2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class Comand Manual

424 Controls in detailAutomatic 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:

Engage the electronic parking brake.

Shift into 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.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could shift the
automatic transmission out of park
positionP, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

425 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Rocking 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. approximately 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
position N


with the electronic parking brake en-
gaged


if the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunction
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, engage the
electronic 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 an electronic parking brake
and does not prevent the vehicle from mov-
ing when parked on an incline.
Always engage the electronic parking brake
in addition to shifting to park positionP.

426 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear ranges
With the automatic transmission in drive
positionD and driving in program mode C
or S (
page 427), you can select a gear
range for the automatic transmission to
operate within.
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the left gearshift button on the steering
wheel gearshift control, and reverse the
gear range limit by pressing the right gear-
shift button on the steering wheel gearshift
control (page 428).The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current gear range
Effect
ï
The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
î
The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
Effect
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

427 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is used
to adjust

shift program


suspension tuning of ABC (
page 461)


engine control
Program mode selector switchC Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Program mode selector switch
(CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG only)M Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 430)
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
automatic transmission is out of park positionP.
This could result in a change of driving character-
istics for which you may not be prepared.
i
The last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

428 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectC for comfort driving
(CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG: 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.SelectS for standard driving
(CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG: sporty
driving):


The vehicle starts out in first gear.


Upshifts occur later.
Steering wheel gearshift control
With drive positionD selected and driving
in program modeC orS, 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.i
CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG only:
For information on using the steering wheel gear-
shift control in program mode M, see “Manual
shift program (CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG
only)” (page 430).
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating 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.

429 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gearshift control buttons1Left shift button: limiting gear range
2Right shift button: extending gear
range
Gearshift control paddles (CL 63 AMG and
CL 65 AMG only)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 program modeC orS.Limiting gear range

Briefly press left shift button1 or 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 426).
i
You cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift control buttons when the transmission
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.

430 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionExtending gear range
Briefly press right shift button2 or
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

Press and hold right shift button2 or
pull and hold right shift paddle2 until
the indicator for the current gear range
disappears from the multifunction dis-
play (
page 426).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold left shift button1 or
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.Manual shift program (CL 63 AMG and
CL 65 AMG only)
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
Manual shift programM differs with regard
to spontaneity, response time, and shifting
smoothness from automatic shift
programS.
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 con-
trol paddles to the left and right of the
steering wheel (
page 429).
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.

431 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Program mode selector switchM Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty drivingThe selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display (
page 427).
Activating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the “M” for
manual program modeM appears in
the multifunction 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.Upshifting

Briefly pull right shift paddle2
(page 429).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating 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 427) and “Steering wheel gearshift con-
trol” (page 428).
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 30). Otherwise the en-
gine could be damaged which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.