Mercedes-Benz BENZ-VEHICLES S 500 - Manual (Page 74)

74
Selector Lever Positions
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.
P Parking lock.
The parking lock is an additional
safeguard to the parking brake when
parking the vehicle. Engage only
with the car stopped.
Note:
The key can be removed from the
steering lock only with the
selector lever in position "P".
With the key removed, the selector
lever is locked in position "P".
R Reverse gear.
Shift to reverse gear only with the
car stopped.
N Neutral.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the rear axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
Do not engage "N" while driving
except to coast when the vehicle is
in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy
roads, see Winter Driving
Instructions in Index).
Important!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for
any other reason with selector lever
in "N", can result in transmission
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
D The transmission automatically
upshifts to 5th gear. Position "D"
provides optimum driving
characteristics under all normal
operating conditions.
4 Upshift to 4th gear only. Suitable
for performance driving.
3 Upshift to 3rd gear only. Suitable
for moderately steep hills. Since
the transmission does not shift
higher than 3rd gear, this gear
selection will allow use of the
engine's braking power downhill.
B Upshift to 2nd gear only. For
driving in mountainous regions or
under extreme operating
conditions. This gear selection will
allow use of the engine's braking
power when descending steep
grades.
Important!
With selector lever in position "D", "4"
or "3", upshifting from 2nd to 3rd gear
is delayed depending on vehicle speed
and engine temperature. This allows
the catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperatures.
During the brief warm-up period this
delayed upshift and increased engine
noise might be perceived as a
malfunction. However, neither the
engine nor transmission are negatively
affected by this mode of operation