
sages which may be shown in the instrument
cluster (Y page 142).
Braking X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
bra kepedal with force until th ebraking sit-
uatio niso ver.
X To make afullb rake application: depress
th eb rak epedal with full force.
If AB Sintervene swhen braking ,you will fee la
pulsin ginthebrak epedal.
The pulsating brak epedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions; this serves as a
reminder to tak eextra car ewhile driving.
Off-road ABS An ESP
®
syste mspecifically suite dtooff-road
terrain is activated automaticall yonce the off-
roa dprogra misa ctivated.
At speed sbelow 60 km/h ,the front wheels lock
cyclically during braking .The digging-i neffect
achieved in the proces sreduce sthe stopping
distance during off-roa ddriving .Thisl im its
steering capability. BAS (Brak
eAssis tSystem)
General information BAS operate
sinemergency braking situations.
If yo udepress the brake pedal quickly ,BAS
automaticall yboosts the braking force ,thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 52). G
WARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is arisk of accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake peda lwith full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking. Braking X
Keep the brake pedald epressed firmly until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes willf unction as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. Adaptiv
ebrake lights
The adaptive brak elights warn followin gtraffic
in an emergenc ybraking situation by:
R flashin gbrak elamps
R activating th ehazard warning lamps
If you brak esharply from aspee dofm oret han
50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS, the
brak elamp sflas hrapidly. In this way, traffic
travellin gbehind you is warned in an eve nmore
noticeable manner.
If you brak esharply from aspee dofm oret han
70 km/h to astandstill, th ehazard warning
lamp sare activated automatically. If th ebrakes
are applie dagain ,the brak elamp sligh tupc on-
tinuously. The hazard warning lamp sswitch off
automatically if you travel faste rtha n1 0k m/ h.
You can also switch off th ehazard warning
lamp susingthe hazard warning button
(Y page 76). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes i
Observ
ethe "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 52).
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction, i.e.
power transmission between the tyres and the
road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating from
the direction desired by the driver, one or more
wheels are braked to stabilise the vehicle. The
engine output is also modified to keep the vehi- cle on the desired course within physical limits.
ESP ®
assists the driver when pulling awayon
wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise
the vehicle during braking. Driving safe
tysystems
53Safety Z 

Running-i
nnotes Importan
tsafety notes
In certain driving and driving safet ysystems ,the
sensor sadjust automatically while acertai ndis-
tance is bein gdriven after th evehicl ehas been
delivere dorafter repairs .Full system effective-
ness is no treached until th eend of this teach-in
process.
Brake pads/lining sand disc stha teither are new
or have been replace dachiev eoptimum braking
effec tonlya fter several hundre dkilometres of
driving .Compensat efor th ereduce dbraking
effec tbya pplyin ggreate rforce to th ebrake
pedal. Th
ef irs t1 500km
The mor eyou trea tthe engine with sufficient
car eatt he start, the mor esatisfie dyou will be
with the engine performance later on.
R Driv eatv aryingvehicl espeeds and engine
speeds for the first 1500 km
R Avoi doverstraining the vehicl eduringt his
period, e.g .drivin gatf ullt hrottle
R When shifting gear smanually, shift up in good
time ,befor et he rev counter needl ereaches
Ô of the wa ytothe red area of the rev counter
display
R Do not shift down agearm anuall yino rder to
brake
R Try to avoi ddepressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown)
After 1500 km ,you maygradually bring the
vehicl euptof ullr oa da nd engine speeds.
Yo us houl dalsoo bserve these note sonrunning-
in if the engine or parts of the drive train on your vehicl ehaveb eenr eplaced.
Alway sobserve the maximum permissible
speed. Driving
Importan
tsafety notes G
WARNING
Objectsint he driver's footwel lcan impede
peda ltravel or block apeda lwhich is depressed. This jeopardises safe operatio
nof
the vehicle. There is arisk of an accident.
Stow all objects in the vehicle safely, so that
they cannot reach the driver' sfootwell. Make
sure the floormat sand carpet sare properly
secured so that they cannot slip and obstruct the pedals. Do not lay several floormat sor
carpet sontop of one another. G
WARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage of the pedals, e.g.:
R shoe swith thick soles
R shoes with high heels
R slippers
There is arisk of an accident.
Wears uitable footwea rtoensure correct
usage of the pedals. G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignitio nwhile driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all.T his couldaffect,
for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You willr equire considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is arisk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignitio nwhile driving. G
WARNING
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
R overheat and caus eafire
R lose its hold function.
There is arisk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake full ybefore driving off.
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use the
engine's full performance until it has reached operating temperature.
Only set the automatic transmission to the
respective drive positions when the vehicl eis
stationary.
Where possible,a voids pinning the drive
wheels when pulling awayons lippery roads.
Otherwise, you coul ddamage the drive train. Driving
95Drivingand parking 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 

Display messages
Possible causes/consequence
sand M
MSolutions ^
Rear Rear
left
leftseat
seatback‐
back‐
rest not
rest not
locked lockedorFront right Front right
seat backrest not
seat backrest not
locked locked G
WARNING
The driver's or front-passenger seat backrest is not engaged.
X Push the backrest back until it engages. D
Power steering mal‐ Power steering mal‐
function See Own‐ function See Own‐
er's Manual er's Manual The power steering assistance is faulty.
Aw
arning tonea lso sounds.
G WARNING
You will need to use more force to steer.
There is arisk of an accident.
X Check whether you are able to apply the extras teeringforce
required.
X If you are able to steer safely: carefully drive on toaqualified
specialist workshop.
X If you are unable to steer safely: do not drive on. Contact the
nearest qualified specialist workshop. &
inoperative inoperative
Battery
Battery
low
low You have attempted to switch on the auxiliary heating or to activate a
departure time using the on-board computer after operating the aux-
iliary heating twice.
X Let the engine run for ten seconds.
The auxiliary heating is operational again. The on-board voltage is too low. The auxiliary heating has switched
itself off or cannot be switched on (Y page 89).
X Drive for aconsiderable distance.
The battery charges. The auxiliary heating is operational again as
soon as the on-board electrical system voltage is sufficient. &
inoperative Refuel inoperative Refuel
vehicle vehicle There is too little fuel in the fuel tank.T
he auxiliary heating cannot be
switched on (Y page 89).
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. &
inoperative inoperative
See
SeeOwn‐
Own‐
er's Manual
er's Manual The auxiliary heating is temporarily malfunctioning or faulty.
X When the vehicle is on alevel surface and the engine has cooled
down, make up to four attempt stoswitch on the auxiliary heating,
waiting several minutes between each attempt (Y page 89).
X If the auxiliary heating does not switch on, consult aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. ¥
Top up washer fluid Top up washer fluid The washer fluid level in the washer fluid reservoir has dropped below
the minimum.
X Top up the washer fluid (Y page 215).154
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays 

X
Lift up cover :of positive terminal ;in the direction of the arrow.
X Connect positive terminal ;on yourv ehicle to positive terminal ?of donor battery Busing the
jump lead, Alwaysb eginw ith positive terminal ;on youro wn vehicle first.
X Start the engine of the donor vehicle and run it at idling speed.
X Connect negative terminal Aof donor battery Bto earth point =of yourv ehicle using the jump
lead, connecting the jump leadtod onor batteryBfirst.
X Start the engine.
X Before disconnecting the jump leads, let the engines run for several minutes.
X First, remove the jump leads from earth point =and negative terminal A,then from positive
terminal ;and positive terminal ?.Each time, beginatt he contacts on youro wn vehicle.
X Close cover :of positive terminal ;after removing the jump leads.
X Have the battery checked at aqualifieds pecialist workshop.
Jump-starting is not considered to be anormal operating condition.
i Jump-starting cablesa
nd further information regarding jump-starting can be obtained at any
qualifieds pecialist workshop. Towinga
wayand tow-starting Importan
tsafety notes G
WARNING
Safety-relevant function sare restricted or not
available if:
R the engine is not running.
R the brake system or the power steering is
malfunctioning
R the voltag esupply or the vehicle's electrical
system is malfunctioning.
If yourv ehicleist owed,s ignificantly greater
force may be required to steer the vehicl eor
to brake. There is arisk of an accident.
In such circumstances, use atowing bar.
Make sure that the steering is moving freely
before towing. G
WARNING
If the steering whee llock is engaged, the vehi-
cle can no longer be steered .There is arisk of
an accident.
Always switch on the ignitio nwhen towing
with atow rope or atowing bar. G
WARNING
When towing or tow-starting another vehicle
and its weight is greater than the permissible gross weight of yourv ehicle, the:
R towing eye may be torn off
R car/trailer combination may swerve or
even overturn
There is arisk of an accident.
When towing or tow-starting another vehicle,
its weight should not be greater than the per- missible gross weight of yourv ehicle.
Detail sonthe permissible gross vehicl eweight
of yourv ehiclecan be found on the vehicl eiden-
tification plate (Y page249).
! You may tow the vehicl
efor am aximu mof
50km. Atowing spee dof50km/h must not
be exceeded.
For towing distances over 50 km, the entire
vehicl emust be lifted up and transported.
! Only secure the tow cabl
eortowing bar to
the towing eyes. You coul dotherwise damage
the vehicle.
! Observe the following points when towing
with atow rope:
R Secure the tow rope on the same side on
both vehicles.
R Make sure that the tow rope is not longer
than legally permitted. Mark the tow rope in the middle, e.g. with awhite cloth Towin
gawayand tow-starting
229Breakdown assis tance Z 

X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Shift the transfer case to position Neutral
(Y page 125).
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
N.
X Leave the key in position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake.
X Switc hont he hazard warning lamps
(Y page 76).
In order to signal achange of direction when
towing the vehicle with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination switch
as usual. In this case, only the turn signals for
the desired direction flash. When you reset the
combination switch, the hazard warning lamps
start flashing again.
i The automatic transmission can only
change gear when the batter yhas sufficient
charge.
If you cannot shift the automatic transmission
to position N,the propeller shafts to the
driven axles must be removed. Transporting thev
ehicle !
Whe
nthe vehicle is loadedf or transport, the
front and rear axles must be stationary and on the same transportation vehicle. Positioning
over the connection point of the transport
vehicle is not permitted. The drive train may
otherwise be damaged.
! You may only secure the vehicle by the
wheels, not by parts of the vehicle such as
axle or steering components. Otherwise, the
vehicle could be damaged. The towing eye or trailer tow hitch can be used
to pull the vehicle onto
atrailer or transporter if
you wish to transport it.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Shift the transfer case to position Neutral
(Y page 125).
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
N.
As soon as the vehicle is loaded:
X Apply the parking brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
P.
X Turn the key to position uin the ignition lock
and remove it.
X Secure the vehicle. Recovering
avehicle that has become
stuck
! Whe
nrecovering avehicl ethat ha sbecome
stuck, pull it as smoothly and evenly as pos-
sible .Ifthe tractive power is too high, the
vehicles could be damaged.
If the drive wheel sget trapped on loose or
muddy ground ,recover the vehicl ewitht he
utmost care ,especially so if the vehicl eisladen.
Neve rattempt to recover avehicl ewithat railer
attached.
Pull ou tthe vehicl ebackwards ,ifpossible ,using
the tracks it mad ebefore it became stuck. Towin
ginthe even tofm alfunctions
General notes !
If you are removing the propelle
rshaft, use
M10 nuts as spacers on the M8 bolts and
secure them with M8 nuts.
New self-locking nuts must be used when the propellers hafts are refitted.
It is important that you observe the safety
instructionsw hen towing awayy our vehicle
(Y page 229).
i Consult
aMercedes-Benz Service Centre
and seek advice. To
wing away and tow-starting
231Breakdown assis tance Z