2017 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class ground clearance

Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of
your vehicle and the gearshift operation before
driving through difficult terrain.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-roadd riving:
R4ETS (Ypage 59)
ROff-roadABS (Ypage 58)
RTransfer case (Ypage 145)
RDifferentia llocks (Ypage 120)
Observe the following notes:
RStop the vehicle before yo udrive off-roada nd,
if necessary ,shift the transfe rcase to the off-
roadd riving position LOW RANGE
(
Ypage 146).
REngag ethe differential locks if necessary
(Ypage 148).
iABS, 4ETS, ESP®and BAS are deactivated
while the differential locks are engaged.T his
allow sthe front wheels to lock briefly, so that
these can dig into aloose surface .However,
please note that locke dwheels skid and can
no longer steer.
RCheck that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(
Ypage 209).
RTo avoid damaging the vehicle, make sure
there is always sufficient ground clearance.
RAlway skeep the engine running and in gear
whe ndriving on adownhil lgradient.
RAlway skeep the engine running and in gear
whe ndriving downani ncline.
RDrive slowlyand evenly, if necessary at a
walking pace.
REnsure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at al ltimes.
RDrive with extreme care on unfamilia roff-road
routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea-
sons, get ou

tofthe vehicle firs tand survey
the off-roadr oute.
RCheck the depth of water before fording rivers
and streams.
RWatch outfor obstacles.
RAlwayskeep the doors, reard oor, sidewin-
dowsa nd the sliding sunroof closed while the
vehicle is in motion.
RSwitch off cruise control.
RDo not deviate from marke droutes.
RAdap tyou rspeed to the terrain. The rougher,
steeper or more ruts on the terrain, the slower
your speed should be.
RDo not jump with the vehicle. as this will inter-
rup tthe vehicle' spropulsion.
RAvoid hig hengine speeds .Drive at appropri-
ate engine speeds (maximu m3,000 rpm).
RDo not shift the automatic transmission to
position N.
RAlwayscheck the vehicle for damag eafteroff-
roadd riving.
Do not use the HOLD function whe ndriving off-
road, on steep uphil lordownhil lgradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot holdt he vehicle on such surfaces.
You can obtain further information aboutr etro-
fitting specia lall-terrain tires from aquali fied
specialist workshop.
Checklist before driving off-road
!If the engine oil warning lamp lights up while
the vehicle is in motion, stop the vehicle in a
saf ep lace as soona spossible. Check the
engine oil level. The engine oil warning lamp
warning mus tnot be ignored.C ontinuing the
journey while the symbol is displaye dcould
lea dtoe ngine damage.
XEngin eoillevel: check the engine oil level
and ad doil if necessary.
Whend riving on steep gradients, the engine
oil level mus tbes ufficiently hig htoensure a
correct oil supply in the vehicle.
XTire-changing too lkit: check that the jack is
working and make sur eyou hav ethe lug
wrench, arobust tow cable and afolding
spade in the vehicle.
XWheels and tires: check the tire treadd epth
and tire pressure.
XCheck for damag eand remove any foreign
objects, e.g. small stones,f rom the wheels/
tires.
XReplace any missing valve caps.
XReplace dente dordamaged wheels .Also
check the spare wheel.
XRims: dentedorbent rims can result in aloss
of tire pressure and damag ethe tire bead.
Befored riving off-road, check the wheels and
replace them if necessary.
128Drivin gtips
Drivin gand parking

Checklist after driving off-road
!If you detect damagetothevehicle after
driving off-road, have th evehicle checked
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Drivin goverroug hterra in places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on normal
roads. Afte rdriving off-road, check th evehicle.
This allows you to detect damag epromptly and
reduc ethe riskofana ccidenttoy ourself and
other road users.
XShift th etransfer cas etotheon-road position
HIG HRANGE (Ypage 146).
XDisengage th edifferential locks
(Ypage 149).
XClean th eheadlamps and rear lightsa nd
check for damage.
XClean th efront and rear licens eplates.
XClean th ewheelsa nd tires withaw aterjet
and remove any foreign objects.
XClean th ewheels, wheel housing sand the
vehicle underside withaw aterjet;c he ck for
any foreign object sand damage.
XCheckw hether twigs or other part sofplants
have become trapped. Thesei ncreasethe risk
of fir eand can damag efuel pipes,b rake
hoses or th erubbe rbellows of th eaxle joints
and propeller shafts.
XAfte rthe trip, examin ewithout fail th eentire
undercarriage, wheels, tires, brakes, body-
work structure, steering ,cha ssis and exhaust
system for damage.
XAfte rdriving in sand, mud, gravel, wate ror
similar dirt yconditions, have th efollowing
checked and cleaned:
Rbrak ediscs
Rwheels
Rbrak epads
Raxle joints
XIf you notic estron gv ibrations after off-road
driving ,che ck for foreign object sinthe
wheelsa nd drivetrain and ,ifnecessary,
remove them. Foreign object scan disturb the
balance and caus evibrations.
XCarr youtab rak etest.
Driving on sand
Observ ethe followingr ules when driving on
sand:
RShift th etransfer cas etotheoff-road driving
position LOW RANGE (Ypage 146).
RAvoid high engines peeds.
RShift theautomatic transmission to alow
gear.
RDrive quickly to overcome th erolling resist-
ance. Otherwise th evehicle's wheelsc ould
become stuck in looseg round.
RDrive in thetrack sofo ther vehicle sifpossi-
ble. When doings o, makesure that:
-thet irer utsa re no ttoo deep
-thes andiss ufficiently firm
-your vehicle has sufficient ground clear-
ance
Tirer utsa nd grave lroads
!Checkt hatthe rutsa re no ttoo deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle coul dbedamaged or
botto mout and get stuck.
Observ ethe followingr ules when driving along
rut sino ff-road terrain or on road swithl oose
gravel:
RShift th etransfer cas etotheoff-road driving
position LOW RANGE (Ypage 146).
RAvoid high engines peeds.
RObservethe safety note s(Ypage 127) and
th eg eneral note s(Ypage 127) on off-road
driving.
RShift th eautomatic transmission to alow
gear.
RDrive slowly.
RWherer utsa re to odeep, driv ewitht he
wheelsofo neside on th ecente rgrassy area,
if possible.
Driving over obstacles
!Obstacle scoul dd amag ethe floo roft he
vehicle or components of th echassis.A sk
passengersf or guidance when driving over
large obstacles. The passenger should always
keep asafe distanc efromt hevehicle when
doingsoino rder to avoid injury as aresult of
unexpected vehicle movements. Afte rdriving
off-road or ove robstacles, check th evehicle
Driving tips129
Driving and parking
Z

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