2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 Owner's Manual

408 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 409), 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 411).The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current gear rangeEffect
ïThe transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
îThe transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
éThe transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.

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

shift program

suspension tuning of Airmatic
(
page 440) or ABC* (page 442)

engine control
Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Program mode selector switch (S 63 AMG
and S 65 AMG only)
M Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 413)
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
Effect
èThe transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
çThe 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
æThe transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

410 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current program modePress the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectC for comfort driving (S 63 AMG
and S 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
(S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG: sporty driv-
ing):

The vehicle starts out in first gear.

Upshifts occur later.
!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.
iThe last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

411 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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.
Gearshift control buttons
1Left 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.
iS63AMG 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 413).
!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.
iYou cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift control buttons or paddles when the
transmission in positionP,N orR.

412 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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 408).Extending 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 limitPress 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 408).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
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.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.

413 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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 (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 411).
Program mode selector switch
M 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.

414 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display (
page 410).Activating manual shift programPress 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 411).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 409) and “Steering wheel gearshift con-
trol” (
page 411).
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.
!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.

415 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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
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 411).
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 413) 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.
iWhen you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or drive off.