2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 steering

173 Controls in detail
Control system
Limiting opening height of tailgate*
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the limiting opening height of tailgate.
Move the selection marker to the Vehicle
submenu using theæ
orç button.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Opening limiter Tailgate
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to switch Opening limiter Tailgate On
or
Off
.Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings...
menu. Use the
Convenience

submenu to change the settings for a num-
ber of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 128).Function
Page
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature*
173
Set parking position* for exteri-
or rear view mirror
174
Setting fold-in function* for
exterior rear view mirrors
175
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 39).


Move steering column stalk*
(page 42).


Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory button
M*
(
page 136).
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could open the driver’s
door and unintentionally activate the
easy-entry/exit feature, which could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious per-
sonal injury.

174 Controls in detailControl system
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the

Convenience
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the multi-
function display:
Func. Easy-entry
feature
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to change
the easy-entry/exit setting.The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:Setting parking position* for exterior
rear view mirror
Use the
Mirror adjustment parking aid

function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers when reverse gearR is engaged. For
additional information, see “Activating ex-
terior rear view mirror parking position*”
(
page 196).

Move the selection marker to the

Convenience
submenu using theæ
or çbutton.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Mirror adjustment parking
assist.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Off
The easy-entry/exit
feature is deactivat-
ed.
Steering col.
Only the steering col-
umn is moved.
Steer. col.+seat
Both the steering
column and the driv-
er’s seat are moved.

179 Controls in detail
Control system
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and Modular
COMAND system.

Press buttonÿ orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the display.Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
PHONE OFF
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display is
empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
appears in the display.
This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.Answering a call
When your telephone is ready to receive
calls, you can answer a call at any time. In
the display you will then see the message:

Press buttons.
You have answered the call. In the dis-
play you see the length of the call.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.
iIf you do not wish to accept a call,
press buttont.

182 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionFor more information on driving with an
automatic transmission, see “Automatic
transmission” section (
page 49).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
right of the steering column.Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive positionShifting from P to N
Moving the gear selector lever up or down
shifts the automatic transmission out of
park positionP:

Depress the brake pedal and keep it
pressed.

Move gear selector lever up or down to
resistance point to select neutral
positionN.
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the transmission out
of park positionP or neutral positionN if the
engine speed is higher than idle speed. If
your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal,
the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward
or reverse. You could lose control of the
vehicle and hit someone or something. Only
shift into gear when the engine is idling
normally and when your right foot is firmly
on the brake pedal.

184 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionShifting from D, R, or N to P
If you want to select park positionP with
the transmission being in drive positionD,
reverse positionR or neutral positionN:
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
pressed.

Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(page 52).

Press button at the end of the gear
selector lever in direction of arrow
(page 182) to select park positionP.

Release the brake.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual drive gears automatically, depend-
ing on:

drive positionD with gear ranges
(page 187)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 190)


the vehicle speed
The current transmission gear selection
appears in the multifunction display.
With gear positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control but-
tons (
page 189) to influence transmis-
sion shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
!Shift the automatic transmission
directly from positionD toR, fromR
toD or dire c tly to pos itionP only when
the vehicle is stopped. Otherwise the
automatic transmission could be
damaged.
When trying to free a vehicle stuck in
mud or snow, see “Rocking the vehicle”
(page 191).
!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 park
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.

187 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the automatic transmission in drive
positionD, you can limit the transmis-
sion’s gear range by pressing the inside of
one of the steering wheel gearshift but-
tons, and reverse the gear range limit by
pressing the outside of one of the steering
wheel gearshift buttons. The steering
wheel gearshift buttons are located on the
back of the steering wheel (
page 189).
The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display.
If you press on the accelerator when the
engine has reached its rpm limit, the trans-
mission will upshift beyond any gear range
limit selected.
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. Children could shift the
transmission out of positionP, which could
result in an accident and/or serious person-
al injury.
Effect
ê
The transmission shifts through
all seven forward gears.
ï
The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only.
î
The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only.
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.

188 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
With drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control but-
tons to manually shift the gears. When
doing so, you are also limiting or extending
the gear range.
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.
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 park
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.

189 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Button, inside: downshift
2Button, outside: upshiftDownshifting

Briefly press the inside of one of the
buttons1 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 187).Upshifting

Briefly press the outside of one of the
buttons2 on 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
(
page 187).
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the
transmission is in positionP,N orR.
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.