2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL-Class height

Adjusting the luxury head restraints
XTo adjust thesid ebolsters of th ehea d
restraint: push or pull right and/o rleft-
han dside bolste r: intoth edesired posi-
tion .
XTo adjust th e fore/aftposition of th e
hea drestraint: push or pull th ehead
restrain tin th edirection of arrow ;.
iAdjustth ehead restrain tso that th ebac k
of your head is as close to th ehead
restrain tas possible .
Rear seat head restraints
Adjusting th erea rsea thea drestrain t
height
XOnce th ehead restrain tis fully lowered,
press release catch :.
XTo raise:pull thehead restrain tup to th e
desired position .
XTo lower:press release catch :and push
th ehead restrain tdown until it is in th e
desired position . Removin
gand installing th erea rsea t
hea drestraints
XTo remove: pull thehead restrain tup to
th estop.
XPre ssrelease catch :and pull th ehead
restrain tout of th eguide s.
XTo re-install :insert th ehead restrain t so
that th enotches on th ebar are on th elef t
when viewed in th edirection of travel .
XPush thehead restrain tdown until you hear
it engage in position .
Rear seats (second and third row of
seats)
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If th eseat and backrest are no tengaged, they
can fol dforwards, e.g. in th eevent of sudde n
braking or an accident.
RThis will caus eth evehicl eoccupant sto be
force dint oth eseat belt by aseat or back-
res twhic his no tengaged. The seat belt can
no longer offer th eintended level of pro -
tection and could eve ncaus einjuries.
RA child restrain tsystem would no longer be
anchored or positioned correctl yand would
no tbe able to perfor mits require dfunction .
RThe seat backrest scanno trestrain objects
or loads in th ecargo compartment.
There is an increased ris kof injury.
112Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Problems with the seat ventilation
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The seat ventilation has
switched off prema-
turely or cannot be
switched on.The on-board voltage is too low because too many electrical con-
sumers are switched on.
XSwitch off electrical consumers that you do not need, such as
the rear window defroster or interior lighting.
Once the battery is sufficiently charged, the seat ventilation will
switch back on automatically.
Steering wheel
Important safety notes
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
Children could injure themselves if they
adjust the steering wheel. There is a risk of
injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The electrically adjustable steering wheel can
still be adjusted when there is no SmartKey in
the ignition lock.
Adjusting the steering wheel man-
ually
GWARNING
If the steering wheel is unlocked while the
vehicle is in motion, it could change position
unexpectedly. This could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an
accident.
Before starting off, make sure the steering
wheel is locked. Never unlock the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in motion.
:Release lever
;To adjust the steering wheel height
=To adjust the steering wheel position
(fore-and-aft adjustment)
XPush release lever :down completely.
The steering column is unlocked.
XAdjust the steering wheel to the desired
position.
XPush release lever :up completely.
The steering column is locked.
XCheck if the steering column is locked.
When doing so, try to push the steering
wheel up or down or try to move it in the
fore-and-aft direction.
Steering wheel121
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

Adjusting the steering wheel electri-
cally
:To adjust th esteering whee lheight
;To adjust th esteering whee lposition
(fore-and-af tadjustment)
The steering whee lcan also be adjusted when
th eSmartKey is remove dfrom th eignition
lock.
iFurther relate dsubjects :
REASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
(
Ypage 123)
RStoring setting s (Ypage 127)
Steering wheel heating
Switching on/off
XTurn th eSmartKey to position 2in th eigni-
tion loc k (
Ypage 165).
XTo switch on/of f:tur nth elever in th e
direction of arrow :or;.
Indicato rlamp =lights up or goes out .Vehicles wit
hKE YLESS-GO :when you switch
off th eignition and open th edriver' sdoor ,th e
steering whee lheating is deactivated.
Vehicles without KE YLESS-GO:when you
remove th eSmartKey from th eignition lock,
th esteering whee lheating is deactivated.
122Steering wheel
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

For information about driving off-road, see
(
Ypage 198).
GWARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or
in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered.
GWARNING
When you drive with the vehicle raised, the
driving characteristics could be impaired by
the vehicle's raised center of gravity. The vehi-
cle could rollover more easily, for example on
a bend. There is a risk of an accident.
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble and adjust your driving style.
GWARNING
When you drive with the chassis lowered or
raised, the vehicle's braking and driving char-
acteristics can be significantly impaired. You
could also exceed the permissible vehicle
height if the chassis is raised. There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the vehicle level before pulling away.
GWARNING
Due to the high center of gravity, the vehicle
may start to skid and roll over in the event of
an abrupt steering maneuver and/or when
the vehicle's speed is not adapted to the road
conditions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
the vehicle's driving characteristics and to the
prevailing road and weather conditions.
!When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance. You will otherwise damage the
vehicle.
RUtility vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles.
Failure to operate this vehicle safely may
result in an accident, rollover of the vehicle,
and severe or fatal injury.
RIn a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should
always wear your seat belts.
Basic settings
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted.
Select:
Rhighway/high-speed level for driving on
normal roads
Roff-road level 1 for driving on easily nego-
tiable off-road terrain
Roff-road level 2 for driving on normal off-
road terrain
Roff-road level 3 for freeing the vehicle in
particularly rough terrain at low speeds
only
The individual vehicle levels differ from high-
way level as follows:
Rhighway level: +/–0 in (+/–0 mm)
Rhigh-speed level: –0.6 in (–15 mm)
Roff-road level 1: + 1.2 in (+ 30 mm)
Roff-road level 2: + 2.3 in (+ 60 mm)
Roff-road level 3: + 3.6 in (+ 90 mm)
Highway/high-speed level
!Make sure that there is enough ground
clearance when the vehicle is being low-
ered. It could otherwise hit the ground,
damaging the underbody.
214Driving systems
Driving and parking

cle could rollover more easily, for example on
a bend. There is a risk of an accident.
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble and adjust your driving style.
GWARNING
When you drive with the chassis lowered or
raised, the vehicle's braking and driving char-
acteristics can be significantly impaired. You
could also exceed the permissible vehicle
height if the chassis is raised. There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the vehicle level before pulling away.
GWARNING
Due to the high center of gravity, the vehicle
may start to skid and roll over in the event of
an abrupt steering maneuver and/or when
the vehicle's speed is not adapted to the road
conditions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
the vehicle's driving characteristics and to the
prevailing road and weather conditions.
!When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance. You will otherwise damage the
vehicle.
!When you raise the vehicle in such a way
that not all wheels have contact with the
ground, remove the SmartKey from the
ignition lock.
RUtility vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles.
Failure to operate this vehicle safely may
result in an accident, rollover of the vehicle, and severe or fatal injury.
RIn a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should
always wear your seat belts. General notes
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 198).
Level control adapts the vehicle level auto-
matically to the current operating and driving
situation. This results in reduced fuel con-
sumption and improved ha
ndling.
If you select ADS comfort mode (
Ypage 218),
the vehicle is lowered to high-speed level as
the speed increases. As the vehicle speed
decreases, the vehicle is raised back up to
highway level.
If you select ADS sport mode (
Ypage 218),
the vehicle skips highway level and lowers
directly to high-speed level depending on the
basic setting (
Ypage 220).
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level may change visibly if you
park the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehi-
cle level is lower; with an increase in temper- ature, the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open a door, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant level changes, such as after the
vehicle has been stationary for a long period,
the engine must be on. For safety reasons,
the vehicle is only lowered when the doors areclosed. Lowering is interrupted if a door is
opened, and it continues once the door has
been closed.
Basic settings (excluding Mercedes-AMG
vehicles)
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted. Sele ct ra
ised level for off-road driving or
highway/high-speed level for normal roads.
220Driving systems
Driving and parking

Parking tips:
ROn narrow roads, drive as close to the park-
ing space as possible.
RParking spaces that are littered or over-
grown might be identified or measured
incorrectly.
RParking spaces that are partially occupied
by trailer drawbars might not be identified
as such or be measured incorrectly.
RSnowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
RPay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(
Ypage 225) warning messages during the
parking procedure.
RAt any time, you can intervene in the steer-
ing procedure to correct it. Active Parking
Assist will then be canceled.
RWhen transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parking Assist.
RNever use Active Parking Assist when snow
chains are installed.
RMake sure that the tire pressures are
always correct. This has a direct influence
on the parking characteristics of the vehi-
cle.
Use Active Parking Assist for parking spaces:
Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel
Rthat are on straight roads, not bends
Rthat are on the same level as the road, e.g.
not on the pavement
Detecting parking spaces
Objects located above the height range of
Active Parking Assist will not be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles.
GWARNING
If there are objects above the detection range, Active Parking Assist may turn prematurely.
You may cause a collision as a result. There is
a risk of an accident.
If there are objects above the detection range,
stop and deactivate Active Parking Assist.
For further information on the detection
range (
Ypage 224).
Active Parking Assist does not support you
parking in spaces that are parallel to the
direction of travel if:
Rthe parking space is on a curb
Rthe system reads the parking space as
being blocked, for example by foliage or
grass paving blocks
Rthe area is too small for the vehicle to
maneuver into
Rthe parking space is bordered by an obsta-
cle, e.g. a tree, a post or a trailer
:Detected parking space on the left
;Parking symbol
=Detected parking space on the right
Active Parking Assist is switched on automat-
ically when driving forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
22 mph (35 km/h). While in operation, the
system independently locates and measures
parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel
Rthat are at least 59 in (1.5 m) wide
Rthat are at least 39.5 in (1.0 m) longer than
your vehicle
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h), you will see the parking symbol as
a status indicator in the instrument cluster.
When a parking space has been detected, an
228Driving systems
Driving and parking

Rif there is a sudden change in temperature,
e.g. when driving into a heated garage in
winter
Rif the camera lens is dirty or obstructed.
Observe the notes on cleaning
(
Ypage 380)
Rif the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In this
event, have the camera position and setting
checked at a qualified specialist workshop
The field of vision and other functions of the
rear view camera may be restricted due to
additional accessories on the rear of the vehi-
cle (e.g. license plate holder, bicycle rack).
For technical reasons, leaving the standard
height can result in inaccuracies in the guide
lines on vehicles with a height-adjustable
chassis.
Activating/deactivating the rear view
camera
XTo activate: make sure that the SmartKey
is in position 2in the ignition lock.
XMake sure that the "Show rear view camera
display" function is selected in COMAND
(see the Digital Operator's Manual).
XEngage reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown in the
COMAND display with guide lines.
XTo change the function mode for vehi-
cles with trailer tow hitch: using the
COMAND controller, select symbol :for
the "Reverse parking" function or sym- bol
;for "Coupling up a trailer" (see the
separate COMAND operating instructions).
The symbol of the selected function is high-
lighted.
To deactivate: the rear view camera deacti-
vates if you shift the transmission to Por after
driving forwards a short distance.
Displays in the COMAND display
The rear view camera may show a distorted
view of obstacles, show them incorrectly or
not at all. The rear view camera does not show
objects in the following positions:
Rvery close to the rear bumper
Runder the rear bumper
Rin the area immediately above the tailgate
handle
!Objects not at ground level may appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g.:
Rthe bumper of a parked vehicle
Rthe drawbar of a trailer
Rthe ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
Rthe rear section of an HGV
Ra slanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.
Approach objects no further than the bot-
tom-most guideline.
:White guide line without turning the steer-
ing wheel, vehicle width including the
exterior mirrors (static)
;Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 13 ft (4.0m) from the rear of the
vehicle
232Driving system s
Driving an d parking

:Red guide lineat adistanc eof approx -
imately 10 in (0.25 m) from th erear of th e
vehicl e
;Whiteguide lin ewithout turning th esteer -
in g whee l
=Endof parkin gspac e
XBackup carefully until you hav ereached
th efinal position .
Red guide lin e: is then at en dof parkin g
spac e=. The vehicl eis almost parallel in
th eparkin gspace.
"Coupling up atrailer " function
!The followin gdistanc especification s
refer to trailer to whitches wit hball cou-
plin gthat hav ebeen approve dfor this vehi-
cle by Mercedes-Benz. Distances may dif -
fer if you use other ball couplings. In this
case, tak einto accoun tthat actual distan-
ce swill no tmatch th efollowin gdistanc e
specifications. Otherwise you could dam-
age th etrailer and vehicle.
:Vehicl ecenter poin ton th eyellow guide
lin eat adistanc eof approximately 3ft
(1. 0m) from th erear of th evehicl e
;Trailer drawbar
=Ball couplin g
This function is only available on vehicles wit h
a trailer to whitch .
XSetth eheight of trailer drawbar ;so that
it is slightly higher than ball couplin g=.
XPosition th evehicl ecentrally in fron tof
trailer drawbar ;.
:Ball coupling
;Red guide lin eat adistanc eof approx -
imately 10 in (0.25m) from the ball cou-
pling
=Trailer drawbar marker assistant
?Trailer drawbar
ASymbol for the "Coupling up a trailer"
function
XUse the COMAND controller to select sym-
bol A, see the separate operating instruc-
tions for COMAND.
The "Coupling up a trailer" function is selec-
ted. The distance specifications now only
Driving systems235
Driving and parking
Z