2018 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV tow

Cruise control lever
:Activates or increases speed
;Activates or reduces speed
=Deactivates Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
?Activates at the current speed/last stored
speed
ASets a specified minimum distance
Activating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Activation conditions
To activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up totwo minutes of driving before Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is ready for use.
Rthe electric parking brake must be released.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift fromPto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door and rear doors must
be closed.
Rthe Offroad Plus drive program must be deac-
tivated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engineer-
ing package).
RDSR must be deactivated.
Rthe vehicle must not skid.
Activating
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =, up :or down ?.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
iIf you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the Distance Pilot Passivemes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. The
set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in
front will then not be maintained. You will be
driving at the speed you determine by the
position of the accelerator pedal.
You can also activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
when stationary. The lowest speed that can be
set is 20 mph (30 km/h).
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =, up :or down ?.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated.
Activating at the current speed/last
stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The first time Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is
activated, it stores the current speed or reg-
ulates the speed of the vehicle to the stored
speed.
Driving with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Pulling away and driving
XIf you want to pull away with Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC: remove your foot from the
brake pedal.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
or
XAccelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its speed
to that of the vehicle in front. If no vehicle is
detected in front, your vehicle accelerates to the set speed.
178Driving systems
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Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically deac-
tivated if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake or if thevehicle is automatically secured with the elec-
tric parking brake
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe transmission is in the P,R or Nposition
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards you
in order to pull away and the front-passenger
door or one of the rear doors is open
Ryou activate Parking Pilot
Rthe vehicle is skidding
A warning tone sounds. The Distance Pilot
Offmessage will appear in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is automatically deac-
tivated if:
Ryou activate DSR
Ryou activate the OFFROAD Program+ (vehi-
cles with the Off-Road Engineering package)
The à DSR symbol appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Displays in the instrument cluster
Displays in the speedometer
Example: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC displays in the
speedometer
When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated,
one or two segments ;in the stored speed
range light up.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detects a vehicle in
front, segments ;between speed of the vehi-
cle in front =and stored speed :light up.
iFor design reasons, the speed displayed in
the speedometer may differ slightly from the
speed stored for Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
Display in the assistance graphic when
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
:Vehicle in front, if detected
;Distance indicator, current distance to the
vehicle in front
=Specified minimum distance to the vehicle
in front; adjustable
?Own vehicle
XSelect the Assistance Graphicfunction
using the on-board computer (Ypage 241).
Display in the assistance graphic when
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is activated
:Vehicle in front, if detected
;Specified minimum distance to the vehicle
in front; adjustable
=Own vehicle
?Distance Pilot DISTRONIC activated
XSelect the Assistance Graphicfunction
using the on-board computer (Ypage 241).
You will see the stored speed for approximately
five seconds when you activate Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC.
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Z

Tips for driving with Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC
General notes
Pay particular attention in the following traffic
situations:
RCornering, entering and exiting a bend: the
ability of Distance Pilot DISTRONIC to detect
vehicles during cornering is limited. Your vehi-
cle may brake unexpectedly or late.
RDriving on a different line: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC may not detect vehicles which are
not driving in the middle of their lane. The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
ROther vehicles changing lanes: Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC has not detected the vehicle cut-
ting in yet. The distance to this vehicle will be
too short.
RNarrow vehicles: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
has not yet detected the vehicle in front on
the edge of the road because of its narrow
width. The distance to the vehicle in front willbe too short.
RObstacles and stationary vehicles: Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC does not brake for obstacles
or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and an obsta-cle or stationary vehicle is then revealed, Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC will not brake for
them.
RCrossing traffic: Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
may mistakenly detect vehicles that are
crossing your lane. Activating Distance Pil
ot
DISTRONIC at, for example, a traffic light with
crossing traffic, could cause your vehicle to
pull away at the wrong time.
In such situations, brake if necessary. Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC will then be deactivated.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering
Pilot
General notes
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering Pilot
aids you in keeping the vehicle in the center of
the driving lane by means of moderate steering
interventions in a speed range from 0 - 125 mph (0 - 200 km/h).
It monitors the area in front of your vehicle by
means of camera system :at the top of the
windshield.
In a speed range from 0 - 37 mph (0 - 60 km/h),
the extended automatic Re-start in traffic jams
focuses on the vehicle in front, taking into
account lane markings, e.g. when following vehi-
cles in a traffic jam.
At speeds of more than 37 mph (60 km/h),
Steering Pilot focuses on clear lane markings
(left and right), only focusing on the vehicle in
front if clear lane markings are not present.
If these conditions are not present, Steering
Pilot cannot provide assistance.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC must be active in
order for the function to be available.
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC and Steering Pilot can neither
reduce the risk of an accident nor override the
laws of physics. It cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering Pilot is only an
a

id. You are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in
good time and for staying in your lane.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering Pilot
does not detect road and traffic conditions and
does not detect all road users. If you are follow-
ing a vehicle which is driving towards the edge of
the road, your vehicle could come into contact
182Driving system s
Driving an d parking

with the curb or other road boundaries. Be par-
ticularly aware of other road users, e.g. cyclists,
that are directly next to your vehicle.
Obstacles such as traffic pylons on the lane or
projecting out into the lane are not detected.
An inappropriate steering intervention, e.g. afterintentionally driving over a lane marking, can be
corrected at any time if you steer slightly in theopposite direction.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with Steering Pilot
cannot continuously keep your vehicle in lane. In
some cases, the steering intervention is not suf-
ficient to bring the vehicle back to the lane. In
such cases, you must steer the vehicle yourself
to ensure that it does not leave the lane.
The support provided by the system can be
impaired if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or heavy spray
Rthere is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflections (e.g. when the road surface
is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
Rthere are no or several unclear lane markings
for one lane, e.g. roadworks
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too short
and thus the lane markings cannot be detec-
ted
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cr oss one another or merge
Rthe road is narrow and winding
Rthere are strong shadows cast on the road
The system is switched to passive and no longer
assists you by performing steering interventions if:
Ryou actively change lane
Ryou switch on the turn signal
Rtake your hands off the steering wheel or do
not steer for a prolonged period of time
iAfter you have finished changing lanes,
Steering Pilot is automatically active once
more. Steering Pilot cannot provide assistance:
Ron very sharp corners
Rwhen towing a trailer
Rwhen a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire
has been detected and displayed
Observe the important safety notes on Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (
Ypage 176).
The steering interventions are carried out with a
limited steering moment. The system requires
the driver to keep his hands on the steering
wheel and to steer himself.
If you do not steer yourself or if you take your
hands off the steering wheel for a prolonged
period of time, the system will first alert you with
a visual warning. A steering wheel symbol
appears in the multifunction display. If you have
still not started to steer and have not taken hold
of the steering wheel after five seconds at the
latest, a warning tone also sounds to remind you
to take control of the vehicle. Steering Pilot is
then switched to passive. Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC remains active.
Activating Steering Pilot
XActivate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with
Steering Pilot using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 241).
The Steering Pilot Onmessage appears
on the multifunction display. Steering Pilot is
activated.
Information in the multifunction display
If Steering Pilot is activated but not ready for a
steering intervention, steering wheel symbol :
appears in gray. If the system provides you with support by means of steering interventions,
symbol :is shown in green.
Deactivating Steering Pilot
XDeactivate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC with
Steering Pilot using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 241).
The Steering Pilot Offmessage appears
on the multifunction display. Steering pilot is
deactivated.
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HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
iDo 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 sur-
faces.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the vehicle is only braked using the HOLD
function, the vehicle may roll away in the fol-
lowing situations when you leave the vehicle:
Rif there is a malfunction in the system or in the voltage supply
Rif the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator pedal or brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant
Rif the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with or the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Always deactivate the HOLD function and
secure the vehicle against rolling away before
you leave it.
!When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivate the HOLD function (
Ypage 187).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if:
Rthe vehicle is stationary
Rthe engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
Rthe driver's door is closed or your seat belt is
fastened
Rthe electric parking brake is released
Rthe transmission is in position h,kori
RDistance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function
XMake sure that the activation conditions are
met.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XQuickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
iIf depressing the brake pedal the first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
Ryou depress the accelerator and the trans-
mission is in position hork
Ryou shift the transmission to position j
Ryou depress the brake pedal again with a cer-
tain amount of pressure until:disappears
from the multifunction display
Ryou secure the vehicle using the electric park- ing brake
Ryou activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
iAfter a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
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Sport mode
The firmer setting of the suspension tuning in
Sport mode ensures even better contact with
the road. Select this mode when employing a
sporty driving style, e.g. on winding country
roads.
XPress button:repeatedly until indicator
lamp =lights up.
You have selected Sport mode.
The AMG Suspension System SPORT
mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Sport + mode
The very firm setting of the suspension setting in
Sport + mode ensures the best possible contact
with the road. Select this mode only when driv-
ing on race circuits.
If indicator lamps ;and =are off:
XPress button :repeatedly until indicator
lamp ;lights up.
You have selected Sport + mode.
The AMG
SuspensionSystemSPORT +mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
In "Sport +" mode, the vehicle is lowered by
10 mm compared to the normal level.
Comfort mode
In Comfort mode, the driving characteristics of
your vehicle are more comfortable. Select this
mode if you favor a more comfortable driving
style, but also when driving fast on straight
roads, e.g. highways.
XPress button :repeatedly until indicator
lamps ;and =go out.
You have selected Comfort mode.
The AMG
SuspensionSystemCOMFORTmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is an electronic
parking aid with ultrasound. It monitors the area
around your vehicle using six sensors in the
front bumper and six sensors in the rear
bumper. Parking Assist PARKTRONIC visually
and audibly indicates the distance between your
vehicle and an object.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is
not a replacement for your attention to your
immediate surroundings. You are always
responsible for safe maneuvering, parking and
exiting a parking space. When maneuvering,
parking or pulling out of a parking space, make
sure that there are no persons, animals or
objects in the area in which you are maneuver-
ing.
!When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such as
flower pots or trailer drawbars. PARKTRONIC
does not detect such objects when they are in
the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. You
could damage the vehicle or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic car
wash, the compressed-air brakes on a truck
or a pneumatic drill could cause PARKTRONIC
to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
!Fold in the ball coupling if the trailer tow
hitch is not required. PARKTRONIC measures
the minimum detection range to an obstacle
from the bumper, not the ball coupling.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactivated for
the rear area when you establish an electrical
connection between your vehicle and a trailer.
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is activated auto-
matically when you:
Rswitch on the ignition
Rshift the transmission to position D,Ror N
Rrelease the electric parking brake
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactivated at
speeds above 11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactiva-
ted at lower speeds.
192Driving systems
Driving and parking

iNote that Parking Pilot PARKTRONIC cannot
measure the depth of parking spaces if they
are at right angles to the direction of travel.
You will need to judge whether your vehicle
will fit into the parking space.
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h), you will see parking symbol ;as a
status indicator in the instrument cluster. When
a parking space has been detected, an arrow
towards the right or the left also appears. Park-
ing Pilot only displays parking spaces on the
front-passenger side as standard. Parking
spaces on the driver's side are displayed as
soon as the turn signal on the driver's side is
activated. When parking on the driver's side,
this must remain activated until you confirm the
use of Parking Pilot by pressing the abutton
on the multifunction steering wheel. The system
automatically determines whether the parking
space is parallel or at right angles to the direc-
tion of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are driv-
ing past it, and until you are approximately 50 ft
(15 m) away from it.
Parking
GWARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Active Parking Assist it could roll
away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected.
Rthe accelerator pedal has been depressed,
e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always secure it
against rolling away.
iIf Parking Assist PARKTRONIC detects
obstacles, Parking Pilot brakes automatically
whilst the vehicle is being parked. You are
responsible for braking in good time.
XStop the vehicle when the parking space sym-
bol shows the desired parking space in the
instrument cluster.
XShift the transmission to position R.
The Start Parking Pilot? Yes: OK No:
% message appears in the multifunction
display.
XTo cancel the procedure: press the%
button on the multifunction steering wheel or
pull away.
or
XTo park using Parking Pilot: press thea
button on the multifunction steering wheel.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and Brake Observe Surroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
XLet go of the multifunction steering wheel.
XBack up the vehicle, being ready to brake at all
times. When backing up, drive at a speed
below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwise, Parking Pilot is canceled immediately.
Parking Pilot brakes the vehicle to a standstill when the vehicle approaches the rear border
of the parking space.
Maneuvering may be required in tight parking spaces.
The Parking Pilot Active Select D
Observe Surroundingsmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
XShift the transmission to position Dwhile the
vehicle is stationary.
Parking Pilot immediately steers in the other
direction.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and Brake Observe Surroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
XDrive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
Parking Pilot brakes the vehicle to a standstill.
The Parking Pilot Active Select R
Observe Surroundingsmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
the Parking Pilot Finished
message
appears and a warning tone sounds. The vehicle
is now parked. The vehicle is kept stationary
without the driver having to depress the brake
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The flap closes again when:
Ryou have finished the maneuvering process
Ryou switch off the engine
Ryou open the cargo compartment
Observe the notes on cleaning (
Ypage 334).
For technical reasons, the flap may remain
open briefly after the rear view camera has
been deactivated.
Activating/deactivating the rear view
camera
XTo activate: make sure that the SmartKey is
in position 2in the ignition lock.
XMake sure that the Activation by R gearfunction is selected in the multimedia system
(see the Digital Operator's Manual).
XEngage reverse gear.
The rear view camera flap opens. The multi-
media system shows the area behind the vehi-
cle with guide lines.
The image from the rear view camera is avail-
able throughout the maneuvering process.
XTo switch the function mode for vehicles
with trailer tow hitch: using the controller,
select symbol :for the "Reverse parking"
function or symbol ;for "Coupling up a
trailer".
The symbol of the selected function is high-
lighted.
To deactivate: the rear view camera deacti-
vates if you shift the transmission to jor after
driving forwards a short distance.
Displays in the multimedia system
The rear view camera may show a distorted view
of obstacles, show them incorrectly or not at all.
The rear view camera does not show objects in
the following positions:
Rvery close to the rear bumper
Runder the rear bumper
Rin the area immediately above the tailgate
handle
!Objects not at ground level may appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g.:
Rthe bumper of a parked vehicle
Rthe drawbar of a trailer
Rthe ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
Rthe rear section of an HGV
Ra slanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.
Approach objects no further than the bottom-
most guideline.
:Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 13 ft (4.0 m) from the rear of the
vehicle
;White guide line without turning the steering
wheel, vehicle width including the exterior
mirrors (static)
=Yellow guide line for the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic)
?Yellow lane marking the course the tires will
take at the current steering wheel angle
(dynamic)
AYellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately 3 ft (1.0 m) from the rear of the vehi-
cle
BVehicle center axle (marker assistance)
CBumper
DRed guide line at a distance of approximately
12 in (0.30 m) from the rear of the vehicle
The guide lines are shown when the transmis-
sion is in position k.
The distance specifications only apply to
objects that are at ground level.
200Driving systems
Driving and parking