High-performance brake system for
AMG vehicles
The high-performance brake system is only
installed on the G 63 AMG and the G 65 AMG.
The high-performance brake system is designed
for heavy loads. This may lead to noise when
braking. This will depend on:
RSpeed
RBraking force
REnvironmental conditions, such as tempera-
ture and humidity
The wear of individual components of the brake
system, such as the brake pads/linings or brake
discs, depends on the individual driving style
and operating conditions.
For this reason, it is impossible to state a mile-
age that will be valid under all circumstances. An aggressive driving style will lead to high wear.
You can obtain further information about this
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after several
hundred kilometers of driving. Compensate for
this by applying greater force to the brake pedal.
Keep this in mind, and adapt your driving and
braking accordingly during this break-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in correspond-
ingly high brake wear. Observe the brake system
warning lamp in the instrument cluster and noteany brake status messages in the multifunction
display. For high-performance driving in partic-
ular, it is important to maintain and have the
brake system checked regularly.
Parking brake
GWARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels could lock. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi-
cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly. If the
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begin turning again.
If you brake the vehicle with the parking brake,
the brake lamps will not light up. If you drive on wet roads or dirt-covered surfa-
ces, road salt and/or dirt could get into the
parking brake.
In order to prevent corrosion and a reduction in
the braking power of the parking brake, observe
the following:
Rpull the parking brake upwards with the
release button depressed from time to time
before beginning the journey (
Ypage 131).
Rdrive for approximately 110 yds (100 m) at a
maximum speed of 12 mph (20 km/h)
Driving on wet roads
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to a certain depth on
the road surface, there is a danger of hydro-
planing occurring, even if:
Ryou drive at low speeds.
Rthe tires have adequate tread depth.
For this reason, in the event of heavy rain or in
conditions in which hydroplaning may occur,
you must drive in the following manner:
Rlower your speed.
Ravoid ruts.
Rbrake carefully.
Driving on flooded roads
!Do not drive through flooded areas. Check
the depth of any water before driving through
it. Drive slowly through standing water. Oth-
erwise, water may enter the vehicle interior or
the engine compartment. This can damage
the electronic components in the engine or
the automatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by the engine's air suction nozzles
and this can cause engine damage.
If you have to drive on stretches of road on which
water has collected, please bear in mind that:
Rthe maximum permissible still water depth
depends on the vehicle equipment
Ryou should drive no faster than at a walking
pace
Off-road fording
!Under no circumstances should you accel-
erate before entering the water. The bow
Driving tips135
Driving and parking
Z
XReplacedente dor damaged wheels.
XCarr y asoun dspar ewheel.
Checklist after driving off-road
Drivin gove rroug hterrain places greate r
demand son your vehicl ethan driving on normal
roads. Afte rdriving off-road, chec kth evehicle.
This allows you to detec tdamag epromptly and
reduce th eris kof an acciden tto yourself and
other road users.
XShift th etransfer cas eto HIG H
RANGE (Ypage 162).
XDisengage th edifferential locks
(Ypage 166).
XClean th eheadlamps and rear lights and
chec kfor damage.
XClean th efron tand rear license plates.
XClean th ewheels and tires wit h awater je t
and remove any foreign objects .
XClean thewheels, tires ,whee lhousing sand
th evehicl eunderside wit h awater jet; chec k
for any foreign objects and damage.
XChec kwhether twigs or other part sof plants
hav ebecome trapped .These increas eth eris k
of fir eand can damag efuel pipes ,brak e
hoses or th erubber bellows of th eaxl ejoint s
and propelle rshafts .
XAfterth etrip, examin ewithout fail th eentire
undercarriage, wheels, tires ,brakes, body-
wor kstructure, steering ,chassi sand exhaust
system for damage.
XAfte rdriving for extended periods across
sand, mud, gravel, water or in similarl ydirt y
conditions, hav eth ebrak ediscs, wheels,
brak epads/lining sand axl ejoint schecke d
and clea
ned.
XIf you notice stron
gvibration safter off-road
driving ,chec kfor foreign objects in th e
wheels and driv etrain and ,if necessary,
remove them.
Foreign objects can disturb th ebalance and
caus evibrations.
XTes tth ebrakes.
Driving on sand
Observ eth efollowin grule swhen driving on
sand:
RShift th etransfer cas eto LOW
RANGE (Ypage 162).
RAvoid high engin espeeds.
RLimit th eshif trange of th eautomatic trans -
mission according to th eoff-road conditions.
RDrive quickly to overcome th erollin gresist -
ance. Otherwise th evehicle's wheels could
become stuck in loos eground .
RDrive in th etrack sof other vehicles if possi-
ble. When doin gso, mak esur ethat:
-th etire rut sare no tto odeep .
-thesan dis sufficientl yfirm.
-your vehicl ehas sufficien tground clear-
anc e
Tire ruts and gravel roads
!Chec kthat th erut sare no tto odeep and
that your vehicl ehas sufficien tclearance .
Otherwise, your vehicl ecould be damaged or
botto mout and get stuck .
Observ eth efollowin grule swhen driving alon g
rut sin off-road terrain or on road swit hloos e
gravel:
RShift th etransfer cas eto LOW
RANGE (Ypage 162).
RAvoid high engin espeeds.
RObserv eth esafet ynote s (Ypage 137) and
th egeneral note s (Ypage 137) on off-road
driving .
RRestric tth eshif trange of th eautomatic
transmission to 1(Ypage 123).
RDrive slowly.
RWhererut sare to odeep ,driv ewit hth e
wheels of on eside on th ecenter grassy area,
if possible.
Driving over obstacles
!Obstacles could damag eth efloor of th e
vehicl eor component sof th echassis. As k
passenger sfor guidance when driving ove r
larg eobstacles. The passenger should always
keep asaf edistanc efrom th evehicl ewhen
doin gso in order to avoi dinjury as aresult of
unexpecte dvehicl emovements. Afte rdriving
off-road or ove robstacles, chec kth evehicl e
Driving tips139
Driving and parking
Z
for possible damage, especially to the under-
body and the components of the chassis.
!Drive with particular care when driving over
an obstacle while driving up or down a steep
slope.
The vehicle could otherwise tilt and slide side-
ways or tip over.
Observe the following rules when driving over
tree stumps, large stones and other obstacles:
RObserve the safety notes (Ypage 137) and
the general notes (Ypage 137) on off-road
driving.
RShift the transfer case to LOW RANGE
(Ypage 162).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RRestrict the shift range to 1(Ypage 123).
RMake sure that you have enough ground
clearance before driving across an obstacle.
RDrive very slowly.
RTry to drive straight over the center of obsta-
cles: front wheel first, then rear wheel.
Traveling uphill
Approach/departure angle
GWARNING
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.
Always observe the approach/departure angle
values (
Ypage 296).
RObserve the safety notes (Ypage 137) and
the general notes (Ypage 137) on off-road
driving.
RDo not drive at an angle on slopes, inclines or
gradients, but instead follow the direct line of
fall. Note that the climbing ability of your vehi- cle depends on the terrain conditions.
RBefore driving on extreme uphill and downhillgradients, shift the transfer case to LOW
RANGE (
Ypage 162).
REngage the differential locks, if necessary
(Ypage 165).
RDrive slowly.
RAccelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
RAvoid high engine speeds, except when driv-
ing on sandy and muddy routes with high driv-
ing resistance.
RAvoid high engine speeds – drive at an appro-
priate engine speed (maximum 3,000 rpm).
RWhen driving down an incline, make use of the
engine's braking effect. Observe the engine
speed; do not overrev the engine.
iFurther information on the maximum engine
speed: (Ypage 171).
RSelect a shift range appropriate to the gradi-
ent.
RBefore tackling steep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1(Ypage 123).
RAlways check the brakes after driving off-
road.
iHill start assist will aid you when pulling
away on a hill.
For more information, see "Hill start assist"
(
Ypage 114).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climbing ability values (Ypage 297).
Hilltops
When driving on an uphill gradient, reduce pres-
sure slightly on the accelerator immediately
before reaching the top of the hill (do not shift
the transmission to position N). Use the vehi-
cle's own impetus to drive over the top of the
hill.
This style of driving prevents:
Rthe vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of a hill
Rloss of traction
Rthe vehicle from traveling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill
RBefore tackling steep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1(Ypage 123).
This way you use the engine's braking effect
to reduce the speed. If this is not sufficient,
brake gently. When doing so, make sure that
140Driving tips
Driving and parking
Making adjustments in 5 mph increments
(10 km/h increments):
:To activate or increase speed
;LIM indicator lamp
=To activate at the current speed/last storedspeed
?To activate or reduce speed
ATo switch between cruise control and varia-
ble SPEEDTRONIC
BTo deactivate cruise control
XBriefly press the cruise control lever up :or
down ?to beyond the pressure point.
The last speed stored is increased or reduced.
or
XKeep the cruise control lever pressed until the
desired speed is reached. Press the cruise
control lever up :for a higher speed or
down ?for a lower speed.
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For example, if
you accelerate briefly to overtake, cruise con-
trol adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished overtak-
ing.
Deactivating cruise control
:To activate or increase speed
;LIM indicator lamp
=To activate at the current speed/last stored speed
?To activate or reduce speed
ATo switch between cruise control and varia-
ble SPEEDTRONIC
BTo deactivate cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise con- trol:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever forwardsB.
or
XBrake.
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever lights
up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
Ryou apply the parking brake
Ryou are driving at less than 20 mph (30 km/h)
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Ryou shift the transmission to position Nwhile
driving
iThe last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
144Driving systems
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
iWhen changing lanes, DISTRONIC PLUS
monitors the left lane on left-hand drive vehi-
cles and the right lane on right-hand drive
vehicles.
Stopping
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
RDISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected.
Rthe accelerator pedal has been depressed, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
iDepending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at
a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in
front. The specified minimum distance is set
using the control on the cruise control lever.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there is
a malfunction, the transmission may also auto-
matically be shifted into position P.
Displays in the instrument cluster
Displays in the speedometer
Example: DISTRONIC PLUS displays in the speed-
ometer
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or two
segments ;in the set speed range light up.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front,
segments ;between speed of the vehicle in
front :and stored speed =light up.
iFor design reasons, the speed displayed in
the speedometer may differ slightly from the
speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS.
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vated
Distance display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vated
:
Vehicle in front, if detected
;Distance indicator, current distance to the
vehicle in front
=Specified minimum distance to the vehicle
in front; adjustable
?Own vehicle
You can select the distance display in the Assis- tance menu (
Ypage 178) of the on-board com-
puter.
Driving systems151
Driving and parking
Z
XTo increase:turn control=in direction ;.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater
distance between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front.
XTo decrease: turn control=in direction :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter
distance between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front.
iMake sure that you maintain the minimum
distance to the vehicle in front as required by
law. Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front
if necessary.
Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
There are several ways to deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake, unless the vehicle is stationary
or
XBriefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever lights
up.
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, you will
see the DISTRONIC PLUS Off
message in the
multifunction display for approximately five sec-
onds.
iThe last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine. DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactivated
if:
Ryou engage the parking brake
Ryou are driving slower than 15 mph (25 km/h)
and there is no vehicle in front, or if the vehicle
in front is no longer detected
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe transmission is in the
P,Ror Nposition
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards you
in order to pull away and the front-passenger
door or one of the rear doors is open
Rthe vehicle has skidded
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You will see the DISTRONIC
PLUS Offmessage in the multifunction display
for approximately five seconds.
In the Assistance menu (
Ypage 178) of the on-
board computer, you can select the distance
display.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must be particularly attentive. In such situations, brake if
necessary. DISTRONIC PLUS is then deactiva-
ted.
Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or late.
Driving systems153
Driving an d parking
Z