2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 gear ratio

Contents
Control system .................................. 137
Multifunction display .................... 137
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 138
Menus .......................................... 140
Standard display menu ................ 142
AUDIO menu ................................ 142
CD changer operating mode ........ 145
TEL menu* ................................... 147
NAVI menu ................................... 149
Distronic* menu........................... 150
Trip computer menu..................... 151
Vehicle status message
memory menu .............................. 153
Settings menu .............................. 154
Automatic transmission ..................... 165
Gear selector lever position ......... 167
Driving tips ................................... 169
Gear ranges ................................. 170
Automatic shift program .............. 171
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 172
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gear shifting
CL 55 AMG and CL 65 AMG......... 173Manual shift program
CL 55 AMG and CL 65 AMG.......... 175
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ....................... 177
Good visibility ..................................... 178
Headlamp cleaning system ........... 178
Rear view mirrors .......................... 178
Power folding exterior rear
view mirrors .................................. 180
Sun visors ..................................... 181
Rear window sunshade* ............... 182
Automatic climate control .................. 184
Deactivating the climate
control system .............................. 187
Setting the temperature................ 187
Adjusting air distribution............... 188
Adjusting air volume ..................... 189
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 189
Defrosting ..................................... 189
Air recirculation mode .................. 190
Charcoal filter ............................... 191
Rear window defroster .................. 193
Air conditioning............................. 193
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 194Ventilated storage compartment .. 195
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 196
Power windows .................................. 197
Opening and closing the power
windows........................................ 197
Synchronizing the power
windows........................................ 199
Summer opening feature .............. 200
Convenience closing feature......... 200
Power tilt/sliding sunroof .................. 202
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 202
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 204
Driving systems .................................. 205
Cruise control ............................... 205
Distronic* ..................................... 208
Active Body Control (ABC) ............ 220
Parktronic system*
(Parking assist) ............................. 223

34 Getting startedUnlockingStarter switch positions
SmartKeyStarter switch
0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary. If
a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (
page 328).
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iWhen you switch on the ignition, the in-
dicator and warning lamps (except high
beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps unless acti-
vated) in the instrument cluster come
on. The indicator and warning lamps
(except high beam headlamp indicator
lamp and turn signal indicator lamps if
activated) should go out when the en-
gine is running. This indicates that the
respective systems are operational. iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in position P.

35 Getting started
Unlocking
For information on starting the engine us-
ing the SmartKey, see “Starting with the
SmartKey” (
page 48).SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Pressing the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector lever corresponds
to turning the SmartKey to the various
starter switch positions.
If you firmly depress the brake pedal dur-
ing pressing KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton, the engine starts automatically.
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button1USA only
2Canada only
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.

Do not depress the brake pedal.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the vehicle battery may
not be sufficiently charged.

Check the vehicle battery and
charge it if necessary (
page 391).


Get a jump start (
page 394).
To prevent accelerated vehicle battery
discharge or a completely discharged
vehicle battery, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch when
the engine is not in operation.
iThe function of the SmartKey overrules
the KEYLESS-GO function.

169 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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 and/or on a hill:

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.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.
Working on the vehicleWarning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move the gear selector le-
ver to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle
could roll away.

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever one-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission, you
can change the gears manually and limit or
extend the gear range for automatic shift-
ing with the gear selector lever in
positionD and driving in the automatic
program modeC orS.Downshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear as permitted by
the shift program. This action simulta-
neously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 170).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simul-
taneously extends the gear range of the
transmission.
Canceling gear range limit

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

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This may
involve shifting down one or more gears.
!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 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.
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.iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to
theD-direction, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.

174 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionThe following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.
For instructions on operating the steering
wheel gearshift control and gear selector
lever in the manual program modeM, see
“Manual shift program CL 55 AMG and
CL 65 AMG” (
page 175).Downshifting

Briefly 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 170) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).
Upshifting

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel.The transmission will shift to the next
higher 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).
Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel until
D
reappears in the tachometer display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold button1 on the left
side of the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This may
involve shifting down one or more gears.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
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.

177 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Kickdown
The kickdown can also be used for
maximum acceleration when driving in the
manual program modeM.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear.

Shift up once the desired speed has
been reached.Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 175) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the tachometer
display.
or

Restart the engine (
page 48).
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 in a safe location.

Move the gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine (
page 48).

Move the gear selector lever to
positionD (for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
iWhen driving at full throttle, the trans-
mission shifts to the next higher gear
when maximum engine speed has been
reached.

215 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 212).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


You set the parking brake.


You drive slower than 22 mph
(35 km/h).


The ESP
® engages (
page 82) or you
switch off the ESP
®.


You move the gear selector lever into
positionN.
A signal will sound. The
DISTRONIC OFF

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately 5 seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately 5 seconds:DISTRONIC OFFThe last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approximately
22 mph (35 km/h) by operation of the sys-
tem. At that time the driver must apply the
brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed fur-
ther or bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.