Automatic Drive Program - Mercedes-Benz S-Class Operator's Manual

Automatic transmission
202

Automatic drive program

Automatic drive program E
Drive program E (drive program C on MAG
vehicles) is characterized by the following:
comfort-oriented engine settings.
R
optimal fuel consumption resulting from
R
the automatic transmission 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.
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.
Automatic drive program S
Drive program S is characterized by the fol-
lowing:
sporty engine settings
R
the vehicle pulling away in first gear
R
the automatic transmission shifting up
R
later.
the fuel consumption possibly being higher
R
as a result of the later automatic transmis-
sion 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 (C in AMG vehicles) and S automatic
drive programs.
AMG vehicles: as well as temporary drive
program M, you can also activate permanent
drive program M. Further information about
permanent drive program M (
Activating
Shift the transmission to position D.
X
Pull the left or right steering wheel paddle
X
shifter ( page 201).
Y
Manual drive program M is temporarily acti-
vated.
All vehicles except AMG vehicles: M and
the selected gear appear in the multifunc-
tion display.
Further information on activating manual
drive program M on PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles
( page 286).
Y
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-
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.
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.
AMG vehicles: the automatic transmission
will not shift up to the next gear when the
engine speed is very low.
To shift down: pull on the left-hand steer-
X
ing wheel paddle shifter (
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
If the engine exceeds the maximum engine
speed when shifting down, the automatic
transmission protects against engine dam-
age by not shifting down.
page 203).
Y
page 201).
Y
page 201).
Y