Mercedes-Benz B-Class 2011 Owner's Manual page 140

Transmission positions
B
Park position
This prevents the vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Do not
shift the transmission into position
P ( page 144) unless the vehicle
Y
is stationary.
C
Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to R
when the vehicle is stationary.
A
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
®
If ESP is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion N if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
When you switch off the engine, the
automatic transmission automati-
cally shifts into neutral N.
7 Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gearshift-
ing behaviour is determined by:
the selected drive program (
R
the position of the accelerator pedal
R
the road speed
R
Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission 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 automatic transmission shifts back up.
Trailer towing
Drive in the middle of the engine speed
X
range on uphill gradients.
Depending on the uphill or downhill gradi-
X
ent, select a lower gear (
if cruise control, DISTRONIC PLUS, or
SPEEDTRONIC are activated.
Program selector button
General notes
The program selector button allows you to
choose between drive programs with differ-
ent driving characteristics.
page 137)
Y
Automatic transmission
page 147), even
Y
137
Z