2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E63AMG WAGON transmission

196 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionThe 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 192).
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 189).
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.
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.
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.

197 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program E 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 195) or the gear selector
lever.The 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 193).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.
!
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
For information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 193), “Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting” (
page 194), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshifting
E63AMG” (
page 195).
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.

198 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionUpshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly pull right shift paddle2
(page 195).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbolM, thep symbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 193), shift to
the next higher gear. The fuel supply will
otherwise be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.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 195).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.
!
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.
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.

199 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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 197) 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.Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be selected.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionD (for second gear) or
positionR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

247 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at last set speedSetting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately
5 seconds, and the corresponding speed-
ometer segments from the selected speed
to the vehicle maximum speed are illumi-
nated.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3 (
page 247).
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
Warning!
G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded.
Keep in mind that 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.
i
On uphill or downhill grades, the cruise con-
trol may not be able to maintain the set speed.
Once the grade eases, the set speed will be re-
sumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control maintains
the set speed with active braking action.
In addition, on longer downhill grades the auto-
matic transmission will automatically downshift.
i
The last stored speed is canceled when you
turn off the engine.

256 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a lower speed
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 254) to de-
crease vehicle speed in increments of
5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
5 seconds (
page 254), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on in the speedometer
(
page 252).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 254).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 254).
Distronic is activated and set to the last
stored speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
i
When you use the cruise control lever to de-
celerate, the brakes will be applied to support
deceleration.
In addition, the transmission will automatically
downshift on long downhill grades.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.

303 Controls in detail
Useful features
Step 12:
Confirm the garage door operation by
pressing the programmed signal trans-
mitter button (2, 3 or4).
Step 13:

To program the remaining two signal
transmitter buttons, repeat the steps
above starting with step 3.
Gate operator/Canadian programming
Canadian radio-frequency laws require
transmitter signals to “time-out” (or quit)
after several seconds of transmission
which may not be long enough for the
integrated signal transmitter to pick up the
signal during programming. Similar to this
Canadian law, some U.S. gate operators
are designed to “time-out” in the same
manner.
If you live in Canada or if you are having
difficulties programming a gate operator
(regardless of where you live) by using the
programming procedures, replace step 4
with the following:Step 4:

Press and hold the signal transmitter
button (2, 3 or4). Do not release
this button until it has been successful-
ly trained.

While still holding down the signal
transmitter button (2, 3 or4),
“cycle” your hand-held remote control
button6 as follows: Press and hold
button6 for 2 seconds, then release
it for 2 seconds, and again press and
hold it for 2 seconds. Repeat this se-
quence on the hand-held remote con-
trol until the frequency signal has been
learned. Upon successful training, indi-
cator lamp1 will flash slowly and then
rapidly after several seconds.

Proceed with programming step 5 and
step 6 to complete.Reprogramming a single signal trans-
mitter button
To program a device using a signal trans-
mitter button previously trained, follow
these steps:

Switch on the ignition (
page 37).

Press and hold the desired signal
transmitter button (2, 3 or4).
Do not release the button.

Indicator lamp1 will begin to flash af-
ter 20 seconds. Without releasing the
signal transmitter button, proceed with
programming starting with step 3.
i
Upon completion of programming the inte-
grated remote control, make sure you retain the
hand-held remote control that came with the ga-
rage door opener, gate operator or other device.
You may need it for use in other vehicles, for fu-
ture programming of an integrated remote con-
trol, or simply for continued use as a hand-held
remote control to operate the respective device
in other situations.

317 Operation
Driving instructions
For more information, see “Winter driving”
(page 363).
Standing water
Passenger compartmentDriving abroad
Abroad, there is an extensive
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Center directory, you
should request pertinent information from
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.
!
Do not drive through flooded areas or water
of unknown depth. Before driving through water,
determine its depth. Never accelerate before
driving into water. The bow wave could force wa-
ter into the engine and auxiliary equipment, thus
damaging them.
If you must drive through standing water, drive
slowly to prevent water from entering the pas-
senger compartment or the engine compart-
ment. Water in these areas could cause damage
to electrical components or wiring of the engine
or transmission, or could result in water being in-
gested by the engine through the air intake caus-
ing severe internal engine damage. Any such
damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The cargo compartment is the preferred
place to carry objects.