2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 display

149 Controls in detail
Control system

Press æ or ç to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:Setting key-dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the exterior rear view mirrors
mirrors should be stored separately for
each SmartKey (
page 114).

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
. Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
Use the
Mirror setting when parking

function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers when reverse gear R is engaged. For
additional information, see “Activating ex-
terior rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 167).

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:
Mirror setting when park-
ing
.
Off
The easy-entry/ex-
it feature is deacti-
vated
Steer. column
Only the steering
column is moved
Steer.col. +seat
Both, the steering
column and the
seat are moved


150 Controls in detailControl system
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press æ or ç to switch function On or
Off
.
Trip computer menu
Use the trip computer menu to call up sta-
tistical data on your vehicle. The following
information is available:Fuel consumption statistics after start

Press button ÿ or è repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
After start.
1Distance driven since start
2Average speed since start
3Time elapsed since start
4Average fuel consumption since start
Function
Page
Fuel consumption statistics after
start
150
Fuel consumption statistics
since last reset
151
Call up range (distance to empty)
152
iThe last function called up will reap-
pear the next time you enter the trip
computer menu.


151 Controls in detail
Control system
Fuel consumption since last reset
Press button ÿ or è repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
From reset.
1Distance driven since last reset
2Average speed since last reset
3Time elapsed since last reset
4Average fuel consumption since last re-
setResetting fuel consumption statistics

Press button ÿ or è repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see the reading that you want
to reset in the left display.

Press and hold the reset button in the
instrument cluster (
page 23) until
the value is reset to 0.
iAll statistics stored since the last en-
gine start will be reset approximately
four hours after the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or
removed from the starter switch.
Resetting will not occur if you turn the
SmartKey back to position1 or2 with-
in this time period.

152 Controls in detailControl systemCall up range (distance to empty)
Press button ÿ or è repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Range
.
In the right display you will see the cal-
culated range based on the current fuel
tank level.
TEL menu*
You 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.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road, and traffic con-
ditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
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.

153 Controls in detail
Control system
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 í.
You have answered the call. In the right
display you see the length of the call.Ending a call

Press button ì.
You have ended the call. In the right
display you will again see the standby
message.
Dialing a number from the phone book
If your telephone is ready to receive calls,
you may select and dial a number from the
phone book at any time.

Press button ÿ or è repeatedly
until you see the
TEL
menu in the left
display.
In the right display you will see the
standby message.


154 Controls in detailControl system
Press button j or k.
The control system reads the phone
book which is stored in the telephone.
This may take up to 30 seconds. In the
right display you will see the message Please wait!
.
When the message
Please wait!
dis-
appears, the phone book has been
loaded.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until the desired name appears in the
right display.
The stored names are displayed in
ascending or descending alphabetical
order.

Press button ì.
The system dials the selected phone
number.


If the connection is successful, the
name of the party you called and the
duration of the call will appear in the
display.


If no connection is made, the control
system stores the dialed number in the
redial memory. Redialing
The control system stores the most recent-
ly dialed phone numbers. This eliminates
the need to search through your entire
phone book.

Press button ÿ or è repeatedly
until you see the
TEL
menu in the left
display.
In the right display you will see the
standby message.

Press button í.
In the right display you see the first
number in the redial memory.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until the desired name appears in the
right display.

Press button í.
The control system dials the selected
phone number.
iIf you press and hold j or k for
longer than one second, the system
scrolls rapidly through the list of names
until you release the button again.
Cancel the quick search mode by
pressing ì.


155 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For information on driving with an auto-
matic transmission, see the “Getting
started” section (
page 45).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on


the gear selector lever positionD with
gear ranges (
page 157)


the selected shift program
(C/S)(
page 161)
or
(C/S/M) (SL 55 AMG only)
(
page 163)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 162)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
and shift program (
C/S) or (
C/S/M) appear
in the right multifunction display
(
page 127).When the gear selector lever is in
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

156 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionOne-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears manually when the
gear selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action
simultaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 157).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simul-
taneously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the right multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to
theD-direction, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.