2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV brake

B
To switch between Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC and the variable speed limiter
C To deactivate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the variable
speed limiter.
LIM indicator lamp =on the cruise control lever
indicates which function you have selected:
R LIM indicator lamp= =off:distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp= =on:variable speed lim-
iter is selected.
Selecting Distance Pilot DISTRONIC X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp =is off.
If it is off, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in the direction of arrow B.
LIM indicator lamp =in the cruise control
lever goes out. Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
selected.
Activating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC Activation conditions
To activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
R The engine must be running. It may take up to
two minutes of driving before Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is ready for use.
R The electric parking brake must be released.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not interven-
ing.
R The transmission must be in position D.
R The driver's door must be closed when you
shift from Pto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
R The front-passenger door and the rear doors
must be closed.
R The Offroad Plus drive program must be deac-
tivated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engineer-
ing package).
R DSR must be deactivated.
R The vehicle must not be skidding.
R The Distance Pilot DISTRONIC function must
be selected (Y page 186). Activating
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?, up :or down A.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the Distance Pilot passive
Distance Pilot passive mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. The
set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in
front will then not be maintained. The position of the accelerator pedal will determine the
speed.
You can also activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC when stationary. The lowest speed that can be
set is 30 km/h.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?, up :or down A.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated.
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up a stored speed and this is dif-
ferent from the current speed, the vehicle
accelerates or brakes. If you do not know
what the stored speed is, the vehicle may
accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a
risk of an accident.
Take the traffic conditions into account
before calling up the stored speed. If you do
not know what the stored speed is, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The first time Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated, it stores the current speed or reg-
ulates the speed of the vehicle to the stored
speed. 186
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Driving with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Pulling away and driving
X If you want to pull away with Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC:
remove your foot from the
brake pedal.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
or X Accelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its speed
to that of the vehicle in front. If no vehicle is
detected in front, your vehicle accelerates to the set speed.
The vehicle can also pull away when it is facing
an unidentified obstacle or is driving on a differ-
ent line from another vehicle. The vehicle then
brakes automatically.
If there is no vehicle in front, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC operates in the same way as cruise control.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a slower-
moving vehicle in front, it brakes your vehicle. In this way, the distance you have selected is main-
tained.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a faster-
moving vehicle in front, it increases the driving
speed. However, the vehicle is only accelerated
up to the speed you have stored.
Selecting the drive programDistance Pilot DISTRONIC supports a sporty
driving style if you have selected the Sportor
Sport Plus drive program (Y page 159). Accel-
eration behind the vehicle in front or to the set
speed is then noticeably more dynamic. If you
have selected the Comfortdrive program, the
vehicle accelerates more gently. This setting is
recommended in stop-start traffic.
Changing lanes
If you change to the overtaking lane, Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC supports you if:
R you are driving faster than 70 km/h
R you switch on the respective turn signal
R Distance Pilot DISTRONIC does not currently
detect a danger of collision
If these conditions are met, your vehicle accel-
erates. Acceleration will be interrupted if chang-
ing lanes takes too long or if the distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle in front
becomes too small. i
Vehicles with multimedia system:
when
you change lanes, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
monitors the right lane (on left-side traffic) or
the left lane (on right-side traffic).
Vehicles with COMAND Online i
The following function is available only in
vehicles with the Driving Assistance Plus
package.
The function is not operational in all coun-
tries.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC uses additional infor- mation from your navigation system so that it
can adapt to certain traffic situations. This is the
case while following a vehicle and Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is activated and you:
R approach or drive around a roundabout
R approach a T-junction
R turn off at a motorway exit
R approach a tollgate
Even if the vehicle in front leaves the detection
range, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC temporarily
maintains the current driving speed and does
not accelerate. This is based on the current map
data in the navigation system.
Afterwards, the vehicle accelerates back to the
set speed you specified.
The system takes into account the fact that
overtaking on the right is not permitted on
motorways or high-speed major roads at speeds
of more than 80 km/h. The driving speed is
adjusted to the speed of the queue of vehicles in the adjacent lane to the left.
i Prevention of overtaking on the right applies
to countries where traffic drives on the right.
In countries where traffic drives on the left,
overtaking on the left is prevented accord-
ingly. Driving syste
ms
187Driving an d parking Z

Stopping
G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R DISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
R the 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 Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects that the
vehicle in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle to a stop.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
After a short period, the vehicle is secured by
the electric parking brake, thus relieving the
service brake.
Depending on the specified minimum distance,
your vehicle will come to a standstill at a suffi-
cient distance behind the vehicle in front. The
specified minimum distance is set using the
control on the cruise control lever.
The transmission is shifted automatically to
position P if, with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
activated and the vehicle stationary:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's seat
belt is unfastened
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if, with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC activated and the vehicle stationary:
R a system fault occurs.
R the power supply is insufficient. On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there is
a malfunction, the transmission may also be
automatically shifted into position P.
Setting a speed Bear in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the set speed.
X Press the cruise control lever up :for a
higher speed or down Afor a lower speed
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until the
desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored. Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is activated and adjusts the vehi-
cle's speed to the new speed stored.
X To adjust the set speed in1 km/hincre-
ments:
briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down Ato the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 1 km/h increments.
X To adjust the set speed in10 km/hincre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down Abeyond the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decreases
in 10 km/h increments.
i If you accelerate to overtake, Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Setting the specified minimum distance You can set the specified minimum distance for
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC by varying the time
span between one and two seconds. With this
function, you can set the minimum distance that
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC maintains to the vehi- cle in front, dependent on the vehicle speed. You 188
Driving systemsDriving and parking

can see this distance in the multifunction dis-
play (Y page 190).
X To increase: turn control;in direction =.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC then maintains a
greater distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front.
X To decrease: turn control;in direction :.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC then maintains a
shorter distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front.
i Make sure that you maintain a sufficient and
safe distance from the vehicle in front. Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front if neces-
sary.
Deactivating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC There are several ways to deactivate Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
or X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
The variable speed limiter is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise control lever is
on.
When you deactivate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, the Distance Pilot off
Distance Pilot off message appears in
the multifunction display for approximately five
seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is not deactivated
if you depress the accelerator pedal. If you
accelerate to overtake, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC adjusts the vehicle's speed to the
last speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically deac- tivated if:
R you apply the electric parking brake or if the
vehicle is automatically secured with the elec-
tric parking brake
R ESP ®
engages or you deactivate ESP ®
R the transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition
R you 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
R you activate Parking Pilot
R the vehicle has skidded
A warning tone sounds. The Distance Pilot
Distance Pilot
off off message will appear in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically deac- tivated if:
R you activate DSR
R you activate the Off-Road Program+ (vehicles
with the Off-Road Engineering package)
The à DSR symbol appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Displays in the instrument cluster Displays in the speedometer
Example: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC displays in the
speedometer
When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated,
one or two segments ;in the stored speed
range light up.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a vehicle in
front, segments ;between speed of the vehi-
cle in front =and stored speed :light up. Driving systems
189Driving and parking Z

i
For design reasons, the speed displayed in
the speedometer may differ slightly from the
speed stored for Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
Display in the assistance graphic when
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated :
Vehicle in front, if detected
; Distance indicator: current distance to the
vehicle in front
= Specified minimum distance to the vehicle
in front; adjustable
? Own vehicle
X Select the Assistance graphic
Assistance graphic function
using the on-board computer (Y page 249).
Display in the assistance graphic when
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated :
Vehicle in front, if detected
; Specified minimum distance to the vehicle
in front; adjustable
= Own vehicle
? Distance Pilot DISTRONIC activated
X Select the Assistance graphic
Assistance graphic function
using the on-board computer (Y page 249).
You will see the stored speed for approximately five seconds when you activate Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC. Tips for driving with Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC General notes
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
R Cornering, entering and exiting a bend: the
ability of Distance Pilot DISTRONIC to detect
vehicles during cornering is limited. Your vehi-
cle may brake unexpectedly or late.
R Driving on a different line: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC may not detect vehicles which are
not driving in the middle of their lane. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front becomes too
short.
R Other vehicles changing lanes: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC has not detected the vehicle cut- ting in yet. The distance to this vehicle
becomes too short.
R Narrow vehicles: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
has not yet detected the vehicle in front on
the edge of the carriageway because of its
narrow width. The distance to the vehicle in
front becomes too short.
R Obstacles and stationary vehicles: Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC does not brake for obstacles
or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and an obsta-
cle or stationary vehicle is revealed, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC will not brake for them.
R Crossing traffic: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
may mistakenly detect vehicles that are
crossing your lane. Activating Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC at, for example, a traffic light with
crossing traffic, could cause your vehicle to
pull away at the wrong time.
In such situations, brake if necessary. Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is then switched off. 190
Driving systemsDriving and parking

If you press the
%ora button on the
multifunction steering wheel, the message will
disappear.
i Up to offroad level 2, you can hide the mes-
sages using the %ora button on the
multifunction steering wheel.
While the adjustment from offroad level 2 to off-
road level 3 is taking place, you will see a mes-
sage such as the following in the multifunction
display: Vehicle rising Max. speed
Vehicle rising Max. speed
20 km/h 20 km/h.
The Max. Max. speed
speed 20
20km/h
km/h message draws your
attention to the maximum speed permitted for
offroad level 3.
If you drive above 20 km/h at offroad level 3,
you will see the following message shown in red
in the multifunction display: Lowering Max. Lowering Max.
speed 20 km/h
speed 20 km/h.
i You cannot clear these messages.
You also hear a warning tone. The vehicle is low-
ered and offroad level 3 is cancelled.
If you continue to increase your speed, the red
message continues to be shown in the multi-
function display. The newly set level is not dis-
played until the vehicle has been set to a level
suitable for the current speed.
Lowering the vehicle If you drive faster than 20 km/h while the vehi-
cle is being lowered, you will see the following
message shown in white in the multifunction
display: Lowering Max. speed 20 km/h Lowering Max. speed 20 km/h.
The vehicle is lowered to offroad level 2.
You will see a message in the multifunction dis- play, for example: Lowering
Lowering.
Off-road level 2 is cancelled and the vehicle is
lowered to offroad level 1 if you:
R drive at speeds above 80 km/h or
R drive at speeds between 65 km/h and
80 km/h for longer than 20 seconds
Off-road level 1 is cancelled. Depending on the
vehicle's speed and the selected drive program,
the vehicle is automatically lowered to normal
level or low level if you:
R drive at speeds above 115 km/h or
R drive at speeds between 100 km/h and
115 km/h for longer than 20 seconds HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist you if required in
the following situations:
R
when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes.
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes.
R when waiting in traffic.
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD
function is deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
i Do not use the HOLD function when driving
off-road, on steep uphill or downhill gradients or on slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD
function cannot hold the vehicle on such sur- faces.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply
R the HOLD function is deactivated by the
accelerator pedal being depressed, e.g. by
a vehicle occupant
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
from rolling away.
! When DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD func-
tion is activated, the vehicle brakes automat- ically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or similar situations:
R when towing away
R in a car wash Driving systems
195Driving and parking Z

Deactivate the HOLD function (Y
page 196).
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R the vehicle is stationary
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
R the driver's door is closed or if your seat belt
is fastened
R the electric parking brake is released
R the transmission is in position D,Ror N
R Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions are
met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
R you accelerate and the transmission is in
position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position P.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a cer-
tain amount of pressure until :disappears
from the multifunction display.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric park-
ing brake.
R you activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC. i
After a short period, the vehicle is secured
by the electric parking brake, thus relieving
the service brake.
When the HOLD function is activated, the trans-
mission is shifted automatically to position Pif:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's seat
belt is unfastened
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activated,
the vehicle is stationary and:
R a system fault occurs.
R the power supply is insufficient.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there is
a malfunction, the transmission may also be
automatically shifted into position P. AIRMATIC package
General notes AIRMATIC is an air suspension system with var-
iable damping for improved driving comfort.
Level control ensures the best possible suspen- sion and constant ground clearance, even with a laden vehicle. When you drive at speed, the
vehicle is lowered automatically to improve driv-
ing safety and to reduce fuel consumption. You
also have the option of manually adjusting the
vehicle level.
AIRMATIC consists of:
R level settings
R level control and
R ADS or ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping Sys-
tem)
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): your vehicle may also be equipped with
the ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM (Y page 198).
Mercedes-AMG vehicles : your vehicle is equip-
ped with the ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM
(Y page 198).
Observe the notes on driving with a trailer
(Y page 234).
The vehicle level can be set using the DYNAMIC
SELECT controller (Y page 155)or the level but-
ton (Y page 198). The setting always corre-
sponds to the last function selected. 196
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Parking Assist PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is an electronic
parking aid with ultrasound. It monitors the area
around your vehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. Parking Assist PARKTRONIC visually
and audibly indicates the distance between your
vehicle and an object.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is
not a substitute for your attention to the imme-
diate surroundings. The responsibility for safe
manoeuvring and parking remains with you.
Make sure that there are no persons, animals or objects in range while manoeuvring and parking.
! 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 objects which absorb ultrasonic sources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic car
wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes or a
pneumatic drill, could cause PARKTRONIC to
malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
! Fold in the ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitch is not required. PARKTRONIC measures the minimum detection range to an obstacle
from the bumper, not the ball coupling.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactivated for
the rear area when you establish an electrical
connection between your vehicle and a trailer.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is activated auto-
matically when you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D,Ror N
R release the electric parking brake
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactivated at
speeds above 18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower
speeds. Range of the sensors General notes
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC does not take into
account obstacles located:
R below the detection range, e.g. persons, ani-
mals or objects
R above the detection range, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles :
Sensors in the front bumper, left-hand side
(example)
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and slush.
Otherwise, they may not function correctly.
Clean the sensors regularly, taking care not to
scratch or damage them (Y page 341). Driving systems
201Driving and parking Z