
Observe the following notes:
R stop the vehicle before you drive off-road and,
if necessary, shift the transfer case to the
LOW RANGE off-road driving position
(Y page 124)
R engage the differential locks if necessary
(Y page 126)
i ABS,4
ETS, ESP ®
and BAS are deactivated
while the differential locks are engaged. This
allowst he front wheels to lock briefly, so that
they can dig into aloose surface. However,
please note that locked wheels skid and can
no longer steer.
R Make sure that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(Y page 203).
R To avoid damaging the vehicle, make sure
there is always sufficient ground clearance.
R Alwaysk eep the engine running and in gear
when driving on adownhill gradient.
R Alwaysk eep the engine running and in gear
when driving on aslope.
R Drive slowly and evenly, if necessary at walk-
ing pace.
R Ensure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at all times.
R Drive with extreme care on unknown off-road
routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea- sons, get out of the vehicle first and survey
the off-road route.
R Check the depth of water before fording rivers
and streams.
R Watch out for obstacles.
R Alwaysk eep the doors, the rear door, the side
windows and the sliding sunroof closed while
the vehicle is in motion.
R Do not deviate from marked routes.
R Match your speed to the terrain. The rougher,
steeper or more ruts on the terrain, the slower your speed should be.
R Do not jump with the vehicle. This will inter-
rupt the vehicle's propulsion.
R Avoid high engine speeds. Drive at appropri-
ate engine speeds.
R Alwaysc heck the vehicle for damage after off-
road driving.
Do not use the HOLD function when driving off- road, on steep uphillord ownhill gradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot hold the vehicle on such surfaces. You can obtain further information aboutr
etro-
fittin gspecial all-terrain tyres from aqualified
specialis tworkshop.
Checklist before off-roa ddriving X
Engine oil level: check the engine oil and top
it up if necessary.
When driving on steep gradients, the oil level must be sufficiently high to ensure acorrect
oil supply in th evehicle.
X Hav ethe AdBlue ®
level checked at aqualified
specialist workshop (Y page 111).
X Tyre-change tool kit: check that thejackis
working and mak esure that th ewheel
wrench, arobus ttow cable and afolding
spade are in th evehicle.
X Wheels and tyres: check thetyret read
dept hand tyr epressure.
X Chec kfor damage and remove any foreign
objects, e.g .small stones, fro mthewheels/
tyres.
X Replace any missing valv ecaps.
X Replace dented or damage dwheels .Also
check th espare wheel.
X Wheels: dented or ben twheels can lead to a
loss of tyr epressure and damage to th etyre
bead. Before driving off-road, check the
wheels and replac ethemifn ecessary.
Checklist after off-roa ddriving !
If you detect damage to the vehicl
eafter
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on normal
roads. After driving off-road, check the vehicle.
This allowsy ou to detect damage promptly and
reduce the risk of an accident to yourselfa nd
other road users.
X Shift the transfer case to the on-road position
HIGH RANGE (Ypage 124).
X Disengage the differential locks
(Y page 127).
X Cleant he headlamps and rear lights and
check for damage.
X Cleant he front and rear licence plates.
X Cleant he wheels and tyres with awater jet
and remove any foreign objects. 120
Drivingt
ipsDriving and parking

X
Clean th ewheels, wheel arches and th evehi-
cle underside wit hawaterjet;c he ck for any
foreign object sand damage.
X Chec kwhether twigs or other part sofplants
have become trapped. Thes eincreas ethe risk
of fir eand can damag efuel pipes ,brake
hoses or th erubbe rbellows of th eaxle joints
and propeller shafts.
X Afte rthe trip, examin ewithout fail th eentire
undercarriage, wheels, tyres, bodywork struc- ture, brakes, steering ,cha ssis and exhaust
system for damage.
X Afte rdriving in sand, mud, gravel, wate ror
similar dirt yconditions ,have th efollowing
checked and cleaned:
R brak ediscs
R wheels
R brak epads
R axle joints
X If you notic estron gv ibrations after off-road
driving ,che ck for foreign object sinthe
wheel sand driv etrain and ,ifnecessary,
remove them. Foreign object scan disturb the
balance and caus evibrations.
Driving on sand Observ
ethe following rules when driving on
sand:
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124).
R avoid high engine speeds.
R Shift the automatic transmission to alow
gear.
R drive quickly to overcome the rolling resist-
ance. Otherwise, the vehicle could dig itself
into the sand.
R drive in the tracks of other vehicles if possible.
When doing so, make sure that:
- the tyre ruts are not too deep
- the sand is firm enough
- your vehicle has sufficient ground clear-
ance
Tyre rutsa nd unpaved roads !
Check that the ruts are not too deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged or bottom out and get stuck. Observe the following rules when driving along
ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with loose
gravel:
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124)
R avoid high engine speeds
R observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and the
general notes (Y page 119) on off-road driving
R shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
R drive slowly
R where ruts are too deep, drive with the wheels
on one side on the middle section of turf if
possible
Driving over obstacles !
Obstacles could damage the floor of the
vehicle or componentsoft he chassis. Ask
passengers for guidance when driving over
large obstacles. Any damage to the vehicle
always increases the risk of an accident.
! Drive with particular care when driving over
an obstacle while driving up or down asteep
slope.
The vehicle could otherwise tilt and slide side- waysort ip over.
Observe the following rules when driving over
tree stumps, large stones and other obstacles:
R observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and the
general notes (Y page 119) on off-road driving
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124)
R avoid high engine speeds
R shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
R make sure that you have enough ground
clearance before driving across an obstacle
R drive very slowly
R try to drive straight over the centreofo bsta-
cles: front wheel first, then rear wheel Travelling uphill
Approach/departure angle G
WARNING
If you drive on asteep incline at an angle or
turn on asteep incline, the vehicl ecoulds lip
sideways, tip and overturn. There is arisk of
an accident. Drivingt
ips
121Driving an dparking
Z

When driving on an incline, drive into the line
of fall (upwards or downwards in astraight
line) and do not turn.
Always observe the approach/departure angle
values (Y page 255).
R Observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and
general notes (Y page 119) on driving off-
road.
R Follow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
R Befor edriving on extreme uphill and extreme
downhill gradients ,set the transfer case to
the LOW RANGE off-road driving position
(Y page 124).
R Engage the differential locks if necessary
(Y page 126).
R Drive slowly.
R Accelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
R Avoid high engine speeds, except when driv-
ing on sandy and muddy routes with high driv-
ing resistance.
R Use the braking power of the engine when
driving down aslope. Observe the engine
speed; do not overrev the engine.
R Shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
appropriate for tackling an uphill gradient or a long, steep downhill gradient.
The HOLD function assists you when pulling
away and manoeuvrin gonaslope or hillside
(Y page 122).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability Alwayso
bserve the maximu mgradient climbing
ability values (Y page 255).
Hilltops When drivin
gupanu phill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immediately
before reaching the brow of the hill. Make use of the vehicle's own impetus to travel over the
brow.
This style of driving prevents:
R the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of ahill
R loss of traction
R the vehicle from travelling too quickly down
the other side Driving downhill R
Drive slowly.
R Do no tdrive at an angle down stee pinclines.
Stee rinto the line of fall and drive with the
front wheels aligned straight forwards .Oth-
erwise, the vehicl ecould slip sideways ,tip
and overturn.
R Before tackling stee pdownhil lgradients ,shift
the automatic transmission to alow gear.
By doing so, yo uwillu se the braking effect of
the engine to reduce the speed. If thi sisnot
sufficient, brake gently .Whend oing so, make
sure tha tthe vehicl eisfacing in the direction
of the line of fall.
R Observe the note sondrivinginm ountainous
terrai n(Ypage 122).
R Check tha tthe servic ebrake is workin gnor-
mall yafter alon gd ownhil lstretch.
When drivin gatspeeds below60km/h ,off-road
ABS is activated and the front wheels lock cycli- cally durin gbraking .The digging-i neffect ach-
ieved in the proces sreduce sthe stopping dis-
tance durin goff-roa ddriving. Thi slim its steering
capability. Driving systems
HOLD function
General notes Th
eH OLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R when pulling away,e specially on steep slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Do not use the HOLD function when driving off-
road, on steep uphill or downhill gradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot hold the vehicle on such surfaces. 122
Driving systemsDriving and parking

To avoid hazardous situations:
R make sure to check the noseweight before
each journey
R the noseweight should be as close as possible
to the maximum noseweight
R do not exceed the maximum permissible
noseweight
R the noseweight must not be lower than the
minimum permissible noseweight
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
When reversin gthe towing vehicle, make sure
there is nobody between the trailer and the vehi- cle.
The applicable permissible values, which must
not be exceeded, can be found:
R in your vehicle documents
R on the type plates for the trailer
R on the vehicle identification plate
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the identification plates and for the
towing vehicle under "Technical data"
(Y page 256).
When reversin gthe towing vehicle, make sure
there is nobody between the trailer and the vehi- cle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If youdo not couple the trailer to the towing vehicle
correctly, the trailer could become detached.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different from when driv-
ing without atrailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by stron gcrosswinds
R demands more sensitiv esteering
R has alarger turnin gcircle This can impair the vehicle's handling charac-
teristics. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Maintain asafe distance. Drive carefully.
When towing atrailer, alway sadjust your speed
to the current road and weather conditions. Do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed for
your vehicle/trailer combination. Notes on to
wingatrailer
General notes When towing
atrailer, set the tyre pressure on
the rear axle of the towing vehicle for amaxi-
mum load. Further information on the tyre pres-
sure table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 109).
The height of the ball coupling changes with the load of the vehicle. If necessary, use atrailer
with aheight-adjustable drawbar.
You will find permissible trailer loads under
"Technical data" (Y page 256).
Driving tips X
Observe the information on ESP ®
trailer sta-
bilisation (Y page 55).
X On long and steep downhill gradients, select
shift range 1,2or 3(Y page 105) in good time.
X If necessary, shift the transfer case to LOW
RANGE (Ypage 124).
This will use the braking effect of the engine, so less braking will be required to maintain
the vehicle speed. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additional braking, depress the
brake pedal repeatedly rather than continu-
ously.
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journey, check the
trailer's documents to see what the maximum
permitted speed is. Observe the maximum per-
missible speed in the relevant country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the maxi-
mum permissibler ear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. See the "Technical data"
section to find out whether this applies to your
vehicle (Y page 256). In the event of increased
rear axle load, the car/trailer combination may
not exceed amaximum speed of 100 km/h for
reasons concerning the operating permit. This 128
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

also applies in countries in whic
hthe maximum
permissible spee dfor car/trailer combinations
is greate rtha n1 00 km/h.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be differen ttowhen driving
without atrailer and th evehicle will consume
mor efuel.
Driving tips R
Maintain agreater distance to the vehicle in
front than when driving without atrailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake gen-
tly at first to allow the trailer to run on. Then,
increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing capa-
bilities from astandstill refer to sea level.
When driving in mountainous areas, note that
the power output of the engine, and conse-
quently the vehicle's gradient-climbing capa-
bility from astandstill, decrease with increas-
ing altitude.
If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate under any circumstances.
X Do not countersteer.
X Brake, if necessary. Coupling up
atrailer
! Do no
tconnect th etrailer brak esystem (if
th et railer is fitte dwitho ne)d irectly to the
towing vehicle's hydraulic brak esystem,
since this is equipped wit hananti-lock brak-
ing system. Otherwise, neither th ebrakes on
th et ow ing vehicle no rthe brakes on the
trailer will work.
Observ ethe maximum permissible trailer
dimension s(widt hand length).
X Apply th evehicle's parking brake.
X Mak esure that th eautomatic transmission is
in transmission position P.
X Positio nthe trailer on aleve lsurface behind
th ev ehicle.
X Couple up th etrailer.
X Establish th eelectrical connection between
th ev ehicle and th etrailer.
X Chec kthatthe trailer lighting system is work-
ing.
X Push th ecombinatio nswitch upward sand
downwards and check whether th ecorre- sponding tur
nsignal indicator on the trailer is
flashing.
Ac onnected trailer is only detected when the
electrical connection is established correctly
and when the lighting system is working prop-
erly. The function of other systems, such as
ESP ®
also depends on this. Uncoupling
atrailer G
WARNING
If you uncouple atrailer with an engaged over-
run brake, you coul dtrap yourh and between
the vehicl eand the trailer drawbar. This poses
ar isk of injury.
Do not uncouple atrailer with an engaged
overru nbrake.
! Do not disconnect
atrailer with an engaged
overru nbrake. Otherwise, yourv ehiclecould
be damaged by the rebounding of the overrun brake.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Make sure that the automatic transmission is
in transmission position P.
X Secure the vehicl eand trailer against rolling
away.
X Close all doors, including the rear door.
X Remove the trailer cable.
X Uncoupl ethe trailer. Traile
rpower supply
! Yo
uc an connect accessories with amaxi-
mu mp ower consumption of 180 Wtothe
permanent powe rsupply.
Yo um ustn ot charge atrailer battery using the
powe rsupply.
The trailer socket of your vehicl eisequippe dat
the factory with apermanent powe rsupply.
The permanent powe rsuppl yiss upplie dvia
trailer socket pi n9.
Yo uc an find mor einformatio nabout installing
the trailer electrics at aquali fied specialis twork-
shop. Towin
gatrailer
129Driving an dparking Z

Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Operating th eintegrated information systems
and communications equipment in the vehicle
while driving willd istract you from traffic con-
ditions. You coul dthen lose control of the
vehicle. There is arisk of an accident.
Only operate these devices if road traffic con-
ditions permit. If you are unsure about the
surrounding conditions, pullo ver toasafe
location and make entries only while the vehi-
cle is stationary.
You must observe the lega lrequirements for the
country in which you are currently driving when operating the on-board computer. G
WARNING
If the instrument cluster has failed or mal-
functioned, you may not recognise function
restrictions relevant to safety .The operating
safety of yourv ehiclemay be impaired .There
is ar isk of an accident.
Drive on carefully.H ave the vehiclechecked
at aq ualified specialist worksho pimmedi-
ately.
If the operating safety of yourv ehicleis
impaired ,park the vehicl esafel yass oon as pos-
sible. Contact aqualified specialist workshop.
! If
ab lackout lighting setting has been selec-
ted, the instrument cluster lighting is
switched off.
The instrument cluster and the display do not show any information.
The on-board computer show sonly display mes-
sage sorw arnings from certain systems on the
multifunction display.Y ou should therefore
make sure yourv ehicleiso perating safel yatall
times.
For an overview, see the instrument cluster illus-
tration (Y page26). Displays and operation
Instrument cluste
rlighting
The brightness control knob is locate donthe
botto mleftoft heinstrumen tcluster
(Y page 26).
X Turn th ebrightness control knob clockwise or
anti-clockwise.
i The ligh
tsensor on th einstrumen tcluster
automatically control sthe brightness of the
multifunction display.
In daylight, th edisplays in th einstrument
cluste rare no tlit. Re
vc ounter
! Do not drive in the overrevving range. Doing
so will damag ethe engine.
The red band in the rev counter indicates the
engine's overrevving range.
The fue lsuppl yisi nterrupted to protect the
engine when the red band is reached. Outside temperature display
You should pay specia lattention to road condi-
tion swhen temperatures are around freezing
point.
Bear in mind that the outside temperature dis-
play indicates the measured air temperature
and not the road surface temperature.
The outside temperature display is in the multi-
function display (Y page 133).
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after ashort delay. Coolant temperatur
edisplay G
WARNING
If yo uopen the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is afire in the
engine compartment, you coul dcome into
contact with hot gase sorother leaking ser-
vice products. There is adange rofinjury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is afire in Displays and operation
131On-boardcomputer and displays
Z

X
Press the 6ora button to start dial-
ling.
or X To exit the redial memory: press the%
button. Assistance menu
Introduction In the
Assist.
Assist. menu, you have the following
options:
R Showin gthe assistance graphic
(Y page 137)
Showing the assistanc egraphic X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Assist.
Assist. menu.
X Press 9or: to select Assistance
Assistance
graphic
graphic.
X Press a.
The displa yisinoperative. Service menu
In the Serv.
Serv. menu, you have the following
options:
R Calling up display messages (Y page 141)
R Checking the tyre pressure electronically
(Y page 240)
R Calling up the service due date
(Y page 216)
R Checking the engine oil level (Y page 213)Settings menu
Introduction In the
Settings
Settings menu, you have the following
options:
R Changing the instrument cluster settings
(Y page 137)
R Changing the time/date settings
(Y page 138)
R Changing the light settings (Y page 138)
R Changing the vehicle settings (Y page 139)
R Changing the auxiliary heating settings
(Y page 139) R
Changing the convenience settings
(Y pag e140)
R Restorin gthe factory settings (Y page 141)
Instrumen tcluster Selecting the uni
tofmeasurement for dis-
tance
The Display unit Speed-/odometer: Display unit Speed-/odometer: func-
tion allowsy ou to choose whether certain dis-
playsa ppear in kilometres or miles in the mul-
tifunction display.
You can determine whether the multifunction
display shows certain messages in miles or kil-
ometres.
X Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Settings Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Display unit Speed-/odometer
Display unit Speed-/odometer function.
You will see the selected setting: km
kmorMiles
Miles.
X Press ato save the setting.
The selected unit of measurement for distance
applies to the following:
R digital speedometer in the Trip Tripmenu
R the total distance recorder and the trip meter
R trip computer
R current consumption and the range
R the navigation instruction sintheNavi
Navi menu
R ASSYST service interval display
Selecting permanent display You can determine whether the multifunction
displayp ermanently shows your speed or the
outside temperature.
X Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Settings
Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Permanent display:
Permanent display: function.
You will see the selected setting: outside
outside
temperature
temperature orDig. speedo [mph]
Dig. speedo [mph].
X Press ato save the setting.
i The speed is displayed in mph. Menus and submenus
137On-boardcomputer and displays Z

Engine
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions +
Top up coolan
tSee
Top up coolant See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The coolant level is too low.
X Top up the coolant, observing the warning notes before doing so
(Y page 215).
X Have the coolant system checked at aqualified specialist workshop
if the coolant needs topping up more often than usual. ? The fan motor is faulty.
X If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, drive on to the nearest
qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid putting the engine under heavy loads as you do so, e.g. driving
in mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. ?
Coolant Stop vehi‐ Coolant Stop vehi‐
cle Switch engine cle Switch engine
off off The coolant is too hot.
Aw
arning tonea lso sounds.
G WARNING
Never drive with an overheated engine. Drivin gwhen your engine has
overheated can cause any fluids that may have leaked into the engine compartment to catchf ire.
In addition, steam from an overheated engine can cause serious
burns, which can occur just by opening the bonnet.
There is arisk of injury.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 113).
X Leave the vehicle and keep asafe distance from the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
X Make sure that the air supply to the engine radiator is not blocked,
e.g. by frozen slush.
X Do not start the engine again until the display message goes out and
the coolant temperature is below 120 †. The engine may otherwisebe damaged.
X Pay attention to the coolant temperature gauge.
X If the temperature increases again, consult aqualified specialist
workshop immediately.
Under normal operating conditions and with the specified coolant
level, the coolant temperature may rise to 120 †. 146
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays