2019 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS 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 534).
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 Obse rveth e no tes on the cross-country ABS
(/ page 229).
R If necessar y,select theF orG drive
program (vehicles with an Off-road pac kage)
before driving off-road (/ page 204).
R Before driving off-road, shift the transfer
case totheLO W RANGE off-roadgear (vehi‐
cles with an Offroad pac kage ) (/ page 211).
R Select a vehicle le vel suitable for off-road ter‐
ra in (/ page 265). 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. 19 6
Driving and pa rking

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.
Driving on sand
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
Fo rding
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 607).
R Switch off automatic climate control
(/ page 177).
R Vehicles with stationary heater/ventila‐
tion: switch thest ationary heater/ ventilation
off (/ page 182).
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 (/ page 200).
Driving in mountainous terrain Also obse
rveth efo 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 607).
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 (/ page245).
Che cklist af ter 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.
R Ifth eF orG drive prog ram is selec‐
te d: select the;, =,CorA
drive prog ram. Driving and parking
197

#
Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accelera‐
tion. #
Swit chon ESP ®
once the acceleration proce‐
dure is comple te. ESP ®
will otherwise not be
able tostabilise theve hicle if theve hicle
st arts toskid or a wheel starts tospin.
Cancelling thest art-off assi st #
Remo veyour foot from the accelerator pedal. #
Reactivate the ESP ®
. AIRMATIC
Fu
nction of AIRMATIC
AIRMATIC is an air suspension sy stem with an
all-round le vel control sy stem, which also
ensures the best possible suspension and con‐
st ant ground clearance, even wi tha laden vehi‐
cle. When driving at speed, theve hicle is low‐
ered automatically toimpr ovedriving saf ety and
to reduce fuel consum ption. You also ha vethe
option of manually adjusting theve hicle le vel. AIRMATIC consists of:
R All-round air suspension
R Speed-dependent lo wering
R Manually selectable high-l evel setting for
grea ter ground clea rance which can be
adjus ted using a le vel button
R Vehicles with ADS PLUS: alsoAdaptive
Damping Sy stem with const ant adjustment
of damping characteristics for impr oved driv‐
ing comfort 262
Driving and parking

Multimedia sy
stem:
4 © 5
Settings
5 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 262). E-
AC TIVE BODY CONT ROL Fu
nction of E- ACTIVE BODY CONT ROL
E- AC TIVE BODY CONTROL is an electrohydraulic
suspension sy stem with variable damping for
impr 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 E-
AC TIVE BODY CONTROL comprises:
R ROAD SUR FACE SCAN
R Cur veinclination function CURVE
R Recovery mode
R Individual wheel control
R Air suspension with auto matic level 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
269

*
NO
TERisk of dama gedue totheve hicle
moving up and down When free driving mode is activated,
the
ve hicle bounces up and down. Vehicle parts
may be damaged if the underbody bottoms
out. #
Make sure that there is suf ficient
ground clearance when free driving
mode is acti vated. Re
covery mode is a function of the suspension
which can assist the driver on loose sur faces
(e.g. sand, snow) when freeing a vehicle which
has become stuc k.
The vehicle body rock s in slo w,vertical motions
when reco very 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 reco very mode via Off-road
Assist (/ page278). Fu
nction of individual wheel control &
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 (/ page278).
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. Driving and pa
rking 275

#
Make sure that no windsc reen washer
concentrate spills out next tothefiller
opening. #
Remo vecap 1bytheta b. #
Top up thewa sher fluid.
R Further information about thewa sher fluid
(/ page 605) Ke
eping the air-water duct free #
Keep the area between the bonn etand the
windscreen free of deposits, e.g. ice, sn ow
and lea ves. Cleaning and care
Information on
washing theve hicle in a car
wa sh &
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
re duced braking po wer af terwa shing the
ve hicle
Braking ef ficiency is reduced af terwa shing
th eve hicle. #
Afterth eve hicle has been washed,
brake carefully while paying attention to
th e traf fic conditions until braking
po we r has been fully restored. *
NO
TEDama gedue tounsuitable car
wa sh #
Before driving into a car wash make
sure that the car wash is suitable for
th eve hicle dimensions. #
Ensure there is suf ficient ground clear‐
ance between the underbody and the
guide rails of the car wash. #
Ensure that the clearance width of the
car wash, in particular the width of the
guide rails, is suf ficient. To
avo id damage to yourvehicle when using a
car wash, ensure thefo llowing beforehand:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC and the
HOLD function are deactivated.
R the 360° Camera or there ve rsing camera is
switched off.
R the side windo wsand sliding sun roof are
comple tely closed.
R the outside mir rors are folded in.
R the blo werfo rth eve ntilation/heating is
switched off. 538
Maintenance and care

Height when opened
1
1
Height
when
opened* 2
2
Head‐
ro om*
Ve hicles with AIR‐
MATIC 21
44 mm
-
22 44 mm 19
29 mm
-
2029 mm
Ve hicles with Off-
ro ad pac kage 21
44 mm
-
22 74 mm 19
29 mm
-
2059 mm *When
there ar-end lo wering is acti vated, the
va lues are cor respondingly lo wer. Ve
hicle dimensions All models
Ve
hicle lengt h5 207 mm
Ve hicle length, AMG Styling 52 13mm
Ve hicle width including out‐
side mir rors 21
57 mm
Ve hicle width excluding out‐
side mir rors, min. tomax. 19
56 mm -
2030 mm
Maximum vehicle height (AIR‐
MATIC) 18
98 mm
Maximum vehicle height (Off-
ro ad pac kage) 19
28 mm
Minimum vehicle height (high‐
wa y driving le vel) 18
23 mm -
18 38 mm
Wheelbase 3135 mm
Maximum ground clea rance
(AIRMATIC) 259 mm All models
Maximum ground clearance
(Off-road pa
ckage) 289 mm
Minimum ground clearance
(AIRMATIC/Off- road pac kage) 17
4 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 606
Tech nical da ta

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and M
MSolutions
Active Lane Keeping Assist
currently unavailable See
Owner's Manual *A
ctive Lane Keeping Assist is temp orarily una vailable.
The ambient conditions are outside the sy stem limits (/ page 309). #
Drive on.
As soon as the ambient conditions are within the sy stem limits, the sy stem will become available again.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
inoperative *A
ctive Lane Keeping Assist is malfunctioning. #
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.
Active Stop-and-Go Assist
currently unavailable see
Owner's Manual *T
heActive Traf fic Jam Assi stistemp orarily not available. The Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC and theAc tive
St eering Assist are still available.
The ambient conditions are outside the sy stem limits. (/ page247) #
Drive on.
As soon as the ambient conditions are within the sy stem limits, the sy stem will become available again.
Active Stop-and-Go Assist
inoperative See Owner's
Manual *T
heActive Traf fic Jam Assi stis malfunctioning.
The Active Traf fic Jam Assi stis deactivated. The Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC and theAc tive Steering Assist
are still available. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Display messages and
warning/indicator lamps 629