2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 Sport 2

74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

If you must install a rear-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the
75indicator lamp is illumi-
nated, indicating that the front passen-
ger front air bag is deactivated. Should
the indicator lamp not illuminate or go
out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. Periodically
check the indicator lamp while driving to
make sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
75indicator lamp goes out
or remains out, do not transport a child
on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured
or even killed if the front passenger front
air bag inflates.


If you have to place a child in a
forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat, move the seat as
far back as possible, use the proper
child restraint recommended for the
age, size and weight of the child, and se-
cure child restraint with the vehicle’s
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. For
children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
front air bag may or may not be activat-
ed (
page 72).
i
Deployment of the driver front air bag does
not mean that the front passenger front air bag
also should have deployed.
The Occupant Classification System (
page 71)
may have determined:


that the seat was empty or occupied by the
weight up to or less than that of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint - both instances where the
system suppresses deployment of the front
passenger front air bag even though the im-
pact met the criteria and was of sufficient
severity to deploy the driver front air bag


that the seat was occupied by a small individ-
ual (such as a young teenager or a small
adult) or a child weighing more than the
weight of a typical 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint - instances where
the system may suppress deployment of the
front passenger front air bag even though
the impact met the criteria and was of suffi-
cient severity to deploy the driver front
air bag


177 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.Program mode selector switchC Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Program mode selector switch
(CLS 63 AMG only)M Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 181)
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty drivingThe selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current program mode
!
Never change the program mode when the
gear selector lever is out of park positionP. This
could result in a change of driving characteristics
for which you may not be prepared.
i
The last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

178 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectCfor comfort driving
(CLS 63 AMG: for standard 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.
SelectSfor standard driving
(CLS 63 AMG: for sporty driving):


The vehicle starts out in first gear.


Upshifts occur later.Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive posi-
tion D and driving in program modeC orS,
you can limit or extend the gear range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift programM, you can use the gear
selector lever to manually shift the gears.
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the gear selector lever when driving
in the automatic program modeC orS.Limiting gear range

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
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 176).
i
For information on using the gear selector
lever in program modeM, see “Manual shift pro-
gram CLS 63 AMG” (
page 181).
!
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.
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
To avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Extending gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
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

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction 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

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting*
Steering wheel gearshift control is avail-
able on vehicles with AMG-Sport Package*
and CLS 63 AMG only.
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD and driving in program modeC
orS, you can limit or extend the gear
range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift programM, you can use the steering
wheel gearshift control to manually shift
the gears.
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.
i
For information on using the steering wheel
gearshift control in program modeM, see “Man-
ual shift program CLS 63 AMG” (
page 181).

180 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Gearshift paddles (example illustration
vehicles with AMG-Sport Package*)1Left shift paddle: limiting gear range or
downshift (in program modeM)
2Right shift paddle: extending gear
range or upshift (in program modeM)
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.Limiting gear range

Briefly pull left shift paddle1.
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 176).
!
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.
i
You cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift paddles when the gear selector lever 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.i
To avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.

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.

231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Airmatic DC (Dual Control)
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. The Airmatic consists of two
components:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Vehicle level control
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either Sport 1, Sport 2 or
Comfort.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
Sport 1, Sport 2 or Comfort, which you
select using the damping buttonThe following suspension styles are avail-
able:


Comfort
Both indicator lamps2 are off.


Sport 1
One indicator lamp2 is on.


Sport 2
Both indicator lamps2 are on.
1Damping button
2Indicator lamps

Start the engine (
page 51).

Press the damping button1 until the
desired suspension style is set.
!
If you have selected the Comfort suspen-
sion tuning (
page 231), the vehicle lowers
slightly when you lock it within approximately
60 seconds after switching off the engine. When
parking, make sure that your vehicle cannot
come into contact with other objects, such as a
curb, while lowering. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged.
i
The selected suspension style is stored in
memory, even after the SmartKey is removed
from the starter switch.

233 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary and
the engine is running:Vehicle level
when stationary
Indicator lamp
(page 234)
Suspension
tuning
Use for
Ride height increase
over normal
Automatic lowering
Normal
Lamp off
Comfort
For driving on normal
roads
None
Max. approx. 0.4 in (10 mm)
Normal
Lamp off
Sport 1 or 2
For driving on normal
roads
None
Max. approx. 0.6 in (15 mm)
Raised
Lamp on
Comfort
For driving on rough
roads or with snow
chains
Approx. 0.8 in (20 mm)
Max. approx. 1.2 in (30 mm)
Raised
Lamp on
Sport 1 or 2
For driving on rough
roads or with snow
chains
Approx. 0.8 in (20 mm)
Max. approx. 1.4 in (35 mm)