2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE-Class ESP

Offroad 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem)
An ETS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once an off-
road program is activated:
RVehicles without the Offroad Engineering
package (Ypage 237)
RVehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age (Ypage 237)
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv-
ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP
®checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC: only operate the
vehicle for a maximum of ten seconds on a
brake test dynamometer. Switch off the igni-
tion.
Application of the brakes by ESP
®may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC: function or perform-
ance tests may only be carried out on a 2-axle dynamometer. Before you operate the vehicle
on such a dynamometer, please consult a
qualified workshop. You could otherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
ESP
®is only deactivated if the åwarning
lamp is lit continuously.
If the ÷ warning lamp and the åwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP
®is not available
due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 321) and display messages which may
be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 281).
iOnly use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP®function properly.
Characteristics of ESP®
General information
If the ÷ ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP®is automatically
active.
If ESP
®intervenes, the ÷ESP®warning lamp
flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP
®intervenes:
XDo not deactivate ESP®under any circum-
stances.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
XAdapt your driving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle stops
moving. The engine starts automatically when
the driver wants to pull away again. ESP
®
remains in its previously selected status. Exam-
ple: if ESP®was deactivated before the engine
was switched off, ESP®remains deactivated
when the engine is switched on again.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 66).
You can select between the following states of
ESP
®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®, ESP®no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
72Driving safety systems
Safety

iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehicle if
the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to
spin.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo deactivate: press button:.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
XTo activate: press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Characteristics when ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in the
instrument cluster flashes. In such situations,
ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cutting
action for better traction on loose surfaces.
RTraction control is still activated.
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no longer
available; nor is it activated if you brake firmly
with assistance from ESP
®.
RPRE-SAFE®is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP®inter-
venes.
RPRE-SAFE®Brake is no longer available, it is
also not activated if you brake firmly and ESP®
intervenes.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Offroad ESP®(vehicles with Offroad
Engineering package)
An ESP®system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated on:
RVehicles without the Offroad Engineering
package (Ypage 237)
RVehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age (Ypage 237)
Offroad ESP®intervenes with a delay if there is
oversteering or understeering, thus improving
traction.
ESP®trailer stabilization
General information
ESP®trailer stabilization is not available in
Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
swerve, ESP
®assists you in this situation. ESP®
slows the vehicle down by braking and limiting
the engine output until the vehicle/trailer com-
bination has stabilized.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center of gravity can
tip over before ESP
®can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer com-
bination) begins to lurch, you can only stabilize
the vehicle/trailer combination by depressing
the brake firmly.
Trailer stabilization is active above speeds of
about 37 mph (60 km/h).
Driving safety systems73
Safety
Z

ESP®trailer stabilization does not work if ESP®
is deactivated or disabled because of a malfunc-
tion.
Crosswind Assist
General information
Strong crosswinds can cause your vehicle to
deviate from a straight course. The crosswind
driving assistance function integrated in ESP
®
noticeably reduces these impairments.
ESP®intervenes automatically according to the
direction and intensity of the crosswinds affect-
ing your vehicle.
ESP intervenes with stabilizing braking to assist
you in keeping the vehicle in the lane.
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle speeds
above 50 mph (80 km/h) when driving straight
ahead or cornering gently.
Important safety notes
Crosswind Assist does not work if ESP®is deac-
tivated or disabled because of a malfunction.
EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information
EBD monitors and controls the brake pressure
on the rear wheels to improve driving stability
while braking.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Ypage 66).
GWARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the
risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (
Ypage 319) as well as display
messages (Ypage 283).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety and
offers increased braking comfort. In addition to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE also has
the HOLD function (
Ypage 204) and hill start
assist (Ypage 149).
PRE-SAFE®Brake
General information
PRE-SAFE®Brake can help you to minimize the
risk of a collision with a vehicle ahead or a
pedestrian, and reduce the effects of such a
collision. If PRE-SAFE
®Brake has detected a risk
of collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically as well as by automatic braking.
iPay attention to the important safety notes
in the "Driving safety systems" section
(
Ypage 66).
PRE‑SAFE
®Brake is only available in vehicles
with the Driving Assistance Plus package.
For PRE-SAFE
®Brake to assist you when driving,
the radar sensor system and the camera system
must be switched on and be operational.
With the help of the radar sensor system and the
camera system, PRE-SAFE
®Brake can detect
obstacles that are in front of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
In addition, pedestrians in the path of your vehi-
cle can be detected.
PRE-SAFE
®Brake detects pedestrians using
typical characteristics such as the body con-
tours and posture of a person standing upright.
iObserve the restrictions described in the
"Important safety notes" sec-
tion“ (
Ypage 74).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake will initially brake your vehi-
cle by a partial application of the brakes if a
danger of collision is detected. There may be
a collision unless you brake yourself. Even
after subsequent full application of the brakes
a collision cannot always be avoided, partic-
74Driving safet ysystem s
Safety

ularly whenapproaching at too high a speed.
There isa risk of an acc ident.
Alwa ysapply the brakes yourself and try to
take evasive action, provide dit is safe to do
so.
In the event of a partial application of the brakes,
the veh icle isbraked with up to 50% of the full
braking pressure.
GWAR NING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot always clearly iden-
tify objects and co mplex traff icconditions.
In these cases, PRE-SAFE
®Brake may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the veh icle
Rnot give a warning or intervene
There isa risk of an acc ident.
Alwa ys pay particular attention to the traff ic
situation and beready to brake, especially if
PRE-SAFE
®Brake warns you. Terminate the
intervention ina non-critical driving situation.
GWAR NING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot always clearly iden-
tify people, especially ifthey are moving. In
these cases, PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot inter-
vene. There isa risk of an acc ident.
Alwa ys pay particular attention to the traff ic
situation and beready to brake, especially if
PRE-SAFE
®Brake warns you.
In order to maintain the appropriate distance to
the veh icle infront and thus prevent a co llision,
you must applythe brakes yourself.
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake does not react:
Rto small people, e.g. ch ildren
Rto animals
Rto oncoming veh icles
Rto crossing traff ic
Rwhen cornering
As a result, PRE-SAFE®Brake may neither
give warnings nor intervene inall critical sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Alwa ys pay careful attention to the traff icsit-
uation and be ready to brake.
In the event of snowfall or heavy rain, the rec-
ognition can be impaired.
Recognition bythe radar sensor system is also
impaired inthe event of:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple inparking garages
Ra narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle traveling in front on a different line
relative to the center of your vehicle
Recognition bythe camera system isalso
impaired inthe event of:
Rdirt on the camera or if the camera is covered
Rthere isglare on the camera system, e.g. from
the sun being low inthe sky
Rdarkness
Rif:
-pedestrians move quickly, e.g. into the path
of the vehicle
-the camera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as a person due to special cloth-
ing or other objects
-a pedestrian isconcealed by other objects
-the typical outline of a person isnot distin-
guishable from the background
Fol lowin
g dam
age to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no vis ibledamage to the
front of the vehicle.
Following damage to the windshield, have the
configuration and operation of the camera sys-
tem checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Driving safety systems75
Safety
Z

Function
XTo activate/deactivate:activateor deacti -
vat ePRE-SAF E®Brake in th eon-board com-
puter (Ypage 272).
If th ePRE-SAF E®Brake is no tactivated, th e
æ symbol appear sin th emultifunction dis-
play.
If you have activated DS R (
Ypage 236), PRE-
SAFE®Brake is deactivated.
Starting at aspee dof aroun d 4mph (7 km/h),
this function warn syou if you rapidly approac h a
vehicl ein front. An intermittent warning tone
will then soun dand th e· distanc ewarning
lamp will ligh tup in th einstrumen tcluster.
XBrake immediately to defuse th esituation .
or
XTak eevasive action provide dit is saf eto do
so.
PRE-SAF E
®Brake can also brak eth evehicl e
automatically under th efollowin gconditions:
Rth edriver and front-passenger have their seat
belt sfastene d
and
Rth evehicl espee dis between approximately
4 mph (7 km/h) and 12 4mph (20 0km/h)
At speeds of up to approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h) PRE-SAF E
®Brake can also detect :
Rstationary objectsin th epat hof your vehicle,
e.g. stoppe dor parked vehicles
Rpedestrian sin th epat hof your vehicl e
iIf there is an increased ris kof acollision ,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAF E
®)are triggered (Ypage 58).
If th eris kof collision wit hth evehicl ein fron t
remain sand you do no tbrake, tak eevasive
action or accelerate significantly, th evehicl e
may perfor mautomatic emergenc ybraking ,up
to th epoin tof full brak eapplication .Automatic
emergenc ybraking is no tperformed until imme-
diately prio rto an imminent accident.
You can preven tth eintervention of th ePRE -
SAFE
®Brake at any time by:
Rdepressing th eaccelerato rpedal further.
Ractivating kickdown .
Rreleasingth ebrak epedal. The braking action of PRE-SAF
E
®Brake is ended
automatically if:
Ryou maneuve rto avoi dth eobstacle .
Rthere is no longer any danger of acollision .
Rthere is no longer an obstacle detected in
frontof your vehicle.
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEE RCONTROL help syou by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to th esteering whee l
in th edirection require dfor vehicl estabilization .
This steering assistanc eis provide din particular
if:
Rbot hright wheels or bot hlef twheels are on a
wet or slippery road surface when you brake.
Rth evehicl estart sto skid.
Important safety notes
iObserv eth e"Importan tsafet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 66) .
No steering support is provide dfrom STEE R
CONTROL, if:
RES P®is deactivated
RESP®is malfunctioning .
Rthelighting is faulty.
If ES P®is malfunctioning ,you will be assisted
further by th eelectrical power steering .
Protection against theft
Immobilizer
XTo activate with theSmartKey :remove th e
SmartKey from th eignition lock.
XTo activate with KEYLESS-GO: switch the
ignition off and open th edriver' sdoor .
XTo deactivate: switch on theignition .
The immobilize rprevents your vehicl efrom
bein gstarted without th ecorrect SmartKey.
When leaving th evehicle, always tak eth e
SmartKey wit hyou and loc kth evehicle. Anyon e
can start th eengin eif avalid SmartKey has been
lef tinside th evehicle.
76Protection against theft
Safety

The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks the
following components:
Rthe doors
Rthe tailgate
Rthe fuel filler flap
The turn signals flash once when unlocking and
three times when locking.
You can also set an audible signal to confirm
that the vehicle has been locked. The audible
signal can be activated and deactivated using
the on-board computer (
Ypage 275).
You will receive visual and acoustic locking con-
firmation if all components were able to be
locked.
If activated in COMAND or Audio 20, the locator
lighting also lights up in the dark (see separate
operating instructions).
XTo open the tailgate automatically from
outside the vehicle: press and hold theF
button until the tailgate opens.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or KEYLESS-GO start function and EASY-PACK tailgate:
XTo close the tailgate automatically from
outside the vehicle: if the SmartKey is loca-
ted in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle,
press the Fbutton on the SmartKey.
When the tailgate closes you can then release
the button.
KEYLESS-GO
General notes
Bear in mind that the engine can be started by
any of the vehicle occupants if there is a KEY-
LESS-GO key in the vehicle (
Ypage 148).
Locking/unlocking centrally
You can start, lock or unlock the vehicle using
KEYLESS-GO. To do this, you only need carry the
SmartKey with you. You can combine the func-
tions of KEYLESS-GO with those of a conven-
tional SmartKey. Unlock the vehicle by using
KEYLESS-GO, for instance, and lock it using the
& button on the SmartKey.
The driver's door and the door at which the han-
dle is used, must both be closed. The SmartKey
must be outside the vehicle. When locking or
unlocking with KEYLESS-GO, the distance between the SmartKey and the corresponding
door handle must not be greater than 3 ft (1 m).
KEYLESS-GO checks whether a valid SmartKey
is in the vehicle by periodically establishing a
radio connection between the vehicle and the
SmartKey. This happens:
Rwhen starting the engine
Rwhile driving
Rwhen the external door handles are touched
Rduring convenience closing
XTo unlock the vehicle:
touch the inner sur-
face of the door handle.
XTo lock the vehicle: touch sensor surface :
or ;.
Make sure that you do not touch the inner
surface of the door handle.
XConvenience closing feature: touch
recessed sensor surface ;for an extended
period.
Further information on the convenience closing
feature (
Ypage 92).
If you pull on the handle of the tailgate, only the cargo compartment of the vehicle is unlocked.
Deactivating and activating
If you do not intend to use a SmartKey for an
extended period of time, you can deactivate the
KEYLESS-GO function of the SmartKey. The
SmartKey will then use very little power, thereby
conserving battery power. For the purposes of
activation/deactivation, the vehicle must not be
nearby.
SmartKey79
Opening and closing
Z

XOpen the tailgate.
XInsert mechanical key;into the SmartKey
(Ypage 81).
Side windows
Important safety notes
GWARNING
While opening the side windows, body parts
could become trapped between the side win-
dow and the door frame as the side window
moves. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that nobody touches the side win-
dow during the opening procedure. If some-
body becomes trapped, release the switch or
pull the switch to close the side window again.
GWARNING
While closing the side windows, body parts in
the closing area could become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
When closing make sure that no parts of the
body are in the closing area. If somebody
becomes trapped, release the switch or press
the switch to open the side window again.
GWARNING
If children operate the side windows they
could become trapped, particularly if they are left unsupervised. There is a risk of injury.
Activate the override feature for the rear side
windows. When leaving the vehicle, always
take the SmartKey with you and lock the vehi-
cle. Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle.
Side window reversing feature
The side windows are equipped with an auto-
matic reversing feature. If a solid object blocks
or restricts a side window during the closing
process, the side window opens again automat-
ically. However, the automatic reversing feature
is only an aid and does not relieve you of the
responsibility of paying attention when closing a
side window.
GWARNING
The reversing feature does not react:
Rto soft, light and thin objects, e.g. small fin-
gers
Rover the last 1/6 in(4 mm) of the closing
movement
Rduring resetting
Rwhen closing the side window again man-
ually immediately after automatic reversing
This means that the reversing feature cannot
prevent someone being trapped in these sit-
uations. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that no body parts are in close
proximity during the closing procedure. If
someone becomes trapped, press the switch
to open the side window again.
Opening and closing the side win-
dows
The switches for all side windows are located on
the driver's door. There is also a switch on each
door for the corresponding side window.
The switches on the driver's door take prece-
dence.
:Front left
;Front right
=Rear right
?Rear left
XTurn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
XTo open manually: press and hold the cor-
responding switch.
Side windows91
Opening and closing
Z

XTo open fully:press the switch beyond the
point of resistance and release it.
Automatic operation is started.
XTo close manually: pull the corresponding
switch and hold it.
XTo close fully: pull the switch beyond the
point of resistance and release it.
Automatic operation is started.
XTo interrupt automatic operation: press/
pull the corresponding switch again.
If you press the switch beyond the point of
resistance and release, automatic operation is
started in the corresponding direction. You can
stop automatic operation by pressing/pulling
the switch again.
You can continue to operate the side windows
after you switch off the engine or remove the
SmartKey. This function is available for up to five
minutes or until the driver's or front-passenger
door is opened.
The side windows cannot be operated from the
rear when the override feature for the side win-
dows is activated (
Ypage 65).
Convenience opening
General notes
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or KEYLESS-GO
start function: you can ventilate the vehicle
before you start driving.
To do this, the SmartKey is used to carry out the following functions simultaneously:
Runlock the vehicle
Ropen the side windows
Ropen the sliding sunroof or the panorama roofwith power tilt/sliding panel and the roller
sunblinds
Rswitch on the seat ventilation for the driver's
seat
The convenience opening feature can only be
operated using the SmartKey. The SmartKey
must be close to the vehicle. For vehicles with-
out KEYLESS-GO, the SmartKey must be near
the driver's door handle.
The "convenience opening" feature is also avail-
able when the vehicle is unlocked.
Convenience opening
XVehicles without KEYLESS-GO: point the tip
of the SmartKey at the door handle on the
driver's door.
XPress and hold the %button until the side
windows and the sliding sunroof or panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel are in the
desired position.
If the roller sunblinds of the panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panel are closed, the
roller sunblinds are opened first.
XPress and hold the %button again until the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel is
in the desired position.
XTo interrupt convenience opening: release
the % button.
Convenience closing feature
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When the convenience closing feature is oper- ating, parts of the body could become trapped
in the closing area of the side window and the
sliding sunroof. There is a risk of injury.
Observe the complete closing procedure
when the convenience closing feature is oper-
ating. Make sure that no body parts are in
close proximity during the closing procedure.
When you lock the vehicle, you can simultane-
ously:
Rclose the side windows
Rclose the sliding sunroof or the panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panel
On vehicles with a panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel, you can then close the roller
sunblinds.
Proceed as follows if someone is trapped:
RRelease the &button to interrupt the clos-
ing procedure.
RPress and hold the %button to open.
92Side windows
Opening and closing