Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 2009 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 117)

Automatic transmission
115
Automatic transmission
Introduction
For information on driving with an automatic
transmission, see “Driving and park-
ing” (
Y page 109).
G Warning!
Make sure absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets
in the footwell, make sure the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneu-
vers the objects could get caught between
the pedals. You could then no longer brake
or accelerate. This could lead to accidents
and injury.
! Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine
until the operating temperature has been
reached.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on slip-
pery road surfaces.
This may cause serious damage to the
engine and the drivetrain which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
i During the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the cata-
lytic converter to heat up more quickly to
operating temperature.
Gear selector lever
Gearshift pattern for automatic transmission
Á
Park position with gear selector lever lock
 Reverse gear
À Neutral position
¿ Drive position
G Warning!
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission out of park position
P or neutral
position N if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or in reverse. You could
lose control of the vehicle and hit someone
or something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your
right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
! Only shift the automatic transmission into
reverse gear R or park position P when the
vehicle is stopped. Otherwise the auto-
matic transmission could be damaged.
i Shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P is only possible with the
brake pedal depressed.
Only depressing the brake pedal releases
the gear selector lever lock.
i The current gear selector lever position
corresponds with the current transmission
position.
The current transmission position
P, R, N,
or D appears in the right multifunction dis-
play ( Y page 116).
Controls in detail
Z