2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E55AMG Wheel

182 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Downshifting
Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 177) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).Upshifting

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next high-
er gear as permitted by the shift program.
This action simultaneously extends the
gear range of the transmission when you
are driving in the automatic program
mode (CorS).
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.
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.

183 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program E 55 AMG
In the manual program mode M you can
change the gears manually on the steering
wheel (
page 181) or by using the gear
selector lever (
page 176).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 driving
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the multifunction display
(
page 174).Activating manual shift program

Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
manual shift program mode M 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.
!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 drive train 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.

193 Controls in detail
Dual-zone automatic climate control
Rear air vents
1
Climate control panel
2
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
3
Left center air vent, adjustable
4
Center air vent, fixed
5
Right center air vent, adjustable
6
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vent
8
Side defroster vent, fixed
9
Side air vent, adjustable
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the center vents 3 and 5
to the middle position.
1
Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2
Right rear center air vent, adjust-
able
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right rear center air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left rear center air vent

198 Controls in detailDual-zone automatic climate controlAdjusting air distribution
Adjusting manually
Use air distribution control4
(page 194) or (
page 195) to adjust the
air distribution.

Press air distribution rocker switch4
(page 194) or (
page 195) until the
display shows the desired setting.
The indicator lamp on the buttonU
goes out and the current air distribu-
tion appears in the air distribution
display9 (
page 194) or 8
(
page 195).Adjusting automatically

Press button U(
page 194) or
(
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air distribution is adjust-
ed automatically.
Adjusting center air vents:
The thumbwheels for left2 and right6
(
page 192) center air vents are automat-
ically positioned for optimum interior air-
flow. In this position, center air vent4
(page 192) and adjustable left and right
center vents3 and5 (
page 192) are
fully opened.
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 52).

Press button U(
page 194) or
(
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting manually
Five blower speeds are available.
Press
to decrease orQ to in-
crease air volume (
page 194) or
(
page 195) to the desired level.
The indicator lamp on the Ubutton
(page 194) or (
page 195) goes
out. The selected blower speed is
shown in the display.
Adjusting automatically

Press the U button (
page 194) or
(
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the Ubutton
comes on. The air volume is adjusted
automatically.
Symbol
Function
a
Directs air through the center,
side and rear passenger com-
partment air vents
Z
Directs air to the windows
X
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells

205 Controls in detail
4-zone automatic climate control*
1
Climate control panel
2
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
3
Left center air vent, adjustable
4
Air vent, fixed
5
Right center air vent, adjustable
6
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vent
8
Side defroster vent, fixed
9
Side air vent, adjustable
1
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vent
2
Side air vent, adjustable
1
Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2
Right rear center air vent, adjust-
able
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right rear center air vent
4
Temperature rocker switch, right
5
Display
6
Temperature rocker switch, left
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left rear center air vent

216 Controls in detail4-zone automatic climate control*Rear air conditioning
1Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2Right rear center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control for
right rear center air vent
4Temperature rocker switch, right
5Display
6Temperature rocker switch, left
7Thumbwheel for air volume control for
left rear center air vent
Display1Temperature, left
2Temperature, right
Basic settings
We recommend setting the temperature
on both the left- and right-hand sides to
72°F (22°C). This ensures a pleasant tem-
perature in the rear of the vehicle.
The temperatures for the left- and
right-hand sides can be set using tempera-
ture rocker switches4 and6.Adjusting the rear settings with the
front control panel
Display
Press the™ button (
page 206) or
the5 button (
page 207).
The display switches over.
The temperature for the rear left- and
right-hand sides of the vehicle can be set
with temperature rocker switches3
and5.
The temperature display disappears ap-
proximately five seconds after the last
SmartKey confirmation and switches back
to the normal display.

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.