2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE-Class Owner's Manual

You can select the Offroad Plus drive program at
speeds below 25 mph (40 km/h).
The Offroad Plus drive program automatically
switches to the Offroad drive program if you
drive faster than 30 mph (45 km/h). TheDrive
more slowlymessage appears in the multi-
function display.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 186).
LOW RANGE offroad gear (vehicles with
the Offroad Engineering package)
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you select the LOW RANGE off-road gear on
a slippery road surface, the wheels could lose traction:
Rif you remove your foot from the accelera-
tor pedal when driving
Rif off road ABS intervenes when braking
If the wheels lose traction. the vehicle can no
longer be steered. There is an increased dan-
ger of skidding and accidents.
Never select the LOW RANGE off-road gear
when driving on slippery road surfaces.
GWARNING
If you do not wait for the transfer case gear
change process to complete, the transfer
case could remain in the neutral position. The power transmission to the driven wheels is
then interrupted. There is a danger of the
vehicle rolling away unintentionally. There is a
risk of an accident.
Wait until the transfer case shift process is
completed.
Do not turn off the engine while changing gear
and do not shift the automatic transmission to
another position.
General notes
:LOW RANGE offroad gear button
;LOW RANGE offroad gear indicator lamp
HIGH RANGEPosition for all normal on-
road driving conditions
LOW RANGEOffroad position for driving
off-road and fording
The transmission ratio
between the engine and
wheels is only approx-
imately one third of that in
the HIGH RANGE road posi-
tion. Drive torque is thus
proportionately higher.
Do not use LOW RANGE:
Ron slippery road surfaces,
e.g. in the case of slush
Ron snow or ice-covered
roads
Rif you have mounted snow
chains to your vehicle
The LOW RANGE offroad gear assists you in
driving off-road and when fording. When LOW
RANGE is engaged, the engine’s performance
characteristics and the gearshifting character-
istics of the automatic transmission are adapted
for this purpose.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 186). You will find information about
driving safety systems in conjunction with
LOW RANGE in the "Safety" section (
Ypage 66).
Driving systems239
Driving and parking
Z

From HIGH RANGE to LOW RANGE
!Onlychange from LOW RANGE to HIGH
RANGE if:
Rthe engine isrunning.
Rthe transmission is inposition N
Ryou aredriving at a speed below 40 km /h
XPress LOW RANGE button:.
Indic ator lamp ;flashes.
When the gear change isco mple te, indicator
lamp ;lights up. LOW RANGE indicator
appears inthe multifunction display and inthe
status indicator.
While indicator lamp ;isflashing, you can
cancel the gear change bypressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
iYou cannot activate LOW RANGE ifthe
SPORT drive program isactivated. The LOW
RANGE Not in Drive Program "Sport"message then appears inthe multifunction
displ ay.
From LOW RANGE to HIGH RANGE
!Only change from LOW RANGE to HIGH
RANGE if:
Rthe engine isrunning.
Rthe transmission is inposition N
Ryou aredriving at a speed below 70 km /h
XPress LOW RANGE button:.
Indic ator lamp ;flashes.
When the gear change isco mple te, indicator
lamp ;goes out. Inthe multifunction dis-
play, the LOW RANGE Off
message appears
and status indicator =goes out.
While indicator lamp ;isflashing, you can
cancel the gear change bypressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
240Driving systems
Driving and parking

Messages in the multifunction display
If a gear change process has not been successful, the following messages may be displayed in the
multifunction display:
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
LOW RANGE Max.Speed 24 mphYou have been driving faster than 24 mph (40 km/h). Additionally, the
indicator lamp on the button in the center console is flashing.
XDrive more slowly to carry out the gear change process.
LOW RANGE Shift toPosition N BrieflyThe transmission is in positionDand you are driving at below
40 km/h.
XShift the transmission to Nto complete the gear change process.
LOW RANGE ShiftingCanceled PleaseReactivate
The gear change process was not carried out.
XEnsure that all gear change conditions are fulfilled and carry out the
gear change process again.
LOW RANGE StopApply Parking BrakeA warning tone also sounds. The gear change process has not been
completed. LOW RANGE is in the neutral position. There is no con-
nection between the engine and the drive wheels.
!Do not drive any further. You could otherwise damage the vehi-
cle's drive train.
XStop the vehicle. Take into account the road and traffic conditions
when doing this.
XDepress the electric parking brake (Ypage 179).
XCarry out the gear change process again.
If the gear change process has been carried out, the LOW RANGE
Stop Apply Parking Brakemessage disappears.
Driving dynamics display in the
COMAND display (vehicles with the Off-
road Engineering-package)
General notes
The driving dynamics display allows you to see
the selected drive program and additional infor-
mation about the vehicle's operating status in
the COMAND display.
:Drive program selected
;Status of the differential lock for the transfer
case
=Accelerator pedal position shown in %
?Brake pedal position shown in %
ACondition of the LOW RANGE offroad gear
BAngle of inclination
CSteering angle
DUphill or downhill gradient in percentage
Driving systems241
Driving and parking
Z

ELevel control
FCompass with angle scale
Activating the driving dynamics display
XSwitch on COMAND. You can find further
information in the separate COMAND operat-
ing instructions.
XPress button:.
The driving dynamics display appears in the
COMAND display.
PLUG-IN HYBRID operation
Points to remember
General notes
Hybrid technology combines a fuel efficient
internal combustion engine with a powerful
electric motor. In HYBRIDmode, the hybrid
drive system automatically selects the most effi-
cient operating mode for every driving situation. Drive the vehicle in the usual manner.
To save fuel in HYBRIDmode, the hybrid drive
system switches off the combustion engine as
often as possible during the journey when power
output requirements are low. When power out-
put requirements are low, the electric motor
powers the vehicle. The engine is switched on,
even while the vehicle is in motion, when a
higher power output is required. The engine is
usually switched off when the vehicle is station-
ary. Consequently, there is usually no engine
idling as with combustion engine vehicles.
For pulling away and accelerating, the electric
motor supports the internal combustion engine
using the power stored in the high-voltage bat-
tery. In addition, the power is used for electric
driving, operation of the electric refrigerant
compressor and to supply the 12 V on-board electrical system. In this way the hybrid drive
system helps to reduce your vehicle's fuel con-
sumption.
Observe the driving tips on plug-in hybrid oper-
ation (
Ypage 252).
Recuperative Brake System
If you release the accelerator pedal when the
vehicle is in motion, overrun recuperation is ini-
tiated. The electric motor is operated as a gen-
erator when in overrun mode and when you
brake. Hybrid technology converts the kinetic
energy of the vehicle into electricity and stores
it in the high-voltage battery.
Observe the important safety notes for the
Recuperative Brake System (
Ypage 44).
Important safety notes
If the engine is switched off by the ECO start/
stop function, you open the driver's door and
unfasten your seat belt:
Ra message appears in the multifunction dis-
play and
Ra warning tone sounds
Further information (
Ypage 299).
All of the vehicle's systems remain active, if:
Rthe vehicle is stationary
Rthe combustion engine is switched off and
Rthe READY indicator in the instrument cluster
lights up
If you remove your foot from the brake pedal
while in transmission position D or R, the vehicle
may pull away automatically.
Observe the notes on the READY display of the
ECO start/stop function (
Ypage 253).
Vehicles with an electric motor generate much
less driving noise than vehicles with internal
combustion engines. As a result, your vehicle
may not be heard by other road users in certain
situations. This is the case, for example, when
you are parking and your vehicle is not seen by
other road users.
This requires you to adopt a particularly antici-
patory driving style, as it is necessary to allow
for the possibility that other road users may
behave erratically.
Depending on the vehicle's equipment and
country-specific regulations, the vehicle can be
equipped with Acoustic Vehicle Indication.
242PLUG-IN HYBRID operation
Driving and parking

The volume depends on the engine speed. The
faster you accelerate, the louder the sound is. At
a speed of over 20 mph (30 km/h)the sound is
switched off. Above this speed, the natural
sounds from the vehicle are sufficient that it can
be heard in good time by other road users.
PLUG-IN HYBRID operation243
Driving an d parking
Z

Hybrid system overview
:Battery charger and voltage converter
;Vehicle socket
=Power electronics
?12 V battery
AHigh-voltage electrical system cables
BTransmission with electric motor
CHigh-voltage battery
DElectric heater
ERecuperative Brake System
FElectric refrigerant compressor
You can switch off the hybrid drive system manually. For further information on the high-voltage
switch-off device, see (
Ypage 42).
244PLUG-IN HYBRID operation
Driving and parking

Instrument cluster
:Electrical range
;Recuperative Brake Systemwarning lamp (Ypage 318)
=Electric motor performance display (Ypage 245)
?Drivingmod edisplay (Ypage 246)
Displays and operation
Electric motor performance display
The power display for th eelectric motor is loca-
te don th eright-hand side of th einstrumen t
cluster.
RArea :to; (E-DRIVE):
This shows th eelectric output from th eelec -
tric motor, e.g. during electric operation or in
boos tmode.
When th emotor is switched on ,th eneedle is
at limi t:. Withincreasing pressur eon th e
accelerato rpedal th eneedle moves from :
to ;. Driving with th
eelectri cmotor: when th e
needle reaches limi t; thecombustion
engin eis switched on .If th edisplay
approaches limi t; and you remove your foo t
from th eaccelerato rpedal ,th eneedle drops
again .The combustion engin eis no tswitched
on .At low speeds, you can thereby control th e
electric operation usage so that you only driv e
in electric mode.
Driving with th ecombustion engine: the
electric motor support sth ecombustion
engin eby providing additional driv etorque
(boost mode) until th eneedle reaches
limi t;.
You can also select th eoperating mod eof th e
hybrid driv esystem (
Ypage 246).
RArea=to? (CHARGE) :
This shows th erecuperate denerg ywhic his
store din th ehigh-voltage battery as electrical
energy.
When th eneedle reaches limi t?, themaxi-
mum recuperative brak ing p
ower has been
reached. The mechanical brak eis activated.
PLUG-IN HYBRID operation245
Driving and parking
Z

Selecting the operating mode
Button:allows you to choose between differ-
ent operating modes.
XPress button :to change the operating
mode.
The operating mode selected appears in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 245).
If it is not possible to change operating
modes, the display message Change the
current drive program before chang‐ing the operating mode.orExit man‐ualdriveprogramMbeforechangingthe operating mode.appears in the multi-
function display. Further information on "Dis-
play messages" (
Ypage 299).
:Operating mode selected
;Operating mode unavailable
=Operating mode available
HYBRIDRElectric mode or driving
with the internal combus-
tion engine is possible
RAutomatic selection of
drive mode with electric
mode as often as possi-
ble
RThe high-voltage battery
is discharged to approx-
imately 15%.
RTo subsequently main-
tain the condition of
charge of the high-volt-
age battery, the electric
output is reduced. All
vehicle functions such as
electric mode, energy
recuperation or boost
mode, for example, are
still available.
E-MODERPurely electric operation
until the performance
limit of the electric motor is reached
E-SAVERElectric mode or driving
with the internal combus-
tion engine is possible
RAutomatic selection of
drive mode with electric
mode as often as possi-
ble
RThe current condition of
charge of the high-volt-
age battery is maintained
so the electrical energy
can be used at a later
time.
CHARGERElectric drive is not pos-
sible
RCharging the high-volt-
age battery while driving
using the combustion
engine
In the Sport drive program (Ypage 251) and
during manual gearshifting (Ypage 251), only
the HYBRID operating mode is available.
If you switch from the Sportdrive program to
the Comfort drive program, the HYBRIDoper-
ating mode remains selected.
246PLUG-IN HYBRID operation
Driving and parking