, you will
make use of the braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and wear-
ing too quickly. If you need additional braking,
depress the brake pedal repeatedly rather than
continuously.
iThe speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:To store the current speed or a higher speed
;LIM indicator lamp
=To call up the last speed stored
?To store the current speed or a lower speed
ATo switch between cruise control and varia- ble SPEEDTRONIC
BTo deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC
You can operate cruise control and variable
SPEEDTRONIC with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selected:
RLIM indicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected.
RLIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit the
speed to any speed above 30 km/h while the
engine is running.
Selecting variable SPEEDTRONIC
:To activate or increase speed
;LIM indicator lamp
=To activate at the current speed/last stored speed
?To activate or reduce speed
Driving systems145
Driving and parking
Z

ingly. Drive carefully and maintain a suitable dis-
tance to the vehicle in front.
When DISTRONIC PLUS detects a risk of colli-
sion with the vehicle in front but is unable to
sufficiently decelerate the vehicle in order to
maintain the set distance from the vehicle in
front, you will be warned visually and acousti-
cally. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot prevent a colli-
sion without your intervention. An intermittent
warning tone will then sound and the distance
warning lamp will light up in the instrument clus-
ter. Brake immediately in order to increase the
distance from the vehicle in front, or take eva-
sive action, provided it is safe to do so.
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow vehi-
cles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore, always
pay attention to traffic conditions even when
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Otherwise, you
may fail to recognize dangers in time, cause an
accident and injure yourself and others.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
Rthe sensor is dirty or covered
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere is the possibility of strong radar reflec-
tions, for example, in parking garages.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations. This
can happen unexpectedly, especially when tow-
ing or in a car wash. There is a risk of an acci-
dent. In these or similar situations, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS.
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the
following activation condit
ions must be fulfilled
(Ypage 149) and the radar sensor system must
be operational.
General notes
DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and auto- matically helps you maintain the distance to the
vehicle detected in front. DISTRONIC PLUS
brakes automatically so that the set speed is not
exceeded.
On long and steep downhill gradients, especially
if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you
must select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. 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 overheat-
ing 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 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 respon-
sible authorities. You can refer to the relevant
chapter in the Operator's Manual if questions
are asked about this.
iUSA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as
a "Vehicular Radar System". The radar sensor
is intended for use in an automotive radar
system only. Removing, tampering with, or
altering the device will void any warranties,
and is not permitted by the FCC. Do not tam-
per with, alter, or use in an
y non-approved
way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
iCanada 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.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
148Driving systems
Driving and parking

!A function or performance test should only
be carried out on a two-axle dynamometer.
Before you operate the vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult a qualified
workshop. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
The all-wheel drive system ensures that all four
wheels are permanently driven. The all-wheel
drive system improves vehicle traction together
with ESP
®and 4ETS if a drive wheel spins due to
insufficient grip.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
ROnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
RTake your foot off the accelerator, slowly,
while the vehicle is in motion.
The permanent all-wheel drive system can nei-
ther reduce the risk of accident nor override the
laws of physics if you fail to adapt your driving
style or if you are inattentive. The all-wheel drive
system cannot take into account road, weather
or traffic conditions. The all-wheel drive system
is only an aid. You are responsible for maintain-
ing a safe distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in lane.
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tires (M+S tires) and if necessary, snow chains
(
Ypage 264). Only in this way can the maximum
effect of all-wheel drive be achieved.
For information on driving off-road, see
(
Ypage 137).
PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes
!When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such as
flower pots or trailer drawbars. PARKTRONIC
does not detect such objects when they are in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. You
could damage the vehicle or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic car
wash, the compressed-air brakes on a truck
or a pneumatic drill could cause PARKTRONIC
to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain. PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and audi-
bly the distance between your vehicle and an
object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate sur-
roundings. You are always responsible for safe
maneuvering, parking and exiting a parking
space. Ensure that the areas in front, behind and
to the side of the vehicle are safe before maneu-
vering, parking or pulling away. There must not
be any persons, animals or objects in the area in
which you are maneuvering.
PARKTRONIC does not take into account any
persons or objects located below or above the
detection range. As a result, PARKTRONIC can-
not warn you about objects in this area.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
Rswitch on the ignition
Rshift the transmission to position D,Ror N
Rrelease the parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper.
Range of the sensors
General notes
:Example: sensors in the front bumper, right-
hand side
158Driving systems
Driving and parking

This indicates that you have now reached the
minimum distance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC
:Indicator lamp
;To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated.
iPARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock.
Towing a trailer
PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between your vehicle and a trailer.
160Driving systems
Driving and parking