To ensure that the vehicle is safeguarded
against rolling away unintentionally:
R the parking brake must be applied
R the transmission must be in position Pand the
key must be removed from the ignition lock
R the transfer case must not be in the neutral
position
R on uphill or downhill gradients, turn the front
wheels towards the kerb
R the empty vehicle must be secured at the
front axle with awheel chock or similar
object ,for example, on uphill or downhill gra-
dients
R al aden vehicle must also be secured at the
rear axle with awheel chock or similar object,
for example, on uphill or downhill gradients Switching off the engine
G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is arisk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, alwayss witch
to parking position P.Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling awaybya pplying the parking
brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignitionlock
and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
X Firmly apply the parking brake.
X Turn the steering whee luntil the steering
whee llock engages.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position Ror D,t he automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
If you then open the driver's door or the front-
passenger door or remove the key from the igni- tion, the automatic transmission shifts to P
automatically.
If you switch off the engine while the transmis-
sion is in position N,the automatic transmission
remains in Neven if adoor is opened .The auto-
matic transmission only automatically shifts into neutral
Nwhe nyou switc hoff the engine
using the key. Parking brake
G
WARNING
If you mus tbrake the vehicl ewith the parking
brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels coul dlock. This increa-
ses the risk of skidding and an accident.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi- cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly .Ifthe
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begi nturning again. G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they may be abletos et the vehiclein
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P
R start the engine
In addition, they may operate vehicl eequip-
ment and become trapped. There is arisk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alwayst ake the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. The brake light
sdonot light up when you brake
the vehicle with the parking brake.
If you pull away with the parking brake applied,
aw arning tones ounds.114
ParkingDriving and parking
X
To apply: pull parking brake lever ;up
firmly.
Whe nthe ignition is switched on, the red J
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
X To release: pull parking brake lever ;
slightly.
X Press release button :and guid eparking
brake ;down to the stop.
The J indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goe sout.
The vehicl ecan also be braked during an emer-
genc ybyu sing the parking brake.
X To brake in an emergency: press and hold
release button :and carefull ypullp arking
brake lever ;upwards.
If yo udrive on we troads or dirt-covered surfa-
ces, roa dsalta nd/or dirt could get into the
parking brake.
In order to prevent corrosion and areduction in
the braking powe rofthe parking brake, observe
the following:
R pull the parking brake upwards with release
button :depresse dfrom time to time before
beginning ajourney
R drive for approximatel y100 ma tamaximum
speed of 20 km/h Parkin
gupthe vehicle
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer than
four weeks, the battery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer than
six weeks, it may suffer from lack of use.
X Contact aqualified specialist workshop and
seek advice.
i You can obtain information on trickle charg-
ers from aqualified specialist workshop. Driving tips
General drivin
gtips
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available wit
hlimitations, or not at all. This could affect,
for example, th epower steerin gand th ebrake
boosting effect .You will requir econsiderably
mor eeffort to steer and brake. Ther eisarisk
of an accident.
Do not switch off th eignitio nwhile driving.
Drive sensibly –savef uel Observe the following tips to save fuel:
X The tyre sshould always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tyre pressure.
X Remove unnecessary loads.
X Remove roof carriers when they are not nee-
ded.
X Warm up the engine at low engine speeds.
X Avoid frequent acceleration or braking.
X Have all service and maintenance work car-
ried out at the specified intervals.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffic, on short jour- neys and in hilly terrain. Short journeys
! Vehicles with
adiesel particle filter: if the
vehicle is mostly driven for short distances, it
is possible that malfunction smay occur dur-
ing the automatic cleaning of the diesel par-
ticle filter. This may lead to fuel collecting in
the engine oil and cause engine failure. There- fore, if you frequently drive short distances,
you should take a20minute trip on amotor-
way or rural road at least every 500km. Brakes
Imp ortant safety notes G
WARNING
If you shift dow nonaslippery road surface in
an attempt to increas ethe engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels coul dlose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift downf or additionalengine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. Drivingt
ips
115Driving an dparking Z
G
WARNING
If you select the LOW RANGE off-road gearon as lippery road surface, the wheels coul dlose
traction:
R if you release the accelerator peda lwhen
the vehicl eisinmotion
R if Off-road ABS intervenes when braking
If the wheels lose traction, it willnol onger be
possible to steer the vehicle. This increases
the risk of skidding and having an accident.
Never select the LOW RANGE off-road gear
when driving on slippery road surfaces.
Information on the parking brake (Y page114).
Downhill gradients Shift to
alower gearing oodt ime on long and
stee pdownhil lgradients.
Take particula rnote of this when driving alad en
vehicl eand when towing atrailer.
Thi sw illu se the braking effect of the engine, so
less braking will be required to maintai nthe
vehicl espeed. Thi srelieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Heav yand light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave you rfoot 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.
! Depressing the brake peda
lconstantly
results in excessive and premature wearto
the brake pads.
If heavy demands are made on the brakes ,do
not park the vehicl eimmediately. Drive on for a
short while. This allows the airflow to cool the
brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionall ytest their effectiveness.
To do this, brake more firmly from ahigher speed while paying attention to the traffic con-
ditions .This improves the grip of the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonge dperiod of
time withou tbraking, there may be adelayed
reaction from the brakes when braking for the
first time. This may also occur after the vehicle
has been washed.
You have to depres sthe brake pedalm ore
firmly .Maintai nagreater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on awet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This willw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salt-treated roads,
alayer of salt
may form on the brake discs and pads.T his can
increase the braking distance considerably.
R In order to prevent any salt build-up,a pplythe
brakes occasionally whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions.
R Carefullyd epressthe brake pedalatt he end
of the journey and when starting the next
journey.
R Maintai namuch greater distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
New brake discs and brake pads/
linings Brake pads/linings and discs that either are new
or have been replaced achieve optimum braking
effect only after several hundred kilometres of
driving. Compensate for the reduced braking
effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends only fittingt he following brake discs and
brake pads/linings:
R brake discs that hav ebeena pproved by
Mercedes-Benz
R brake pads/linings that hav ebeena pproved
by Mercedes-Benz or that are of an equivalent
standard of quality
Other brake discs or brake pads/linings can
compromise the safety of your vehicle. 116
Drivin
gtipsDriving and parking
Alway
sreplace al lbrake discs and brake pads/
lining sonana xleatt he same time .Alway sfit
new brake pads/lining swhenr eplacing brake
discs.
The vehicl eisequippe dwithl ightweight brake
discs to which the whee lassembl ywithr im and
threaded connectio nism atched.
The us eofbrake discs othe rtha nt hose
approved by Mercedes-Benz ma yalter track
width and is subject to approval, if applicable.
Whe nhandling the brake discs, shock-type
load ssuchast hoseexperience dwhenc hanging
wheels ,can lead to areduction in comfort when
driving with lightweight brake discs. Avoid
shock-typ eloads on the lightweight brake discs,
particularly on the brake plate. Driving on slippe
rysurfaces
! Where possible, avoid spinnin
gthe drive
wheels when pulling away on slipper yroads.
You could otherwise damage th edrive train.
Thi stypeofd amage is no tcovered by the
term soft heMercedes-Ben zwarranty.
X Engage th edifferential locks if necessary
(Y page 126). Drivin
gonw et roads
Aquaplaning If wate
rhas accumulated to acertain depth on
the road surface, there is adanger of aquaplan-
ing occurring, even if:
R you are driving at low speeds
R the tyres have adequate tread depth
For this reason, drive in the following manner in the event of heavy rain or in conditions in which
aquaplaning can occur:
R lowery ours peed
R avoid tyre ruts
R avoid sudden steering movements
R brake carefully
Drivin gonflooded roads !
Bear in mind that vehicles travelling in front
or in the opposite direction create waves. This may cause the maximum permissibl ewater
depth to be exceeded. These notes must be observed under all cir-
cumstances. You could otherwise damage
the engine, the electronics or the transmis-
sion.
If you must drive on stretches of road on which
water has collected, please bear in mind that:
R in the case of standing water, the water level
must be no higher than the lower edge of the
vehicle body
R you should drive no faster than walking pace
Off-road fording !
Under no circumstances should you accel-
erate before entering the water. The bow
wave could cause water to enter and damage
the engine and neighbouring assemblies.
! Do not open any of the vehicle's doors while
fording. Otherwise, water could get into the
vehicle interior and damage the vehicle's
electronics and interior equipment.
i You may only drive through fresh water.
R Observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and
general notes (Y page 119) on driving off-
road
R Establish how deep the water is and the char-
acteristics of the body of water before fording
R Switch off automatic climate control
R Vehicles with auxiliary heating/ventila-
tion: switch the auxiliary heating/ventilation
off
R Shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGE
off-road driving position (Y page 124)
R Engage the differential locks if necessary
(Y page 119)
R Avoid high engine speeds
R Enter and exit the water at aflat place and at
as teady walking pace
R Drive slowly and at aconstant speed through
the water
R Ensure that abow wave does not form as you
drive
R Do not stop and do not switch off the engine.
Water offers ahigh degree of resistance, the
ground is slippery and, in some cases, unsta- ble. Therefore, it is difficult and dangerous to pull awayinw ater
R Cleana ny mud from the tyre tread after ford-
ing
R Apply the brakes to dry them after fording Driving tips
117Driving and parking Z
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
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
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
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