2019 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE SUV ground clearance

th
e sy stem. Clean the brakes af ter driving off-
ro ad. If youth en notice reduced braking ef fect
or hear scraping noises, ha vethe brake sy stem
ch ecked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Ad just your driving style to thech anged braking
ch aracteristics.
* NO
TEDama gecaused bydriving over
obs tacles The
vehicle can be damaged by:
R driving up on high kerbs or unpa ved
ro ads.
R quickly driving over obs tacles su chas
ke rbs, speed bumps or po tholes.
R heavy objects hitting the underbody or
ch assis components. #
Do not drive over obs tacles that could
damage theve hicle. #
Check theve hicle regular lyfor dama ge
during off-road driving. #
Adjust theve hicle speed tosuit the
ro ad sur face conditions. #
Ifth ere is damage, consult a qualified
specialist workshop immediately. +
ENVIRONMENTAL
NOTEEnvironmental
dama gedue tonon-obser vance of pro‐
hibition signs Environmental pr
otection has priority. Treat
nature with respect. #
Be sure toobser veprohibition signs. Checklist before driving off-road
Check
thefo llowing points before driving off-
ro ad:
R Fuel le vel
R Vehicles with a diesel engine: AdBlue ®
le vel
R Engine oil le vel:fill engine oil up tothe maxi‐
mum le velto ensure full gradeability
(→ page 490).
R Tyre-change tool kit and spare wheel
R Tyres and wheels %
Information about special all-ter rain tyres for
re trofitting is available from any qualified
specialist workshop.
Off-road driving
Re ad this section before driving your vehicle off-
ro ad. Practise bydriving over more gentle off-
ro ad terrain firs t.
R If necessa ry, select theF orG drive
prog ram (vehicles with an Off-road pac kage)
before driving off-road (→ page191).
R Before driving off-road, shift the transfer
case totheLOW RANGE off-road gear (vehi‐
cles with an Offroad pac kage ) (→ page 198).
R Select a vehicle le vel suitable for off-road ter‐
ra in (→ page 250). Toavo id damaging the
ve hicle, make sure there is alw ays suf ficient
ground clearance.
R Alw ayske ep the engine running and in gear
when driving on downhill gradients and
slopes. Obse rveth e no tes on driving in
mountainous terrain.
R Activate DSR be fore driving downhill, if nec‐
essary (→ page 232). Driving and parking
18 5

R
Do not drive on unknown terrain that is not
easily visible and stay on mar kedro utes.
R Alw ayske ep the doors and windo wsclosed
while theve hicle is in motion.
R Deactivate Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC, cruise control and theva riable
limiter.
R Adapt your driving style to thete rrain.
R Do not use the HOLD function on steep
downhill or uphill gradients with slippery or
loose sur faces.
When driving on sand, also obser vethefo llowing
instructions:
R Select theF drive prog ram.
R Select a higher vehicle le vel.
R Shift toa lo werge ar.
R Drive quickly toove rcome thero lling resist‐
ance, otherwise theve hicle may dig itself in.
R Drive in the trac ksofother vehicles if possi‐
ble. Make sure that thefo llowing prerequi‐
sites are me t:
- the tyre ruts are not too deep -
the sand is firm enough
- the ground clearance is suf ficient
Also obser vethefo llowing information when
fo rd ing:
R Drive at no more than 10 km/h.
R Obser vethe maximum permissible ford ing
dep th (→page 561).
R Switch off automatic climate control
(→ page 167).
R Vehicles with stationary heater/ventila‐
tion: switch thest ationary heater/ ventilation
off (→ page 171).
R Ensu rethat a bow wave does not form asyou
drive.
R Do not stop in thewa ter and do not switch
off the engine. Ensure the ECO start/ stop
function is switched off (→ page188).
Also obser vethefo llowing information when
driving in moun tainous terrain:
R Obse rveth eva lues of the approach/depar‐
ture angle and of the maximum gradient
(→ page 561). R
Obser vethe no tes on the cross-country ABS
(→ page 215).
R Before driving in mountainous terrain, shift
th e transfer case totheLOW RANGE off-
ro ad gear (→ page198).
R Avoid high engine speeds.
R Use the braking po wer of the engine when
driving downhill.
R Shift toa lo werge ar on uphill gradients and
on long, steep downhill gradients.
R Activate DSR be fore driving downhill, if nec‐
essary (→ page 231).
R Check that the service brake is working nor‐
mally af ter a long downhill stre tch.
Checkli stafte r driving off-road
Off-road driving terrain places greater demands
on your vehicle than driving on no rmalroads.
Check the entire vehicle for dama geand fore ign
bodies everytime af ter driving off-road. Foreign
bodies in the wheels or driv etra in can lead to
imbalances and therefore vibrations. 18 6
Driving and pa rking

Setting
the entering/exiting le vel (AIRMATIC)
Re quirements:
R The engine is running.
R The vehicle is moving at speeds less than
30 km/h
Multimedia sy stem:
, © .
Settings .
Schnellzugriff
(Quick access) #
Select Lower when entering On.
The vehicle is lo weredto low le vel -2 tofacili‐
ta te entering and exiting.
% Further information on AIRMATIC
(→ page 247). AC
TIVE BODY CONT ROL AC
TIVE BODY CONT ROL function
AC TIVE BODY CONTROL is an electrohydraulic
suspension sy stem with variable damping forimpr
oved driving comfort. The all-round le vel
control sy stem ensures the best possible sus‐
pension and const ant ground clearance, even
with a laden vehicle. When driving at speed, the
ve hicle is lo wered automatically toimpr ovedriv‐
ing saf ety and toreduce fuel consum ption. The
suspension tuning is adjus ted depending on the
ro ad sur face, vehicle load and the drive program
selected.
The ROAD SUR FACE SCAN function de tects
areas of une venness in thero ad before you drive
ove rth em bymeans of a multifunction camera.
This reduces chassis mo vements.
The damping is adju sted individually toeach
wheel and depends on thefo llowing factors:
R Driving style, e.g. sporty
R Road condition, e.g. bumps
R Drive program AC
TIVE BODY CONTROL comprises:
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN
R Cur veinclination function CURVE
R Free driving mode
R Individual wheel control
R Air suspension with automatic le vel control
R Speed-dependent lo wering toreduce fuel
consum ption
R Manual le vel adjustment
R ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping Sy stem with
const ant adjustment of damping characteris‐
tics)
R DYNA MIC SELECT switch and le vel button Driving and parking
253

#
Make sure that there is suf ficient
ground clearance when free driving
mode is acti vated. Fr
ee driving mode is a function of the suspen‐
sion which can assist the driver on loose sur fa‐
ces (e.g. sand, snow) when freeing a vehicle
which has become stuc k.
The vehicle body rock s in slo w,vertical motions
when free driving mode has been activated. This
te mp orarily puts the wheels under greater load,
which means they have inc reased traction and
th eve hicle is freed.
Yo u can activate free driving mode via Off- road
Assist (→ page 262).
Individual wheel cont rol&
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
due totheve hicle lo wering
The vehicle can be lo wered when the individ‐
ual wheel control function has been activa‐
te d. Body parts could become trapped if they
are between theve hicle body and the tyres
or underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure that nobody is under the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of
th e wheel ar ches when individual wheel
control is activated. *
NO
TERisk of dama gedue totheve hicle
moving up and down The
vehicle can be lo wered or raised on one
or more wheels when the individual wheel
control function has been activated. Vehicle
parts could be damaged due tocontact wi th
objects. #
Make sure that theve hicle has suf fi‐
cient room tomo vewhen the individual
wheel control function has been activa‐
te d. Individual wheel control is a function of
the sus‐
pension which can be used toset theve hicle
le ve lfo r each wheel individually. This can help to
impr ove alignment of the body when driving off-
ro ad.
Yo u can activate individual wheel cont rol via Off-
ro ad Assist (→ page 262). Setting
theve hicle le vel &
WARNING Risk of accident because
ve hicle le vel is too high
If yo u drive at a higher vehicle le vel,th e driv‐
ing characteristics may be impaired due to
th e higher vehicle centre of gravity.
The vehicle can drift outwards, forex ample,
when steering or cornering. #
Alw aysch oose a vehicle le vel which is
suited tothe driving style and thero ad
sur face conditions. &
WARNING Risk of entrapment from vehi‐
cle lo wering
When lo wering theve hicle, other people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure no one is underneath the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of
th e wheel ar ches when you lo werthe
ve hicle. Driving and parking
259

All models
Maximum ground clearance
(Off-
road pac kage) 290 mm
Minimum ground clea rance
(AIRMATIC/Off-road pa ckage) 14
5 mm We
ights and loads Please no
tethat forth e specified vehicle data:
R items of optional equipment increase the
unladen weight and reduce the pa yload.
R vehicle-specific weight information can be
fo und on theve hicle identification plate .
Ro of load All models
Maximum
roof load 100kg Ve
hicle data for off-road driving Fo
rding dep th
* NO
TEDama gecaused bywate r when
fo rd ing Wa
ter can enter the engine compartment
and vehicle interior if:
R youexc eed the maximum permissible
fo rd ing dep thwhen driving thro ugh stand‐
ing water
R a bow wavefo rm s during ford ing
R wate r accumulates during ford ing of flow‐
ing water #
Do not exceed the maximum permissi‐
ble ford ing dep thand drive slowly
th ro ugh thewa ter. The specified
value indicates the maximum per‐
missible ford ing dep thfor:
R vehicles that are ready todrive – fuel tank
full, all fluids refilled, with driver
R slow driving thro ugh standing water Driving
thro ugh flow ing wate rre duces tyre trac‐
tion. The permissible ford ing dep thisthen cor re‐
spondingly lo wer.
Obser vethe no tes on off-road driving and ford‐
ing (→ page184). Model
1 1Fording
dep th
Ve hicles with steel sus‐
pension 50 cm
Ve hicles with AIRMATIC
Ra ised le vel5 0 cm Te
ch nical da ta561

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and M
MSolutions Fault Stop
*T
heACTIVE BODY CONTROL sy stem's hydraulics are malfunctioning seriously. The sy stem is deactivated. #
Stop theve hicle safely as soon as possible, paying attention toroad and traf fic conditions. Do not continue
driving under any circums tances. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
Á Compressor is cooling *D
uetofrequent le velch anges within a short space of time, the compressor firs t needs tocool down in order toset
th e selected vehicle le vel. #
Drive on in a manner appropriate forth e cur rent le vel. Make sure that there is suf ficient ground clearance.
When the compressor has cooled down, theve hicle will continue rising tothe selected vehicle le vel.
Speed Limit Assist inopera-
tive *S
peed Limit Assist is malfunctioning. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
Speed Limit Assist cur-
rently unavailable See Own-
er's Manual *S
peed Limit Assist is temp orarily una vailable. #
Drive on.
Once the cause of the problem is no longer present, the sy stem will be available again. *T
heradar sensor sy stem is malfunctioning. Possible causes:
R soiling of the sensors
R heavy rain
R extended country driving wi thout other traf fic, e.g. in the desert
Driving sy stems and driving saf ety sy stems may be malfunctioning or temp orarily una vailable. 586
Display messages and warning/indicator lamps

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and M
MSolutions
If th e display message does not disappear, the trailer tow hit chis defective and the ball neck is not loc ked. #
Do not couple up the trailer. Drive on without the trailer. No tethere duced ground clearance due tothe
unlo cked ball nec k. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
The trailer tow hit chis not operational when theve hicle is at a standstill. #
Uncouple the coupled trailer and secure it against rolling away. #
Initiate a new swivelling procedure (→ page 292).
If th e display message does not disappear, the trailer tow hit chis defective and the ball coupling is not loc ked. #
Do not couple up the trailer. Drive on without the trailer. No tethere duced ground clearance due tothe
unlo cked ball nec k. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
Only select Park (P) when
vehicle is stationary *
The transmission can only be shif tedto position jwhen theve hicle is stationar y.
Risk of vehicle rolling
Driver door open and trans-
mission not in P *
The driver's door is not fully closed and the transmission is in position k,iorh. #
Shift the transmission toposition jwhen you park theve hicle.
_ *T
he cor responding rear seat backrest is not engaged. #
Foldthe cor responding seat backrest back until it engages. 61 0
Displaymessa ges and warning/indicator lamps