Holding the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients
GWARNING
If the clutch overheats, the electronic man-
agement system is automatically deactivated.
This interrupts the power transmission. The
vehicle may, for example, roll backwards on
gradients. There is a risk of an accident.
Never hold the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients by depressing the accelerator.
The clutch may overheat if you hold the vehiclestationary on uphill gradients by depressing theaccelerator pedal. If the clutch overheats, awarning tone sounds.
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles):theStop Vehicle Shift to 'P'Stop Vehicle Shift to 'P'
Leave Engine RunningLeave Engine Runningdisplay messageappears in the multifunction display. You willonly be able to continue your journey once theclutch has cooled down and the display mes-sage in the multifunction display has disap-peared.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles:theTrans. OilTrans. Oil
Overheated Drive on with CareOverheated Drive on with Caredisplaymessage appears in the multifunction display.
Do not hold the vehicle stationary on uphill gra-dients by depressing the accelerator pedal.Instead, only ever hold the vehicle stationary onuphill gradients by:
Rdepressing the brake pedal
Ractivating the HOLD function
Rengaging the electric parking brake
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
XDepress the accelerator pedal beyond thepressure point.The automatic transmission shifts to a lowergear depending on the engine speed.
XEase off the accelerator pedal once thedesired speed is reached.The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles:it is only possible touse kickdown in the automatic drive programand the temporary manual drive programM.When manual drive programMis permanentlyactivated, kickdown is not possible.
For further information on kickdown in manualdrive programM(Ypage 139).
Rocking the vehicle free
Shifting back and forth between transmissionpositions [and ^can help to free up thevehicle if it gets stuck in mud or snow. The vehi-cle's engine management system limits thespeed to a maximum of 5 mph (9 km/h) whenshifting back and forth. To shift repeatedlybetween transmission positions [and ^,move the DIRECT SELECT lever up and downpast the point of resistance.
Drive programs
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG
vehicles)
Drive program C (Comfort)
Drive programCis characterized by the follow-ing:
Rthe vehicle delivers comfortable, economicalhandling characteristics.
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently in forwardand reverse gears, unless the acceleratorpedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle has improved driving stability, forexample on slippery road surfaces.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from theautomatic transmission shifting up sooner.The vehicle is driven in the low engine speedrange and the wheels are less likely to spin.
Drive program S (Sport)
Drive programSis characterized by the follow-ing:
Rsporty engine settings.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.The fuel consumption possibly being higheras a result of the later automatic transmissionshift points.
Automatic transmission135
Driving and parking
Z
Drive program I (Individual)
In drive programIthe following properties of thedrive program can be selected:
Rthe drive (engine and transmission manage-ment)
Rthe suspension (vehicles with damping sys-tem or AMG adaptive sport suspension sys-tem)
Rthe steering
Rthe availability of the ECO start/stop function
Rthe climate control
Information about configuring drive programIwith the multimedia system can be found in theDigital Operator's Manual.
iTo permanently select the gears in driveprogramIusing the steering wheel paddleshifters, select theM(manual) setting for thedrive.
Drive program E (Economy)
Drive programEis characterized by the follow-ing:
Rcomfort-oriented engine settings.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from theautomatic transmission shifting up sooner.
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently in forwardand reverse gears, unless the acceleratorpedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle has improved driving stability, forexample on slippery road surfaces.
Rthe automatic transmission shifting upsooner. This results in the vehicle being drivenat lower engine speeds and the wheels beingless likely to spin.
Rgliding mode is activated automatically whenengine-internal conditions are fulfilled andthe accelerator is not depressed. At the sametime the transmission’s clutch opens and thevehicle rolls freely using its kinetic energy. Asa result great distances can be completedwithout the engine brake and fuel consump-tion reduced.
iThe availability of gliding mode depends onvarious factors, including the following:
Rthe engine and transmission temperature
Rthe downhill gradient
Rthe vehicle speed
Rperforming regular adaptation functions
When you depress the brake pedal, glidingmode is deactivated, depending on pedalpressure.
When you activate cruise control or ActiveDistance Assist DISTRONIC, gliding mode isnot available.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles
Drive program I (Individual)
In drive programIthe following properties of thedrive program can be selected:
Rthe drive (engine management)
Rthe transmission management
Rthe suspension (vehicles with AMG adaptivesport suspension system)
RESP®
Information about configuring drive programIwith the multimedia system can be found in theDigital Operator's Manual.
Drive program C (Comfort)
Drive programCis characterized by the follow-ing:
Rthe vehicle delivers comfortable, economicalhandling characteristics.
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently in forwardand reverse gears, unless the acceleratorpedal is depressed fully.
Rthe vehicle has improved driving stability, forexample on slippery road surfaces.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting from theautomatic transmission shifting up sooner.The vehicle is driven in the low engine speedrange and the wheels are less likely to spin.
Rgliding mode is available.
Rthe ECO start/stop function is available.
Drive program S (Sport)
Drive programSis characterized by the follow-ing:
Rthe vehicle exhibits sporty driving character-istics.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.The fuel consumption possibly being higheras a result of the later automatic transmissionshift points.
Rthe suspension exhibits stiff springing anddamping settings (vehicles with AIR adaptivesport suspension system).
136Automatic transmission
Driving and pa rking
road surface is required and the vehicle and tiresmust be in good working order.
Do not activate start-off assist on public roads.
Observe the safety notes on driving safety sys-tems (Ypage 61).
Be sure to read the safety notes and information
on ESP®(Ypage 64).
Activating start-off assist
XDeactivate ESP®(Ypage 187).
XTurn the steering wheel to the straight-aheadposition.
XFirmly depress the brake pedal with your leftfoot and keep it depressed.
XShift the transmission to position [.
XUse the DYNAMIC SELECT button to selecttheSdrive program (Ypage 129).
XQuickly depress the accelerator pedal fully.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep theaccelerator pedal depressed.The vehicle pulls away at maximum acceler-ation.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the acceleration
process has ended. ESP®will otherwise notbe able to stabilize the vehicle if the vehiclestarts to skid or a wheel starts to spin.
Canceling start-off assist
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
XReactivate ESP®.
RACE START (Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles)
Important safety notes
iRACE START must not be used on normalroads. RACE START must only be activatedand used on dedicated road circuits, outsideof public road use.
iRACE START is only available inMercedes‑AMG vehicles.
GWARNING
If you use RACE START, individual tires may
start to spin and the vehicle could skid.
Depending on the selected ESP®mode, there
is an increased risk of skidding and having an
accident. Make sure that no persons, animals
or obstacles are within range of the vehicle.
RACE START enables optimal acceleration froma standing start. For this, a suitably high-griproad surface is required and the vehicle and tiresmust be in good working order.
iObserve the safety notes on driving safetysystems (Ypage 61).
Be sure to read the safety notes and informa-
tion on ESP®(Ypage 64).
Conditions for activation
You can activate RACE START if:
Rthe doors, hood and the trunk lid are closed.
Rthe engine is running and the transmission,all-wheel drive clutch and the engine are atoperating temperature.
Rthe steering wheel is in the straight-aheadposition.
Rthe vehicle is stationary and the brake pedal isdepressed (left foot).
Rthe transmission is in position [.
Rdrive programS,S+orRACEis selected(Ypage 130)
Activating RACE START
XDepress the brake pedal with your left footand keep it depressed.
XPull and hold both steering wheel paddle shift-ers.
XTheRACE START Confirm: Paddle UPRACE START Confirm: Paddle UPCancel: Paddle DOWNCancel: Paddle DOWNmessage appears inthe multifunction display.
XRelease both steering wheel paddle shifters.
iIf the activation conditions are no longer ful-filled, RACE START is canceled. TheRACERACESTART Not Possible See Operator'sSTART Not Possible See Operator'sManualManualmessage appears in the multifunctiondisplay.
XTo cancel:pull the left steering wheel paddleshifter (Ypage 137).
or
XTo confirm:pull the right steering wheel pad-dle shifter (Ypage 137).TheRACERACESTARTSTARTAvailableAvailableDepressDepressgasgaspedalpedalmessage appears in the multifunctiondisplay.
160Driving systems
Driving and parking