2007 Mercedes S-Class Owner's Manual - Page 377

Controls in detail Automatic transmission Briefly press button 2 on the back of the steering wheel. The automatic transmission will shift to the next lower gear as permitted by the shift program. This action simultaneously limits the gear range of the automatic transmission ( page 372). Canceling gear range limit Press and hold button 1 on the back of the steering wheel until the cipher for the current gear range disappears from the tachometer display ( page 372). The automatic transmission will shift from the current gear range directly to gear range D. Shifting into optimal gear range Press and hold button 2 on the back of the steering wheel. The automatic transmission will automatically select the gear range suited for optimal acceleration and deceleration. This will involve shifting down one or more gears. i To avoid overrevving the engine when down1 Right button: upshift 2 Left button: downshift shifting, the automatic transmission will not shift to a lower gear if the engine's max. speed would be exceeded. i You cannot shift with the steering wheel gearshift buttons when the automatic transmission in position P, N or R. Upshifting Briefly press button 1 on the back of the steering wheel. The automatic transmission will shift to the next higher gear as permitted by the shift program. This action simultaneously extends the gear range of the automatic transmission. Downshifting Warning! G On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in order to obtain braking action. This could result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle control. Your vehicle's ABS will not prevent this type of loss of control. i If you press on the accelerator when the engine has reached its rpm limit, the automatic transmission will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected. 376