Mercedes-Benz M-Class Owner's Manual page 186

Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS may mistakenly detect
vehicles that are crossing your lane. Activat-
ing DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with
crossing traffic, for example, could cause
your vehicle to pull away unintentionally.
Level control (vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package)
Important safety notes
Level control adapts the vehicle level auto-
matically to the current operating and driving
situation. This results in reduced fuel con-
sumption and improved handling.
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level may change visibly if you
park the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehi-
cle level lowers; with an increase in temper-
ature, the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open a door, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant level changes, e.g. after the vehi-
cle has been stationary for a long period, the
engine must be on. For safety reasons, the
vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed. Lowering is interrupted if a door is
opened; it continues once the door has been
closed.
G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody is near the wheel arch
or vehicle underside when you make a change
to the vehicle level. Otherwise, you or others
may be trapped.
G
WARNING
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble. If the vehicle level is high, the vehicle
centre of gravity shifts upwards. This increa-
ses the risk of the vehicle tipping over.
Adapt your driving style to suit the vehicle
®
level. ESP cannot reduce the risk of an acci-
dent if you drive too fast. ESP
ride the laws of physics.
! When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance to prevent damage to the vehi-
cle.
For information about driving off-road, see
( page 166).
Y
Basic settings
The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted.
Select:
Highway/high-speed level for driving on
R
normal roads
Off-road level 1 for driving on easily nego-
R
tiable off-road terrain
Off-road level 2 for driving on normal off-
R
road terrain
Off-road level 3 for freeing the vehicle from
R
especially difficult off-road terrain at low
speeds
The individual vehicle levels differ from high-
way level as follows:
Highway level: +/– 0 mm
R
High-speed level: –15 mm
R
Off-road level 1: 30 mm above highway
R
level
Driving systems
®
cannot over-
183
Z