Mercedes-Benz 2003 SL 55 AMG Automobile User Manual


 
143
Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating steering wheel gearshift
control
̈ Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
M
for manu-
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.
or
̈ Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D– direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.
Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control
̈ Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until
S
or
W
appears
in the tachometer display field.
Warning! G
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.
i
At each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last shift program mode
selected (
S
or
W
). Only program mode
M
is not stored and will not be recalled
when engine is restarted.