When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
or not available, Steering Pilot is deactivated
automatically.
Level control (vehicles with the Off-
road Engineering package)
Important safety notes
Level control adapts the vehicle level automati-
cally to the current operating and driving situa-
tion. This results in reduced fuel consumption
and improved handling.
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle to
adjust to the new level as quickly as possible.
The vehicle level may change visibly if you park
the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehicle
level is lower; with an increase in temperature,
the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open a door, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load discrep-
ancies while still parked. However, for signifi-
cant level changes, such as after the vehicle has
been stationary for a long period, the engine
must be on. For safety reasons, the vehicle is
only lowered when the doors are closed. Low-
ering is interrupted if a door is opened, and it
continues once the door has been closed.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 165).
GWARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or
in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered.
GWARNING
When you drive with the vehicle raised, the
driving characteristics could be impaired by
the vehicle's raised center of gravity. The vehi-
cle could rollover more easily, for example on
a bend. There is a risk of an accident.
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble and adjust your driving style.
GWARNING
When you drive with the chassis lowered or
raised, the vehicle's braking and driving char-
acteristics can be significantly impaired. You
could also exceed the permissible vehicle
height if the chassis is raised. There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the vehicle level before pulling away.
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.
!When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time. Make
sure there is always sufficient ground clear-
ance. You will otherwise damage the vehicle.
RUtility 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.
RIn a rollover crash, an unbelted person is sig-
nificantly more likely to die than a person
wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should always
wear your seat belts.
Basic settings
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or low-
ered depends on the basic setting selected.
Select:
Rthe Comfort orSport drive program for driv-
ing on normal roads
Rthe Offroad drive program for driving on eas-
ily negotiable off-road terrain
Rthe Offroad Plus drive program for off-road
driving
Driving systems179
Driving and parking
Z
When the HOLD function is activated, the trans-
mission is automatically shifted to positionj
if:
Rthe driver's door is open and the driver's seat
belt is unfastened
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activated
when the vehicle is stationary and:
Ra system malfunction occurs
Rthe power supply is insufficient
On steep uphill or downhill gradients or if there
is a malfunction, the transmission may also be
automatically shifted to position j.
AIRMATIC package
General notes
AIRMATIC is an air suspension system with var-
iable damping for improved driving comfort.
Level control ensures the best possible suspen-
sion and constant ground clearance, even with a
laden vehicle. When you drive fast, the vehicle is
lowered automatically to improve driving safety
and to reduce fuel consumption. There is also
the option to manually adjust the vehicle level.
AIRMATIC consists of:
Rlevel settings
Rlevel control and
RADS or ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping Sys-
tem)
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): your vehicle may also be equipped with
the ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM (
Ypage 184).
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: your vehicle is equip-
ped with the ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM
(
Ypage 184).
Observe the notes on driving with a trailer
(
Ypage 220).
The vehicle level can be set using the DYNAMIC
SELECT controller (
Ypage 142) or the level but-
ton (Ypage 185). The setting always corre-
sponds to the last selected function.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or
in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered.
If you unlock the vehicle or open a door, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load discrep-
ancies while still parked. However, for signifi-
cant level changes, such as after the vehicle has
been stationary for a long period, the engine
must be on. For safety reasons, the vehicle is
only lowered when the doors are closed. Low-
ering is interrupted if a door is opened, and it
continues once the door has been closed.
ADS and ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping
System)
General notes
The Adaptive Damping System automatically
controls the calibration of the dampers. The
damping characteristics adapt to the current
operating and driving situation.
The damping is tuned individually to each wheel
and depends on:
Ryour driving style, e.g. sporty
Rthe road surface conditions
Rthe drive program selected
Rthe vehicle level setting
Selecting Comfort mode
Driving systems183
Driving and parking
Z
Mercedes-AMG vehicles:if you have selected
the Sport Plus drive program:
Rthe roll angle is reduced even more signifi-
cantly
Rthe driving is designed for maximum dyna-
mism
Vehicle level
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or
in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered.
GWARNING
When you drive with the vehicle raised, the
driving characteristics could be impaired by
the vehicle's raised center of gravity. The vehi-
cle could rollover more easily, for example on
a bend. There is a risk of an accident.
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble and adjust your driving style.
GWARNING
When you drive with the chassis lowered or
raised, the vehicle's braking and driving char-
acteristics can be significantly impaired. You
could also exceed the permissible vehicle
height if the chassis is raised. There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the vehicle level before pulling away.
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.
!When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time. Make
sure there is always sufficient ground clear-
ance. You will otherwise damage the vehicle.
RUtility 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.
RIn a rollover crash, an unbelted person is sig-
nificantly more likely to die than a person
wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should always
wear your seat belts.
General notes
Only select raised level if this is appropriate for
the road conditions. Otherwise, fuel consump-
tion may increase and handling may be affected.
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle to
adjust to the new level as quickly as possible.
The vehicle level may change visibly if you park
the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehicle
level is lower; with an increase in temperature,
the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open a door, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load discrep-
ancies while still parked. However, for signifi-
cant level changes, such as after the vehicle has
been stationary for a long period, the engine
must be on. For safety reasons, the vehicle is
only lowered when the doors are closed. Low-
ering is interrupted if a door is opened, and it
continues once the door has been closed.
Vehicles with no trailer coupled: below a
speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) you can choose
between the normal and raised vehicle level.
Sel
ect the normal vehicle level for normal road
surfaces and the raised vehicle level for driving
with snow chains or on particularly poor road
surfaces. Your selection remains stored even if
you remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
If you try to select raised level at a speed above
40 mph (64 km/h), the Drive More Slowly
message appears in the multifunction display.
Driving systems185
Driving and parking
Z
XSlide boltAinto the hole in the ball coupling
recess and the ball coupling to the stop.
XSecure the bolt using spring cotter B.
XCheck the ball coupling, bolt and spring cotter
for correct installation.
If the ball coupling cannot be correctly mounted,
remove the ball coupling. Under these circum-
stances, the ball coupling must not be used for
trailer towing.
Have the entire trailer tow hitch checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Coupling up a trailer
!
Do not connect the trailer's brake system (if
featured) to the hydraulic brake system of the
towing vehicle, as the latter is equipped with
an anti-lock brake system. Doing so will result
in a loss of function of the brake systems of
both the vehicle and the trailer.
XShift the transmission to position P.
XApply the vehicle's electric parking brake.
XStart the engine.
XVehicles with AIRMATIC package: select
normal level and the Comfortdrive program.
XSwitch off the engine.
XClose the doors and tailgate.
XCouple up the trailer.
XEstablish the electrical connection between
the vehicle and the trailer.
XCheck that the trailer lighting system is work-
ing.
XPush the combination switch upwards/down-
wards and check whether the corresponding
turn signal on the trailer flashes.
A trailer that is connected is recognized only
when the electrical connection is established
correctly and when the lighting system is work-
ing properly. The function of other systems also
depends on this, for example:
RESP®
RParking Assist PARKTRONIC
RParking Pilot
RActive Blind Spot Assist
RActive Lane Keeping Assist
iVehicles with the AIRMATIC package: if you
couple up a trailer, the vehicle always remains
at normal level. When coupling up a trailer,
please observe the foll
owing:
RIf the normal level has not been set man-
ually, the vehicle is automatically lowered
to normal level. This is the case if a speed of
5 mph (8 km/h) is reached.
RThe
Sport drive program is not available.
These restrictions apply to all accessories
powered through a connection to the trailer
power socket of your vehicle, e.g. a bicycle
carrier.
Observe the maximum permissible trailer
dimensions (width and length).
222Towing a trailer
Driving and parking
RHighway mode
RActive light function
RCornering light function
RExtended range fog lamps
ROff-road lights
Further information on the Intelligent Light Sys-
tem (
Ypage 112).
Vehicle submenu
Activating/deactivating the automatic
door locking mechanism
If you activate the AutomaticDoorLockfunc-
tion, the vehicle is centrally locked above a
speed of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h).
XPress the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Sett.menu.
XPress the:or9 button to select the
Vehiclesubmenu.
XPress ato confirm.
XPress the :or9 button to select the
Automatic Door Lockfunction.
When the Automatic Door Lockfunction is
activated, the vehicle doors are displayed in
orange in the multifunction display.
XPress the abutton to save the setting.
For further information on the automatic locking
feature, see (
Ypage 84).
Activating/deactivating the acoustic
locking verification signal
If you switch on the AcousticLockfunction, an
acoustic signal sounds when you lock the vehi-
cle.
XPress the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
XPress the:or9 button to select the
Vehiclesubmenu.
XPress ato confirm.
XPress the :or9 button to select the
Acoustic Lockfunction.
If the Acoustic Lockfunction is activated,
the & symbol in the multifunction display
lights up orange.
XPress the abutton to save the setting.
Convenience submenu
Activating/deactivating the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature
GWARNING
When the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature adjusts
the steering wheel, you and other vehicle
occupants – particularly children – could
become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
While the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature is mak-
ing adjustments, make sure that no one has
any body parts in the sweep of the steering
wheel.
If somebody becomes trapped:
Rpress one of the memory function position
buttons, or
Rmove the switch for steering wheel adjust-
ment in the opposite direction to that in
which the steering wheel is moving.
The adjustment process is stopped.
XPress the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Sett.menu.
XPress the:or9 button to select the
Conveniencesubmenu.
XPress ato confirm.
XUsing :or9, select the EasyEntry/Exitfunction.
If the EasyEntry/Exitfunction is activated,
the vehicle steering wheel is displayed in
orange in the multifunction display.
XPress the abutton to save the setting.
Further information on the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT
feature (
Ypage 104).
Switching the seat belt adjustment on/off
XPress the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
XPress the:or9 button to select the
Conveniencesubmenu.
XPress ato confirm.
XPress the :or9 button to select the
Belt Adjustmentfunction.
If the BeltAdjustmentfunction is activated,
the vehicle seat belt is shown in orange in the
multifunction display.
XPress the abutton to save the setting.
Menus and submenus239
On-board computer and displays
Z
SmartKey
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Â
KeyDoesNotBelongto Vehicle
You have put the wrong SmartKey in the ignition lock.
XUse the correct SmartKey.
Â
Take Your Key fromIgnition
The SmartKey is in the ignition lock.
A warning tone also sounds.
XRemove the SmartKey.
Â
Obtain a New Key
The SmartKey needs to be replaced.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
Â
Replace Key Battery
The SmartKey battery is discharged.
XChange the battery (Ypage 80).
Â
Don't Forget YourKey
The SmartKey is not in the ignition lock. You have opened the driver's
door with the engine switched off.
A warning tone also sounds.
This display message is displayed for a maximum of 60 seconds and is
simply a reminder.
XTake the SmartKey with you when you leave the vehicle.
Â
Key Not Detected(white display message)
The SmartKey is currently undetected.
XChange the location of the SmartKey in the vehicle.
If the SmartKey still cannot be detected:
XOperate the vehicle with the SmartKey in the ignition lock.
Â
Key Not Detected(red display message)
The SmartKey is not in the vehicle.
A warning tone also sounds.
If the engine is switched off, you can no longer lock the vehicle cen-
trally or start the engine.
XPull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
XSecure the vehicle against rolling away (Ypage 156).
XLocate the SmartKey.
Display messages273
On-board computer and displays
Z
Stowage areas
Loading guidelines
GWARNING
If objects, luggage or loads are not secured or
not secured sufficiently, they could slip, tip
over or be flung around and thereby hit vehicle
occupants. There is a risk of injury, particu-
larly in the event of sudden braking or a sud-
den change in direction.
Always store objects so that they cannot be
flung around. Secure objects, luggage or
loads against slipping or tipping before the
journey.
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. If the tailgate
is open when the engine is running, particu-
larly if the vehicle is moving, exhaust fumes
could enter the passenger compartment.
There is a risk of poisoning.
Turn off the engine before opening the tail-
gate. Never drive with the tailgate open.
GWARNING
The exhaust tail pipe and tail pipe trim can
become very hot. If you come into contact
with these parts of the vehicle, you could burn
yourself. There is a risk of injury.
Always be particularly careful around the
exhaust tail pipe and the tail pipe trim. Allow
these components to cool down before touch-
ing them.
The gross vehicle weight (GVW) is the vehicle
weight including fuel, vehicle tool kit, spare
wheel, installed accessories, vehicle occupants
and luggage/cargo.
Do not exceed the load limit or permitted gross
vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for your vehicle.
The gross load limit and the GVWR are specified
on the vehicle identification plate on the B-pillar
of the driver's door (
Ypage 361).
The load must also be distributed so that the
weight on each axle never exceeds the gross
axle weight rating (GAWR) for the front and rear
axles. The specifications for GVWR and GAWR are on the vehicle identification plate on the B-
pillar of the driver's door (
Ypage 361).
Observe the notes on loading the vehicle
(
Ypage 361).
The handling characteristics of a laden vehicle
are dependent on the distribution of the load
within the vehicle. For this reason, you should
observe the following notes when transporting a
load:
RNever exceed the maximum permissible
gross vehicle mass or the gross axle weight
rating for the vehicle (including occupants).
RThe cargo compartment is the preferred place to carry objects.
RPosition heavy loads as far forward as possi-
ble and as low down in the cargo compart-
ment as possible.
RThe load must not protrude above the upper
edge of the seat backrests.
RAlways place the load against the rear or frontseat backrests. Make sure that the seat
backrests are securely locked into place.
RAlways place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
RUse the cargo tie-down rings and the parcel
nets to transport loads and luggage.
RUse cargo tie-down rings and fastening mate-
rials appropriate for the weight and size of theload.
RSecure the load with sufficiently strong and
wear-resistant tie-downs. Pad sharp edges for
protection.
Stowage spaces
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you transport objects in the vehicle interior
and these are not adequately secured, they
could slip or be flung around and thereby
strike vehicle occupants. In addition, cup
holders, open stowage spaces and mobile
phone brackets may not always be able to
hold the objects placed in them in the event of
an accident. There is a risk of injury, particu-
larly in the event of sharp braking or sudden
changes of direction.
Stowage areas295
Stowage and features
Z
The stowage compartments in the doors provide
space for bottles with a capacity of up to
34 fl. oz. (1.0l).
The bottles are not secured or prevented from
tipping over. Therefore, do not place any open
drink containers in the stowage compartments.
Cup holder in the front center console
:Cup holder
;Cover
XTo open: slide cover ;to its foremost posi-
tion.
XTo close: pull cover ;back as far as it will go.
You can remove the cup holder's rubber mat for
cleaning. Clean with clear, lukewarm water only.
Temperature-controlled cup holder in
the front-compartment center console
:Cup holder
;Residual heat indicator lamp
=Switch
The temperature-controlled cup holder can be
used to keep cold drinks cool and warm drinks
warm.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
XTo switch on the cooling function: press
and hold button =until the blue indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
XTo switch on the heating function: press
and hold button =until the red indicator
lamp on the button lights up.
XTo switch off the function: press and hold
button =until the indicator lamp on the but-
ton goes out.
When the heating function is used, the metal
insert of the cup holder is heated. Once a certain
temperature is reached, residual heat indicator
lamp ;lights up. This means that the metal
insert of the cup holder is hot. For this reason,
you must not reach into the cup holder metal
insert.
Do not use hard or sharp objects to clean the
cup holder. Use only a soft cloth to clean it.
Cup holder in the rear seat armrest
!Do not sit on or support your body weight on
the rear seat armrest when it is folded down,
as you could otherwise damage it.
XFold down the rear seat armrest.
Cup holder :is located in the rear seat arm-
rest.
Sun visors
Overview
GWARNING
If the mirror cover of the vanity mirror is folded
up when the vehicle is in motion, you could be
Features305
Stowage and features
Z