Mercedes-Benz 2003 SL 500 Operator's Manual page 143

Activating steering wheel gearshift
control
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
al shift program appears in the tachom-
eter display field.
Automatic gear shifting is deactivated.
Upshifting
Press the button located on the right
side of the steering wheel.
or
Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+ direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Downshifting
Press the button located on the left
side of the steering wheel.
for manu-
M
or
Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D– direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.
Warning!
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle's ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until
in the tachometer display field.
i
At each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last shift program mode
selected ( or ). Only program mode
S W
is not stored and will not be recalled
G
when engine is restarted.
or appears
S W
M
143