2008 MERCEDES-BENZ R320 automatic transmission

115 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Important notes on using KEYLESS-GO*

You can also use the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO like a normal SmartKey
(
page 110).

You can combine KEYLESS-GO func-
tions with normal SmartKey functions
(e.g. unlocking with KEYLESS-GO and
locking with the ‹button).

Always carry the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.

Never store the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO together with

electronic items such as a cellular
phone or another SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO

metallic objects such as coins or
metal foil
Doing so could impair the function of
the KEYLESS-GO system.

To lock or unlock the vehicle, the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located outside the vehicle within
approximately 3 ft (1 m) of the respec-
tive door or the tailgate.

If the vehicle has been parked for more
than 72 hours, you must pull an outside
door handle in order to activate the
KEYLESS-GO function

In order to start the engine with the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO:

The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be located in the vehicle.

The KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
must be inserted in the starter
switch (
page 41).

The brake pedal must be firmly
depressed. Do not depress the
accelerator.

If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
positioned farther away from the vehi-
cle, the system may no longer recog-
nize the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
The vehicle then cannot be locked or
the engine started via the KEYLESS-GO
system.

If you have started the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
(
page 54), you can turn it off again by

pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button (
page 66)

inserting the SmartKey into the
starter switch when the vehicle is at
a standstill and the automatic
transmission is in position P
(
page 66)

149 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after
making the turn, the turn signal and
corner-illuminating front fog lamps can be
switched off by returning the combination
switch to its original position.Driving in reverse
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to
reverse gearR (
page 192).
The front fog lamp opposite to your
steering direction comes on.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission
to a gear other than reverse
gearR(
page 190).
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps tem-
porarily come on both sides of the vehicle if you
turn the steering wheel in one direction and then
again in the other direction shortly thereafter.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
come on automatically depending on the steer-
ing angle, even if you did not switch on either
turn signal. If the corner-illuminating front fog
lamps came on automatically, they will also go
out automatically depending on the steering
angle.
iThere may be a brief delay before the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps switch off.

190 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
For information on driving with an
automatic transmission see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 53).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
right of the steering column.
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmission
PPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic
converter (gasoline engine) or the oxidation
catalyst (diesel engine) to heat up more quickly
to operating temperature.
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing 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 that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from P to N
Moving the gear selector lever up or down
shifts the automatic transmission out of
park positionP:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up or down to
resistance point to select neutral
positionN.Shifting from N to R or from N to D
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up past the
resistance point to select reverse
gearR.
or
Move gear selector down past the
resistance point to select drive
positionD.
Release the parking brake (page 56).
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.
iThe current transmission positionP, R, N
orD appears in the multifunction display
(
page 194).
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally a n d w h e n y o u r r i g h t
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.

192 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from P to R
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up past the
resistance point to select reverse
gearR.
Release the parking brake (page 56).
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.Shifting from P to D
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever down past the
resistance point to select drive
positionD.
Release the parking brake (page 56).
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.Shifting from D, R, or N to P
If you want to select park positionP with
the transmission being in drive positionD,
reverse gearR or neutral positionN:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(
page 65).
Press button on gear selector lever in
direction of arrow (
page 190) to
select park positionP.
Release the brake pedal.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
!Shift the automatic transmission directly
from drive positionD to reverse gearR, from
reverse gearR to drive positionD or directly to
park positionP only when the vehicle is stopped.
Otherwise the automatic transmission could be
damaged.
When trying to free a vehicle stuck in mud or
snow, see “Rocking the vehicle” (
page 198).

193 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting 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 position D or
down to resistance point when in
reverse gear R to select neutral
positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

drive positionD (page 194) with
gear ranges (
page 199)

the selected program mode (C/S)
(
page 200)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 197)

the vehicle speedWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (page 201) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
iWhen the vehicle needs to be moved with
the engine switched off and the transmission set
to neutral positionN (
page 194), 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.

194 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Transmission positions
The current transmission position appears
in the multifunction display.
1Current transmission position
!If the current transmission position does not
appear in the multifunction display due to a
malfunction, for example, make sure that the
automatic transmission is in the desired position
by carefully driving off with the transmission in
drive positionD and program modeS
(
page 200) selected. Do not limit the gear
range.
Effect
ìPark position
Shift into park positionP only
when vehicle is stopped. The
park position is not intended to
serve as a brake when the vehi-
cle is parked. Rather, the driver
should always set the parking
brake in addition to shifting into
park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the automatic
transmission could remain
locked in park positionP.
Have the vehicle checked as
soon as possible by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
!SmartKey:
If you turn off the engine using the SmartKey and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a front door
the transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine with the
SmartKey alone only will automatically shift the
transmission to neutral positionN.
!KEYLESS-GO*:
If you turn off the engine using the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button and open a front door, the
transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine using
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone only
will automatically shift the transmission to
neutral positionN.

195 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
If you want the gear position to remain in
neutral positionN, e.g. when taking the
vehicle through an automatic conveyor
type car wash, observe the following
instructions.
iMake it a practice to always shift into park
positionP before turning off the engine and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a front door
or when using KEYLESS-GO*, before turning off
the engine with the start/stop button and open-
ing a front door.
Effect
íReverse gear
Shift into reverse gearR only
when the vehicle is stopped.
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 shift into neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Shift into neutral positionN only
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button, the transmission will shift to neutral
positionN automatically.
Warning!G
When leaving the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle.
It is possible for children to switch on the
ignition which could result in unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment.
A child’s unsupervised access to a vehicle
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.