Page 166 of 442

164 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Steering wheel gearshift control (Speedshift) (C 55 AMG only)
You can change the gears manually on the 
steering wheel or by using the gear 
selector lever (
page 158).The steering wheel gearshift buttons are 
located to the left and right of the steering 
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
!Allow engine to warm up under low 
load use. Do not place full load on the 
engine until the operating temperature 
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR only when the 
vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an 
extended period when driving off on 
slippery road surfaces. This may cause 
serious damage to the drivetrain which 
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty.
iYou cannot shift with the steering 
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear 
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The manual program modeM will not 
be stored. When the engine is turned 
off with the manual program modeM 
selected, the transmission will go to 
the automatic program mode (CorS) 
when the engine is restarted.
The last selected program 
mode (CorS) is switched on when the 
engine is restarted in the automatic 
program mode. 
     
        
        Page 167 of 442

165 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Downshifting
Press button1 on the left side of the 
steering wheel.
The transmission shifts to the next 
lower gear.
The gear range is limited when you are not 
driving in the manual program modeM 
(
page 159). 
When driving in the manual program 
modeM (
page 165), the transmission 
will shift from the current gear to the next 
lower gear (page 166).Upshifting
Press button2 on the right side of the 
steering wheel.
The transmission shifts to the next 
higher gear.
The gear range is extended when you are 
not driving in the manual program modeM 
(
page 159). 
When driving in the manual program 
modeM (
page 165), the transmission 
will shift from the current gear to the next 
higher gear (page 167).
Manual shift program (C 55 AMG only)
In the manual program modeM you can 
change the gears manually on the steering 
wheel (
page 164) or by using the gear 
selector lever (
page 158).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift 
in order to obtain braking action. This could 
result in drive wheel slip and reduced 
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not 
prevent this type of loss of control.
!Allow engine to warm up under low 
load use. Do not place full load on the 
engine until the operating temperature 
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR only when the 
vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an 
extended period when driving off on 
slippery road surfaces. This may cause 
serious damage to the drivetrain which 
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty. 
     
        
        Page 168 of 442

166 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*The program mode selector switch is 
located on the lower part of the center 
console.
1Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard drivingActivating manual shift program
Press program mode selector 
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for the 
manual program modeM appears in 
the multifunction display.
The transmission switches to the 
manual program modeM. Automatic 
shifting is switched off. The gear range 
is not limited.
You can change the gears manually when 
the gear selector lever is in positionD. You 
can upshift or downshift through the gears 
in succession.
The current gear selector lever position 
and the selected program mode (M/C/S) is 
indicated in the multifunction display 
(
page 157).Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to 
the left in theD-direction 
(page 158).
or
Press button1 on the left side of the 
steering wheel (
page 164).
The transmission shifts to the next 
lower gear.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift 
in order to obtain braking action. This could 
result in drive wheel slip and reduced 
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not 
prevent this type of loss of control.iWhen you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which 
you can easily accelerate or take off. 
     
        
        Page 169 of 442

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Upshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to 
the right in theD+direction 
(page 158).
or
Press button2 on the right side of the 
steering wheel (
page 164).
The transmission shifts to the next 
higher gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the 
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program
Press the program mode selector 
switch (
page 166) repeatedly 
until
Cor
S appears in the multifunction 
display.
or
Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the 
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual program modeM is not 
stored.Emergency operation (Limp Home 
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the 
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp 
home (emergency operation) mode. In this 
mode only second gear and reverse gear 
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.
Move gear selector lever toP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least ten seconds before 
restarting.
Restart the engine.
Move gear selector lever to positionD 
(for second gear) orR.
Have the transmission checked at an 
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as 
soon as possible.
!In the manual program modeM, the 
transmission will not upshift, even if 
the engine has reached its overrevving 
range. Shift up to the next gear before 
the engine has reached its overrevving 
range. Make absolutely certain that the 
engine speed does not reach the red 
marking on the tachometer 
(page 24). Otherwise the engine 
could be damaged which is not covered 
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited 
Warranty
iThe last selected program 
mode (CorS) is switched on when the 
engine is restarted in the automatic 
program mode. 
     
        
        Page 234 of 442

232 Controls in detailDriving systems1Sets current or higher speed
2Sets current or lower speed
3Cancels cruise control
4Resumes at last set speed
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired 
speed.
Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise 
control lever.
The current speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator 
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise 
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
Cruise control is canceled. The last 
speed set is stored for later use.
or
Briefly push the cruise control lever to 
position3.
Cruise control is canceled. The last 
speed set is stored for later use.iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise 
control may not be able to maintain the 
set speed. Once the grade eases, the 
set speed will be resumed.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Moving the gear selector lever to 
positionN while driving also cancels 
cruise control. However, the gear 
selector lever should not be moved to 
positionN while driving, except to 
coast when the vehicle is in danger of 
skidding (e.g. on icy roads).iVehicles with manual transmission:
The set cruise controlled speed is 
switched off when declutching exceeds 
four seconds during downshifting a 
gear.iThe last stored speed is canceled when 
you turn off the engine. 
     
        
        Page 235 of 442

233 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
Lift cruise control lever to position1 
and hold it up until the desired speed is 
reached.
Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed
Depress cruise control lever to 
position2 and hold it down until the 
desired speed is reached.
Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph 
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster
Briefly tip cruise control lever in 
direction of arrow1.
Slower
Briefly tip cruise control lever in 
direction of arrow2.Setting to last stored speed 
(“Resume” function)
Briefly push cruise control lever to 
position4.
The cruise control resumes the last set 
speed.
Remove your foot from the accelerator 
pedal.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does 
not deactivate cruise control. After 
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing), 
cruise control will resume the last 
speed set.
iVehicles with automatic transmission: 
When you use the cruise control lever 
to decelerate, the transmission will 
automatically downshift if the engine’s 
braking power does not brake the 
vehicle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be 
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration 
differences arising from returning to preset 
speed could cause an accident and/or seri-
ous injury to you and others. 
     
        
        Page 247 of 442

245 Controls in detail
Useful features
Opening cup holder
Briefly press the front of cup holder1.
The cup holder slides out slightly.
Pull out the cup holder until it stops.
Closing cup holder
Slide cup holder1 in until it engages.
Parcel net in front passenger footwell
A small convenience parcel net is located 
in the front passenger footwell. It is for 
small and light items, such as road maps, 
mail, etc.
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
1Cover plate
2Sliding button
3Ashtray insert
Briefly press the bottom of cover 
plate1.
The cover plate opens automatically.Removing ashtray insert
Secure vehicle from movement by 
setting the parking brake.
Move the gear selector lever to 
positionN (manual transmission: 
second gear).
Now you have more room to take out 
the ashtray insert.
Push sliding button2 to the right.
The ashtray insert3 slides out 
slightly.
Remove the ashtray insert.
Warning!
G
Do not place heavy or fragile objects, or ob-
jects having sharp edges, in the parcel net.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, they could be thrown 
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury 
to vehicle occupants.
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle 
standing still. Set the parking brake to 
secure vehicle from movement. Move gear 
selector lever to positionN (manual trans-
mission: second gear). With gear selector 
lever in positionN (manual transmission: 
second gear) turn off the engine. 
     
        
        Page 262 of 442

260 Controls in detailUseful featuresStep 12:
Confirm the garage door operation by 
pressing the programmed integrated 
signal transmitter button (2, 3 
or4). 
Step 13:
To program the remaining two buttons, 
repeat the steps above starting with 
step 3.Gate operator/Canadian programming
Canadian radio-frequency laws require 
transmitter signals to “time-out” (or quit) 
after several seconds of transmission 
which may not be long enough for the 
integrated signal transmitter to pick up the 
signal during programming. Similar to this 
Canadian law, some U.S. gate operators 
are designed to “time-out” in the same 
manner. 
If you live in Canada or if you are having 
difficulties programming a gate operator 
(regardless of where you live) by using the 
programming procedures, replace step 4 
with the following:Step 4:
Continue to press and hold the 
integrated signal transmitter button 
(2, 3 or4) while you press and 
re-press (“cycle”) your hand-held 
remote control transmitter6 every 
two seconds until the frequency signal 
has been learned. Upon successful 
training, the indicator lamp1 will 
flash slowly and then rapidly after 
several seconds.
Proceed with programming step 5 and 
step 6 to complete.