2015 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE SUV automatic transmission

Pulling away
General notes G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
Depress the accelerator carefully when pulling
away.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have pulled
away. The locking knobs in the doors drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking
feature (Y page 294).
It is only possible to shift the transmission from position Pto the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the parking lock
released. If you do not depress the brake pedal,
the DIRECT SELECT lever can still be moved but the parking lock remains engaged.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine speeds
after a cold start. This helps the catalytic con- verter to reach its operating temperature
more quickly.
Information on automatically releasing the elec-
trical parking brake (Y page 192).
Pulling away with a trailer To ensure that you do not roll backwards when
pulling away on an uphill slope, apply the electric
parking brake. X
Press and hold handle :.
The electric parking brake continues to brake
and prevent the vehicle from rolling back-
wards.
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster remains lit.
X Depress the accelerator pedal.
X As soon as the vehicle/trailer combination is
held by the driving force of the engine, release
lever :.
the electric parking brake is released
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Hill start assist Hill start assist helps you when pulling away for-
wards or in reverse on an uphill gradient. It holds the vehicle for a short time after you have
removed your foot from the brake pedal. This
gives you enough time to move your foot from
the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and
depress it before the vehicle begins to roll. G
WARNING
After a while, hill start assist no longer holds
the vehicle and it may roll away. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist is not active if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or a
downhill gradient
R the transmission is in position N
R the electric parking brake is applied
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning ECO start/stop function
Introduction This section describes the ECO start/stop func-
tion for all vehicles except PLUG-IN HYBRID
vehicles. Information on the ECO start/stop
function in PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles
(Y page 269). Driving
161Driving and parking Z

The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle is stopped
under certain conditions.
When pulling away again, the engine starts auto- matically. The ECO start/stop function thereby
helps you to reduce the fuel consumption and
emissions of your vehicle.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the engine is switched off automatically and you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted
automatically. The vehicle may begin moving. There is a risk of accident and injury.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the ignition and secure the vehicle against
rolling away.
General notes :
ECO start/stop display
The ECO start/stop function is activated when-
ever you start the engine using the key or the
Start/Stop button.
If the è ECO symbol is shown in green in the
multifunction display, the ECO start/stop func-
tion switches the engine off automatically once
the vehicle stops moving.
If the ECO start/stop function has been man-
ually deactivated (Y page 163) or a malfunction
has caused the system to be deactivated, the
è ECO symbol is not displayed.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the ECO start/stop
function is only available in drive programs
Comfort andSlippery.
Automatic engine switch-off If the vehicle is braked to a standstill with the
transmission in Dor N, the ECO start/stop func-
tion switches off the engine automatically. The ECO start/stop function is operational and
the
è ECO symbol is displayed in green in the
multifunction display, if:
R the indicator lamp in the ECO button is lit
green
R none of the off-road programs are selected
R the outside temperature is within the range
that is suitable for the system
R the engine is at normal operating temperature
R the set temperature for the vehicle interior
has been reached
R the battery is sufficiently charged
R the system detects that the windscreen is not
misted up when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
R the bonnet is closed
R the driver's door is closed and the driver's
seat belt is fastened
If the conditions for automatic engine switch-off are not all met, the èECO symbol is shown in
yellow.
All of the vehicle's systems remain active when the engine is switched off automatically.
The HOLD function can be activated if the
engine has been switched off automatically. It isthen not necessary to continue applying the
brakes during the automatic stop phase. When
you depress the accelerator pedal, the engine
starts automatically and the braking effect of
the HOLD function is deactivated.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles): automatic engine switch-off can take
place a maximum of four times in a row (initial
switch-off, then three subsequent switch-offs).
The è ECO symbol is shown in yellow in the
multifunction display after the engine has been
started automatically for the fourth time. When
the è ECO symbol is shown in green in the
multifunction display, automatic engine switch-
off is again possible.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the number of con-
secutive automatic engine stops is unlimited.
Automatic engine start The engine is started automatically if:
R
you switch off the ECO start/stop function by
pressing the ECO button
R in transmission position Dor N, the brake
pedal is released and the HOLD function is not active 162
DrivingDriving and parking

R
you depress the accelerator pedal
R you engage reverse gear R
R you move the transmission out of position P
R you switch to the Sport PlusorSport drive
program (Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
R you activate manual gearshifting (Mercedes-
AMG vehicles)
R you switch to the Offroaddrive program
(vehicles without Off-Road Engineering pack- age)
R you switch to the OffroadorOffroad Plus
drive program (vehicles with Off-Road Engi-
neering package)
R you unfasten your seat belt or open the driv-
er's door
R the vehicle starts to roll
R the brake system requires this
R the temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
R the system detects moisture on the wind-
screen when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
R the battery's charge status is too low
Shifting the transmission to position Pdoes not
start the engine.
If you shift the transmission from Rto D, the
ECO start/stop function is available again once
the è ECO symbol reappears in green in the
multifunction display.
Switching the ECO start/stop function
off/on All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles) X
To switch off: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;and the èECO symbol
in the multifunction display go out. X
To switch on: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. If all conditions
for automatic engine switch-off (Y page 162)
are fulfilled, the èECO symbol is shown in
green in the multifunction display.
If the conditions for automatic engine switch-
off (Y page 162) are not all fulfilled, the è
ECO symbol is shown in yellow in the multi-
function display. If this is the case, the ECO
start/stop function is not available.
If indicator lamp ;is off, the ECO start/stop
function has been deactivated manually or as
the result of a malfunction. The engine will then
not be switched off automatically when the vehi-
cle stops.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles X
To switch off: in theComfort drive program,
press ECO button :.
or X Activate manual gearshifting (Y page 172).
or X Switch to the Sport PlusorSport drive pro-
gram (Y page 166).
Indicator lamp ;and the èECO symbol
in the multifunction display go out.
X To switch on: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up. When the
Sport Plus orSport drive program is activa-
ted, the automatic transmission switches to
the Comfort drive program.
If all conditions for automatic engine switch-
off (Y page 162) are fulfilled, the èECO
symbol is shown in green in the multifunction display.
If not all conditions for automatic engine
switch-off (Y page 162) are fulfilled, the è
ECO symbol is shown in yellow. If this is the Driving
163Driving and pa rking Z

Offroad
Optimal driving characteris-
tics for easily negotiable off-
road terrain Offroad Plus
(vehicles with
Off-Road Engi-
neering pack-
age)
Optimal driving characteris-
tics for rough terrain Further information on:
R the Individual, Sport,Comfort andSlippery
drive programs (Y page 171)
R the Offroad drive program (vehicles without
Off-Road Engineering package)
(Y page 254)
R the Offroad andOffroad Plus drive pro-
grams (vehicles with Off-Road Engineering
package) (Y page 254) X
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: turn DYNAMIC
SELECT controller :as many times as nec-
essary until the desired drive program is
selected.
The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds the
display goes out.
In addition, the current drive program settings are displayed in the multimedia system dis-
play.
Drive programs available (Mercedes-AMG
vehicles): Individual
Individual settings
Comfort
Comfortable and economi-
cal driving characteristics
Sport
Sporty driving characteris-
tics Sport Plus
Particularly sporty driving
characteristics
Slippery
Optimal driving characteris-
tics on slippery or snow-
covered roads Additional information for drive programs
(Y
page 171). Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate. 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.
Observe the important safety notes for PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles (Y page 41). Automatic transmission
167Driving and parking Z

DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
The DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of the
steering column.
The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns to its
original position. The current transmission posi-
tion P,R, Nor Dappears in the transmission
position display in the multifunction display
(Y page 168).
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display. :
Transmission position
; Gear
= Drive program
The arrows in the transmission position display
show how and into which transmission positions
you can shift using the DIRECT SELECT lever.
If the transmission position display in the mul-
tifunction display is not working, you should pull away carefully to check whether the desired
transmission position is engaged. Ideally, you
should select transmission position D.Engaging park position P !
If the engine speed is too high, do not shift
the automatic transmission directly from Dto
R, from Rto Dor directly to P. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission could be damaged. j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever in the direction
of arrow P.
Engaging park position P automatically Park position
Pis automatically engaged if:
R you switch off the engine using the key and
remove the key
R you switch off the engine using the key or
using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door
R you open the driver's door when the vehicle is
stationary or when driving at a very low speed
and the transmission is in position Dor R
Under certain conditions, the automatic trans-
mission shifts automatically to transmission
position Pif the HOLD function or DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. Observe the information on
the HOLD function (Y page 220) and on
DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 210).
Engaging reverse gear R !
Only shift the automatic transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. 168
Automatic transmissionDriving and pa
rking

X
If the transmission is in position Dor N: push
the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the first
point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the first point of resistance.
Shifting to neutral N G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves.
Children could also set the vehicle in motion, for example by:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. Always
keep the key out of reach of children.
X If the transmission is in position Dor R: push
the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to the
first point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT
lever up or down to the first point of resist-
ance.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position Ror D, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
With the key: if you then open the driver's door
or the front-passenger door or remove the key
from the ignition, the automatic transmission
shifts to Pautomatically.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then open
the driver's door or the front-passenger door,
the automatic transmission shifts to Pautomat-
ically. If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral
N, e.g. when having the vehicle
cleaned in an automatic car wash with a towing
system:
With the key:
X Switch the ignition on.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the key in the
ignition lock.
With the Start/Stop button: X Remove the Start/Stop button from the igni-
tion lock.
X Insert the key into the ignition lock.
X Switch the ignition on.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the key in the
ignition lock.
Engaging drive position D X
If the transmission is in position Ror N: push
the DIRECT SELECT lever down past the first
point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT SELECT lever down past the first point of resistance. Automatic transmission
169Driving and parking Z

Transmission positions
B Park position
This prevents the vehicle from rolling away when stopped. Only shift the
transmission into position Pwhen
the vehicle is stationary
(Y page 225).
Park position Pis automatically
engaged if:
R you switch off the engine using the
key and remove the key
R you switch off the engine using the
key or using the Start/Stop button
and open the driver's door or front- passenger door
R you open the driver's door when
the vehicle is stationary or driving
at very low speed and the trans-
mission is in position Dor R C Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission into posi- tion Rwhen the vehicle is stationary. A 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 brakes will allow you to
move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push
it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty: shift
the transmission to position Nif the
vehicle is in danger of skidding, e.g.
on icy roads.
If you switch the engine off with the
transmission in position Ror D, the
automatic transmission shifts to N
automatically.
! Rolling in neutral
Ncan lead to
damage to the transmission. 7 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. Gearshifting is determined
by:
R the selected drive program
R the position of the accelerator pedal
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 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.
Gliding mode All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles)
Gliding mode is characterised by the following:
R the combustion engine is disconnected from
the drive train
R the engine speed is equal to the engine idling
speed
R the gear indicated after the transmission
position Ddisappears in the multifunction
display (Y page 168)
Gliding mode can be activated under the follow-
ing conditions:
R you select the "ECO" setting for the drive sys-
tem within the Individualdrive program. You
can find information about this in the Digital
Owner's Manual
R the speed is within a suitable range 170
Automatic transmissionDriving an
d parking

R
the type of road is suitable, e.g. no steep gra-
dients
R you are no longer depressing the accelerator
pedal
Gliding mode is deactivated under the following
conditions:
R you depress the accelerator pedal
R you depress the brake pedal
R you use the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch
the transmission position (Y page 168)
R you use the DYNAMIC SELECT controller to
change the drive program (Y page 166)
R you activate manual gearshifting
(Y page 172)
R you leave the suitable speed range
Mercedes-AMG vehicles Gliding mode is characterised by the following:
R the combustion engine is disconnected from
the drive train
R the engine speed is equal to the engine idling
speed
R in the multifunction display, the gliding sym-
bol appears in the drive program display
Gliding mode can be activated under the follow-
ing conditions:
R the Comfort drive program is activated or you
select the "Comfort" setting for the drive sys-
tem within the Individualdrive program. You
can find information about this in the Digital
Owner's Manual
R the ECO start/stop function is activated
R you are driving carefully with low acceleration
of the vehicle
R the engine is at normal operating temperature
R the speed is within a suitable range
R the type of road is suitable, e.g. no steep gra-
dients
R you are no longer depressing the accelerator
pedal
Gliding mode is deactivated under the following conditions:
R you have deactivated the ECO start/stop
function
R you depress the accelerator pedal
R you depress the brake pedal
R you use the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch
the transmission position (Y page 168)R
you use the DYNAMIC SELECT controller to
change the drive program (Y page 166)
R you activate manual gearshifting
(Y page 172)
R you leave the suitable speed range
Towing a trailer X
Drive in the middle of the engine speed range
on uphill gradients.
X Depending on the uphill or downhill gradient,
use left-hand steering wheel gearshift paddle
(Y page 172) to select a lower gear, even if
cruise control, DISTRONIC PLUS, or SPEED-
TRONIC are activated. Drive programs
Slippery drive program The
Slippery drive program has the following
characteristics:
R reduced engine and transmission settings for
optimum propulsion on slippery or snow-cov-
ered roads.
R optimised ESP ®
stability control on slippery
or snow-covered roads.
R the vehicle has improved driving stability on
slippery or snow-covered roads, for example.
Comfort drive program The
Comfort drive program has the following
characteristics:
R comfort-orientated 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 accel-
erator pedal is depressed fully.
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. Automatic transmission
171Driving and parking Z