2010 Mercedes S-Class Owner's Manual - Page 325

Automatic transmission Selecting program mode C means: RThe 323 Limiting gear range G Warning! 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. X vehicle starts out more gentle, both forward and reverse, except when driving off with full throttle. and driving stability are improved on icy roads. occur earlier even when you give more gas. The engine then operates at lower revolutions and the wheels are less likely to spin. RTraction RUpshifts Selecting program mode S means that upshifts occur later. One-touch gearshifting With the automatic transmission in drive position D and driving in automatic program mode C or S, you can limit or extend the gear range using the steering wheel gearshift control. AMG vehicles: For information on using the steering wheel gearshift control in manual program mode M, see "Manual shift program" (Y page 324). i To avoid overrevving the engine when downshifting, the automatic transmission will not shift into a lower gear if the engine's maximum speed would be exceeded. Extending gear range X Briefly pull right gearshift control ;. The automatic transmission will shift into the next higher gear as permitted by the shift program. This action simultaneously extends the gear range of the automatic transmission. i If you press on the accelerator pedal when the engine has reached the revolution limit of the current gear range, the automatic transmission will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected. Canceling gear range limit Steering wheel gearshift control (example illustration) X i You cannot shift with the steering wheel gearshift control when the automatic transmission is in park position P, neutral position N, or reverse gear R. Pull and hold right gearshift control ; until the gear range indicator disappears from the multifunction display. The automatic transmission will shift from the current gear range directly into drive position D. Z Controls in detail Briefly pull left gearshift control :. The automatic transmission will shift into the next lower gear as permitted by the shift program. This action simultaneously limits the gear range of the automatic transmission.