
ContentsSafety and Security...........................  57
Occupant safety...................................  58
Airbags ...........................................  59
Seat belts .......................................  65
Roll bar ...........................................  69
Children in the vehicle....................  70
Panic alarm ..........................................  74
Activating .......................................  74
Deactivating ...................................  74
Driving safety systems .........................  75
ABS ................................................  76
BAS ................................................  77
ESP.................................................  78
SBC brake system ..........................  81
Anti-theft systems................................  84
Immobilizer.....................................  84
Anti-theft alarm system ..................  85
Tow-away alarm .............................  86
Controls in detail...............................  89
Locking and unlocking .........................  90
SmartKey .......................................  90
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ........  93
Opening the doors from the
inside .............................................  99
Opening the trunk ..........................  99
Closing the trunk lid .....................  102
Trunk lid emergency release ........  102
Separately locking the trunk ........  103
Automatic central locking ............  105
Locking and unlocking from
the inside .....................................  105
Seats .................................................  107
Easy-entry / exit feature ...............  107
Moving the seats forward and 
backward .....................................  108
Lumbar support............................  108
Multicontour backrest*
(standard on SL 600 and
SL 55 AMG) ..................................  109Seat heating.................................  110
Seat ventilation*
(standard on SL 600) ...................  112
Memory function ...............................  114
Storing positions into memory .....  115
Recalling positions from memory.  115
Storing exterior rear view mirror 
parking position ...........................  115
Lighting .............................................  117
Exterior lamp switch ....................  117
Combination switch .....................  120
Hazard warning flasher ................  121
Interior lighting ............................  122
Courtesy lighting ..........................  123
Instrument cluster .............................  124
Instrument cluster illumination ....  124
Coolant temperature gauge .........  124
Trip odometer ..............................  125
Tachometer..................................  125
Outside temperature indicator .....  126 

21 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Parking brake pedal
45
2
Hood lock release
253
3
Parking brake release
52
4
Door control panel
28
5
Exterior lamp switch
46,
117
6
Headlamp washer button
168
7
Combination switch
Turn signals
Windshield wipers
High beam
47
47
 120
Item
Page
8
Cruise control switch
Cruise control
Distronic*
193
196
9
Instrument cluster
22,
124
a
Multifunction steering 
wheel
24,
128
b
Lever for voice control 
system*, see separate 
operating instructions
c
Front Parktronic* warn-
ing indicator
210
d
Digital clock
140
e
Overhead control panel
27
Item
Page
f
Interior storage compart-
ments (locking/unlock-
ing)
216
g
7 indicator lamp
72
h
Glove box
214
j
Center console
25, 26
k
Starter switch
33
l
Horn
m
Steering wheel adjust-
ment lever
Heated steering wheel*
37
220 

172 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlThe automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can 
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The 
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature 
and the current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and 
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through 
the air distribution system.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls1 and7 to 
separately adjust the air temperature on 
each side of the passenger compartment. 
You should raise or lower the temperature 
setting in small increments, preferably 
starting at 72°F (22°C). 
Increasing
Turn the outer adjustment ring slightly 
to the right.
The automatic climate control system 
will correspondingly adjust the interior 
air temperature.
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the 
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may 
cause burns or frostbite on unprotected skin 
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell 
air vents. If necessary change the air flow 
using the air distribution controls to direct 
the air away from the footwell air vents 
(page 174).
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up, 
impairing visibility and endangering you and 
others.iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate 
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the 
windshield free of snow and debris.
When the retractable hardtop is closed, 
do not obstruct air flow by placing ob-
jects on the air flow-through exhaust 
slots below the rear window.
iWhen operating the climate control 
system in automatic mode, you will 
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution. 

178 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlResidual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible 
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior 
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes 
use of the residual heat produced by the 
engine.Activating
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch 
to position1 or0 or remove it from the 
starter switch.
Press button T (
page 171).
The indicator lamp on button T 
comes on.Deactivating
Press button T (
page 171).
The indicator lamp on button T 
goes out.
The residual heat is automatically turned 
off:
when the ignition is switched on
after about 30 minutes 
if the battery voltage drops
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the 
operator. The blower will run at speed 
setting1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting. 

400 Technical termsMultifunction display
Two display fields in the instrument 
cluster used to present information 
provided by the control system.
Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.
Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking 
on the tachometer dial (not on 
SL 55 AMG, see “Tachometer” 
(
page 125). Avoid this engine speed 
range, as it may result in serious engine 
damage that is not covered by the Mer-
cedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parktronic*
System which uses visual and acoustic 
signals to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers.
Poly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator, 
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit 
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing
engine
clutch/torque converter
transmission
transfer case
drive shaft
differential
axle shafts/axlesProgram mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operation (S) 
and comfort operation (C).
SL 55 AMG with steering wheel gear-
shift control and manual shift program: 
in addition to S and C (for regular S or 
comfort C operation, see above), you 
can use MANUAL for manual shift pro-
gram
Remote Vehicle Diagnostics
Transmission of vehicle data and cur-
rent location to the Mercedes-Benz 
Customer Assistance Center for sub-
scribers to Tele Aid service.
REST
(Residual Engine Heat Utilization)
Feature that uses the engine heat 
stored in the coolant to heat the vehi-
cle interior for a short time after the en-
gine has been turned off. 

403 Index
A
ABC 207, 397
Messages in display 292
Oil level 258
Setting vehicle level 208
ABC switch 26
ABS 75, 76, 397
Messages in display 293
Warning lamp 23, 283
ABS/ESP
Warning lamp 23, 282
Accelerator position, automatic 
transmission 162
Activating
Air circulation mode 175
Air conditioning (cooling) 180
Anti-theft alarm system 85
Central locking (control system) 146
Distance warning function* 204
Distronic* 200
Easy-entry/exit feature 148Electric air pump 355
ESP 80
Exterior lamps 117
Exterior rear view mirror parking 
position 167
Hazard warning flasher 121
High beams 121
Ignition 31
Immobilizer 53
Parktronic* 212
Rear window defroster 177
Residual heat 178
Seat heating 110, 111
Seat ventilation* 113
Tow-away alarm 87
Windshield wipers 48
Active Body Control (ABC) switch 26
Active Body Control see ABC
Adding
Engine oil 257Adjusting
Air distribution 174
Air volume 173
Backrest tilt 35, 36
Exterior rear view mirrors 38
Head restraint height 36
Head restraint tilt 36
Interior rear view mirror 38
Lumbar support 108
Mirrors 38
Multicontour backrest* 109
Seat cushion depth 36
Seat cushion tilt 36
Seat height 36
Seat in the lumbar region 109
Seat in the shoulder region 109
Seats 34
Steering column in/out 37
Steering column up/down 37
Steering wheel 37
Air conditioner refrigerant 388 

408 Index
Engine with the SmartKey 53
ESP 79
Exterior lamps 117
Hazard warning flasher 121
Headlamps 52, 117
Immobilizer 84
Interior light delayed switch-off 145
Parktronic* 212
Rear window defroster 177
Residual heat 178
Seat heating 110, 111
Seat ventilation* 113
Tow-away alarm 87
Deep water see Standing water
Defrosting 175
Delayed switch-off
Exterior lamps 143
Interior lighting 145
Digital clock 21
Direction of rotation (tires) 263Displays
Distronic* 198
Messages 256, 306
Parktronic* 211
Service indicator 271
Distance to empty (range)
Calling up 152
Distance warning function* 204
Activating 204
Deactivating 204
Intermittent warning sound 204
Symbol 135, 199
Distance warning function* switch 26
Distronic indicator lamp* 23
Distronic* 196, 398
"Resume" function 202
Activating 200
Calling up settings 135, 199
Cleaning system sensors 277
Cruise control lever 200Deactivating 202
Deceleration 199
Decreasing time interval 204
Displays 198
Distance warning function 204
Distance warning function switch 26
Driving hints 205
DTR warning lamp 198
Increasing time interval 203
Intermittent signal tone 198
Setting a higher speed 201
Setting a slower speed 202
Setting distance 26
Setting last stored speed 202
Setting speed 201
System sensor cover 277
Warning and indicator lamps 198
Distronic* warning lamp 23
Door control panel 21, 28
Door handle 28 

418 Index
Self-check 82
Warning lamp 81
Seat belt force limiter 68
Seat belts 40, 58, 65
Cleaning 279
Messages in display 316
Telltale 289
Seat heating
Switching off 110
Switching on 110
Seat ventilation*
Switching off 113
Switching on 113
Seats
Adjusting height 35
Adjusting lumbar support 109
Adjusting shoulder support 109
Easy entry/exit feature 107
Heating 110
Massage function 110
Moving 108Service
Batteries 358
Calling up the service indicator 272
Major service (Service B) 271
Minor service (Service A) 271
Overdue 272
Types 271
When due 271
Service indicator 271
Clearing 271
Service life (tires) 263
Service System see FSS
Setting
Convenience functions 148
Daytime running lamp mode 142
Digital clock 21
Distronic* time interval 203
Exterior rear view mirror parking 
position 149
Instrument lighting 124Interior lighting delayed 
switch-off 145
Key-dependent memory 149
Lamps and lighting (control 
system) 142
Locator lighting 143
Miles/kilometers in 
speedometer 141
Multifunction display language 141
Night security illumination 143
Radio station 133
Speedometer display mode 141
Station selection mode 146
Suspension tuning 207
Temperature (interior) 172
Temperature indicator 140
Time display mode 140
Tire inflation pressure units 147
Units
Temperature 140
Tire inflation pressure 147
Units in speedometer 141
Vehicle level control 208