Mercedes-Benz SL SERIES Operator's Manual page 167

the vehicle having improved driving stabil-
R
ity, for example on slippery road surfaces.
the automatic transmission shifting up
R
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin.
Drive program S is characterized by the fol-
lowing:
sporty engine and transmission settings.
R
the vehicle pulling away in first gear.
R
the automatic transmission shifting up
R
later. the fuel consumption possibly being
higher as a result of the later automatic
transmission shift points.
Manual drive program M
General notes
In this drive program, you can briefly change
gear yourself by using the steering wheel pad-
dle shifters. The transmission must be in posi-
tion D.
You can activate manual drive program M in
the E and S automatic drive programs.
i
As well as temporary drive program M,
you can also activate permanent drive pro-
gram M ( page 163).
Y
Further information about permanent drive
program M ( page 166).
Y
Activating
Shift the transmission to position D.
X
Pull the left or right steering wheel paddle
X
shifter ( page 164).
Y
Manual drive program M is temporarily acti-
vated. The selected gear and M appear in
the multifunction display.
Shifting gears
If you pull on the left or right steering wheel
paddle shifter, the automatic transmission
switches to manual drive program M for a
limited amount of time. Depending on which
paddle shifter is pulled, the automatic trans-
Automatic transmission
mission immediately shifts into the next gear
down or up, if permitted.
To shift up: pull the right-hand steering
X
wheel paddle shifter (
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
i
If the maximum engine speed on the cur-
rently engaged gear is reached and you
continue to accelerate, the automatic
transmission automatically shifts up in
order to prevent engine damage.
To shift down: pull on the left-hand steer-
X
ing wheel paddle shifter (
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
i
If the engine exceeds the maximum
engine speed when shifting down, the auto-
matic transmission protects against engine
damage by not shifting down.
i Automatic down shifting occurs when
coasting.
Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
Shift to recommended gear ; according
X
to gearshift recommendation : when
shown in the multifunction display of the
instrument cluster.
Disarming
If you have activated manual drive program
M, it will remain active for a certain amount of
time. Under certain conditions the minimum
amount of time is extended, e.g. in the case of
lateral acceleration, during an overrun phase
or when driving on steep terrain.
page 164).
Y
page 164).
Y
Z
165