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.
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.
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.
186 Controls in detailGood visibilityWarning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at the
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade* is in raised position.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
Warning!
G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape from the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not
allow the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.!
Electrolyte drops coming into contact with
the vehicle paint finish can be completely re-
moved only while in the liquid state by applying
plenty of water.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
187 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
The buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 127).
Vehicles equipped with
Mirror ad-
just. parking aid
in the
Convenience
submenu (
page 166): Make sure the
Mirror adjust. parking aid
function
in the
Convenience
submenu of the
control system is switched to
On.
Press button2 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.
Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:
10 seconds after you put the gear
selector lever out of positionR
immediately once you exceed a vehicle
speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)
immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side mirror.
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
188 Controls in detailGood visibility1Sun visor
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Mounting
5Vanity mirror
Swing sun visors1 down when you
experience glare.
To use the vanity mirror5, lift up the
mirror cover2.
Make sure the sun visor is properly
engaged in the mounting4.
Lamp3 switches on.If sunlight enters through a side window:
Disengage sun visor1 from
mounting4.
Pivot sun visor to the side.
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch
Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
Press switch1 briefly to raise the sun-
shade.
Press switch1 briefly to lower the
sunshade.
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.
i
If sun visor1 is disengaged from
mounting4 with mirror cover2 open, mirror
lamp3 will switch off.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
be sure that there is no danger of anyone
being harmed by the raising or lowering pro-
cedure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing
switch1. To reverse direction of move-
ment, press switch1 again.
189 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated
after approximately 6 to 20 minutes of
operation depending on the outside tem-
perature.
Switch on the ignition (
page 38).Activating
Press buttonF (
page 193) or
button1 (
page 192) on the
respective climate control panel.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press buttonF (
page 193) or
button1 (
page 192) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
!
If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp starts flashing, this
means that too many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system re-
sponds automatically by deactivating the rear
window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
rear window defroster automatically turns itself
back on.
194 Controls in detail4-zone automatic climate control
The climate control is a 4-zone intelligent
climate control system. Your vehicle interi-
or is divided into 4 zones.With the help of a sun sensor, the climate
control determines the relation of the sun
to the vehicle and automatically adjusts
the inside temperature for every individual
zone.
You can set the temperature for each of
the 4 zones separately.
The climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. It cools the vehi-
cle’s interior according to the angle and
intensity of the sun’s rays, the outside tem-
perature and the selected temperature.
You can operate the climate control sys-
tem in either the automatic or manual
mode.
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 (
page 203) is
deactivated.
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 burn or frostbite to unpro-
tected skin in the immediate area of the air
vents. Always keep sufficient distance be-
tween unprotected parts of the body and the
air vents. If necessary, use the air distribu-
tion controls (
page 192) or (
page 193)
to direct the air to air vents in the vehicle in-
terior that are not in the immediate area of
unprotected skin.