2018 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA SUV Owner's Manual

GWARNING
Limbs could be crushed or trapped if the
engine is started unintentionally during ser-
vice or maintenance work. There is a risk of
injury.
Always secure the engine against uninten-
tional starting before carrying out mainte-
nance or repair work.
Make sure that the engine cannot be started via
your smartphone before carrying out mainte-
nance or repairs. You can prevent an engine
start via your smartphone, for example, if you:
Rswitch on the hazard warning lamps
Rdo not lock the doors
Ropen the hood
Pulling away
General notes
GWARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
Depress the accelerator carefully when pulling
away.
The vehicle 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 (
Ypage 196).
It is possible to shift the transmission from posi-
tion jto 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.
At transmission fluid temperatures below Ò4 ‡
(Ò20†), you can only shift out of position jinto
another transmission position when the engine
is running.
iUpshifts take place at higher engine speeds
after a cold start. This helps the catalytic con-
verter to reach its operating temperature
more quickly.
Information on the automatic release of the
electric parking brake (
Ypage 145).
Hill start assist
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
forward 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 to
depress it before the vehicle begins to roll.
GWARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no lon-
ger brake your vehicle and it could 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.
Hill start assist is not active if:
Ryou are pulling away on a level road or on a
downhill gradient.
Rthe transmission is in position i.
Rthe electric parking brake is applied.
RESP®is malfunctioning.
Further information on holding the vehicle sta-
tionary on uphill gradients (
Ypage 136).
ECO start/stop function
Introduction
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle is stopped
under certain conditions.
Driving127
Driving and parking
Z

The engine starts automatically when the driver
wants to pull away again. The ECO start/stop
function thereby helps you to reduce the fuel
consumption and emissions of your vehicle.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the engine is switched off automatically and
you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted
automatically. The vehicle may begin moving.
There is a risk of accident and injury.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the ignition and secure the vehicle against
rolling away.
General notes
:ECO start/stop display
The ECO start/stop function is activated when-
ever you start the engine using the SmartKey or the Start/Stop button.
If the engine has been switched off automati-
cally by the ECO start/stop function, the è
ECO symbol is shown in the multifunction dis-
play.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the ECO start/stop
function is only available in drive program C.
Automatic engine switch-off
If the vehicle is braked to a standstill inDor N,
the ECO start/stop function switches off the
engine automatically.
The ECO start/stop function is operational
when:
Rthe indicator lamp in the ECO button is lit
green.
Rthe off-road program is deactivated.
Rthe outside temperature is within the range
that is suitable for the system.
Rthe engine is at normal operating tempera-
ture.
Rthe set temperature for the vehicle interior
has been reached.
Rthe battery is sufficiently charged.
Rthe system detects that the windshield is not
fogged up when the air-conditioning system is switched on.
Rthe hood is closed.
Rthe driver's door is closed and the driver's
seat belt is fastened.
All of the vehicle's systems remain active when
the engine is stopped automatically.
The HOLD function can also be activated if the
engine has been switched off automatically. It is
then not necessary to continue applying the
brakes during the automatic stop phase. When
you depress the accelerator pedal, the engine
starts automatically and the braking effect of
the HOLD function is deactivated.
Automatic engine switch-off can take place a
maximum of four times in a row (initial stop, then
three subsequent stops).
Automatic engine start
The engine starts automatically if:
Ryou switch off the ECO start/stop function by pressing the ECO button
Rin transmission position Dor Nthe brake
pedal is released and the HOLD function is not
active
Ryou depress the accelerator pedal
Ryou engage reverse gear R
Ryou move the transmission out of position P
Ryou activate the off-road program
Ryou unfasten your seat belt or open the driv-
er's door
Rthe vehicle starts to roll
Rthe brake system requires this
Rthe temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
Rthe system detects moisture on the wind-
shield when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
Rthe battery's condition of charge is too low
Shifting the transmission to position Pdoes not
start the engine.
128Driving
Driving and parking

Deactivating or activating theECO
start/stop function
XTo deactivate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;goe sout .
XTo activate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
If indicator lamp ;is off, th eEC Ostart/sto p
function has bee ndeactivated manually or as
th eresult of amalfunction .The engin ewill then
no tbe switched of fautomatically when th evehi-
cl e stops .
AMG Performance exhaust syste m
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles )
You can choosebetween differen tAM GPer -
formanc eexhaus tsystem volume susin gth e
position of th eexhaus tflap .
Each time you start th eengin ewit hth eSmart -
Key or th eStart/Sto pbutton, th equietest set -
ting is activated.
Settin gth evolume :
XPress butto n:.
If you selec tth eloudest setting ,indicator
lamp ;lights up.
Problem swit hth eengin e
ProblemPossible causes/consequences an dMSolutions
The engin edoe sno t
start .The HOLD function or Distanc ePilo tDISTRONIC is activated.
XDeactivat eth eHOLD function (Ypage 163) or Distanc ePilo t
DISTRONIC (Ypage 160).
XTryto start th eengin eagain .
The engin edoe sno t
start .The starter moto r
can be heard.RThere is amalfunction in th eengin eelectronics.
RThere is amalfunction in th efue lsupply.
Before attemptin gto start th eengin eagain :
XTurnth eSmartKey bac kto position gin th eignition lock.
or
XPress th eStart/Sto pbutto nrepeatedly until all indicator lamp sin
th einstrumen tcluster go out .
XTryto start th eengin eagain .Avoid excessivel ylon gand frequent
attempt sto start th eengin eas these will drain th ebattery.
If th eengin edoe sno tstart after severa lattempts:
XConsult aqualified specialis tworkshop .
Driving129
Driving and parking
Z

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The engine does not
start. You cannot hear
the starter motor.The on-board voltage is too low because the battery is too weak or
discharged.
XJump-start the vehicle (Ypage 291).
If the engine does not start despite attempts to jump-start it:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The starter motor was exposed to a thermal load that was too high.
XAllow the starter motor to cool down for approximately two minutes.
XTry to start the engine again.
If the engine still does not start:
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The engine is not running
smoothly and is misfir-
ing.There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic converter
and damage it.
XHave the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
The coolant temperature
gauge shows a value
above 248 ‡ (120 †).
The coolant warning
lamp may also be on and
a warning tone may
sound.The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine is no
longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 272). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
DYNAMIC SELECT button (all vehicles
except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Use the DYNAMIC SELECT button to change the
drive program. Depending on the drive program
selected the following vehicle characteristics
will change:
Rthe drive (engine and transmission manage-
ment)
Rthe sound of the exhaust system (vehicles
with sports exhaust system)
Rthe steering
Rthe availability of the ECO start/stop function
Rthe climate control
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-
Key or the Start/Stop button, drive program Cis
activated. For further information about starting
the engine, see (
Ypage 136).
XPress DYNAMIC SELECT button :as many
times as necessary until the desired drive
program is selected.
The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds the
display goes out and the status icon of the
selected drive program appears.
130DYNAMIC SELECT button (all vehicles except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Driving and parking

In addition, the current drive program settings
are displayed briefly in the multimedia systemdisplay.
iIn a few countries, the ECO start/stop func-
tion is deactivated at the factory due to the
available fuel grade. In this case, the ECO
start/stop function is not available in any
drive program, regardless of the display in the
multimedia system display.
Available drive programs:
C ComfortComfortable and economi-
cal driving characteristics
SSportSporty driving characteris-
tics
IIndividualIndividual settings
Off-roadOptimal driving characteris-
tics for easily negotiable off-
road terrain
E EconomyParticularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
(Ypage 136).
You can also change gear yourself using the
steering wheel paddle shifters. For further infor- mation on the manual drive program
(
Ypage 138).
DYNAMIC SELECT controller
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Use the DYNAMIC SELECT controller to change
the drive program. Depending on the drive pro-
gram selected the following vehicle character-
istics will change:
Rthe drive
Rthe transmission management
RESP®
Rthe suspension (vehicles with AMG adaptive
sport suspension system)
Rthe sound of the exhaust system
Rthe availability of the ECO start/stop function
Rthe availability of gliding mode
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-
Key or the Start/Stop button, drive program Cis
activated. For further information about starting
the engine, see (
Ypage 138).
XTurn DYNAMIC SELECT controller :as many
times as necessary until the desired drive
program is selected.
The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds the
display goes out and the status icon of the
selected drive program appears.
The drive program indicator on DYNAMIC
SELECT controller :lights up in red.
Available drive programs:
I IndividualIndividual settings
C ComfortComfort-oriented, opti-
mum-economy engine and
transmission settings
SSportSporty engine and trans-
mission settings
S+ Sport PlusParticularly sporty trans-
mission settings
RaceMaximum sportiness and
engine and transmission
settings suitable for the
racetrack
Additional information for drive programs
(Ypage 136).
You can also change gear yourself using the
steering wheel paddle shifters. For further infor- mation on the manual drive program
(
Ypage 138).
DYNAMIC SELECT controller (Mercedes-AMG vehicles)131
Driving and parking
Z

Automa tic trans mission
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If th eengin espee dis abov eth eidlin gspee d
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
th evehicl ecould pull away suddenly. There is
a ris kof an accident.
When engagin gtransmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress th ebrak epedal and do
no tsimultaneously accelerate .
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off th eengine.
The vehicl emay rol laway. There is aris kof an
accident.
Afte rswitching off th eengine, always switch
to parking position P.Preven tth eparked vehi-
cle from rollin gaway by applyin gth eparking
brake.
DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview oftrans mission positions
jPark position wit hparking loc k
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
All vehicles (excep tMercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): theDIRECT SELECT lever is on th eright of
th esteering column .
Fo rinformation on th eselector lever in
Mercedes-AM Gvehicles (
Ypage 134). The DIRECT SELECT lever always return
sto it s
original position .The curren ttransmission posi-
tion j,k, iorh is shown in th etransmis -
sion position display in th emultifunction display
(
Ypage 132).
Trans mission position and drive pr o-
gram display
The curren ttransmission position and drive pro -
gram appear in th emultifunction display.
:Transmission position
;Gear
=Drive program display
The arrows in th etransmission position display
sho whow and int owhic htransmission position s
you can shif tusin gth eDIRECT SELECT lever.
If th etransmission position display in th emul-
tifunction display is no tworking ,you should pull
away carefully to chec kwhether th edesired
transmission position is engaged. Ideally, you
should select transmission position hand
drive program Eor S.
Engaging pa rkposition P
!If th eengin espee dis to ohigh or th evehicl e
is coasting ,do no tshif tth eautomatic trans -
mission directl yfrom htok, from ktoh
or directl yto j. Otherwise ,th eautomatic
transmission may be damaged.
XPush th eDIRECT SELECT lever switch in th e
direction of arrow j.
Transmission position display jis shown in
th emultifunction display.
When you hav eengage dpark position j,mak e
sur ethat th etransmission position display
shows jin th emultifunction display.
You can only engage park position jwhen th e
vehicl eis stationary.
Depressing th ebrak eand pushing th eDIRECT
SELECT lever up or down disengages th epark -
ing lock. The transmission is in neutral i.
132Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

At transmission fluid temperatures belowÒ4 ‡
( 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:
Rdepress the brake pedal and
Rpush the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down
past the first point of resistance
Engaging park position P automatically
Park position jis automatically engaged if:
Ryou switch off the engine using the SmartKey
and remove the SmartKey
Ryou switch off the engine using the SmartKey
or using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door
Ryou 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
In certain situations, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts automatically to transmission posi-
tion jif the HOLD function or Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is activated. Observe the informa-
tion on the HOLD function (
Ypage 163) and on
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (Ypage 159).
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only move the automatic transmission to
k when the vehicle is stationary.
XDepress the brake and keep it pressed.
XPush the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the
first point of resistance.
The ECO start/stop function is not available
when reverse gear is engaged. Further informa-
tion on the ECO start/stop function
(
Ypage 128).
Shifting to neutral N
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake
Rshift the automatic transmission out of park
position P
Rstart the engine
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Never leave children or animals unattended in
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. This
also applies to mobile phones if the "Digital
Car Key in smartphone" function is activated
via the Mercedes me connect web app.
XIf the transmission is in position hork:
push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to
the first point of resistance.
XIf the transmission is in position j: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT
lever up or down to the first point of resist-
ance.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position korh, the automatic trans-
mission shifts to iautomatically.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the driv-
er's door or the front-passenger door or remove
the SmartKey from the ignition, the automatic
transmission shifts to jautomatically.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then open
the driver's door or the front-passenger door,
the automatic transmission shifts to jauto-
ma

tically.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral i, e.g. when having the vehi-
cle cleaned in an automatic car wash with a
towing system:
XVehicles with the Start-Stop button:
remove the Start-Stop button from the igni-
tion lock.
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
XAll vehicles: switch the ignition on.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XEngage neutral i.
XRelease the brake pedal.
Automatic transmission133
Driving and parking
Z

XReleaseth eelectric parking brake.
XSwitc hoff th eignition and leav eth eSmartKey
in th eignition lock.
Engaging drive position D
XIf th etransmission is in position kori:
push th eDIRECT SELECT lever down past th e
first poin tof resistance.
XIf th etransmission is in position j:depress
th ebrak epedal and push th eDIRECT SELECT
lever down past th efirst poin tof resistance.
Selector lever (Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles)
Overview of transmission positions
jPark position wit hparking loc k
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
The currenttransmission position and driv epro -
gram appear in th emultifunction display.
:Transmissio nposition display
;Drive program display If th
etransmission position display in th emul-
tifunction display is no tworking, you should pull
away carefully to chec kwhether th edesired
transmission position is engaged. Ideally, you
should select transmission position hand
driv eprogram Cor S.
Engaging park position P
XWhen th evehicl eis stationary, press but -
to n:.
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only mov eth eautomatic transmission to
k when th evehicl eis stationary.
XDepress th ebrak eand keep it pressed.
XPush th eselector lever forwards past th efirst
poin tof resistance.
134Automatic transmission
Driving and parking