2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 Shift

387 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Turning off the engine
Shift the automatic transmission toP
(
page 393).Turning off with SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 (
page 336) and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.iIf the engine cannot be turned off as de-
scribed, see “Emergency engine shut-down”
(
page 670).
Warning!G
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the en-
gine not running, there is no power assis-
tance for the brake and steering systems. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to brake and steer the vehicle.
!Observe instructions

when taking the vehicle through an
automatic conveyor type car wash
(
page 557)

when towing the vehicle (page 663)
!If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a door
the transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine with the
SmartKey alone only will automatically shift the
transmission to neutral positionN.

388 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Turning off with KEYLESS-GO*
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 337) to turn off the en-
gine.
With the driver’s door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(
page 336).If you have started the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button and can-
not turn it off as described above:
Remove the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button from the starter switch.
Insert the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
into the starter switch.
The engine turns off. The starter switch
is in position 0 (
page 336).
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 361).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
iIn an emergency you can turn off the engine
while driving by pressing and holding the
KEYLESS-GO start/ stop button for
approximately 3 seconds.
!If you turn off the engine using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button and open the
driver’s or passenger door, the transmission will
shift to park positionP automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine using
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone only
will automatically shift the transmission to
neutral positionN.
iIf you drive through an automatic conveyor
type car wash, you can switch on the ignition
with the KEYLESS-GO button and engage gear N
or insert the SmartKey into the starter switch.
!M a k e s u r e t h e s e a t b e l t r e t r a c t s f u l l y s o t h a t
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim pan-
el. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

389 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For more information on driving with an
automatic transmission, see “Driving and
parking” (
page 378).
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
transmission
PPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic
converter to heat up more quickly to operating
temperature.
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.

390 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from P to N
Moving the gear selector lever up or down
shifts the automatic transmission out of
park positionP:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up or down to
resistance point to select neutral
positionN.Shifting from N to R or from N to D
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up past the
resistance point to select reverse
gearR.
or
Move gear selector down past the
resistance point to select drive
positionD.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.
iThe current transmission positionP, R, N
orD appears in the instrument cluster
(
page 393).
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission 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.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iWhen driving off, the electronic parking
brake is released automatically (
page 384).

391 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from P to R
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up past the
resistance point to select reverse
gearR.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.Shifting from P to D
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever down past the
resistance point to select drive
positionD.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.Shifting from D, R, or N to P
If you want to select park positionP with
the transmission being in drive positionD,
reverse gearR or neutral positionN:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Press the handle for electronic parking
brake (
page 384).
Press button on gear selector lever in
direction of arrow (
page 389) to se-
lect park positionP.
Release the brake pedal.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iWhen driving off, the electronic parking
brake is released automatically (
page 384).
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iWhen driving off, the electronic parking
brake is released automatically (
page 384).!Shift the automatic transmission directly
from drive positionD to reverse gearR, from
reverse gearR to drive positionD or directly to
park positionP 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 397).

392 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from D or R to N
If you want to select neutral positionN
with the transmission being in drive
positionD or reverse gearR:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Press the handle for electronic parking
brake (
page 384).
Move gear selector lever up to resis-
tance point when in drive position D or
down to resistance point when in
reverse gear R to select neutral
positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

drive positionD(page 393) with
gear ranges (
page 398)

the selected program mode (C/S)
(
page 399)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 396)

the vehicle speedWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (page 400) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
iWhen the vehicle needs to be moved with
the engine switched off and the transmission set
to neutral positionN ((
page 393), do not press
the handle for electronic parking brake.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating 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.

393 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Transmission positions
The current transmission position appears
in the instrument cluster.
1Current transmission position
!If the current transmission position does not
appear in the instrument cluster due to a
malfunction, for example, make sure that the
automatic transmission is in the desired position
by carefully driving off with the transmission in
drive positionD and program modeS
(
page 399) selected. Do not limit the gear
range.
Effect
ìPark position
Shift into park positionP only
when vehicle is stopped. The
park position is not intended to
serve as a brake when the vehi-
cle is parked. Rather, the driver
should always engage the elec-
tronic parking brake in addition
to shifting into park positionP to
secure the vehicle.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the automatic
transmission could remain
locked in park positionP.
Have the vehicle checked as
soon as possible by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!SmartKey:
If you turn off the engine using the SmartKey and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a door
the transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine with the
SmartKey alone only will automatically shift the
transmission to neutral positionN.
!KEYLESS-GO*:
If you turn off the engine using the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button and open the driver’s or pas-
senger door, the transmission will shift to park
positionP automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine using
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone only
will automatically shift the transmission to
neutral positionN.

394 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
If you want the gear position to remain in
neutral positionN, e.g. when taking the
vehicle through an automatic conveyor
type car wash or when towing the vehicle,
observe the following instructions.
!DISTRONIC Plus*:
The transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically, only when DISTRONIC Plus brings
your vehicle to a standstill, and when it meets at
least one of the following conditions at the same
time:

the engine is turned off

the driver’s or passenger door opens and the
seat belt is not engaged in the buckle
In addition to shifting to park positionP, the
electronic parking brake will be engaged auto-
matically.
iMake it a practice to always shift into park
positionP before turning off the engine and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a door
or when using KEYLESS-GO*, before turning off
the engine with the start/stop button and open-
ing the driver’s or passenger door.
Effect
íReverse gear
Shift into reverse gearR only
when the vehicle is stopped.
ëNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never shift into neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Shift into neutral positionN only
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button, the transmission will shift to neutral
positionN automatically.
Warning!G
When leaving the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle.
It is possible for children to switch on the
ignition which could result in unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment. Unsupervised use
of vehicle equipment could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.