Mercedes-Benz 2008 GL 450 Automobile User Manual


 
197
Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
On uphill grades with a gradient angle of
more than 5°, the hill start assist system
maintains the pressure in the brake sys-
tem for approximately 1 second after you
have released the brake pedal. Therefore,
you can start off smoothly without the
vehicle moving immediately after releasing
the brake pedal.
The hill start assist system is inactive
ț when starting off on a level road or
downhill grades
ț with the transmission in neutral
position N
ț with the parking brake set
ț if the ESP
®
has switched off due to a
malfunction
Towing a trailer
If you tow a trailer, note the following
points:
ț Manually shift to a lower gear range
(
page 197) if the transmission hunts
between gears on inclines.
A lower gear range and reduction of
speed reduces the chance to overload
or overheat the engine.
For more information on trailer towing, see
the “Operation” section (
page 364).
Gear ranges
With the automatic transmission in drive
position D, you can select a gear range for
the automatic transmission to operate
within.
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the left gearshift button on the steering
wheel gearshift control, and reverse the
gear range limit by pressing the right gear-
shift button on the steering wheel gearshift
control (
page 198).
The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display.
1 Current gear range
Effect
ï The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only.
î The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only.
é The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
è The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
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