Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2009 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 137)

Automatic transmission
135
Selecting program mode C means:
R The vehicle starts out more gentle, both
forward and reverse, except when driving
off with full throttle.
R Traction and driving stability are improved
on icy roads.
R Upshifts occur earlier even when you give
more gas. The engine then operates at
lower revolutions and the wheels are less
likely to spin.
Selecting program mode S means that
upshifts occur later.
One-touch gearshifting
With the automatic transmission in drive
position
D, you can limit or extend the gear
range using the steering wheel gearshift
contol.
ML 63 AMG: You only can limit or extend the
gear range when driving in automatic
program mode
C or S. For information on
using the steering wheel gearshift control in
manual program mode
M, see “Manual shift
program” ( Y page 136).
Steering wheel gearshift control (example
illustration)
1
Limiting gear range
Downshift (in manual program mode
M)
2 Extending gear range
Upshift (in manual program mode
M)
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.
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 Briefly pull left gearshift control 1 .
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.
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 2 .
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.
Controls in detail
Z