• ..__A_ u_ t _o_ m_ a_ t_ i_ c _ t_r _a _n_ s_ m_ is_ s_io _ n ________________________________________________ _
Select R only when the vehicle is at a full stop and the engine is
running at idle speed=>
& in "Driving the automatic transmission"
on
page 166.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press both the button in the
handle of the selector lever
and the brake pedal at the same time.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illuminate when the
selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position. Shift to this position
for standing with the brakes applied =>
page 168 .
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the footbrake before and while moving the
lever out of
N.
D -Normal position for driving forward
Position Dis for normal city and highway driving. It ranges from zero
to top speed and all six gears shift automatically, depending on
engine load, driving speed and automatically selected shift
programs.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the
lever to
D out of N.
In certain circumstances it may be advantageous to temporarily
switch to the manual shift program to manually select gear ratios to
match specific driving conditions=>
page 170.
S -Sport position
Select this position for sportier performance. In this position, the
transmission will not upshift as soon, allowing the vehicle to use the increased power available at higher engine speeds to achieve live
lier acceleration.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h),
you must always apply the foot brake before and while moving the lever to
S out of N.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS => & in "Driving the automatic
transmission" on
page 166.
0 Note
Coasting downhill with the transmission in N and the engine not
running will result in damage to the automatic transmission and
possibly the catalytic converter. •
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Automatic shift lock prevents you from accidentally
shifting into a forward gear or into reverse, thus causing the vehicle to move unintentionally.
Fig. 187 Shift gate
selector lever lock
positions and interlock
button highl ighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
- Turn the ignition on.
Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time press and hold
the lock button on the side of the gear selector knob
=> fig. 187 with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the desired position.
~
_______________________________________________ A_ u_t _o _ m_ a_ t _i_ c_ t_r _a _n _ s_ m __ is_s_ i _o _ n __ lfflll
Autom ati c selec to r l eve r lock
The se lector lever is locked in the P and N positions when the igni
tion is turned on. To move the lever from these positions the driver
must depress the brake pedal. As a reminder to the driver, the
follow ing warning appears in the instrument cluster disp lay when
the selector is in
P and N:
When stationary app ly foot brake while s electing gear
A time delay e lement prevents the selector lever from locking when
it is moved through the
N position (going from R to Dl. The locking
e lement will lock the selector lever if the lever is left in N (Neutral)
for more than approximately 1 second, without the brake peda l
being pressed.
At speeds above about 3 mph (5 km/h) the Automatic Shift Lock is
automatically deactivated in the
N posi tion .
Interl ock button
The lock button on the selector lever prevents the lever from being
accidentally shifted into certain positions. Pressing this button
deactivates the selector leve r lock. Dependi ng on the direction of
the shift, the selector lever locks at different positions. The positions
are highligh ted in the illus trati on =>
page 168, fig . 187.
Igniti on k ey saf ety in te rlo ck
The key canno t be removed from the ignition un less the selector
lever is in the
P park position. When the ignition key is removed, the
selector lever wil l be l ocked in the
P posi tion .•
Kick -down
T he kick-down feature allows the vehicle to genera te
maximum accelera tion.
When you press the acce lerator pedal beyond the resistance point
that is reached at ful l throttle, the transmission wi ll select a lower
gear ratio based on vehic le speed and engine RPM . The engine RPM
wil l be control led to produce maximum vehic le acceleration as long
Controls and equip
ment
as you continue to press the acce lerator pedal beyond this resis
t ance poin t.
& WARNING
Be careful when u sing the ki ck -down feature on slippery road s.
Rapid acceleration ma y cause the vehicle to skid . •
Dynamic shift program (DSP)
T he aut omatic tr ans mission is electro nically c ontrolle d.
The transmission is se lf adapting and will automaticall y select the
b est shi ft program su ited to the driving conditio ns and driving style.
The transmission will select one of the
e conomy programs when
you drive at a s teady speed or a g radually changing speed without
heavy acceleration. This achieves optimum fuel efficiency, with ear ly
upshifting and delayed downshifting .
The trans mission will au tomatically select the
sporty shift progra ms
when you drive at higher speeds, or with heavy acce leration and
frequent ly cha nging speeds . Upshifts ar e delayed t o make f ull use
of engine power . Downshifting takes place at higher engine speeds
than in t he ec onomy p rograms .
The selection of the most su itable shift program is a continuous,
automatic process . The driver can a lso make the transmission
sw itch to a sporty progra m by
quickly pressing down the gas peda l.
This causes the transmission to shift down to a lower gear to
achiev e rapid acc elerati on, e.g . fo r q uickly pass ing another vehicle .
You do not need to press the gas pedal into the kick-down range.
After the transm ission has upshifted, the original progra m is
selected according to your driving sty le.
An additiona l shift program allows the automatic transmission to
select the proper gear fo r uph ill and downhi ll gradients.
This prevents the transmission from upshifting and downshifting unnecessa rily o n hills . The transm ission wi ll shift down to a lower _,.
I • •
-Autom
atic tran smi ssi on
..__ ______________ _
Fig. 192 E merge ncy
re lease for sel ecto r
l ever
T he emergency release is located under the insert for the
ashtray.
- Press t he button next to the cigarette lighter=>
page 171,
fig. 191 . The insert rises from its holder and you can
remove it .
Press the white switch down with a pen and hold it down
=> fig . 192.
- Now press the interlock and move the selector lever to
the N position.
The selector lever can only be moved from the P position if the igni
tion key is in the lock and the ignition is turned on. If the vehicle has
to be pushed or towed if the power supply fails (e.g . battery is
discharged), the selector lever must be moved to the N position
using the emergency locking device. •
____________________________________________ A_ d_a--' p=-- t_iv _e_ A_ ir_ S_u_ s-=- p_e _ n_ s _ io_ n __ JIIII
Chassis Controls
Four different driving modes can be set by the driver.
The automatic control processes are speed -and time -dependent.
For example, it is not possib le to raise the suspension to the lift
mode above certain speeds .
When a speed of about 75 mph ( 120 km/h) is exceeded for more than
30 seconds, the vehicle is automatically lowered approximately 1
inch (25 mm) to a level suitable for highway speeds, except in the
standard mode . Road holding is optim ized as a result of the lower
center of gravity and fue l consumption is reduced as a result of
reduced wind resistance .
Level adjustment
lift
automatic
dynamic
a utomati c Ground
clear ance
about 5 .7 inches (145 mm)
a bout 4.7 inches ( 120 mm)
about 4 .7 inches (120 mm)
about 3 .9 inches (100 mm)
Select the automatic mode if you prefer a suspension setting
e m phasizing comfort. Damping characteristics emphasizing
comfort are selected in this mode.
• Lower ing : When a speed of about 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded
for more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is automatically lowered by about 1 inch (25 mm) .
• Rais ing : The vehicle is automatically raised again if the speed
falls be low about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a period of 120 seconds. The
vehicle is raised immediately when speed falls below about 22 mph (35 km/h) .
dynami c
Select the sport mode if you prefer a sporty suspension setting. In
this mode, the vehic le is lowered whi le it is still stationary and
Controls and equip
ment
sporty damping characteristics are selected. The warning light ~
in the instrument cluster will come on for a few seconds just to
remind you of the reduced ground clearance .
I f you switch off the engine while the vehicle is in the dynamic mode
and then switch on the ignition once again, the~ warning light
wi ll also come on again for a few seconds.
• Lowering : When a speed of abou t 75 mph (120 km/h) is exceeded
for more than 30 seconds, the vehicle is automatically lowered by an addi tional 0 .2 in (5 mml.
• Raising : The vehicle is automatically raised again if the speed
falls bel ow about 44 mph (70 km/h) for a period o f 120 seconds . The
vehic le is raised immediately when speed falls below about 22 mph
(35 km/h).
s ta nd ard
Select the standard mode if you desire a suspension setting with a
special emphasis on comfort . In the standard mode there is
no
lowering o f the suspension. Even at high speeds, the veh icle stays
at the same level. Damping characteristics with a decided emphasis
on comfort are selected in this mode .
lift
Select the lift mode when you have to travel over poo r sections of
road (e .g . trai ls). In the lift mode, the vehic le is raised by 1 inch (25
mm) compared to norma l leve l while it is still stationary and
damping characteristics are adjusted to emphasize comfort.
The lift mode can be act ivated only at speeds be low 50 mph (80
km/h). When a speed of about 62 mph (100 km/h) is exceeded, the
system automatically leaves lift mode and the mode set previously
(standard, automa tic, dynamic) is activated again. •
I • •
____________________________________________ A_ d_a--' p'-- t·_ ,v _e_ A_ ir_ S_u_ s_,_ p_e _n_ s_ io_ n _ __._
Setting the Driving Modes
The driving modes are set in MM/.
Fig . 212 MMI display:
Settings
The ignition must be switched on to set the driv ing modes.
- Pressthe(CAR]fu nction button. The main menu
Adaptive Air Suspension appears => fig. 212.
- Select the desired mode with the control knob.
Please note that not every driving mode can be selected in every
driving situation. For example, it is not possible to switch to lift
mode at speeds above 50 mph (80 km/h). This mode is shown
greyed
out in the MMI display.
For additional information on the driving modes::;>
page 189,
"Chassis Controls" . •
Con tro ls and eq uip
ment
Jacking Mode When Changing a Flat Tire
This mode must be activated before raising the vehicle
with a vehicle jack.
Fig. 213 MMI display:
Activate jacking mode
Switching jacking mode on and off
- Press the (CAR] function button. The main menu
Adaptive Air Suspension appears.
Press the (SETUP) function button. The main menu
Adaptive Air Suspension appears => fig. 213.
- Turn the control knob to
Vehicle jack mode and select on
or off as desired.
The vehicle jack mode must be activated before changing a wheel
so that the automatic control processes for the air suspension do
not make lifting with the vehicle jack more difficult .
In the vehicle jack mode the indicator light in the instrument cluster
illuminates.
& WARNING
The height of the parked vehicle can change due to temperature
fluctuations or changes in load. _,,
Vehicle care I I irechnical data
___________________________________________________ H_ o_m _ e_ L_ i_ n _k_ @_R _ __.111
Ap plies to vehic les: with Hom elin k® un iversal remote contro l
Programming the Homelink ® transmitter
The transmitter is programmed in two phases. For rolling
code transmitters, a third phase is also necessary.
~------------ ~ ~--~--------~--- J, iii
Fig. 215 Overhead
console: HomeLink®
keypad
Fig . 216 Front bumper,
driver side: location of
transmitter unit
Phase 1: programming the overhead keypad
1. Make sure your vehicle is within operating range of the
remote controlled ga rage door opener .
2. Set the parking brake==>
& in "General information" on
page 194.
3. Turn the ignition on. Do not start the eng ine!
Con tro ls and eq uip
ment
4. Press and hold the two outside Homelink® buttons 0
and @for approximately 20 seconds until ind icator
light @==> fig.
215 begins to flash. Then release both
buttons. Do not hold the buttons for longer than 30
seconds.
- This procedure only needs to be performed
once. It
erases the factory-set default codes and does not have to
be repeated to program additional remote controls.
5. Press and hold the Homelink® button
0 ,@ or @ until
the indicator l ight @starts flashing slowly. Release the
button.
- The system will remain in programming mode for 5
minutes.
Go to the front of the vehicle and proceed with
phase 2.
Phase 2:
programming the bumper mounted transmitter
6. Hold the original remote control at a distance between
0-
6 in. (0-15 cm ) from the bumper below the appropriate
headlight for your vehicle=:> fig .
216 (use the shortest
distance possible) .
7. Aim the remote control just below the
driver side head
light.
8. Press and hold the activation button on the remote control.
- May be different in Canada. If so, press and re-press
(cycle) the activation button on your remote control every
two seconds. .,_
Vehicle care I I irechnical data
-S
afe ty b elts ----=-----------------
- Make sure that your passengers also b uckle up and prop
erly wea r th eir sa fety belts.
Protect children wit h a child restraint system appropriate
for the size and age.
The warning light i in the instrument cluster lights up when the
ignition is switched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In
addition , you will hear a warning tone.
After the ignition is switched on, the warning light in the instrument cluster will a lways come on for about 6 seconds and if the driver has
not fastened the safety belt, a warning tone will also sound for
about 6 seconds . As soon as the driver has fastened the safety belt,
the warning tone will stop and the warning light will go out .
If the driver or front seat passenger have not buckled -up within
about 10 seconds after the warning tone has stopped and the
vehicle is moving faster than about 15 mph, the warning tone will
sound again for about 6 seconds and then stop for 24 seconds and
then repeat this reminder sequence for a maximum of 2 minutes. At
speeds be low 5 mph, the warning tone will not sound.
Fa sten your safe ty belt and m ake su re that your p assengers also
properl y put on th eir s afet y belts .
& WARNING
• Safety belt s are the single mo st effective mean s available to
reduce th e risk of ser ious injur y and death in a utomobile acci
dent s. For your prote ction and th at of your pas senger s, alwa ys
c orre ctl y we ar safety belt s when t he vehicle is moving .
• Failure t o pay att ention to th e warning light that co me on,
c ould lead to per sonal injury .•
Why safety belts?
Frontal co11isions and the law of physics
Front al crashes create very strong forces for pe ople riding
in vehicles.
F ig. 222 U nbel ted
o cc up ants i n a ve hicle
he ading for a wa ll
Fi g. 223 T he vehicle
c ras hes in to t he wa ll
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen
gers possess energy which varies with vehicle speed and body
we ight . Engineers cal l this energy "kinetic energy ."
T he higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehic le's
we ight, the more energy that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significan t factor. If the speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times! .,
-Airbag s yste m P'll:f _______________ _
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
-Be sure to read t he important information and heed the
WARNINGS for important details about ch ildren and
Advanced Airbags~
page 245.
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that a ll children, especia lly those 12 years and
younger , always ride in the back seat proper ly restrained for their
age and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat
a potentia lly dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not
the safest p lace for a child in a forward -facing child seat . It can be a
very dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward -facing
seat.
The Advanced Ai rbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
comply with the requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of age
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant res traints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified has been insta lled on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 247.
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument pane l tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASSE NGER AIR BA G OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied, •
will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat=>
page 231, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than tha t of
a typica l 1 year -old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PA SSE NGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the PAS SEN GER AIR BA G
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger s ide
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi
tions stored in its memory.
For e xample , the air b ag ma y dep loy i f:
• a small ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1 year -o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child seats listed
=> page 247), or
• a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
The fron t airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is no t sitting upright
with their back against a non -reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehic le floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=> page 202, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
t he airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the
risk of injury through interaction with the airbag. "Low risk" deploy
ment occu rs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations .,.