2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 wheel

181 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Extending gear range
Briefly pull right shift paddle2.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.
Canceling gear range limit

Pull and hold right shift paddle2
until
D reappears in the multifunction
display (page 173).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.Shifting into optimal gear range

Pull and hold left shift paddle1.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.
Manual shift program CLS 63 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift
paddles (
page 180) or the gear selector
lever.
i
If you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.
!
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.

182 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionThe program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.Program mode selector switchM Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
The selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display (
page 177).Activating manual shift program

Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the
M for manual pro-
gram modeM appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
The transmission switches to the
manual program modeM. Automatic
shifting is switched off. The gear range
is not limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD. You can upshift or downshift
through the gears in succession.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly pull right shift paddle2
(page 180).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbolM, thep symbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 177), shift to
the next higher gear. The fuel supply will
otherwise be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.
i
For information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 177), “Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting” (
page 178), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshifting*”
(
page 179).
i
The manual program modeM will not be
stored. When the engine is turned off with the
manual program modeM selected, the transmis-
sion will go to the automatic program mode
(CorS) when the engine is restarted.
!
In the manual program modeM, the trans-
mission will not upshift, even if the engine has
reached its overrevving range. Shift up to the
next gear before the engine has reached its over-
revving range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red marking on
the tachometer (
page 26). Otherwise the
engine could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

183 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
If you have selected the AMG menu in the
control system and you are driving in the
manual program modeM, upshift
indicator2 in the multifunction display
advises you to upshift before the engine
reaches the overspeed range. Thus you
can drive at the maximum engine speed for
each gear without overrevving the engine.
1Gear indicator
2Upshift indicator
Shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be inter-
rupted to prevent the engine from over-
revving.Downshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(page 180).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 182) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the multifunction
display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual program modeM is not
stored.
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.i
When you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.

191 Controls in detail
4-zone automatic climate control
1
Left side defroster vent, fixed
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
5
Right center air vent, adjustable
6
Right side defroster air vent, fixed
7
Right side air vent, adjustable
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9
Climate control panel
a
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
b
Left side air vent, adjustable
i
For draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for the center air vents and side air vents to the
middle position.

198 Controls in detail4-zone automatic climate control
Turn air distribution controls1
and7 (
page 193) or (
page 192)
on each side of the passenger compart-
ment to the desired symbol.
The indicator lamp on the correspond-
ing button goes out and the automatic
air distribution is switched off for the
corresponding side. The air distribution
is controlled according to the thumb-
wheel setting.
Opening the center air vents

Turn thumbwheels 3 and 4
(page 190) upward.
The side air vents 2 and 5 are open.Closing the center air vents

Turn thumbwheels3 and4
(page 190) downward.
The side air vents2 and5 are
closed.
Opening and closing side air vents

Turn thumbwheels 8 and a
(page 190) in the required direction.
The side air vents 7 and b are open
or closed.
Adjusting air volume
Use buttonsU (
page 192) or
(
page 193) for automatic mode or air
volume buttons
orQ
(page 192) or (
page 193) to adjust air
volume manually.
Nine blower speeds are available.

Press button
to decrease or
buttonQ to increase air volume to
the desired level.
The
AUTO
indicator for air volume in the
display4 goes out (
page 192) or
(
page 193). The selected blower
speed is shown in the display4. Auto-
matic air distribution remains switched
on.
The indicator lamps on theU but-
tons remain lit.
i
You can also turn the air distribution control
to a position between two symbols.

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

Press buttonT (
page 193).
REST
in the display4 (
page 193)
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonT (
page 193) again.
REST
in the display4 (
page 193)
goes out.
Rear climate control
The rear climate control is adjusted via the
front climate control panel (
page 192) or
(
page 193) or the rear climate control
panel.
The rear climate control panel is located in
the rear center console.
i
How long the system will provide heating de-
pends on


the coolant temperature


the temperature set by the operator
The blower will run at speed setting1 regardless
of the air distribution control setting.
i
The 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
1
Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2
Right rear center air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right rear center air vent
4
Temperature rocker switch, right
5
Display
6
Temperature rocker switch, left
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left rear center air vent

205 Controls in detail
4-zone automatic climate control
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control rocker
switches4 and6 to separately adjust
the air temperature on each side of the
rear passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C). The adjusted tem-
perature appears in the display5. The
rear climate control will adjust to the set
temperature as fast as possible.1Temperature, left
2Temperature, right

Adjust the temperature to the desired
setting for each side of the passenger
compartment using the left and right
temperature buttons.
The temperature in the rear passenger
compartment is adjusted automatical-
ly.Adjusting air distribution

Move the slider for the left center
vent1 or right center vent2 to the
left, right, up, or down.
The air flow is directed in the
corresponding direction.
Adjusting air volume

Turn thumbwheel3 or7
(page 204) up or down.
The air volume is increased or
decreased.
i
You can also adjust the rear temperature us-
ing the front climate control panel (
page 192)
or (
page 193).
i
The rear climate control will not cool the air
when the air conditioning is switched off
(
page 203).
i
For draft-free ventilation, push slides1
and2 (
page 204) upward.

215 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The following driving systems are
explained on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


Airmatic DC adjusts the vehicle sus-
pension characteristics automatically
and controls the vehicle level


Parktronic system*, which assists the
driver during parking maneuvers
For information on the BAS, ABS, ESP
® and
EBP, see “Driving safety systems”
(
page 91).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 24).
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 ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


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


Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing 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.