2018 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV steering wheel

Off-road ABS
An ABS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated on:
RVehicles without the Offroad Engineering
package (Ypage 219)
RVehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age (Ypage 220)
At speeds below 20 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. This
limits steering capability.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 66).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Braking
XKeep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
Active Brake Assist
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 66).
Active Brake Assist consists of a distance warn-
ing function with an autonomous braking func-
tion and situation-dependent braking assis-
tance
Active Brake Assist can help you to minimize the
risk of a collision with the vehicle traveling in
front or reduce the effects of such a collision.
If Active Brake Assist detects that there is a risk
of collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically. If you do not react to the visual and audible collision warning, autonomous braking
can be initiated in critical situations. If you apply
the brake yourself in a critical situation, Adap-
tive Brake Assist supports you with situation-
dependent braking assistance.
Active Brake Assist is only available in certain
countries.
Important safety notes
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle is traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle is traveling in front on a different line
Ryou are driving a new vehicle or servicing on
the Active Brake Assist system has just been
carried out
Observe the notes in the section on breaking-
in (
Ypage 139).
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensor checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
Driving safety systems67
Safety
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Deactivating/activating ESP®
Important safetynotes
iObserv eth e"Important safet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 66).
You can selec tbetween th efollowin gstates of
ES P
®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If you deactivat eES P
®,ES P®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle. There is an increase dris k
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eES P
®in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing.
It may be bes tto deactivat eES P
®in th efollow -
in g situations:
Rwhen usin gsnow chain s
Rin deepsnow
Ron san dor grave l
Spinning th ewheels result sin acutting action
whic hprovides bette rgrip.
iActivat eES P®as soo nas th esituation s
described abov eno longer apply .ES P®will
otherwise no tbe able to stabilize th evehicle if
th evehicle start sto skid or awhee lstart sto
spin.
!Avoid spinnin gth edriven wheels fo ran
extended period wit hES P®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage th edrivetrain .
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo deactivate :press butto n:.
The å ESP®OF Fwarnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster lights up.
XTo activate :press butto n:.
The å ESP®OF Fwarnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster goe sout .
Characteristics when ESP®is deactivate d
If ESP®is deactivated and on eor more wheels
start to spin, th e÷ ESP®warnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster flashes .In suc hsituations,
ES P
®will no tstabilize th evehicle.
If you deactivat eES P®:
RESP®no longer improves drivin gstability.
REngin etorqu eis no longer limited and th e
drive wheels are able to spin.
RTraction contro lis still activated.
RActive Brak eAssis tis no longer available ;no r
is it activated if you brake firmly wit hassis-
tanc efrom ES P
®
RPRE-SAF E®is no longer available ,no ris it
activated if you brake firmly and ES P®inter-
venes.
RActive Brak eAssis twit hcross-traffic function
is no longer available ;no ris it activated if you
brake firmly wit hassistanc efrom ES P
®
RESP®still provides suppor twhen you brake
firmly.
Offroad ESP®(vehicles wit hOff-Road
Engineering package)
An ES P®systemspecifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once th eoff-
road program is activated on :
RVehicles without theOffroad Engineerin g
package (Ypage 219)
RVehicles wit hth eOff-Road Engineerin gpack-
age (Ypage 220)
Offroad ES P®intervenes wit h adela yif there is
oversteering or understeering ,thus improvin g
traction .
Crosswind Assis t
General information
Strong crosswindgust scan impair th eability of
your vehicle to drive straight ahead. The cross -
Driving safety systems71
Safety
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The braking application of Active Brake Assist
with cross-traffic function is ended automati-
cally if:
Ryou maneuver to avoid the obstacle
Rthere is no longer a risk of collision
Rthere is no longer an obstacle detected in
front of your vehicle
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering wheel
in the direction required for vehicle stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in particular
if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on a wet or slippery road surface when you brake
Rthe vehicle starts to skid
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 66).
No steering assistance is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
RESP®is deactivated
RESP®is malfunctioning
Rthe steering is malfunctioning
If ESP®is malfunctioning, you will be assisted
further by the electrical power steering.
Protection against theft
Immobilizer
XTo activate with the SmartKey: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XTo activate with KEYLESS-GO: switch the
ignition off and open the driver's door.
XTo deactivate: switch on the ignition.
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Anyone
can start the engine if a valid SmartKey has been
left inside the vehicle.
iThe immobilizer is always deactivated when
you start the engine.
In the event that the engine cannot be started
(yet the vehicle's battery is charged), the sys-
tem is not operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800 FOR-MERCEDES (in the USA) or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
ATA (anti-theft alarm system)
XTo arm: lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO.
Indicator lamp :flashes. The alarm system
is armed after approximately 15 seconds.
XTo switch off using the SmartKey: unlock
the vehicle with the SmartKey.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
XTo switch off using KEYLESS-GO: unlock
the vehicle with KEYLESS-GO.
or
XPress the Start/Stop button on the dash-
board. The SmartKey must be inside the vehi- cle.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed and you open:
Ra door
Rthe vehicle with the mechanical key
Rthe tailgate
Rthe hood
Protection against theft75
Safety
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Correct driver's seat position
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
Observe the following when adjusting steering
wheel :, seat belt ;and driver's seat =:
Ryou are as far away from the driver's air bag as
possible
Ryou are sitting in a normal upright position
Ryour thighs are slightly supported by the seat
cushion
Ryour legs are not entirely stretched and you
can depress the pedals properly
Rthe back of your head is supported at eye level
by the center of the head restraint
Ryou can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
Ryou can move your legs freely
Ryou can see all the displays in the instrument
cluster clearly
Ryou should have a good overview of traffic
conditions
Rthe seat belt is pulled snugly against the body and is routed across the center of your shoul-
der and across your hips in the pelvic area
Further related subjects:
RElectrical seat adjustment (Ypage 98)
RAdjusting the steering wheel mechanically
(Ypage 108) or electrically (Ypage 109)
RFastening the seat belt correctly (Ypage 48).
RAdjusting the rear-view mirror and exterior
mirrors (Ypage 110).
RVehicles with memory function: storing the
seat, steering wheel, exterior mirror and
Head-up display settings with the memory
function (
Ypage 113)
Seats
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust
the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when there is no
SmartKey in the ignition lock.
GWARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
(
Ypage 49) and "Children in the Vehicle"
(Ypage 59).
Seats97
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you or
other vehicle occupants could be trapped and
thereby injured. Children in particular could
accidentally press the electrical seat adjust-
ment buttons and become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
While moving the seats, make sure that your
hands or other body parts do not get under the
lever assembly of the seat adjustment sys-
tem.
GWARNING
If the head restraints are not installed or not
adjusted correctly, they cannot provide pro-
tection as intended. There is an increased risk
of injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the event of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
GWARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident, you could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder.
!To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
Rkeep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
Rif the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat heat-
ing should also not be used to dry the seats.
Rclean the seat covers as recommended;
see "Interior care".
Rdo not transport heavy loads on the seats.
Do not place sharp objects on the seat
cushions, e.g. knives, nails or tools. The
seats should only be occupied by passen-
gers, if possible.
Rwhen the seat heating is in operation, do
not cover the seats with insulating materi-
als, e.g. blankets, coats, bags, seat covers,
child seats or booster seats.
!Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell under or behind the seats when mov-
ing the seats back. There is a risk that the
seats and/or the objects could be damaged.
iFurther related subjects:
RCargo compartment enlargement (folding
down the rear bench seat) (Ypage 303)
Adjusting the seats electrically
:Head restraint height
;Seat cushion angle
=Seat height
98Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

?Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
ABackrest angle
iVehicles with memory function: if PRE-
SAFE®has been triggered, the front-
passenger seat will be moved to a better posi- tion if it was previously in an unfavorable posi-
tion.
iVehicles with memory function: when the
seat is moved forwards or backwards, the
headrest is moved up or down automatically.
Adjusting the head restraints
Important safety notes
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If the head restraints are not installed or not
adjusted correctly, they cannot provide pro-
tection as intended. There is an increased risk
of injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the event of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
Do not rotate the head restraints of the front and rear seats. Otherwise, you cannot adjust the
height and angle of the head restraints to the
correct position.
Using the fore-and-aft adjustment, adjust the
head restraint so that it is as close as possible to
your head.
Observe the important safety notes regarding
the seats (
Ypage 97).
Adjusting the head restraints manually
Adjusting the head restraint height
XTo raise: pull the head restraint up to the
desired position.
XTo lower: press release catch :in the direc-
tion of the arrow and push the head restraint
down to the desired position.
Adjusting the fore/aft position of the
head restraint
With this function you can adjust the distance
between the head restraint and the back of the
seat occupant's head.
XTo move forwards: pull the head restraint
forwards in the direction of the arrow until it
engages.
There are several notches.
XTo move backwards: press and hold release
button :and push the head restraint back-
wards.
XWhen the head restraint is in the desired posi-
tion, release the button and make sure that
the head restraint is engaged in position.
iAdjust the head restraint so that the back of
your head is as close to the head restraint as
possible.
Seats99
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

Adjusting the head restraints electri-
cally
XTo adjust th ehea drestrain theight :slid e
th eswitch for th ehead restrain tadjustmen t
(
Ypage 98) up or down in th edirection of th e
arrow.
Adjusting the luxury head restraints
XTo adjust th esid ebolsters :push or pull
right-hand and/o rleft-han dside bolste r:
int oth edesired position .
XTo adjust thefore-and-aft position of th e
hea drestraint: push or pull th ehead
restrain tin th edirection of arrow ;.
iAdjustth ehead restrain tso that th ebac kof
your head is as close to th ehead restrain tas
possible.
Rear seat head restraints
Adjusting th erea rsea thea drestrain t
height
XOnce th ehead restrain tis fully lowered, press
release catch :.
XTo raise:pull thehead restrain tup to th e
desired position .
XTo lower:press release catch :and push
th ehead restrain tdown until it is in th e
desired position .
Removingand installing th erea rsea t
hea drestraints
XTo remove: pull thehead restrain tup to th e
stop.
XPress release catch :and pull th ehead
restrain tout of th eguides.
XTo re-install :insert th ehead restrain tso that
th enotches on th ebar are on th elef twhen
viewed in th edirection of travel .
XPush thehead restrain tdown until you hear it
engage in position .
Rear seats (second and third row of
seats)
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If th eseat and backrest are no tengaged, they
can fol dforwards, e.g. in th eevent of sudde n
braking or an accident.
RThis will caus eth evehicl eoccupant sto be
force dint oth eseat belt by aseat or back-
res twhic his no tengaged. The seat belt can
no longer offer th eintended level of pro -
tection and could eve ncaus einjuries.
RA child restrain tsystem would no longer be
anchored or positioned correctl yand would
no tbe able to perfor mits require dfunction .
RThe seat backrest scanno trestrain objects
or loads in th ecargo compartment.
There is an increased ris kof injury.
Always mak esur ethat th eseat and backrest
are engage das described:
Rbefore traveling wit h apassenger on aseat
wit hth eEASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
Rafter you hav eadjusted th eseat
100Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Rafter the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature has
been used
Rafter the cargo compartment enlargement
has been folded forwards
GWARNING
The seat does not engage in the entry/exit
position. The seat could fold back suddenly,
e.g. when accelerating, braking, changing
direction suddenly or in the event of an acci-
dent. Persons in the sweep of the seat could
become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
Always fold back a seat which has been folded
forwards before you pull away. Make sure that
the seat and backrest engage fully.
GWARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust
the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
GWARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Adjusting the backrest angle (second
row of seats)
You can adjust the angle of the backrests in the
second row of seats. There are ten detent posi-
tions to choose from.
XPull the left or right release lever ;upwards
in the direction of the arrow until relevant
backrest :is fully released.
XPull backrest :forwards in the direction of
the arrow and allow it to engage.
XTo ensure that the backrest has engaged, lean
firmly against backrest :.
Folding the seats up/down (third row of
seats)
General notes
!Make sure that there is nothing on the fol-
ded-down seats in the cargo compartment.
The cargo compartment must be empty for
the third row of seats to be folded up. The
seats or the objects in the cargo compart-
ment could otherwise be damaged.
Make sure that the seats in the third row are
empty and not blocked before folding them
down.
The third row of seats consists of two electrically
foldable individual seats, which can be lowered
into the cargo compartment.
If the seat is not correctly locked in position, the
display message: 3rd
SeatRow,RightNotLockedappears in the multifunction display.
If you fold the seat back until it engages, the
display message disappears.
Pull the backrest firmly to ensure that it is fully
engaged.
The switches for folding the left or right-hand
seats up and down are marked: Lfor the left-
hand seat when viewed in the direction of travel,
R for the right-hand seat when viewed in the
direction of travel.
Seats101
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z