2002 Mercedes S-Class Owner's Manual - Page 244

Neutral No power is transmitted from the engine to the drive axle. When the brakes are released, the vehicle can be moved freely (pushed or towed). Do not engage "N" while driving except to coast when the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy roads, see page 254 for winter driving instructions). Important! Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other reason with selector lever in "N" can result in transmission damage that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. Drive The transmission automatically upshifts through 5th gear. Position "D" provides optimum driving characteristics under all normal operating conditions. Gear selection for special circumstances The transmission gear ranges for special circumstances can be selected by pressing the selector lever to the right or the left with the selector lever in position "D". The gear range currently selected is indicated in the instrument cluster display. Briefly press selector lever in the "D -" direction: The transmission will shift from the current gear range to the next lower gear range. Press and hold selector lever in the "D -" direction: The selector lever position display will switch to the gear range currently selected by the automatic transmission. Shifting into another gear range that allows for quicker acceleration or to slow the vehicle down is possible. Downshifts can also be performed. Note: To avoid overrevving the engine when the selector lever is moved in "D -" direction, the transmission will not shift to a lower gear if the engine's revolutions per minute limit would be exceeded. Automatic transmission Instruments and controls Operation Driving 241 Instrument cluster display Practical hints Car care Technical data Index