RLE

<<Have this feature in my car and find it very useful. It not only holds the car in place at a stop then your headed up hill but also is useful when you're facing downhill and need to back up. A really great feature. The other down hill thing one of the other posts is refering to is a feature that helps the car decend safely OFF ROAD at like 4 to 10 miles per hour. I made the mistake of trying it while going around 15 mph... not a good idea. >>

Please do not confuse these ML features with W204 features. Hill start assist DOES NOT work facing downhill. Hell, it hardly works facing uphill. 2-3 seconds tops.

LRM1

So then it sounds like I do have a crappy tranny. Mine does "hold itself" when stopped on an incline as this describes, but it also slows itself down on steep slopes until I hit the gas-ie, if coasting downhill, it slows itself. If I hit the gas, it "let's go".

Untertürkheim

First, there are countries besides the US, and in those countries there are W211s with manual transmissions. I have one, and I would not want it without SBC, the hold feature alone makes it worthwhile.

The system still lives on in the SL, CL, SLR, and I believe the S too, so there must be a reason only the most expensive models get it.

earlybird

Your vehicle seems to have an additional system called "Downhill Assist Control", which is different to "Hill Start Assist".

The following article explains how the two technologies work.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/021203.htm

430752

as someone just mentioned, I would think it would know the incline of a car and act accordingly. Or, better yet since it is an auto slushbox, how about knowing that when the car is in drive going backwards is a time to kick in hill assist. As I understand it, automatics are unique in that they're not supposed to go backwards when in a forward gear? I mean a manual car in gear might go backwards (i.e., clutch depressed) on only a mere/imperceptible incline, or if being pushed, towed, or etc., but an automatic in gear? So I consider it a half-baked solution where it only kicks in when brakes applied. Unness they want me kill my brakes prematurely, I'd rather stop by gravity/friction whenever possible. Maybe that's just the manual driver in me (this is my first new auto car, and only my second auto car ever). Maybe they shouldn't call it hill assist, since it doesn't always help on hills, but rather call it incline start assist? Well, like I said, at least it is something. Wonder if this is how it is done on other cars, or if they have an incline sensor or something?

AsianML

The W221 does not have SBC, iirc.

AsianML

Does the manual say Hill Assist? On the W164 and X164 it says Hill-start assist.

ni2mi2

don't you think ALWAYS when you are on an incline, some idiot is RIGHT behind you, thereby putting more pressure on you to climb onto the brakes? This always seem to happen with me!!

Stick Girl

HAHA! I know what you mean. It took me a while to really figure out what the car was doing. I expected it to roll back like every other stick I've ever owned did. And was I surprised when it didn't. I found out about the hill assist from this board.

RLE

<<Your vehicle seems to have an additional system called "Downhill Assist Control", which is different to "Hill Start Assist". The following article explains how the two technologies work.>>

Since the article (I just read it) clearly says the BMW X5, Land Rover and some Toyota SUV has downhill assist control, while not mentioning Mercedes at all and certainly not the W204, why did you post this??

This is the W204 forum, not MLs or some other MB models and features of other MB lines do not necessarily show up in our cars.

AsianML

Well, W204s aside, the MB SUVs do have Downhill Speed Regulation which maintains speed between 3 and 10 mph (adjustable via MFD).

earlybird

The post was in response to a comment made by "LMRI" who drives an E-Class, and who was concerned that he had a crappy transmission because his car automatically slowed down when descending steep inclines.

Should we not inform him that there may be another technology working to control his car, or do you prefer us to sit back and let him think that something is wrong with his transmission..... because this is the W204 forum?

RLE

[<<The post was in response to a comment made by "LMRI" who drives an E-Class, and who was concerned that he had a crappy transmission because his car automatically slowed down when descending steep inclines.

Should we not inform him that there may be another technology working to control his car, or do you prefer us to sit back and let him think that something is wrong with his transmission..... because this is the W204 forum?>>

Well, just ask yourself, how could this oddball thing occur? It's either self applying brakes (hardly likely and notice the '08 does not have the accursed SBC) or an automatic hands-off downshift into 1st or 2nd gear.

Seems to me that this owner should talk to his salesman who perhaps did not fully describe the car's features or someone in authority at his dealer.

Or go to the W211 section and ask the question there.

So far there has not been one single useful answer on the 204 list, but just a lot of uninformed speculation.

RLE

<<Well, W204s aside, the MB SUVs do have Downhill Speed Regulation which maintains speed between 3 and 10 mph (adjustable via MFD).>>

That's a feature found on many real off-road vehicles (Land Rover Etc) for descending rock-strewn mud covered off-camber 30 deg slopes which your average MB sedan wouldn't do, at least deliberately. Well, maybe dead drunk at 2AM.

LRM1

Yep. My fault. Sorry. Thanks you for the info though.

LRM1

Alrighty then. Saw the "hill assist" on new posts and came here to ask a question. Did not mean to offend with a question about my E class. Sincerest apologies for the infraction.

RLE

<<Alrighty then. Saw the "hill assist" on new posts and came here to ask a question. Did not mean to offend with a question about my E class. Sincerest apologies for the infraction.>>

Nothing at all wrong with the question. It became clear pretty quick that no suitable answers for you were forthcoming.

RLE

I decided today to see for myself just what this feature could or would do, or not do.

So today I drove over to a very steep (VERY STEEP) paved hill near my home to conduct a few tests for myself.

First, descending the hill (1st gear) I came to a stop, depressing the brake fully. With the trans in gear, I released the brake pedal and the car started forward immediately. I stopped, selected 1st gear manually (displaying 1) and released the brake and the car rolled immediately. Which proves that hill start assist does not function with the car heading downhill.

I turned the car around and climbed to the steepest part of the street and stopped, holding the foot brake. trans in D position. After releasing the brake pedal, the brakes held for two seconds and released. I performed the same test, selecting 1st gear manually. Same thing, brakes released after two seconds. Since the car had done exactly the same thing on a street with very little slope previously, I proved that a steeper slope does NOT increase the brake hold time. Two seconds in both conditions.

If I had my way, the brakes would hold until I moved the gas pedal, whether it was two seconds or two minutes. Mother (MB) knows best, of course.

benggolf

Thanks for sharing the info! Most of us will benefit from knowing what "hill assist" will do and will not do.

Untertürkheim

That is exactly how the SBC Hold function works.