2016 MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV ESP

Off-road driving systems
Transfer case
General notes The vehicle has permanent all-wheel drive. The
front and rear axles are constantly driven.
Further information on driving off-road
(Y page 119).
Shift ranges HIGH
RANGE
Position for all normal on-
road driving conditions.
LOW RANGE
Low-range position for driving
off-road.
Also for use on steep uphill or downhill gradients, especially
when towin gatrailer.
The vehicle travels around
half the speed of on-road driv-
ing range HIGH RANGE.T he
tractive powerisc orrespond-
ingly higher. Shiftin
gthe transfer case General notes
:
Curren tshif trange :
Indicator lamp
; LOW RANGE button Important safety notes G
WARNING
If yo udon ot waitf or the transfer case gear
change process to complete, the transfer
case coul dremai ninthe neutral position. The
power transmission to the drive nwheels is
then interrupted. There is adange rofthe
vehicl erolling awayu nintentionally.T here is a
risk of an accident.
Waitu ntil the transfer case shift process is
completed.
Do not switch off the engine while changing gear and do not shift the automatic transmission to
another gear.
Always waitf or the gearchange process from
HIGH RANGE toLOW RANGE and fromLOW
RANGE toHIGH RANGE to complete. Do not
switch off the engine while changing geara nd do
not shift the automatic transmission to another gear.
Activating the off-road gear ratio ! Proceed with the shifting process only
when:
R the engine is running
R the vehicl eisrolling
R the automatic transmission is in selector
leve rposition i
R you are not driving faster than 40 km/h
You coul dotherwise damage the transfer
case.
X Make sure the ECO start/stop function is
switched off (Y page98).
X Press LOW RANGE button ;.
Once the shifting procedure has been com-
pleted, the LOW RANGE LOW RANGE transfer case position
is show ninthe multifunction display.
Indicator lamp :lights up.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
D.
Deactivatin gthe off-road gear ratio
! Proceed with the shifting process only
when:
R the engine is running
R the vehicl eisrolling 124
Off-roa
ddriving systemsDriving and parking

R
the automatic transmission is in selector
lever position i
R youa renot drivin gfastert ha n7 0km/h
Yo uc ould otherwis edamag ethe transfer
case.
X Press button ;.
Once the shiftin gprocedur ehasbeen com-
pleted, the HIGH
HIGH RANGE RANGE transfe rcasep osit ion
is shown in the multifunctio ndisplay.
Indicato rlamp :goes out.
If the shiftin gprocedur eisunsuccessful, the
multifunctio ndisplay mayshowt he following
messages:
R TC shift condition snot fulfilled
TC shift condition snot fulfilled
One or mor eshift conditions ha snot been
met.
R TC neutra lon
TC neutra lon
The transfe rcaseh ascancelle dthe shifting
procedur eand is in position N.
R TC shift cancelled
TC shift cancelled
The transfe rcaseh ascancelle dthe gear
change process.
X Repeat the gear change process.
Make sure al lconditions for gear changing are
met.
R TC malfunction Visit workshop
TC malfunction Visit workshop
The transfe rcaseisf aulty.
X Do not shift the transfe rcase.
X Hav ethe vehicl echecked as soo naspossible
at aq uali fied specialis tworkshop.
Shifting to neutral G
WARNING
If you do not wai tfor the transfer case gear
change process to complete, the transfer
case coul dremai ninthe neutral position. The
power transmission to the drive nwheels is
then interrupted. There is adange rofthe
vehicl erolling awayu nintentionally.T here is a
risk of an accident.
Waitu ntil the transfer case shift process is
completed.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignitio nlock.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Depress the brake pedal. X
Shift the automatic transmissio ntoposition
N.
X Press and hol dLOW RANG Ebutton ;for
approximately ten seconds.
Whe nthe shift procedure is complete, the
multifunction display shows the TC TCNeutral
Neutral
on
on message for five seconds.
If the shifting procedur eisunsuccessful, the
multifunction displaym ay show the following
messages (Y page 149).
If the transfer case is in Neutral,the key is in the
ignition lock and you open the driver's door, the
TC Neutral on
TC Neutral on message appears in the multi-
function display. If you then release the parking
brake, awarning tone will sound. Differentia
llocks
General notes G
WARNING
When th edifferential locks are engaged, ABS,
4ETS, ESP ®
and BAS are deactivated. This
coul dcauset he wheels to lock and increases
the braking distance. There is arisk of an
accident.
Disengage the differential locks immediately
on firm surfaces with good grip.
! To prevent damage to the transfer case, you
may only operate the vehicl eonaroller dyna-
mometer (single-axle roller dynamometer) if:
R the axle that is not being drive nisraised.
or
R the corresponding propellers haft is dis-
connected and the transfer case differen-
tial lock is engaged.
Otherwise, the transfer case can be damaged.
Differentia llocks improv ethe traction of the
vehicle.
Yourv ehicleise quipped with adifferential lock
each for:
R the transfer case: this controls the balance
between the front and rear axles
R the rear axle :this controls the balance
between the wheels on the rear axle
R the front axle :this controls the balance
between the wheels on the front axle Off-roa
ddriving systems
125Driving and parking Z

Engaging th
edifferential locks General notes
The switches are at the top of the centre con-
sole. :
Function indicato rlam ps (red)
; Differentia llock for the front axle
= Differentia llock for the transfe rcase
? Differentia llock for the rea raxle
A Activation indicator lamps (yellow)
Engag ethe differential locks:
R off-road
R to deactivate ABS, 4ETS, ESP ®
and BAS when
off-road
R whe nfording
Furthe rinformation on driving off-road
(Y page 119).
You can engage the differential locks in the fol-
lowing order: =,?,;.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you engag ethe differential locks when driv-
ing on afirm, high-traction surface, the steer-
ability of the vehicl eisseverely impaired .You
coul dlose control of the vehicle, especially
when activating on abend. There is arisk of an
accident.
Disengage the differential locks immediately
on afirm, high-traction surface. G
WARNING
When the differential locks are engaged, ABS, 4ETS, ESP ®
and BAS are deactivated. This
coul dcauset he wheels to lock and increases the braking distance. There is
ariskofan
accident.
Disengag ethe differential locks immediately
on fir msurfaces with good grip.
! Onl
yengag ethe differential locks when:
R youa redrivin gatw alking pace
R the drive wheels ar enot spinning
R youa renot drivin gonafirmr oads urface
Differential lock fo rthe transfe rcase X
To engage: press switch =.
The yellow indicator lamp under switch =
lights up.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
If the differential is locked ,the red function
indicator lamp above switch =lights up.
In the multifunctio ndisplay ,you see the
Differential locks active ABS and Differential locks active ABS and
ESP not available ESP not available
The å!÷ warninglamps light up in
the instrument cluster.
The differential lock for the transfer case is
engaged.
4ETS, ESP ®
,B AS and ABS are deactivated.
Vehicle steerability is severely restricted. Drive
carefully and accelerate gently for optimum
traction.
You can now engage the differential lock for rear axle ?and front axle ;as required.
Differential lockf or the rear axle X
To engage: press switch ?.
Yellow act ivation indicator lamp Alights up
first, followe dbyred functio nindicator
lamp :of switch ?.
The differential lock for the rea raxleis
engaged.
Differential lock for the fron taxle X
To engage: press switch ;.
The yellow activation indicator lamp lights up
first, followe dbythe red functio nindicator
lamp.
The differential lock for the front axl eis
engaged. 126
Off-road driving systemsDriving an
dparking

Disengaging th
ediffere ntial locks You can disengage the differential lock
sinthe
followin gorder: ;,?, =.
X To simultaneously disengage all differen-
tia
llocks: press switch =.
Yellow activatio nindicator lamps Aand red
function indicator lamps :go out.
After approximately three seconds of normal
driving, ABS, 4ETS, ESP ®
and BA Sare activa-
ted.
The Differential lock sactive ABS
Differential lock sactive ABS
and ESP not available
and ESP not available message disap-
pear sint he multifunction displaya nd the
å!÷warnin glamps in th einstru-
men tcluster go out.
X Shif tthe transfer case to the HIGH RANGE
on-road position (Y page 124).
If red function indicator lamps :do not go out
when disengagin gthe differential locks:
X Observe th etraffic situation.
X Make slight steerin gmovements while the
vehicle is in motion.
Red function indicator lamps :go out when
th ed ifferential lock sare disengaged. Towing
atrailer Importan
tsafety notes G
WARNING
Th eb raking system can overheat if you leave
yourf oot on the brake peda lwhile driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even caus ethe braking system to fail .There is
ar isk of an accident.
Never use the brake peda lasafootrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
peda land the accelerator peda lwhile driving. G
WARNING
You coul dlose control of the vehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve .The vehi-
cle/trailer combination coul deven overturn.
There is arisk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten out the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion by increasing speed. Decrease your speed and do not countersteer. Brake if nec-
essary.
G
WARNING
If the ballc oupling is not fitted correctly and
the bolts supplied are not tightened to the
specified tightening torque ,the trailer could
come loose. There is arisk of an accident.
Always fit the ballc oupling as described.
Observe the specified tightening torque when fitting the coupling. G
WARNING
If the maximu mpermissible loadf orac arrier
system is exceeded, the carrie rcouldc ome
loos efrom the vehicl eand endange rother
road users. There is arisk of an accident and
injury.
Never exceed the maximu mpermissible load
when using acarrier.
! If you have
atrailer tow hitch retrofitted,
changes to the engine cooling system may be necessary, depending on the vehicl etype.
If you have atrailer tow hitch retrofitted,
observe the anchorage points on the chassis.
Retrofitting atrailer tow hitch is only permissible
if at railer loadiss pecified in yourv ehicledocu-
ments. If this is not the case, then the vehicl eis
not approved for towing atrailer.
For more information, please contact aqualified
specialist workshop.
Exceeding the maximu mpermissible nose-
weight of the trailer drawbar on the ballc oupling
may caus edamage.
Damag emay be caused to the following:
R towing vehicle
R trailer
R ballc oupling
R trailer tow hitch
The vehicle/trailer combination coul dbecome
unstable.
The vehicle/trailer combination coul dalso
become unstable if the noseweight used is lower
than the minimu mpermissible noseweight. Towin
gatrailer
127Driving an dparking Z

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

Trip compute
r"From start" or "From
reset" :
Distance
; Driving time
= Averag espeed
? Averag efuelconsumption
X Press the =or; button on the steering
whee ltoselect the Trip
Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Fro mstart
From start orFrom reset
From reset.
The valuesint heFrom
From start
start submenu are cal-
culated from the start of ajourney whilst the
valuesint heFrom reset
From reset submenu are calcu-
lated from the last time the submenu was reset
(Y page 134).
In the following cases, the From start
From start trip
computer is automaticallyr eset:
R the ignition has been switched off for more
than four hours
R 999 hours have been exceeded
R 9,999 kilometres have been exceeded
The From reset From reset trip computer is automatically
reset if the value exceeds 9,999 hours or
99,999 kilometres.
Range :
Approx imaterange
X Press the =or; button on the steering
whee ltoselect the Trip
Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
approximate range.
The approximate range tha tcan be covered is
calculate daccording to your current driving
style and the amount of fuel in the tank. If there is only
asmall amount of fuel left in the fuel tank,
av ehicle being refuelled Cappears instead
of the approximate range.
Digita lspeedometer X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Trip
Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
digital speedometer.
Ag earshift recommendation Zcan also be
displayed in the multifunction display.
Observe the information on gearshift recom-
mendation Zwhen shiftin gmanually
(Y page 106).
Resetting values X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
function that you wish to reset.
X Press a.
X Press the :button to select Yes Yesand press
a to confirm.
You can reset the values of the following func-
tions:
R Trip meter
R "From start "trip computer
R "From reset" trip computer Navigat
ionm enu
Displaying navigatio ninstructions In the
Navi Navimenu, the multif unction display
shows navigation instructions.
For more information on navigation, see the
multimedia system (Y page 181).
X Switch on the multimedia system.
X Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Navi Navimenu. 134
Menu
sand submenusOn-boar dcomputer and displays

Audio files from various audi
oplayer sorm edia
can be played ,depen ding on the equipment fit-
ted in the vehicle.
X Switch on the multimedia system and select
media mode.
X Press the =or; button on the steering
whee ltoselect the Audio
Audio menu.
X Press the =or; button to select next
or previous track :.
If trac kinformatio niss aved on the audio
player or media ,the multifunctio ndisplay will
sho wthe titl eofthe track. Telephon
emenu
Introduction G
WARNING
Oper ating the integrated 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.
When using the phone, you must observe the
lega lrequirements for the country in which you
are currently driving.
X Switch on the mobil ephone (see the manu-
facturer' soperating instructions).
X Switch on the multimedi asystem
(Y page1 70).
X Establish aBluetooth ®
connection to the mul-
timedi asystem (Y page175).
The multifunction display show sthe name of
the telephone and the mobil ephone network
provider.
X Press the =or; button on the steering
whee ltoselect the Tel Telmenu.
You can obtai nfurther information about suita-
ble mobil ephones and connecting mobile
phones via Bluetooth ®
:
R on the internet at http://www.mercedes-
benz.com/connect
R at any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre Accepting
acall If someon
ecalls you when you are in the Tel
Tel
menu, adisplay messag eappears in the multi-
function display.
You can accept acall at any time irrespective of
the selected menu.
X Press the 6button on the steering wheel
to accept an incoming call.
Rejecting or ending acall X
Press the ~button on the steering wheel.
You can end or reject acall even if you are not in
the Tel Tel menu.
Dialling anumber from the phone book X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Tel
Tel menu.
X Press the 9,:ora button to
switch to the phone book.
X Authorise access to the phone book on the
phone.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
desired name.
X If only one telephone number is stored for
an ame: press the 6ora button to
start dialling.
or X If more thano
ne number is stored for a
name:press the 6ora button to dis-
play the numbers.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
number you want to dial.
X Press the 6ora button to start dial-
ling.
or X To exit the telephone book: press the%
button.
Redialling The on-board computer saves the last names or
numbers dialled in the redial memory.
X Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Tel Telmenu.
X Press the 6button to switch to the redial
memory.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
desired name or number. 136
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays