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 on an unpaved road or off-road,
check the vehicle underside regularly. In par-
ticular, remove trapped plant parts or other
flammable material. Contact a qualified spe-
cialist workshop immediately if damage is
detected.
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, a speed bump 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 loads 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 exhaust system, 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.
Declaration of conformity for wireless
vehicle components
USA: "The wireless devices of this vehicle com-
ply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is
Operating safety31
Introduction
Z
essary, contact us at one of the following
addresses.
In the USA
Customer Assistance Center
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
3 Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645-0350
In Canada
Customer Relations Department
Mercedes-Benz Canada, Inc.
98 Vanderhoof Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M4G 4C9
Reporting safety defects
USA only:
The following text is reproduced as required of
all manufacturers under Title 49, Code of U.S.
Federal Regulations, Part 575 pursuant to the
National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of
1966.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury
or death, you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Mercedes-Benz
USA, LLC.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety
defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order
a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA
cannot become involved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or Mercedes-Benz
USA, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go tohttp://
www.safercar.gov; or write to: Administrator,
NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
DC 20590.
You can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from
http://www.safercar.gov
Limited Warranty
!
Observe the notes in this Operator's Manual
regarding the correct operation of your vehi-
cle and possible damage to the vehicle. Dam-
age to the vehicle which is caused by violation of these notes is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz implied warranty or the new
or used-vehicle warranty.
QR code for rescue card
The QR codes are secured in the fuel filler flap
and on the opposite side on the B-pillar. In the
event of an accident, rescue services can use
the QR code to quickly find the appropriate res-
cue card for your vehicle. The current rescue
card contains the most important information
about your vehicle in a compact form, e.g. the
routing of the electric cables.
You can find more information under
www.mercedes-benz.de/qr-code.
Data stored in the vehicle
Data storage
A wide range of electronic components in your
vehicle contain data memories.
These data memories temporarily or perma-
nently store technical information about:
Rthe vehicle's operating state
Rincidents
Rmalfunctions
In general, this technical information docu-
ments the state of a component, a module, a
system or the surroundings.
This includes, for example:
Roperating conditions of system components.
For example, fluid levels
Rthe vehicle's status messages and those of its
individual components, e.g. number of wheel
revolutions/speed, deceleration in move-
ment, lateral acceleration, accelerator pedal
position
Rmalfunctions and defects in important system
components, e.g. lights, brakes
Rvehicle reactions and operating conditions in
special driving situations, e.g. air bag deploy-
ment, intervention of stability control sys-
tems
Rambient conditions, e.g. outside temperature
Data stored in the vehicle33
Introduction
Z
Cockpit
FunctionPage
:Steering wheel paddle shift-
ers152
;Combination switch113
=Horn
?Instrument cluster37
ADIRECT SELECT lever146
BClimate control systems124
COverhead control panel42
DControl panel for multimedia
system and vehicle functions39
EIgnition lock136
Start/Stop button137
FAdjusts the steering wheel105
GCruise control lever169
HElectric parking brake159
FunctionPage
IDiagnostics connection32
JOpens the hood318
KLight switch112
LControl panel for:
YActivating Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC with Steer-
ing Pilot
177
Ç Switching on Active
Lane Keeping Assist212
c Deactivating Parking
Assist PARKTRONIC193
Ô Switching on the 360°
camera199
Switching on the head-up
display223
Vehicles without a driver
assistance system: map/
coin holder
36Cockpit
At a glance
Multifunction steering wheel
FunctionPage
:Multifunction display222
;Multimedia system display
=~Rejects or ends a call
6Makes or accepts a call
Further telephone functions230
WXAdjusts volume
8 Mute
óSwitches on voice-
operated control for naviga-
tion or the Voice Control Sys-
tem
FunctionPage
?ò Opens the menu list
9:Selects a menu
aConfirms the selection
%Back
Operates the on-board com-
puter221
ñSwitches on voice-
operated control for naviga-
tion or the Voice Control Sys-
tem
iVehicles with Audio 20 multimedia sys-
tem: you can find further information
Ron the multimedia system in the Digital
Operator's Manual
Ron voice-controlled navigation in the man-
ufacturer's operating instructions
iVehicles with COMAND multimedia sys-
tem: you can find further information
Ron the multimedia system in the Digital
Operator's Manual
Ron the single DVD drive in the Digital Oper-
ator's Manual
Ron the Voice Control System in the sepa-
rate operating instructions
38Multifunction steering wheel
At a glance
Panic alarm
XTo arm:press and hold the !button :
for approximately one second.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed.
XTo disarm: press the!button :again.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or
XPress the Start/Stop button.
The SmartKey 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 47)
Rhave the seat and head restraint adjusted
properly (Ypage 99) 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 99).
You also have to make sure that an air bag can
inflate properly if deployed (
Ypage 49).
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 56).
See "Children in the vehicle" for information on
children traveling with you in the vehicle as well
as on child restraint systems (
Ypage 60).
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.
44Occupant safety
Safety
The seat belt adjustment will apply a certain
tightening force if any slack is detected between
the vehicle occupant and the seat belt. Do not
grab hold of the seat belt.
You can switch the seat belt adjustment on and
off using the multimedia system. Information on
switching the seat belt adjustment on and off
can be found in the Digital Operating Instruc-
tions.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
The7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder that all vehicle occu- pants must wear their seat belts. It may light up
continuously or flash. In addition, there may be
a warning tone.
Regardless of whether the driver's seat belt has
already been fastened, the 7seat belt warn-
ing lamp lights up for six seconds each time the engine is started. If the front doors are closed
and the driver's or front-passenger seat belt has
not been fastened, the 7seat belt warning
lamp lights up again after the six seconds. As
soon as the driver's and front-passenger seat
belts are fastened or a front door is opened
again, the 7seat belt warning lamp goes out.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened after the
engine is started, an additional warning tone will sound. The warning tone switches off after six
seconds or once the driver's seat belt is fas-
tened.
If the vehicle's speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h) once and the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are not fastened, a warning
tone sounds. A warning tone also sounds with
increasing intensity for 60 seconds or until the
driver or front passenger have fastened their
seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their
seat belts during the journey, the seat belt warn-
ing is activated again.
Air bags
Introduction
The installation point of an air bag can be rec-
ognized by the AIRBAG marking.
An air bag complements the correctly fastened
seat belt. It is no substitute for the seat belt. The air bag provides additional protection in appli-
cable accident situations.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident. The
different air bag systems function independ-
ently from one another (
Ypage 56).
However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out a risk of injury
caused by an air bag due to the high speed at
which the air bag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you do not sit in the correct seat position,
the air bag cannot protect as intended and
could even cause additional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid hazardous situations, always make
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
Rare sitting correctly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags
Rfollow the following instructions
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants.
RAdjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the seat
is in an almost upright position. The center of
the head restraint must support the head at
about eye level.
RMove the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible. The driver's seat posi-
tion must allow the vehicle to be driven safely.
ROnly hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the air bag to be fully deployed.
RAlways lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forward or lean against the
door or side window. You may otherwise be in
the deployment area of the air bags.
RAlways keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not put your feet on the dash-
Occupant safety49
Safety
Z
board, for example. Your feet may otherwise
be in the deployment area of the air bag.
RFor this reason, always secure persons less
than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
RAlways secure children under twelve years of age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m)tall in suitable
child restraint systems.
RChild restraint systems should be installed on
the rear seats.
ROnly secure a child in a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
when the front-passenger front air bag is
deactivated. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is permanently lit, the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated
(
Ypage 45).
RAlways observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification System
(OCS)" (
Ypage 52) and on "Children in the
vehicle" (Ypage 60) in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
and operating instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may prevent
an air bag from functioning correctly. Before
starting your journey and to avoid risks resulting
from the speed of the air bag as it deploys, make sure that:
Rthere are no people, animals or objects
betwe en the vehicle occupants and an air bag
Rthere are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar
Rthere are no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers,
hanging on the grab handles or coat hooks
Rno accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors, side windows,
rear side trim or side walls
Rno heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects are in
the pockets of your clothing. Store such
objects in a suitable place
GWARNING
If you modify the air bag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the air bag can no longer function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objects
to it.
GWARNING
Sensors to control the air bags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ing, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the
function of the sensors being impaired. The air
bags might therefore not function properly
anymore. Consequently, the air bags cannot
protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. There is an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
eling carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Front air bags
!Do not place heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. This could cause the system
to identify the seat as being occupied. In the
event of an accident, the restraint systems on
the front-passenger side may be triggered
and have to be replaced.
Driver's air bag :deploys in front of the steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger front air bag ;
deploys in front of and above the glove box.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the occu-
pants in the front seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
informs you about the status of the front-
passenger front air bag (
Ypage 45).
50Occupant safety
Safety
PRE-SAFE®takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detected:
Rthe front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
Rif the vehicle skids, the side windows and the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel
are closed.
Rvehicles with the memory function for the
front-passenger seat: the front-passenger
seat is adjusted if it is in an unfavorable posi-
tion.
If the hazardous situation passes without result-
ing in an accident, PRE-SAFE
®slackens the belt
pre-tensioning. All settings made by PRE-SAFE®
can then be reversed.
If the seat belt pre-tensioning is not reduced:
XMove the seat backrest or seat back slightly
when the vehicle is stationary.
The seat belt pre-tensioning is reduced and
the locking mechanism is released.
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE
®convenience function. Informa-
tion about the convenience function can be
found under "Belt adjustment" (
Ypage 48).
PRE-SAFE®PLUS (anticipatory occu-
pant protection system PLUS)
Introduction
PRE-SAFE®PLUS is only available in vehicles
with the Driving Assistance package.
Using the radar sensor system, PRE-SAFE
®
PLUS is able to detect that a head-on or rear-end
collision is imminent. In certain hazardous sit-
uations, PRE-SAFE
®PLUS takes pre-emptive
measures to protect the vehicle occupants.
Important safety notes
The intervention of PRE-SAFE®PLUS cannot
prevent an imminent collision.
The driver is not warned about the intervention
of PRE-SAFE
®PLUS.
PRE-SAFE®PLUS does not intervene:
Rif the vehicle is backing up
Rwhen the vehicle is towing a trailer and there
is a risk of a rear-end collision When driving, or when parking or exiting a park-
ing space with assistance from Parking Pilot,
PRE-SAFE
®PLUS will not apply the brakes.
Function
PRE-SAFE®PLUS intervenes in certain situa-
tions if the radar sensor system detects an
imminent head-on or rear-end collision.
PRE-SAFE
®PLUS takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detected:
Rif the radar sensor system detects that a
head-on collision is imminent, the seat belts
are pre-tensioned.
Rif the radar sensor system detects that a rear-
end collision is imminent:
-the brake pressure is increased if the driver
applies the brakes when the vehicle is sta- tionary.
-the seat belts are pre-tensioned.
The PRE-SAFE®PLUS braking application is can-
celed:
Rif the accelerator pedal is depressed when a
gear is engaged
Rif the risk of a collision passes or is no longer
detected
Rif Distance Pilot DISTRONIC indicates an
intention to pull away
If the hazardous situation passes without result-
ing in an accident, the original settings are
restored.
Automatic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, the following
measures are implemented, depending on the
type and severity of the impact:
Rthe hazard warning lamps are switched on
Rthe emergency lighting is activated
Rthe vehicle doors are unlocked
Rthe front side windows are lowered
Rvehicles with a memory function: the electri-
cally adjustable steering wheel is raised when
the driver's door is opened
Rthe engine is switched off and the fuel supply
is cut off
Rvehicles with mbrace: automatic emergency
call
Occupant safety59
Safety
Z