G
WARNING
When driving off-road, your body is subject
to forces from all directions, due to the
uneven surface. You could be thrown from
your seat, for instance. There is a risk of
injury.
Always wear a seat belt, even when driving
off-road. G
WARNING
If you drive over obstacles or in ruts, the
steering wheel may jerk out of your grip,
causing injury to your hands.
Always hold the steering wheel firmly with
both hands. When driving over obstacles,
you must expect steering forces to increase
briefly and suddenly. G
WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact
with hot parts of the exhaust system. There
is a risk of fire.
When driving on an unpaved road or off-
road, check the vehicle underside regularly.
In particular, remove trapped plant parts or
other flammable material. Contact a quali-
fied specialist workshop immediately if dam-
age is detected.
! When driving off-road or on unpaved surfa-
ces, check the underside of the vehicle as
well as the wheels and tires at regular inter-
vals. In particular, remove trapped foreign
objects, such as stones and branches.
Such foreign objects could:
R damage the chassis, the fuel tank or the
brake system
R cause imbalance and thereby vibrations
R be thrown out as you continue your jour-
ney
If there is any damage, inform a qualified
specialist workshop.
When driving off-road and on construction
sites, sand, mud and water mixed with oil, for
example, may get into the brakes. This may
lead to a reduction in braking performance or
total brake failure, also as a result of increased wear. The braking characteristics will vary
depending on the material that has got into
the system. Clean the brakes after driving off-
road. If you then notice reduced braking per-
formance or hear scraping noises, have the
brake system checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. Adjust your driving style to the
changed braking characteristics.
Driving off-road or on construction sites
increases the possibility of vehicle damage
which may in turn lead to the failure of certain
assemblies and systems. Adapt your driving
style to the off-road driving conditions. Drive
carefully. Have any vehicle damage rectified at
a qualified specialist workshop as soon as pos-
sible.
When loading your vehicle for driving off-road
or on a construction site, keep the vehicle's
center of gravity as low as possible.
Rules for driving off-road !
Always bear the vehicle's ground clear-
ance in mind and avoid obstacles, e.g. deep
ruts.
Obstacles may damage the following parts
of the vehicle:
R the chassis
R the drive train
R the fuel and supply tanks
For this reason, you should always drive
slowly when driving off-road. If you have to
drive over obstacles, have the front
passenger direct you.
i We recommend that you additionally carry
a shovel and a recovery rope with shackle in
the vehicle.
R Ensure that loads and items of luggage are
securely stowed or lashed down
(Y page
242).
R Before driving off-road, stop the vehicle and
shift to a low gear.
R If the surface requires, temporarily deacti-
vate ESP ®
when pulling away (Y page 69).
R Only drive off-road with the engine running
and a gear engaged.
R Drive slowly and smoothly. Walking pace is
necessary in many situations.
R Avoid spinning the drive wheels.
R Make sure that the wheels always remain in
contact with the ground. Driving tips
145
Driving and parking Z
R
Drive with extreme care over unknown ter-
rain where you can only see for a short dis-
tance. As a precaution, get out of the vehi-
cle to take a look at the route to be taken in
advance.
R Check the water depth before fording.
R Watch out for obstacles (e.g. rocks, holes,
tree stumps and ruts).
R Avoid edges where the surface could crum-
ble or break away.
Checklist after driving off-road !
If you detect damage to the vehicle after
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Off-road driving places a higher demand on
your vehicle than normal road operation.
Check your vehicle after driving on rough ter-
rain. By doing so you will notice any damage in
good time and reduce the risk of an accident
for yourself and other road users. Clean your
vehicle thoroughly before driving on public
roads.
Observe the following points after driving off-
road, on construction sites and before driving
on public roads:
X Activate ESP ®
(Y page 69).
X Clean the headlamps and tail lamps and
check them for damage.
X Clean the front and rear license plates.
X Clean the windshield, windows and exterior
mirrors.
X Clean the steps, door sills and grab handles.
This increases safety of footing.
X Clean the wheels/tires, wheel housings and
the underbody of the vehicle with a water
jet.
This increases road grip, especially on wet
road surfaces.
X Check the wheels/tires and wheel housings
for trapped foreign objects and remove
them.
Trapped foreign objects can damage the
wheels/tires and may be flung out from the
vehicle when you continue driving.
X Check the underbody for trapped branches
or other parts of plants and remove them.
Trapped branches or other parts of plants
increase the risk of fire and can cause dam- age to fuel lines, brake hoses and the rubber
bellows of axle joints and drive shafts.
X Clean the brake disks, brake pads and axle
joints, particularly after operation in sand,
mud, grit/gravel, water or similarly dirty
conditions.
X Check the entire floor assembly, the tires,
wheels, bodywork structure, brakes, steer-
ing, chassis and exhaust system for any
damage.
X Check the service brake for operating
safety, e.g. carry out a brake test.
X If you notice strong vibrations after driving
off-road, check the wheels and drive train
for foreign objects again. Remove any for-
eign objects which can lead to imbalances
and thus cause vibrations. Driving in mountainous areas
When driving in mountainous areas, note that
the power output of the engine, and with it its
gradient climbing capability, decrease with
increasing altitude. Please take note of this
particularly when driving with a trailer in moun-
tainous areas.
The maximum permissible trailer loads are
valid for journeys at altitudes up to
1100 yds
(1000 m) above sea level with gradients up to
12%.
Information on maximum permissible trailer
loads can be found in your vehicle registration
papers and on the vehicle identification plate
(Y page 304) or under "Trailer loads" ( Y page 315).
When driving at altitudes of 2700 yds
(2500 m) above sea level, the ECO start/stop
function is no longer available.
Notes on braking on downhill gradients can be
found in the "Braking" section (Y page 142). Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes Cruise control maintains the speed of the vehi-
cle for you. It brakes automatically in order to
avoid exceeding the set speed.146
Driving systems
Driving and parking
Ensure that the following weights are not
exceeded:
R the permissible noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
R the maximum permissible gross weight of
vehicle/trailer combination
The applicable permissible values that may not
be exceeded can be found:
R in your vehicle documents
R on the type plates for the trailer tow hitch
R on the type plates for the trailer
R on the vehicle identification plate
(Y page
304)
Where the values differ, the lowest is valid.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the vehicle identification plates
and those for the towing vehicle in the "Tech-
nical data" section (Y page 315).
Your vehicle behaves differently with a trailer
than without one.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is more susceptible to strong crosswinds
R requires more sensitive steering
R has a larger turning radius
This may impair the handling characteristics.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your
speed to suit the road and weather conditions.
Drive carefully. Maintain a safe distance.
If you require any further explanation regard-
ing the information contained in the Operating
Instructions, please contact a Mercedes-Benz
Commercial Van Center.
General notes R
Observe the legally permitted maximum
speed for vehicle/trailer combinations in
the relevant country, state or Canadian
province. Before beginning the journey,
check the trailer's documents for the maxi-
mum permitted speed of your trailer. This reduces the risk of accidents.
R Install only an approved trailer coupling on
your vehicle. Only use a ball coupling for
your Metris trailer tow hitch if it has been
approved for your vehicle. More information
on the availability, mounting and installation
of the trailer electrics is available at any
qualified specialist workshop.
R The trailer coupling is one of the most
important vehicle parts with regard to road
safety. Observe the notes on operation, care
and maintenance of the trailer tow hitch
(see the manufacturer's operating instruc-
tions).
R The bumpers of your vehicle are not suitable
for installing detachable trailer couplings.
R Do not attach rented trailer tow hitches or
other detachable trailer tow hitches to the
bumper.
R Minimize the risk of damage to the ball cou-
pling. If you do not require the ball coupling,
remove it from the ball coupling recess.
You will find weight information under "Techni-
cal data"
(Y page 315).
The height of the ball neck changes according
to the load on the vehicle. If this is case, use a
trailer with a height-adjustable trailer drawbar.
Driving tips The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combination depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents for the maximum per-
mitted speed of your trailer. Observe the
legally permitted maximum speed in the rele-
vant country, state or Canadian province.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison
to when driving without a trailer and it will con-
sume more fuel.
On long and steep downhill gradients, select a
lower gear.
i This also applies if cruise control is activa-
ted.
This enables you to utilize the engine's braking
effect and you do not need to brake so heavily
to keep the correct speed. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly. If you need to brake additionally, to Towing a trailer
169
Driving and parking Z
In daylight, the displays in the instrument clus-
ter are illuminated. A dimming function is not
possible in daylight.
On vehicles with steering wheel buttons, the
light sensor in the instrument cluster automat-
ically controls the brightness of the display
lighting.
While the lights are on, the brightness is
dependent upon the brightness of the ambient
light. You can also adjust the brightness of the
instrument lighting and the display lighting:
R by pressing the f and g buttons on the
instrument cluster on vehicles without
steering wheel buttons (not in the Settings
menu)
R by turning brightness control knob : on
vehicles with steering wheel buttons Speedometer
If you change the wheel size on your vehicle,
make sure it is assigned to the correct wheel
size category ( Y page
278). If you change
wheel size category without recoding the con-
trol unit, the speedometer indication will be
inaccurate. The current vehicle speed may
then be higher than the speed displayed in the
speedometer.
The speed can also be shown in the display in
the form of a digital speedometer:
R on vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Y page 178)
R on vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Y page 185)
i In some countries, a warning sounds
and/or the display shows a message when
the vehicle reaches the maximum legally
permissible speed limit, e.g. at 75 mph
(120 km/h). Tachometer
! Do not drive in the overrevving range, as
this could damage the engine. H
Environmental note
Avoid driving at high engine speeds. This
unnecessarily increases the fuel consump-
tion of your vehicle and harms the environ-
ment as a result of increased emissions. The red band in the tachometer indicates the
engine's overrevving range.
To protect the engine, the fuel supply is inter-
rupted when the red band is reached.
Outside temperature display
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
Please bear in mind that the outside tempera-
ture display shows the air temperature meas-
ured and not the road temperature.
The display shows the outside temperature in
the header:
R on vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(Y page
176)
R on vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Y page 183)
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay. Coolant temperature gauge
G
WARNING
Opening the hood when the engine is over-
heated or when there is a fire in the engine
compartment could expose you to hot gases
or other service products. There is a risk of
injury.
Let an overheated engine cool down before
opening the hood. If there is a fire in the
engine compartment, keep the hood closed
and contact the fire department.
On vehicles without steering wheel buttons,
you can have the coolant temperature shown
in the display
(Y page 178).
On vehicles with steering wheel buttons, an
analog coolant temperature gauge is located
in the tachometer in the instrument cluster
(Y page 40). Under normal driving conditions and at the
correct coolant level, the display may rise to
the letter H or to the red mark. Display and operation
175
On-board computer and displays Z
120 km/h! (only for certain countries)
maximum permissible speed exceeded
= Display panel for display messages, menus
and menu bar
? Transmission position (Y page 132)
A Fuel level
Fuel filler flap location indicator t: the
fuel filler cap is on the left-hand side
B è Rear window wiper
(Y page 110)
Display panel = shows the selected menu or
submenu and display messages. Menu overview
The Settings menu is only displayed when
the vehicle is stationary. You can think of the
order of the menus and functions as a circle.
Press È on the instrument cluster to scroll
through the menus.
If you scroll forward in the Settings menu
using 3, the setting from the previous sub-
menu or function is adopted.
If you press È in a submenu, the submenu or
function is exited without adopting the setting.
The display then shows the start screen of the
Settings menu.
Operation information can be found under
"Operating the on-board computer"
(Y page
176).
Depending on the vehicle equipment, you can
call up the following menus, displays or func-
tions:
R trip odometer and odometer display
(Y page 177)
R trip computer display (Y page 177)
R current range display (Y page 178)
R current fuel consumption display
(Y page 178)
R digital speedometer ( Y page 178)
R coolant temperature gage (Y page 178)
R display messages in the message memory
(Y page 195)
The following menus, displays and functions
are only displayed when the vehicle is station-
ary:
R next service due date display ( Y page 258)
R tire pressure monitor restart (Y page 285)
R Settings menu for setting or activating/
deactivating driving and driver assistance systems as well as display options
(Y page
179) Distance menu
Odometer
If the display shows the speed in the header,
the display beside trip odometer : also
shows the outside temperature.
You can switch the permanent display in the
header
(Y page 180).
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
X To display: press and hold È until the dis-
play shows trip odometer : and odome-
ter ;.
X To reset: press and hold 3 until the trip
odometer is reset to 0.0.
You can set the unit of measurement for the
trip odometer in the Distance Unit: sub-
menu (Y page
180). Trip computer menu
Trip computer
:
Distance
; Length of journey
= Average fuel consumption
? Average speed On-board computer (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)
177
On-board computer and displays Z
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
X To display: press È to select the trip com-
puter display.
The values displayed relate to those meas-
ured since the trip computer was last reset.
X To reset values: press and hold 3 until all
values are reset.
The trip computer is automatically reset if the
value exceeds 9,999 hours or 99,999 miles.
You can set the unit of measurement for con-
sumption and distance in the Distance
Unit: submenu ( Y page 180).Range menu
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
X Press È to select the Range display.
The approximate range that can be covered
is calculated according to your current driv-
ing style and the amount of fuel in the tank.
If there is only a small amount of fuel left in
the fuel tank, the display shows a vehicle
being refueled Ï instead of the approxi-
mate range.
You can set the unit of measurement for dis-
tance in the Distance Unit: submenu
(Y page
180). Current fuel consumption menu
:
Recuperation display
; Range Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
X Press È to select the fuel consumption bar
display.
Recuperation display : shows whether, and,
if so, how much kinetic energy is being trans-
formed into electric current whilst the vehicle
is coasting. The recuperated energy is then
stored in the starter battery. Recuperation dis-
play : is dependent on the engine installed
and is therefore not available in all vehicles.
You can set the unit of measurement for con-
sumption in the Distance Unit: submenu
(Y page
180). Digital speedometer menu
Use the buttons in the instrument cluster.
X Press È to select the speed display.
You can set the unit for the digital speedome-
ter in the Distance Unit: submenu
(Y page
180). Coolant temperature menu
G
WARNING
Opening the hood when the engine is over-
heated or when there is a fire in the engine
compartment could expose you to hot gases
or other service products. There is a risk of
injury.
Let an overheated engine cool down before
opening the hood. If there is a fire in the
engine compartment, keep the hood closed
and contact the fire department. 178
On-board computer (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)
On-board computer and displays
If the display shows the speed in the header,
the outside temperature is additionally dis-
played on the lower edge of display panel
=.
You can switch the permanent display in the
header
(Y page 192).
Displaying the range and current fuel
consumption Using the steering wheel buttons
X Press = or ; to select the Trip
menu.
X Press : or 9 to select range : and
consumption ;.
Approximate range : is calculated on the
basis of your current driving style and the
amount of fuel in the tank. If there is only a
small amount of fuel left in the fuel tank, the
display shows a vehicle being refueled Ï
instead of the approximate range.
Recuperation display = shows whether, and,
if so, how much kinetic energy is being trans-
formed into electric current whilst the vehicle
is coasting. The recuperated energy is then
stored in the starter battery. Recuperation dis-
play = is dependent on the engine installed
and is therefore not available in all vehicles. Trip computer "From Start" or "From
Reset" :
Distance
; Length of journey
= Average fuel consumption
? Average speed
Using the steering wheel buttons
X Press = or ; to select the Trip
menu.
X Press : or 9 to select the From
Start or From Reset submenu.
The values in the From Start submenu are
calculated from the start of a journey whilst
the values in the From Reset submenu are
calculated from the last time the submenu was
reset (Y page
185).
The From Start trip computer function is
automatically reset in the following situations:
R the ignition has been switched off for more
than four hours.
R 999 hours have been exceeded.
R 9,999 miles have been exceeded.
The From Reset trip computer is automati-
cally reset if the value exceeds 9,999 hours or
99,999 miles. 184
On-board computer (vehicles with steering wheel buttons)
On-board computer and displays
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions? The fan motor is faulty.
X Check the coolant temperature (Y page 178).
X If the coolant temperature is below the maximum value specified
below, you can continue driving to the nearest qualified specialist
workshop.
Avoid heavy loads on the engine, e.g. driving in mountainous ter-
rain, and stop-and-go traffic.
Under normal driving conditions and at the correct coolant level, the
coolant temperature gauge may rise to the letter H.Check Coolant Level
+ The coolant level is too low.
! Avoid longer journeys when there is insufficient coolant in the
engine cooling system. You could otherwise damage the engine.
X Add coolant, making sure to observe the warning notes
(Y page
253).
X Have the engine cooling system checked at a qualified specialist
workshop if the coolant needs to be refilled more often than
usual. 4
Check Engine Oil
Level An additional warning tone sounds. The engine oil level has dropped
to the minimum level.
X Check the oil level at the latest when next refueling
(Y page
252).
X If necessary, add engine oil ( Y page
253).
X Have the engine checked at a qualified specialist workshop if you
need to add engine oil more often than usual.
! Avoid longer journeys when there is insufficient engine oil. You
could otherwise damage the engine. Manually Check Oil
Level Reminder to check the oil level.
X Check the oil level at the latest when next refueling
(Y page
252).
X If necessary, add engine oil (Y page
253).
X To confirm the oil check: press and hold 3.
! Avoid longer journeys when there is insufficient engine oil. You
could otherwise damage the engine. 4
Stop Vehicle Turn
Eng. Off The oil level is too low. There is a risk of engine damage.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling away ( Y page
138).
X Check the oil level ( Y page
252).
X If necessary, add engine oil (Y page
253).Display messages (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)
205
On-board computer and displays Z