2018 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA SUV clutch

Holding the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients
GWARNING
If the clutch overheats, the electronic man-
agement system is automatically deactivated. This interrupts the power transmission. The
vehicle may, for example, roll backwards on
gradients. There is a risk of an accident.
Never hold the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients by depressing the accelerator.
The clutch may overheat if you hold the vehicle
stationary on uphill gradients by depressing the
accelerator pedal. If the clutch overheats, a
warning tone sounds.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): theStop Vehicle Shift to 'P'
Leave Engine Runningdisplay message
appears in the multifunction display. You will
only be able to continue your journey once the
clutch has cooled down and the display mes-
sage in the multifunction display has disap-
peared.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: theTrans. Oil
Overheated Drive on with Caredisplay
message appears in the multifunction display.
Do not hold the vehicle stationary on uphill gra-
dients by depressing the accelerator pedal.
Instead, only ever hold the vehicle stationary on uphill gradients by:
Rdepressing the brake pedal
Ractivating the HOLD function
Rengaging the electric parking brake
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
XDepress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a lower
gear depending on the engine speed.
XEase off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: it is only possible to
use kickdown in the automatic drive program
and the temporary manual drive program M.
When manual drive program Mis permanently
activated, kickdown is not possible. For further information on kickdown in manual
drive program
M(
Ypage 140).
Rocking the vehicle free
Shifting back and forth between transmission
positions hand kcan help to free up the
vehicle if it gets stuck in mud or snow. The vehi-
cle's engine management system limits the
speed to a maximum of 5 mph (9 km/h) when
shifting back and forth. To shift repeatedly
between transmission positions hand k,
move the DIRECT SELECT lever up and down
past the point of resistance.
Drive programs
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG
vehicles)
Drive program C (Comfort)
Drive program Cis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicle delivers comfortable, economical
handling characteristics.
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently in forward
and reverse gears, unless the accelerator
pedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle has improved driving stability, for
example on slippery road surfaces.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
The vehicle is driven in the low engine speed
range and the wheels are less likely to spin.
Drive program S (Sport)
Drive program Sis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rsporty engine settings.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.
The fuel consumption possibly being higher
as a result of the later automatic transmission
shift points.
Drive program I (Individual)
In drive program Ithe following properties of the
drive program can be selected:
Rthe drive (engine and transmission manage-
ment)
Rthe steering
136Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Rthe availability of the ECO start/stop function
Rthe climate control
Information about configuring drive program I
with the multimedia system can be found in the
Digital Operator's Manual.
iTo permanently select the gears in drive
program Iusing the steering wheel paddle
shifters, select the M(manual) setting for the
drive.
Offroad drive program
The Off-road drive program is characterized by
the following:
Rthe vehicle exhibits optimal driving charac-
teristics on easily negotiable off-road terrain.
Drive program E (Economy)
Drive program Eis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rcomfort-oriented engine settings.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently in forward
and reverse gears, unless the accelerator
pedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle has improved driving stability, for
example on slippery road surfaces.
Rthe automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being driven
at lower engine speeds and the wheels being
less likely to spin.
Rgliding mode is activated automatically when
engine-internal conditions are fulfi lled and
the accelerator is not depressed. At the same
time the transmission’s clutch opens and the
vehicle rolls freely using its kinetic energy. As
a result great distances can be completed
without the engine brake and fuel consump-
tion reduced.
iThe availability of gliding mode depends on
various factors, including the following:
Rthe engine and transmission temperature
Rthe downhill gradient
Rthe vehicle speed
Rperforming regular adaptation functions
When you depress the brake pedal, gliding
mode is deactivated, depending on pedal
pressure. When you activate cruise control or Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC, gliding mode is not availa-
ble.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles
Drive program I (Individual)
In drive program Ithe following properties of the
drive program can be selected:
Rthe drive (engine management)
Rthe transmission management
Rthe suspension (vehicles with AMG adaptive
sport suspension system)
RESP®
Information about configuring drive program I
with the multimedia system can be found in the Digital Operator's Manual.
Drive program C (Comfort)
Drive program Cis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicle delivers comfortable, economical
handling characteristics.
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently in forward
and reverse gears, unless the accelerator
pedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle has improved driving stability, for
example on slippery road surfaces.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from the
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
The vehicle is driven in the low engine speed
range and the wheels are less likely to spin.
Rgliding mode is available.
Rthe ECO start/stop function is available.
Drive program S (Sport)
Drive program Sis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicle exhibits sporty driving character-
istics.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.
The fuel consumption possibly being higher
as a result of the later automatic transmission shift points.
Rthe suspension exhibits stiff springing and
damping settings (vehicles with AIR adaptive
sport suspension system).
Rgliding mode is not available.
Rthe ECO start/stop function is not available.
Automatic transmission137
Driving an d parking
Z

Canceling start-off assist
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
XReactivate ESP®.
RACE START (Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles)
Important safety notes
iRACE ST ART must not beused on normal
roads. RACE ST ART must only be activated
and used on dedicated road circuits, outside
of public road use.
iRACE ST ARTisonly availab le in
Mercedes‑AMG veh icles.
GWAR NING
If you use RACE ST ART, individual tires may
start to spinand the veh iclecould skid.
Dependin g on the selected ESP
®mode, there
is an increased risk of skiddin g and having an
acc iden t. Make sure that no persons, animals
or obstacles are within range of the veh icle.
RACE ST ART enables optimal acceleration from
a standing start. For this, a suitably high-grip
road surface isrequired and the veh icleand tires
must be ingood working order.
iObserve the safety notes on driving safety
systems (Ypage 60).
Be sure to read the safety notes and informa-
tion on ESP
®(Ypage 63).
Conditions for activation
You can activate RACE START if:
Rthe doors, hood and the trunk lidare closed.
Rthe engine isrunning and the transmission,
all- wheel drive clutch and the engine are at
operating temperature.
Rthe steering wheel is inthe straight-ahead
position.
Rthe veh icle isstationary and the brake pedal is
depr essed (left foot).
Rthe transmission is inposition h.
Rdrive program S,S+ orRACE isselected
(Ypage 131)
Activating RACE START
XDepress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
XPull and hold both steering wheel paddle shift-
ers.
XThe RACE START Confirm: Paddle UPCancel: Paddle DOWNmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
XRelease both steering wheel paddle shifters.
iIf the activation conditions are no longer ful-
fille d,RACE START is canceled. The RACE
START Not Possible See Operator'sManualmessage appears in the multifunction
display.
XTo cancel: pull the left steering wheel paddle
shifter (Ypage 138).
or
XTo confi rm:pull the right steering wheel pad-
dle shifter (Ypage 138).
The RACESTARTAvailableDepressgaspedalmessage appears inthe multifunction
display.
iIf you donot depress the accelerator pedal
wit hin a few seconds, RACE START is can-
celed. The multifunction display shows the
RACE START Canceled
message.
XFully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed is increased.
The RACE
STARTReleasebraketostartmessage appears in the multifunction display.
iIfyou do not release the brake pedal within
a short time, RACE START willbe canceled.
The multifunction display shows theRACE
START Canceledmessage.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-
ation.
The RACE
STARTActivemessage appears in
the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 50 km/h.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if you
release the accelerator pedal during RACE
ST ART or ifany of the activation conditions are
no longer fulfilled. The RACE START Not Pos‐
sible See Operator's ManualorRACESTART Canceledmessage appears inthe mul-
tifunction display.
164Driving systems
Driving and parking