2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R350 engine

204 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionRocking the vehicle
Rocking the vehicle by shifting betweenD
andR can help free a vehicle stuck in mud
or snow. The engine control system of this
vehicle electronically limits shifting
betweenD andR to very low speeds
(i.e. approx. 2 mph). To shift betweenD
andR, move the gear selector lever past
the resistance point up or down.
Hill start assist system
On uphill grades, the hill start assist
system maintains the pressure in the
brake system for approximately 1 second
after you have released the brake pedal.
Therefore, you can start off smoothly with-
out the vehicle moving immediately after
releasing the brake pedal.
The hill start assist system is inactive

when driving downhill


with the transmission in neutral
position N


with the parking brake setWorking on the vehicle
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the upper part of the center
console.Program mode selector switchC Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Warning!
G
The hill start assist system is not designed
to function as a parking brake and does not
prevent the vehicle from moving when
parked on an incline.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park position P.iIf the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunction, the hill start assist system
is also unavailable.
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and shift to park positionP.
Otherwise the vehicle could roll away.

205 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The current gear range/transmission
position (
page 199) and the selected
program mode (
C/S) are indicated in the
multifunction display.
1Current program mode

Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the letter of the de-
sired program mode 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.
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.
!Never change the program mode when
the automatic transmission is out of
park 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.
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.

206 Controls in detailAutomatic 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 inside1 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 202).
Upshifting

Briefly press the outside2 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel.
!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.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the
transmission 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.

207 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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.
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the outside2 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel
until
Dreappears 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 inside1 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.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 in a safe location.

Shift to park positionP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Shift to drive positionD (for second
gear) or reverse gearR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.

210 Controls in detailGood visibilityActivating exterior rear view mirror
parking position*
Follow these steps to activate the exterior
rear view mirror parking position, so that
the passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror will be turned downward to the stored
position.
Make sure that you have stored a park-
ing position for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror (
page 146).

Make sure the
Mirror adjustment
parking aid function in the
Convenience
submenu of the control
system is set to
on (page 190).

Start the engine (
page 53).1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button

Set the automatic transmission in
reverse gear R.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror turns downward to the stored
position (
page 146) if the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror is se-
lected.
The indicator lamp in button 2 should
come on when you select reverse
gearR.

If the passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror is not selected, press button 2.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previous stored driving position:


when you switch off the ignition


10 seconds after you have put the
automatic transmission out of reverse
gear R
Approximately 15 seconds later, the
indicator lamp in button 2 goes out.


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approximately
6mph(10km/h)


immediately when you press button 1
for driver’s side exterior rear view
mirror
iWith the automatic transmission in re-
verse gear R, the previously selected
rear view mirror is activated. The indi-
cator lamp in the respective button
comes on.
iWith the automatic transmission in re-
verse gear R, you can deactivate the
exterior rear mirror parking position by
pressing button 1 or activate it by
pressing button 2. The indicator lamp
of the selected button is on.

219 Controls in detail
Climate control
The climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. You can operate
the climate control system in either the
automatic or manual mode. The system
cools or heats the interior depending on
the selected interior temperature and the
current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the A/C mode is deactivated
(
page 227).
Warning!
G
When operating the climate control, the air
that enters the passenger compartment
through the air vents can be very hot or very
cold (depending on the set temperature).
This may cause burns or frostbite to unpro-
tected skin in the immediate area of the air
vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the air
vents. If necessary, use the air distribution
controls (
page 218) to direct the air to air
vents in the vehicle interior that are not in
the immediate area of unprotected skin.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iSevere conditions (e.g. strong air pollu-
tion) may require replacement of the fil-
ter before its scheduled interval. A
clogged filter will reduce the air volume
to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off, see
“Summer opening feature”
(page 251). The climate control will
then adjust the interior temperature to
the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.

221 Controls in detail
Climate control
Operating the climate control system in automatic modeActivating

Press buttonU (
page 218) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume and air distri-
bution are adjusted automatically.

Use temperature controls1 and7
(page 218) to separately adjust the
air temperature on each side of the
passenger compartment.
The interior air temperature is adjusted
automatically.Deactivating

Press button
orQ
(page 218).
The indicator lamp on theU button
goes out. The automatic operation of
air volume switches off. The selected
blower speed is shown in the air
volume displayb (
page 218).
or

Press air distribution button 5,9,
ora (
page 218).
The indicator lamp on the buttonU
goes out. The automatic operation of
air distribution switches off.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehu-
midify is switched on. This function can
be switched off if necessary
(page 227).
iThe settings for the passenger side are
also used for the rear passenger com-
partment.

226 Controls in detailClimate controlDeactivating
Press button:.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
In addition, the air conditioning dehumidi-
fies the interior air at outside temperatures
above 41°F (5° C) and helps prevent
window fogging.
iThe air recirculation mode is
deactivated automatically

after 5 minutes if the outside
temperature is below
approximately 41°F (5°C)


after 5 minutes if the air condition-
ing and air-drying is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside
temperature is above
approximately 41°F (5°C)
iPress and hold button:for approx-
imately 2 seconds. The windows,
and/or the tilt/sliding sunroof*, (or
tilt/sliding panel*) will return to their
previous position. You can release
button:once the opening proce-
dure has begun. The windows and/or
the tilt/sliding sunroof* (or tilt/sliding
panel*) continue opening until they
have reached their previous position.
A window or the tilt/sliding sunroof*
(or tilt/sliding panel*) will only return
to its previous position if it has not
been moved to another position using
the respective window switch or
tilt/sliding sunroof* (or tilt/sliding
panel*) switch after it was closed with
button:.
A window or the tilt/sliding sunroof (or
tilt/sliding panel*) that was moved will
remain in its current position if
button:is used to re-open the re-
maining windows or tilt sliding sun-
roof* (or tilt/sliding panel*).
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.Warning!
G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.