2007 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320CDI manual transmission

25 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Cruise control lever
246
2
Instrument cluster
26
3
Multifunction steering
wheel
30
4
Horn
5
Steering wheel gearshift
buttons
194
6
Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission
54
7
Front Parktronic* warning
indicators
276
8
Overhead control panel
33
Item
Page
9
Glove box release
Glove box lock
294
295
a
Glove box
294
b
Center console
31
c
Starter switch
40
d
Steering wheel adjustment,
manual
47
e
Hood lock release
356
f
Parking brake release
57
g
Parking brake pedal
65
h
Power tailgate switch*
119
j
Door control panel
36
Item
Page
k
Headlamp washer switch*
200
l
Exterior lamp switch
59,
136
m
Steering wheel adjustment,
electrical*
Heated steering wheel*
48
304
n
Combination switch

High beam


Turn signals


Windshield wipers


Rear window wiper
140
59
60
60
62

188 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionShifting from D or R to N
If you want to select neutral positionN
with the transmission being in drive
positionD or reverse gearR:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.

Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(page 65).

Move gear selector lever up to resis-
tance point when in drive positionD or
down to resistance point when in
reverse gearR to select neutral
positionN.

Release the brake pedal.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

drive positionD (
page 189) with gear
ranges (
page 193)


the selected program mode (M/C/S)
(ML 63 AMG only) (
page 195)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 191)


the vehicle speedWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (
page 194) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
i
When the vehicle needs to be moved with
the engine switched off and the transmission set
to neutral positionN (
page 186), e.g. in an
automatic car wash, do not depress the parking
brake pedal.
!
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.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionRocking the vehicle
Rocking the vehicle by shifting between
drive positionD and reverse gearR can
help free a vehicle stuck in mud or snow.
The engine control system of this vehicle
electronically limits shifting between drive
positionD and reverse gearR to very low
speeds, i.e. approx. 5 mph (9 km/h). To
shift between drive positionD and reverse
gearR, move the gear selector lever past
the resistance point up or down.
Working on the vehicleHill start assist system
On uphill grades with a gradient angle of
more than 5°, the hill start assist system
maintains the pressure in the brake sys-
tem for approximately 1 second after you
have released the brake pedal. Therefore,
you can start off smoothly without the
vehicle moving immediately after releasing
the brake pedal.The hill start assist system is inactive


when starting off on a level road or
downhill grades


with the transmission in neutral
positionN


with the parking brake set


if the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunction
Towing a trailer
If you tow a trailer, note the following
points:


Manually shift to a lower gear range
(page 193) if the transmission hunts
between gears on inclines.
A lower gear range and reduction of
speed reduces the chance to overload
or overheat the engine.
For more information on trailer towing, see
the “Operation” section (
page 342).
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and shift to park positionP.
Otherwise the vehicle could roll away.
Warning!
G
The hill start assist system is not designed
to function as a parking brake and does not
prevent the vehicle from moving when
parked on an incline.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park positionP.

194 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control
With drive positionD selected, you can
limit or extend the gear range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift program M, you can use the steering
wheel gearshift control to manually shift
the gears.
1Left shift button: limiting gear range or
downshift (in program modeM)
2Right shift button: extending gear
range or upshift (in program modeM)Limiting gear range

Briefly 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 193).
i
ML 63 AMG:
For information on using the steering wheel gear-
shift control in program mode M, see “Shift pro-
gram (ML 63 AMG only)” (
page 195).
!
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 control buttons when the transmission
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 ex-
ceeded.

195 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Extending gear range
Briefly press right shift button2.
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 (
page 193).
Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold right shift button2
until the cipher for the current gear
range disappears from the multifunc-
tion display (
page 193).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold left shift button1.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.
Shift program (ML 63 AMG only)You can choose between automatic shift
program C or S and manual shift
programM.
1Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
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.
!
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.

196 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionThe selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current program mode
Automatic shift program
You can choose between automatic shift
program C or S.
Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.SelectCfor 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 sporty driving:


The vehicle starts out in first gear.


Upshifts occur later.Manual shift program
In the manual program mode M,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
the gears by manually upshifting or down-
shifting using the steering wheel gearshift
control buttons to the left and right of the
steering wheel (
page 194).
Activating manual shift program

Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the
M for the manual
program modeM appears in the multi-
function 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 with
drive positionD selected. You can upshift
or downshift through the gears in succes-
sion.
i
The last selected program mode (C or S) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

197 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Upshifting
Briefly press right shift button2
(page 194).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.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 left shift button1
(page 194).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.
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 overrewing range. Shift up to the
next gear before the engine has reached its over-
rewing range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red marking on
the tachometer (
page 28). Otherwise the en-
gine 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 drive off.

198 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionKickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program
Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 195) 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 activated.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Shift to park positionP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Shift to drive positionD (for second
gear) or reverse gearR.

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