2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG position 2

129 Controls in detail
Control system
Tire pressure display*
Use this function to set the unit for the tire
pressure display.
Move the selection marker with the æ
or
ç
button to the
Vehicle

submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Tire press. display
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to select the de-
sired tire pressure unit.Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting the vehicle when you


remove the key from the starter switch


open the driver’s door
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit fea-
ture
129
Set key dependency
130
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
131
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry / exit feature is in operation
and the driver’s door is being opened or the
key is removed from the starter switch. Do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle,
or with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

130 Controls in detailControl systemAfter entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when

the driver’s door is closed


you put the key in the starter switch
and


press the appropriate stored position
button on the memory switch
(page 99)

Move the selection marker with button æ
or
ç
to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Easy-entry feature Acti-
vate
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
The following settings are available for
the easy-entry/exit feature:
Off
The easy-entry/exit feature is
deactivated
Steer. column
Only the steering column is
moved
Steer.col.+seat
Both the steering column and
the seat are movedSetting key dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the mirrors should be stored
separately for each key (
page 99).

Move the selection marker with button æ
or
ç
to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Key-dependent
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to set key depen-
dency to
On or
Off
.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, press one of the following:

the seat adjustment switch
(page 32)


the steering column switch
(page 34)


the memory switch (
page 99)

131 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
You can store a parking position for the
passenger exterior rear view mirror using
the memory switch (
page 100).
The exterior rear view mirror will return to
its previous position when you


shift out of reverse (after 10 seconds)


exceed the speed of 6 mph (10 km/h),
regardless of which gear is engaged


press the driver’s side mirror button
(immediately) (
page 35)

Move the selection marker with button æ
or
ç
to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Mirror setting when park-
ing
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to switch function
On or
Off
.
Trip computer menu
Use the trip computer menu to call up sta-
tistical data on your vehicle. The following
information is available:
iThe mirror parking position feature
must be activated and the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror
(page 35) must be selected at the
time in order for the system to recall the
stored mirror position when reverse
gearR is engaged.
Function
Page
Fuel consumption statistics after
start
132
Fuel consumption statistics
since last reset
132
Call up range (distance to empty)
133
iThe last function called up will reap-
pear the next time you enter the trip
computer menu.

132 Controls in detailControl systemFuel consumption statistics after start
Press button
ÿ
or
è
repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
After start.
1Distance driven since start
2Average speed since start
3Time elapsed since start
4Average fuel consumption since startFuel consumption since last reset

Press button
ÿ
or
è
repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
From reset.
1Distance driven since last reset
2Average speed since last reset
3Time elapsed since last reset
4Average fuel consumption since last re-
set
iAll statistics stored since the last en-
gine start will be reset approximately
four hours after the key in the starter
switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch.
Resetting will not occur if you turn the
key back to position1 or2 within this
time period.

137 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
Information for driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 39).
Your transmission adapts its gear shifting
process to your individual driving style by
continually adjusting the shift points up or
down. These shift point adjustments are
performed based on current operating and
driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change the au-
tomatic transmission reacts by adjusting
its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, dependent
upon


the selector lever positionD with gear
ranges4, 3, 2, 1 (
page 139)


the selected shift program
(S/W)(
page 141)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 142)


the vehicle speed
The current selector lever position and
shift program (S/W) appear in the
tachometer display (
page 110).When the selector lever is in positionD,
you can influence transmission shifting by


limiting the gear range


changing gears yourselfWarning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
ofP orN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

138 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionOne-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears yourself when the
selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the selector lever to the
left in the D–direction.
The transmission will shift from the cur-
rent gear to the next lower gear. This
action simultaneously limits the gear
range of the transmission
(page 139).Upshifting

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the cur-
r e n t g e a r t o t h e ne x t h i g h e r g e a r a s p e r -
mitted by the shift program. This action
simultaneously extends the gear range
of the transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the selector lever in the
D+direction until D reappears in the
tachometer display field.
The transmission will shift from the cur-
rent gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D– direction.
The transmission will automatically se-
lect the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the selector lever is moved to the D– di-
rection, the transmission will not shift
to a lower gear if the engine’s revolu-
tions per minute limit would be exceed-
ed.

139 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the selector lever in positionD, you
can limit the transmission’s gear range by
pressing the lever to the left (D-), and re-
verse the gear range limit by pressing the
lever to the right (D+).
The selected gear range will appear in the
tachometer display field. If you press on
the accelerator when the engine has
reached its rpm limit, the transmission will
upshift beyond any gear range limit
selected.
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 the 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 the en-
gine’s braking effect on very
steep or lengthy downgrades.

140 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
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 starter switch with the selector
lever in positionP.
R
Reverse gear
Place selector lever in positionR
only when vehicle is stopped.
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 transmis-
sion, never engageN while driving.
If ESP is deactivated or malfunction-
ing:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
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 47).
When parked on an incline, also turn the
front wheels towards the road curb.