Mercedes-Benz 2012 A-Class, Owner'S Manual

Page: 156 / 356

A
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
If ESP
®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion
N if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
When you switch off the engine, the
automatic transmission automati-
cally shifts into neutral
N.
7
Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position
D. Gearshifting is deter-
mined by:
R
the selected drive program (
Y
page 155)
R
the position of the accelerator pedal
R
the road speed
Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R
little throttle: early upshifts
R
more throttle: late upshifts
Holding the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients
G
WARNING
If the clutch overheats, the electronic man-
agement system is automatically deactivated.
This interrupts the power transmission. The
vehicle may, for example, roll backwards on
gradients. There is a risk of an accident.
Never hold the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients by depressing the accelerator.
The clutch may overheat if you hold the vehi-
cle stationary on uphill gradients by depress-
ing the accelerator pedal. If the clutch over-
heats, a warning tone sounds.
All vehicles (except AMG vehicles): the
Stop vehicle Shift to P Leave engine
running display message appears in the mul-
tifunction display. You will only be able to
continue your journey once the clutch has
cooled down and the display message in the
multifunction display has disappeared.
AMG vehicles: the
Trans. oil overhea‐
ted Drive on with care
display message
appears in the multifunction display.
Do not hold the vehicle stationary on uphill
gradients by depressing the accelerator
pedal. Instead, only ever hold the vehicle sta-
tionary on uphill gradients by:
R
depressing the brake pedal
R
activating the HOLD function
R
engaging the electric parking brake
Kickdown
AMG vehicles: it is only possible to use kick-
down in temporary manual drive program M.
For further information on the manual drive
program
M, see (
Y
page 156).
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration:
X
Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X
Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
154
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking