2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA SUV trailer

Parking Pilot does not assist you parking in
spaces parallel or at right angles to the direction of travel if:
R the parking space is on a kerb
R the system reads the parking space as being
blocked, such as by foliage or grass paving
blocks
R the area is too small for the vehicle to
manoeuvre into
R the parking space is bordered by an obstacle,
e.g. a tree, a post or a trailer
Further information on the detection range
(Y page 193). G
WARNING
If there are objects above the detection range:
R Parking Pilot may steer in too early
R the vehicle may not stop in front of these
objects
This could cause a collision. There is a risk of
an accident.
If objects are located above the detection
range, stop and deactivate Parking Pilot. :
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Parking Pilot is activated automatically when
driving forwards. The system is operational at
speeds of up to approximately 35 km/h. While
in operation, the system independently locates
and measures parking spaces on both sides of
the vehicle.
Parking Pilot will detect only parking spaces
which are:
R parallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel
R parallel to the direction of travel and are at
least 1.5 m wide R
parallel to the direction of travel and at least
1.0 m longer than your vehicle
R at right angles to the direction of travel and at
least 1.0 m wider than your vehicle
i Note that Parking Pilot cannot measure the
length of a parking space if it is at right angles to the direction of travel. You will need to
judge whether your vehicle will fit in the park-
ing space.
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you will
see parking symbol ;as a status indicator on
the instrument cluster. When a parking space
has been detected, an arrow towards the right or the left also appears. Parking Pilot displays only
parking spaces on the front-passenger side as
standard. Parking spaces on the driver's side
are displayed as soon as the turn signal on the
driver's side is activated. When parking on the
driver's side, this must remain activated until
you confirm the use of Parking Pilot by pressing the a button on the multifunction steering
wheel. The system automatically determines
whether the parking space is parallel or at right
angles to the direction of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are driv- ing past it, and until you are approximately 15 m
away from it.
Parking G
WARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Parking Pilot, it could roll away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected
R the vehicle is accelerated, e.g. by a vehicle
occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always secure it
against rolling away.
i Vehicles with automatic transmission:
If Parking Assist PARKTRONIC detects obsta- cles, Parking Pilot brakes automatically whilst Driving systems
197Driving and parking Z

Activating/deactivating the reversing
camera X
To activate: make sure that the key is in
position 2in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the Activation by R gear
Activation by R gear
function is selected in the multimedia system; see the Digital Owner's Manual.
X Engage reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown with
guide lines in the multimedia system display.
The image from the reversing camera is avail-
able throughout the manoeuvring process.
X To switch the function mode for vehicles
with trailer tow hitch: using the controller,
select symbol :for the "Reverse parking"
function or symbol ;for "Coupling up a
trailer".
The symbol of the selected function is high-
lighted.
To deactivate: the reversing camera deacti-
vates if you shift the transmission to jor after
driving forwards a short distance.
Messages in the multimedia system dis-
play The reversing camera may show a distorted view
of obstacles, show them incorrectly or not at all. Obstacles are not shown by the reversing cam-
era in the following locations:
R very close to the rear bumper
R under the rear bumper
R in the area immediately above the recessed
tailgate handle
! Objects not at ground level may appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g.:
R the bumper of a parked vehicle
R the drawbar of a trailer R
the ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
R the rear section of an HGV
R a slanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.
Approach objects no further than the bottom-
most guideline. :
Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 4.0 m from the rear of the vehicle
; White guide line without steering input, vehi-
cle width including the exterior mirrors
(static)
= Yellow guide line for the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic)
? Yellow lanes marking the course the tyres
will take for current steering input (dynamic) A
Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 1.0 m from the rear of the vehicle
B Vehicle centre axis (locating aid)
C Bumper
D Red guide line at a distance of approximately
0.30 m from the rear of the vehicle Driving systems
201Driving and parking Z

:
Yellow guide line for the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic)
X Stop the vehicle when it is almost exactly in
front of the parking space.
The white lane should be as close to parallel
with the parking space marking as possible. :
White guide line at current steering angle
; Parking space marking
X Turn the steering wheel to the centre position
while the vehicle is stationary. :
Red guide line at a distance of approximately
0.30 m from the rear of the vehicle
; White guide line without steering angle
= End of parking space X
Reverse carefully until you have reached the
end position.
Red guide line :is then at the end of parking
space =. The vehicle is almost parallel in the
parking space.
"Coupling up a trailer" function :
Vehicle centre point on the yellow guide line
at a distance of approximately 1.0 m from
the rear of the vehicle
; Trailer drawbar
This function is available only on vehicles with a
trailer tow hitch.
X Before coupling up a trailer, set the height of
trailer drawbar ;so that it is slightly higher
than the ball coupling.
X Position the vehicle centrally in front of trailer
drawbar ;. :
Red guide line at a distance of approximately
0.30 m from the ball coupling
; Trailer drawbar locating aid
= Trailer drawbar
? Symbol for the "Coupling up a trailer" func-
tion
A Ball coupling Driving systems
203Driving and parking Z

X
Select symbol ?using the controller.
The "Coupling up a trailer" function is selec-
ted. The distance specifications now apply
only to objects that are at the same level as
the ball coupling.
X Reverse carefully, making sure that trailer
drawbar locating aid ;points approximately
in the direction of trailer drawbar =.
X Reverse carefully until trailer drawbar =rea-
ches the red guide line.
The distance between the trailer drawbar and
the red guide line is now approximately
0.30 m.
X Couple up the trailer (Y page 213).
Wide-angle function :
Symbol for the wide-angle view function
; Own vehicle
= Parking Assist PARKTRONIC warning dis-
plays
Select this view when you are driving out of an
exit and the view of crossing traffic is restricted, for example. 360° camera
General notes The 360° camera is a camera system compris-
ing four cameras.
The system evaluates images from the following
cameras:
R Reversing camera
R Front camera
R Two cameras in the exterior mirrors
The cameras cover the immediate surroundings
of the vehicle. The system assists you, for instance when parking or at exits with reduced
visibility.
You can show pictures from the 360° camera in
full-screen mode or in seven different split-
screen views on the COMAND display. A split-
screen view also includes a top view of the vehi-
cle. This view is calculated from the data sup-
plied by the installed cameras (virtual camera).
You can show pictures from the 360° camera in
full-screen mode or in six different split-screen
views on the COMAND display. A split-screen
view also includes a top view of the vehicle. This
view is calculated from the data supplied by the installed cameras (virtual camera).
The seven split-screen views are:
The six split-screen views are:
R top view and image from the reversing cam-
era (130° viewing angle)
R top view and image from the front camera
(without displaying the maximum steering
wheel angle)
R top view and enlarged rear view
R top view and enlarged front view
R top view and trailer view (vehicles with trailer
tow hitch)
R top view and rear-view images from the exte-
rior mirror cameras (rear wheel view)
R top view and forward-view images from the
exterior mirror cameras (front wheel view)
i The top view and trailer view are available
for vehicles equipped with a trailer tow hitch.
When the function is active and you shift the
transmission from position 7orC to
A, you see the previous view in the COMAND
display. The dynamic guide lines are hidden.
When you shift between transmission positions 7 andC, you see the previously selected
front or rear view.
Important safety notes The 360° camera is only an aid. It is not a sub-
stitute for your attention to the immediate sur-
roundings. The responsibility for safe manoeu-
vring and parking remains with you. Make sure
that there are no persons, animals or objects in
the manoeuvring area while manoeuvring and
parking in parking spaces.
The 360° camera may show a distorted view of
obstacles, show them incorrectly or not at all. It
cannot show objects in the following areas: 204
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when driving
close to crash barriers or similar solid boun-
daries
R warnings may be interrupted when you are
driving alongside particularly long vehicles,
such as lorries, for a prolonged time
Warning display :
Warning display
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 30 km/h. Vehicles in the moni-
toring range are then not indicated.
If Blind Spot Assist is activated, indicator
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 Blind
Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
30 km/h, warning lamp :on the correspond-
ing side lights up red. This warning always
occurs when a vehicle enters the blind spot
monitoring range from behind or from the side.
When you overtake a vehicle, the warning only
occurs if the difference in speed is less than
12 km/h.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. Blind Spot Assist is then deac- tivated.
The brightness of the indicator/warning lamps
is adjusted automatically according to the ambi-
ent light.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the blind spot moni-
toring range and you switch on the correspond-
ing turn signal, a double warning tone sounds.
Red warning lamp :flashes. If the turn signal
remains on, detected vehicles are indicated by the flashing of red warning lamp
:. There are
no further warning tones.
Activating Blind Spot Assist X Make sure that Blind Spot Assist is activated
in the on-board computer (Y page 227).
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors light
up red for approximately 1.5 second s 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. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. The indicator lamps in the exterior
mirrors light up yellow and the Blind Spot
Blind Spot
Assist not available when towing a Assist not available when towing a
trailer See Owner's Manual trailer See Owner's Manual message
appears in the multifunction display.
i You can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, you will need to deactivate Blind
Spot Assist if:
R the key is in position 2in the ignition lock
R the engine is not running
R the electrical connection to the trailer has
been established
Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicle by means of multifunction cam-
era :attached at the top of the windscreen.
Lane Keeping Assist detects lane markings on 210
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

The warning vibration occurs earlier in the fol-
lowing situations 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 in the follow-
ing situations if:
R the road has narrow lanes
R you cut the corner on a bend Towing a trailer
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
You could lose control of the vehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve. The vehi-
cle/trailer combination could even overturn.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten out the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion by increasing speed. Decrease your
speed and do not countersteer. Brake if nec-
essary. G
WARNING
If the maximum permissible load for a carrier system is exceeded, the carrier could come
loose from the vehicle and endanger other
road users. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Never exceed the maximum permissible load
when using a carrier.
! If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
changes to the engine cooling system may be necessary, depending on the vehicle type.
If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
observe the anchorage points on the chassis.
Retrofitting a trailer tow hitch is only permissible
if a trailer load is specified in your vehicle docu-
ments. If this is not the case, then the vehicle is not approved for towing a trailer.
For more information, please contact a qualifiedspecialist workshop. Exceeding the maximum permissible nose-
weight of the trailer drawbar on the ball coupling
may cause damage to the following:
R your vehicle
R trailer
R ball coupling
R trailer tow hitch
The vehicle/trailer combination could become
unstable.
The vehicle/trailer combination could also
become unstable if the noseweight used is lower than the minimum permissible noseweight.
To avoid hazardous situations:
R make sure to check the noseweight before
each journey
R the noseweight should be as close as possible
to the maximum noseweight
R do not exceed the maximum permissible
noseweight
R the noseweight must not be lower than the
minimum permissible noseweight
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
The applicable permissible values, which must
not be exceeded, can be found:
R in your vehicle documents
R on the identification plates of the trailer tow
hitch and the trailer
R on the vehicle identification plate
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the identification plates and for the
towing vehicle under "Technical data"
(Y page 359). G
WARNING
If you release the ball coupling or it does not
engage correctly when folding in, it will swing out. Within pivoting range of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury. 212
Towing a trailerDriving and parking

Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the ball coupling engages when folding in.
When reversing the towing vehicle, make sure
there is nobody between the trailer and the vehi- cle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If youdo not couple the trailer to the towing vehicle
correctly, the trailer could become detached.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different to when driving
without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strong crosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R has a larger turning circle
This can impair the vehicle's handling charac-
teristics. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Maintain a safe distance. Drive carefully.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your speed to the current road and weather conditions. Do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed for
your vehicle/trailer combination. Notes on towing a trailer
General notes Trailer towing is not possible on the following
models:
R Mercedes‑AMG GLA 45 4MATIC
Items of optional equipment may influence the
effective trailer loads for the vehicle. Please find the applicable trailer loads for your vehicle on
the registration certificate.
When towing a trailer, set the tyre pressure on
the rear axle of the towing vehicle for a maxi-
mum load. Further information on the tyre pres-
sure table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 337).
Please note that when towing a trailer, the fol-
lowing driving systems have limited availability
or are not available at all:
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC (Y page 193)
R Blind Spot Assist (Y page 209) The height of the ball coupling changes with the
load of the vehicle. If necessary, use a trailer
with a height-adjustable drawbar.
You will find fitting dimensions and loads under"Technical data" (Y page 359).
Driving tips Observe the information on ESP
®
trailer stabili-
sation (Y page 75).
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginning the journey, check the
trailer's documents to see what the maximum
permitted speed is. Observe the legally prescri-
bed maximum speed in the relevant country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the maxi-
mum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing a trailer. See the "Technical data"
section to find out whether this applies to your
vehicle. If when towing, the rear axle load is
increased even partly, the vehicle/trailer com-
bination may not exceed a maximum speed of
100 km/h for reasons concerning the operating
permit. This also applies in countries in which
the permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different to when driving
without a trailer and the vehicle will consume
more fuel.
Shift to a lower gear in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients. For vehicles with auto-
matic transmission, you need to have selected
manual drive program M(Y page 161).
This also applies if you have activated cruise
control, the speed limiter or Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC.
This will use the braking effect of the engine, so less braking will be required to maintain the
vehicle speed. This relieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly. If you need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously.
Briefly depressing the accelerator pedal on
downhill gradients while the manual drive pro-
gram Mis temporarily activated (vehicles with
automatic transmission): the automatic trans-
mission may switch back to the last active auto-
matic drive program Eor S. The automatic trans-
mission may shift to a higher gear. This can
reduce the engine's braking effect. Towing a trailer
213Driving and parking Z

Driving tips
R
Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle in
front than when driving without a trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake gen-
tly at first to allow the trailer to run on. Then,
increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing capa-
bilities from a standstill refer to sea level.
When driving in mountainous areas, note that
the power output of the engine, and conse-
quently the vehicle's gradient-climbing capa-
bility from a standstill, decrease with increas- ing altitude.
If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate under any circumstances
X Do not countersteer
X Brake if necessary Folding out the ball coupling
Folding out the ball coupling G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly engaged,
the trailer can detach. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always engage the ball coupling as described. G
WARNING
If you release the ball coupling or it does not
engage correctly when folding in, it will swing out. Within pivoting range of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the ball coupling engages when folding in.
Before you can tow a trailer with your vehicle,
you must fold out the ball coupling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the luggage compart-
ment. X
To open the cover: turn handle:anti-
clockwise, the fold down and remove
cover ;. X
Pull out release wheel =.
X Turn release wheel =anti-clockwise as far as
it will go.
The ball coupling disengages and folds out
behind the rear bumper. Indicator lamp ?
flashes. X
Pull the ball coupling in the direction of the
arrow until it engages in a vertical position.
The indicator lamp on the release wheel goes out. The power socket folds down automati-
cally. 214
Towing a trailerDriving and pa
rking