2009 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR Owner's Manual

169 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For information on driving with an auto-
matic transmission, see the “Getting
started” section (
page 47).
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 gear shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
lower part of the center console.Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionP Park position
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive position
i
During the brief warm-up, transmission up-
shifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic con-
verter to heat up more quickly to operating
temperature.
Warning!
G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are ob-
structing 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.
i
The current gear selector lever park
positionP, reverse gear R, neutral positionN or
drive positionD appears in the right multifunc-
tion display (
page 117).

170 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

the gear selector lever drive position D
(page 171) with gear ranges
(page 174)


the selected shift program
(C/MAN/S)(
page 175)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 173)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
(
P/R/N/D), the gear range (
1/2/3/4) and
the shift program (
C/M/S) are shown in the
standard display (
page 117).When the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever 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 and when your right
foot is firmly on the 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
(
page 311).
Shift into park position P or reverse gearR 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.

171 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever positions
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in park
positionP only when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not
intended to serve as a brake
when the vehicle is parked.
Rather, the driver should always
set the parking brake in addition
to placing the gear selector lever
in park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
The SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
park positionP. With the
SmartKey removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in park
positionP.
Effect
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in re-
verse gearR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
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 engage neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever to neu-
tral positionN only if the vehicle
is in danger of skidding, e.g. on
icy roads.
ê
Drive position
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever in neutral
positionN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in park
positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park positionP (
page 55).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Children
could move the gear selector lever from
park positionP, which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:

Leave the transmission in gear.

Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop longer with the engine
idling and/or on a hill:

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:

Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.

Accelerate gently.

Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Working on the vehicle
i
Kickdown in manual shift program MAN is
not possible.
In kickdown operation, it is not possible to
change gear with the steering wheel gear shift
paddles.
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could
roll away.

174 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear ranges
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD and driving in shift programC
orS, you can select a gear range for the
automatic transmission to operate within.
Gear selector lever (
page 175):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the gear selector lever to the left (D-), and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the gear selector lever to the right (D+).
Steering wheel gearshift paddles
(
page 177):
You can limit the gear range by pulling the
left gearshift paddle, and reverse the gear
range limit by pulling the right gearshift
paddle.The selected gear range appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 117).
i
If, when driving in shift programC and S the
maximum engine speed for the gear range has
been reached, the transmission shifts up auto-
matically, even if the gear range is restricted. In
shift program MAN the transmission will not
shift up automatically.
Effect
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.With this selection you can use the
braking effect of the engine.
Effect
ç
The 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
æ
The transmission operates in the
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

175 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shift program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
MAN Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 178)
S Sport For standard driving
The selected shift program appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 117).

Turn the program mode selector switch
to the desired setting.
The letter of the desired shift program
appears in the right multifunction
display.
Select C for comfort driving:

The vehicle starts out in second
gear 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.Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive posi-
tion D and driving in shift programC orS,
you can limit or extend the gear range.
With the MAN shift program activated, you
can use the gear selector lever to manually
shift the gears.
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the gear selector lever when driving
in the shift programC orS.
!
Never change the program when the gear
selector lever is out of park positionP. This could
result in a change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.
i
For information on using the gear selector
lever in shift program MAN, see “Manual shift
program” (
page 178).
!
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.

176 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionLimiting gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the trans-
mission (
page 174).Extending gear range

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the
transmission.
Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the right multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the cur-
rent gear range directly to gear
rangeD.Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically se-
lect the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This
may involve shifting down one or more
gears.
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.i
To avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.
i
If you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.