2009 Mercedes SL-Class Owner's Manual - Page 118

Controls in detail Automatic transmission There are additional indicators on the cover of the shifting gate showing the current gear selector lever position. The indicators come on when you insert the SmartKey into the starter switch, and go out when you remove the SmartKey from the starter switch. With drive position D selected, you can influence transmission shifting by: Rlimiting Effect ì Park position Shift the automatic transmission into park position P only when the vehicle is stopped. The park position is not intended to serve as a brake when the vehicle is parked. Rather, the driver should always engage the parking brake in addition to shifting the automatic transmission into park position P to secure the vehicle. The SmartKey can only be removed from the starter switch with the gear selector lever in park position P. With the SmartKey removed from the starter switch, the gear selector lever is locked in park position P. If the vehicle's electrical system is malfunctioning, the gear selector lever could remain locked in park position P. X Have the vehicle's electrical system checked as soon as pos- the gear range the gear range Rextending Rchanging the gears manually (SL 63 AMG and SL 65 AMG only) Shifting procedure The automatic transmission selects individual gears automatically, depending on: Rdrive position D (Y page 117) with gear ranges (Y page 118) Rthe Transmission positions The current transmission position appears in the right multifunction display. selected program mode: C/S (Y page 118) or M (SL 63 AMG and SL 65 AMG only) (Y page 121) position of the accelerator pedal vehicle speed 1 Transmission position indicator Rthe Rthe 116