2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML550 Off road

191 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
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 192) 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 328).
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.

193 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering 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 automatic
transmission (
page 192).
iML 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 194).
!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.
iYou 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.
iTo 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.

194 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 automat-
ic transmission (
page 192).
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 192).
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 drivingiIf you press on the accelerator when the
engine has reached its rpm limit, the transmis-
sion 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.

195 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The 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 193).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.
iThe last selected program mode (C or S) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.
iThe 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.

196 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Upshifting
Briefly press right shift button2
(
page 193).
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 193).
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 194) repeatedly until
CorS 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.
!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.
iWhen you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or drive off.

244 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are
described on the following pages:

Cruise control (page 244), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.

Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR)
(
page 249), which supports you
when you are driving downhill.

Off-road driving program (page 253),
which supports you when you are driv-
ing off-road.

Air suspension program*
The system consists of two compo-
nents.

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)*
(
page 255), which adjusts the
vehicle suspension characteristics.

Vehicle level control*
(
page 255), which controls the
vehicle level.

Parktronic* (page 259) and rear view
camera* (
page 264), which serve as
a parking aid.
For information on the ABS, BAS, EBP,
ESP
®, and 4-ETS, see “Driving safety sys-
tems” (
page 98).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of cruise control is recommended
for driving at a constant speed for extend-
ed periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above
20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 24).
iThe cruise control should not be activated
during off-road driving.

247 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
You can increase the speed in two ways.Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments
Briefly lift the cruise control lever up to
the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 245).
Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle speed increases in incre-
ments of 1 mph (Canada: 1km/h).
Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments
iThe cruise control switches off
automatically when

you step on the brake pedal

you depress the parking brake pedal
The cruise control switches off automatically and
an acoustic warning will sound when

the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h)

the ESP® is in operation

the ESP® is switched off with the ESP®
switch (
page 102)

the ESP® has switched off due to a
malfunction (
page 405)

you set the automatic transmission toN
while driving
Observe additional messages in the
multifunction display that may appear.
!Setting the automatic transmission toN
while driving cancels the cruise control.
However, the automatic transmission should not
be set toN while driving except to coast when
the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy
roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate the cruise control. After a brief accel-
eration (e.g. for passing), the cruise control will
resume the last set speed.
Warning!G
If you increase the set vehicle speed, keep in
mind that it may take a brief moment until
the vehicle has reached the set speed.
Increase the set vehicle speed to a value
that the prevailing road conditions and legal
speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and
unexpected acceleration of the vehicle
could cause an accident and/or serious in-
jury to you and others.
iThe set value is increased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you lift
the cruise control lever up to the resistance
point.
iThe set value is increased in
5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time
you lift the cruise control lever past the
resistance point.

249 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)
Briefly pull the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 245).
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
5seconds.
Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR)For more information, see “Off-road driv-
ing” (
page 319).
The DSR is an aid for driving downhill. DSR
regulates your vehicle’s speed when driv-
ing downhill to the value set in the control
system (
page 178). The steeper the
downhill gradient is, the greater the brake
application. On flat road surfaces, DSR
brakes only slightly or not at all.
DSR regulates the vehicle’s speed in auto-
matic transmission positionsD, orR.
You can drive slower or faster than the set
speed at any time by braking the vehicle or
depressing the accelerator pedal.
Warning!G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.
Warning!G
Downhill Speed Regulation is a convenience
system designed to assist the driver during
vehicle operation. The system must be set
to be appropriate for the topographical and
weather conditions encountered which can
change quickly. The driver is and must
remain at all times responsible for the vehi-
cle speed and for safe brake operation.
Depending on the programmed speed
(
page 178), actual vehicle speed and gra-
dient, switching on the DSR while driving
can cause the vehicle to slow down rapidly
and you may hear a sound which is caused
by the activation of the vehicle’s brake sys-
tem through the DSR. Sudden and unex-
pected deceleration can result in loss of
vehicle control, causing an accident and/or
serious personal injury to you and others.
Do not switch on the DSR in a circumstance
where rapid deceleration could result in a
loss of vehicle control.
iIn addition, make use of the engine’s braking
effect by shifting the automatic transmission
into a lower gear.