2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 wheel

395 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Vehicles with SmartKey:
With the vehicle at a standstill and the
ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to neutral
positionN.
If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 385).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
With the ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to park
positionP.
Release the brake pedal.
Remove the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button from the starter switch
(
page 337).
Insert the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
into the starter switch.
Switch on the ignition.
Depress the brake pedal.
Shift the automatic transmission to
neutral positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 385).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO in the
starter switch.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason in neutral positionN can result in trans-
mission damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Effect
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle without shifting
into park positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always engage the electronic parking brake
(
page 384) in addition to shifting to park
positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.

398 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the automatic transmission in drive
positionD and driving in program mode C
or S (
page 399), you can select a gear
range for the automatic transmission to
operate within.
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the left gearshift button on the steering
wheel gearshift control, and reverse the
gear range limit by pressing the right gear-
shift button on the steering wheel gearshift
control (
page 400).The selected gear range appears in the in-
strument cluster.
1Current gear range
Effect
ïThe transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
îThe transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
éThe transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
Effect
èThe transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
çThe 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
æThe transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

399 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is used
to adjust

shift program

suspension tuning of ABC (page 429)

engine control
Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard drivingThe selected program mode appears in the
instrument cluster.
1Current program mode
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
instrument cluster.
SelectC for 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.
SelectS for standard driving:

The vehicle starts out in first gear.

Upshifts occur later.
!Never change the program mode when the
automatic transmission is out of park positionP.
This could result in a change of driving character-
istics for which you may not be prepared.
iThe last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

400 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
With drive positionD selected, you can
limit or extend the gear range.
Gearshift control buttons
1Left shift button: limiting gear range
2Right shift button: extending gear
rangeLimiting gear rangeBriefly press left shift button1.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 398).
!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.
iYou cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift control 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.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be ex-
ceeded.

405 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control (page 405) and
DISTRONIC Plus*(
page 411), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.

ABC (page 429) adjusts the vehicle
suspension characteristics automati-
cally and control the vehicle level.

Parktronic* (page 431) and
Park Assist* (
page 435), which serve
as a parking assistant.

Dynamic Rear View Monitor*
(
page 439) is an electronic and
visual parking aid.

Night View Assist* (page 446) illumi-
nates the road with infrared light in
addition to the normal headlamps.
For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE® Brake*, see “Driving safety
systems” (
page 64).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it
advisable to travel at a constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin
and loss of control.

Deactivate the cruise control when
driving in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

412 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus adaptive cruise control is
no substitute for active driving involvement.
It does not react to pedestrians or stationary
objects, nor does it recognize or predict the
curvature and lane layout or the movement
of vehicles ahead. DISTRONIC Plus can only
apply a maximum of 40% of the vehicle’s
braking power.
DISTRONIC Plus may not detect narrow ve-
hicles possibly driving in front of you, such
as motorcycles and vehicles driving in an
offset formation.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to road, weather and traffic con-
ditions and to provide the steering, braking
and other driving inputs necessary to retain
control of the vehicle.
High-frequency sources such as toll sta-
tions, speed measuring systems etc. can
cause the DISTRONIC Plus system to tem-
porarily cease functioning.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus requires familiarity with its
operational characteristics. We strongly rec-
ommend that you review the following infor-
mation carefully before operating the
system.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take street and traf-
fic conditions into account. Only use
DISTRONIC Plus if the road, weather and
traffic conditions make it advisable to travel
at a steady speed.
Warning!G
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on slippery roads. Rapid changes in tire trac-
tion can result in wheel spin and loss of con-
trol.
DISTRONIC Plus does not act upon adverse
sight distance conditions. Do not use
DISTRONIC Plus during conditions of fog
and heavy rain, snow or sleet.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take weather condi-
tions into account. Switch off
DISTRONIC Plus or do not turn it on if:

roads are slippery or covered with snow
or ice. The wheels could lose traction
while braking or accelerating, and the
vehicle could skid.

the sensor is dirty or visibility is
diminished due to snow, rain or fog. The
distance control could be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
Otherwise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.

429 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Active Body Control (ABC)
The ABC system is an active, comput-
er-controlled system that hydraulically ad-
justs the suspension at all four wheels in
response to various driving situations. It
automatically selects the optimum suspen-
sion tuning and ride height for your vehicle.
Vehicle level controlYour vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:

increase vehicle safety

reduce fuel consumption
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:

With increasing speed, ride height is re-
duced by up to approximately 0.4 in
(10 mm).

With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
Select the “Raised” level setting only when
required by current driving conditions.
Otherwise:

Fuel consumption may increase.

Handling may be impaired.
Warning!G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when
lowering the vehicle chassis.
iThese height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
Level
NormalFor driving on normal roads.
The indicator lamp is off.
RaisedFor driving on rough roads or
with snow chains. The indica-
tor lamp is on.
iThe selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is turned off
and restarted.

441 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching on Dynamic Rear View Moni-
tor
Switch on the ignition (page 336).
Switch on COMAND (page 81).
Move gear selector lever to position R
(reverse gear).
The COMAND display will show the
area behind the vehicle with guide lines
to help you reverse into a parking
place.Reverse parking (back-in parking)
This function helps you when you are re-
versing in a straight line or backing in at
any angle.
The space required by the vehicle for re-
versing is shown by guide lines.
When you turn the steering wheel to a
straight-ahead position, you will see the
guide lines on the COMAND display in the
following order:

there is a sudden change in tempera-
ture, for example when you drive out of
the cold into a heated garage in winter
(lens condensation)

the camera lens is dirty or covered, see
“Cleaning the Dynamic Rear View
Monitor lens*” (
page 560)

the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In
this case, have the position and setting
of the camera checked by a qualified
technician. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not use the Dynamic Rear View Monitor
if the roads are icy, slippery or covered with
snow. The vehicle could slip causing the ac-
tual vehicle position to deviate from the one
shown on the COMAND display.
This may cause injury to you or others, or
damage the vehicle or objects.
Mounting tires/rims of other specification
than the original equipment tires/rims may
impair the function of the Dynamic Rear
View Monitor. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Use of Dynamic Rear View Monitor can be
dangerous if you are color-blind or have im-
paired color vision.
Only use Dynamic Rear View Monitor if you
can see and distinguish all colored guide
lines shown by Dynamic Rear View Monitor
on the COMAND display.
iThe Dynamic Rear View Monitor must be ac-
tivated in the instrument cluster control system
in order for it to be switched on (
page 269).
iIf you activate a different function on the
driver’s COMAND controls while reverse parking
or parallel parking, the image from the back-up
camera is interrupted.
To reactivate the camera, take the vehicle out of
reverse gear and then re-engage reverse gear
again.