2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS55AMG center console

182 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionAutomatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
C/S) are
indicated in the multifunction display
(
page 177).

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.
!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.

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).

194 Controls in detailGood visibilityIf sunlight enters through a side window:
Disengage sun visor1 from
mounting4.

Pivot sun visor to the side.
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).

Press switch1 briefly to raise the sun-
shade.

Press switch1 briefly to lower the
sunshade.
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.
iIf sun visor1 is disengaged from
mounting4 with mirror cover2
open, mirror lamp3 will switch off.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
be sure that there is no danger of anyone
being harmed by the raising or lowering pro-
cedure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing
switch1. To reverse direction of move-
ment, press switch1 again.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

210 Controls in detail4-zone automatic climate controlActivating
Switch off the ignition.

Press buttonT (
page 198).
REST in the display4 (page 198)
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttonT (
page 198) again.
REST in the display4 (page 198)
goes out.
Rear air conditioning
The rear climate control is adjusted via the
front climate control panel (
page 198) or
(
page 199) or the rear climate control
panel.
The rear climate control panel is located in
the rear center console.
iRegardless of the selected air volume,
the blower operates at low speed.iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on

the coolant temperature


the temperature set by the operator
The blower will run at speed setting1
regardless of the air distribution
control setting.
iThe residual heat is automatically
turned off:

when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage drops


if the coolant temperature is too
low

213 Controls in detail
4-zone automatic climate control
Front center console storage compart-ment ventilation
The front center console storage compart-
ment under the armrest has its own air
vent. The air temperature is about the
same as that of the dashboard air vents.
The lever is located in the front center
vent.
1Lever

To open air vent slide the lever1 up.

To close air vent slide the lever1
down.iThe compartment can get very warm
due to its confined space. When storing
heat sensitive objects (e.g. groceries)
in the compartment, close the air vent
while heating the passenger compart-
ment.

234 Controls in detailDriving systemsDistronic deactivates automatically when:

you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 20 mph
(30 km/h)


the ESP
® is active (
page 86) or you
deactivate 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.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.1Distance warning function on/off
switch
2Indicator lamp
3Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a greater following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel3 towards¯.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approximately
20 mph (30 km/h) by operation of the
system. At that time the driver must apply
the brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed
further 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.

241 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The button is located in the lower section
of the center console.
1Vehicle level control button
2Indicator lamp

Start the engine (
page 49).

Briefly press button1 to change from
normal level to raised level. When vehi-
cle is at raised level, pressing the but-
ton will return the vehicle to normal
level.
When raised level is set, indicator
lamp2 in the button comes on.
When normal level is set, indicator
lamp2 in the button goes out.
iAt a speed of approximately above
75 mph (120 km / h) or if the speed
amounts to between 50 mph
(80 km / h) and 75 mph (120 km / h)
for approximately five minutes, the set-
ting raised is canceled. The indicator
lamp 2 in the button goes out.
If you do not drive in this speed range,
the raised level remains stored even if
the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch.

245 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching the Parktronic system
on/off
The Parktronic system can be switched off
manually.
The Parktronic switch is located in the low-
er part of the center console (
page 28).
1Parktronic switch
2Indicator lampSwitching off the Parktronic system

Press Parktronic switch1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
Switching on the Parktronic system

Press Parktronic switch1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out.
Parktronic system malfunction
If only the red distance segments illumi-
nates and an acoustic warning sounds,
there is a malfunction in the Parktronic
system. The Parktronic system will auto-
matically switch off after 20 seconds and
the indicator lamp in the Parktronic switch
comes on.

Have the Parktronic system checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
If only the red distance segments illumi-
nates and no acoustic warning sounds, the
Parktronic system sensors are dirty or
there is an interference from other radio or
ultrasonic signals. The Parktronic system
will automatically switch off after
20 seconds and the indicator lamp in the
Parktronic switch comes on.

Switch off the ignition (
page 36).

Clean the Parktronic system sensors
(page 347).

Switch on the ignition.
or

Check the Parktronic system operation
at another location to rule out interfer-
ence from outside radio or ultrasonic
signals.
iThe Parktronic system is automatically
switched on when the ignition is
switched on (
page 36).