Changing Gears; Driving Tips; Program Selector Button; Automatic Drive Program - Mercedes-Benz A-Class Series Owner's Manual

Changing gears

AUTOTRONIC shifts to the individual gears
automatically when it is in transmission posi-
tion D. This automatic gearshifting behaviour
is determined by:
the selected drive program
R
C/S ( page 119)
Y
the position of the accelerator pedal
R
the road speed
R

Driving tips

Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how AUTO-
TRONIC shifts gear:
little throttle: early upshifts
R
more throttle: late upshifts
R
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
X
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
X
desired speed is reached.
The transmission shifts back up.
Trailer towing
Drive in the middle of the engine speed
X
range on uphill gradients.
Shift down to shift range 3 or 2 depending
X
on the uphill or downhill gradient, even if
cruise control or SPEEDTRONIC is activa-
ted.

Program selector button

The program selector button allows you to
choose between different driving character-
istics.
Program selector button
C Comfort comfortable, economical
driving
S Sport sporty driving style
i
For further information about "Drive pro-
gram" ( page 119).
Y
Press program selector button : repeat-
X
edly until the letter for the desired gearshift
program appears in the multifunction dis-
play.

Automatic drive program

Drive program C is characterised by the fol-
lowing:
comfort-oriented engine settings
R
optimal fuel consumption resulting from
R
AUTOTRONIC shifting up sooner
the vehicle pulling away more gently in
R
forward and reverse gears, unless the
accelerator pedal is depressed fully
increased sensitivity. This improves driving
R
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
AUTOTRONIC shifting up sooner. This
R
results in the vehicle being driven at lower
engine speeds and the wheels being less
likely to spin.
Drive program S is characterised by the fol-
lowing:
sporty engine settings
R
the vehicle pulling away in first gear
R
AUTOTRONIC
Z
119