2008 Mercedes R-Class Owner's Manual - Page 202

Controls in detail Automatic transmission Steering wheel gearshift control With drive position D selected, you can limit or extend the gear range. Limiting gear range Warning! G ! Allow engine to warm up under low load use. Do not place full load on the engine until the operating temperature has been reached. Shift into reverse gear R or park position P only when the vehicle is stopped. Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended period when driving off on slippery road surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. 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. 1 Left shift button: limiting gear range 2 Right shift button: extending gear range Briefly press left shift button 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 199). 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. 201