2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS55AMG Owner's Manual

184 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control one-touch gearshifting
The steering wheel gearshift control pro-
vides an alternative method for changing
the gears manually and limiting or extend-
ing the gear range for automatic shifting
with the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.Steering wheel gearshift control
CLS 500*
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1 Button, outside: upshift
2 Button, inside: downshift
iFor information on using the steering
wheel gearshift control in manual pro-
gram modeM (CLS 55 AMG only), see
“Manual shift program” (
page 187).
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 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.

185 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Downshifting

Briefly press the inside2 of one of the
buttons on 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 181).
Upshifting

Briefly press the outside1 of one of
the buttons on 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.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the outside1 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel
until
D reappears in the multifunction
display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the inside2 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
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.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.

186 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control
CLS 55 AMG
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Right button: upshift
2Left button: downshiftThe 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 CLS 55 AMG”
(
page 187).Downshifting

Briefly press button2 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 181) 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 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.

187 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Upshifting
Briefly press button1 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 button1 on the right
side of the steering wheel until
D
reappears in the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold button2 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.
Manual shift program CLS 55 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift but-
tons to the left and right of the steering
wheel (
page 186) or the gear selector
lever.

188 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 drivingThe current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the multifunction display
(
page 177).
!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 drive train which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift
program” (
page 182), “Gear selector
lever one-touch gearshifting”
(
page 183), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshift-
ing” (page 184).

189 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating manual shift program
Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
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.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly press button1 on the right
side of the steering wheel
(page 186).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbol
M, the psymbol appears in
the multifunction display (
page 177),
shift to the next higher gear. The fuel
supply will otherwise be interrupted to
prevent the engine from overrevving.
iThe 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.
!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.

190 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly press button2 on the left side
of the steering wheel (
page 186).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower 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 188) 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 becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be selected.
Stop the vehicle.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 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.
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.

191 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 54).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).

Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For more information on filling up the
washer reservoir, see the “Operation” sec-
tion (
page 300).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 44).
Auto-dimming mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when


the ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view mir-
ror.
The rear view mirrors will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
iThe headlamps are cleaned automati-
cally if:

the lights are switched on
and


the windscreen is wiped with wind-
screen washer fluid fifteen times
If the ignition is switched off, the auto-
matic headlamp cleaning mode is reset
and counting is resumed from 0.