Ru
les for off-road driving
Alw ays be aware of the ground clearance of the
ve hicle and avoid obs tacles such as deep tire
ru ts.
Obs tacles can damage thefo llowing parts of the
ve hicle, forex ample:
R Suspension
R Driv etra in
R Fuel and supply tanks
The refore , alw ays drive slowly when off-road. If
yo u must drive over obs tacles, ha vethe co-driver
instruct you.
% Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you addi‐
tionally car rya sho vel and a reco very rope
with a shackle in theve hicle.
R Make sure that loads and items of luggage
are securely stored or lashed down
(/ page 72).
R Before driving off-road, stop theve hicle and
engage a low gear.
R Vehicles with DSR: activate DSR when you
are driving downhill (/ page120).
R All-wheel drive vehicles: activate the all-
wheel drive (/ page119) and, if necessa ry,
activate theLO W RANGE transmission ratio
(/ page 119).
R Ifth e sur face requ ires, temp orarily deactivate
ASR when pulling away ( /page 119).
R Only drive off-road with the engine running
and a gear engaged.
R Drive slowly and smo othly. Wa lking pace is
necessary in many situations.
R Avoid spinning the driven wheels.
R Always ensure that the wheels remain in con‐
ta ct wi th the ground.
R Exercise the utmost caution when driving
across unfamiliar, unpredictable terrain. As a
precaution, getout of theve hicle totake a
look at thero ute tobe take nfirs t.
R Look out for obs tacles (e.g. rocks, holes, tree
st umps and tire ruts).
R Avoid edges where the sur face could crumble
or break away.
Ru les forfo rd ing off-road (all-wheel drive
ve hicles)
R Obser vethe saf ety no tes and general no tes
on driving off-road. R
Check the dep thand characteristics of the
body of water before ford ing. The water must
not be deeper than 23.6 in (60 cm).
R The climate control sy stem is switched off
(/ page 95).
R The auxiliary heating is switched off
(/ page 100).
R Swit chon all-wheel drive (/ page118) and
engage it on vehicles with theLO W RANGE
transmission ratio (/ page 119).
R Restrict the shift range to1or 2.
R Avoid high engine speeds.
R Drive slowly and smoo thly at no more than a
wa lking pace.
R Ensure that no bow wavefo rm s while driving.
R Afterfo rd ing, dry the brakes.
Af ter driving thro ugh a body of water deeper than
19 .7 in (50 cm), make su retocheck all vehicle
fl uids for any signs of penetration bywate r.
Checklist af ter driving off-road
If yo ufind damage totheve hicle af ter off-road
driving, ha vetheve hicle checked at a qualified
specialist workshop immediatel y.
Driving overro ugh terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than normal road opera‐
tion. Check your vehicle af ter driving on rough
te rrain. This allo wsyouto detect damage
prom ptly and reduce therisk of an accident for
yo urself and other road users. Clean your vehicle
th oroughly before driving on public roads.
Obse rveth efo llowing points af ter driving off-
ro ad, on con stru ction sites and before driving on
public roads:
R Vehicles with DSR: deactivate DSR
(/ page 120).
R All-wheel drive vehicles: deactivate the all-
wheel drive (/ page119).
R Activate ASR (/ page 119).
R Clean theex terior lighting, particular lythe
headlamp s andtail lamps, and check them
fo r dama ge.
R Clean the front and rear license plates.
R Clean the windshield, windo wsand outside
mir rors.
R Clean thesteps, entra nces and grab handles.
This increases the saf ety of your foot ing.
R Clean the wheels and tires, wheel wells and
th e underbody of theve hicle with a water jet. 11 2
Driving and pa rking
