2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS-Class SUV display

!A function or performance test should only
be carried out on a two-axle dynamometer.
Before you operate the vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult a qualified
workshop. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
iIn wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if you
use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow chains
if necessary.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 168).
DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
General notes
DSR is an aid to assist you when driving down-
hill. It keeps the speed of travel at the speed
selected on the on-board computer. The steeper
the downhill gradient, the greater the DSR brak- ing effect on the vehicle. When driving on flat
stretches of road or on an uphill gradient, the
DSR braking effect is minimal or nonexistent.
DSR controls the vehicle’s speed when it is acti-
vated and the transmission is in position D,Ror
N. You can drive at a higher or a lower speed
than that set on the on-board computer at any
time by accelerating or braking.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the speed driven and the set speed deviate and you activate DSR on a slippery road sur-
face, the wheels may lose traction. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Before switching DSR on, please take into
consideration the road surface and the differ- ence between driving speed and the set
speed.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DSR can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor override the laws of physics. DSR cannot take account of
road, weather and traffic conditions. DSR is only
an aid. You are responsible for the distance to
the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brak-
ing in good time and for staying in your lane.
You are always responsible for keeping control
of the vehicle and for assessing whether the
downhill gradient can be managed. DSR may not always be able to keep to the set speed, depend- ing on road surface and tire conditions. Select a
set speed suitable for the prevailing conditions
and when necessary, apply the brakes manually.
Activating DSR
XPress button
:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
The à DSR symbol appears in the multi-
function display.
You can only activate DSR when driving at
speeds below 25 mph (40 km/h).
If the current vehicle speed is too high, the Ã
DSR symbol appears in the multifunction display
with the Max. speed 25 mph
message (Can-
ada: 40 km/h).
If you have activated DSR and you change the
drive program, DSR is deactivated. If you switch
between the offroad and offroad plus drive pro-
grams, DSR remains activated.
Deactivating DSR
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
The à DSR symbol appears in the multi-
function display with the Off
message.
On vehicles with the Offroad Engineering pack-
age, if you select a different drive program, DSR is also deactivated. If you switch between the
Offroad programs, DSR remains activated.
DSR switches off automatically if you drive
faster than 28 mph (Canada: 45 km/h). The
à DSR symbol appears in the multifunction
display with the Off
message. The status indi-
cator in the multifunction display goes out. You
also hear a warning. On vehicles with the Off-
road Engineering package, if you select a differ-
ent onroad/offroad program, DSR is also deac-
tivated.
216Driving systems
Driving and parking

Changing the set speed
XTo increase or reduce the set speed
in1 mphincrements (Canada:
1 km/hincrements):briefly press the cruise
control lever up :for a higher set speed or
down ;for a lower set speed.
The set speed appears in the multifunction
display with the ÃDSR symbol.
When DSR is activated, you can change the set
speed to a value between 1 mph and 11 mph
(Canada: between 2 km/h and 18 km/h).
iThe DSR set speed is always changed in
1 mph increments (Canada: 1 km/h incre-
ments). This is regardless of whether you
press the cruise control lever to or beyond the
pressure point.
Offroad program (vehicles without the
Offroad Engineering package)
General notes
Select the Offroadprogram for easily negotia-
ble off-road terrain, e.g. dirt tracks, gravel or
sandy surfaces. The engine's torque is restric-
ted to a limited degree and the drive wheels can
spin. The spinning wheels produce a cutting
effect for better traction. ABS, ESP
®and 4ETS
programs especially adapted to off-road driving are activated. A gentle accelerator pedal curve
is also selected, i.e. the accelerator pedal must
be depressed much further in order to acceler-
ate.
You can select the Offroaddrive program at
speeds below 60 mph (96 km/h). The Drive
program "Offroad" Max. Speed 60 mphmessage appears in the multifunction display. If
you drive at speeds of more than 60 mph
(96 km/h) and select theOffroaddrive pro-
gram, the Drive More Slowly
message appears in the multifunction display. The last
active drive program is selected again.
Do not use the
Offroadprogram on roads that
are snow-covered or icy or if you have installed
your vehicle with snow chains.
Selecting the Offroad program
Selecting the Offroad program
XTo select drive program: turn DYNAMIC
SELECT controller :until indicator lamp ;
lights up.
The Drive Program "Offroad1" Max.
Speed 60 mphmessage appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
The vehicle is raised by +2.4 in (60 mm).
The vehicle is lowered to normal level again if
you:
Rdrive at speeds above 37 mph (60 km/h) (all
vehicles except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Rdrive at speeds above 43 mph (70 km/h)
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Rdrive at speeds between 40 mph (64 km/h)
and 43 mph (70 km/h) for approximately
20 seconds (Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
The vehicle changes from the Offroaddrive pro-
gram to the Comfortdrive program if you drive
faster than 70 mph (112 km/h).
The Drive More Slowly
message appears in
the multifunction display.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 168).
Driving systems217
Driving and parking
Z

Offroad programs (vehicles with Off-
road Engineering package)
General notes
TheOffroad andOffroad Plus drive programs
assist you when driving off-road. The engine's
performance characteristics and the gearshift-
ing characteristics of the automatic transmis-
sion are adapted for this purpose. ABS, ESP
®
and 4ETS programs especially adapted to off-
road driving are activated. An accelerator pedal
curve suitable for the terrain is selected, i.e. the
accelerator pedal must be depressed further to
accelerate.
Do not use the OffroadorOffroad Plus drive
programs on roads that are snow-covered or icy,
or if you have installed your vehicle with snow
chains.
Offroad drive program
:DYNAMIC SELECT controller
;Offroad program indicator lamp
Select the Offroadprogram for easily negotia-
ble off-road terrain, e.g. dirt tracks, gravel or
sandy surfaces. The engine's torque is restric-
ted to a limited degree and the drive wheels can
spin. The spinning wheels produce a cutting
effect for better traction. ABS, ESP
®and 4ETS
programs especially adapted to off-road driving are activated. A gentle accelerator pedal curve
is also selected, i.e. the accelerator pedal must
be depressed much further in order to acceler-
ate.
You can select the Offroaddrive program at
speeds below 60 mph (96 km/h). The Drive
Program "Offroad" Max. Speed 60 mphmessage appears in the multifunction display. If
you drive at speeds above 60 mph (96 km/ h)
and select the Offroaddrive program, the
Drive More Slowly
message appears in the multifunction display. The last active drive pro-
gram is selected again.
Selecting the Offroad program
XTo select a drive program: turn DYNAMIC
SELECT controller
:until indicator lamp ;
lights up.
The Drive program "Offroad" Max.
speed 60 mphmessage appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
The vehicle is raised by +1.2 in (30 mm).
The vehicle changes from the Offroaddrive pro-
gram to the Comfortdrive program if you drive
faster than 70 mph (112km/ h).
The Drive more slowly
message appears in
the multifunction display.
Offroad Plus drive program
:DYNAMIC SELECT controller
;Offroad Plus drive program indicator lamp
Select the Offroad Plus drive program for rough
terrain, e.g. for steep and/or uneven terrain or
for driving on rocky terrain.
Your vehicle has an automatically activated dif-
ferential lock for the transfer case. It controls
the balance between the front and rear axles.
The differential lock improves the vehicle's trac-
tion. 4ETS (
Ypage 67) controls the balance
between both wheels on an axle.
Selecting the Offroad Plus drive program
XTo select drive program: turn DYNAMIC
SELECT controller :until indicator lamp ;
lights up.
The Drive program "Offroad Plus"
Max.speed25mphmessage appears in the
multifunction display.
218Driving systems
Driving and parking

RTheOffroad Plus program is selected and
the vehicle is raised by +1.2 in (30 mm)
compared with the Offroaddrive program.
RDSR is switched on.
RThe differential lock is closed.
You can select the Offroad Plus drive program at
speeds below 25 mph (40 km/ h).
The Offroad Plus drive program automatically
switches to the Offroad drive program if you
drive faster than 30 mph (45 km/h) . TheDrive
more slowlymessage appears in the multi-
function display.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 168).
LOW RANGE offroad gear (vehicles with
the Offroad Engineering package)
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you select the LOW RANGE off-road gear on
a slippery road surface, the wheels could lose traction:
Rif you remove your foot from the accelera-
tor pedal when driving
Rif off road ABS intervenes when braking
If the wheels lose traction. the vehicle can no
longer be steered. There is an increased dan-
ger of skidding and accidents.
Never select the LOW RANGE off-road gear
when driving on slippery road surfaces.
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 a danger of the
vehicle rolling away unintentionally. There is a
risk of an accident.
Wait until the transfer case shift process is
completed.
Do not turn off the engine while changing gear
and do not shift the automatic transmission to
another position.
General notes
:LOW RANGE offroad gear button
;LOW RANGE offroad gear indicator lamp
HIGH RANGEPosition for all normal on-
road driving conditions
LOW RANGEOffroad position for driving
off-road and fording
The transmission ratio
between the engine and
wheels is only approx-
imately one third of that in
the HIGH RANGE road posi-
tion. Drive torque is thus
proportionately higher.
Do not use LOW RANGE:
Ron slippery road surfaces,
e.g. in the case of slush
Ron snow or ice-covered
roads
Rif you have mounted snow
chains to your vehicle
The LOW RANGE offroad gear assists you in
driving off-road and when fording. When LOW
RANGE is engaged, the engine’s performance
characteristics and the gearshifting character-
istics of the automatic transmission are adapted
for this purpose.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 168). You will find information about
driving safety systems in conjunction with
LOW RANGE in the "Safety" section (
Ypage 63).
Driving systems219
Driving and parking
Z

From HIGH RANGE to LOW RANGE
!Onlychange from LOW RANGE to HIGH
RANGE if:
Rthe engine isrunning.
Rthe transmission is inposition N
Ryou aredriving at a speed below 40 km /h
XPress LOW RANGE button:.
Indic ator lamp ;flashes.
When the gear change isco mple te, indicator
lamp ;lights up. LOW RANGE indicator
appears inthe multifunction display and inthe
status indicator.
While indicator lamp ;isflashing, you can
cancel the gear change bypressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
iYou cannot activate LOW RANGE ifthe
SPORT drive program isactivated. The LOW
RANGE Not in Drive Program "Sport"message then appears inthe multifunction
displ ay.
From LOW RANGE to HIGH RANGE
!Only change from LOW RANGE to HIGH
RANGE if:
Rthe engine isrunning.
Rthe transmission is inposition N
Ryou aredriving at a speed below 70 km /h
XPress LOW RANGEbutton :.
In dicator lamp ;flashes.
When the gear change isco mple te, indicator
lamp ;goes out. In the multifunction dis-
play, the LOW RANGE Off
message appears
and the status indicator goes out.
While indicator lamp ;isflashing, you can
cancel the gear change bypressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
Messages in the multifunction display
Ifa gear change process has not been successful, the following messages may bedisplayed inthe
multifunction display:
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
LOW RANGE Max.Speed 24 mphYou have been driving faster than 24 mph (40 km/h). Additionally, the
indicator lamp on the button inthe center console isflashing.
XDrive more slowly to carry out the gear change process.
LOW RANGE Shift toPosition N BrieflyThe transmission is inposition Dand you are driving at below
40 km/h.
XSh ift the transmission to Nto complete the gear change process.
220Driving systems
Driving and parking

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
LOW RANGE ShiftingCanceled PleaseReactivate
The gear chang eprocess was no tcarrie dout .
XEnsur ethat all gear chang econdition sare fulfilled and carry out th e
gear chang eprocess again .
LOW RANGE Sto pApply ParkingBrakeAwarning tone also sounds. The gear chang eprocess has no tbeen
completed. LOW RANGE is in th eneutral position .There is no con-
nection between th eengin eand th edrive wheels.
!Do no tdrive any further. You could otherwise damag eth evehi-
cle's drive train .
XStop thevehicle. Tak eint oaccoun tth eroa dand traffic condition s
when doin gthis.
XDepress th eelectric parking brak e (Ypage 160).
XCarryout th egear chang eprocess again .
If th egear chang eprocess has been carrie dout ,th eLOW RANGE
Sto pApply Parkin gBrakemessage disappears.
Driving dynamics display in the
COMAND display (vehicles with the Off-
roa d Engineering-package)
Genera lnotes
The drivin gdynamic sdisplay allows you to see
th eselected drive progra mand additional infor-
mation about th evehicle's operating status in
th eCOMAND display.
:Drive progra mselected
;Status of th edifferential loc kfor th etransfer
cas e
=Accelerato rpedal position shown in %
?Brake pedal position shown in %
ACondition of theLOW RANGE offroa dgear
BAngle of inclination
CSteering angle
DUphill or downhill gradien tin percentage
ELevel control
FCompass wit hangle scale
Activating th edrivin gdynamics displa y
XSwitchon COMAND .You can fin dfurther
information in th eseparat eCOMAND operat-
ing instructions.
XPress butto n:.
The drivin gdynamic sdisplay appear sin th e
COMAND display.
Towing a trailer
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
Installin gan unsuitable ball couplin gmay
result in overloadin gof th etrailer to whitch
and th erear axle. This applie sespecially if th e
ball couplin gin question is longer or angled
differently. This could seriously impair th e
Towing a trailer221
Driving and parking
Z

Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you operate information systems and com-
munication equipmen tintegrate din th evehi-
cle while driving ,you will be distracte dfrom
traffic conditions. You could also lose control
of th evehicle. Ther eis aris kof an accident.
Only operate th eequipmen twhen th etraffic
situation permits. If you are no tsur ethat this
is possible ,park th evehicl epayin gattention
to traffic condition sand operate th eequip-
men twhen th evehicl eis stationary.
You must observ eth elegal requirements for th e
country in whic hyou are currentl ydriving when
operating th eon-board computer.
GWARNIN G
If th einstrumen tcluste rhas faile dor mal-
functioned, you may no trecognize function
restriction sin systems relevan tto safety. The
operating safet yof your vehicl emay be
impaired .Ther eis aris kof an accident.
Drive on carefully. Hav eth evehicl echecke d
at aqualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
If th eoperating safet yof your vehicl eis
impaired ,pull ove ras soo nas it is saf eto do so.
Contac t aqualified specialist workshop.
The on-board computer only shows message sor
warning sfrom certain systems in th emultifunc-
tion display. You should therefor emak esur e
your vehicl eis operating safely at all times .
Fo ran overview, see th einstrumen tpanel illus-
tration (
Ypage 34).
Displays and operation
Instrument cluster lighting
The lighting in th einstrumen tcluster, in th edis-
plays and th econtrol sin th evehicl einterior can
be adjusted usin gth ebrightness control knob.
The brightness control knob is locate don th e
botto mleftof th einstrumen tcluste r
(
Ypage 34).
XTurn th ebrightness control knob clockwise or
counter-clockwise.
If you tur nth eligh tswitch to Ã,Tor
L, thebrightness is dependen tupon th e
brightness of th eambien tlight.
iThe ligh tsensor in th einstrumen tcluste r
automatically control sth ebrightness of th e
multifunction display.
In daylight, th edisplays in th einstrumen t
cluste rare no tilluminated.
Speedometer with segments
The segments in th espeedometer indicat e
whic hspee drange is available.
RCruis econtrol activated (Ypage 172):
The segments ligh tup from th estore dspee d
to th emaximum speed.
RDistanc ePilot DISTRONI Cis activated
(Ypage 174):
On eor two segments in th eset spee drange
ligh tup.
RDistanc ePilot DISTRONI Cdetects avehicl ein
fron tmoving mor eslowly than th estore d
speed:
The segments between th espee dof th evehi-
cle in fron tand th estore dspee dligh tup.
Tachometer
!
Do no tdriv ein th eoverrevving range, as this
could damag eth eengine.
The red ban din th etachometer indicates th e
engine's overrevving range.
The fuel suppl yis interrupted to protect th e
engin ewhen th ered ban dis reached.
Outside temperature display
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tion swhen temperatures are aroun dfreezing
point.
Bea rin min dthat th eoutside temperature dis-
play indicates th etemperature measured and
does no trecord th eroad temperature.
The outside temperature display is in th emulti-
function display (
Ypage 231).
Displays and operation229
On-board computer and displays
Z

There is a short delay before a change in outside
temperature appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
Coolant temperature gauge
GWARNING
Opening the hood when the engine is over-
heated or when there is a fire in the engine
compartment could expose you to hot gases
or other service products. There is a risk of
injury.
Let an overheated engine cool down before
opening the hood. If there is a fire in the
engine compartment, keep the hood closed
and contact the fire department.
!A display message is shown if the coolant
temperature is too high.
If the coolant temperature is over 248 ‡
(120 †), do not continue driving. The engine
will otherwise be damaged.
The coolant temperature gage is in the instru-
ment cluster on the right-hand side (
Ypage 34).
Under normal operating conditions and with the
specified coolant level, the coolant temperature
may rise to 248 ‡ (120 †).
Operating the on-board computer
Overview
:Multifunction display
;Right control panel
=Left control panel
XTo activate the on-board computer: turn
the SmartKey to position 1in the ignition lock.
You can control the multifunction display and
the settings in the on-board computer using the
buttons on the multifunction steering wheel.
Vehicles with the COMAND multimedia system:
you can find further information on the Voice
Control System in the separate operating
instructions.
Vehicles with the Audio 20 multimedia system:
you can find further information on voice-oper-
ated navigation in the manufacturer's operating
instructions.
230Displays and operation
On-board computer and displays