2016 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS transmission

Transmission position display
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG
vehicles) The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display.
C
Transmission positionD
Gear

Drivin g tips
Changin g gea rThe automatic transmissio n shift s to th e indi-
vidual gear s automatically when it is in trans -
missio n position D . Thi s automatic gear shiftin g
behavio r is determined by:R
th e selecte d drive program ( Y
page 173)R
th e position of th e accelerator peda l
( Y
page 173) R
th e road speed
Accelerator pedal position Your style of drivin g influences how th e auto-
matic transmissio n shift s gear :R
littl e throttle: early upshift sR
more throttle: lat e upshift s
Kickdown Use kickdown fo r maximum acceleration .X
Depress th e accelerator peda l beyond th e
pressure point.
The automatic transmissio n shift s to a lowe r
gear dependin g on th e engin e speed.X
Ease of f th e accelerator peda l once th e
desire d speed is reached.
The automatic transmissio n shift s bac k up.
Rockin g th e vehicle freeRocking th e vehicle free by shiftin g bac k and
fort h between transmissio n position s D and R
can hel p to free a vehicle that has becom e stuck
in mud or snow. The vehicle' s engin e manage-
men t restricts switchin g between transmissio n
position s D and R to speeds up to a maximum of
5 mph (9 km/h). To shift bac k and fort h between
transmissio n position s D and R , move th e
DIREC T SELECT lever up and down past th e
poin t of resistance.
Program selector butto n
Thi s section describes th e program selecto r but -
to n fo r all vehicles except PLUG-I N HYBRID vehi-
cles. Information on automatic drive programs
fo r PLUG-I N HYBRID vehicles ( Y
page 250). X
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles an d PLUG-IN HYBRID) : press program
selecto r butto n C to chang e th e drive pro -
gram.
The selecte d drive program appears in th e
multifunction display.
X
Mercedes-AMG vehicles : press program
selecto r butto n C repeatedly until th e lette r
fo r th e desire d drive program appears in th e
multifunction display.
The program selecto r butto n influences:R
th e drive program ( Y
page 174)R
th e engin e managemen t
On Mercedes-AMG vehicles , drive program E is
called drive program C .
The automatic transmissio n switches to auto-
matic drive program E (drive program C in
Mercedes-AMG vehicles).
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehicles
an d PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles )
E Econom y Comfortable , economical
drivin g
S Spor t Sporty drivin g styleAutomatic transmission 173
Driving and parking Z

You can also activate manual drive program M
using the steering wheel paddle shifters
( Y
page 174). In manual drive program M , you
can briefly change gear yourself by using the
steering wheel paddle shifters.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles
C Controlled
Efficiency Comfortable, economical
driving
S Sport Sporty driving style
M Manual Manual gear shifting
Permanent drive program M is only available for
Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
Further information about permanent drive pro-
gram M ( Y
page 175).
You can also activate manual drive program M
using the steering wheel paddle shifters
( Y
page 174). In manual drive program M , you
can briefly change gear yourself by using the
steering wheel paddle shifters.
For further information on the automatic drive
program, see ( Y
page 174).
Steering wheel paddle shifters
You can activate manual drive program M in the
E ( C in AMG vehicles) and S automatic drive
programs using steering wheel paddle shift-
ers C and D ( Y
page 174). In manual drive
program M , you can briefly change gear yourself
by using the steering wheel paddle shifters.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: you can also activate
manual drive program M with the program
selector button ( Y
page 175). In manual drive
program M , you can permanently change gear
yourself by using the steering wheel paddle
shifters. Automatic drive program
Automatic drive program E Drive program E (drive program C on Mercedes-
AMG vehicles) is characterized by the following: R
comfort-oriented engine 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 vehicle having improved driving stability,
for example on slippery road surfaces. 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 drive program S Drive program S is characterized by the follow-
ing: R
sporty engine settings. R
the vehicle pulling away in first gear. R
the automatic transmission shifting up later.
the fuel consumption possibly being higher as
a result of the later automatic transmission
shift points.
Manual drive program M
General notes In this drive program, you can briefly change
gear yourself by using the steering wheel paddle
shifters. The transmission must be in position D .
You can activate manual drive program M in the
E ( C in Mercedes-AMG vehicles) and S auto-
matic drive programs.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: as well as temporary
drive program M , you can also activate perma-
nent drive program M . Further information
about permanent drive program M
( Y
page 175).
Activating X
Shift the transmission to position D .X
Pull the left or right steering wheel paddle
shifter ( Y
page 174).
Manual drive program M is temporarily acti-
vated.174
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles: )M and the selected gear appear in the
multifunction display.
Further information on activating manual drive
program M on PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles
( Y
page 250).
Shifting gears If you pull on the left or right steering wheel
paddle shifter, the automatic transmission
switches to manual drive program M for a limi-
ted amount of time. Depending on which paddle
shifter is pulled, the automatic transmission
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 174).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
If the maximum engine speed on the currently
engaged gear is reached and you continue to
accelerate, the automatic transmission auto-
matically shifts up in order to prevent engine
damage.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: the automatic
transmission will not shift up to the next gear
when the engine speed is very low. X
To shift down: pull on the left-hand steering
wheel paddle shifter ( Y
page 174).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
If the engine exceeds the maximum engine
speed when shifting down, the automatic
transmission protects against engine damage
by not shifting down.
Automatic down shifting occurs when coast-
ing.
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 D according to
gearshift recommendation C when 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 M has been deactiva-
ted, the automatic transmission shifts into the
automatic drive program that was last selected.
You can also deactivate manual drive program
M yourself: X
Pull on the right-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter and hold it in place ( Y
page 174).
or X
Use the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch the
transmission position.
or X
Use the program selector button to change
the drive program ( Y
page 173).
Manual drive program M is deactivated. The
automatic transmission switches to the pre-
viously activated drive program E (drive pro-
gram C on Mercedes-AMG vehicles) or S .
Manual drive program (Mercedes-
AMG vehicles)
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 .
Manual drive program M is different from drive
program S with regard to spontaneity, respon-
siveness and smoothness of gear changes.
As well as this permanent drive program M , you
can also activate temporary drive program
M ( Y
page 174).Automatic transmission 175
Driving and parking Z

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. X
Press the program selector button
( Y
page 173) repeatedly until M appears in
the multifunction display.
Upshifting
! In manual drive program M , the automatic
transmission does not shift up automatically
even when the engine limiting speed for the
current gear is reached. When the engine lim-
iting 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.
C
Gear indicatorD
Upshift indicator
Before the engine speed reaches the red area,
an upshift indicator will be shown in the multi-
function display. X
When message D appears in the multifunc-
tion display, pull on the right-hand steering
wheel paddle shifter.
Downshifting X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter ( Y
page 174).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear if this is permissible. Maximum acceleration X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter until the transmission selects the opti-
mum gear according to the speed.
If you slow down or stop without shifting down,
the automatic transmission automatically shifts
down.
Switching off the manual drive program X
Press the program selector button
( Y
page 173) repeatedly until C or S appears
in the multifunction display.176
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Problems with the transmission Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The transmission has
problems shifting gear. The transmission is losing oil. X
Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist workshop
immediately.
The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no lon-
ger changes gear. The transmission is in emergency mode.
7G-TRONIC: it is only possible to shift into second gear and reverse
gear.
9G-TRONIC: it is only partly possible to engage the gears or the trans-
mission is in position N .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 D or R .
7G-TRONIC: If D is selected, the transmission shifts into second
gear, if R is selected, the transmission shifts into reverse gear. X
Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist workshop
immediately.
Problems with PLUG-IN HYBRID operation ( Y
page 254).
Transfer case This section is only valid for vehicles with 4-
wheel drive (4MATIC). Power is always trans-
mitted to both axles.
! 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.
! Since ESP ®
engages automatically, the igni-
tion must be switched off (the SmartKey or
Start/Stop button must be in position 0 or 1 )
if: R
the electric parking brake is being tested
on a brake dynamometer R
the vehicle is being towed with only one
axle raised (not permitted for vehicles with
4MATIC).
The brake system could otherwise be dam-
aged. ! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised, as
doing so will damage the transmission.
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 Refueling 177
Driving and parking Z

Connecting the charging cable
X
Shift the transmission to position P .X
Switch the ignition off. X
Press the charge socket flap in the direction
of arrow C .
The charge socket flap swings up. X
Press fastener D to the left.
Socket cap

Connecting the charging cable
X
Shift the transmission to position P .X
Switch the ignition off. X
Press the charge socket flap in direction of
arrow C .
The charge socket flap swings up. X
Press fastener D to the left.
Socket cap