2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV Owners Manual

R
you have switched on the turn signals. In this
case, the warnings are suppressed for a cer-
tain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
Adaptive When Adaptive
Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In this
case, the warnings are suppressed for a cer-
tain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when neces-
sary and in good time if you cross the lane mark-
ing, the system detects certain conditions and
warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motorway
R the system detects solid lane markings
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes
R you cut the corner on a bend Driving Assistance Plus package
General notes The Driving Assistance Plus package consists of
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (Y page 184), Active
Blind Spot Assist (Y page 222) and Active Lane
Keeping Assist (Y page 224).
Active Blind Spot Assist General notes
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the areas on
either side of the vehicle that are not directly
visible to the driver with two lateral, rear-facing
radar sensors. A warning lamp lights up in the
exterior mirrors and draws your attention to
vehicles detected in the monitored area. If you then switch on the corresponding turn signal to
change lanes, you will also receive a visual and
audible collision warning. If a risk of side impact
is detected, corrective braking may help you
avoid a collision. Active Blind Spot Assist eval-
uates the free space in the direction of travel
and to the side before making a course-correct- ing brake application. For this, Active Blind Spot
Assist uses the forward-facing radar sensors.
Active Blind Spot Assist supports you from a
speed of approximately 30 km/h.
Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid and is not
a substitute for attentive driving. G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not react to
vehicles:
R overtaking too closely on the side, placing
them in the blind spot area
R if the difference in the speed of approach
and overtaking is too great
As a result, Active Blind Spot Assist may nei-
ther give warnings nor intervene in such sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and maintain a safe distance at the side of the vehicle.
Radar sensors
The Active Blind Spot Assist radar sensors are
integrated into the front and rear bumpers and
behind a cover in the radiator trim. Make sure
that the bumpers and the cover in the radiator
trim are free of dirt, ice or slush. The sensors
must not be covered, e.g. by cycle racks or over-
hanging loads. Following an accident or in the
event of damage to the bumpers, have the func- tion of the radar sensors checked at a qualifiedspecialist workshop. Active Blind Spot Assist
might otherwise no longer function properly.
Monitoring range G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not detect all
traffic situations and road users. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always make sure that there is sufficient dis-
tance to the side for other traffic or obstacles. 222
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up to
3.0 m behi nd your vehicle and directly next to
your vehicle, as shown in the diagram.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired in the following situations:
R dirt on the sensors or obscured sensors
R poor visibility, e.g. due to rain, snow or spray
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
reliably indicated.
Active Blind Spot Assist may not detect narrow
vehicles, such as motorcycles or bicycles, or
may only detect them too late.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may be
indicated, especially if the vehicles are not driv-
ing in the middle of their lane. This may be the
case if there are vehicles at the edge of their
lane.
On very wide lanes, vehicles in the lane next to
your vehicle may not be displayed if the vehicles
are too far away.
The nature of the system may result in the fol-
lowing:
R Warnings may be issued in error when you are
driving close to crash barriers or similar solid boundaries
R Warnings may be interrupted when you are
driving alongside particularly long vehicles,
for example lorries, for a prolonged time Indicator and warning display
:
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
Active Blind Spot Assist is not operational at
speeds of below approximately 30 km/h. Vehi-
cles in the monitoring range are then not indi-
cated.
If Active Blind Spot Assist is switched on, indi-
cator lamp :in the exterior mirrors lights up
yellow up to a speed of 30 km/h. At speeds
above 30 km/h, the indicator lamp goes out and Active Blind Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range at speeds above 30 km/h, warning
lamp :on the corresponding side lights up red.
This warning lamp always lights up when a vehi- cle enters the blind spot monitoring range from
behind or from the side. When you overtake a
vehicle with a difference in speed of less than
12 km/h, a delayed warning occurs.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. Active Blind Spot Assist is not
operational.
The brightness of the indicator/warning lamps
is adjusted automatically according to the
brightness of the surroundings.
Visual and acoustic collision warning If you switch on the turn signals to change lanes
and a vehicle is detected in the side monitoring range, you receive a visual and acoustic collision
warning. You then hear a double warning tone
and red warning lamp :flashes. If the turn sig-
nal remains on, detected vehicles are indicated
by the flashing of red warning lamp :. No fur-
ther warning tones are issued.
Course-correcting brake application
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a side impact in the monitoring range, a course-cor-
recting brake application is carried out. This is
designed to help you avoid a collision. Driving systems
223Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING
A course-correcting brake application cannot always prevent a collision. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Blind Spot Assist warns
you or makes a course-correcting brake appli-
cation. Always maintain a safe distance at the sides.
If a course-correcting brake application occurs, red warning lamp :flashes in the exterior mir-
ror and a dual warning tone sounds. In addition, display underlining the danger of a side collision
appears in the multifunction display.
In very rare cases, the system may make an
inappropriate brake application. A course-cor-
recting brake application may be interrupted at any time if you steer slightly in the opposite
direction or accelerate.
The course-correcting brake application is avail-
able in the speed range between 30 km/h and
200 km/h.
Either a course-correcting brake application
appropriate to the driving situation, or none at
all, may occur in the following situations:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, close to both sides of your vehicle
R a vehicle approaches too closely on the side
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds
R you brake or accelerate significantly
R a driving safety system engages, such as
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R the Offroad program is activated (vehicles
without the Off-Road Engineering package)
R the Offroad or Offroad Plus drive program is
activated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engi-
neering package)
R the LOW RANGE off-road gear is activated
(vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age)
R a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre is
detected Activating Active Blind Spot Assist
X Make sure that Active Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 250) is activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors light
up red for approximately 1.5 seconds and
then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
If you couple up a trailer, make sure that you
have correctly established the electrical con-
nection. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is
then deactivated. The indicator lamps in the
exterior mirrors light up yellow and the Active
Active
Blind Spot Assist not available when Blind Spot Assist not available when
towing a trailer See Owner's Manual towing a trailer See Owner's Manual
message appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of multifunction
camera :at the top of the windscreen. Various
different areas to the front, rear and side of your vehicle are also monitored with the aid of the
radar sensor system. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. If you do not react to the warning, a
lane-correcting application of the brakes can
bring the vehicle back into the original lane.
This function is available within a speed range
between 60 km/h and 200 km/h.
For Active Lane Keeping Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational. 224
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active Lane
Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of an accident nor override the laws of physics. ActiveLane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot continuously
keep your vehicle in its lane. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle
R neither give a warning nor intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation.
The system may be impaired or may not function if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up, damaged
or covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera
R no or several, unclear lane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, e.g. in a construction area
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge R
the road is narrow and winding
R there are highly variable shade conditions on
the roadway
R no vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane and
there are broken lane markings
Warning vibration through the steering
wheel A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of intermittent vibration in the steering wheel for
up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when neces-
sary and in good time if you cross the lane mark-
ing, the system detects certain conditions and
warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motorway
R the system detects solid lane markings
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes
R you cut the corner on a bend
Lane-correcting brake application G
WARNING
A lane-correcting brake application cannot
always bring the vehicle back into the original lane. There is a risk of an accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Lane Keeping Assist warns
you or makes a lane-correcting brake appli-
cation. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
traffic conditions or road users. In very rare
cases, the system may make an inappropriate brake application, e.g. after intentionally driv-
ing over a solid lane marking. There is a risk of an accident.
An inappropriate brake application may be
interrupted at any time if you steer slightly in
the opposite direction. Always make sure that
there is sufficient distance to the side for
other traffic or obstacles. Driving systems
225Driving and parking Z

If you leave your lane under certain circumstan-
ces, the vehicle will brake briefly on one side.
This is intended to help you return the vehicle to
the original lane.
If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
display :appears in the multifunction display.
A lane-correcting brake application can be made
after driving over a lane marking recognised as
being solid or broken. Before this, a warning
must have been issued by means of intermittent
vibration through the steering wheel. In addi-
tion, a lane with lane markings on both sides
must be detected.
In the case of a broken lane marking being
detected, a lane-correcting brake application
can only be made if a vehicle has been detected
in the adjacent lane. The following vehicles can have an influence on brake application: oncom- ing traffic, vehicles that are overtaking and vehi-
cles that are driving parallel to your vehicle.
i A further lane-correcting brake application
can only occur after your vehicle has returned
to the original lane.
No lane-correcting brake application occurs if: R you clearly and actively steer, brake or accel-
erate
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend
R you have switched on the turn signal
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind Spot
Assist
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of accel-
eration
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R the transmission is not in position D
R on vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the elec-
trical connection to the trailer has been cor-
rectly established R
the Offroad program is activated (vehicles
without the Off-Road Engineering package)
R the Offroad or Offroad Plus drive program is
activated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engi-
neering package)
R the LOW RANGE off-road gear is activated
(vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age)
R an obstacle has been detected in the lane in
which you are driving
R a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre has
been detected and displayed
There is a possibility that the Active Lane Keep-
ing Assist could misjudge the given traffic sit-
uation. An inappropriate brake application may
be interrupted at any time if:
R you steer slightly in the opposite direction
R you switch on the turn signal
R you clearly brake or accelerate
A lane-correcting brake application is interrup-
ted automatically if:
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind Spot
Assist
R lane markings are no longer detected
Activating Active Lane Keeping Assist
X Activate Active Lane Keeping Assist using the
on-board computer; to do so, select Stand‐
Stand‐
ard ard orAdaptive
Adaptive (Ypage 251).
If you drive at speeds above 60 km/h and lane
markings are detected, the lines in the assis-
tance graphic display (Y page 249) are
shown in green. Active Lane Keeping Assist is
ready for use.
If Standard Standard is selected, no warning vibration
occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this event, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
When Adaptive Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this event, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown. 226
Driving systemsDriving and parking

R
you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
Towing a trailer
If you couple up a trailer, make sure that you
have correctly established the electrical con-
nection. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Lane-correcting brake appli-
cation does not take place when towing a trailer.
Active Lane Keeping Assist is not activated and the lines in the assistance graphic are grey. Off-road driving systems
4MATIC (permanent all-wheel drive) 4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are perma-
nently driven. Together with ESP ®
and 4ETS, it
improves the traction of your vehicle whenever
a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC can
neither reduce the risk of an accident nor over-
ride the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic conditions.
4MATIC is only an aid. You are responsible for
the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
lane.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle raised.
This may damage the transfer case. Damage
of this sort is not covered by the Mercedes-
Benz implied warranty. All wheels must
remain either on the ground or be fully raised. Observe the instructions for towing the vehi-
cle with all wheels in full contact with the
ground.
! A function or performance test should only
be carried out on a twin-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.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if you
use winter tyres (M+S tyres), with snow
chains if necessary.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(Y page 176). DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) General notes
DSR is an aid to assist you when driving down-
hill. It keeps the speed of travel at the speed
selected on the on-board computer. The steeper
the downhill gradient, the greater the DSR brak- ing effect on the vehicle. When driving on flat
stretches of road or on an uphill gradient, the
DSR braking effect is minimal or non-existent.
DSR controls the vehicle’s speed when it is acti-
vated and the transmission is in position D,Ror
N. By accelerating or braking, you can always
drive at a higher or a lower speed than that set
on the on-board computer.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the speed driven and the set speed deviate and you activate DSR on a slippery road sur-
face, the wheels may lose traction. This
increases the risk of skidding and having an
accident.
Before switching DSR on, please take into
consideration the road surface and the differ-
ence between driving speed and the set
speed.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DSR can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor override the laws of physics. DSR cannot take account ofroad, weather and traffic conditions. DSR is only
an aid. You are responsible for the distance to
the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brak-
ing in good time and for staying in lane.
You are always responsible for keeping control
of the vehicle and for assessing whether the
downhill gradient can be managed. DSR may not
always be able to keep to the set speed, depend-
ing on road surface and tyre conditions. Select a set speed suitable for the prevailing conditions
and when necessary, apply the brakes manually. Driving systems
227Driving and parking Z

Activating DSR
X
Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
The à DSR symbol appears in the multi-
function display.
You can only activate DSR when driving at
speeds below 40 km/h.
If the current vehicle speed is too high, the Ã
DSR symbol appears in the multifunction display
with the Max. speed 40 km/h
Max. speed 40 km/h message.
If you have activated DSR and then change drive programs, DSR is deactivated. If you switch
between the offroad and offroad plus drive pro- grams, DSR remains activated.
Deactivating DSR
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
The à DSR symbol appears in the multi-
function display with the off offmessage.
DSR switches off automatically if you drive
faster than 45 km/h. The ÃDSR symbol
appears in the multifunction display with the
off
off message. The status indicator in the multi-
function display goes out. You also hear a warn-
ing tone.
On vehicles with the Offroad Engineering pack-
age, if you select a different drive program, DSR is also deactivated. If you switch between the
offroad programs, DSR remains activated. Changing the set speed X
To increase or reduce the set speed
in1 km/hincrements:
briefly press the
cruise control lever up :for a higher set
speed or down ;for a lower set speed.
The set speed appears in the multifunction
display with the ÃDSR symbol.
When DSR is activated, you can change the set
speed to a value between 2 km/h and 18 km/h.
i The DSR set speed is always changed in
1 km/h increments. This is regardless of
whether you press the cruise control lever to or beyond the pressure point.
Offroad program (vehicles without the
Off-Road Engineering package) General notes
Select the Offroaddrive program for easily
negotiable offroad terrain, e.g. dirt tracks, gravel
or sandy surfaces. The engine's torque is restric-
ted to a limited degree and the drive wheels can
spin. The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction. ABS, ESP ®
and
4ETS programs especially adapted to off-road
driving are activated. A gentle accelerator pedal
curve is also selected, i.e. the accelerator pedal
must be depressed much further in order to
accelerate.
You can select the Offroaddrive program at
speeds below 100 km/h. The Drive Driveprogram
program
"Offroad" Max. speed 100 km/h
"Offroad" Max. speed 100 km/h message
appears in the multifunction display. If you drive
at speeds of more than 100 km/h and select the
Offroad drive program, the Please reduce
Please reduce
speed speed message appears in the multifunction
display. The last active drive program is selected
again. 228
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

Do not use the
Offroaddrive program on roads
that are snow-covered or icy, or if you have fitted
your vehicle with snow chains.
Selecting the Offroad drive program Selecting the Offroad drive program
X To select a drive program: turn DYNAMIC
SELECT controller :until indicator lamp ;
lights up.
The Drive program "Offroad" Max.
Drive program "Offroad" Max.
speed 100 km/h speed 100 km/h message appears in the
multifunction display.
The vehicle is raised by 60 mm.
The vehicle is lowered to normal level again if
you: R drive at speeds above 60 km/h (all vehicles
except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
R drive at speeds above 70 km/h (Mercedes-
AMG vehicles)
R drive at speeds between 65 km/h and
70 km/h for approximately 20 seconds
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
The vehicle changes from the Offroaddrive pro-
gram to the Comfortdrive program if you drive
faster than 110 km/h.
The Please
Please reduce reducespeed
speedmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(Y page 176).
Offroad programs (vehicles with the
Off-Road Engineering package) General notes
The Offroad andOffroad Plus drive programs
assist you when driving off-road. The engine’s
performance characteristics and the gearshift-
ing characteristics of the automatic transmis-
sion are adapted for this purpose. ABS, ESP ®and 4ETS programs especially adapted to off-
road driving are activated. An accelerator pedal
curve suitable for the terrain is selected, i.e. the accelerator pedal must be depressed further to accelerate.
Do not use the OffroadorOffroad Plus drive
programs on roads that are snow-covered or icy,
or if you have fitted your vehicle with snow
chains.
Offroad drive program :
DYNAMIC SELECT controller
; Offroad drive program indicator lamp
Select the Offroaddrive program for easily
negotiable offroad terrain, e.g. dirt tracks, gravel
or sandy surfaces. The engine's torque is restric-
ted to a limited degree and the drive wheels can
spin. The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction. ABS, ESP ®
and
4ETS programs especially adapted to off-road
driving are activated. A gentle accelerator pedal curve is also selected, i.e. the accelerator pedal
must be depressed much further in order to
accelerate.
You can select the Offroaddrive program at
speeds below 100 km/h. The Drive
Drive program program
"Offroad" Max. speed 100 km/h
"Offroad" Max. speed 100 km/h message
appears in the multifunction display. If you drive
at speeds of more than 100 km/h and select the
Offroad drive program, the Please reduce
Please reduce
speed
speed message appears in the multifunction
display. The last active drive program is selected
again.
Selecting the Offroad drive program X To select a drive program: turn DYNAMIC
SELECT controller :until indicator lamp ;
lights up.
The Drive program "Offroad" Max. Drive program "Offroad" Max.
speed 100 km/h
speed 100 km/h message appears in the
multifunction display. Driving systems
229Driving and parking Z