2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK CABRIOLET automatic transmission

138 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
You will find information about driving with
an automatic transmission in the "Getting
started" section (=page 36).
The automatic transmission adapts toyour
individual driv ing st yle automatically by
cont inuously adjusting its shift points.
These shift point adjustments take into
account the current operating and dri ving
conditions. If the operating and driving
conditions change, the automatic trans-
mission reacts by adjust ing the gearshift
program. The automatic transmission shift
sthrough
the gea rsauto matically. The gear selected
depends on:
! selector lever position Dwith shift
ranges 6*,5 *,4, 3, 2 and1
(= page 140)
! the gearshift program selected ( S/ C)
( = pag e141) or ( S/ C /M )*
( = pa ge 144)
! the position of the acceleratorpedal
( = pa ge 142)
! the road speed Automatic transmission*
G
Risk of accident Th
emovemen t of the pedals should not be
restricted in any way. Always keep the
driver 'sfootwell free from obje cts.Make
sure that floormats or carpets leave suffi-
cient clearance for the pedals.
Always apply the parking brake when park-
ing.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
ve hic le.T he ycould move thes elec torlev er
and the vehicle could roll away on downhill
or uphill gradients.
Do not change down for additiona leng ine
bra king on a sl ippery road surfa ce. The drive
wheels could then lose their grip and the
vehicle co uld skid. G
Risk of fire Make sure that the exhaust system does not
come clo
seto highly flamm able materials,
e.g. dry grass or fuel. The flammable mate-
rial could otherwise ignite and set parts of
the vehicle on fire. P 27.00-2180-31209en_d2.boo Seite
138 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

139
Controls in detail
Automatic transmiss ion*
1 Shiftran ge/s elector lever position
2 Gearshif tprogram (S/C) or (S/C/M)*
The current shift range and the gearshift
program (
S/C) or (S/C/M)* are displayed
in the speedometer.
When the selector lever is in position D,
you can influence the gearshifts made by
the automatic transmissi onby:
! restricting the shift range
! chang ing gear yourself P 54.30-
5564-31 Selec
tor lever positions ì Parking lock
Prevents the vehicle from rolling
away when stopped. Only
move
the selector lever toPwhen the
ve hicle isstationary.
You can only remove the key
when the selector lever isin
position P. The selector lever is
lo cked in position Pwh en the key
is re moved. í Reverse gear
Only mo
vethe selector lever to R
when the vehicle is statio nary. ë Neutral
No power is transmitted
from the
engine to the dr ive wheels.
Releasing the brakes allows you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. by
pushing or towing.
Do not move the selector lever to
N while the vehicle is in motion.
The automatic transmission
co uld otherwise bedamag ed.
If ESP has been deactivated or
has malfunctioned: only move the
selector lever to Nif the vehicle is
in danger of skidding, e.g. on icy
roads. ê Drive
The automatic transmission
chan
ges gear automatically. All
fi ve forward gears are available. 209en_d2.boo Seite
139 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

140 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
When the selector lever isin position D,
you can perform gearshi fts yourself, even
in vehicles wit hautom atic transmission. Downshift
ing
6 Press the selector lever briefly to the
left, towards D–.
Th e automatic transmission shifts to
the next gear down from the gear cur-
rently selected. Doing this also
restricts the shift range ( =page 140).
i The automatic transmission does not shift
down ifyou press the selector lever briefly
towar dsD– and the speed of the vehicle is too
high. Theengine could otherwise overrev. Upshifting
6
Press the selector lever briefly to the
right, towards D+.
The automatic transmission shifts to
the next gear up, depending on the
gearshift program. Doing this also
extends the shift range. Derestricting the shift range
6
Press and hold the selector lever
to wa rds D+untilDis displayed once
mo re in the speedometer.
The automatic transmission shifts from
the current shift range directly to D. Se
lecting the ideal shift range
6 Press and hold the selector lever
to wa rds D–.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
range which allows easy acceleration
and deceleration. To do this, the auto-
matic transm ission shifts down one or
more gears. When the selector lever is in position
D,
you can restrict or derestrict the shift
range for the automatic transmission.
6 Press the select or lever briefly to the
ri ght to D+or to the left to D–.
The shift range set isdisplayed in the
speedometer.
i Ifth e maximum engine speed for the shift
range is reached and you continue toacce lerat e,
the automatic transmission shifts up, even if the
shif trange has been restricted. The engine could
otherwis eoverrev. One-touch gearshifting
G
Riskofaccident Do not change
down for additional engine
braki ngon aslippery road surface. The drive
wheels could then lose their grip and the vehi-
cl e co uld skid. Shift ranges209en_d2.boo Seite
140 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

141
Controls in detail
Automatic transmiss ion* Progr
amselector switch
The program selector switch is located on
the lo wer section of the centre console.
1 Prog ram selector switch
S Sport for all normal driving
conditions
C Comfort for comfort mode ï Vehicle with 7G-TRONIC*:
The automatic transmission
shifts as far as sixth gear only.
î Vehicle with 7G-TRONIC*:
The automatic transmission
shifts as far as sixth gear only.
é The automatic transmission
shif
ts as fa r as fourth gear only. è The automatic transmis
sion
shifts as far as third gear only.
The braking effect ofthe
engine can be utilised in this
position. ç Th
e automatic transmission
shifts as far as second gear
only.
Fo r braking on steep downhill
gradients and for drivi ng:
! on steep mountain roads
! in mountainous terrain
! inarduous condi tions æ Th
e automatic transmission
only works in first gear.
For braking on extremely steep
downhill grad ients and long
downhill stretches. Gea
rshift program P
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141 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

142 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
! Only press program selector switch 1
whe nthe selector lever isin position P,N or D.
6 Press program selector switch 1
repeatedly until the letter (S/C) for the
ge arshift program appears in the dis-
play (= page 141).
Se lect Cfor comfort mode:
! The vehicle pulls away and reverses
more gently unless full thrott leis
applied.
! Traction is increased. This means
that driving stability is increased on
slippery road sur faces, for example.
! The automatic transmission shifts
up sooner. This means that you
drive at lower engine speeds and
the wheels are less likely to spin. Accelerator pedal pos
ition
Your style of driving influences ho wthe
automatic transmission shifts gear:
! Little throttle:
early upshifts
! More throttle:
later upshi fts
Kickdown
Use kickd ownfor ma ximum accel eratio n:
6 Depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
lower gear, depend ing on the engine
speed.
6 Release the accelerator pedal as soon
as the desired speed has been
reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back
up. Stopping
If you are only stopping briefly:
6
leave the selector lever in the drive
position
6 apply the brake to prevent the vehicle
from rolling away Manoeuvring
If you are manoeuvring in a tight space:
6
control the speed of the vehicle by
brak ing carefully
6 accelerate gently and smoothly Tr
ailertowing
6 Allow the engine to run inthe middle
engine speed range when dri ving on
uphill gradients.
6 Depending on the steepness of the
uphill or downhill gradient, shift down
to shift range 3or 2(
= page 140), even
if cruise control is acti vated. Driving
tips 209en_d2.boo Seite
142 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

143
Controls in detail
Automatic transmiss ion* Wor
king on the vehicle
The following description does not apply to
CLK 55AM G vehicles. Steering wheel
gearshift buttons* and the manual gear-
shift program* CL K55A MG (
=pa ge 145).
! Pull away immediat elyto warm the engine
up quickl y.Do not make use of the engine' sfull
output until its normal operating temperature
has been reached.
Onl ymove the selector lever to Rwhen the vehi-
cl e is stationary.
Avoid allowing the drive whe elsto spin when
pulling away on slippery road sur face s. You
could otherwise damage the dri vetrain. Steering wheel gearshift buttons
Yo
u can change gea rat any time using
either the steering wheel gearshift buttons
or the select or lever.
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
on the left and right-hand sides ofthe
steering wheel.
1 Outer section ofbutton: to upshift
2 Inner section of button: to downshift Upshifting
6 Press outer section 1of one of the
buttons on the steeri ngwheel.
Th e automatic transmission shifts to
the next gear up. If you are not dri ving
in ma nual gearshif tprogram M, the
shift range is extended ( =page 140).
Downshifting
6 Press inner section 2of one of the
buttons on the steering wheel.
Th e automatic transmission shifts to
the next gear down. If you are not driv-
ing in manual gearshift program M, the
shift range is restricted ( =pa ge 140). G
Risk of accident De
pres sthe parkin gbr ake andm ovet he
selector lever to Pbefore carrying out work
on the vehicle. The vehicle could otherwise
roll away. Steeri
ngwheel gearshift buttons*
and the manual gearshift program* P27.60-2531-31
G
Risk of accident Do not
change down for additiona leng ine
bra king on a sl ippery ro adsurface. The drive
wheels could th enlose their grip and the
vehicl eco uld skid. 209en_d2.boo Seite
143 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

144 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*i
Youc annot chang egear using the steering
wh eel gearshift buttons if the selector lever isin
position P,N or R.
If manual gearshi ftprogram Misse lected and
yo u restart the engine, the automatic transmis-
sion wi llswitch over to an automatic gearshift
program .If automatic gearshift program Sor Cis
selected, the automatic transmi ssion will remain
in this gearsh ift pro gram even after the engine is
rest arted. Manual gearshift program
In
ma nualge arshif tpr ogram M, you can
chan ge gear yourself using the steering
wheel gears hift buttons or the selector
lever.
You can select manual gearshift program
M using the program selector switch. The program selector switch is located on
the lower section
ofthe centre console.
1 Program selector switch
S Sport for all normal driving
conditions
C Comfort for comfort mode
M Manual for manual gearshifting
6 Press program selector switch 1
repeatedly untilMfor man ualgearshift
progr amMappears in the speedome-
ter.
The automatic transmission switches
to ma nual gearshift program M. Auto-
ma tic shifting is deactivated. When the selector lever is in position
D,
you can shift up or down manually through
the individual gears. The gear currently
selected and engaged is shown in the
speedometer.
Upshifting
6 Press the selector lever briefly to the
rig ht,towards D+.
or
6 Press the outer section of one of the
buttons on the steering wheel
(=
page 143).
The automatic transmission shifts to
the ne xtgear up.
Downshifting P27.60-2510-31
G
Risk of accident Do not
change down for additio nal engine
braking ona slippery road surface. The drive
wheels could then lose thei rgrip and the
ve hicle could skid. 209en_d2.boo Seite
144 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

145
Controls in detail
Automatic transmiss ion*
6 Press the selector lever briefly to the
left, towards D–.
or
6 Press the inner section of one of the
buttons on the steering wheel
(=
page 143).
The automatic transmission shifts to
the next gear down.
Kickdown
You can also use kickdown inmanual gear-
shift program Mifyou wish to achieve
maximum acceleration:
6 Depress the acce lerator pedal beyond
the pressure point.
The automatic transmissio nshifts to
the next gear down, depending on the
engine speed.
6 Shiftup again as soon as the desired
sp ee d has been reached. i
If you apply full throttle, the automatic trans-
mi ssion will shi ftto the next gear up whe nthe
ma ximum engine speed is reached. This protects
th e engine against overspeeding.
If yo ubrake or come to ahalt, the automatic
tr ansmi ssion will shift down toa gear from which
you can acc eler ate or pull away easily.
Ma nualgear shift pr ogram Misdeselected if you:
! press the program selector switch
(=page 14
1).SorCap pears in the spe edom eter in this
case.
! restart the engine.
The automatic transmi ssion switches to an
automatic gearshi ftprogram in this case. The CLK 55
AMG can be driven in the auto-
matic or manual gearshift program.
! Drive the vehicle to warm the engine up
quickly. Do not make use of theen gine's full out-
put until its normal operating temperature has
be en reached.
Only move the selector lever toRwhen the vehi-
cl e is stationary.
Avoid allowing the drive wheels to spi nwhen
pulling away on slippery road surface s.You
could otherwise damage the drive train. Steering wheel gearshift buttons
You can change gear at any time using
either the steering wheel gearsh ift buttons
or the selector lever. Steering whee
lgearshift butto ns*
and the ma nual gearshift program*
CLK 55 AMG 209en_d2.boo Seite
145 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19