Mercedes-Benz S 320 CDI, Owner'S Manual, Page: 434 / 588

412
Operation
Trailer towing*
The maximum permissible trailer drawbar
noseweight on the ball coupling is 85 kg.
The weight must not exceed the figure giv-
en on the trailer tow hitch and trailer iden-
tification plates.
You will find the values in the vehicle doc-
uments or on the trailer tow hitch identifi-
cation plate.
!
Use a noseweight as close as possible to the
maximum permissible noseweight. Do not use a
noseweight of less than 50 kg, otherwise the
trailer may come loose.
왘
Position the trailer horizontally behind
the vehicle.
i
For vehicles without level control, the height
of the ball coupling will alter according to the
load placed on the vehicle. In this case, you
should use a trailer with a height-adjustable
drawbar.
왘
Couple up the trailer.
!
Note that the payload and the rear axle load
are reduced by the actual nose weight.
In Germany, the maximum permitted
speed for vehicle/trailer combinations is
80 km/h.
!
A maximum speed of 80 km/h should not
be exceeded, even in countries where higher
speeds are allowed for vehicle/trailer combina-
tions.
Your vehicle’s handling characteristics
when towing a trailer will be different than
when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
앫
is heavier
앫
is restricted in its acceleration and gra-
dient climbing capability
앫
has an increased braking distance
앫
is affected more by strong crosswinds
앫
demands more sensitive steering
앫
consumes more fuel
Coupling up a trailer
G
Risk of accident
When reversing the vehicle towards the trail-
er, make sure there is no one between the
trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer could become
detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
앫
the permitted trailer drawbar nose-
weight
앫
the permitted trailer load
앫
the permitted rear axle load of the tow-
ing vehicle
앫
the permitted maximum gross vehicle
weight
You will find technical data for the trailer tow
hitch and axle loads from page 545 on-
wards.
Driving with a trailer
G
Risk of accident
If the “Check trailer coupling locking mecha-
nism” message appears in the multi-func-
tion display while the vehicle is in motion,
pull over immediately and make sure that
the ball coupling is correctly engaged.