2020 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV traction control

A
Comfort
R comfor table and economical driving
R balance between traction and stability
R recommended for all road conditions
£ Maybach
R onlyfor Mercedes-Maybach vehicles
R highest driving comfort for comfor table and
luxurious tra vel
; Eco
R particular lyeconomical driving
R balance between traction and stability
R recommended for all road conditions
N Curve
R onlyavailable forve hicles with E‑ACTIVE
BO DY CONTROL
R comfor table driving with cur veinclination
function
R balance between traction and stability
R recommended for all road conditions F
Offroad
R onlyavailable forve hicles with Off-road pack‐
age
R inter venes la ter if there is overste ering or
under steering, thus impr oving traction
R suitable for easi lynegotiable off-road terrain,
such as dirt trac ks,gr ave l or sandy sur faces
R not suitable for use on public roads
G Offroad+
R onlyavailable forve hicles with Off-road pack‐
age
R inter venes la ter if there is overste ering or
under steering, thus impr oving traction
R suitable forro ugh terrain, such as steep
and/or une vente rrain or for driving on rocky
te rrain
R not suitable for use on public roads
% Mercedes-M aybach vehicles: inthe drive
programs FandG, theex tendible
ru nning boards remain retracted or retract if
th ey have already been extended. %
Depending on the situation, the cylinder can
be brief lydeactivated in the drive pro‐
grams ;andA, depending on the
engine.
Depending on the drive prog ram, thefo llowing
sy stems change their characteristics:
R drive
-
engine and transmission management
- Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R ESP ®
R vehicles with AIRMATIC or E‑ACTIVE
BO DY CONT ROL:
- suspension tuning
- vehicle le vel
R electric po werst eering Note
s onthero of load display Cer
tain drive programs and ESP ®
settings are
unsuitable for transporting a roof load. 202
Driving and parking

R
HOLD function (/ page 230)
R Hill Start Assist (/ page 231)
R Adaptive Brake Lights (/ page 231)
R Start-off assist
R ATTENTION ASSIST (/ page 232)
R Cruise contro l (/page 233)
R Limiter (/ page 234)
R Traf fic Sign Assi st (/ page 255)
R Speed Limit Assist (count ry-dependent)
(/ page 253)
R AIRMATIC (/ page 262)
R E-AC TIVE BODY CONTROL (/ page 269)
R Trailer Manoeuv ring Assi st (/ page 293)
Driving Assistance pac kage
The following functions are part of the Driving
Assis tance Package. Cer tain functions are only
av ailable in some countries. Some functions are
also available without the Driving Assis tance
Pa ckage, albeit with restricted functionality.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
(/ page 236) R
Active Speed Limit Assi st(countr y-depend‐
ent) (/ page241)
R Route-based speed adap tation (countr y-
dependent) (/ page242)
R DSR (Dow nhillSpeed Regulation)
(/ page 244)
R Active Brake Assi st (/ page 248)
R Active Steering Assist (count ry-dependent)
(/ page 246)
R Active Emergency Stop Assist (countr y-
dependent) (/ page248)
R Active Stop-and-Go Assist (countr y-depend‐
ent) (/ page243)
R Blind Spot Assist and Active Blind Spot Assi st
with exitwa rning (/ page 257)
R Active Lane Keeping Assist (/ page 260)
Pa rking Package
R Reversing camera (/ page277)
R 360° Camera ( /page 280)
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC ( /page 283)
R Active Parking Assist (/ page 288) Fu
nction of ABS The Anti-lock Brake Sy
stem (ABS) regulates the
brake pressure in critical driving situations:
R During braking, e.g. at full brake application
or insuf ficient tyre traction, the wheels are
pr eve nted from lo cking.
R Vehicle steerability while braking is ensured.
If ABS inter venes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal. The pulsating brake
pedal can be an indication of hazardous road
conditions and can ser veas a reminder totake
ex tra care while driving. Fu
nctions of Off-road ABS %
Off-road ABS is activated automatically when
you select theF orG drive program.
Off-road ABS is specially adap tedfo r driving off-
ro ad:
R The front wheels lock cyclically during brak‐
ing.
R The braking dis tance is sho rtened due tothe
digging-in ef fect. 226
Driving and pa rking

Sy
stem limits
R Off- road ABS functions at speeds below
40 km/h.
R If Off- road ABS inter venes, the ability tosteer
may be restricted. Fu
nction of BAS The Brake Assist Sy
stem (BAS) supports your
eme rgency braking situation with additional
brake forc e.
If yo u depress the brake pedal quickl y,BA S is
acti vated:
R BAS au tomatically boosts the brake pres‐
sure.
R BAS can sho rten the braking dis tance.
R ABS pr events the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
re lease the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. Fu
nctions of ESP ® &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. #
ESP ®
should on lybe deactivated in the
fo llowing situations. *
NO
TEMercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. The Electronic
Stability Program (ESP ®
) can
monitor and impr ovedriving stability and trac‐
tion in thefo llowing situations within ph ysical
limits:
R When pulling away on wet or slippe rycar ria‐
ge wa ys.
R When braking. If
th eve hicle deviates from the direction desired
by the driver, ESP ®
can stabilise theve hicle by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R One or more wheels are braked.
R The engine output is adap ted according to
th e situation.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter:
R Driving stability will no lon ger be impr oved.
R The drive wheels could spin.
R ETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
% When ESP ®
is deactivated, you are still assis‐
te dby ESP ®
when braking.
If th e÷ ESP®
wa rning lamp flashes in the
instrument clus ter,one or se veral wheels has
re ached its grip limit:
R Adapt your driving style to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
R Do not deactivate ESP ®
. Driving and parking
227

R
Only depress the accelera tor pedal as far as
is necessary when pulling away.
It can be advantageous todeactivate ESP ®
in the
fo llowing situations toimpr ovetraction:
R When using snow chains.
R In deep sn ow.
R On sand or gr avel.
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action, which enhances traction.
If th e÷ ESP®
wa rning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP ®
is not available due toa malfunction.
Obse rveth efo llowing information:
R Indicator and warning lamps (/ page 490)
R Display messages (/ page 433)
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4E TStraction control is pa rtof ESP ®
and
makes it possible topull away and accelerate on
a slippe rycar riag ewa y.
If yo u select theF orG drive prog ram, a
special ETS sy stem specifically suited tooff-road
te rrain is automatically activated. ETS/4E
TScan impr ovetheve hicle's traction by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R The drive wheels are braked individually if
they spin.
R More drive torque is transferred tothe wheel
or wheels with traction.
Influence of drive prog rams on ESP ®
The drive programs enable ESP ®
to adapt todif‐
fe re nt we ather and road conditions as well as
th e driver's prefer red driving style. Depending on
th e selected drive prog ram, the appropriate
ESP ®
mode will be activated. You can select the
drive programs using theDY NA MIC SELECT
switch (/ page 203). Fu
nction of ESP ®
Crosswind Assist ESP
®
Crosswind Assist de tects sudden gu sts of
side wind and helps the driver tokeep theve hi‐
cle in the lane:
R ESP ®
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle
speeds between appr ox.75 km/h and 200 km/h when driving
stra ight ahead or
cornering slight ly.
R The vehicle is stabilised bymeans of individ‐
ual brake application on one side. Fu
nction of ESP ®
trailer stabilisation &
WARNING Risk of accident in poor road
and weather conditions
In poor road and weather conditions, the
trailer stabilisation cannot pr event lu rching of
th eve hicle/trailer combination. Trailers with
a high centre of gr avity may tip over before
ESP ®
de tects this. #
Alw ays adapt your driving style to suit
th e cur rent road and weather condi‐
tions. When driving with a trailer, ESP
®
can stabilise
yo ur vehicle if the trailer begins toswer vefrom
side toside:
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation is active abo ve
speeds of 65 km/h. 228
Driving and parking

A
stored speed appears along with theh dis‐
pla y.
% The segments extending from the cur rent
st ored speed tothe end of the scale, or to
th e set winter tyre limit, light up in the
speedome ter.
Sy stem limits
Cruise control may be unable tomaintain the
st ored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed when the gradient evens out.
Change into a lo werge ar in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular
no te ofthis when driving a laden vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the engine's brak‐
ing ef fect. This relie vesth e load on the brake
sy stem and pr events the brakes from overheat‐
ing and wearing tooqu ickl y.
Do not use cruise control in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R In traf fic situations whi chrequ ire frequent
ch anges of speed, e.g. in heavy traf fic, on
winding roads. R
On slippe ryroads. Accelerating can cause
th e drive wheels tolose traction and the
ve hicle could then skid.
R Ifyo u are driving when visibility is poor.
Fu nction of the limiter
The limiter restricts the speed of theve hicle. To
re duce the speed tothe set speed, the limiter
applies the brakes automaticall y.
Yo u can limit the speed as follo ws:
R Variable: for a short-term speed restriction,
e.g. in built-up areas
R Perm anen t:for a longer-term speed restric‐
tion, e.g. in winter tyre mode
Yo u can store any speed abo ve20 km/h up to
th e maximum design speed or up tothe set win‐
te r tyre limit. You can also per form settings
while theve hicle is stationary if theve hicle has
been star ted.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 224).
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles: the limiter is available
up toa maximum speed of 250 km/h. Displ
ays on the multifunction display
R È (grey):va riable limiter is selec ted but
not yet acti vated.
R È (green): variable limiter is activated.
A stored speed appears along with theÈ dis‐
pla y.The segments in the speedome ter light up,
up tothe cur rently stored speed.
When the driving speed is greater than the
st ored speed, theÈ display flashes.
Kickd own
If yo u depress the accelerator pedal be yond the
pressure point (kickdown), theva riable limiter
swit ches topassive mode. The Limiter pas-
sivemessage appears in the multifunction dis‐
pla y.
Af ter completion of kickdown, theva riable lim‐
iter is activated again in thefo llowing situations:
R Ifth eve hicle speed drops below thestored
speed.
R Ifth estored speed is called up.
R Ifyo ustore a new speed. 234
Driving and parking

Pe
rm anent status display of Active Di stance
Assist DIST RONIC
R k (white):Ac tive Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC selected, speci fied dis tance set
R k (whitevehicle, green speedome ter):
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC acti ve,
specified dis tance set and vehicle de tected
R k (green): Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC acti ve, specified dis tance set and
ve hicle de tected
R r: Route-based speed adap tation acti ve
( / page 242).
The stored speed is shown along with the per‐
manent status display and highlighted on the
speedome ter.When Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is passi ve,th e speed is gr eyed out.
% On mo torw ays or high-speed major roads,
th e green çvehicle symbol is displa yed
cyclically when theve hicle is ready topull
aw ay.
% Ifyo u depress the accelerator pedal be yond
th e setting of theAc tive Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC, the sy stem is switched topas‐ sive mode. The
çsuspended message
appears in the multifunction displa y.
Display on the speedome ter
The stored speed is highlighted on the speedom‐
et er. If the speed of theve hicle in front or the
speed adjustment is less than thestored speed
due tothero ute event ahead, the segments in
th e speedome ter light up. Deactivation of Active
Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC, as well as altera‐
tions tothe speed due tomanual or auto matic
adoption of the maximum permissible speed, are
displa yed in the control feedback of the multi‐
function display on a single line.
Sy stem limits
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing situations, forex ample:
R In sn ow,ra in, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatlyvarying
light conditions.
R Ifth ere is swirling dust, e.g. when driving off-
ro ad or on sandy sur faces.
R The windscreen in the area of the camera is
dirty, mis ted up, damaged or co vered. R
Ifth era dar sensors are dirty or co vered.
R In multi- stor ey car pa rks or on roads with
st eep uphill or downhill gradients.
R Ifth ere are nar rowvehicles in front, such as
bicycles or mo torcyc les.
In addition, on slippery roads, braking or accel‐
erating can cause one or se veral wheels tolose
traction and theve hicle could then skid.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC in
th ese situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident from acceler‐
ation or braking byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC may accel‐
erate or brake in thefo llowing cases, for
ex ample:
R Ifth eve hicle pulls away using Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC.
R Ifth estored speed is called up and is
considerably faster or slo werth an the
cur rently driven speed. 238
Driving and pa rking

Sy
stem limits
The sy stem limitations of Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC and Active Steering Assist apply to
Ac tive Traf fic Jam Assi st (/ page 246).
Ac tivating/deactivating Active Traf fic Jam
Assist
Multimedia sy stem:
4 © 5
Settings 5
Quick access #
Select ¬. DSR (Downhill Speed
Regulation) Fu
nction of DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
DSR is an aid toassist you when driving down‐
hill. It keeps the speed of tr avel at the selected
ta rget speed. The steeper the downhill gradient,
th e greater the DSR braking ef fect on theve hi‐
cle. On flat stre tches of road and uphill gradi‐
ents, the DSR brakes theve hicle minimally or
not at all.
When DSR is activated and the transmission is in
position h,kori, DSR controls the driving
speed. The target speed can be set toava lue
between 2 km/h and 18km/h. By braking or accele
rating, you can drive at a higher or lo wer
speed than theta rget speed at any time.
DSR is deactivated automatically if you drive at
speeds greater than 45 km/h or select drive
program CorB. The îoffmessage
th en appears in the multifunction displa y.The
st atus indicator in the multifunction display dis‐
appears. You also hear a warning tone.
Mercedes-Mayba chvehicles: in drive program
£, the DSR function is lik ewise not available.
Information on DSR &
WARNING Risk of skidding and accident
when DSR is acti vated on slippery road
sur faces
If th e driven speed and theta rget speed dif‐
fe r, th e wheels may lose traction. #
Take into account thero ad sur face and
th e dif fere nce between the driving
speed and target speed before activat‐
ing DSR. Obser
vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 224).
Yo u are alw aysre sponsible forke eping control of
th eve hicle and for assessing whe ther the down‐
hill gradient can be negotiated. Depending on
ro ad sur face and tyres, DSR may not al ways be
able tokeep totheta rget speed. Select a target
speed suitable forth e environmen tal conditions
and also apply the brakes yourself if requ ired.
Ac tivating/deactivating DSR (vehicles with
Off-road pac kage or E- Active Body Control)
Re quirements:
R You are driving at 40 km/h or slo wer.
If th e cur rent vehicle speed is too high, the
Max. speed 40 km/h message appearsin
th e multifunction displa y.
R You ha venot selected drive program Cor
B.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is deacti‐
va ted. 244
Driving and pa rking

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 free driving mode via Off- road
Assist (/ page276).
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 (/ page276). Ad
justing the vehicle le vel (vehicles with E-
AC TIVE BODY CONT ROL) &
WARNING Risk of accident because
ve hicle le vel is too high
Driving characteristics may be impaired.
The vehicle can drift outwards, forex ample,
when steering or cornering. #
Choose a vehicle le vel which is suited
to the 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 theve hicle is
being lo wered. Driving and parking
273