2019 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV Owners Manual

#
Keep theve hicle key out of reach of
ch ildren. This also applies
tothe Digital Vehicle Key if the
"Digital Vehicle Key" function is activated via
Mercedes me connect.
Use the DIRECT SELECT le verto shift the trans‐
mission position. The cur rent transmission posi‐
tion is displ ayed in the multifunction displa y. j
Park position
k Reversege ar
i Neut ral
h Drive position En
gaging reve rsege ar R #
Depress the brake pedal and push the
DIRECT SELECT le ver upwards past thefirst
point of resis tance.
The transmission position displ aysho wsk
in the multifunction displa y.
Engaging neut ral N #
Depress the brake pedal and push the
DIRECT SELECT le ver up or down tothefirst
point of resis tance.
The transmission position displ aysho wsi
in the multifunction displa y.
Subsequently releasing the brake pedal will
allow youto mo vetheve hicle freel y,e.g. topush
it or tow it away.
Proceed as follo ws ifyo uwa ntthe automatic
transmission toremain in neutral i
i eve n if
th e ignition is switched off: #
start theve hicle. #
depress the brake pedal and engage neutral
i. #
release the brake pedal. #
switch off the ignition. 206
Driving and parking

%
ifyo uth en exitth eve hicle leaving theke y in
th eve hicle, the automatic transmission
re mains in neutral i.
Engaging park position P #
Obser vethe no tes on parking theve hicle
(/ page 218). #
Dep ress the brake pedal until theve hicle is
st ationar y. #
When theve hicle is stationar y,press button
j.
Pa rk position is only engaged when the
transmission position display jis shown in
th e multifunction displa y.If no transmission
position display jappears, secure theve hi‐
cle topreve nt it from rolling away.
% Depending on the situation, it may take
some time until jis engaged. Therefore,
alw ays pay attention tothe transmission
position displa y. Pa
rk position jis engaged automatically if one
of thefo llowing conditions is me t:
R you swit choff the ignition when theve hicle
is stationary and the transmission is in posi‐
tion hork.
R you open the driver's door when theve hicle
is stationary or when driving at a very low
speed and the transmission is in position h
or k.
% Tomanoeuvre with an open driver's door,
open the driver's door while stationary and
engage transmission position hork
again.
Engaging drive position D #
Depress the brake pedal and push the
DIRECT SELECT le ver down past thefirst
point of resis tance.
The transmission position displ aysho wsh
in the multifunction displa y.
When the automatic transmission is in transmis‐
sion position h, it shiftsthege ars automati‐
call y.This depends on thefo llowing factors:
R the selected drive prog ram R
the position of the accelera tor pedal
R the driving speed Manual
gearshifting &
WARNING Risk of skidding and of an
accident due toshifting down on slippery
ro ad sur faces
If yo u shift down on slippery road sur faces to
inc rease the engine braking ef fect, the drive
wheels may lose traction. #
Do not shift down on slippery road sur‐
fa ces toinc rease the engine braking
ef fect. Driving and pa
rking 207

Pe
rm anent setting (vehicles with Offroad
pac kage or E-Active Body Control) #
Toactivate/deacti vate:pull rock er switch
1.
If indicator lamp is lit, manual gearshifting is
activated. The cur rent gear is displa yed in the
multifunction displa y. Te
mp orary setting #
Toactivate: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 1or2.
Manual gearshifting is activated for a short
time. Transmission position pand the cur‐
re nt gear appear in the multifunction displa y. #
Todeactivate: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 2and hold it in place.
The transmission position happears in the
multifunction displa y.
% Topermanently shift thege ars manually in
drive prog ram Iusing thesteering wheel
ge arshift paddles, select theM (Manual) set‐
ting forth e transmission. Gearshifting
#
toshift up: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 2. #
toshift down: pullsteering wheel gearshift
paddle 1. Gea
rshift recommendation The
gearshift recommendation assists you in
adopting an economical driving style. 208
Driving and parking

#
Ifge arshift recommendation message 1is
shown on the multifunction displa y,shift to
th ere commended gear. Using kickd
own #
Maximum acceleration: depressthe accel‐
erator pedal be yond the pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts up tothe next
ge ar when the maximum engine speed is
re ached toprotect the engine from overrev ving. Glide mode function
Wi
th an anticipatory driving style, Glide mode
helps youto reduce fuel consum ption.
Glide mode is characterised bythefo llowing:
R the combustion engine is disconnected from
th e driv etra in and the engine continues to
ru n in neutral.
R the transmission position his displa yed in
green in the multifunction displa y.
R vehicles with a 48 V on-board electrical
sy stem (EQ Boost technology): the com‐
bustion engine is switched off depending on
th e driving situation. All of theve hicle func‐
tions remain active. Glide mode is activated if
thefo llowing condi‐
tions are me t:
R drive prog ram ; is selected.
R the speed is within a suitable range.
R thero ad's course is suitable, e.g. no steep
uphill or downhill inclines or tight bends.
R there is no trailer coupled tothe trailer hitch,
and no bicycle rack fitted.
R you are no lon ger depressing the accelera tor
or brake pedal.
% Glide mode can also be activated if you ha ve
selected the "Eco" setting forth e drive in the
drive prog ram =.
Glide mode is deactivated again if one of the
conditions is no longer met.
Glide mode can also be pr evented bythefo llow‐
ing parame ters:
R incline
R downhill gradient
R temp erature
R height Driving and parking
209

R
Speed
R ope rating status of the engine
R traf fic situation Tr
ansfer case Fu
nction of the transfer case &
WARNING Risk of skidding and having
an accident when in LOW RANGE on slip‐
pery road sur faces
If yo u select theLO W RANGE off-road gear
on a slippe ryroad sur face, the wheels could
lose traction in thefo llowing situations:
R ifyo ure lease the accelera tor pedal when
th eve hicle is in motion.
R if off-road ABS inter venes when braking.
If th e wheels lose traction, it will no longer be
possible tosteer theve hicle. #
Never select theLO W RANGE off-road
ge ar when driving on slippe ryroad sur‐
fa ces. &
WARNING Risk of accident when the
trans fer case is in neutral position
The transfer case can be in neutral position if
yo u do not wait until shift operation is com‐
ple te. The po wer transmission tothe driven
wheels is then inter rupted. The vehicle may
th ereby inadver tently rollaw ay. #
Wait until the transfer case shift opera‐
tion is comple te. This function is only
available in vehicles with
Off-road pac kage.
Shift the transfer case tothe on-ro ad position
HIGH RANGE or intotheLO W RANGE off-road
ge ar.
Do not swit choff the engine during shift opera‐
tion and do not shift the automatic transmission
to ano ther position. Shift
ranges
HIGH RANGE LOW RANGE
Ro ad position for all
normal on-road driv‐
ing situations. Off-road
gear for driv‐
ing off-road, when
fo rd ing and on steep
uphill or downhill
inclines. Properties of
theLO W RANGE off-road gear:
R reduced maximum speed: 50 km/h
R increased tractive po wer
R the transmission ratio changes byappr ox‐
imately a factor of thre e.
R increased drive torque
Do not use LOW RANGE in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R when driving on public roads. 210
Driving and pa rking

Shifting
the transfer case Shifting
totheLOW RANGE off-road gear Re
quirements:
R you are not driving on a pa ved or public road.
R theve hicle is stationar y.
R the transmission is in position i. #
Pull theLOW RANGE 1rock er switch.
Indicator lamp 2flashes. The shift request
st ay s active for a maximum 30 seconds. If all
re qu irements for shift operation are not fulfil‐
led within this time, the indicator lamp 2
switches off again and the shift operation
must be star ted again. #
Shift the transmission toposition i.
If shift operation is successful, the message
LOW RANGE on appears inthe instrument
clus ter,an audible signal sounds and indica‐
to r lamp 2and an indica tor lamp in the
instrument clus ter light up continuously. #
Shift the transmission toposition h.
% The vehicle stay s in LOW RANGE if you park
th eve hicle in LOW RANGE, even af terthe
engine has been restar ted.
% You will not be able toswitch on LOW
RANGE if drive prog ram C orB is
switched on. The vehicle switches todrive
program A. In
the on-road position, shift toHIGH RANGE
Re quirements:
R the engine is running and you are not driving
fast erthan 50 km/h.
R the transmission is in position i. #
Pull theLOW RANGE 1rock er switch.
The shift requeststay s active for a maximum
30 seconds. If all requ irements for shift oper‐
ation ha venot been ful filled within this time,
shift operation must be star ted again. #
Shift the transmission toposition i.
If shift operation is successful, the message
LOW RANGE off appears inthe instrument
clus ter,an audible signal sounds and the
indicator lamps go out. #
Shift the transmission toposition h. Fu
nction of the 4MATIC
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are driven
when needed. Toget her with ESP ®
and 4ETS,
4MATIC impr ovesth e traction of your vehicle Driving and parking
211

when
ever a driven wheel spins due toinsuf fi‐
cient traction.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, 4MATIC can
neither reduce therisk of an accident nor over‐
ri de the la wsof ph ysics. 4MATIC cannot take
account of road, weather and traf fic conditions.
4MATIC is only an aid. You are responsible espe‐
cially for maintaining a safe dis tance from the
ve hicle in front, forve hicle speed, for braking in
good time and forst ay ing in lane.
% In wint ryroad conditions, the maximum
ef fect of 4MATIC can be achie ved only if you
use winter tyres (M+S tyres), with sn ow
ch ains if necessar y.Re
fuelling Re
fuelling theve hicle &
WARNING Risk offire or explosion from
fuel
Fu els are highly flammable. #
Fire, naked flames, smoking and crea‐
tion of spar ksmust be avoided. #
Swit choff the ignition and, if available,
th est ationary heater, before and while
re fuelling theve hicle. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryfrom fuels
Fu els are poisonous and hazardous to your
health. #
Do not swallow fuel or let it come into
contact with skin, eyes or clo thing. #
Do not inhale fuel vapour. #
Keep children away from fuel. #
Keep doors and windo wsclosed du ring
th ere fuelling process.
If yo u or other people come into contact with
fuel, obser vethefo llowing: #
Immediately rinse fuel off your skin with
soap and water. #
If fuel comes into contact with your
ey es, immediately rinse them thor‐ oughly with clean
water.Seek medical
attention immediately. #
Ifyo u swallow fuel, seek medical atten‐
tion immediatel y.Do not induce vomit‐
ing. #
Change immediately out of clo thing that
has come into con tact wi thfuel. &
WARNING Risk offire or explosion from
elect rostatic charge
Electros tatic charge can crea tespar ksand
th ereby ignite fuel vapours. #
Before opening the fuel filler cap or tak‐
ing hold of the pump nozzle, touch the
me tallic body of theve hicle.
This dischar ges any electros tatic charge
th at may ha vebuilt up. #
Do not get into theve hicle again during
th ere fuelling process.
Otherwise, electros tatic charge could
build up again. 212
Driving and pa rking

&
WARNING Risk offire from fuel mixture
Ve hicles with a diesel engine:
If yo u mix diesel fuel with petrol, theflash
point of the fuel mixture is lo werth an that of
pure diesel fuel.
While the engine is running, component
pa rts in theex haust sy stem may overheat
without warning. #
Neverre fuel using petrol. #
Never mix petrol with diesel fuel. *
NO
TEDama gecaused bythe wrong fuel Ve
hicles with a petrol engine:
Even small amounts of the wrong fuel could
re sult in damage tothe fuel sy stem, the
engine and the emission control sy stem. #
Only refuel using unleaded, sulphu r-free
fuel that con form sto European EN 228,
or an equi valent specification. #
The RONrequ irement is located in the
fuel filler flap. Fu
el of this specification may con tain up to
10 %ethanol. Your vehicle is suitable for use
with E10 fuel.
Ne verre fuel using any of thefo llowing fuels:
R diesel
R regular petrol with an octane number
lo we rth an 91 RON
R petrol with more than 10%ethanol byvol‐
ume, e.g. E15, E30, E85, E100
R petrol with more than 3% me thanol by
vo lume, e.g. M15, M30
R petrol with additives con taining me tal
If yo u acciden tally refuel with the wrong fuel: #
Do not switch the ignition on. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. *
NO
TEDama gecaused bythe wrong fuel Ve
hicles with a diesel engine:
Even small amounts of the wrong fuel could
re sult in damage tothe fuel sy stem, the
engine and the emission control sy stem. #
Only refuel using sulphu r-free diesel
fuel that con form sto European stand‐
ard EN 590, or an equivalent specifica‐
tion.
In countries without sulphur-f ree diesel
fuel, refuel using only lo w-sulphur diesel
fuel with a sulphur content less than
50 ppm.
Ne verre fuel using any of thefo llowing fuels:
R petrol
R marine diesel
R heating oil
R pure bio-diesel fuel or vege table oil
R paraf fin or kerosene
If yo u accidentally refuel with the wrong fuel: #
Do not switch the ignition on. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Driving and parking
213