Automatic Transmission
S tronic ®, tiptronic
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
The automat ic transmission is controlled elec
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive
program is se lected .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economica l
driving mode. It will then change up ear ly and
de lay the downshifts to give better fuel econ
omy.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also se lect the gears
manually (t iptronic mode ) i=> page 113.
Various automatic transmissions may be in
stalled, depending on the model:
S tronic® transmission
The 5 tronic ® is a dual-clutch transmission.
Power is transferred using two clutches that
work independently from one another . They
replace the torque converter used in conven
tional automatic transmissions and allow the
vehicle to accelerate without a noticeable in
terruption in traction .
tiptronic transmission
In the tiptronic transmission, power is trans
ferred by a torque converter .
Automatic Transmission 109
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
Fig. 115 Disp lay in the instrument cluste r: selector
lever pos ition
T he selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selector lever as well as in the in
strument cluster display.
P -Park
In this selector lever position the transmis
sion is mechanically locked. Engage P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped q .&.
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 112.
To shift in or out of position P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the release b utton in the selector lever handle
whi le moving the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of this position only with the
ignition on .
R- Reverse
Select R on ly when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed c> .&, in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 112.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le of the selector
lever
and the brake pedal at the same t ime.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu
minate when the selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position.
Sh ift to th is position for standing with the ..,.
112 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
_& WARNING
-The veh icle can also roll when the engine
is stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the eng ine
running wh ile in gear. If you must leave
yo ur vehicle when the engine is running,
act ivate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is runn ing and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptron ic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
chang ing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat ionary and the
eng ine is running.
- Never shift into
R or P wh ile driving.
- Before driv ing down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
peda l too often or too long when dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to ove rheat and s ubstant ially re
duces braking per formance, increases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the veh icle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, a lways hold it
in place with the bra ke peda l or parking
brake.
- Never hold the ve hicle on an inc line with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
[O] illu
mi nates and a dr iver message appears
¢ page 114 when the clutch is overload
ed.
- If the eng ine must remain running, never
have any driv ing pos ition engaged when
c heck ing under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P w
it h the park ing brake set
¢ page 224, Engine compartment. Oth
erwise, any increase in engine speed may
set the veh icle in motion, even with the
parking brake applied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an incl ine, do not try
to hold t he vehicle in place by pressing
the acce lerator pedal while a driving gear
is se lected. This ca n cause the transmis
sion to ove rheat and can damage it . Acti
vate the pa rking brake or press the bra ke
peda l to preven t the vehicle from roll ing.
- Allowing th e vehicle to ro ll when the en
gine is stopped and the selecto r lever is
in N will d amage the tr ansmission be
cause it is not l ubricated unde r those cir
cumstances .
(D Tips
Fo r saf ety reaso ns, the pa rking br ake is re
l eased automatically on ly when the d riv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h S t ronic/tiptro nic
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill des cent con trol is activated when these
lector lever is in D/S and yo u press the brake
peda l. The transmission automatica lly selects
a gear that is suitable for the incline . Hi ll de
scent contro l tries to maintain the speed ach
ieved at the time of braking, within phys ica l
and technical lim itations. If may st ill be nec
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes .
Hill descent cont ro l switches off once the de
cline leve ls out or you press the acce lerator
pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise contro l system*
¢ page 83, hill descent control is also activat-
ed when the speed is set. .,..