
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

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

Alway
sobserve the fording depth values
(Y page 255). Parkin
gthe vehicle after heavy loads
on the engine
! Vehicles with
adiesel engine: your vehi-
cle's exhaust gas turbocharger may get very
hot under heavy engine load, e.g. during:
R trailer towing
R longer motorway journeys at high speed
R longer journeys through mountainous ter-
rain
X Let the engine run for approximately another
two minutes while the vehicle is stationary
before switching off the engine.
This way, the exhaust gas turbocharger can
cool down more effectively. Winte
rdriving 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. 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. G
DANGER
If the exhaus tpipe is blocke doradequate
ventilation is no tpossible, poisonous gases
suc hasc arbon monoxide (CO) may ente rthe
vehicle. This is th ecase, e.g. if th evehicle
become strapped in snow. There is ariskof
fatal injury.
If you leav ethe engin eortheauxiliary heating
running, mak esuret he exhaust pipe and area
around th evehicl eare clear of snow. To
ensur eana dequate supply of fresh air, open a
window on th eside of th evehicl ethatisn ot
facing int othe wind.
Hav eyour vehicl ewinterproofed at aqualified
specialist workshop at th eonset of winter.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
per yroads urfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration,
steering and braking manoeuvres.
If th evehicl ethreaten stoskidorc annotbe
stoppe dwhen moving at low speed:
X Shift th eautomatic transmission to position
N.
X Try to bring th evehicl eunder control by using
corrective steering.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefor eunsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in th eoutside temperature are dis-
played after ashort delay.
Indicate dtem peratures jus tabov ethe freezing
poin tdon otguarantee that th eroads urfac eis
free of ice .The roa dmay still be icy, especially in
wooded area soronbridges.The vehicl ecould
skid if you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle. Always
adapt your drivin gstyle and drive at aspeed to
suit th eprevailing weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to roa dcondi-
tion swhen temperatures are around freezing
point.
Further information on drivin gwiths nowc hains
(Y page 237).
Further information on drivin gwiths ummer
tyres (Y page 237).
Observ ethe note sint he"Winte roperation "sec-
tion (Y page 236). 118
Driving tipsDriving and parking

Off-road driving
Important safet ynotes G
WARNING
If you driv eonas teep incline at an angle or
turn on asteep incline, the vehicl ecoulds lip
sideways, tip and overturn. There is arisk of
an accident.
When driving on an incline, drive into the line of fall (upwards or downward sinastraight
line) and do not turn. G
WARNING
Flammable materia lsuch as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust system. There is arisk
of fire.
When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
! There is
arisk of damage to the vehicl eif:
R the vehicl ebecome sstuck, e.g. on ahigh
kerb or an unpaved road
R you drive too quickly over an obstacle, e.g.
ak erb, slowing thresholds or apothol ein
the road
R ah eavy object strikes the underbody or
parts of the chassis
In situations like this, the body ,underbody,
chassi sparts, wheels or tyres coul dbedam-
agedw ithout the damage being visible. Com-
ponents damaged in this way can unexpect-
edlyf ail or, in the case of an accident, no lon-
ger withstand the strain they are designed to withstand.
If the underbody panelling is damaged, com-
bustible materials such as leaves, grass or
twigs can gather between the underbody and
the underbody panelling. If these materials
come into contact with hot parts of the
exhaust system, they can catch fire.
In such situations, have the vehicl echecked
and repaired immediatel yataqualified spe-
cialist workshop. If, on continuing yourj our-
ney, you notice that driving safety is impaired, stop the vehicle immediately
,paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. In such
cases, consult aqualified specialist work-
shop.
! If there are steep gradients while driving off-
road, asufficient filling level in the AdBlue ®
tank must be ensured. Make sure for this rea- son that there is aminimum fill level of ten
litres before driving off-road.
When driving off-road, substances such as sand,
mud and water or water mixed with oil may get
into the brakes. This may lead to areduction in
braking performance or total brake failure as a
result of increased wear. The braking charac-
teristics will vary depending on the substances
that get into the brakes. Cleant he brakes after
driving off-road. If you notice grinding noises or ar eduction in braking performance, have the
brake system checked at aqualified specialist
workshop immediately.A dapt your driving style
to the altered braking characteristics.
Driving off-road increases the possibility of dam- age to the vehicle, which may cause assemblies
or systems to fail. Adapt your driving style to the
conditions of the terrain. Drive carefully.H ave
vehicle damage rectified immediately at aquali-
fied specialist workshop.
Do not shift into transmission position Nwhen
driving off-road. You could lose control of the
vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehicle using
the service brake. If the gradient is too steep for your vehicle, back up in reverse gear.
General notes H
Envi
ronmenta lnote
Protection of th eenvironmen tisofprimary
importance. Treat nature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Read this sectio nbefore driving your vehicle off-
road. Practis ebydriving over mor egentle off-
road terrain first.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
R 4ETS (Y page 54)
R Off-road ABS
R transfer case (Y page 124)
R differential lock s(Ypage 125) Driving tips
119Driving 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

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