
Sports Utility Vehicle
GWARNING
Due to the high center of gravity, the vehicle
may start to skid and roll over in the event of
an abrupt steering maneuver and/or when
the vehicle's speed is not adapted to the road
conditions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
the vehicle's driving characteristics and to the
prevailing road and weather conditions.
Utility vehicles have a significantly higher roll-
over rate than other types of vehicles.
Failure to operate this vehicle safely may result
in an accident, rollover of the vehicle, and severe
or fatal injury.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is signif-
icantly more likely to die than a person wearing
a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should always
wear your seat belts.
Operating safety
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you do not have the prescribed service/
maintenance work or any required repairs
carried out, this can result in malfunctions or system failures. There is a risk of an accident.
Always have the prescribed service/mainte-
nance work as well as any required repairs
carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.
GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system. There is a risk of fire.
When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
GWARNING
Modifications to electronic components, their software as well as wiring can impair their
function and/or the function of other net-
worked components. In particular, systems
relevant to safety could also be affected. As a
result, these may no longer function as inten-
ded and/or jeopardize the operating safety of
the vehicle. There is an increased risk of an
accident and injury.
Never tamper with the wiring as well as elec-
tronic components or their software. You
should have all work to electrical and elec-
tronic equipment carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
!There is a risk of damage to the vehicle if:
Rthe vehicle becomes stuck, e.g. on a high
curb or an unpaved road
Ryou drive too fast over an obstacle, e.g. a
curb, speed bumps or a pothole in the road
Ra heavy object strikes the underbody or
parts of the chassis
In situations like this, the body, the under-
body, chassis parts, wheels or tires could be
damaged without the damage being visible.
Components damaged in this way can unex-
pectedly fail or, in the case of an accident, no longer withstand the strain they are designed
to.
If the underbody paneling is damaged, com-
bustible materials such as leaves, grass or
twigs can gather between the underbody and
the underbody paneling. If these materials
come in contact with hot parts of the exhaustsystem, they can catch fire.
In such situations, have the vehicle checked
and repaired immediately at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. If on continuing your jour-
ney you notice that driving safety is impaired,
pull over and stop the vehicle immediately,
paying attention to road and traffic condi-
tions. In such cases, consult a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Declarations of conformity
USA: "The wireless devices of this vehicle com-
ply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the two following two conditions: 1)
28Introduction

These devices may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and 2) These devices must accept any
interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation. Changes
or modifications not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the
user’s authority to operate the equipment."
Canada:"The wireless devices of this vehicle
comply with Industry Canada license-exempt
RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions: (1) These devices may
not cause interference, and (2) These devices
must accept any interference, including inter-
ference that may cause undesired operation of
the device."
Diagnostics connection
The diagnostics connection is only intended for
the connection of diagnostic equipment at a
qualified specialist workshop.
GWARNING
If you connect equipment to a diagnostics
connection in the vehicle, it may affect the
operation of vehicle systems. As a result, the
operating safety of the vehicle could be affec-
ted. There is a risk of an accident.
Only connect equipment to a diagnostics con-
nection in the vehicle, which is approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.
GWARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle is
jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another.
!If the engine is switched off and equipment
on the diagnostics connection is used, the
starter battery may discharge.
Connecting equipment to the diagnostics con-
nection can lead to emissions monitoring infor- mation being reset, for example. This may lead
to the vehicle failing to meet the requirements of
the next emissions test during the main inspec-
tion.
Qualified specialist workshop
An authorized Mercedes-Benz Center is a quali-
fied specialist workshop. It has the necessary
specialist knowledge, tools and qualifications to
correctly carry out the work required on your
vehicle. This is especially the case for work rel-
evant to safety.
Observe the notes in the Maintenance Booklet.
Always have the following work carried out at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center:
Rwork relevant to safety
Rservice and maintenance work
Rrepair work
Ralterations, installation work and modifica-
tions
Rwork on electronic components
Correct use
If you remove any warning stickers, you or oth-
ers could fail to recognize certain dangers.
Leave warning stickers in position.
Observe the following information when driving
your vehicle:
Rthe safety notes in this manual
Rthe vehicle technical data
Rtraffic rules and regulations
Rlaws and safety standards pertaining to motor
vehicles
Problems with your vehicle
If you should experience a problem with your
vehicle, particularly one that you believe may
affect its safe operation, we urge you to contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center immedi-
ately to have the problem diagnosed and recti-
fied. If the problem is not resolved to your sat-
isfaction, please discuss the problem again with
the Mercedes-Benz Center or, if necessary, con-
tact us at one of the following addresses.
In the USA
Customer Assistance Center
Introduction29
Z

special equipment is required. In addition to the
vehicle manufacturer, other parties that have
the special equipment, such as law enforce-
ment, can read the information by accessing thevehicle or the EDR.
EDR data may be used in civil and criminal mat-
ters as a tool in accident reconstruction, acci-
dent claims and vehicle safety. Since the Crash
Data Retrieval CDR tool that is used to extract
data from the EDR is commercially available,
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC ("MBUSA") expressly
disclaims any and all liability arising from the
extraction of this information by unauthorized
Mercedes-Benz personnel.
MBUSA will not share EDR data with others
without the consent of the vehicle owners or, if
the vehicle is leased, without the consent of the
lessee. Exceptions to this representation
include responses to subpoenas by law enforce-
ment; by federal, state or local government; in
connection with or arising out of litigation involv-ing MBUSA or its subsidiaries and affiliates; or,
as required by law.
Warning: The EDR is a component of the
Restraint System Module. Tampering with, alter-
ing, modifying or removing the EDR component
may result in a malfunction of the Restraint Sys- tem Module and other systems.
State laws or regulations regarding EDRs that
conflict with federal regulation are pre-empted.
This means that in the event of such conflict, the federal regulation governs. As of February 2013,
13 states have enacted laws relating to EDRs.
Information on copyright
General information
Information on license for free and open-source
software used in your vehicle and its electronic
components is available on the following web-
site:
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/opensource
32Introduction

Cockpit
FunctionPage
:Steering wheel paddle shift-
ers150
;Combination switch113
=Instrument cluster34
?Horn
ADIRECT SELECT lever146
BParking Assist PARKTRONIC
warning display192
COverhead control panel39
DClimate control systems123
EIgnition lock138
Start/Stop button138
FunctionPage
FAdjusts the steering wheel
manually105
GAdjusts the steering wheel
electrically105
Steering wheel heating106
HCruise control lever172
IOpens the hood319
JDiagnostics connection29
KElectric parking brake160
LLight switch112
Cockpit33
At a glance

Instrument cluster
FunctionPage
:Speedometer wit hsegments22 9
Warning and indicator lamps:
å ESP®OF F279
! ABS277
Braking276
$ (USAonly)
J (Canada only)
LLow-beam headlamps113
T Parking lamp s113
÷ ESP®27 9
K High-beam headlamps113
Electric parking brak e(red)28 2
F (USAonly)
! (Canada only)
!Electric parking brak e
(yellow)28 2
· Distanc ewarning28 5
;#! Turn signals113
=Multifunction display231
FunctionPag e
?Tachometer229
Warning and indicator lamps:
R Rear fog lamp113
; Enginediagnostics28 3
h Tirepressur emonitor28 6
6 Restrain tsystem42
ü Seat belt s275
% Diesel engine: preglow140
ACoolan ttemperature gauge23 0
Warning and indicator lamps:
? Coolan t283
BFue llevel indicator
Warning and indicator lamps:
8 Reserve fuel wit hfuel
filler flap location indicator
(right-hand side )
283
CInstrumen tcluste rlighting22 9
iInformation on displayin gth eoutside tem-
peratur ein th emultifunction display can be foun
dunder "Outside temperature display"
(Ypage 229).
34Instrument cluster
At a glance

Center console
Center console, upper section
FunctionPage
:Multimedia system (see the
separate operating instruc-
tions)
;cSeat heating103
=sSeat ventilation104
?cParking Assist
PARKTRONIC190
Aè ECO start/stop func-
tion142
FunctionPage
B£ Hazard warning lamps114
CPASSENGER AIR BAG indica-
tor lamp42
ATA indicator lamp72
DåESP®67
36Center console
At a glance

Panic alarm
XTo activate:press!button :for at least
one second.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed.
XTo deactivate: press!button :again.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or
XPress the KEYLESS-GO Start/Stop button.
The KEYLESS-GO key must be in the vehicle.
Occupant safety
Introduction to the restraint system
The restraint system can reduce the risk of vehi- cle occupants coming into contact with parts of
the vehicle's interior in the event of an accident.
The restraint system can also reduce the forces to which vehicle occupants are subjected during
an accident.
The restraint system comprises:
Rseat belt system
Rair bags
Rchild restraint system
Rchild seat securing systems
The components of the restraint system work in
conjunction with each other. They can only
deploy their protective function if, at all times, all vehicle occupants:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly
(Ypage 44)
Rhave adjusted their seat and head restraint
properly (Ypage 94). As the driver, you also have to make sure that
the steering wheel is adjusted correctly.
Observe the information relating to the correct
driver's seat position (
Ypage 94).
You also have to make sure that an air bag can
inflate properly if deployed (
Ypage 46).
An air bag supplements a correctly worn seat
belt. As an additional safety device, the air bag
increases the level of protection for vehicle
occupants in the event of an accident. For exam-
ple, if, in the event of an accident, the protection
offered by the seat belt is sufficient, the air bags are not deployed. When an accident occurs, only
the air bags that increase protection in that par-ticular accident situation are deployed. How-
ever, seat belts and air bags generally do not
protect against objects penetrating the vehicle
from the outside.
Information on restraint system operation can
be found under "Triggering of the Emergency
Tensioning Devices and air bags" (
Ypage 53).
For information on children traveling with you in
the vehicle and on child restraint systems, see
"Children in the vehicle" (
Ypage 57).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Modifications to the restraint system may
cause it to no longer work as intended. The
restraint system may then not perform its
intended protective function and may fail in an
accident or trigger unexpectedly, for example.
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify parts of the restraint system.
Never tamper with the wiring, the electronic
components or their software.
If it is necessary to modify components of the
restraint system to accommodate a person
with disabilities, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for details. USA only:
for further information contact our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1‑800‑367‑6372).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use
driving aids which have been approved specifi-
cally for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.
Occupant safety41
Safety
Z

Restraint system warning lamp
The functions of the restraint system are
checked after the ignition is switched on and at
regular intervals while the engine is running.
Therefore, malfunctions can be detected in
good time.
The6 restraint system warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on. It goes out no later than a few sec-
onds after the vehicle is started. The compo-
nents of the restraint system are in operational
readiness.
A malfunction has occurred if the 6restraint
system warning lamp:
Rdoes not light up after the ignition is switched
on
Rdoes not go out after a few seconds with the
engine running
Rlights up again while the engine is running
GWARNING
If the restraint system is malfunctioning,
restraint system components may be trig-
gered unintentionally or may not deploy as
intended during an accident. This can affect
for example the Emergency Tensioning
Device or the air bag. This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired in a qualified specialist workshop as
soon as possible.
PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamp
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp :and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp ;are
part of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS). The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front air bag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for 60 sec-
onds, subsequently both indicator lamps are
off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and OFF): the
front-passenger front air bag is able to deploy
in the event of an accident.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated. It will
then not be deployed in the event of an acci-
dent.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp is
off, only the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp shows the status of the front-passenger
front air bag. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp may be lit continuously or be off.
Depending on the person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger front air bag must
either be deactivated or enabled; see the fol-
lowing points. You must make sure of this both
before and during a journey.
RChildren in a child restraint system:
whether the front-passenger front air bag is
enabled or deactivated depends on the instal-led child restraint system, and the age and
size of the child. Therefore, be sure to observe
the notes on the "Occupant Classification
System (OCS)" (
Ypage 48) and on "Chil-
dren in the vehicle" (Ypage 57). There you
will also find instructions on rearward and
forward-facing child restraint systems on the
front-passenger seat.
RAll other persons: depending on the classi-
fication of the person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger front air bag is ena-
bled or deactivated (
Ypage 48). Be sure to
observe the notes on "Seat
belts“ (
Ypage 42) and "Air bags"
(Ypage 46). There you can also find infor-
mation on the correct seat position.
Seat belts
Introduction
Seat belts are the most effective means of
restricting the movement of vehicle occupants
in the event of an accident or the vehicle rolling over. This reduces the risk of vehicle occupants
coming into contact with parts of the vehicle
interior or being ejected from the vehicle. Fur-
thermore, the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
42Occupant safety
Safety