2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class steering

435 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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 set


if the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunction
Gear ranges
With the automatic transmission in drive
positionD and driving in program mode C
or S (
page 436), 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 or pulling the left
gearshift paddle on the steering wheel
gearshift control, and reverse the gear
range limit by pressing the right gearshift
button or pulling the right gearshift paddle
on the steering wheel gearshift control
(
page 438).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.

438 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering 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.
Gearshift control buttons1Left shift button: limiting gear range
2Right shift button: extending gear
range
Gearshift control paddles (S 63 AMG and
S65AMGonly)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.
i
S63AMG and S65AMG only:
For information on using the steering wheel gear-
shift control in program mode M, see “Manual
shift program (S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG only)”
(
page 440).
!
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
You cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift control buttons or paddles when the
transmission in park positionP, neutral
positionN or reverse gearR.

440 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionShifting 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 (S 63 AMG and
S65AMGonly)
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 438).
Program mode selector switchM Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving!
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.

441 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display (
page 437).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 438).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
i
For information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 436) and “Steering wheel gearshift con-
trol” (page 438).
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 28). Otherwise the en-
gine could be damaged which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.


452 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus is a convenience system.
Its speed adjustment reduction capability is
intended to make the cruise control more ef-
fective and usable when traffic speeds vary.
It is not however, intended to, nor does it, re-
place the need for extreme care. The re-
sponsibility for the vehicle speed and the
distance to the vehicle ahead, including
most importantly brake operation to assure
safe stopping distance, always remains with
the driver.
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take street and traf-
fic conditions into account.
Complex driving situations are not always
fully recognized by DISTRONIC Plus. This
could result in wrong or missing distance
warnings.
Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus adaptive cruise control is
no substitute for active driving involvement.
It does not react to pedestrians or stationary
objects, nor does it recognize or predict the
curvature and lane layout or the movement
of vehicles ahead. DISTRONIC Plus can only
apply a maximum of 40% of the vehicle’s
braking power.
DISTRONIC Plus may not detect narrow ve-
hicles possibly driving in front of you, such
as motorcycles and vehicles driving in an
offset formation.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to road, weather and traffic con-
ditions and to provide the steering, braking
and other driving inputs necessary to retain
control of the vehicle.
High-frequency sources such as toll sta-
tions, speed measuring systems etc. can
cause the DISTRONIC Plus system to tem-
porarily cease functioning.
Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus requires familiarity with its
operational characteristics. We strongly rec-
ommend that you review the following infor-
mation carefully before operating the
system.Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take street and traf-
fic conditions into account. Only use
DISTRONIC Plus if the road, weather and
traffic conditions make it advisable to travel
at a steady speed.Warning!
G
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on slippery roads. Rapid changes in tire trac-
tion can result in wheel spin and loss of
control.

465 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The distance setting switch for the target
distance is located on the DISTRONIC Plus
lever.
1Distance setting switch for target dis-
tance
2To increase target distance
3To decrease target distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a greater fol-
lowing distance to the vehicle ahead.
Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 2.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a shorter fol-
lowing distance to the vehicle ahead.

Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 3.
Driving with DISTRONIC Plus
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations which will
deactivate the DISTRONIC Plus system.Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus works to maintain the
speed selected by the driver unless a mov-
ing obstacle proceeding directly ahead of it
i n t h e s am e t ra ve l di re ct io n i s de te c te d (e.g.
following another vehicle ahead of you at a
distance set by DISTRONIC Plus).
This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, DISTRONIC Plus
could lose sight of a vehicle traveling in
front of it, then your vehicle could accel-
erate to the previously selected speed.
DISTRONIC Plus regulates only the distance
between your vehicle and those directly
ahead of it. It may not register stationary ob-
jects in the road, e.g.:


a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.

485 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Press# on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel to confirm.
The display in the instrument cluster
changes to the Advanced Parking Guid-
ance.
1Green lane
2White bracket indicates the stopping
position

Where necessary, depending on the
distance to the parking space, back up
in a straight line a short distance.
This is indicated by a green lane1.

Back up until you hear an audible warn-
ing, then stop.
The stopping position has been
reached, indicated by a white
bracket2.
3Red lane indicates the current steering
wheel position
4Yellow lane indicates the required
steering wheel position

When the vehicle is stationary, turn the
steering wheel until the red lane3
matches up with the yellow lane4.The lane4 then turns green. If the
parking space is located within the dis-
play range, a white bracket with an ar-
row for the target position is shown at
the end of the green lane.
Driving into the parking space
1Green lane indicates the correct steer-
ing wheel position

Maintain the steering wheel position
and carefully back up.

Stop as soon as you hear the audible
warning.
The vehicle has reached the position
for countersteering.

486 Controls in detailDriving systemsCountersteering
1Red lane indicates the current steering
wheel position
2Yellow lane indicates the required
steering wheel position
When the vehicle is stationary, turn the
steering wheel until the red lane1
matches up with the yellow lane2.
The lane2 then turns green and a
white arrow and a white bracket are
shown to indicate the target position.Reaching end position
1Green lane indicates the correct steer-
ing wheel position

Maintain the steering wheel position
and carefully back up until the end po-
sition has been reached.
The message appears “Parking Guid-
ance Finished” in the multifunction dis-
play and you will hear an audible
warning.
If the distance to the rear is too short,
you will also be audibly warned by the
Park Assist* system (
page 476).
End positionDepending on the size of the parking
space, the vehicle may be positioned at an
angle in the parking space. Advanced Park-
ing Guidance guides you close to the rear
limit of the parking space where possible.
Adjust the end position by maneuver-
ing as needed.

Observe the Park Assist* display
(page 476).