2021 MERCEDES-BENZ V-CLASS MPV towing

*
NO
TETransmission damage caused by
ro lling in neut ral position If
th e engine is switched off and theve hicle
ro lls in neut ral position (e.g. when towing),
th is can cause damage tothe driv etra in and
transmission. #
Only allow theve hicle toroll brief lyin
th e neutral position. Depending on
the transmission, the automatic
transmission switches totransmission position
005D (9-speed au tomatic transmission) or005C (7-
speed automatic transmission) when switching
off the engine. The po wer transmission between
th e engine and transmission is inter rupte d in
transmission position 005C. Inthis case, shift the
automatic transmission totransmission position
005D before switching off the engine when theve hi‐
cle is stationar y.Obser vethe messages on the
multifunction displa y.App lythe parking brake to
pr eve nttheve hicle from rolling away.
Obser vethefo llowing points toensure that the
ve hicle is properly secured against rolling away
unin tentionally. #
Always apply the parking brake. #
On uphill or downhill inclines: turnthe
front wheels towa rdsth eke rb. #
Vehicles with manual transmission:
engage firs t or reve rsege ar. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
engage transmission position 005D.#
Turn theke yto position 005Aand switch off the
engine. Electric parking brake
Information on
the electric pa rking brake &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
due toleaving children unat tended in the
ve hicle
If ch ildren are left unat tended in theve hicle,
th ey could, in part icular:
R open doors, thereby endangering other
persons or road users.
R get out and be stru ck byoncoming traf fic.
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, forex ample. In addition,
thech ildren could also set the
ve hicle in motion by,fo rex ample:
R releasing the parking brake.
R changing the transmission position.
R starting theve hicle. #
Never lea vechildren unat tended in the
ve hicle. #
When leaving theve hicle, alw aysta ke
th eke y with you and lock theve hicle. #
Keep theve hicle key out of there ach of
ch ildren. Fo
rth e automatic functions towo rkcor rectl y,the
driver must be seated in the cor rect seat position
(/ page 69).
% The electric parking brake is only actually
applied when
there d0024 indicator lamp
lights up continuousl y.
Au tomatically applying the electric parking
brake
When youre mo vetheke y from the ignition lock
when theve hicle is stationar y,the parking brake
is applied automaticall y.
The red0024 indicator lamp in the multifunction
display lights up. The electric parking brake is
only actually applied when there d0024 indicator
lamp lights up continuousl y.
Re leasing the electric pa rking brake automat‐
ically
Ve hicles with automatic transmission:
The electric parking brake of your vehicle is
re leased when all of thefo llowing conditions are
fulfilled:
R the co-driver seat is occupied
R the seat belt tongue of the seat belt is inser‐
te d into the driver's seat belt buckle
R the engine is running
R you shift the transmission toposition 005Bor
005E
Ve hicles with manual transmission:
The electric parking brake of your vehicle is
re leased when all of thefo llowing conditions are
fulfilled:
R the co-driver seat is occupied
R the seat belt tongue of the seat belt is inser‐
te d into the driver's seat belt buckle
R the engine is running Driving and pa
rking 151

In
theStandard setting, no warning vibration
occurs in thefo llowing situations:
R you operate the turn signal in the cor respond‐
ing direction. In this eve nt,thewa rnings are
suppressed for a cer tain period of time.
R a driving saf ety sy stem inter venes or regu‐
lates, such as ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
In theAdaptive setting,there will also be no
wa rning vibration in thefo llowing situations:
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R yousteer actively, e.g. swer vetoavo id an
obs tacle or change lane quickl y.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend. Tr
ailer operation Note
s on trailer operation &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ryif
th eto ngue weight is exceeded
The car rier sy stem may de tach from theve hi‐
cle, thereby endangering other road users. #
Always comply with the permissible
to ngue weight when using a car rier. Yo
u can find specifications rega rding the ball
neck on the trailer's identification plate. You can
fi nd specifications rega rding the trailer on the
to wing vehicle's identification plate and in the
Te ch nical Data (/ page 277).
Yo u can attach car rier sy stems such as a bicycle
ra ck or load-bearing implement tothe ball nec k.
When using car rier sy stems on the ball nec k,the
maximum load capacity is 75kg.
If th e trailer coupling is de tachable, it is essential
to comply wi th the operating instructions of the
trailer coupling manufactu rer.
Place your vehicle/trailer combination on sur fa‐
ces that are as even as possible and secu reit
against rolling away ( /page 150). Couple and
uncouple the trailer carefull y. No
tethefo llowing rega rding theto ngue weight:
R Make full use of the maximum tongue weight,
where possible.
R Neverfa ll below a legally prescribed minimum
to ngue weight; theto ngue weight must
alw ays be positive.
R Do not exceed or fall below the permissible
to ngue weights – this must be obser ved dur‐
ing loading and unloading of the trailer.
Do not exceed thefo llowing values:
R Perm itted braked or unbraked towing capa‐
city
The maximum permissible towing capacity for
unbraked trailers is 750kg.
R Perm issible rear axle load of theto wing vehi‐
cle
R Perm issible grossweight of theto wing vehi‐
cle
R Perm issible grossweight of the trailer
R Perm issible gross combination weight
R Maximum permissible speed of the trailer
The releva nt pe rmitted values, which must not be
exc eeded, can be found in thefo llowing places:
R Inyour vehicle documents
R Onthe identification plate of the trailer hitch
R Onthe trailer's identification plate
R Ontheve hicle identification plate
If th ere are discrepancies between theva lues, the
lo west one shall appl y.
Before driving off, ensure thefo llowing:
R The tyre pressure on there ar axle of theto w‐
ing vehicle has been set forth e maximum
load.
R The headlamps ha vebeen set cor rectl y.
Comply with the maximum permissible speed of
80 km/h or 100 km/h, even in countries in
which higher speeds are pe rmitted forve hicle/
trailer combinations.
% During trailer operation,
remember that
PA RKTRONIC is available only toa limited
ex tent, if at all.
% The height of
the ball head will change
depending on theve hicle's load. In this case,
use a trailer with a height-adjus table dr aw‐
bar. 176
Driving and pa rking

#
Pull cap 1upwards bytheta b. #
Top up thewa sher fluid. #
Push cap 1onto thefiller opening until it
audibly engages. Cleaning and care
Note
s onwashing theve hicle in an automatic
car wash &
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 getotheve hicle due toauto‐
matic braking When
thefo llowing functions are activated,
th eve hicle brakes automatically in cer tain sit‐
uations:
R Active Brake Assi st
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R HOLD function
To avo id damage totheve hicle, deactivate
th ese sy stems in thefo llowing or similar sit‐
uations: #
when towing #
in a car wash *
NO
TEDama gedue tounsuitable car
wa sh #
Before driving into a car wash make
sure that the car wash is suitable forthe
ve 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, obser vethefo l‐
lowing before using an automatic car wash:
R Active Brake Assi stis deactivated.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is deacti va‐
te d.
R the HOLD function is switched off.
R the side windo wsand roof are comple tely
closed.
R the outside mir rors are folded in and an addi‐
tional antenna is remo ved, if present.
R the climate cont rol blo wer is switched off.
R the windscreen wiper switch is in position 005A.
If th eve hicle is very dirty, wash off excess dirt
before cleaning theve hicle in an automatic car
wa sh.
Af ter leaving the car wash, pay attention tothe
fo llowing:
R the outside mir rors are fully folded out again
and an additional antenna is mounte d again.
R waxre sidues on the windscreen and wiper
ru bbers are remo vedto preve nt smearing and
re duce wiper noise.
Re mo ve wa xre sidues from the camera lens in
ve hicles with a reve rsing camera (/ page 229). Note
s on use of a high-p ressure cleaner &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
using high-pressu recleaners wi thround-
spr aynozzles
The water jet can cause extern ally invisible
damage.
Components damaged in this wa y may unex‐
pec tedly fail. #
Do not use a high-pressure cleaner with
round-spr aynozzles. #
Have damaged tyres or chassis parts
re placed immediatel y. *
NO
TEDama getocomponent pa rts due
to improper high-pressure cleaning Components can be damaged if
the dis tance
of the high-pressure nozzle is too small. #
Maintain a minimum dis tance of about
30 cm between the high-pressure noz‐
zle and car parts. Maintenance and care
227

#
Connect positive term inal clamp 2toposi‐
tive term inal 1. The positive lead must be
ro uted parallel tothe side of the battery hous‐
ing in the connection area, as shown. #
Place the positive term inal clamp co ver on
positive term inal 1. #
Fold bo thhandles 3down onto the batter y. #
Push the battery into the seat base until the
negati ve terminal clamp can be connec ted. #
Connect the negative term inal clamp tonega‐
tive term inal 4. #
Push the battery into the seat base as far as
it will go. Open seat base with
fitted battery (e xamp le:
ri ght-hand front seat) #
Connect vent hose 5tothe battery connec‐
tion at theto p, beside negative term inal 4. #
Place holder 7over the lo wer edge of the
battery housing and theth re aded holes for
scr ews6. #
Screw on holder 7with scr ews6.
The battery is secured topreve nt slipping. Seat base (e
xamp le:right-hand front seat) #
Insert co ver9 in front of the battery com‐
partment down into the seat base and close
it.
Catch springs 8of co ver9 should engage
audibly. Car
ryout thefo llowing workafte r connecting the
battery: #
Reset the side windo ws (/page 63). #
Reset the outside mir rors ( / page 118). #
Reset the electric sliding doors (/ page57). #
Reset the EASY -PAC Ktailgate (/ page 60). To
wing or tow- starting Overview of permissible
towing me thods &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d saf ety-re lated functions during the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon‐
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
R the ignition is switched off.
R the brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
R the energy supply or the on-board electri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe daw ay, signifi‐
cantly more ef fort may be requ ired tosteer
and brake than is normally required. #
Use a tow bar. #
Make sure that thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely before towing theve hicle
aw ay. &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
with steering wheel lock
Yo u will no lon ger be able tosteer theve hicle
if th esteering wheel lock is engaged. #
Always switch on the ignition when tow‐
ing theve hicle with a tow cable or a tow
bar. &
WARNING Risk of accident due to towing
aw ay ave hicle that is too heavy
If th eve hicle being tow star ted or towe daw ay
is heavier than the permissible gross weight
of your vehicle, thefo llowing situations may
arise:
R The towing eye may become de tach ed.
R The vehicle/trailer combination may even
tip ove r. 242
Breakdown assis tance

#
Before tow starting or towing away a
ve hicle, check that it does not exceed
th e permissible gross weight. De
tails on the permissible gross vehicle weight of
yo ur vehicle can be found on theve hicle identifi‐
cation plate (/ page 268).
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due toauto‐
matic braking When
thefo llowing functions are activated,
th eve hicle brakes automatically in cer tain sit‐
uations:
R Active Brake Assi st
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R HOLD function
To avo id damage totheve hicle, deactivate
th ese sy stems in thefo llowing or similar sit‐
uations: #
when towing #
in a car wash *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion of theto w bar or improper use of the
to wing device #
Only connect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes or the trailer tow hit ch. #
Do not use theto wing eyes toreco ver a
ve hicle. *
NO
TEDama gedue topulling forc e being
to o high Pulling
away abruptly can damage theve hi‐
cles if the tractive forc es are too high. #
Pull away as stra ight, slowly and
smoo thly as possible. *
NO
TEDama gedue toimproper towing
with a tow rope If
yo u ignore saf ety and pr otective measures
when towing with a tow rope, this can result
in damage totheve hicle.
Obser vethefo llowing points: #
Secure theto w rope on the same side
on bo thvehicles. #
Secure theto w rope totheto wing eyes. #
Do not exceed the legally prescribed
length of theto w rope. #
Mark theto w rope in the middle, e.g.
with a white clo th(30 x 30 cm). This will
ma keother road users aware that a
ve hicle is being towe d. #
During the journe y,obser vethe brake
lamps of theto wing vehicle and main‐
ta in the dis tance so that theto w rope
does not sag. #
Do not use steel cables or chains to tow
yo ur vehicle. *
NO
TEDama gedue to to wing theve hicle
at too high a speed or toofar To
wing theve hicle at too high a speed or too
fa r can dama gethe driv etra in. #
Do not exceed a towing speed of
50 km/h. #
Do not exceed a towing distance of
50 km. *
NO
TEDama getothe automatic trans‐
mission when towing due toshifting into
transmission position 005D If
yo u open the driver's or co-driver's door
when towing, it can lead tothe automatic
transmission shifting toposition 005Dand
becoming damaged. #
Shift the automatic transmission to
position 005C. #
Do not open any doors during theto w‐
ing process. When
towing away,yo u must obse rveth e legal
re qu irements forth e count ryin which you are
cur rently driving.
In theeve nt of a breakdown, Mercedes-Benz rec‐
ommends that you ha vetheve hicle transpor ted
ins tead of towe d.
Ha ve theve hicle transpor ted on a transpor ter or
trailer if it has transmission dama ge. Breakdown assis
tance 243

Pe
rm issible towing me thods Bo
th axles on the
gr ound Fr
ont axle raised Re
ar axle raised
Ve hicles with manual
transmission Ye
s, no fur ther than
50 km at 50 km/h No
Yes, if thesteering
wheel is fixe d in the
centre position wi th a
st eering wheel loc k.
Maximum 50 km at
50 km/h
Ve hicles with auto‐
matic transmission Ye
s, no fur ther than
50 km at 50 km/h No
Yes, if thesteering
wheel is fixe d in the
centre position wi th a
st eering wheel loc k.
Maximum 50 km at
50 km/h
Ve hicles with all-wheel
drive (4MATIC) Ye
s, no fur ther than
50 km at 50 km/h No
No%
If
th e transmission cann otbe shif tedto posi‐
tion 005C, ha vetheve hicle transpor ted
( / page 245). A towing vehicle with lifting
equipment is requ ired forve hicle transport. To
wing away theve hicle with bo thaxles on
th egr ound #
Obser vethe no tes on permissible towing
me thods (/ page242). #
Make sure that the battery is connected and
ch arge d.
If th e battery is dischar ged, obser vethefo llowing
points:
R The ignition cannot be switched on.
R It is not possible torelease or apply the elec‐
tric parking brake.
R The transmission cann otbe shif tedto posi‐
tion 005C.
Ve hicles with manual transmission #
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(/ page 107). #
Fittheto wing eye (/ page246). #
Secu retheto wing device. #
Swit chon the ignition. #
Deactivate automatic locking (/ page 53). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st (/ page 157). #
Shif tth e transmission toneutral. #
Release the parking brake (/ page152).
Ve hicles with automatic transmission #
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(/ page 107). #
Fittheto wing eye (/ page246). #
Secu retheto wing device. #
Swit chon the ignition. #
Deactivate automatic locking (/ page 53). #
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st (/ page 157). #
Deactivate Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
(/ page 163). #
Shift the transmission to005C (/ page 143). #
Release the parking brake (/ page152).
Re covering a vehicle that is stuck
* NO
TEDama gedue topulling forc e being
to o high Pulling
away abruptly can damage theve hi‐
cles if the tractive forc es are too high. 244
Breakdown assis tance

#
Pull away as stra ight, slowly and
smoo thly as possible. If
th e drive wheels get trapped on loose or muddy
ground, reco verth eve hicle with the utmost care,
especially so if theve hicle is laden. #
Obser vethe no tes on permissible towing
me thods (/ page242). #
Never attem pttoreco ver a vehicle that is
st uck when a trailer is attached. #
If possible, pull theve hicle out backwards
using the trac ksit made before it became
st uc k. To
wing theve hicle with the axle raised &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
with the ignition switched on
When towing away with the front axle raised
and the ignition switched on, ASR can brake
th ere ar axle wheels in an er ratic manner.
The vehicle can lose directional stabilit y. #
Switch off the ignition before towing the
ve hicle with the front axle raised. *
NO
TEDama getothe transmission due to
to wing with an axle raised on vehicles
with 4MATIC The transmission can be damaged
bytowing
with the front or rear axle raised. #
Vehicles with 4MATIC may be towed
with bo thaxles on the ground or loaded
and transpor ted. Wi
th th ere ar axle raised #
Obser vethe no tes on permissible towing
me thods (/ page242). #
Swit chon the hazard warning lamps
(/ page 107). #
Deactivate tow- aw ay protection (/ page67). #
Movethe front wheels tothest ra ight-ahead
position. #
Fixthesteering wheel in the cent reposition
with a steering wheel loc k. #
Release the parking brake (/ page152). #
Turn theke yto position 005Ainthe ignition lock
and remo vetheke y from the ignition loc k. #
Take theke y with you when leaving theve hi‐
cle. Do not
exceed a towing speed of 50 km/h. Loading
theve hicle for transport *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect attach‐
ment The
vehicle may be damaged when lashing to
ch assis components. #
Only lash theve hicle at the wheels. #
Obser vethe no tes on permissible towing
me thods (/ page242). #
Toload theve hicle onto a trailer or trans‐
por ter,use the trailer tow hit chortheto wing
ey e.
Before loading theve hicle #
Switch on the ignition. #
Vehicles with manual transmission: shift
th e transmission toneutral. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission toposition 005C. #
Release the parking brake (/ page152). #
Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter.
* NO
TEDama getothe drive train due to
incor rect positioning of theve hicle #
Do not position theve hicle abo vethe
connection point of the transport vehi‐
cle. #
Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transpor tation vehicle.
Af ter loading the vehicle #
Vehicles with manual transmission:
engage firs t or reve rsege ar. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission toposition 005D. #
Deactivate tow- aw ay protection (/ page67). Breakdown assis
tance 245

#
Turn theke yto position 005Ainthe ignition lock
and remo veit from the ignition loc k. #
Use the parking brake tosecure theve hicle
against rolling away. #
Secu retheve hicle bythe wheels. To
wing eyesto rage location The
towing eye is located in theve hicle tool kit
(/ page 247). Fi
tting/ removing the towing eye Fi
tting and removing the front towing eye
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due to
incor rect use of theto wing eye When a
towing eye is used toreco ver a vehi‐
cle, theve hicle may be damaged in the proc‐
ess. #
Only use theto wing eyeto to waw ay or
to w start theve hicle. Fixture
forth e front towing eyeinthe bumper #
Take theto wing eye and scr ewdriver from the
ve hicle tool kit (/ page247).
Fi tting #
Press the ar row on co ver1 and remo ve
co ver1 from the opening.
Yo u will see thefixture forth eto wing eye. #
Screw intheto wing eye clockwise tothe
st op. #
Insert the scr ewdriver into theto wing eyeand
tighten theto wing eye. #
Stow th e screwdriver in theve hicle tool kit.
Re moving #
Remo vethe scr ewdriver from theve hicle tool
kit. #
Insert the scr ewdriver into theto wing eyeand
turn theto wing eye anti-clockwise. #
Unscr ewand remo vetheto wing eye. #
Insert co ver1 with the lug at theto p and
press it in at the bottom until it engages. #
Stow th eto wing eye and the scr ewdriver with
th eve hicle tool kit.
Re ar towing eye Re
ar towing eye under the bumper #
When towing away ortow- starting a vehicle,
attach theto wing device torear towing eye
2 . #
Ifth eve hicle is equipped with a trailer tow
hitch, attach theto wing device tothe trailer
to w hit ch (/page 277). #
Obse rveth e no tes on permissible towing
me thods (/ page242). To
w starting vehicle (eme rgency engine start) Ve
hicles with automatic transmission
* NO
TEDama getothe automatic trans‐
mission due to tow-starting The automatic transmission may be damaged
in
the process of tow- starting vehicles with
automatic transmission. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow- star ted. #
Obser vethe no tes and information on start‐
ing assis tance (/ page 237). 246
Breakdown assis tance