2017 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class automatic transmission

for possible damage, especially to the under-
body and the components of the chassis.
!Drive with particularcare when driving over
an obstacle while driving up or downas teep
slope.
The vehiclec ouldotherwise tilt and slide side-
ways or tip over.
Observe the following rules when driving over
tree stumps ,larg estones and other obstacles:
RObserve the safety notes (Ypag e127) and
the generaln otes (Ypage127) on off-road
driving.
RShift the transfer case to the off-road driving
position LOW RANGE (Ypage146).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RShift the automatic transmission to alow
gear.
RMake sure that you have enoug hground
clearance before driving across an obstacle.
RDrive very slowly.
RTry to drive straight over the center of obsta-
cles: front wheelf irst, then rear wheel.
Travelinguphill
Approach/departure angle
GWARNING
If you drive on asteep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline ,the vehicle
coul dslips ideways, tip and rollover. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always drive on asteep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
Always observe the approach/departure angle
values (
Ypag e283).
RObserve the safety notes (Ypag e127) and
generaln otes (Ypage127) on driving off-
road.
RDo not drive at an angle on slopes, incline sor
gradients, but instead follow the direct line of
fall .Note that the climbing ability of you rvehi-
cle depends on the terrai nconditions.
RBefore driving on extreme uphill and extreme
downhill gradients, set the transfer case to
the off-road driving position LOW RANGE
(
Ypag e146).
REngage the differential locks if necessary
(Ypag e148).
RDrive slowly.
RAccelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
RAvoid high engine speeds, except when driv-
ing on sandy and mudd yroutes with high driv-
ing resistance.
RAvoid high engine speeds –drive at an appro-
priate engine speed( maximum 3,000 rpm).
RWhen driving downani ncline,make use of the
engine'sb raking effect. Observe the engine
speed; do not overrev the engine.
Further information on the maximu mengine
speed: (
Ypag e157).
RShift the automatic transmission to alow gear
appropriate for tackling an uphill gradient or a
long, steep downhill gradient.
Hill start assist wil laid you when pulling away on
ah ill. For further information about hills tart
assist, see (
Ypag e127).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximu mgradient climbing
ability values (Ypag e283).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immediately
before reaching the brow of the hill( do not shift
the transmission into N).Make use of the vehi-
cle's own impetus to travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
Rthe vehiclef rom lifting off the ground on the
brow of ahill
Rloss of traction
Rthe vehiclef rom traveling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill
RDrive slowly.
RDo not drive at an angle downs teep inclines.
Steer into the line of fall and drive with the
front wheels aligned straight. Otherwise, the
vehiclec ouldslips ideways, tip and rollover.
RBefore tackling steep downhill gradients, shift
the automatic transmission to alow gear.
By doing so, you wil luse the braking effect of
the engine to reduce the speed. If this is not
130Driving tips
Driving and parking

iCruisecontro lmaybe unab leto maintain
th es toreds peedonu phillanddownhill gra-
dien ts.T he storeds peedisresumed when the
gradientl evelsout.C ruisecontro lmaintains
th es toreds peedond ownhillgradients by
automaticall yapplyin gthe brakes.
Calling up th estored speed
GWAR NING
If you call up th estoreds peeda ndit is lower
than th ecurren tspeed, thev ehicle deceler-
ates. Ifyou donotkno wt he storeds peed,the
veh icle could decelerate unexpectedly. There
is ar iskofana cciden t.
Pay attentio ntotheroad and traff iccondi-
tions before calling up th estoreds peed. If you
do notk nowt he storeds peed,store the
desired speeda gain.
XBrieflypull th ecruise control leve rtow ards
you ?.
XRemove your foo tfro mt heaccelerato rpedal.
Cruis econtro lisactivated and adjustst he
veh icle's speedtot helast speeds tored.
If no speediss tored, cruise control storest he
curren tspeeda nd maintain sit.
Settin gaspeed
Keep inmin dthatitm ay tak eabriefm oment
unt ilth ev ehicle has accelerate dorbraked to
th es peeds et.
XPress th ecruise control leve rup: for a
higher speedord own;for alower speed.
XTo ad just th eset speed in1 mphincre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
th ec ruise control leve rup: ordown ;to
th ep ressurep oint.
Every tim ethe cruise control leve rispressed
up : ordown ;thel ast speeds toredi s
increased or reduced.
XTo ad just th eset speed in 5mphincre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly press
th ec ruise control leve rup: ordown ;
beyondt hepressurep oint.
Every tim ethe cruise control leve rispressed
up : ordown ;thel ast speeds toredi s
increased or reduced.
iCruis econtro lisnotdeactivate difyou
depr ess th eaccelerato rpedal. Ifyou acceler-
ate to overtake ,cruise control adjustst hevehicle's speedtot
helast speeds toreda fter
you have finishedo vertaking.
Deactivatingcruise control
Therea re several ways to deactivate cruise con-
trol:
XBriefl ypress th ecruise control leve rforwards
=.
or
XBrake.
Cruis econtro lisautomaticall ydeactivate dif:
Ryou apply th eparking brake
Ryou are driving at less than 20 mph (30 km/h)
RESP®intervenes or yo udeactivate ESP®
Ryous hift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion Nwhil edriving
Ryoue ngag ead ifferential lock
If cruis econtro lisdeactivated ,awarning tone
sounds .You will see the Cruise ControlO ff
message in the multifunctio ndisplay for approx-
imatel yfives econds. The message on the mul-
tifunctio ndisplay disappears and the segments
on the speedomete rgoout.
iWhen yo uswitch off the engine ,the last
spee dstored is cleared.
DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes
DISTRONICP LUSregulate sthe spee dand auto-
maticall yhelps youm aintain the distance from
the vehicl edetecte dinf ront. Vehicles ar edetec-
ted with the ai dofthe rada rsensor system.
DISTRONICP LUSb rakes automaticall ysothat
the set spee disnot exceeded.
Chang einto alower gear in good time on long
and stee pdownhil lgradients.
Thi sise specially important if the vehicl eis
laden. By doing so, yo uwillm akeu seof the
braking effect of the engine .Thisr elieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes fromo verheating and wearing too
quickly.
If DISTRONICP LUSd etects acritica lriskofc ol-
lision with the vehicl einfront, yo uwillbew arned
visuall yand acoustically. DISTRONICP LUSc an-
not prevent acollision withou tyou rintervention.
An intermittent warning tone sounds and the
132Driving system s
Driving an dparking

DISTRONICPLUSm aynot detect narrow vehi-
cle sd rivin ginf ront, e.g .motorcycles, or vehi-
cle sd rivin gonad ifferent line.
In particular ,the detection of obstacle scan be
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensor soranything else
coverin gthe sensors
Rthere is snow or heav yrain
Rthere is interferenc ebyotherradar sources
Rthere ar estrong rada rreflections, for exam-
ple, in parkin ggarages
If DISTRONICP LUSnol ongerd etects avehicle
in front, DISTRONICP LUSm ayunexpectedly
accelerate the vehicl etothe stored speed.
Thi sspeed may:
Rbe too high if yo uaredrivin ginaf ilter lane or
an exi tlan e
Rbe so high in the right lane thaty oupass vehi-
cle sd rivin gont he left (left-hand drive coun-
tries)
Rbe so high in the left lane thaty oupass vehi-
cle sd rivin gont he right (right-hand drive
countries)
If there is achange of drivers, advis ethe new
driver of the spee dstored.
Cruis econtroll ever
:Activate sorincreases speed
;Activate sorreduce sspeed
=Deactivate sDISTRONICP LUS
?Activatesatthe current speed/las tstored
speed
ASets aspecifie dminimu mdistance
When yo uactivate DISTRONICP LUS, the stored
spee dappears in the multifunctio ndisplay for
fiv es econds.
Speedomete rwiths egments: when
DISTRONICP LUSisa ctivated ,the segments fromt
he stored spee dtothe end of the scale
light up.
Activatin gDISTRONIC PLUS
Activatio nconditions
In order to activate DISTRONICP LUS, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started .Itmaytake up to
two minute safter pulling away before
DISTRONICP LUSiso perational.
Rthe parkin gbrake must be released.
Rthe differential lock must be disengaged.
RESP®must be active, bu tnot intervening.
Rthe automatic transmission is shifted to posi-
tion D.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift the transmission from Pto Dor your seat
belt must be fastened.
Rthe front-passenge rdoorand rea rdoors must
be closed.
Rthe vehicl emustn ot slide.
Rthe transferc asem ustbes hifted to the on-
roa dposit ion HIGH RANGE .
Rthe vehiclemustn ot be on an uphill or down-
hill gradient of mor ethan2 2‑25%.
Activating
XBrieflypullt he cruis econtro llev er towards
you ?,u p: or down ;.
DISTRONICP LUSisa ctivated.
XRemov eyourfoo tfromt he accelerator pedal.
The vehicl eadapt sits spee dtothatoft he
vehicl einfront, bu tonlyuptot he desired
stored speed.
If yo udon ot fullyrelease the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUSP assive
mes-
sage appear sinthe multifunctio ndisplay .The
set distance to aslower -moving vehicl ein
front will thenn ot be maintained. Yo uwillb e
drivin gatthe spee dyou determine by the
positio nofthe accelerator pedal.
Yo uc an also activate DISTRONICP LUSw hen
stationary. The lowest spee dthatc an be set is
20 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefl ypullt he cruis econtro llev er towards
you ?,u p: or down ;.
DISTRONICP LUSisa ctivated.
134Driving system s
Driving an dparking

If you wish to exit the vehicle,always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
For further information on deactivating
DISTRONIC PLUS (
Ypage 136).
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle in
front is stopping, it brakes you rvehicle until it is
stationary.
Once you rvehicle is stationary,itr emains sta-
tionary and you do not need to depresst he
brake.
Depending on the specifiedm inimum distance,
you rvehicle willc ome toastandstill at asuffi-
cient distance behind the vehicle in front. The
specifiedm inimum distance is set using the
control on the cruise control lever.
The automatic transmission shifts automatically
to transmission position P,ifDISTRONIC PLUS
is activated and:
Rthe driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there is
am alfunction, the automatic transmission may
also automatically be shifted to position P.
Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
There are several waystodeactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS:
XBriefly push the cruise control lever
forward :.
or
XBrake, unless the vehicle is stationary
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, the
DISTRONIC
PLUSOffmessage is shown in the multifunction display for approximately five sec-
onds.
The last speed stored remains stored until you
switch off the engine.
DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depresst
he accelerator pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactivated
if:
Ryou applyt he 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 detected
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe automatic transmission is in position P,R
or N
Ryou pullt he cruise control lever towards you
in order to pulla waya nd the front-passenger
door or one of the rear doors is open
Rthe vehicle slips
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, an intermit-
tent warning tone sounds and the DISTRONIC
PLUSOffmessageappears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
RCornering, entering and exiting abend: the
ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehicles
when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or late.
RDriving on adifferent line: DISTRONIC PLUS
may not detect vehiclesw hich are not driving
in the middleoft heir lane. The distance to the
vehicle in front willbet oo short.
ROther vehicleschanging lane: DISTRONIC
PLUS has not detected the vehicle cutting in
yet. The distance to this vehicle willbet oo
short.
RNarrow vehicles: DISTRONIC PLUS does not
detect the vehicle in front on the edge of the
road because of its narrow width. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front willbet oo short.
RObstacles and stationary vehicles:
DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example,t he
detected vehicle turns acorner and revealsa n
136Driving systems
Driving and parking

HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driverint he
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicleisk ept stationary without the driver
having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancele dand the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedaltop ulla way.
Do not use the HOLD function when driving off-
road ,ons teep uphill or downhill gradients or on
slippery or looses urfaces. The HOLD function
cannot hold the vehicleons uch surfaces.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
Rthere is amalfunction in the system or in
the voltag esupply.
Rthe HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedalort he brake
pedal, e.g. by avehicleo ccupant.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuse shave
been tampere dwith.
Rthe battery is disconnected
There is arisk of an accident.
If you wis htoexit the vehicle, alway sturn off
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
!When DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD func-
tion is activated, the vehicleb rakes automat-
ically in certain situations.
To avoi ddamage to the vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function (
Ypage1 39).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
Rthe vehicleiss tationary
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 you rseat belti s
fastened
Rthe parking brake is released
Rthe transmission is in position D,R or N
RDISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function
XMake sure that the activation conditions are
met.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XQuickly depress the brake pedalf urther until
ë appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
If depressing the brake pedalt he first time does
not activate the HOLD function, wai tbriefly and
then try again.
Deactivatin gthe HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
Ryou accelerate and the transmission is in
position Dor R.
Rthe transmission is in position j.
Ryou depress the brake pedalagain withacer-
tain amount of pressure until ëdisap-
pears from the multifunction display.
Ryou activate DISTRONIC PLUS
On steep uphill or downhill gradients or if there
is am alfunction, the transmission may als obe
automatically shifted into position P.
Permanentall-wheel drive
!
Never tow the vehiclew ith one axle raised.
This may damage the transfer case. Damage
of this sort is not covered by the Mercedes-
Benz Limited Warranty. All wheels must
remai neither on the ground or be full yraised.
Observe the instructions for towing the vehi-
cle with all wheels in full contact with the
ground.
Driving systems139
Driving and parking
Z

!When testing the parking brake, operate the
vehicle only briefly (for amaximum of ten sec-
onds) on abrake test dynamometer. When
doing this, turn the SmartKey to position 0or
1 in the ignition. Failure to do this can cause
damage to the drive train or the brake system.
!Af unction or performance test should only
be carried out on atwo-axle dynamometer.
Before you operate the vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aqualified
workshop. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
The all-wheel drive system ensures that all four
wheels are permanently driven. The all-wheel
drive system improves vehicle traction together
with ESP
®and 4ETS if adrive wheel spins due to
insufficient grip.
If ad rive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
ROnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
RTake your foot off the accelerator, slowly,
while the vehicle is in motion.
Only when you use winter tires (M+S tires) and, if necessary, snow chains in wintry driving con-
ditions (
Ypage 253). Only in this way can the
maximum effect of all-wheel drive be achieved.
For information on driving off-road, see
(
Ypage 127).
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 areplace-
ment for your attention to your immediate sur-
roundings. You are always responsible for safe
maneuvering, parking and exiting aparking
space. Make sure that there are no persons,
animals or objects in the maneuvering area
while maneuvering and parking in parking
spaces.
!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
atruck
or ap neumatic drill could cause PARKTRONIC
to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
PARKTRONIC is activated automaticallyw hen
you:
Rswitch on the ignition
Rshift the transmission to position D,Ror N
Rrelease the parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
Range of the sensors
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. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles
:Example: sensors in the front bumper, right-
hand side
140Driving systems
Driving and parking

Shifting the transfer case
General notes
:Current shift range
:Indicator lamp
;LOW RANGE button
Important safety notes
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 adanger of the
vehicle rolling away unintentionally. There is a
risk of an accident.
Wait until the transfer case shift process is
completed.
Do not switch off the engine while changing gear
and do not shift the automatic transmission to
another gear.
Always wait for the gear change process from
HIGH RANGE toLOW RANGE and fromLOW
RANGE toHIGH RANGE to complete. Do not
switch off the engine while changing gear and do
not shift the automatic transmission to another
gear.
Switching on the off-road gear ratio
!Proceed with the shifting process only
when:
Rthe engine is running
Rthe vehicle is rolling
Rthe automatic transmission is in selector
lever position i
Ryou are not driving faster than 25 mph
(40 km/h)
You could otherwise damage the transfer
case.
XMake sure the ECO start/stop function is
switched off (Ypage 106).
XPress LOW RANGE button ;.
Once the shifting procedure has been com-
pleted, the LOW RANGE
transfer case position
is shown in the multifunction display.
Indicator lamp :lights up.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
D.
Switching off the off-road gear ratio
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 adanger of the
vehicle rolling away unintentionally. There is a
risk of an accident.
Wait until the transfer case shift process is
completed.
!Proceed with the shifting process only
when:
Rthe engine is running
Rthe vehicle is rolling
Rthe automatic transmission is in selector
lever position i
Ryou are not driving faster than 43 mph
(70 km/h)
You could otherwise damage the transfer
case.
XPress button ;.
Once the shifting procedure has been com-
pleted, the HIGH
RANGEtransfer case position
is shown in the multifunction display.
Indicator lamp :goes out.
146Off-road driving systems
Driving and parking

If the shifting procedure is unsuccessful, the
multifunction display may show the following
messages:
RTC Shift Conditions Not Fulfilled
You have not met one or more shift condi-
tions.
RTC NEUTRAL On
The transfer case has canceled the shifting
procedure and is in positionN.
RTC Shift Canceled
The transfer case has canceled the gear
change process.
XCarry out the gear change process again.
Make sure to meet all conditions for changing
gears.
RTC Malfunction Visit Workshop
There is amalfunction in the transfer case.
XDo not shift the transfer case.
XHave the vehicle checked as soon as possible
ataq ualifieds pecialist workshop.
Shifting to neutral
GWARNING
If you do not wai tfor the transfer case gear
change process to complete, the transfer
case could remain in the neutral position. The powert ransmission to the driven wheelsi s
then interrupted. There is adanger of the
vehicle rolling awa yunintentionally .There is a
risk of an accident.
Waitu ntil the transfer case shift process is
completed.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the ignition
lock.
XApply the parking brake.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
N.
XPress and hold LOW RANGE button ;for
approximately ten seconds.
When the shift procedure is complete, the
multifunction display shows the TC
NEUTRALOnmessagefor five seconds.
If the shifting procedure is unsuccessful, the
multifunction display may show the following
messages (
Ypage 179). If the transfer case is in
Neutral,the SmartKey
is in the ignition lock and you open the driver's
door, the TC NEUTRAL On
messagea ppears in
the multifunction display. If you then release the
parking brake, awarning tone wills ound.
Differential locks
General notes
GWARNING
When the differentiall ocks are engaged,ABS,
4ETS, ESP
®and BAS are deactivated. As a
result, the wheelsc ould lock when braking
and the braking distance is increased.T here is
ar isk of an accident.
Disengage the differentiall ocks immediately
on firm surfaces with good grip.
!In order to avoid damage to the transfer
case, you must operate the vehicle on adyna-
mometer (1-axle dynamometer) only if:
Rthe axle not driven on is jacked up
or
Rthe corresponding propeller shaft is dis-
connected and the transfer case differen-
tial lock is engaged.
Otherwise,t he transfer case can be damaged.
Differential locks improve the traction of the
vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with adifferentiall ock
each for:
Rthe transfer case: this controls the balance
betweent he front and rear axles.
Rthe rear axle: this controls the balance
betweenthe wheelsont he rear axle.
Rthe front axle: this controls the balance
betweenthe wheelsont he front axle.
Information on differential gear system
and differential lock
When the vehicle drives around acurve, the
wheelsont he outsideoft he curve must cover a
greater distance. Therefore, the wheelst urn
more rapidly than on the inside. The differential,
ag ear system in the drive train, allows for dif-
fering rotational speedsa nd facilitates corner-
ing.
Off-road driving systems147
Driving and parking
Z