2018 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS Owners Manual

G WARNING
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: R
switch on the hazard warning lamps R
do not lock the doors R
open the hood
Pulling away
General notes
G WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position D or R ,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position D or 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 ( Y
page 244).
It is only possible to shift the transmission from
position P to the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the parking lock
released. If you do not depress the brake pedal,
the DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved but
the parking lock remains engaged.
i Upshifts 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 ( Y
page 163).
Pulling away with a trailer
To ensure that you do not roll backwards when
pulling away on an uphill slope, engage the elec-
tric parking brake. X
Press and hold handle C .
The electric parking brake continues to brake
and prevent the vehicle from rolling back-
wards.
The red I (USA only) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
remains on. X
Depress the accelerator pedal. X
As soon as the vehicle/trailer combination is
held by the driving force of the engine, release
lever C .
the electric parking brake is released.
The red I (USA only) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
goes out.
Hill start assist Hill start assist helps you when pulling away for-
wards 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.
G WARNING
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 Driving 143
Driving and parking Z

leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist is not active if: R
you are pulling away on a level road or on a
downhill gradient. R
the transmission is in position N .R
the electric parking brake is applied. R
ESP ®
is malfunctioning.
ECO start/stop function
Introduction The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle is stopped
under certain conditions.
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
G WARNING
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
C
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

Aut oma tic engine startThe engin e start s automatically if:R
you switch off th e ECO start/sto p function by
pressing th e ECO butto nR
in transmission position D or N th e brak e
pedal is release d and th e HOLD function is no t
active R
you depress th e accelerato r pedalR
you engage revers e gear RR
you mov e th e transmission out of position PR
you switch to th e Sport Plu s or Sport drive
program (Mercedes-AM G vehicles)R
you activat e manual gearshifting (Mercedes-
AM G vehicles)R
you switch to th e Offroa d drive program
(vehicles without Off-Road Engineering pack-
age) R
you switch to th e Offroa d or Offroa d Plu s
drive program (vehicles wit h Off-Road Engi-
neering package) R
you unfasten your seat belt or open th e driv-
er' s doorR
th e vehicl e start s to rol lR
th e brak e system require s thisR
th e temperature in th e vehicl e interior devi-
ate s from th e set rangeR
th e system detects moisture on th e wind-
shield when th e air-conditioning system is
switched on R
th e battery's condition of charge is to o low
Shifting th e transmission to position P does no t
start th e engine. Deactivating or activating the ECO
start/stop function All vehicles (excep t Mercedes-AM G veh i-
cles) X
To deactivate: press ECO butto n C .
Indicato r lamp D goe s out .X
To activate: press ECO butto n C .
Indicato r lamp D lights up.
If indicator lamp D is off , th e ECO start/sto p
function has been deactivated manually or as
th e result of a malfunction .
Mercedes-AM G veh icles
X
To deactivate: in th e Comfor t drive pro -
gram , press ECO butto n C .
or X
Activat e manual gearshifting ( Y
page 152).
or X
Switc h to th e Sport Plu s or Sport drive pro -
gram ( Y
page 147).
Indicato r lamp D goes out .X
To activate: press ECO butto n C .
Indicato r lamp D lights up. When th e
Sport Plu s or Sport drive program is activa-
ted, th e automatic transmission switches to
th e Comfor t drive program .Driving 145
Driving and parking Z

If indicator lamp D is off, the ECO start/stop
function has been deactivated manually or as
the result of a malfunction.
Problems with the engine Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The engine does not
start. The starter motor
can be heard. R
There is a malfunction in the engine electronics. R
There is a malfunction in the fuel supply.
Before attempting to start the engine again: X
Turn the SmartKey in the ignition lock back to position

DYNAMIC SELECT controller Use th e DYNAMI C SELECT controller to chang e
th e drive program. Dependin g on th e drive pro -
gram selecte d th e followin g vehicle character-
istic s will change: R
th e drive (engin e and transmissio n manage-
ment) R
th e transmissio nR
th e suspensio nR
th e steerin gR
th e availabilit y of th e EC O start/sto p function
Each time you start th e engin e wit h th e Smart -
Key or th e Start/Sto p button, th e Comfor t drive
program is activated. Fo r further information
about startin g th e engine, see ( Y
page 141).
The Comfor t drive program is recommended in
city traffic and stop/start traffic situations.
X
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles) : turn DYNAMI C SELECT controller C as
man y times as necessary until th e desire d
drive program is selected.
The selecte d drive program appears in th e
multifunction display. Afte r fiv e seconds th e
display goe s out .
In addition , th e curren t drive program setting s
are displaye d in th e multimedia syste m dis -
play.
Drive program s available (al l vehicles
excep t Mercedes-AMG vehicles):
Individua l
Individual setting s
Spor t
Sporty drivin g characteris -
tics
Comfor t
Comfortable and economi-
cal drivin g characteristics Slipper y
Optimal drivin g characteris -
tics on slipper y or snow-
covered roads
Off-road
Optimal drivin g characteris -
tics fo r easily negotiable off-
road terrain
Off-road Plu s
(vehicles wit h
Off-Road Engi-
neering pack-
age) Optimal drivin g characteris -
tics fo r rough terrain
Further information on :R
th e Individua l , Spor t , Comfor t and Slipper y
drive programs ( Y
page 151)R
th e Off-road drive program (vehicles without
Off-Road Engineerin g package)
( Y
page 219) R
th e Off-road and Off-road Plu s drive pro -
grams (vehicles wit h Off-Road Engineerin g
package) ( Y
page 220)
X
Mercedes-AMG vehicles : turn DYNAMI C
SELECT controller C as man y times as nec-
essary until th e desire d drive program is
selected.
The selecte d drive program appears in th e
multifunction display. Afte r fiv e seconds th e
display goe s out .
In addition , th e curren t drive program setting s
are displaye d in th e multimedia system dis -
play.
Drive program s available (Mercedes-AMG
vehicles):
Individua l
Individual setting s
Comfor t
Comfortable and economi-
cal drivin g characteristicsDYNAMIC SELECT controller 14 7
Driving an d parking Z

Sport
Sporty driving characteris-
tics
Sport Plus
Particularly sporty driving
characteristics
Slippery
Optimal driving characteris-
tics on slippery or snow-
covered roads
Additional information for drive programs
( Y
page 151).
Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position N when you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P . Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions
]
Park position with parking lock
^
Reverse gear
\\
Neutral
[
Drive
The DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of the
steering column. The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns to its
original position. The current transmission posi-
tion ] , ^ , \\ or [ is shown on the trans-
mission position display on the multifunction
display ( Y
page 149).
Engaging park position P
! If the engine speed is too high or the vehicle
is coasting, do not shift the automatic trans-
mission directly from [ to ^ , from ^ to [
or directly to ] . Otherwise, the automatic
transmission may be damaged. X
Push the DIRECT SELECT lever switch in the
direction of arrow ] .
Engaging park position P automatically Park position ] is automatically engaged if: R
You switch off the engine using the SmartKey
and remove the SmartKey R
You switch off the engine using the SmartKey
or using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door R
You open the driver's door when the vehicle is
stationary or when driving at a very low speed
and the transmission is in position [ or ^
Under certain conditions, the automatic trans-
mission shifts automatically to transmission
position ] if the HOLD function or Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC is activated. Observe the infor-
mation on the HOLD function ( Y
page 187) and
on Distance Pilot DISTRONIC ( Y
page 179).
Engaging reverse gear R
! Only move the automatic transmission to
^ when the vehicle is stationary. X
If the transmission is in position [ or \\ :
push the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the
first point of resistance. X
If the transmission is in position ] : depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT
lever up past the first point of resistance.148
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Shifting to neutral N
G WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could: R
open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users. R
get out and disrupt traffic. R
operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they: R
release the parking brake. R
shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position PR
Start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. X
If the transmission is in position [ or ^ :
push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to
the first point of resistance. X
If the transmission is in position ] : 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 ^ or [ , the automatic trans-
mission shifts to \\ automatically.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the driv-
er's door or the front-passenger door or remove
the SmartKey from the ignition lock, the auto-
matic transmission shifts to ] automatically.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then open
the driver's door or the front-passenger door,
the automatic transmission shifts automatically
to ] .
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral \\ , e.g. when having the vehi-
cle cleaned in an automatic, tow-through car
wash: With the SmartKey: X
Switch on the ignition. X
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed. X
Shift to neutral \\ .X
Release the brake pedal. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Switch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
With the Start/Stop button: X
Remove the Start/Stop button from the igni-
tion lock. X
Insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock. X
Switch on the ignition. X
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed. X
Shift to neutral \\ .X
Release the brake pedal. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Switch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
Engaging drive position D X
If the transmission is in position ^ or \\ :
push the DIRECT SELECT lever down past the
first point of resistance. X
If the transmission is in position ] : depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT
lever down past the first point of resistance.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display.
C
Transmission position
D
Gear

The arrows in the transmission position display
show how and into which transmission positions
you can shift using the DIRECT SELECT lever.
If the transmission position display on the mul-
tifunction display is not working, you should pull
away carefully to check whether the desired
transmission position is engaged. Ideally, you
should select transmission position [ and, in
Mercedes-AMG vehicles, drive program C or S .
Transmission positions E Park position
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tion P when the vehicle is stationary
( Y
page 161). The parking lock
should not be used as a brake when
parking. Always apply the electronic
parking brake in addition to the park-
ing lock in order to secure the vehi-
cle.
If the vehicle electronics are malfunc-
tioning, the transmission may be
locked in position P . Have the vehicle
electronics checked immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Park position P is automatically
engaged if: R
you switch off the engine using the
SmartKey and remove the Smart-
Key R
you switch off the engine using the
SmartKey or using the Start/Stop
button and open the driver's door
or front-passenger door R
the driver's door is opened when
the vehicle is stationary or driving
at very low speed and the trans-
mission is in position D or R
F Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tion R when the vehicle is stationary. D Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you to
move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push
it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty: shift
the transmission to position N if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding, e.g.
on icy roads.
If you switch the engine off with the
transmission in position R or D , the
automatic transmission shifts to N
automatically.
! Coasting in neutral \\ may
cause damage to the drive train.
: Drive
The automatic transmission changes
gear automatically. All forward gears
are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear The automatic transmission shifts through the
individual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position [ . This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by: R
the selected drive program R
the position of the accelerator pedal R
the road speed
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear: R
little throttle: early upshifts R
more throttle: late upshifts150
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking