steering MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG 2006 R230 Owner's Guide

159 Controls in detail
Control system
TEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and COMAND.

Press button ÿ or è on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the left multifunction
display.Which messages will appear in the right
multifunction display depends on whether
your telephone is switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
TEL off
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the right mul-
tifunction display is empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
is indicated in the right
multifunction display.


This standby message indicates that
your telephone is ready for use and you
can operate it using the control sys-
tem.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road, and traffic con-
ditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic shift
programC orS (
page 168), you can
select a gear range for the automatic
transmission to operate within:
Gear selector lever (page 169):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the gear selector lever to the left (D-), and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the gear selector lever to the right (D+).
Steering wheel gearshift control
(
page 170):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the respective downshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control, and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the respective upshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control.The selected gear range appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 163). If
you press on the accelerator when the
engine has reached its rpm limit, the trans-
mission will upshift beyond any gear range
limit selected.
Effect
ï
The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
î
The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
Effect
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

170 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control one-touch gearshifting
Steering wheel gearshift control is avail-
able on vehicles with Sport Package*, on
SL 55 AMG, and on SL 65 AMG only.
The steering wheel gearshift control pro-
vides an alternative method for changing
the gears manually and limiting or extend-
ing the gear range for automatic shifting
with the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.Steering wheel gearshift control
SL 500 with Sport Package* and
SL 600 with Sport Package*
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Button, outside: upshift
2Button, inside: downshift
iFor information on using the steering
wheel gearshift control in program
mode MANUAL (SL 55 AMG and
SL 65 AMG only), see “Manual shift
program” (
page 173).
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

171 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Downshifting

Briefly press the inside2 of one of the
buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 167).
Upshifting

Briefly press the outside1 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the outside1 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel
until
D reappears in the right multifunc-
tion display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the inside2 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This may
involve shifting down one or more gears.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control
SL 55 AMG and SL 65 AMG
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshiftThe following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.
For instructions on operating the steering
wheel gearshift control and gear selector
lever in the program mode MANUAL, see
“Manual shift program SL 55 AMG and
SL 65 AMG” (
page 173).Downshifting

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 167) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Upshifting
Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmission
when you are driving in the automatic
program mode (CorS).Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel until
D
reappears in the right multifunction
display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold button1 on the left
side of the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.Manual shift program SL 55 AMG and
SL 65 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift program MANUAL.
In the MANUAL program mode,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift but-
tons to the left and right of the steering
wheel (
page 172) or the gear selector
lever.

174 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
MANUAL For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard drivingThe current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the right multifunction
display (
page 163).
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift
program” (
page 168), “Gear selector
lever one-touch gearshifting”
(
page 169), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshift-
ing” (page 170).

175 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating manual shift program
Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
MANUAL program mode appears in
the right multifunction display.
The transmission switches to the
MANUAL program mode. Automatic
shifting is switched off. The gear range
is not limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in positionD. You
can upshift or downshift through the gears
in succession.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel
(page 172).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbolM, the symbolp appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 163),
shift to the next higher gear. The fuel
supply will otherwise be interrupted to
prevent the engine from overrevving.
iThe MANUAL program mode will not
be stored. When the engine is turned
off with the MANUAL program mode
selected, the transmission will go to
the automatic program mode (CorS)
when the engine is restarted.
!In the MANUAL program mode, the
transmission will not upshift, even if
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Shift up to the next gear before
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red
marking on the tachometer
(page 24). Otherwise the engine
could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

176 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel (
page 172).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
MANUAL program mode is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 174) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the right
multifunction display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The MANUAL program mode is not
stored.Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iWhen you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

204 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


ABC with vehicle level control systems,
with which you can change vehicle sus-
pension characteristics


Parktronic*, which assists the driver
during parking maneuvers
For information on the BAS, ABS, and
ESP®, see “Driving safety systems”
(
page 82).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. Cruise control can be set
at any speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 22).
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must remain at
all times responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.