2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS-Class SUV towing

HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
iDo not use the HOLD function when driving
off-road, on steep uphill or downhill gradients
or on slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD
function cannot hold the vehicle on such sur-
faces.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
!When DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD func-
tion is activated, the vehicle brakes automat-
ically in certain situations.
To avoid damage 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 (
Ypage 185).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
Rthe vehicle is stationary
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 your seat belt is
fastened
Rthe electric parking brake is released
Rthe transmission is in position D,R or N
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function
XMake sure that the activation conditions are
met.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XQuickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
iIf depressing the brake pedal the first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
Ryou accelerate and the transmission is in
position Dor R.
Ryou shift the transmission to position P.
Ryou depress the brake pedal again with a cer-
tain amount of pressure until :disappears
from the multifunction display.
Ryou secure the vehicle using the electric park- ing brake.
Ryou activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
iAfter a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
Driving systems185
Driving and parking
Z

Towing a trailer
When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. In this event, Blind Spot Assist is deac-tivated. The indicator lamp lights up yellow in
the exterior mirrors and the Blind Spot
Assist Not Available When Towing aTrailer See Operator's Manualmessage
appears in the multifunction display.
iYou can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, switch off Blind Spot Assist when:
Rthe SmartKey is in position 2in the ignition
lock
Rthe engine is not running
Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
:Lane Keeping Assist camera
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicle with camera :, which is mounted
at the top of the windshield. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally.
This function is available in the range between
40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and 200 km/h).
A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by means of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel for
up to 1.5 second s.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Lane Keeping Assist may not always clearly
recognize lane markings.
In this case, Lane Keeping Assist may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and stay in lane, in particular if
warned by Lane Keeping Assist.
GWARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning does not
return the vehicle to the original lane. There is
a risk of an accident.
You should always steer, brake or accelerate
yourself, in particular if warned by Lane Keep-
ing Assist.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lane Keep-
ing Assist can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Lane
Keeping Assist cannot take into account the
road, traffic and weather conditions. Lane Keep- ing Assist is merely an aid. You are responsible
for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehi-
cle speed, for braking in good time and for stay-
ing in your lane.
The Lane Keeping Assist does not keep the vehi-
cle in the lane.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
Rthere are no, several or unclear lane markings
for a lane, e.g. in areas with road construction
work
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge
Driving systems209
Driving and parking
Z

Rthe LOW RANGE offroad gear is activated
(vehicles with the Offroad Engineering pack-
age).
Ra loss of tire pressure or a defective tire is
detected.
Switching on Active Blind Spot Assist
XMake sure that Active Blind Spot Assist is
activated in the on-board computer
(
Ypage 238).
XTurn the SmartKey to position2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :in the exterior mirrors light
up red for approximately 1.5 seconds and
then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is then deacti-
vated. The indicator lamp lights up yellow in the
exterior mirrors and the Active Blind Spot
Asst. Not Available When Towing aTrailer See Operator's Manualmessage
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of multifunction
camera :at the top of the windshield. Various
different areas to the front, rear and side of your
vehicle are also monitored with the aid of the
radar sensor system. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. If you do not react to the warning, a lane-correcting application of the brakes can
bring the vehicle back into the original lane.
This function is available in a speed range
between 40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and
200 km/h).
For Active Lane Keeping Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active Lane
Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of
accident nor override the laws of physics. Active
Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in your lane.
Active
Lane Ke
eping Assist cannot continuously
keep your vehicle in its lane.
GWARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle
Rnot give a warning or intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
Driving system s213
Driving an d parking
Z

Ra driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ESP®,
PRE-SAFE®Brake or Active Blind Spot Assist.
Ryou have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of accel-
eration.
RESP®is switched off.
Rthe transmission is not in position D.
Ron vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the elec-
trical connection to the trailer has been cor-
rectly established.
Rthe offroad program is activated (vehicles
without the Offroad Engineering package).
Rthe Offroad or Offroad Plus drive program is
activated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engi-
neering package).
Rthe LOW RANGE offroad gear is activated
(vehicles with the Offroad Engineering pack-
age).
Ran obstacle has been detected in the lane in
which you are driving.
Rwhen a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire
has been detected and displayed.
There is a possibility that the Active Lane Keep-
ing Assist could misjudge the given traffic sit-
uation. An inappropriate brake application may
be interrupted at any time if you:
Rsteer slightly in the opposite direction.
Rswitch on the turn signal.
Rclearly brake or accelerate.
A lane-correcting brake application is interrup-
ted automatically if:
Ra driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ESP®,
PRE-SAFE®Brake or Active Blind Spot Assist.
Rlane markings are no longer detected.
Switching on Active Lane Keeping Assist
XSwitch on Active Lane Keeping Assist using
the on-board computer; to do so, select
Standard
or Adaptive(Ypage 238).
If you drive at speeds above 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected,
the lines in the assistance graphics display
(
Ypage 237) are shown in green. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is ready for use.
If Standard
is selected, no warning vibration
occurs if:
Ryou switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP®.
When Adaptive
is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
Ryou switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time.
Ra driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ABS, BAS or ESP®.
Ryou accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
Ryou brake hard.
Ryou steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lanes quickly.
Ryou cut the corner on a sharp bend.
Towing a trailer
When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. Lane-correcting brake application does
not take place when towing a trailer. Active Lane Keeping Assist is not activated and the lines in
the assistance graphic are gray.
Off-road driving systems
4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive)
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are perma-
nently driven. Together with ESP®and 4ETS, it
improves the traction of your vehicle whenever
a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic conditions.
4MATIC is only an aid. You are responsible for
the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
!Never tow the vehicle with 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
remain either on the ground or be fully raised.
Observe the instructions for towing the vehi-
cle with all wheels in full contact with the
ground.
Driving systems215
Driving and parking
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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

driving characteristics and the trailer can
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
You should only ever install a ball coupling
that has the permissible dimensions and thatis designed to meet your trailer-towing
requirements. Do not modify the ball coupling
or the trailer tow hitch.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the vehicle identification plates and
those for the towing vehicle under "Technical
data" (
Ypage 387).
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed correctly or not secured with the bolt provided and the
corresponding spring cotter, the trailer may
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter.
GWARNING
When the vehicle/trailer combination begins
to lurch, you could lose control of it. The vehi- cle/trailer combination could even rollover.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten up the vehicle/trailer combination
by increasing the speed. Reduce vehicle
speed and do not countersteer. Apply the
brake as necessary.
Please observe the manufacturer's operating
instructions for the trailer coupling if a detach-
able trailer coupling is used.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If you
do not couple the trailer to the towing vehicle
correctly, the trailer could become detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
Rthe permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
Rthe permissible trailer load
Rthe permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
Rthe 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:
Rin the vehicle documents
Ron the identification plates for the trailer tow
hitch and the trailer
Ron the vehicle identification plate
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison
with when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
Ris heavier
Ris restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
Rhas an increased braking distance
Ris affected more by strong crosswinds
Rdemands more sensitive steering
Rhas a larger turning circle
This could impair the handling characteristics.
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
!If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
changes to the cooling system and drive train
may be necessary, depending on the vehicle
type.
If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
observe the anchorage points on the chassis
frame.
RDo not exceed the legally prescribed maxi-
mum speed for vehicle/trailer combinations
in the relevant country.
This lowers the risk of an accident.
ROnly install an approved trailer coupling on
your vehicle.
Further information on availability and on
installation is available from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
RThe bumpers of your vehicle are not suitable
for installing detachable trailer couplings.
222Towing a trailer
Driving and parking

RDo not install hired trailer couplings or other
detachable trailer couplings on the bumpers
of your vehicle.
RIf you no longer need the ball coupling,
remove it from the ball coupling recess. This
will reduce the risk of damage to the ball cou-
pling.
When towing a trailer, set the tire pressure on
the rear axle of the towing vehicle for the max-
imum load. You will find the values in the tire
pressure table in the fuel filler flap of the vehicle (
Ypage 364).
Please note that when towing a trailer, the fol-
lowing driving systems have limited availability
or are not available at all:
RParking Assist PARKTRONIC (Ypage 190)
RBlind Spot Assist (Ypage 207)
RActive Lane Keeping Assist (Ypage 213)
On vehicles without level control, the height of
the ball coupling will alter according to the load
placed on the vehicle. If necessary, use a trailer
with a height-adjustable drawbar.
You will find installing dimensions and loads
under "Technical data" (
Ypage 387).
Driving tips
Observe the information on ESP®trailer stabili-
zation (Ypage 68) and on pulling away with a
trailer (Ypage 141).
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
permissible speed is. Observe the legally pre-
scribed 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 "Technical data" to
find out whether this applies to your vehicle
(
Ypage 387). If you utilize any of the added
maximum rear axle load when towing a trailer,
the vehicle/trailer combination may not exceed
a maximum speed of 60 mph (100 km/h) for
reasons concerning the operating permit. This
also applies in countries in which the permissi-
ble maximum speed for vehicle/trailer combi-
nations is above 60 mph (100 km/h).
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison
with when driving without a trailer. Use the left-hand steering wheel paddle shifter
to shift into a lowe
r g
ear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients.
This also applies if you have activated cruise
control or Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
This will use the braking effect of the engine, so that less braking will be required to maintain the
speed. This relieves the load on the brake sys-
tem and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. If you need additional
braking, depress the brake pedal repeatedly
rather than continuously.
Driving tips
If the trailer swings from side to side:
XDo not accelerate.
XDo not counter-steer.
XBrake if necessary.
RMaintain a greater distance from the vehicle
in front than when driving without a trailer.
RAvoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake gen-tly at first to allow the trailer to run on. Then,
increase the braking force rapidly.
RThe 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, decreases with increasing altitude.
Installing the ball coupling
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly installed
and secured, it can come loose during the
journey and endanger other road users. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter.
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed correctly or not secured with the bolt provided and the
corresponding spring cotter, the trailer may
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
Towing a trailer223
Driving an d parking
Z

Always install and secure the ball coupling asdescribed. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter.
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed and secured
correctly the trailer may come loose. There is
a risk of an accident.
Install and secure the ball coupling as descri-
bed in the ball coupling installation instruc-
tions. Make sure that the ball coupling is
installed and secured correctly before every
journey.
XPull protective cap :in the direction of the
arrow, out of the ball coupling recess.
XStow protective cap :so that it cannot be
thrown around.
Observe the loading guidelines (
Ypage 294)
and the safety notes regarding stowage
spaces (
Ypage 294).
XInsert the ball coupling horizontally into ball
coupling recess ;in the direction of the
arrow until the holes in ball coupling =are in
line with the holes in ball coupling recess ?.
XSlide boltAinto the hole in the ball coupling
recess and the ball coupling to the stop.
224Towing a trailer
Driving an d parking