2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 brake

180 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the letter of
the desired shift program appears in
the multifunction display.
SelectCfor comfort driving:

The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’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.
Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:

Leave the transmission in gear.

Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop longer with the engine
idling or on an uphill gradient:

Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.

Set the parking brake.
Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:

Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.

Accelerate gently.

Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
!Never change the program mode when
the gear selector lever is out of
positionP. This could result in a
change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.iThe last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted.

181 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Working on the vehicle
Steering wheel gearshift control (Speedshift) E 55 AMG
When driving in the automatic program
modes C, S or in the manual program
mode M you can change the gears manual-
ly on the steering wheel or by using the
gear selector lever (
page 176).The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could
roll away.iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.
!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 gear R or parking
positionP 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.

184 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction
(page 176).
or

Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel (
page 181).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction
(page 176).
or

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel (
page 181).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbol
M, thep symbol appears in
the multifunction display (
page 174),
shift to the next higher gear. The fuel
supply will otherwise be interrupted to
prevent the engine from overrevving.
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.
!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.

231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The following driving systems are ex-
plained on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


Airmatic* adjusts the vehicle suspen-
sion characteristics automatically and
controls the vehicle level


Parktronic system*, which assists the
driver during parking maneuvers
The BAS, ABS, ESP and SBC are described
in the “Safety and Security” section
(
page 85).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above 25 mph
(40 km /h).
E 320 4MATIC, E 500 4MATIC:
You can set or resume cruise control at any
speed above 20 mph (30 km /h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 22).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

232 Controls in detailDriving systems1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at previously 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.The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
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.
E 320 CDI, E 320, E 500, E 55 AMG:
On downhill grades, the cruise control
will hold the set speed with active brak-
ing action.
In addition, on longer downhill grades
the automatic transmission will auto-
matically downshift.
E 320 4MATIC, E 500 4MATIC:
If the engine’s braking power does not
brake the vehicle sufficiently on down-
hill grades, the automatic transmission
will automatically downshift.

233 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
Cruise control will be canceled. The
last speed set will be stored for later
use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control will be canceled. The
last speed set will be stored for later
use.iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.
iCruise control automatically switched
off, if
E 320 CDI, E 320, E 500, E 55 AMG:

you step on the brake pedal.


you depress the parking brake ped-
al.
In this case the segments in the
multifunction display (
page 232)
go out and no warning sounds.


the vehicle speed is below 25 mph
(40 km/h).


the ESP is in operation or switched
off with the ESP switch (
page 89).


you move the gear selector lever to
position N while driving.
The segments in the multifunction dis-
play (page 232) go out, and an
acoustic warning sounds.
E 320 4MATIC, E 500 4MATIC:

you step on the brake pedal.


you move the gear selector lever to
position N while driving.


the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h).


ESP is in operation.
The segments in the multifunction dis-
play are flashing.
!Moving gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).

234 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting 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 direc-
tion of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip cruise control lever in direc-
tion of arrow2.Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly pull cruise control lever to
position4.
The cruise control resume the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iE 320 CDI, E 320, E 500, E 55 AMG:
When you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the brake system will au-
tomatically brake the vehicle if the en-
gine’s braking power does not brake
the vehicle sufficiently.
E 320 4MATIC, E 500 4MATIC:
When you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not brake the vehi-
cle 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 the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.

235 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic*
When activated, the Distronic adaptive
cruise control system increases driving
convenience afforded by the cruise control
during travel on expressways and other
major roads.

If the Distronic distance sensor detects
a slower moving vehicle directly ahead,
your vehicle speed will be reduced so
that you follow that vehicle at a preset
distance.


If there is no vehicle directly ahead of
you, Distronic will function in the same
way as cruise control (
page 239).
Warning!
G
Distronic adaptive cruise control is no sub-
stitute for active driving involvement. It does
not react to stationary objects, nor recog-
nize or predict the curvature and lane layout
or the movement of vehicles ahead.
Distronic can only apply a maximum of 20%
of the vehicle’s braking power.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to traffic and road conditions
and to provide the steering, braking and oth-
er driving inputs necessary to retain control
of the vehicle.Warning!
G
Distronic is a convenience system. Its speed
adjustment reduction capability is intended
to make cruise control more effective and
usable when traffic speeds vary. However, it
is not intended to, nor does it, replace the
need for extreme care. The responsibility for
the vehicle speed and the distance to the ve-
hicle ahead, including most importantly
brake operation to assure safe stopping dis-
tance, always rests with the driver.
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account.
Warning!
G
Distronic requires familiarity with its opera-
tional characteristics. We strongly recom-
mend that you review the following
information carefully before operating the
system.iUSA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.