Driving in sand and mud
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Always drive at a steady speed through sand or mud and, if you have a manual gearbox, do not
change gear.
•Check whether ESC is active. The indicator lamp or in the instrument cluster display
should not light up ⇒ Brake support systems.
•Keep the vehicle moving constantly.
•Use the Off-road driving profile ⇒ Selecting a driving profile (4MOTION Action Controlyf.
•Select a suitable gear and remain in this gear until you have reached more solid ground
⇒ Changing gear.
If the tyres have lost their grip, turn the steering wheel back and forth quickly. This can briefly give
the tyres on the front wheels better grip for this ground surface condition.
Driving through sand
Do not under any circumstances reduce the tyre pressure to drive through sand ⇒. If however
the tyre pressure has been reduced for driving through sand, the correct tyre pressure must always
be reset before driving on. Driving with reduced tyre pressure can lead to a loss of control over the
vehicle and increase the risk of serious and fatal injuries.
Driving through mud
Do not change speed or direction. The tyres can lose their traction when driving through mud. If the
vehicle slides, steer in the direction needed to get the vehicle under control.
Driving in steep terrain
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Driving up and down hills
Get out of the vehicle and assess the situation before you attempt to drive up or down a hill:
•Walk along the section and check the firmness of the ground. Look out for obstacles and other
hidden dangers ⇒.
•Check the section beyond the hill.
•You should not follow the route if it is too steep, uneven or if the ground surface is too loose.
Select another route.
•Drive slowly and at constant speed straight up or down a slope.
Driving through snowy terrain is very dangerous.
•Both shallow and deep potholes, hollows, ditches, precipices, frozen surfaces and
other obstacles can be fully or partially covered by snow.
•Dangers concealed by snow can cause an accident, serious injuries, or cause the
vehicle to break down in extreme weather conditions.
•Always adjust your speed and driving to match vehicle load levels and off-road,
visibility and weather conditions.
WARNING
Driving through mud, sand and slush can be dangerous. The vehicle can slide
uncontrollably. This increases the risk of injury. Always drive carefully through sand, mud
and slush.
•Never choose an unsafe route or take a risk which could endanger you or your
passengers. If you are in any doubt about the safety of the route, turn round and
choose another way.
WARNING
Incorrect tyre pressure can cause severe or even fatal accidents.
•Incorrect tyre pressures will increase the levels of wear on the tyres and will negatively
affect the vehicle's driving response.
•An incorrect tyre pressure can cause overheating, sudden tyre damage including tyre
bursts and ripping of the tread surface and thus to a loss of control over the vehicle.
WARNING
Fig. 134 On steep slopes, you should always use the doors pointing up the hill to get out of the
vehicle.
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Traversing a slope is one of the most dangerous off-road situations ⇒.
It may look harmless, but you should not underestimate the difficulty and danger of traversing a
slope. A vehicle could slide away, tip over or roll when in this position. This can cause severe or
fatal injuries for all vehicle occupants.
Check whether you can use a safer route before driving across a slope.
If you have to drive at an angle, make sure the ground is as firm as possible. The vehicle is more
likely to slip, dip and tip over on slippery or soft ground. Always be aware that uneven ground
makes the slope steeper. The vehicle could otherwise tip over and start to roll.
When driving across a slope, the wheels on the lower side of the vehicle must never enter dips or
hollows. The wheels on the upper side of the vehicle must never roll over bumps, for example
stones, tree trunks or other obstacles.
If the vehicle threatens to tip over, steer immediately into the fall line and depress the accelerator
slightly ⇒ Fig. 133. If it is not possible to drive along the fall line, then steer uphill and depress the
accelerator slightly.
The centre of gravity should be as low as possible. The weight of all vehicle occupants should be
evenly distributed. People with a larger or heavier build should sit on the higher side of the vehicle.
Remove the roof carrier and secure heavy items. The vehicle could tip over if items were to slide
suddenly ⇒.
Driving through ditches
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
•Check whether the tilt angle and gradient entry/exit angles are small enough to drive through
the ditch with the vehicle ⇒.
•If possible, drive through the ditch at an acute angle ⇒.
•The tilt angle may not get too large when driving through the ditch.
Never try to traverse a slope, particularly if it is too steep for the vehicle. The vehicle could
slide away, tip over or roll. Please note the following points in order to reduce the risk of
accidents and serious injuries:
•You should never underestimate the difficulty and danger of traversing a slope. Never
choose an unsafe route or take a risk which could endanger you or your passengers. If
you are in any doubt about the safety of the route, turn round and choose another way.
•The vehicle can lose its grip and slide away sideways, tip over or roll over and roll
down the hill.
•The wheels on the lower side of the vehicle must never enter dips or hollows. The
wheels on the upper side of the vehicle must never roll over bumps, for example
stones, tree trunks or other obstacles.
•Please ensure that you can steer in the fall line on a route driving across a slope.
Choose another route if this is not guaranteed. If the vehicle threatens to tip over, steer
immediately into the fall line and depress the accelerator slightly ⇒ Fig. 133.
•If the vehicle is stopped when traversing a slope, avoid sudden movements in the
vehicle. The vehicle can lose its grip and slide away sideways, tip over or roll over and
roll down the hill.
•Vehicle occupants should never leave the vehicle via the doors facing down the hill
when parked sideways on a steep hill. This could cause the centre of gravity to move.
The vehicle could otherwise tip over or roll over and roll down the hill. To avoid this,
always leave the vehicle carefully on the side that is facing uphill ⇒ Fig. 134.
•When getting out the vehicle, please ensure that the vehicle door which opens uphill
does not close with its own weight or through carelessness thus potentially causing
injury.
WARNING
Clean the turn signals, headlight system, the number plate and all windows.
If necessary, remove the towing eye and the snow chains.
Check the tyres, struts and axles for damage and remove dirt, stones and other foreign
bodies from the tyre tread.
Inspect the vehicle underbody and remove all items that are jammed in the brake system,
on the wheels, in the running gear, in the exhaust system and in the engine, such as
branches, leaves or pieces of wood . If you see any damage or leaks, take your vehicle to a
qualified workshop.
Clean heavy soiling from the radiator grille and the vehicle underbody Vehicle care.
Check the engine compartment to see if any dirt is affecting the engine operation In the
engine compartment.
Switch off OFF-ROAD mode Selecting a driving profile (4MOTION Action Controlyf .
Switch on TCS again Brake support systems.
If your vehicle gets stuck
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Rocking out a vehicle requires a great deal of training and feeling for the vehicle.
If you make a mistake when rocking the vehicle, it can sink deeper and you will need assistance to
get out of the mud.
When you cannot proceed ...
•Carefully dig out all the wheels and check that no other parts of the vehicle are stuck in the
sand.
•Engage reverse gear.
•Reverse over your own tracks, accelerating gently.
If this does not help, place brushwood, floor mats or sacking directly in front of the wheels to
increase grip ⇒.
Rocking the vehicle
Never allow the wheels to spin for long periods as this will cause the vehicle to sink deeper ⇒.
•Switch off TCS ⇒ Brake support systems.
•Position the steering wheel so that it is facing straight ahead.
•Reverse until the point where the wheels just start to spin.
•Quickly select first gear and drive forwards until the wheels start to spin again.
•Repeat driving back and forth until you have enough momentum to free yourself.
•Switch the TCS on after the rocking procedure is completed ⇒ Brake support systems.
•Use the Off-road driving profile.
After off-road driving
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Checklist
Never drive through a ditch if the entry/exit angle is too steep for the vehicle and the ditch
is too deep. The vehicle could slide away, tip over or roll.
WARNING
If you drive into the ditch at a right angle, the front wheels will fall in. The underbody of
your vehicle could get stuck and damaged which means that the vehicle could break
down. It is then almost impossible to get out of the ditch despite having all-wheel drive.
NOTICE
Nobody may stand either in front or behind the vehicle, particularly if you are attempting
to free a stuck vehicle.
•Spinning wheels can propel stones, brushwood, pieces of wood or other objects that
are in front or behind the wheels at enormous speed and cause potentially fatal injury.
•People standing in front of or behind the vehicle could be run over if the stuck vehicle
starts to move suddenly.
WARNING