Page 6 of 434

Contents
Control system .................................. 127
Multifunction display .................... 127
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 128
Menus .......................................... 130
Standard display menu ................ 132
AUDIO menu ................................ 132
NAVI menu ................................... 134
Distronic* menu........................... 135
Malfunction memory menu .......... 136
Settings menu .............................. 137
Trip computer menu..................... 150
TEL menu* ................................... 152
Automatic transmission ..................... 155
One-touch gearshifting................. 156
Gear ranges ................................. 157
Gear selector lever position ......... 158
Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) SL 55 AMG ............... 160
Program mode selector switch..... 161
Accelerator position ..................... 162
Manual shift program SL 55 AMG 163
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 165Good visibility ..................................... 166
Rear view mirrors .......................... 166
Windshield wipers ......................... 168
Headlamp cleaning system ........... 168
Rear window defroster .................. 169
Sun visors ..................................... 169
Automatic climate control .................. 170
Setting the temperature................ 172
Adjusting air volume ..................... 173
Adjusting air distribution............... 174
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 174
Defrosting ..................................... 175
Air recirculation mode .................. 175
Rear window defroster .................. 177
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 178
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system ................. 179
Air conditioning............................. 179
Ventilated storage compartments. 180
Power windows .................................. 181
Opening and closing the windows. 181
Synchronizing power windows ...... 183Retractable hardtop ........................... 184
Opening and closing the
retractable hardtop ....................... 184
Driving systems .................................. 193
Cruise control ............................... 193
Distronic* ..................................... 196
Active Body Control (ABC) ............ 207
Parktronic* (Parking assist) .......... 210
Useful features ................................... 214
Storage compartments ................. 214
Ashtray ......................................... 219
Cigarette lighter............................ 219
Heated steering wheel*
(SL 500, SL 600)........................... 220
Load assist in the trunk ................ 221
Electrical outlet............................. 222
Telephone* ................................... 222
Tele Aid......................................... 223
Garage door opener ...................... 231
Page 26 of 434
25 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Central locking switch
105
2
Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch
121
3
Central unlocking switch
106
4
Center and side air vent ad-
justment
170
5
COMAND system, see sep-
arate operating instruc-
tions
130
6
Automatic climate control
172
7
Right cup holder
214
8
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button
33
9
Ashtray
Cigarette lighter
219
219
a
Left cup holder
214
Page 28 of 434
27 At a glance
Overhead control panel
Overhead control panel
Item
Page
1
Left reading lamp on/off
122
2
Temperature sensor for
automatic climate control
170
3
Right reading lamp on/off
122
4
Interior lighting control
122
5
Hands-free microphone
for Tele Aid (emergency
call system), telephone*
and voice control system*
(see separate operating
instructions)
222
6
Rear view mirror
38,
166
7
Garage door opener
231
8
Tele Aid (emergency call
system) button
223
Page 90 of 434
89 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Automatic climate control
Power windows
Retractable hardtop
Driving systems
Useful features
Page 171 of 434
170 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
Automatic climate control
Page 172 of 434
171 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
Item
1
Center air vent, adjustable
2
Center air vent, fixed
3
Air temperature controls for cen-
ter and side air vents
4
Air volume control for center and
side air vents
5
Center air vent, adjustable
6
Side defroster vent
7
Side air vent, adjustable
8
Automatic climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
Item
1
Temperature control, left
2
Air distribution, left (automatic or
manual operation)
3
Defrosting
4
Air recirculation
5
Rear window defroster
6
Air distribution, right (automatic or
manual operation)
7
Temperature control, right
8
Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
9
Residual heat/ventilation
a
Air volume control (automatic, man-
ual)
b
AC cooling on/off
Page 173 of 434

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.
Page 174 of 434

173 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Decreasing
Turn the outer adjustment ring slightly
to the left.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adjusting the temperature for center
and side air vents
When outside temperatures are low, you
can manually raise the air temperature for
the center and side air vents. The
controls3 are located between the cen-
ter air vents (
page 170).
Turning on warm air
Press the left button (red).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Warm air will enter from the
center and side air vents.Turning off warm air
Press the left button (red).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air from the outlets will return
to the temperature set in the system.
Turning on cooler air
Press the right button (blue).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Cooler air will enter from the
center and side air vents.
Turning off cooler air
Press the right button (blue).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air from the outlets will return
to the temperature set in the system.
Adjusting air volume
Use air volume controla (
page 171) for
both automatic and manual air volume ad-
justment.
Adjusting manually
Press the control knob.
The U light on the control knob
goes out. You can now select one of
nine air volume settings.
Adjusting automatically
Press the control knob.
The U light on the control knob
comes on. The airflow is adjusted auto-
matically.