2002 Mercedes SL-Class Owner's Manual - Page 174

Instruments and controls Operation Driving Instrument cluster display Practical hints Car care Technical data Index Automatic transmission Park position The park position is to be used when parking the vehicle. Engage only with the vehicle stopped. The park position is not intended to serve as a brake when the vehicle is parked. Rather, the driver should always use the parking brake in addition to placing the selector lever in park to secure the vehicle. Note: The key can be removed from the steering lock only with the foot off the brake pedal and the selector lever in position "P". With the key removed, the selector lever is locked in position "P". Reverse gear Shift to reverse gear only with the vehicle stopped. Depending on the program mode selector switch position "S" or "W" the maximum speed in the reverse gear is different. However, it is not possible to change the program mode while in reverse. 170 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 182). 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. The transmission automatically upshifts through 5th gear. Position "D" provides optimum driving characteristics under all normal operating conditions. Upshift through 4th gear only. Suitable for performance driving. To shift from position "D" to "4", push selector lever to the left. Upshift through 3rd gear only. Suitable for moderately steep hills. Since the transmission does not shift higher than 3rd gear, this gear selection will allow use of the engine's braking power downhill.