Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class 2015 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 173)

could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
R
Observe the warnings for off-road driving
(
Y
page 168).
R Follow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
R
Before driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients, select the off-road program
(
Y
page 186).
R Drive slowly.
R
Accelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
R Avoid high engine speeds, except when
driving on sandy and muddy routes with
high driving resistance.
R
Use the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate
to the gradient.
R Use the left-hand paddle shifter to shift into
a lower gear in good time on long and steep
downhill gradients.
i Hill start assist will aid you when pulling
away on a hill.
For further information about hill start
assist, see (
Y
page 144).
Do not switch to transmission position N
when driving off-road. If you try to brake the
vehicle using the service brake, you could
lose control of the vehicle. If the gradient is
too steep for your vehicle, drive back down in
reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure
angle values (
Y
page 369).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climb-
ing ability values (
Y
page 369).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immedi-
ately before reaching the brow of the hill.
Make use of the vehicle's own impetus to
travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
R the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of a hill
R the vehicle from traveling too quickly down
the other side
Driving downhill
R Drive slowly.
R
Do not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drive
with the front wheels aligned straight. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and rollover.
R Shift to a lower gear using the left-hand
paddle shifter before tackling steep down-
hill gradients.
R
Activate DSR. If this is not sufficient, brake
gently. When doing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
R
Check that the brakes are working normally
after a long downhill stretch.
i Off-road ABS is activated when the off-
road program is selected.
At speeds below 18 mph (30 km/h), the
front wheels lock cyclically during braking.
The digging-in effect achieved in the proc-
ess reduces the stopping distance on off-
road terrain. The steerability of the vehicle
is considerably reduced if the wheels lock.
Driving tips
171
Dri
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and
parking
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