2018 MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS ground clearance

General notes
HEnvironmental note
Protection of the environment is of primary
importance. Treat nature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Read this section carefully before driving your
vehicle off-road. Practice by driving over more
gentle off-road terrain first.
Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of
your vehicle and the gear shift operation before
driving through difficult terrain.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
R4ETS (Ypage 59)
ROff-road ABS (Ypage 59)
RTransfer case (Ypage 149)
RDifferential locks (Ypage 151)
Observe the following notes:
Rstop the vehicle before you drive off-road and,
if necessary, shift the transfer case to the
LOW RANGE off-road gear (
Ypage 149).
REngage the differential locks if necessary
(Ypage 151).
iABS, 4ETS, ESP®and BAS are deactivated
while the differential locks are engaged. This
allows the front wheels to lock briefly, so that
these can dig into a loose surface. However,
please note that locked wheels skid and can
no longer steer.
RCheck that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(
Ypage 214).
RTo avoid damaging the vehicle, make sure
there is always sufficient ground clearance.
RAlways keep the engine running and in gear
when driving on a downhill gradient.
RAlways keep the engine running and in gear
when driving down an incline.
RDrive slowly and evenly, if necessary at a
walking pace.
REnsure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at all times.
RDrive with extreme care on unfamiliar off-road
routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea-
sons, get out of the vehicle first and survey
the off-road route.
RCheck the depth of water before fording rivers
and streams.
RWatch out for obstacles.
RAlways keep the doors, rear door, side win-
dows and the sliding sunroof closed while the
vehicle is in motion.
RSwitch off cruise control.
RDo not deviate from marked routes.
RAdapt your speed to the terrain. The rougher,
steeper or more ruts on the terrain, the slower
your speed should be.
RDo not jump with the vehicle. as this will inter-
rupt the vehicle's propulsion.
RAvoid high engine speeds. Drive at appropri-
ate engine speeds (maximum 3,000 rpm).
RDo not shift the automatic transmission to
position i.
RAlways check the vehicle for damage after off-
road driving.
Do 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 surfaces.
You can obtain further information about mount-
ing special all-terrain tires from a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Checklist before driving off-road
!If the engine oil warning lamp lights up while
the vehicle is in motion, stop the vehicle in a
safe place as soon as possible. Check the
engine oil level. The engine oil warning lamp
warning must not be ignored. Continuing the
journey while the symbol is displayed could
lead to engine damage.
XEngine oil level: check the engine oil level
and add oil if necessary.
When driving on steep gradients, the engine
oil level must be sufficiently high to ensure a
correct oil supply in the vehicle.
XTire-changing tool kit: check that the jack is
working and make sure you have the lug
wrench, a robust tow cable and a folding
spade in the vehicle.
XWheels and tires: check the tire tread depth
and tire pressure.
XCheck for damage and remove any foreign
objects, e.g. small stones, from the wheels/
tires.
XReplace any missing valve caps.
130Driving tips
Driving and parking

XReplacedente dor damaged wheels. Als o
chec kth espar ewheel.
XRims: dentedor ben trim scan result in aloss
of tire pressur eand damag eth etire bead.
Before driving off-road, chec kth ewheels and
replace them if necessary.
Checklist after driving off-road
!If you detec tdamag eto th evehicl eafter
driving off-road, hav eth evehicl echecke d
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Drivin gove rroug hterrain places greate r
demand son your vehicl ethan driving on normal
roads. Afte rdriving off-road, chec kth evehicle.
This allows you to detec tdamag epromptly and
reduce th eris kof an acciden tto yourself and
other road users.
XShift th etransfer cas eto th eon-road position
HIG HRANGE (Ypage 149).
XDisengage th edifferential locks
(Ypage 153).
XClean th eheadlamps and rear lights and
chec kfor damage.
XClean th efron tand rear license plates.
XClean th ewheels and tires wit h awater je t
and remove any foreign objects .
XClean thewheels, whee lhousing sand th e
vehicl eunderside wit h awater jet; chec kfor
any foreign objects and damage.
XChec kwhether twigs or other part sof plants
hav ebecome trapped .These increas eth eris k
of fir eand can damag efuel pipes ,brak e
hoses or th erubber bellows of th eaxl ejoint s
and propelle rshafts .
XAfterth etrip, examin ewithout fail th eentire
undercarriage, wheels, tires ,brakes, body-
wor kstructure, steering ,chassi sand exhaust
system for damage.
XAfte rdriving in sand, mud, gravel, water or
similar dirt yconditions, hav eth efollowin g
checke dand cleaned:
Rbrak edisc s
Rwheels
Rbrak epads
Raxl ejoint s
XIf you notice stron gvibration safter off-road
driving ,chec kfor foreign objects in th e
wheels and driv etrain and ,if necessary, remove them. Foreign objects can disturb th
e
balance and caus evibrations.
XCarr yout abrak etest .
Driving on sand
Observ eth efollowin grule swhen driving on
sand:
RShift th etransfer cas eto th eoff-road driving
position LOW RANGE (Ypage 149).
RAvoid high engin espeeds.
RShift th eautomatic transmission to alow
gear .
RDrive quickly to overcome th erollin gresist -
ance. Otherwise th evehicle's wheels could
become stuck in loos eground .
RDrive in th etrack sof other vehicles if possi-
ble. When doin gso, mak esur ethat:
-th etire rut sare no tto odeep
-th esan dis sufficientl yfir m
-your vehicl ehas sufficien tground clear-
anc e
Tire ruts and gravel roads
!Chec kthat th erut sare no tto odeep and
that your vehicl ehas sufficien tclearance .
Otherwise, your vehicl ecould be damaged or
botto mout and get stuck .
Observ eth efollowin grule swhen driving alon g
rut sin off-road terrain or on road swit hloos e
gravel:
RShift th etransfer cas eto th eoff-road driving
position LOW RANGE (Ypage 149).
RAvoid high engin espeeds.
RObserv eth esafet ynote s (Ypage 129) and
th egeneral note s (Ypage 130) on off-road
driving .
RShift th eautomatic transmission to alow
gear .
RDrive slowly.
RWher erut sare to odeep ,driv ewit hth e
wheels of on eside on th ecenter grassy area,
if possible.
Driving over obstacles
!Obstacles could damag eth efloor of th e
vehicl eor component sof th echassis. As k
passenger sfor guidance when driving ove r
larg eobstacles. The passenger should always
Driving tips131
Driving and parking
Z

keep a safe distance from the vehicle when
doing so in order to avoid injury as a result of
unexpected vehicle movements. After driving
off-road or over obstacles, check the vehicle
for possible damage, especially to the under-
body and the components of the chassis.
!Drive with particular care when driving over
an obstacle while driving up or down a steep
slope.
The vehicle could otherwise tilt and slide side-
ways or tip over.
Observe the following rules when driving over
tree stumps, large stones and other obstacles:
RObserve the safety notes (Ypage 129) and
the general notes (Ypage 130) on off-road
driving.
RShift the transfer case to the off-road driving
position LOW RANGE (Ypage 149).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RShift the automatic transmission to a low
gear.
RMake sure that you have enough ground
clearance before driving across an obstacle.
RDrive very slowly.
RTry to drive straight over the center of obsta-
cles: front wheel first, then rear wheel.
Traveling uphill
Approach/departure angle
GWARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
Always observe the approach/departure angle
values (
Ypage 290).
RObserve the safety notes (Ypage 129) and
general notes (Ypage 130) on driving off-
road.
RDo not drive at an angle on slopes, inclines or gradients, but instead follow the direct line of
fall. Note that the climbing ability of your vehi- cle depends on the terrain conditions.
RBefore driving on extreme uphill and downhill
gradients, shift the transfer case to the LOW
RANGE off-road gear (
Ypage 149).
REngage the differential locks if necessary
(Ypage 151).
RDrive slowly.
RAccelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
RAvoid high engine speeds, except when driv-
ing on sandy and muddy routes with high driv-
ing resistance.
RAvoid high engine speeds – drive at an appro-
priate engine speed (maximum 3,000 rpm).
RWhen driving down an incline, make use of the
engine's bra king effect. Observe the engine
speed; do not overrev the engine.
Further information on the maximum engine
speed (
Ypage 160).
RShift the automatic transmission to a low gear appropriate for tackling an uphill gradient or a
long, steep downhill gradient.
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away on
a hill. For further information about hill start
assist, see (
Ypage 107).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climbing ability values (Ypage 290).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immediately
before reaching the brow of the hill (do not shift
the transmission into N). Make use of the vehi-
cle's own impetus to travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
Rthe vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of a hill
Rloss of traction
Rthe vehicle from traveling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill
RDrive slowly.
RDo not drive at an angle down steep inclines.
Steer into the line of fall and drive with the
front wheels aligned straight. Otherwise, the
vehicle could slip sideways, tip and rollover.
132Driving tips
Driving an d parking