136 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission is standard
equipment on C 300 Sport and not
available on other models.
For information on driving with a manual
transmission, see “Manual transmission”
(
page 130).
Warning!G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or
reverse gear and parking brake engaged is
dangerous.
Also, when parked on an incline, an engaged
first or reverse gear alone may not prevent
your vehicle from moving, possibly hitting
people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 134).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey 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. Children
could move the gearshift lever, which could
result in an accident and/or serious person-
al injury.
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.
Warning!G
Make sure absolutely no objects are ob-
structing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure the pedals still have
sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between or be-
neath the pedals. You could then no longer
brake or accelerate. This could lead to acci-
dents and injury.
140 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Gear selector lever positions
The current gear selector lever position
appears in the multifunction display.
1Current gear selector lever positionEffect
ìPark position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in park
positionP only when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not
intended to serve as a brake
when the vehicle is parked.
Rather, the driver should always
set the parking brake in addition
to placing the gear selector lever
in park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
Effect
The SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
park positionP. With the
SmartKey removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in park
positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in park positionP
(
page 426).
íReverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
141 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Effect
ëNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engage neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever to neu-
tral positionN only if the vehicle
is in danger of skidding, e.g. on
icy roads.
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever in neutral
positionN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle without shifting
into park positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake (
page 140)
in addition to shifting to park positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) 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. Children
could move the gear selector lever from
park positionP, which could result in an ac-
cident and/or serious personal injury.
Getting out of your vehicle without taking
the above measurements to secure it is
dangerous.
142 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.
Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop for a longer period of time
with the engine idling and/or on a hill:
Set the parking brake.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:
Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.
Accelerate gently.
Never abruptly step on the accelerator.Working on the vehicle
Warning!G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to park positionP. Otherwise the vehicle
could roll away.
242 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Setting current or higher speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to re-
sistance point) or 5 mph increments
(past resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
2Setting current or lower speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to re-
sistance point) or 5 mph increments
(past resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume to last set speedActivating cruise control
You can activate the cruise control if the
vehicle speed is above 20 mph (30 km/h).
In the following cases you cannot activate
the cruise control:
when you brake
the vehicle is secured with the parking
brake
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
when the gear selector lever is set to
positionP, R, or N
when ESP® is switched offSetting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.
Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2.
The current speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.
The last set speed appears in the
multifunction display for approxi-
mately 5 seconds.
The corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed
to the vehicle maximum speed in
the multifunction display are illumi-
nated.iThe vehicle speed displayed in the speedom-
eter can briefly vary from the speed setting for
the cruise control system.
243 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1SegmentsCanceling 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 242).
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
iOn uphill grades, the cruise control may not
be able to maintain the set speed. Once the
grade eases, the set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control maintains
the set speed by braking with the vehicle’s
braking system. In addition, on longer downhill
grades the automatic transmission* will down-
shift automatically.
iVehicles with manual transmission:
If you depress the clutch pedal when shifting into
another gear, the engine speed may increase.
Always drive at sufficient, but not excessive,
engine speed.
Shift gear in a timely manner.
Avoid shifting down more than one gear if at
all possible.
iThe last stored set speed is canceled when
the engine is turned off.
iThe cruise control switches off
automatically and the segments in the multifunc-
tion display go out when
you step on the brake pedal.
you press the parking brake pedal.
The cruise control switches off automatically,
the segments in the multifunction display go out
and an acoustic warning sounds when
the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h).
the ESP® is in operation or switched off with
the ESP® switch (page 63).
Vehicles with manual transmission:
you engage neutral or depress the clutch
pedal for more than 6 seconds during shift-
ing into another gear.
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
you move the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving.
Observe additional messages in the
multifunction display that may appear.
246 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow4 (
page 242).
The cruise control resumes to the last
set speed or if no speed is stored, it will
set and store the current speed.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The last set speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately
5 seconds, and the corresponding
speedometer segments from the se-
lected speed to the vehicle maximum
speed are illuminated.
Hill 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.
Depress the brake pedal
Manual transmission: Engage for-
ward or reverse gear.
Slowly release the clutch pedal, remov-
ing your foot from the brake pedal at
the same time, and carefully depress
the accelerator pedal.
Automatic transmission*: Move the
gear selector lever to position Dor R.
Remove your foot from the brake pedal
and carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
The hill start assist system is inactive
when starting off on a level road or
downhill grades
vehicles with automatic transmission*
with the gear selector lever in
positionN
with the parking brake depressed
if the ESP® has switched off due to a
malfunction
iThe last stored set speed is deleted when
the engine is turned off.
Warning!G
The hill start assist system is not designed
to function as an parking brake and does not
prevent the vehicle from moving when
parked on an incline.
Always depress the parking brake in
addition to shifting to park positionP.
iWhen you remove your foot from the accel-
erator, the vehicle will remain stationary for ap-
prox. 1 second.
291 Controls in detail
Useful features
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
1Cover plate
2Remove insert
3Ashtray
Opening: Press cover plate1 forward
until it engaged.
Removing the insert: Grab the insert
on the grooved side and pull it up and
out in the direction indicated by the
arrow2.
Reinstalling ashtray insert: Install
the insert by pushing it back into the
frame until it engages.
Closing: Tap the front of the cover
plate1.
The cover will retract and the ashtray
will close.
Warning!G
Remove ashtray only with vehicle standing
still. Depress the parking brake to secure
vehicle from movement.
Move gear selector lever to positionP (man-
ual transmission: second gear). With the au-
tomatic transmission* set toP (manual
transmission: second gear), turn off the
engine.