2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 steering

130 Controls in detailControl systemAfter entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when

the driver’s door is closed


you put the key in the starter switch
and


press the appropriate stored position
button on the memory switch
(page 99)

Move the selection marker with button æ
or
ç
to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Easy-entry feature Acti-
vate
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
The following settings are available for
the easy-entry/exit feature:
Off
The easy-entry/exit feature is
deactivated
Steer. column
Only the steering column is
moved
Steer.col.+seat
Both the steering column and
the seat are movedSetting key dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the mirrors should be stored
separately for each key (
page 99).

Move the selection marker with button æ
or
ç
to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Key-dependent
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to set key depen-
dency to
On or
Off
.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, press one of the following:

the seat adjustment switch
(page 32)


the steering column switch
(page 34)


the memory switch (
page 99)

134 Controls in detailControl systemYou can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and COMAND.

Press button
ÿ
or
è
on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the left display.
Which messages will appear in the right
display field depends on whether your tele-
phone is switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
TEL Off
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the right dis-
play is empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
is indicated in the right
display.
1Signal strength


This standby message indicates that
your telephone is ready for use and you
can operate it using the control sys-
tem.Rejecting a call
If you do not wish to receive the call, you
can choose to reject it.

Press button
ì
.
You have rejected the call. The caller
receives a busy signal.
Answering a call
When your telephone is ready to receive
calls, you can answer a call at any time. In
the right display you will then see the mes-
sage:

Press button
ì
.
You have answered the call. In the right
display you see the length of the call.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

142 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionAccelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual shift program
SL 55 AMG
The SL 55 AMG can be driven in both the
automatic and manual shift program
modes. In the manual shift program mode
you can change the gears yourself on the
steering wheel or by using the selector le-
ver.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
To do so, you must first select the manual
shift program
M on the program mode se-
lector switch.3Program mode selector switch
S Regular For regular driving
W Winter For winter driving
MANUALFor manual gear shifting
The selected shift program (
S/W/M
) is indi-
cated in the tachometer display field
(
page 109).

143 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating steering wheel gearshift
control
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
Mfor manu-
al shift program appears in the tachom-
eter display field.
Automatic gear shifting is deactivated.
Upshifting

Press the button located on the right
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Downshifting

Press the button located on the left
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D–direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until
S or
W appears
in the tachometer display field.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iAt each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last shift program mode
selected (
S or
W). Only program mode
M
is not stored and will not be recalled
when engine is restarted.

168 Controls in detailDriving systems
Driving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


ABC with vehicle level control systems,
with which you can change vehicle sus-
pension characteristics


Parktronic*, which assists the driver
during parking maneuvers
The driving systems BAS, ABS, SBC, and
ESP are described in the “Safety” section
(
page 68).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set any speed
over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 18).
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always re-
main responsible for the vehicle speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

171 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic*
When activated, the Distronic adaptive
cruise control system increases the driving
convenience afforded by the cruise control
during travel on expressways and other
major roads.

If the Distronic distance sensor detects
a slower moving vehicle directly ahead,
your vehicle speed will be reduced so
that you follow that vehicle at a preset
distance.


If there is no vehicle directly ahead of
you, Distronic will function in the same
way as cruise control (
page 168).
Warning!
G
Distronic adaptive cruise control is no sub-
stitute for active driving involvement. It does
not react to stationary objects, nor recog-
nize or predict the curvature and lane layout
or the movement of vehicles ahead. Distron-
ic can only apply a maximum of 20% of the
vehicle’s braking power.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to road, weather and traffic con-
ditions and to provide the steering, braking
and other driving inputs necessary to retain
control of the vehicle.Warning!
G
Distronic is a convenience system, its speed
adjustment reduction capability is intended
to make cruise control more effective and
usable when traffic speeds vary. It is not
however, intended to, nor does it, replace
the need for extreme care. The responsibili-
ty for the vehicle speed and the distance to
the vehicle ahead, including most impor-
tantly brake operation to assure safe stop-
ping distance, always rests with the driver.
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account.
Warning!
G
Distronic requires familiarity with its opera-
tional characteristics. We strongly recom-
mend that you review the following
information carefully before operating the
system.iFor operation in the USA only: This de-
vice complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:

This device may not cause harmful
interference, and


this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.

175 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic activated
When Distronic is activated the DTR sym-
bol and the set speed are seen in the left
display.
1Symbol for activated Distronic
2Set speedCruise control lever
The Distronic system is operated by means
of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column.
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Deactivate Distronic
4Resume at previously set speedActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if


you are driving over 25 mph
(Canada: 40 km/h)


ESP is activated (
page 70)
When Distronic is activated the speedome-
ter display will show a message such as
DTR60mph
.
If Distronic is deactivated, the speedome-
ter display will show the message
DTR --- mph
.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to two minutes after starting the en-
gine


when you brake


if you have set the parking brake


if the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R or N.

181 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grill), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case, Dis-
tronic will switch off, and the message DISTRONIC - CLEAR SENSOR!
appears in
the multifunction display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (
page 246).Turns and bends
In turns or bends, Distronic may not detect
a moving vehicle in front, or it may detect
one too soon. This may cause your vehicle
to brake late or unexpectedly.
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it. Your vehicle could then accelerate
to the previously selected speed.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:


a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.