2008 Mercedes CL-Class Owner's Manual - Page 430

Controls in detail Automatic transmission Limiting gear range 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. Gearshift control buttons Gearshift control paddles (CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG only) 1 Left shift button: limiting gear range 2 Right shift button: extending gear range 1 Left shift paddle: limiting gear range or downshift (in program mode M) 2 Right shift paddle: extending gear range or upshift (in program mode M) Briefly press left shift button 1 or pull left shift paddle 1. The transmission will shift to the next lower gear as permitted by the shift program. This action simultaneously limits the gear range of the transmission ( page 426). i You cannot shift with the steering wheel gearshift control buttons when the transmission in position P, N or R. i To avoid overrevving the engine when downshifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower gear if the engine's max. speed would be exceeded. The following instructions describe operation of the steering wheel gearshift control when driving in program mode C or S. 429