Shifting gears
Introduction to shifting gear
-
Hydro-pneumatic gearshift more
-
6-gear transmission
-
9-gear transmission
-
Telligent® automatic gearshift more
-
Automatic transmission more
Keep an eye on the rev counter while driving and stay within the economical operating range. Drive in the highest possible gear (but shift down in good time when approaching an uphill or downhill gradient).
If possible, change several gears at once and avoid changing gear unless necessary.
Mechanical gearshifting
 | Risk of accident |
|
It may no longer be possible to engage the clutch or change gear correctly in the event of a loss of pressure in the auxiliary consumer circuit. This may prevent you from leaving areas of danger in good time.
Do not pull away or, if the vehicle is already in motion, stop the vehicle as soon as possible, paying attention to road and traffic conditions, if the  symbol appears in the display and the status indicator lights up yellow.
Have the compressed-air system checked and repaired at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. All work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.
|
 | |
|
When changing gear, make sure that the engine speed does not enter the red overrevving range in the rev counter.
Release the gear lever when the gear change process is complete and do not rest your hand or arm on the gear lever. You could otherwise damage the transmission.
If the warning buzzer sounds when downshifting, the maximum permissible engine speed has been exceeded. Do not engage the clutch but select a higher gear instead (risk of clutch and engine damage from overrevving). To protect the transmission synchronisation, the power-assisted gearshift is deactivated automatically. This results in greater gearshift forces at the gear lever.
Only select reverse gear at idling speed and with the vehicle stationary.
Driving with the engine speed too high or too low damages the engine.
|
 |
Depress the clutch pedal fully.
|
| |
Use the gear lever to shift to the desired gear. Do not use excessive force.
|
| |
Changing the shift range in vehicles with 9‑ gear transmission more.
|
| |
Slowly release the clutch pedal.
|
When the vehicle is stationary, the engine is running and the transmission is in neutral, the engine will only pick up speed with a delay.
6-gear transmission
The 6-gear transmission is a manually operated gearbox.
Gearshift pattern
The shift range is divided into reverse gear 
and gears 
to 
| |
|
If it is not possible to change gear while driving, you can continue to drive in the engaged gear if conditions allow this (observe traffic conditions). Pulling away may not be possible depending on the gear engaged and the vehicle load.
Have the fault repaired at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose.
All work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.
|
9-gear transmission
The 9-gear transmission is a manually operated gearbox. It is designed as a double-H gearshift.
Gearshift pattern
The shift ranges of the transmission are divided into:
When the transmission is in neutral, the gear lever is in the gate between the 3rd and 4th gear or the 5th and 6th gear.
Changing the shift range
| |
|
Only change from the high-range splitter group to the low-range splitter group at speeds of below 25 km/h.
|
| |
Depress the clutch pedal fully.
|
| |
Select transmission neutral position using the gear lever.
|
| |
Overcome the gear lever pressure point between the shift ranges with a gentle sideways tap of the hand on the gear lever.
|
| |
After approximately 1 second, select the desired gear without using excessive force.
|
| |
Slowly release the clutch pedal.
|
Automatic transmission
| Risk of accident |
|
Do not change down for additional engine braking on a slippery road surface. This could cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and the vehicle could skid.
|
The automatic transmission features touch-key gearshift.
The individual gears are shifted automatically depending on:
The driver has the option of limiting or extending the shift range at any time.
| |
|
If indicator lamp  lights up while driving, the temperature of the transmission oil or of the coolant is too high. This can be caused by either too much or too little transmission oil. Sustained excessive temperature of the transmission oil can result in damage to the transmission.
If there are shift malfunctions in the transmission,  appears in the display; the status indicator lights up in yellow or red. There is a risk of transmission damage.
|
If the indicator lamp flashes while driving, the retarder output is automatically reduced.
 |
 | 2-digit display |
| Left: selected shift range, e.g.  |
| Right: selected gear, e.g.  |
 | MODE indicator lamp |
 | MODE button |
 | To extend shift range  |
 | To restrict shift range  |
 | Drive position  |
 | Transmission neutral position  |
 | Reverse gear  |
|
The 
icon may appear briefly in display , however it has no function.
Shift ranges
The selected shift range is displayed on the left, the selected gear on the right, e.g. . When shifting gear, the display on the right flashes.
|
Reverse gear:
Engaging reverse gear. Only when the vehicle is stationary and the engine is idling.
|
|
Transmission neutral position:
No power is transmitted from the engine to the drive axle. As long as the brakes are not applied, the vehicle can be moved freely.
|
|
Drive position button:
The forward gears 1 to 5 (1 to 6) are engaged in sequence automatically. The drive position will provide optimal handling in almost all operating circumstances.
The left part of the display shows (5-speed transmission) or  (6-speed transmission).
|
Gearshift programs
The automatic transmission is equipped with the Economy and Power gearshift programs.
These gearshift programs support the driving style desired by the driver.
The Economy gearshift program is intended for a comfort-oriented, fuel-saving driving style and facilitates driving on slippery road surfaces.
The Power gearshift program is intended for driving where high performance or driving dynamics are required.
Gearshift programs can be switched at any time. The Economy basic program is always activated when the engine is started.
| |
Press MODE button once.
|
| |
Indicator lamp lights up. The Power gearshift program is selected.
|
| |
Press MODE button again.
|
| |
Indicator lamp goes out. The Economy gearshift program is activated again.
|
 | |
|
Fire engines:
The Power basic program is always activated when the engine is started.
|
Accelerator pedal positions
You can use the accelerator pedal position to actively influence the shift point of the automatic transmission:
-
Light throttle: early upshift
-
Heavy throttle: late upshift
-
Kickdown: maximum upshift retardation and extremely early downshift
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration of the vehicle.
| |
Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point.
|
| |
The automatic transmission shifts to a lower gear depending on the engine speed.
|
| |
Once the desired speed has been reached, ease off the accelerator.
|
| |
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
|
Pulling away
| |
Depress the brake pedal, do not depress the accelerator pedal.
|
| |
Press the or switch.
|
| |
Vehicles with reverse warning device: if reverse gear is engaged, the reverse warning device sounds.
|
| |
Do not release the brake before pulling away, as the vehicle may otherwise move off prematurely (vehicle creeping). On uphill gradients, release the brake and simultaneously depress the accelerator pedal.
|
If the transmission is cold (outside temperatures below -10 °C), the transmission will engage only 2nd gear for forward driving.
Uphill and downhill gradients
| |
|
If you have restricted the shift range and are driving downhill, make sure that the engine speed does not enter the red danger zone in the rev counter. Prolonged exceeding of the maximum engine speed can lead to engine damage.
|
On long up- or downhill stretches, especially when heavily loaded, select a shift range in good time that provides the maximum possible engine power or engine braking effect.
Manoeuvring
When manoeuvring in confined spaces, control the vehicle speed by carefully releasing the service brake. Where required, accelerate slightly.
Stopping
When stopping briefly, e.g. at a red light, maintain the shift position and stop the vehicle using the service brake. When stopping for a longer period with the engine running, engage neutral N.
If the vehicle begins to slip or skid, shift the transmission to neutral N.
| |
|
When the transmission is in neutral N, the vehicle may roll only briefly. Prolonged rolling of the wheels, e.g. when being towed, will result in transmission damage.
With the continuous brake (engine brake/retarder) engaged, the engine speed for downshifting is higher than when the continuous brake is disengaged. Observe the rev counter.
With the continuous brake (engine brake/retarder) engaged, the transmission will only shift down to 2nd gear. Therefore, be sure to restrict the shift range to 1st gear in good time in extreme situations.
|
Telligent® automatic gearshift
Telligent® automatic gearshift has 6 forward gears and 1 reverse gear.
Clutch operation in driving mode is controlled automatically by the electronic management system (e.g. when pulling away, manoeuvring, changing gear or stopping).
| Risk of accident |
|
If the engine speed drops below 600 rpm, Telligent® automatically disengages the clutch. The power flow is interrupted and the vehicle, if on a slope, for example, may roll backwards, thereby possibly causing an accident. For this reason, never allow the engine speed to drop below 600 rpm.
|
| Risk of accident |
|
It may no longer be possible to engage the clutch or change gear correctly in the event of a loss of pressure in the auxiliary consumer circuit. This may prevent you from leaving areas of danger in good time.
Do not pull away or, if the vehicle is already in motion, stop the vehicle as soon as possible, paying attention to road and traffic conditions, if the symbol appears in the display and the status indicator lights up yellow.
Have the compressed-air system checked and repaired at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. All work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.
|
| Risk of accident |
|
When driving off-road or when driving with the differential lock engaged in automatic mode A, automatic gearshifts could lead to undesirable interruptions in tractive power. The flow of power would be interrupted and the vehicle could roll back, e.g. on uphill gradients, and you could cause an accident.
When driving off-road or for journeys with the differential lock engaged, never drive in automatic operating mode A.
For journeys like this, always select manual mode of operation M, so that you can decide yourself when gears should be selected, according to the driving situation.
|
Gear indicator
 |
| A | On-board computer Standard |
| Selected: 4th gear |
| Recommended or preselected: 3rd gear |
|
Gear indicator in the display (example)
The display shows the selected gear and the recommended or preselected gear .
|
1 - 6
|
1st to 6th gear
|
|
N
|
Transmission neutral position
|
|
R
|
Reverse gear
|
Gearshift unit, Telligent® automatic gearshift
 |
| A | Left-hand-drive vehicles |
| B | Right-hand-drive vehicles |
| Neutral button |
| Shifting down/selecting reverse gear |
| Function button |
| Shifting up |
| Driving mode selector switch |
|
Operating modes
2 modes can be selected:
-
Manual mode more
Shift to pulling-away gear, determine the time and direction of the shift yourself.
-
Automatic mode more
The electronic management system shifts the gear depending on:
-
engine speed
-
accelerator pedal position
-
status of the continuous brake
-
load status of vehicle
-
topography of the road surface
Gearshift possibilities
Both operating modes:
-
Shifting the transmission into neutral more
-
Engaging reverse gear more
-
Changing the direction of travel quickly more
-
Manoeuvring more
-
Pulling away more
-
Changing gear manually more
-
Stopping more
-
Parking the vehicle more
-
Shifting gear automatically more
-
Kickdown more.
Selecting the operating mode
When the engine has been started, automatic operation mode is always activated.
| |
|
After the function test of the instrument, the display briefly shows the current operating mode.
You can change the operating mode at any time.
Both operating modes allow manual adjustment of the electronically selected gear.
|
Activating manual mode
| |
Press driving mode selector switch .
|
| |
Vehicles with the on-board computer Plus: the display permanently shows Man.
Vehicles with the on-board computer Standard: the display permanently shows M.
|
Activating automatic mode
| |
Press driving mode selector switch .
|
| |
Vehicles with the on-board computer Plus: the display permanently shows Auto.
Vehicles with the on-board computer Standard: the display permanently shows A.
|
Shifting the transmission into neutral
| Risk of accident |
|
When you set the transmission to neutral, the engine braking effect is lost and the tractive power is interrupted. This may prevent you from stopping the vehicle in time and thus lead to an accident. Therefore, never shift to neutral while driving.
|
Neutral N can be selected from any gear while the gear lever is in the rest position.
| |
Stop the vehicle.
|
| |
Press neutral button .
|
| |
N appears in the display.
|
Engaging reverse gear
Reverse gear can only be engaged from the neutral position N and when the vehicle is stationary.
| |
Depress the brake pedal or apply the parking brake.
|
| |
Press and hold function button and pull the gear lever back until resistance can be felt .
|
| |
R appears in the display when the gear change is complete.
Vehicles with a reverse warning device: the reverse warning device sounds.
|
| |
Depress the brake pedal or release the parking brake.
|
| |
Slowly depress the accelerator pedal.
|
Changing the direction of travel quickly
This procedure may be necessary to rock out a bogged-in vehicle, for example.
You can only make rapid changes of direction by starting in reverse gear.
With the vehicle stationary and the engine running:
| |
Press and hold function button and pull the gear lever back until resistance can be felt.
|
| |
R appears in the display when the gear change is complete.
|
From reverse into 1st gear:
| |
Press and hold function button and push the gear lever forward until resistance can be felt.
|
| |
1 appears in the display when the gear change is complete.
|
From 1st gear into reverse:
| |
Press and hold function button and pull the gear lever back until resistance can be felt.
|
| |
R appears in the display when the gear change is complete.
|
| |
|
Repeat the gear change process until the vehicle is free again.
|
Manoeuvring
In difficult terrain, the idle speed can be increased up to a max. of 1,200 rpm more using the multi-function lever on the steering column.
| |
|
Manoeuvring at high engine speeds causes increased wear on the clutch. Therefore, the idle speed should be increased only briefly in extreme manoeuvring conditions, e.g. on steep gradients.
If  appears in the display, stop manoeuvring as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the clutch will be overloaded.
|
Pulling away
If the transmission is cold (outside temperatures below -15 °C), run the engine in neutral N for 60 seconds before driving off.
| |
Press function button and move the gear lever forward .
|
| |
The electronic management selects 1st gear (starting gear).
The selected gear briefly flashes on the right-hand side of the gear indicator and then appears on the left-hand side.
|
| |
Release the parking brake and slowly depress the accelerator.
|
| |
The vehicle starts moving.
|
Changing the starting gear
If the 1st gear selected by the electronic management system seems inappropriate for pulling away, change the starting gear.
You cannot select a gear higher than 2nd gear to pull away.
Changing gear automatically
You can use the accelerator pedal position to actively influence the shift point in automatic mode more:
-
Light throttle: early upshift
-
Heavy throttle: late upshift
-
Kickdown: maximum upshift retardation and extremely early downshift
Accelerating
| |
Depress the accelerator pedal.
|
| |
If the maximum engine speed is reached for the selected gear, the electronic management system shifts to the next higher optimal gear.
|
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration of the vehicle.
| |
Depress the accelerator pedal past the pressure point to the stop.
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts to a lower gear if necessary.
|
| |
Once the desired speed has been reached, ease off the accelerator.
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts up again.
|
You can increase performance when pulling away using the kickdown function if required, e.g. on steep uphill gradients.
Decelerating
| |
Release the accelerator pedal.
|
| |
Slowly depress the brake pedal.
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts to a lower gear if necessary.
|
or |
| |
Activate the continuous brake.
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts to a lower gear if necessary. If the service brake is applied when the continuous brake is active, the electronic management system shifts down in accordance with the driving situation.
|
The electronic management system does not shift to a lower gear if:
Changing gear manually
Both operating modes more allow manual adjustment of the electronically selected gear.
Shifting up manually
| |
Push the gear lever forward until resistance is felt.
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts up one gear.
|
or |
| |
Press function button and move the gear lever forward .
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts up no more than two gears.
|
Shifting down manually
| |
Pull the gear lever back until resistance is felt.
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts down one gear.
|
or |
| |
Press function button and move the gear lever backwards .
|
| |
The electronic management system shifts down two gears.
|
If a warning tone sounds when downshifting, the target gear is too low. To avoid overrevving the engine, the electronic management system only shifts down to a permissible gear.
Stopping
| Risk of accident |
|
If the engine speed drops below 600 rpm, Telligent® automatically disengages the clutch. The power flow will be interrupted and the vehicle can roll away with the engine running and a gear engaged (e.g. when on a gradient). You could cause an accident as a result.
When stopped, always secure the vehicle against rolling away by applying the service brake or parking brake.
|
| |
Brake the vehicle.
|
| |
If necessary, shift down.
|
| |
The electronic management system disengages the clutch just before idle speed is reached.
When the vehicle comes to a standstill, the electronic management system selects 1st gear (starting gear).
If the vehicle remains stationary for more than two minutes while a gear is engaged, a warning tone will sound. Transmission neutral N flashes on the right-hand side of the gear indicator.
After an additional 30 seconds a warning tone sounds again and the electronic management system shifts the transmission to neutral N. The gear indicator now shows N on the left-hand side.
|
| |
To maintain the selected gear, briefly press the accelerator pedal or the function button within 2½ minutes of stopping the vehicle.
|
| |
The starting gear remains engaged for another 2½ minutes.
|
Parking the vehicle
| Risk of accident |
|
You cannot park the vehicle with a gear engaged.
The electronic management system always shifts the transmission into neutral after the engine is switched off. If the vehicle is not secured by the parking brake, the parked vehicle could roll away and may cause an accident. Therefore, always secure the vehicle using the parking brake.
|
| |
Stop the vehicle.
|
| |
Apply the parking brake.
|
| |
Press neutral button .
|
| |
N appears in the display when the gear change is complete.
|
| |
Switch off the engine.
|
| |
|
If the engine is switched off with a gear engaged and without the parking brake applied, the  symbol appears in the display.
|
to 
.
is lit and the continuous brake is engaged.