Off-Road Driving - Mercedes-Benz G-Class Operator's Manual

Driving tips
164
Never activate the LOW off-road gear while
driving on a slippery road surface.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering
and braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise
control.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
Shift the transmission to position N.
X
Try to bring the vehicle under control using
X
corrective steering.
i
For more information on driving with
snow chains, see (

Off-road driving

Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Do not load items on the basic carrier bars. It
may cause instability during some maneuvers
which could result in an accident.
Drive slowly in unknown terrain. This will
make it easier to recognize unexpected
obstacles and avoid damage to the vehicle.
To help avoid the vehicle rolling over, never
turn it around on steep inclines. If the vehicle
cannot complete the attempted climb, back it
down in reverse gear.
Do not drive along the side of a slope. The
vehicle might otherwise rollover. If in doing so
the vehicle begins to show a tendency to roll,
immediately steer into a line of gravity
(straight up or downhill).
Never let the vehicle roll backwards in idle.
You may lose control of the vehicle if you use
only the service brake. For information on
driving downhill, see "Driving downhill".
When driving off-road, sand, mud and water,
possibly mixed with oil, for example, could get
into the brakes. This could result in a reduced
braking effect or in total brake failure and also
in increased wear and tear. The braking
characteristics change depending on the
page 315).
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material ingressing the brakes. Clean the
brakes after driving off-road. If you detect a
reduced braking effect or grinding noises,
have the brake system checked in a qualified
specialist workshop as soon as possible.
Adapt your driving style to the different
braking characteristics.
Driving off-road increases the likelihood of
damage to the vehicle, which, in turn, can lead
to failure of the mechanical assembly or
systems. Adapt your driving style to suit the
terrain conditions. Drive carefully. Have
damage to the vehicle rectified immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop.
General notes
H
Environmental note
Protection of the environment is of primary
importance. Treat nature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Read this section carefully before driving your
vehicle off-road. Practice by driving over more
gentle off-road terrain first.
Familiarize yourself with the characteristics
of your vehicle and the gear shift operation
before driving through difficult terrain.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
4ETS ( page 62)
R
Y
Transfer case ( page 193)
R
Y
Differential locks (
R
Y
Observe the following notes:
stop your vehicle and, if necessary, shift the
R
transfer case to LOW
RANGE( page 194) before driving off-
Y
road.
AMG vehicles: to shift the transfer case to
R
LOW RANGE, deactivate the ECO start/
stop function ( page 142).
Y
engage the differential locks, if necessary
R
( page 196).
Y
i
®
ABS, 4ETS, ESP and BAS are deactivated
when the differential locks are activated.
page 195)