Page 115 of 321
115 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever position
Gear
range
Effect
é
The transmission shifts
through fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts
through third gear only.
With this selection you can
use the braking effect of the
engine.
Gear
range
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts
through second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving
on steep downgrades
in mountainous regions
under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates
only in first gear
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep
or lengthy downgrades.
Effect
P
Park position
Selector position when the vehicle is
parked. Only place selector lever in
positionP when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended to
serve as a brake when the vehicle is
parked. Rather, the driver should al-
ways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to placing the selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the steering lock with the selector le-
ver in positionP. With the key re-
moved the selector lever is locked in
positionP.
If the vehicle electrical system is mal-
functioning, the selector lever could
remain locked in positionP
(page 245).
R
Place selector lever in positionR only
when vehicle is stopped.
Page 116 of 321
116 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Effect
N
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the en-
gine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmission,
never engageN while driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or malfunc-
tioning:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
The transmission shifts automatical-
ly. All five forward gears are avail-
able.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with selector lever inN
can result in transmission damage that
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the selector
lever not fully engaged in positionP is dan-
gerous. Also, positionP alone is not intend-
ed to or capable of preventing your vehicle
from moving, possibly hitting people or ob-
jects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 50).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Children could move the selector lever
from positionP, which could result in an ac-
cident and/or serious personal injury.
Page 117 of 321
117 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.
Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
Towing a trailer
If you tow a trailer, note the following
points:
Manually shift to a lower gear range
(4,3, 2, 1), if the transmission hunts
between gears on inclines
(page 114).
A lower gear range and reduction of
speed reduces the change to overload
or overheat the engine.
At very steep inclines switch transfer
case to LOW RANGE mode
(page 118).
For more information on trailer towing, see
the “Operation” section (
page 192).Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If the vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home mode. In this mode only 2nd gear
and reverse gear can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.
Move selector lever to positionP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least ten seconds before re-
starting.
Move selector lever to position D (for
2nd gear) or R.
Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.
Page 119 of 321
119 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
Information on the windshield wipers
(page 47) and for adjusting the rear view
mirrors (
page 38) is found in the “Get-
ting started” section.
Rear view mirror
Manually dimming inside rear view mir-
ror
1Lever
Press lever1 backward.
The interior rear view mirror is dimmed.Automatic antiglare rear view mirror*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the inside rear view mirror will respond au-
tomatically to glare when:
the automatic antiglare function is acti-
vated (
page 120)
the ignition is switched on
incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the inside rear view mir-
ror
The rear view mirror will not react if
reverse gear is engaged
the interior light is turned on
Warning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the inside rear view mirror.
The inside rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the cargo area is fully
loaded.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
Page 121 of 321
121 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Folding in
Briefly press button 1.
The mirrors fold in.Folding out
Briefly press button 2.
The mirrors fold out.
Headlamp cleaning system*
The switch is located on the right side of
the dashboard.Headlamp washer switch
Switch on ignition.
Briefly press the upper part of switch.
iWith the front doors closed, the exteri-
or mirrors can still be folded in and out
approximately 30 minutes after the ig-
nition has been turned off.!Before you drive the vehicle through an
automatic car wash, fold the exterior
mirrors in, otherwise they may get
damaged.iIf you are driving at more than 9 mph
(15 km/h), you will not able to fold the
exterior mirrors in.
!If an exterior mirror housing is forcibly
pushed forward (hit from the rear), re-
position it manually by applying firm
pressure until it snaps back into place.
If an exterior mirror is forcibly pushed
rearward (hit from the front) press
button1 to fold mirrors in, then press
button2 to fold mirrors out. Do not
force mirror by hand.
The mirror housing is now properly po-
sitioned and you can adjust the mirror
normally.
Page 122 of 321
122 Controls in detailGood visibilityWindshield wipers
Information on the windshield wipers
(page 47) is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section. Intermittent wiping
Windshield wipers without rain sensor
At speeds of approximately 105 mph
(170 km/h) the wiper switches automati-
cally to continuous wiping. Always obey lo-
cal speed limits.
Windshield wipers with rain sensor*
The rain sensor controls the windshield
wipers automatically according to the
amount of water on the windshield.
Switch ignition on.
Set the wiper switch to position1
(page 47).
One initial wipe, pauses between wipes
are automatically controlled by the rain
sensor monitoring wetness of wind-
shield.
!If leaves, snow, etc. block the wind-
shield wipers, the wiper motor turns
off.
For safety reasons, withdraw key
from steering lock. Remove block-
age.
Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch position1,
set the wiper switch to the next
highest wiper speed.
have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at standstill and a front
door is opened.
!To prevent damage of the windshield
wipers, do not leave the wiper switch in
intermittent setting, when the vehicle
is taken to an automatic car wash or
when cleaning the windshield.
The switch should not be left in inter-
mittent setting as the wipers will wipe
the windshield once every time the en-
gine is started. Dust that accumulates
on the windshield might scratch the
glass when wiping occurs on a dry
windshield!iWhen intermittent wiping is on and the
key is turned from position1 to
position2 in the steering lock
(page 33), and kept in that position
for longer than 2 seconds, the wipe in-
terval will be set to approximately
5seconds.
Page 123 of 321
123 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window wiper
The rear window wiper will also automati-
cally engage if the windshield wiper is en-
gaged and the gear selector lever is placed
in reverse.
Rear window wiper with rain sensor*
Rear window wiper intervals are controlled
automatically according to the amount of
water on the windshield and the speed of
the vehicle, if:
rear window wiper is switched on
front windshield wipers are switched to
intermittent wiping
The interval for the rear window wiper re-
mains constant when the windshield wiper
interval is ten seconds or more.
Sun visor
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
1Mirror cover
2Mounting
Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.
To use mirror, lift cover1 up.
Illuminated vanity mirrors
Turn the key in steering lock to
position1 (
page 33).
Lift cover up.
The lamp switches on.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage sun visor from
mounting2 and pivot to the side.
Page 124 of 321
124 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
Automatic climate control
