[DKTVAV]

Yesterday I came home from Orange Hill restaurant in Orange County, SoCal and the problem scared me a little.

It's a very steep hill but short and I was applying brakes all the way down to keep the speed slow under 15 miles/hr when engine revving above 3,000 rpm. Is it normal?

I thought when using the brakes the rpm is supposed to be at idle, right?

 

[river]

Sounds like a pretty smart transmission. If I was descending a very steep hill in a manual transmission car, I'd probably be in 2nd gear, or maybe even 1st. I have a 2005 Toyota Sienna now that when descending a steep hill, if I don't downshift it manually, when I ride the brake to control my speed the trans will downshift two or even three gears to help keep my speed down all by itself.

However... I am only a Metris owner wannabe for now (trying to hold out for a diesel engine). I have read a bit about the 7G-Tronic transmission, and I'm looking forward to driving it in my very own Metris.

 

[1681]

^That

Next time, look at your mileage gauge. It should show 99+mpg meaning the injectors are turned off and its dissipating speed by revving the engine. Also, I've hit the shifter kicking it into manual by accident. Make sure thats not the case.

 

[DKTVAV]

^That

Next time, look at your mileage gauge. It should show 99+mpg meaning the injectors are turned off and its dissipating speed by revving the engine. Also, I've hit the shifter kicking it into manual by accident. Make sure thats not the case.

Sounds like a Prius.

No, it's not the case because I've hit the shifter before.

 

[KEM]

This is a very late reply, but this is actually a very nice feature for this van (and maybe many other Mercedes models). It downshifts on a steep slope and acts like a manual transmission. The engine acts like a brake to help control your speed. So yes; it's normal for this vehicle.