Bear in mind that at a speed of only 30 mph(approximately 50 km/h), the vehicle covers adistance of 44 ft (approximately 14 m) persecond.
Drive sensibly – save fuel
Observe the following tips to save fuel:
RThe tires should always be inflated to therecommended tire pressure.
RRemove unnecessary loads.
RRemove roof racks when they are not nee-ded.
RWarm up the engine at low engine speeds.
RAvoid frequent acceleration or braking.
RHave all maintenance work carried out asindicated by the service intervals in theMaintenance Booklet or by the service inter-val display.
Fuel consumption also increases when drivingin cold weather, in stop-start traffic and in hillyterrain.
Drinking and driving
GWARNING
Drinking and driving and/or taking drugs
and driving are very dangerous combina-
tions. Even a small amount of alcohol or
drugs can affect your reflexes, perceptions
and judgment.
The possibility of a serious or even fatal
accident is greatly increased when you drink
or take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or
taking drugs.
Emission control
GDANGER
Combustion engines emit poisonous
exhaust gases such as carbon monoxide.
Inhaling these exhaust gases is hazardous to
health and can result in poisoning. There is a
risk of fatal injury. Therefore, never leave the
engine running an enclosed space without
adequate ventilation.
Certain engine systems are designed to keepthe level of poisonous components in exhaustfumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency ifthey are serviced exactly in accordance withthe manufacturer's specifications. Always havework on the engine carried out at a qualifiedspecialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz recom-mends that you use an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for this purpose. In particular,work relevant to safety or on safety-relatedsystems must be carried out at a qualified spe-cialist workshop.
The engine settings must not be changedunder any circumstances. Furthermore, allspecific service work must be carried out atregular intervals and in accordance with theMercedes-Benz service requirements. Detailscan be found in the Maintenance Booklet.
ECO display
The ECO display shows you how economicalyour driving style is. The ECO display assistsyou in achieving the most economical drivingstyle for the selected settings and prevailingconditions. Your driving style can significantlyinfluence the vehicle's consumption.
CAcceleration
DCoasting
RDrive slowly and evenly, if necessary at awalking pace.
REnsure that the wheels are in contact withthe ground at all times.
RDrive with extreme care on unfamiliar off-road routes where visibility is poor. Forsafety reasons, get out of the vehicle firstand survey the off-road route.
RCheck the depth of water before fording riv-ers and streams.
RWatch out for obstacles.
RTake care when turning on an uphill ordownhill slope or when driving across aslope. The vehicle could otherwise tip over.
RAlways keep the side windows and the pan-orama roof with power tilt/sliding panelclosed during the journey.
RDo not deviate from marked routes.
RDo not use the HOLD function when drivingoff-road, on steep uphill or downhill gradi-ents or on slippery or loose surfaces. TheHOLD function cannot hold the vehicle onsuch surfaces.
Checklist before driving off-road
XEngine oil level:check the engine oil leveland add oil if necessary.
When driving on steep gradients, the engineoil level must be sufficiently high to ensure acorrect oil supply in the vehicle.
XWheels and tires:check the tire treaddepth and tire pressure.
XCheck for damage and remove any foreignobjects, e.g. small stones, from the wheels/tires.
XReplace any missing valve caps.
XReplace dented or damaged wheels.
XRims:dented or bent rims can result in aloss of tire pressure and damage the tirebead. Before driving off-road, check thewheels and replace them if necessary.
Checklist after driving off-road
!If you detect damage to the vehicle afterdriving off-road, have the vehicle checkedimmediately at a qualified specialist work-shop.
XDeactivate off-road program (Ypage 132).
XDeactivate DSR (Ypage 169).
XClean the headlamps and rear lights andcheck for damage.
XClean the front and rear license plates.
XClean the wheels and tires with a water jetand remove any foreign objects.
XClean the wheels, wheel housings and thevehicle underside with a water jet; check forany foreign objects and damage.
XCheck whether twigs or other parts of plantshave become trapped. These increase therisk of fire and can damage fuel pipes, brakehoses or the air bellows of the axle jointsand propeller shafts.
XAfter the trip, examine without fail the entireundercarriage, wheels, tires, brakes, body-work structure, steering, chassis andexhaust system for damage.
XAfter driving in sand, mud, gravel, water orsimilar dirty conditions, have the followingchecked and cleaned:
Rbrake discs
Rwheels
Rbrake pads
Raxle joints
XIf you detect strong vibrations after off-roadtravel, check for foreign objects in thewheels and drive train and remove them ifnecessary. Foreign objects can disturb thebalance and cause vibrations.
Driving over poor road surfaces places greaterdemands on your vehicle than driving on nor-mal roads. After driving off-road, check thevehicle. This allows you to detect damagepromptly and reduce the risk of an accident toyourself and other road users.
Driving on sand
Observe the following rules when driving onsand:
RActivate the off-road program (Ypage 132).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddleshifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate tothe terrain.
Drivingtips155
Driving an d parking
Z
RDrive quickly to overcome the rolling resist-ance. Otherwise the vehicle's wheels couldbecome stuck in loose ground.
RDrive in the tracks of other vehicles if possi-ble. Make sure that:
-the tire ruts are not too deep.
-the sand is sufficiently firm.
-the ground clearance of the vehicle is suf-ficient.
Tire ruts and gravel roads
!Check that the ruts are not too deep andthat your vehicle has sufficient clearance.Otherwise, your vehicle could be damagedor bottom out and get stuck.
Observe the following rules when driving alongruts in off-road terrain or on roads with loosegravel:
RActivate the off-road program (Ypage 132).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-handsteering wheel paddle shifter.
RDrive slowly.
RWhere ruts are too deep, drive with thewheels of one side on the center grassyarea, if possible.
Traveling uphill
Approach/departure angle
GWARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
RObserve the warnings for off-road driving(Ypage 153).
RFollow the line of fall when driving on slopesand steep inclines.
RBefore driving on extreme uphill and down-hill gradients, select the off-road program(Ypage 132).
RDrive slowly.
RAccelerate gently and make sure that thewheels are gripping.
RAvoid high engine speeds, except when driv-ing on sandy and muddy routes with highdriving resistance.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddleshifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate tothe gradient.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddleshifter to shift into a lower gear in good timeon long and steep downhill gradients.
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling awayon a hill. For further information about hillstart assist, see (Ypage 128).
Do not shift into transmission position \\when driving off-road. You could lose controlof the vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehi-cle using the service brake. If the gradient istoo steep for your vehicle, drive back down inreverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure anglevalues (Ypage 340).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climb-ing ability values (Ypage 340).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightlyreduce pressure on the accelerator immedi-ately before reaching the brow of the hill.Make use of the vehicle's own impetus totravel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
Rthe vehicle from lifting off the ground on thebrow of a hill
Rthe vehicle from traveling too quickly downthe other side
Driving downhill
RDrive slowly.
RDo not drive at an angle down steepinclines. Steer into the line of fall and drivewith the front wheels aligned straight. Oth-erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tipand rollover.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-handsteering wheel paddle shifter before tacklingsteep downhill gradients.
156Drivingtips
Driving an d parking