2015 MERCEDES-BENZ GL-Class transm

0044 Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake pedal will allow
you to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
If you switch off the engine using
the SmartKey or the Start/Stop
button, the automatic transmission shifts to neutral Nautomatically.
! Rolling in neutral
Ncan damage
the drive train. 003A Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by:
R the selected drive program (Y page 180)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
(Y page 179)
R the road speed
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts Kickdown Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
lower gear depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Rocking the vehicle free Shifting the transmission repeatedly between
gears Dand Rmay help to free the vehicle if it
has become stuck in slush or snow. The vehi-
cle's engine management system limits the
speed to a maximum of 5 mph (9 km/h) when shifting back and forth. To shift back and forth
between transmission positions Dand R,
move the DIRECT SELECT lever up and down past the point of resistance.
Towing a trailer X
Drive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
X Depending on the uphill or downhill gradi-
ent, use left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter (Y page 180) to select a lower gear,
even if cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS
are activated. Automatic transmission
179Driving and parking Z

Program selector button
General notes Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
X Briefly press program selector button 0043.
The letter Mappears in the multifunction
display. The manual drive program Mis
activated. AMG vehicles
X
Press program selector button 0043repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired gearshift program appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The program selector button allows you to
choose between different driving character-
istics.
i The permanent drive program Mis avail-
able on the following vehicles:
R Vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package
R AMG vehicles
Further information about permanent drive program M(Y page 182). As well as this permanent drive program
M,
you can also activate temporary drive pro-
gram M(Y page 181).
i AMG vehicles:
the automatic transmis-
sion switches to automatic drive program C
each time the engine is started.
i Drive program
Mis not saved after the
engine has been switched off. If required,
you must select the drive program again
after starting the engine.
Drive program on vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package M
Manual Permanent manual gear-
shifting
Drive programs on AMG vehicles
C
Controlled
Efficiency Comfortable, economical
driving
S
Sport Sporty driving style
M
Manual Permanent manual gear-
shifting
i
For further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Y page 181). Steering wheel paddle shifters
In the manual drive program, you can change
gears manually using steering wheel paddle
shifters 0043and 0044. 180
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

Further information about permanent drive
program M(Y page 182).
Further information about temporary drive
program M(Y page 181).
i You can only change gear with the steer-
ing wheel paddle shifters when the trans-
mission is in position D.Automatic drive program (AMG vehi-
cles)
Automatic drive programs C and S Drive program
Cis characterized by the fol-
lowing:
R comfort-oriented engine and transmission
settings
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the
accelerator pedal is depressed fully
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin
Drive program Sis characterized by the fol-
lowing:
R sporty engine and transmission settings
R the automatic transmission shifting up
later
R the fuel consumption possibly being higher
as a result of the later automatic transmis- sion shift points
Manual drive program M General notes
In this drive program, you can briefly change
gear yourself by using the steering wheel pad- dle shifters. The transmission must be in posi-
tion D.
All vehicles (except AMG vehicles and
vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package): you can activate
manual drive program Musing the steering
wheel paddle shifters.
AMG vehicles: you can activate manual drive
program Min automatic drive programs Cand
S.
Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package: if manual drive program Mis deactivated
using the program selector button, you can
activate manual drive program Musing the
steering wheel paddle shifters.
i As well as temporary drive program
M,
you can also activate permanent drive pro-
gram M(Y page 180).
Further information about permanent drive
program M(Y page 182).
Activating
X Shift the transmission to position D.
X Pull the left or right steering wheel paddle
shifter (Y page 180).
Manual drive program Mis temporarily acti-
vated. The selected gear and Mappear in
the multifunction display.
Shifting gears
If you pull on the left or right steering wheel
paddle shifter, the automatic transmission
switches to manual drive program Mfor a
limited amount of time. Depending on which
paddle shifter is pulled, the automatic trans-
mission immediately shifts into the next gear down or up, if permitted.
X To shift up: pull the right-hand steering
wheel paddle shifter (Y page 180).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
i If the maximum engine speed on the cur-
rently engaged gear is reached and you
continue to accelerate, the automatic Automatic transmission
181Driving and parking Z

transmission automatically shifts up in
order to prevent engine damage.
X To shift down: pull on the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter (Y page 180).
The automatic transmission shifts down to the next gear.
i If the engine exceeds the maximum
engine speed when shifting down, the auto- matic transmission protects against engine
damage by not shifting down.
i Automatic down shifting occurs when
coasting.
Shift recommendation The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec- ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
X Shift to recommended gear 0044according
to gearshift recommendation 0043when
shown in the multifunction display of the
instrument cluster.
Deactivating
If you have activated manual drive program
M , it will remain active for a certain amount of
time. Under certain conditions the minimum
amount of time is extended, e.g. in the case of lateral acceleration, during an overrun phase
or when driving on steep terrain.
If manual drive program Mhas been deacti-
vated, the automatic transmission shifts into
the automatic drive program that was last
selected. You can also deactivate manual drive pro-
gram Myourself:
X Pull on the right-hand steering wheel pad-
dle shifter and hold it in place (Y page 180).
or X Use the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch the
transmission position.
or
X AMG vehicles: use the program selector
button to change the drive program
(Y page 180).
Manual drive program Mis deactivated.
The automatic transmission switches into
the automatic drive program that was last
selected, i.e. Eor S.
or
X Vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD packag e:use the selector
wheel to switch to the on-road program
(Y page 255) or the off-road program
(Y page 259). Manual drive program
General information In this drive program, you can permanently
change gear yourself by using the steering
wheel paddle shifters. The transmission must
be in position D.
i As well as this permanent drive program
M, you can also activate temporary drive
program M(Y page 181).
Switching on the manual drive program In manual drive program
M, you can change
gear using the steering wheel paddle shifters
if the transmission is in position D. You can
see the currently selected drive program and
which gear is engaged in the multifunction
display. 182
Automatic transmissionDriving and pa
rking

X
AMG vehicles: press the program selector
button (Y page 180) until Mappears in the
multifunction display.
X Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: press the program selector button
(Y page 180).
The letter Mappears in the multifunction
display.
Shifting up (all vehicles except AMG
vehicles) X
If corresponding gearshift recommenda-
tion 0043appears in the multifunction display
on the instrument cluster, pull on the right- hand steering wheel paddle shifter
(Y page 180).
The automatic transmission shifts to rec-
ommended gear 0044.
Shifting up (AMG vehicles) !
In manual drive program
M, the automatic
transmission does not shift up automati-
cally even when the engine limiting speed
for the current gear is reached. When the
engine limiting speed is reached, the fuel
supply is cut to prevent the engine from
overrevving. Always make sure that the
engine speed does not reach the red area of
the tachometer. There is otherwise a risk of
engine damage. 0043
Gear indicator
0044 Upshift indicator
Before the engine speed reaches the red area, an upshift indicator will be shown in the mul-
tifunction display.
X If the color in the speedometer multifunc-
tion display changes to red and the UP UPdis-
play message is shown, shift up a gear.
Downshifting X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter (Y page 180).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
Maximum acceleration X Pull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter until the transmission selects the
optimum gear according to the speed.
i If you slow down or stop without shifting
down, the automatic transmission auto-
matically shifts down.
Kickdown You can also use kickdown for maximum
acceleration in manual drive program
M.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to a
lower gear depending on the engine speed.
X Shift back up once the desired speed is
reached.
i All vehicles (except AMG vehicles):
if
you apply full throttle, the automatic trans- mission shifts up to the next gear when the
maximum engine speed is reached. This
prevents the engine from overrevving. Automatic transmission
183Driving and parking Z

i
AMG vehicles:
it is not possible to use
kickdown in manual drive program M.
Switching off the manual drive program X
Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age: press the program selector button
(Y page 180).
The Mmessage in the multifunction display
goes out.
X AMG vehicles: press the program selector
button (Y page 180) repeatedly until Cor S
appears in the multifunction display. 184
Automatic transmissionDriving and pa
rking

Problems with the transmission
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions The transmission has
problems shifting gear. The transmission is losing oil.
X Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop immediately. The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no
longer changes gear. The transmission is in emergency mode.
It is only possible to shift into
secondgear and reverse gear.
X Stop the vehicle.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Wait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
If D is selected, the transmission shifts into secondgear; ifRis
selected, the transmission shifts into reverse gear.
X Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop immediately. Transfer case
! Performance tests may only be carried
out on a 2-axle dynamometer. The brake
system or transfer case could otherwise be
damaged. Contact a qualified specialist
workshop for a performance test.
! Because ESP ®
is an automatic system,
the engine and ignition must be switched
off (SmartKey in position 0or 1or Start/
Stop button in position 0or 1) when the
electric parking brake is being tested on a
brake dynamometer (maximum
10 seconds).
Braking triggered automatically by ESP ®
may seriously damage the brake system.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised,
as doing so will damage the transmission.
This section is only valid for vehicles with 4-
wheel drive (4MATIC). Power is always trans- mitted to both axles. Refueling
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Fuel is highly flammable. If you handle fuel
incorrectly, there is a risk of fire and explo-
sion.
You must avoid fire, open flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Switch off the engine
and, if applicable, the auxiliary heating before refueling. G
WARNING
Fuel is poisonous and hazardous to health.
There is a risk of injury.
You must make sure that fuel does not come into contact with your skin, eyes or clothing
and that it is not swallowed. Do not inhale fuel
vapors. Keep fuel away from children. Refueling
185Driving and parking
Z

more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving. G
WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi- cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
R start the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
! Always secure the vehicle correctly
against rolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle
or its drivetrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against rolling away unintentionally:
R the electric parking brake must be applied.
R the transmission must be in position Pand
the SmartKey must be removed from the
ignition lock.
R the front wheels must be turned towards
the curb on steep uphill or downhill gradi-
ents.
R the empty vehicle must be secured at the
front axle with a wheel chock or similar, for
example, on uphill or downhill gradients.
R a laden vehicle must also be secured at the
rear axle with a wheel chock or similar, for
example, on uphill or downhill gradients. Switching off the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine. The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Using the SmartKey X
Apply the electric parking brake.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the igni-
tion lock and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.
i If you turn off the engine with the Smart-
Key and then remove it from the ignition
lock or open a front door, the automatic
transmission shifts to Pautomatically.
If you shift the automatic transmission to N
before switching off the engine, the auto-
matic transmission remains in Neven if a
door is opened.
Using KEYLESS-GO X
Apply the electric parking brake.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Press the Start/Stop button (Y page 167).
The engine stops and all the indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.
i If you turn off the engine with the Start/
Stop button, the automatic transmission
shifts to N. If you then open one of the front
doors, the automatic transmission shifts to P.
i In the event of an emergency, the engine
can be turned off while the vehicle is in
motion by pressing and holding the Start/
Stop button for three seconds. Parking
191Driving and parking Z