
Automatic transmission emer-
gency running mode
.........................163
Auxiliary heating
Activating/deactivating ................. 138
Activating/deactivating (on the
centre console ).............................. 138
Remote control .............................. 138
Setting ........................................... 230
Auxiliary heating/ventilation
Display message ............................ 262
Important safety notes .................. 137
Problem (display message) ............ 141
Setting the departure time ............. 139
Auxiliary ventilation
Activating/deactivating ................. 138
Activating/deactivating (on the
centre console ).............................. 138
Remote control .............................. 138
Axle load, permissible (trailer tow-
ing) ...................................................... 359 B
Back button ....................................... 278
Bag hook ............................................ 293
Ball coupling
Folding in ....................................... 215
Folding in/out ................................ 214
Folding out ..................................... 214
BAS (Brake Assist System) ................. 69
Basic settings
see Settings
Battery (key)
Checking .......................................... 82
Important safety notes .................... 82
Replacing ......................................... 82
Battery (vehicle)
Charging ........................................ 324
Display message ............................ 250
Important safety notes .................. 322
Jump starting ................................. 325
Belt
see Seat belts
Belt tensioner
Activation ......................................... 53
Belt warning ......................................... 46 Blind Spot Assist
Activating/deactivating (on-
board computer) ............................ 227
Display message ............................ 253
Notes/function .............................. 209
Trailer towing ................................. 210
Blower
see Climate control
Bluetooth ®
Searching for a mobile phone ........ 281
Searching for a mobile phone
(device manager) ........................... 282
See also Digital Owner's Manua l... 277
Telephony ...................................... 280
Bonnet
Active bonnet (pedestrian protec-tion) ............................................... 302
Closing ........................................... 304
Display message ............................ 261
Important safety notes .................. 302
Opening ......................................... 303
Boot
Important safety notes .................... 94
Opening (automatically from out-
side) ................................................. 95
Opening (from outside the vehi-
cle, HANDS-FREE ACCESS) ........ 91, 95
Opening automatically from
inside ............................................... 96
Boot lid
see Tailgate
Boot load (maximum) ........................ 358
Brake
EBD .................................................. 75
Brake Assist
see BAS (Brake Assist System)
Brake assistance
see BAS (Brake Assist System)
Brake fluid
Display message ............................ 241
Notes ............................................. 356
Brake force distribution
see EBD (electronic brake force
distribution)
Brake lamp
Replacing bulb s............................. 123
Brake lamps
Adaptive ........................................... 71 6
Index 

Folding the backrest (rear com-
partment) forwards/back .............. 292
Seat belt
Correct usage .................................. 44
Switching belt adjustment on/off
(on-board computer) ...................... 231
Seat belts
Adjusting the driver's and front-
passenger seat bel t......................... 45
Adjusting the height ......................... 45
Cleaning ......................................... 313
Display message ............................ 242
Fastening ......................................... 45
Important safety guidelines ............. 43
Introduction ..................................... 43
Rear seat belt status indicator ......... 46
Releasing ......................................... 45
Warning lamp ................................. 265
Warning lamp (function) ................... 46
Seats
Adjusting (electrically) ................... 108
Adjusting (manually) ...................... 107
Adjusting the 4-way lumbar sup-
port ................................................ 110
Adjusting the head restraint .......... 108
Cleaning the cover ......................... 313
Important safety notes .................. 106
Seat heating problem .................... 111
Storing settings (memory func-
tion) ............................................... 115
Switching seat heating on/of f....... 110
Securing a load .................................. 293
Securing luggage ............................... 293
Selecting a gear
see Automatic transmission
Selector lever
Cleaning ......................................... 313
Sensors (cleaning instructions) ....... 311
Service Centre
see Qualified specialist workshop
Service menu (on-board com-
puter) .................................................. 228
Service message
see ASSYST PLUS
Service products
Brake fluid ..................................... 356
Coolant (engine) ............................ 356
Engine oil ....................................... 355 Fuel ................................................ 352
Important safety notes .................. 352
Washer fluid ................................... 357
Setting a speed
see Cruise control
Setting the air distribution ............... 133
Setting the airflow ............................ 134
Setting the date/time format
See also Digital Owner's Manua l... 277
Setting the language
See also Digital Owner's Manua l... 277
Setting the time
See also Digital Owner's Manua l... 277
Settings
Factory (on-board computer) ......... 231
On-board computer ....................... 228
SETUP (on-board computer,
Mercedes-AMG vehicles) .................. 232
Shifting to neutral (manual trans-
mission) ............................................. 153
Side lamps
Switching on/of f........................... 117
Side windows
Convenience closing ........................ 99
Convenience opening ...................... 98
Important safety notes .................... 97
Opening/closing .............................. 98
Problem (malfunction) ................... 100
Resetting ....................................... 100
Reversing feature ............................. 98
Sidebag ................................................ 48
SIM card
Inserting ........................................ 284
Sliding sunroof
see Panorama sliding sunroof
SMS
See also Digital Owner's Manua l... 277
Snow chains ...................................... 337
Socket
Luggage compartment ................... 299
Sockets
Centre console .............................. 299
General notes ................................ 299
Rear compartment ......................... 299
Sound
Switching on/of f........................... 278 Index
19 

position
Dor R, the vehicle may accelerate
suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always keep the brake pedal firmly depressed
and do not depress the accelerator pedal at
the same time.
! Vehicles with manual transmission:
change gear in good time and avoid spinning
the wheels. You could otherwise damage the
vehicle.
Depress the accelerator carefully when pulling
away.
The vehicle automatically locks centrally once
you have pulled away. The locking knobs in the
doors drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking
feature (Y page 229).
Vehicles with automatic transmission: it is
possible to shift the transmission from position j to the desired position only if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then can the parking lock be deactivated.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): if you do not depress the brake pedal, the
DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved but the
parking lock remains engaged.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: if you do not depress
the brake pedal, the selector lever can still be
moved but the parking lock remains engaged.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: at
transmission fluid temperatures below Ò20 †
you can only shift out of position jinto another
transmission position when the engine is run-
ning.
i Vehicles with automatic transmission:
upshifts take place at higher engine speeds
after a cold start. This helps the catalytic con- verter to reach its operating temperature
more quickly.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: infor-
mation on automatically releasing the electric
parking brake (Y page 168). Pulling away with a trailer
To ensure that you do not roll backwards when
pulling away on an uphill slope, apply the electric
parking brake.
X Press and hold handle :.
The electric parking brake continues to brake
and prevents the vehicle from rolling back-
wards.
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster remains lit.
X Depress the accelerator pedal.
X As soon as the vehicle/trailer combination is
held by the driving force of the engine, release
handle :.
the electric parking brake is released
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Further information on the electric parking
brake (Y page 167).
Hill start assist Hill start assist helps you when pulling away for-
wards or in reverse on an uphill gradient. It holds the vehicle for a short time after you have
removed your foot from the brake pedal. This
gives you enough time to move your foot from
the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and
depress it before the vehicle begins to roll. G
WARNING
After a while, hill start assist no longer holds
the vehicle and it may roll away. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist. Driving
147Driving and parking Z 

DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): the DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of
the steering column.
For information on the selector lever in
Mercedes-AMG vehicles (Y page 156).
The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns to its
original position. The current transmission posi-
tion j,k,iorh is shown in the transmis-
sion position display in the multifunction display (Y page 155).
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear on the multifunction display. :
Transmission position
; Gear
= Drive program display
The arrows in the transmission position display
show how and into which transmission positions
you can shift using the DIRECT SELECT lever.
If the transmission position display on the mul-
tifunction display is not working, you should pull away carefully to check whether the desired
transmission position is engaged. Ideally, you
should select transmission position
hand
drive program Eor S.
Engaging park position P !
If the engine speed is too high or the vehicle
is coasting, do not shift the automatic trans-
mission directly from htok, from ktoh
or directly to j. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission may be damaged.
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever switch in the
direction of arrow j.
Transmission position display jis shown in
the multifunction display.
When you have engaged park position j, make
sure that the transmission position display
shows jin the multifunction display.
You can only engage park position jwhen the
vehicle is stationary.
Depressing the brake and pushing the DIRECT
SELECT lever up or down disengages the park-
ing lock. The transmission is in neutral i.
At transmission fluid temperatures below
Ò20 †, you can only shift out of park position j
into another transmission position when the
engine is running.
In order to shift from park position jdirectly
into korh:
R depress the brake pedal and
R push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down
past the first point of resistance
Engaging park position P automatically Park position
jis automatically engaged if:
R you switch off the engine using the key and
remove the key
R you switch off the engine using the key or
using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door
R you open the driver's door when the vehicle is
stationary or when driving at a very low speed and the transmission is in position hork
Under certain conditions, the automatic trans-
mission shifts to transmission position jauto-
matically if the HOLD function or Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated. Observe the informa-
tion on the HOLD function (Y page 187) and
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (Y page 183). Automatic transmission
155Driving and parking Z 

Vehicle data for off-road driving
Approach/departure angle
:
: ;
;
Approach
and depar-
ture angles
when the
vehicle is loa-
ded and
ready to drive 15.8° 21.5°
Ready to drive means: a full tank, all fluids top-
ped up and the driver is in the vehicle.
Further information on approach/departure
angles (Y page 175). Maximum gradient-climbing capabil-
ity
Note that the vehicle's gradient-climbing capa-
bility depends on the off-road conditions and the road surface conditions.
All vehicles (except GLA 220 (156.945),
Mercedes-AMG vehicles and vehicles with
4MATIC): maximum gradient climbing ability is
40 %.
Vehicles with 4MATIC: the maximum gradient
climbing ability is 65%.
Missing values for the GLA 220 (156.945) and
Mercedes‑AMG GLA 45 4MATIC models were
unavailable at time of going to print.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal and
make sure that the wheels do not spin when
driving on steep terrain.
If the load on the front axle is reduced when
pulling away on a steep uphill slope, the front
wheels have a tendency to spin. 4ETS recogni-
ses this and brakes the wheels accordingly. The
rear wheel torque is increased and it is easier to pull away.
Further information on the maximum gradient
climbing ability (Y page 175). Trailer tow hitch
Trailer loads
Permissible trailer load, braked (at a minimum gradient-climbing capability of 8%
from a standstill) Not all models can tow a trailer. For further information, see (Y
page 213).Model Manual transmission Automatic transmission
GLA 180
1500 kg 1500 kg
GLA 180 d
1500 kg 1500 kg
GLA 200
1500 kg 1500 kg
GLA 200 d
1500 kg 1500 kg
GLA 250
1500 kg 1500 kgTrailer tow hitch
359Technical data Z