2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class wheel

423 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Vehicles with SmartKey:
With the vehicle at a standstill and the
ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to neutral
positionN.

If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 413).

Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.

With the ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to park
positionP.

Release the brake pedal.

Remove the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button from the starter switch
(page 366).

Insert the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
into the starter switch.

Switch on the ignition.

Depress the brake pedal.

Shift the automatic transmission to
neutral positionN.

Release the brake pedal.

If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 413).

Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO in the
starter switch.
!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason in neutral positionN can result in trans-
mission damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
!
Observe instructions


when taking the vehicle through an
automatic conveyor type car wash
(page 598)


when towing the vehicle (
page 710)
Effect
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
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 engage the electronic parking brake
(page 412) 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.

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.

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.


432 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionIf you are driving in the manual program
modeM, upshift indicator2 in the multi-
function display advises you to upshift be-
fore the engine reaches the overspeed
range. Thus you can drive at the maximum
engine speed for each gear without over-
revving the engine.
1Gear indicator
2Upshift indicator “up”
3Engine oil temperature
4Vehicle supply voltage
Shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be inter-
rupted to prevent the engine from over-
revving.Downshifting

Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(page 429).
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 430) repeatedly until
“C”or“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 drive off.


437 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control (
page 437) and
DISTRONIC Plus*(page 443), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.


ABC (
page 461) adjusts the vehicle
suspension characteristics automati-
cally and control the vehicle level.


Parktronic* (
page 463), Park Assist*
(
page 467) and Advanced Parking
Guidance* (
page 471), which serve
as a parking assistant.


Rear View Camera* (
page 477) are
electronic and visual parking aids.


Night View Assist* (
page 481) illumi-
nates the road with infrared light in
addition to the normal headlamps.


Blind Spot Assist* (
page 485) de-
tects and warns you about vehicles in
your blind spot.For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE
® Brake*, see “Driving safety
systems” (page 65).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!
G
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.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it
advisable to travel at a constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a constant speed.


The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin
and loss of control.


Deactivate the cruise control when
driving in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.