2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL-Class automatic transmission

RBefore driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients, select the LOW RANGE off-
road gear (
Ypage 259).
RDrive slowly.
RAvoid high engine speeds. Drive at appro-
priate engine speeds (maximum
3,000 rpm).
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift into a lower gear in good time
on long and steep downhill gradients.
RCheck the brakes after prolonged off-road
driving.
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away
on a hill. For further information about hill
start assist, see (
Ypage 168).
Do not switch to transmission position N
when driving off-road. If you try to brake the
vehicle using the service brake, you could
lose control of the vehicle. If the gradient is
too steep for your vehicle, drive back down in
reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure
angle values (
Ypage 456).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climb- ing ability values (
Ypage 456).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immedi-
ately 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:
Rthe vehicle from lifting off the ground on thebrow of a hill
Rthe vehicle from traveling too quickly downthe other side
Driving downhill
RDrive slowly.
RDo not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drive with the front wheels aligned straight. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and rollover.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand
paddle shifter before tackling steep down-
hill gradients.
RActivate DSR. If this is not sufficient, brake
gently. When doing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
RCheck that the brakes are working normally
after a long downhill stretch.
iThe special off-road ABS setting enables a
precise, brief and repeated locking of the
front wheels. This causes them to dig into
loose earth. Be aware that the front wheels
easily skid across the ground surface if
completely braked and therefore lose their
ability to steer.
Driving systems
Intelligent Drive
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive stands for
innovative driver assistance and safety sys-
tems which enhance comfort and support the
driver in critical situations. With these intelli-
gent co-ordinated systems Mercedes-Benz
has set a milestone on the path towards
autonomous driving.
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive embraces all
elements of active and passive safety in one
well thought out system – for the safety of the vehicle occupants and that of other road
users.
Further information on driving safety systems
(
Ypage 68).
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order to avoid exceeding the set speed. You must
202Driving systems
Driving and parking

press the cruise control lever up:or
down ;to the pressure point.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up :or down ;the last speed
stored is increased or reduced.
iCruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin- ished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control
There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
XBrake.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake
Ryou are driving at less than 20 mph
(30 km/h)
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Ryou activate DSR
Ryou activate off-road program 2 on vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package
Ryou shift the transmission to position N
while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the Cruise Con‐
trol Offmessage in the multifunction dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
iWhen you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared.
DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes
DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. Vehi-
cles are detected with the aid of the radar
sensor system. DISTRONIC PLUS brakes
automatically so that the set speed is not
exceeded.
You must select a lower gear in good time on
long and steep downhill gradients, especially
if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk
of a collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot pre-
vent a collision without your intervention. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and
the distance warning lamp will light up in the
instrument cluster. Brake immediately in
order to increase the distance to the vehicle
in front or take evasive action provided it is
safe to do so.
For DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the radar
sensor system must be operational.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 20 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/ h). If a vehicle is driving in front of
you, it operates in the speed range between
0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
As DISTRONIC PLUS transmits radar waves, it
can resemble the radar detectors of the
responsible authorities. You can refer to the
Driving systems205
Driving and parking
Z

However, the vehicle is only accelerated up to
the speed you have stored.
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
Changing lanes
If you change to the passing lane, DISTRONIC
PLUS supports you when:
Ryou are driving faster than 40 mph
(60 km/h)
RDISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the dis-
tance to a vehicle in front
Ryou switch on the appropriate turn signal
RDISTRONIC PLUS does not detect a danger
of collision
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted
if changing lanes takes too long or if the dis-
tance between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front becomes too small.
iWhen you change lanes, DISTRONIC
PLUS monitors the left lane on left-hand-
drive vehicles or the right lane on right-
hand-drive vehicles.
Stopping
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
RDISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected.
Rthe accelerator pedal has been depressed, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until it
is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill at
a sufficient distance behind the vehicle in
front. The specified minimum distance is set
using the control on the cruise control lever.
The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if DISTRONIC PLUS is
activated and:
Rthe driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is not sufficient.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there
is a malfunction, the transmission may also
automatically be shifted into position P.
Setting a speed
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
Driving systems209
Driving and parking
Z

speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake
Ryou are driving slower than 15 mph
(25 km/h) and there is no vehicle in front,
or if the vehicle in front is no longer detec-
ted
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door or one of the rear doors is
open
Ryou activate DSR
Ryou activate off-road program 2 on vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package
Rthe vehicle has skidded
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. You will see the
DISTRONIC PLUS Off
message in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds.
Displays in the instrument cluster
Displays in the speedometer
Example: DISTRONIC PLUS displays in the speed-
ometer
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or
two segments ;in the set speed range light
up.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front,
segments ;between speed of the vehicle in
front =and stored speed :light up.
iFor design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS.
Assistance graphic display when
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated
:Vehicle in front, if detected
;Distance indicator, current distance to
the vehicle in front
=Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
?Own vehicle
XSelect the Distance Displayfunction
using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 281).
Driving systems211
Driving and parking
Z

You can select from the following:
ROff-road level 1 at speeds up to 60 mph
(100 km/h)
ROff-road level 2 at speeds up to 40 mph
(65 km/h)
ROff-road level 3 at speeds up to 12 mph
(20 km/h)
If you are driving above 50 mph (80 km/h) or
drive between 40 mph (65 km/h) and 50 mph (80 km/h) for longer than 20 seconds, off-
road level 2 will be canceled. The vehicle is
lowered to off-road level 1.
You will see a message in the multifunction
display, for example: Lowering
.
If you are driving above 70 mph (115 km/h) or
drive between 62 mph (100 km/h) and
70 mph (115 km/h) for longer than
20 seconds, off-road level 1 will be canceled.
Depending on the vehicle's speed and the
ADS mode selected (
Ypage 218), the vehicle
is automatically lowered to highway or high-
speed level.
You will see a message in the multifunction
display, for example: Lowering
.
HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
iDo not use the HOLD function when driv-
ing off-road, on steep uphill or downhill gra-
dients or on slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function cannot hold the vehicle on
such surfaces.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-
tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivate the HOLD function (
Ypage 218).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
Rthe vehicle is stationary
Rthe engine is running or if it has been auto- matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
Rthe driver's door is closed or your seat belt
is fastened
Rthe electric parking brake is released
Rthe transmission is in position D,Ror N
RDISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated
Driving systems217
Driving and parking
Z

Activating the HOLD function
XMakesur ethat th eactivation condition s
are met .
XDepress th ebrak epedal .
XQuickl ydepress th ebrak epedal further
until :appear sin th emultifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release th ebrak epedal .
iIf depressing th ebrak epedal th efirst
time does no tactivat eth eHOLD function ,
wait briefly and then tr yagain .
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
callyif:
Ryou accelerate and th etransmission is in
position Dor R.
Ryou shif tth etransmission to position P.
Ryou depress thebrak epedal again wit h a
certain amoun tof pressur euntil :disap -
pear sfrom th emultifunction display.
Ryou secure th evehicl eusin gth eelectric
parking brake.
Ryou activat eDISTRONI CPLUS.
iAfte r atime, th eelectric parking brak e
secures th evehicl eand relieves th eservic e
brake.
The electric parking brak esecures th evehicl e
automatically if th eHOLD function is activa-
te dwhen th evehicl eis stationary and :
Rthedriver' sdoor is open and th edriver' s
seat belt is unfastened.
Rth eengin eis switched off ,unless it is auto -
matically switched off by th eECO start /
stop function .
Rasystem malfunction occurs.
Rth epower suppl yis no t sufficient.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there
is amalfunction ,th etransmission may also
be automatically shifte dint oposition P.
AIRMATIC package
Genera l notes
AIRMATIC regulates th elevel of your vehicle.
As well as level control (
Ypage 219), your
vehicl ecan be equipped wit hAD S(Adaptive
Dampin gSystem) (
Ypage 218) and ACTIVE
CURVE SYSTE M (
Ypage 219).
Observ eth enote son driving wit h atrailer
(
Ypage 264).
ADS (Adaptive Damping System)
Genera lnotes
AD Sadapt sth edamping characteristics to
th ecurren toperating and driving situation.
This depend son :
Ryour driving style
Rtheroad surfac econdition s
RtheAD Ssetting
Rth evehicl elevel setting
Your selection remain s storedeve nif you
remove th eSmartKey from th eignition lock.
218Driving systems
Driving and parking

PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It monitors the area
around your vehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and four sensors in the rear
bumper. PARKTRONIC indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate
surroundings. You are always responsible for
safe maneuvering, parking and exiting a park- ing space. When maneuvering, parking or
pulling out of a parking space, make sure that
there are no persons, animals or objects in
the area in which you are maneuvering.
!When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, the compressed-air brakes on a
truck or a pneumatic drill could cause
PARKTRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
Rswitch on the ignition
Rshift the transmission to position D,Ror N
Rrelease the electric parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
Range of the sensors
General notes
PARKTRONIC does not take objects into con-
sideration that are:
Rbelow the detection range, e.g. people, ani-
mals or objects.
Rabove the detection range, e.g. overhang-
ing loads, truck overhangs or loading
ramps.
:Sensors in the front bumper, left-hand
side (example)
The sensors must be free from dirt, ice or
slush. They can otherwise not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(
Ypage 380).
224Driving systems
Driving and parking

If you leave your lane, under certain circum-
stances the vehicle will brake briefly on one
side. This is meant to assist you in bringing
the vehicle back to the original lane.
If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
display:appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
A lane-correcting brake application can only
be made after driving over a solid, recogniz-
able lane marking. Before this, a warning
must be given by means of intermittent vibra-
tion in the steering wheel. In addition, a lane
with lane markings on both sides must be
recognized. The brake application also
slightly reduces vehicle speed.
iA further lane-correcting brake applica-
tion can only occur after your vehicle has
returned to the original lane.
No lane-correcting brake application occurs
if:
Ryou clearly and actively steer, brake or
accelerate.
Ryou cut the corner on a sharp bend.
Ryou have switched on the turn signal.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP®, PRE-SAFE®Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist.
Ryou have adopted a sporty driving style with high cornering speeds or high rates of
acceleration.
RESP®is switched off.
Rthe transmission is not in position D.
Ron vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the
electrical connection to the trailer has been
correctly established.
Rthe off-road program is activated (vehicles
without the ON&OFFROAD package).
Roff-road program 1 or 2 is activated (vehi-
cles with the ON&OFFROAD package).
Rthe LOW RANGE off-road gear is activated
(vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package).
Rwhen a loss of tire pressure or a defective
tire has been detected and displayed.
There is a possibility that the Active Lane
Keeping Assist could misjudge the given traf-
fic situation. An inappropriate brake applica-
tion may be interrupted at any time if you:
Rsteer slightly in the opposite direction
Rswitch on the turn signal
Rclearly brake or accelerate
A lane-correcting brake application is inter-
rupted automatically if:
Ra driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP®, PRE-SAFE®Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist.
Rlane markings can no longer be recognized.
Switching on Active Lane Keeping Assist
XSwitch on Active Lane Keeping Assist using
the on-board computer; to do so, select
Standard
or Adaptive(Ypage 282).
If you drive at speeds above 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected,
the lines in the assistance graphics display
(
Ypage 281) are shown in green. Active
Lane Keeping Assist is ready for use.
If Standard
is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
Ryou switch on the turn signals. In this
event, the warnings are suppressed for a
certain period of time.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, such
as ABS, BAS or ESP®.
When Adaptive
is selected, no warning
vibration occurs if:
Driving systems253
Driving and parking
Z