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.
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in front on the edge of the road because ofits narrow width. The distance to the vehiclein front will be too short.
RObstacles and stationary vehicles: ActiveDistance Assist DISTRONIC does not brakefor obstacles or stationary vehicles. If, forexample, the detected vehicle turns a cor-ner and an obstacle or stationary vehicle isrevealed, Active Distance Assist DISTRONICwill not brake for them.
RActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC may mis-takenly detect vehicles that are crossingyour lane. If you activate Active DistanceAssist DISTRONIC under the following condi-tions, the vehicle could pull away uninten-tionally:
-at traffic lights with crossing traffic, forexample
-if there is a vehicle in front, after a cross-ing, with the HOLD function activated
In such situations, brake if necessary. ActiveDistance Assist DISTRONIC will then be deacti-vated.
HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in thefollowing situations:
RWhen pulling away, especially on steepslopes
RWhen maneuvering on steep slopes
RWhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without thedriver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLDfunction deactivated when you depress theaccelerator pedal to pull away.
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 vehi-
cle:
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
There is a risk of an accident.
Always deactivate the HOLD function and
secure the vehicle against rolling away
before you leave it.
!When Active Distance Assist DISTRONICor the HOLD function is activated, the vehi-cle brakes automatically in certain situa-tions.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivateActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC and theHOLD function in the following or similar sit-uations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivate the HOLD function (Ypage 166).
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 beltis fastened
Rthe electric parking brake is released
RActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC is deacti-vated
Rthe transmission is in position [, ^or \\on vehicles with automatic transmission
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iIf RACE START is used repeatedly within ashort period of time, it is only availableagain after the vehicle has been driven acertain distance.
AMG adaptive sport suspension sys-
tem
General notes
The electronically controlled damping systemworks continuously. This improves drivingsafety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to eachwheel and depends on:
Ryour driving style, e.g. sporty
Rthe road surface condition, e.g. bumps
Ryour individual selection ofSportorCom-fort
The suspension setting is adjusted using thecorresponding button in the center console.
iThe mode can also be set using the AMGDYNAMIC SELECT controller (Ypage 133).
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-Key or the Start/Stop button,Comfortmodeis activated. For further information aboutstarting the engine, see (Ypage 125).
Sport mode
The firmer setting of the suspension tuning inSportmode ensures even better contact withthe road. Select this mode when employing asporty driving style, e.g. on winding countryroads.
XPress button C.Indicator lamp Dlights up. You have selec-tedSportmode.
TheAMG Suspension System SPORTAMG Suspension System SPORTmes-sage appears in the multifunction display.
Comfort mode
InComfortmode, the driving characteristicsof your vehicle are more comfortable. Selectthis mode if you favor a more comfortable driv-ing style, but also when driving fast on straightroads, e.g. highways.
XPress button Cagain so that indicatorlamp Dgoes out.You have selectedComfortmode.
TheAMG Suspension System COMFORTAMG Suspension System COMFORTmessage appears in the multifunction dis-play.
4MATIC
!Never tow the vehicle with one axle raised.This may damage the differential. Damageof this sort is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All wheels mustremain either on the ground or be fullyraised. Observe the instructions for towingthe vehicle with all wheels in full contactwith the ground.
4MATIC, together with ESP®, improves thetraction of your vehicle whenever a drivewheel spins due to insufficient grip.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATICcan neither reduce the risk of accident noroverride the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannottake account of road, weather and traffic con-ditions. 4MATIC is only an aid. You are respon-sible for the distance to the vehicle in front, forvehicle speed, for braking in good time and forstaying in your lane.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
ROnly depress the accelerator pedal as far asnecessary when pulling away.
RAccelerate less when driving.
iIn wintry driving conditions, the maximumeffect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if youuse winter tires (M+S tires), with snowchains if necessary.
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Driving and parking
DSR
General notes
iDSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) is onlyavailable for vehicles with the ON&OFF-ROAD package.
DSR is an aid to assist you when driving down-hill. It keeps the speed of travel at the speedselected on the on-board computer. Thesteeper the downhill gradient, the greater theDSR braking effect on the vehicle. When driv-ing on flat stretches of road or on an uphillgradient, the DSR braking effect is minimal ornonexistent.
DSR controls the vehicle’s speed when it isactivated and the transmission is in position [, ^or \\. You can drive at a higher or alower speed than that set on the on-boardcomputer at any time by accelerating or brak-ing.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the speed driven and the set speed devi-
ate and you activate DSR on a slippery road
surface, the wheels may lose traction. There
is an increased danger of skidding and acci-
dents.
Before switching DSR on, please take into
consideration the road surface and the dif-
ference between driving speed and the set
speed.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DSR canneither reduce the risk of accident nor over-ride the laws of physics. DSR cannot takeaccount of road, weather and traffic condi-tions. DSR is only an aid. You are responsiblefor the distance to the vehicle in front, forvehicle speed, for braking in good time and forstaying in your lane.
You are always responsible for keeping controlof the vehicle and for assessing whether thedownhill gradient can be managed. DSR maynot always be able to keep to the set speed,depending on road surface and tire conditions.Select a set speed suitable for the prevailingconditions and when necessary, apply thebrakes manually.
Further information about "Driving off-road"(Ypage 153).
Activating/deactivating DSR
If you activate DSR and no speed has beenset, the vehicle decelerates to 4 mph (Canada:6 km/h).
You can only activate DSR when driving atspeeds below 19 mph (Canada: 30 km/h).
Activating DSR
XPress button C.Indicator lamp Dlights up.
The status indicator in the multifunction dis-play shows, e.g.DSR 6 km/hDSR 6 km/h.
If the current vehicle speed is too high, theDSR symbol appears on the multifunction dis-play. You will also see the message:Max.Max.Speed 30 km/hSpeed 30 km/h.
If you enter or exit a parking space usingActive Parking Assist, and press button C,indicator lamp Dflashes. DSR can then notbe switched on.
Deactivating DSR
XPress button C.Indicator lamp Dgoes out.
The DSR symbol appears in the multifunc-tion display with theOffOffmessage.
DSR is deactivated automatically if you drivefaster than 22 mph (Canada: 35 km/h). TheDSR symbol appears in the multifunction dis-play along with theOffOffmessage. You alsohear a warning tone.
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