2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG brake

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionStopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.

Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop longer with the engine
idling and/or on a hill:

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:

Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.

Accelerate gently.

Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Working on the vehicle
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic shift
programC orS (
page 173), you can
select a gear range for the automatic
transmission to operate within:
Gear selector lever (page 174):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the gear selector lever to the left (D-), and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the gear selector lever to the right (D+).
Steering wheel gearshift control*
(
page 175):
You can limit the gear range by pulling the
left gearshift paddle on the steering wheel
gearshift control, and reverse the gear
range limit by pulling the right gearshift
paddle on the steering wheel gearshift
control.
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could
roll away.

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(page 175).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
MANUAL program mode is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 177) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the right
multifunction display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The MANUAL program mode is not
stored.Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be activated.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to drive
positionD (for second gear) or reverse
gearR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
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.i
When you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.

201 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Retractable hardtop switch1Opening
2Closing
Engage the parking brake (
page 54).

Close the luggage cover, see “Luggage
cover” (
page 205).

Close the trunk lid.

Switch on the ignition (
page 39).Opening

Pull up on the retractable hardtop
switch as indicated by arrow 1 until
the retractable hardtop is completely
lowered into its trunk storage compart-
ment.
The multifunction display will briefly
show the message K
in operation
.
Closing

Press down on the retractable hardtop
switch as indicated by arrow 2 until
the retractable hardtop is completely
closed and locked.
The multifunction display will briefly
show the message K
in operation
.Opening/closing with the SmartKey
i
Make sure the retractable hardtop is dry be-
fore you open it. Otherwise water may enter the
trunk interior.
Warning!
G
Before operating the retractable hardtop,
make sure there is no danger of anyone
being injured by the moving parts (retract-
able roof, roof frame, and trunk lid) due to in-
attention.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the re-
tractable hardtop is being raised or lowered.
Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
spective button on the SmartKey. This im-
mediately interrupts the raising or lowering
procedure. You then can press button Œ
or ‹to raise or lower the hardtop away
from the danger zone.

202 Controls in detailRetractable hardtop
Engage the parking brake (
page 54).

Close the luggage cover, see “Luggage
cover” (
page 205).

Close the trunk lid.
Opening (Summer opening feature)

Aim the transmitter eye at an outside
door handle.
The SmartKey must be in close proxim-
ity to the outside door handle.

Press and hold button Πuntil the
retractable hardtop is completely
open.
The seat ventilation* for the driver’s
seat switches on. The rear side win-
dows open.

Release button Πto interrupt pro-
cedure.
Closing (Convenience feature)

Aim the transmitter eye at the outside
door handle.
The SmartKey must be in close proxim-
ity to the outside door handle.

Press and hold button ‹until the
retractable hardtop is completely
closed.
The retractable hardtop and the rear
side windows close.Locking the retractable hardtop after
raising/lowering
If the retractable hardtop is not properly
locked, lock it as follows.
i
Make sure the retractable hardtop is dry be-
fore you open it. Otherwise water may enter the
trunk interior.
Warning!
G
The hardtop is not fully closed and locked or
not fully opened and locked if:

the message K
in operation

appears in the multifunction display


a warning sounds for 10 seconds and
the message K
Lock
retractable roof appears in the mul-
tifunction display when starting to drive

209 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The 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


Distance warning function* (only avail-
able with Distronic*), which warns of
stationary objects or slower moving ve-
hicles that you are closing in on too
quickly


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


Parktronic*, which assists the driver
during parking maneuvers
For information on the BAS, ABS, ESP
®,
and the electro-hydraulic brake system,
see “Driving safety systems” (
page 87).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed above 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 on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 24).
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s 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 constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a constant speed.


The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous 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.

210 Controls in detailDriving systems1Setting current or higher speed
2Setting current or lower speed
3Canceling the cruise control
4Activating the cruise control or resum-
ing to last set speedActivating cruise control
You can activate the cruise control when
the vehicle speed is above
20 mph (30 km/h).
In the following cases you cannot activate
the cruise control:


when you brake


when you have set the parking brake


when the gear selector lever is set to
position P, R, or N


when the ESP
® is switched offSetting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.
The currently set speed appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
Warning!
G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded.
Keep in mind that the cruise control is a con-
venience system designed to assist the driv-
er during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.
i
The vehicle speed displayed in the speedom-
eter can briefly vary from the speed setting for
the cruise control system.
i
On uphill grades, the cruise control may not
be able to maintain the set speed. Once the
grade eases, the set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control maintains
the set speed by braking with the vehicle’s brake
system. In addition, on longer downhill grades
the automatic transmission will downshift auto-
matically.

211 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling the cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
set speed is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
set speed is stored for later use.
i
The last stored speed is canceled when you
turn off the engine.
i
The cruise control switches off automatical-
ly when


you step on the brake pedal


you depress the parking brake pedal
The cruise control also switches off automatical-
ly when


the vehicle speed is below
20 mph (30 km/h) (
page 209)


the ESP
® is in operation or switched off with
the ESP® switch (
page 91)


you move the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving
An acoustic warning sounds and the message
CC Off
appears in the multifunction display for
approximately 5 seconds.
!
Moving the gear selector lever to positionN
while driving cancels the cruise control. Howev-
er, the gear selector lever should not be moved
to positionN while driving except to coast when
the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy
roads).
i
Depressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate the cruise control. After brief acceler-
ation (e.g. for passing), the cruise control will re-
sume the last speed set.

212 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a higher speed
Lift the cruise control in direction of
arrow1 (
page 210) and hold it
there until the desired speed is
reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control in direction
of arrow2 (
page 210) and hold it
there until the desired speed is
reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 (
page 210).
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow2 (
page 210).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow4 (
page 210).
The cruise control resumes to the last
set speed or, if no speed is stored, it
will set and store the current speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
i
When you use the cruise control lever to de-
celerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.