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Engaging the transmission position▷Transmission position P can only be disen‐
gaged if the engine is running and the brake
pedal is pressed.▷With the vehicle stationary, press on the
brake pedal before shifting out of P or N;
otherwise, the shift command will not be
executed: shift lock.
Depress the brake until you start driv‐
ing
To prevent the vehicle from creeping after
you select a driving position, maintain pres‐
sure on the brake pedal until you are ready
to start.◀
Engaging D, R and N
Briefly push the selector lever in the desired di‐
rection, beyond a resistance point if necessary.
After releasing the selector lever, it returns to its
center position.
Press unlock button, in order to:
▷Engage R.▷Shift out of P.Engaging P
Press button P.
Sport program DS and manual mode M/
S
Activating the sport program
Push the selector lever to the left out of trans‐
mission position D.
DS is displayed in the instrument cluster.
The sport program of the transmission is acti‐
vated.
Activating the M/S manual mode
1.Push the selector lever to the left out of
transmission position D.2.Push the selector lever forward or backward.
Manual mode becomes active and the gear is
changed.
The engaged gear is displayed in the instrument
cluster, e.g., M1.
Once maximum engine speed is attained, M/S
manual mode is automatically upshifted as
needed.
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Switching to manual mode▷To shift down: press the selector lever for‐
ward.▷To shift up: pull the selector lever rearwards.
Gears will only be shifted at appropriate engine
and road speeds, e.g., downshifting is not pos‐
sible if the engine speed is too high.
The selected gear is briefly displayed in the in‐
strument cluster, followed by the current gear.
Not M550d xDrive:Sport automatic
transmissions: prevent automatic
upshifting in M/S manual mode
For vehicles with Sport automatic transmis‐
sions, automatic shift operations are not per‐
formed, at maximum engine speed for example,
if one of the following conditions is met:
▷DSC deactivated.▷TRACTION activated.▷SPORT+ activated.
In addition, the kickdown is deactivated.
M550d xDrive: prevent automatic
upshifting in M/S manual mode
Once maximum engine speed is attained, up‐
shifting is not automatically performed in M/S
manual mode.
In addition, the kickdown is deactivated.
The lowest possible gear is selected by simul‐
taneously operating the kickdown and the left
shift paddle.
However, this effect is not produced via the shift
paddles when switching briefly from transmis‐
sion position D to manual mode.
Ending the sport program/manual
mode
Push the selector lever to the right.
D is displayed in the instrument cluster.
Shift paddles for Sport automatic
transmission
The shift paddles on the steering wheel allow
you to shift gears quickly while keeping both
hands on the steering wheel.
If the shift paddles on the steering wheel are
used to shift gears in automatic mode, the trans‐
mission temporarily switches to manual mode.
If the shift paddles are not used and the vehicle
is not accelerated for a certain time, the system
switches back into automatic mode if the selec‐
tor lever is in transmission position D.
▷Shift up: pull right shift paddle.▷Shift down: pull left shift paddle.
The vehicle only shifts up or down at appropriate
engine and road speeds, e.g., it does not shift
down if the engine speed is too high.
The selected gear is briefly displayed in the in‐
strument cluster, followed by the current gear.
Displays in the instrument cluster The transmission position is dis‐
played, e.g.: P.
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DisplaysVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equipmentis also described that is not available in a vehicle,
e. g., because of the selected optional equip‐
ment or country variant. This also applies for
safety-related functions and systems.
Instrument cluster
Overview, instrument cluster
1Fuel gauge 842Speedometer3Indicator/warning lamps 814Tachometer 845Engine oil temperature 846Electronic displays 777Display/reset miles 84Seite 75DisplaysControls75
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Overview, instrument cluster with enhanced features1Fuel gauge 842Speedometer3Indicator/warning lamps 814Tachometer 845Engine oil temperature 846Electronic displays 777Display/reset miles 84Seite 76ControlsDisplays76
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Electronic displays
Overview, instrument cluster1Miles/trip miles 84
External temperature 84
Time 84
Date 85
Range 85
Selection list, e.g., radio 88
Navigation display, see user's manual for
Navigation, Entertainment and Communi‐
cation.
Computer 88Speed limit detection 862Transmission display 74
Current fuel consumption 85
Energy recovery 853Service requirements 85
Messages, e.g. Check Control 81
Navigation display, see user's manual for
Navigation, Entertainment and Communi‐
cation.Seite 77DisplaysControls77
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Overview, instrument cluster with enhanced features1Messages, e.g. Check Control 81
Time 842Range 853Computer 88
Date 85
Speed limit detection 864Navigation displayService requirements 85
Miles/trip miles 845Selection list, for instance radio 88
Current fuel consumption 85
Energy recovery 85
External temperature 84
Transmission display 74Multifunctional instrument
display
The concept
The instrument dispaly is a variable display.
When the driving mode is changed, the appear‐ance is changed to reflect the new driving mode.
The change of appearance can be deactivated
in the Control Display.
Some of the displays in the instrument display
may differ from the way they are shown in this
owner's manual.Seite 78ControlsDisplays78
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At a glance1Fuel gauge 842Indicator/warning lamps 813Speedometer4Variable displays5Tachometer 84Selection lists 88
ECO PRO displays 1796Oil temperature 847Computer 888Reset miles 84
Switching the change of display on and off
You can set whether the instrument display
changes to the ECO PRO displays or Sport dis‐
plays automatically when you switch driving
modes.
Without Professional navigation
system1."Settings"2."Info display"3."ECO PRO Info"
With Professional navigation system or
TV
1."Settings"2."Info display"3."Driving mode view"
With Professional Navigation System:
switching zoom function on/off
Switching
You can program whether the current speed is
to appear enlarged in the speedometer.
1."Settings"2."Info display"3."Magnifier function"Seite 79DisplaysControls79
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ECO PRO displays1Speedometer2Variable displays: ECO PRO Tips, Deceler‐
ation assistant instructions, Driver assist
system displays3Efficiency display 1794Transmission display 745▷Blue: bonus range▷Gray: rangeIn ECO PRO driving mode, the instrument dis‐
play switches to the ECO PRO displays. These
displays support a driving style that saves onfuel consumption with more prominent repre‐
sentation of the efficiency display and various
ECO PRO tips.Seite 80ControlsDisplays80
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