2020 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV Owners Manual

R
Ifyo u are driving at a speed greaterth an
4 km/h.
If yo u ha veselected the automatic mode in the
multimedia sy stem and you manually extend the
ru nning boards when the doors are closed, the
ru nning boards will remain extended. Even if you
open a door and then close it again, theru nning
boards will remain extended. Automatic mode
will be reactivated on ly whenyou are driving at a
speed greater than 4 km/h. &
WARNING Risk of inju rywhen extending
or retracting theru nning boards
The running boards extend at the side during
ex tension. During retraction, theru nning
boards are integrated in the side skirt. Parts
of the body could become trapped. There
may be people in thera nge of mo vement.
There is a risk of injur y. #
Alw ays ensure that there are no people
within thera nge of mo vement of the
ru nning boards. *
NO
TEDama getotheru nning boards
du ring extension or retraction The
running boards extend at the side during
ex tension. During retraction, theru nning
boards are integrated in the side skirt. #
Make sure that there is suf ficient space
du ring extension and retraction. *
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle body or
underbody due tolow ground clearance The
running boards are attached totheve hi‐
cle body via the underbody. This limits the
ground clearance. #
Drive over obs tacles, su chaskerbs,
particula rly careful lyand slowl y. Obser
vethe cor responding display messages in
th e instrument clus ter (/ page 433). Extending and
retracting the running boards
via the multimedia sy stem Multimedia sy
stem:
4 © 5
Settings 5
Vehicle
5 SIDE RUNNING BOARD #
Select Extend orRetract .
Au tomatically extending and retracting the
ru nning boards #
Activate or deacti vate AUTOMATIC EXTEN-
SION .
% This equipment is available on lyfor
Mercedes-Maybach vehicles. Load compartment
Opening
the tailgate &
DANG ER Risk of exhaust gas poisoning
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
ga ses such as carbon monoxide. Exhaust
ga ses can enter theve hicle interior if theta il‐ 86
Opening and closing

gate
is open when the engine is running,
especially if theve hicle is in motion. #
Alw ays switch off the engine before
opening theta ilgate. #
Never drive with theta ilgate open. *
NO
TEDama getotheta ilgate caused by
obs tacles ab ovetheve hicle The
tailgate swings rear wa rds and upwards
when it is opened. #
Make sure that there is suf ficient space
behind and ab ovetheta ilgate. #
Ifth eta ilgate is unloc ked, pull theta ilgate
handle and release it again immediatel y.#
Vehicles with HANDS-FREE ACCESS: make
a kicking mo vement with your foot below the
bumper (/ page 89). #
Pull remo teoperating switch 1forth eta il‐
ga te. #
Press and hold thep button on thekey. #
Ifth eta ilgate is stopped in an intermediate
position, pull it upwards. Release it as soon
as it begins toopen.
If an obs tacle obstructs theta ilgate during the
automatic opening process, bloc kage detection will
stop theta ilgate. The automatic bloc kage
de tection function is only an aid. It is not a sub‐
st itute foryo ur attentiveness. Closing
the tailgate &
WARNING Risk of inju ryfrom unsecu red
items in theve hicle
If objects, luggage or loads are not secured
or not secured suf ficientl y,they could slip,
tip ove r or be throw n around and thereby hit
ve hicle occupants.
There is a risk of injur y,particularly in the
ev ent of sudden braking or a sudden change
in direction. #
Alw aysstow objects in such a wayth at
th ey cannot be thro wn around. #
Before the journe y,secure objects, lug‐
ga ge or loads against slipping or tipping
ove r. Obser
vethe no tes on loading theve hicle. #
Pull theta ilgate down wards slightly. Release
it as soon as it begins toclose. Opening and closing
87

&
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
du ring au tomatic closing of theta ilgate
Body parts may become trapped. There may
be people in the closing area. #
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity
of the closing area during the closing
process.
Use one of thefo llowing options tostop the
closing process:
R Press thep button on thekey.
R Press or pull there mo teoperating switch
on the driver's door.
R Press the closing or locking button on the
ta ilgate.
R Pull theta ilgate handle. #
Vehicles with HANDS-FREE ACCESS: it is
also possible tostop the closing process by
making a kicking mo vement below there ar
bumper. #
Swit chon the po wer supp lyor the ignition. #
Press remo teoperating switch 1forthe
ta ilgate. #
Press closing button 1ontheta ilgate.
Ve hicles with KEYLESS-GO #
Press locking button 2ontheta ilgate.
If a key is de tected outside theve hicle, the
ta ilgate will close and theve hicle will be
loc ked. #
Press and hold thep button on thekey
(with theke y in the vicinity of theve hicle). 88
Opening and closing

Ve
hicles with HANDS-FREE ACCESS #
Make a kicking mo vement with your foot
below the bumper (/ page 89).
Au tomatic reve rsing function for the tail gate
The tailgate is equipped with automatic bloc kage
de tection wi thare ve rsing function. If a solid
object hinde rsor restricts theta ilgate when it is
closing automaticall y,theta ilgate will automati‐
cally open again slightly. Automatic bloc kage
re cognition wi threve rsing function is only an
aid. It is not a substitute foryo ur attentiveness
when you are closing theta ilgate. #
During the closing process, make sure that
no body parts are in the closing area. &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
despi tereve rsing function
The reve rsing function will not react:
R tosoft, light and thin objects, e.g. fingers
R towa rdsth e end of the closing procedure
In these situations in particular, there ve rsing
function cannot pr event someone being trap‐
ped. #
Ensu rethat no body parts are in the
closing area.
If someone is trapped, ei ther:
R Press thep button on thekey.
R Press or pull there mo teoperating switch
on the driver's door.
R Press the closing or locking button on the
ta ilgate.
R Pull theta ilgate handle. HANDS-FREE
ACCESS function Wi
th HANDS-FREE ACCESS you can open, close
or stop the closing process of theta ilgate by
per form ing a kicking mo vement under there ar
bumper.
The kicking mo vement triggers the opening or
closing process alternatel y. Opening and closing
89

Obser
vethe no tes when opening (/ page 86)
and closing (/ page87)th eta ilgate.
% Twowa rning tones sound when thetai lgate
is opening or closing. &
WARNING Risk of bu rns caused bya hot
ex haust sy stem
The vehicle exhaust sy stem can become very
hot. If you use HANDS-FREE ACCESS, you
could bu rnyourself by touching theex haust
sy stem. #
Alw ays ensure that you on ly ma ke a
kicking mo vement within the de tection
ra nge of the sensors. *
NO
TEVehicle damage due tounin ten‐
tional opening of theta ilgate R
when using an automatic car wash
R when using a high pressure cleaner #
Deactivate KEYLESS-GO or make sure
that theke y located is at least 3 m aw
ay from theve hicle in such situa‐
tions. When making
the kicking mo vement, make sure
th at you are standing firm ly on the ground. Yo u
could otherwise lose your balance, e.g. on ice.
Obser vethefo llowing no tes:
R The key is behind theve hicle.
R Stand at least 30 cm away from theve hicle
while per form ing the kicking mo vement.
R Do not come into contact with the bumper
while making the kicking mo vement.
R Do not car ryout the kicking mo vement too
slowl y.
R The kicking mo vement must be towa rdsthe
ve hicle and back again. 1
Detection range of the sensors
If se veral consecutive kicking mo vements are
not successful, waitte n seconds.
Sy stem limits
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing cases:
R The sensors are dirty, e.g. due toroad salt or
sn ow.
R The kicking mo vement is made using a pros‐
th etic leg. 90
Opening and closing

The
tailgate can open or close unin tentionally in
th efo llowing situations:
R A person's arms or legs are moving in the
sensor de tection range, e.g. when polishing
th eve hicle or picking up objects.
R Objects are mo ved or placed behind theve hi‐
cle, e.g. tensioning stra ps or luggage.
R Clamping stra ps, tarp aulins or other co ver‐
ings are pulled overth e bumper.
R A pr otective mat with a length reaching over
th e boot sill down into the de tection range of
th e sensors is used.
R The pr otective mat is not secured cor rectly.
R Workis being done on the trailer hitch, trail‐
ers or rear bicycle rack s.
Deactivate theke y functions (/ page 79) or do
not car rytheke y about your person in such sit‐
uations. Limiting
the opening angle of the tailgate Ac
tivating the opening angle limiter
Yo u can limit the opening angle of theta ilgate in
th eto p half of its opening range up toappr ox‐
imately 20 cm before the end position. #
Stop the opening procedure of theta ilgate at
th e desired position. #
Press and hold the closing button on theta il‐
ga te until you hear a sho rtacoustic signal.
The opening angle limiter will be activated.
The tailgate will then stop in thestored posi‐
tion when opened.
To open thetai lgate full y,pull the handle on the
outside of theta ilgate again af ter it has stopped
automaticall y.
Deactivating the opening angle limiter #
Press and hold the closing button on theta il‐
ga te until two sho rtacoustic signals sound. Re
leasing the tailgate in an emer gency Re
quirements:
R Only for Mercedes-Maybach vehicles. #
Remo vecover1. Opening and closing
91

#
Pull le ver2 inthe direction of the ar row
until theta ilgate unloc ks. Un
locking the tailgate with the emer gency
key Re
quirements:
R Not for Mercedes-Maybach vehicles. R
The rear seat backrest has been folded
fo rw ard.
R The load compartment co ver has been
re mo ved. #
Remo vethe emer gency key ( / page 79). #
Insert eme rgency key2 into opening 1in
th e trim and push it in.
The tailgate will be unloc ked. Side windo
ws Opening and closing
the side windo ws &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
when opening a side window
When you open a side wind ow, parts of the
body could be dr awn in or become trapped
between the side window and window frame. #
When opening, make sure that nobody
is touching the side windo w. #
If someone is trapped, release the but‐
to n immedia tely or pull it in order to
close the side window again. &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
when closing a side window
When closing a side windo w,body parts
could be trapped in the closing area in the
process. #
When closing, make sure that no body
parts are in the closing area. 92
Opening and closing

#
If someone is trapped, release the but‐
to n immedia tely or press the button in
order toreopen the side windo w. &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
when children opera tethe side windo ws
Children could become trapped if they oper‐
ate the side windo ws, particularly when unat‐
te nded. #
Activate thech ild saf ety lock forthe
re ar side wind ows. #
When leaving theve hicle, alw aysta ke
th eke y with you and lock theve hicle. #
Never lea vechildren unat tended in the
ve hicle. Re
quirements:
R The po wer supply or the ignition is switched
on. 1
Toclose
2 Toopen
The buttons on the driver's door take prece‐
dence. #
Tostart automatic operation: pressthe
W button be yond the point of resis tance
or pull and release it. #
Tointer rupt automatic operation: press or
pull theW button again.
When theve hicle is switched off, you can con‐
tinue tooperate the side windo ws.
This function is available for around four minutes
or until a front door is opened.
% Ve
hicles with electric roller sunblinds on
re ar doors on the left and right: the but‐
to ns forth ere ar side wind owsalso open and
close thero ller sunblinds (/ page101).
Au tomatic reve rsing function of the side win‐
do ws
If an obs tacle impedes a side window du ring the
closing process, the side window will open again
automaticall y.The automatic reve rsing function
is only an aid and is not a substitute foryo ur
attentiveness. #
During the closing process, make sure that
no body parts are in the closing area. Opening and closing
93