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R
Take care when turning on an uphill or down-
hill slope or when driving across a slope. The
vehicle could otherwise tip over. R
Always keep the side windows and the pano-
rama roof with power tilt/sliding panel closed
during the journey. R
Do not deviate from marked routes.
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.
Checklist before driving off-road X
Engine 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. X
Wheels and tires: check the tire tread depth
and tire pressure. X
Check for damage and remove any foreign
objects, e.g. small stones, from the wheels/
tires. X
Replace any missing valve caps. X
Replace dented or damaged wheels. X
Rims: dented or bent rims can result in a loss
of tire pressure and damage the tire bead.
Before driving off-road, check the wheels and
replace them if necessary.
Checklist after driving off-road
! If you detect damage to the vehicle after
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop. X
Deactivate off-road program ( Y
page 181).X
Deactivate DSR ( Y
page 180).X
Clean the headlamps and rear lights and
check for damage. X
Clean the front and rear license plates. X
Clean the wheels/tires with a water jet and
remove any foreign objects. X
Clean the wheels, wheel housings and the
vehicle underside with a water jet; check for
any foreign objects and damage. X
Check whether twigs or other parts of plants
have become trapped. These increase the risk
of fire and can damage fuel pipes, brake hoses or the rubber bellows of the axle joints
and propeller shafts. X
After the trip, examine without fail the entire
undercarriage, wheels, tires, brakes, body-
work structure, steering, chassis and exhaust
system for damage. X
After driving in sand, mud, gravel, water or
similar dirty conditions, have the following
checked and cleaned: R
brake discs R
wheels R
brake pads R
axle joints X
If you detect strong vibrations after off-road
travel, check for foreign objects in the wheels
and drive train and remove them if necessary.
Foreign objects can disturb the balance and
cause vibrations.
Driving over poor road surfaces places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on normal
roads. After driving off-road, check the vehicle.
This allows you to detect damage promptly and
reduce the risk of an accident to yourself and
other road users.
Driving on sand Observe the following rules when driving on
sand: R
Select the off-road program ( Y
page 181).R
Avoid high engine speeds. R
Use the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate to
the terrain. R
Drive quickly to overcome the rolling resist-
ance. Otherwise the vehicle's wheels could
become stuck in loose ground. R
Drive in the tracks of other vehicles if possi-
ble. Make sure that: -
the tire ruts are not too deep. -
the sand is sufficiently firm. -
the ground clearance of the vehicle is suf-
ficient.
Tire ruts and gravel roads
! Check that the ruts are not too deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged or
bottom out and get stuck. Driving tips 167
Driving and parking Z
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Observe the following rules when driving along
ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with loose
gravel: R
Activate the off-road program ( Y
page 181).R
Avoid high engine speeds. R
Shift to a lower gear using the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter. R
Drive slowly. R
Where ruts are too deep, drive with the
wheels of one side on the center grassy area,
if possible.
Traveling uphill
Approach/departure angle
G WARNING
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. R
Observe the warnings for off-road driving
( Y
page 165).R
Follow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines. R
Before driving on extreme uphill and downhill
gradients, select the off-road program
( Y
page 181).R
Drive slowly. R
Accelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping. R
Avoid high engine speeds, except when driv-
ing on sandy and muddy routes with high driv-
ing resistance. R
Use the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate to
the gradient. R
Use the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift into a lower gear in good time
on long and steep downhill gradients.
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away on
a hill. For further information about hill start
assist, see ( Y
page 140).
Do not shift into transmission position \\ when
driving off-road. You could lose control of the vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehicle using
the service brake. If the gradient is too steep for
your vehicle, drive back down in reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure angle
values ( Y
page 384).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability Always observe the maximum gradient climbing
ability values ( Y
page 384).
Hilltops When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immediately
before reaching the brow of the hill. Make use of
the vehicle's own impetus to travel over the
brow.
This style of driving prevents: R
the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of a hill R
the vehicle from traveling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill R
Drive slowly. R
Do 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. R
Shift to a lower gear using the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter before tackling steep
downhill gradients. R
Activate DSR. If this is not sufficient, brake
gently. When doing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line of
fall. R
Check that the brakes are working normally
after a long downhill stretch.
Off-road ABS is activated when the off-road pro-
gram is selected.
At speeds below 18 mph (30 km/h), the front
wheels lock cyclically during braking. The dig-
ging-in effect achieved in the process reduces
the stopping distance on off-road terrain. The
steerability of the vehicle is considerably
reduced if the wheels lock.168
Driving tips
Driving and parking
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Drivin g systems
Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive Mercedes-Ben z Intelligen t Drive stand s fo r inno -
vative driver assistanc e and safet y systems
whic h enhance comfor t and suppor t th e driver in
critical situations. Wit h these intelligen t coordi-
nated systems Mercedes-Ben z has set a mile-
ston e on th e pat h toward s autonomous driving.
Mercedes-Ben z Intelligen t Drive embraces all
elements of active and passive safet y in on e well
though t out syste m – fo r th e safet y of th e vehi-
cl e occupant s and that of other road users.
Further information on drivin g safet y systems
( Y
page 66).
Cruis e contro l
General notes Cruise contro l maintain s a constant road speed
fo r you. It brake s automatically in order to avoid
exceedin g th e set speed. Change into a lowe r
gear in goo d time on lon g and steep downhill
gradients. Thi s is especially important if th e
vehicle is lade n or towin g a trailer . By doin g so,
you will mak e use of th e braking effect of th e
engine. Thi s relieves th e load on th e brake sys -
te m and prevents th e brake s from overheatin g
and wearin g to o quickly.
Use cruise contro l only if road and traffic con-
dition s mak e it appropriat e to maintain a steady
speed fo r a prolonged period. You can stor e any
road speed abov e 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safet y notesCruise contro l can neither reduce th e ris k of an
acciden t if you fai l to adapt your drivin g style no r
override th e laws of physics. Cruise contro l can -
no t take into accoun t th e road, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise contro l is only an
aid. You are responsible fo r maintainin g a saf e
distanc e to th e vehicle in front, fo r vehicle
speed, fo r braking in goo d time and fo r stayin g in
lane. Do no t use cruise control: R
in road and traffic condition s whic h do no t
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g. in
heav y traffic or on windin g roadsR
on slipper y road surfaces. Brakin g or accel-
erating could cause th e drive wheels to los e
traction and th e vehicle could then skid R
when there is poo r visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heav y rain or snow
If there is a chang e of drivers, advise th e ne w
driver of th e speed stored.
i The speed indicated in th e speedometer
may diffe r slightly from th e speed stored.
Cruis e contro l lever
C
Activates or increase s speed D
Activates or reduce s speed
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