2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK-CLASS ROADSTER cruise control

XPress the cruise control lever repeatedly
up : or down ; until the desired speed
is set.
i You can use the cruise control lever to set
the stored speed and the control on the
cruise control lever to set the specified
minimum distance ( Y page 164).
Pulling away
XIf the vehicle in front pulls away: remove
your foot from the brake pedal.XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
or
XAccelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its
speed to that of the vehicle in front.
Driving
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in front has slowed down, it brakes your
vehicle. In this way, the distance you have
selected is maintained.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in front is driving faster, it accelerates your
vehicle, but only up to the speed you have
stored.
GWARNING
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
DISTRONIC PLUS then no longer brakes your
vehicle. In such cases, control the distance
from vehicles travelling in front with the brake
alone. You could otherwise cause an accident
and thereby injure yourself and others. The
driver remains fully responsible for the
vehicle's distance from other vehicles, the
speed being driven and for braking in good
time.
Changing lanes
If you change to the passing lane, DISTRONIC
PLUS supports you when:
R you are driving faster than 40mph
(60 km/h).
R DISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the
distance to a vehicle in front.
R you switch on the appropriate turn signal.
R DISTRONIC PLUS does not detect a danger
of collision.
If these conditions are fulfilled, your vehicle
is accelerated. Acceleration will be
interrupted if changing lanes takes too long
or if the distance between your vehicle and
the vehicle in front becomes too small.
i When changing lanes, DISTRONIC PLUS
monitors the left lane on left-hand drive
vehicles and the right lane on right-hand
drive vehicles.GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid designed to
assist driving.
It is not a substitute for attentive driving. The
driver remains fully responsible for the
vehicle's distance from other vehicles, the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good time.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
Stopping
GWARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated.
DISTRONIC PLUS must also never be
operated, activated or deactivated by a
passenger or from outside the vehicle.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not replace the
electric parking brake and must not be used
for parking.
162Driving systemsDriving and parking

The DISTRONIC PLUS braking effect is
canceled and the vehicle can start moving if:
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated using the
cruise control lever.
R you accelerate.
R there is a malfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g.
battery failure.
R the electrical system in the engine
compartment, the battery or the fuses are
tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you wish to leave the vehicle or park it,
deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in front is stopping, it brakes your vehicle until
it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
i Depending on the specified minimum
distance, your vehicle will come to a
standstill at a sufficient distance behind the
vehicle in front. The specified minimum
distance is set using the control on the
cruise control lever.
The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if DISTRONIC PLUS is
activated and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the hood is opened.
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If there is a malfunction in the vehicle
electronics, a warning message may also
appear in the multifunction display.
Brake ImmediatelyXImmediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the
multifunction display goes out. DISTRONIC
PLUS is deactivated.
Shift to 'P'
XShift the transmission to position P to
prevent the vehicle from rolling away.
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated. The
warning message in the multifunction
display disappears.
The horn will also sound at regular intervals if
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and you:
R switch the engine off, open the driver's
door and remove your seat belt
R open the hood
The sounding of the horn alerts you to the fact
that the vehicle has been parked while
DISTRONIC PLUS is still activated. The sound
becomes louder if you attempt to lock the
vehicle. The vehicle is not locked until
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until DISTRONIC
PLUS has been deactivated.
Setting a speed
GWARNING
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has made the necessary
adjustments.
Increase or decrease the set vehicle speed to
a value that the prevailing road conditions and
legal speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden
and unexpected acceleration or deceleration
of the vehicle could cause an accident and/
or serious injury to you and others.
XPress the cruise control lever up : for a
higher speed or down ; for a lower speed.XTo adjust the speed in 1 mph
increments (1 km/h increments): brieflyDriving systems163Driving and parkingZ

press the cruise control lever up : or
down ; to the pressure point.
The last speed stored is increased or
decreased every time the cruise control
lever is pushed up : or down ;.XTo adjust the speed in 5 mph
increments (10 km/h increments):
briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ; beyond the pressure
point.
The last speed stored is increased or
decreased every time the cruise control
lever is pushed up : or down ;.
i
DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you
accelerate to overtake, DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished
overtaking.
Storing the current speed or calling up
a stored speed
GWARNING
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions and
legal speed limits permit. Possible
acceleration or deceleration differences
arising from returning to the preset speed
could cause an accident and/or serious injury
to you and others.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.XRemove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the current speed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value.
Setting the specified minimum distance
You can set the specified minimum distance
for DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. With this
function, you can set the minimum distance
that DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in
front, dependent on vehicle speed. You can
see this distance in the multifunction display
( Y page 165).GWARNING
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver's preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving
recommendations for safe following distance.
XTo increase: turn control ; in direction
= .
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.XTo decrease: turn control ; in
direction :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
i Make sure that you maintain a sufficiently
safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Adjust the distance to the vehicle in front if
necessary.
164Driving systemsDriving and parking

Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
There are several ways to deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS:
XBriefly press the cruise control lever
forwards :.
or
XBrake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, the
DISTRONIC PLUS Off message is shown in
the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically
deactivated if:
R you engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake
R you are driving slower than 15 mph
(25km/h) and there is no vehicle in front,
or if the vehicle in front is no longer
detected.
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
.
R the transmission is in the P, R or N position.
R you switch off the radar sensor system
( Y page 194).
R you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door is open.
R the vehicle has skidded.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. The DISTRONIC PLUS
Off message is shown in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated and releases
the brakes if the vehicle is slowed down to a
speed below 20 mph ( 30km/h) by the system,
provided that DISTRONIC PLUS does not
detect a vehicle directly in front. At this point,
the driver must apply the brakes in order to
slow down further and bring the vehicle to a
standstill.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
Important safety notes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. DISTRONIC PLUS is then
deactivated.
GWARNING
The DISTRONIC PLUS works to maintain the
speed selected by the driver unless a moving
obstacle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g.
following another vehicle ahead of you at your
set distance).
This means that:
R Your vehicle can pass another vehicle after
you have changed lanes.
R While in a sharp turn or if the preceding
vehicle is in a sharp turn, the DISTRONIC
PLUS could lose sight of the preceding
vehicle. Your vehicle could then accelerate
to the previously selected speed.
The DISTRONIC PLUS regulates only the
distance between your vehicle and those
directly ahead of it. It may not register
stationary objects in the road, e.g.:
R a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam
R a disabled vehicle
R an oncoming vehicle
166Driving systemsDriving and parking

Coolant temperature displayGWARNING
Driving when your engine is overheated can
cause some fluids which may have leaked into
the engine compartment to catch fire. You
could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns which can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of the
vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle until
the engine has cooled down.
The coolant temperature gauge is in the
instrument cluster on the right-hand side.
Under normal operating conditions and with
the specified coolant level, the coolant
temperature may rise to 248 ‡ (120 †).
! A display message is shown if the coolant
temperature is too high.
If the coolant temperature is over
248 ‡(120 †), do not continue driving. The
engine will otherwise be damaged.
Tachometer
The red band in the tachometer indicates the
engine's overrevving range.
! Do not drive in the overrevving range, as
this could damage the engine.
The fuel supply is interrupted to protect the
engine when the red band is reached.
Outside temperature display
The outside temperature display is in the
multifunction display ( Y page 183).
GWARNING
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the
freezing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
Changes in the outside temperature are
displayed after a short delay.
Speedometer with segments
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is available.
Cruise control ( Y page 156) activated:
The segments light up from the stored speed
to the maximum speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS ( Y page 158) activated:
One or two segments in the set speed range
light up.
DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front:
The segments between the speed of the
vehicle in front and the stored speed light up.
Operating the on-board computer
Overview
The on-board computer is activated as soon
as you turn the SmartKey to position 1 in the
ignition lock.
You can control the multifunction display and
the settings in the on-board computer using
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel.
Displays and operation181On-board computer and displaysZ

Back button%Press briefly:
R Back
R Switches off the Voice Control
System; see the separate
operating instructions
R Hides display messages or calls
up the last Trip menu function
used
R Exits the telephone book/redial
memory%Press and hold:
R Calls up the standard display in
the Trip menu
Multifunction display
Values and settings as well as display
messages are shown in the multifunction
display.
Example: multifunction display for automatic
transmission
:Transmission position;Drive program=Description field?Menu barAOutside temperature or speed
( Y page 192)BTimeXTo show menu bar ?: press the =
or ; button on the steering wheel.
Menu bar ? disappears after a few seconds.
Text field = shows the selected menu or
submenu as well as display messages.
i You can set the time using Audio 20 or
COMAND; see the separate Operating
Instructions.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the
clock and the outside temperature or speed
are shown instead of transmission
position : and drive program ;.
The following messages may appear in the
multifunction display:
ZShift recommendation
( Y page 139)Xj YParking Guidance ( Y page 173)CRUISECruise control ( Y page 156)ÀATTENTION ASSIST ( Y page 176)ëHOLD function ( Y page 168)ÄPRE-SAFE ®
Brake ( Y page 62)Displays and operation183On-board computer and displaysZ

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and M SolutionsCruise Control
InoperativeCruise control is defective.
A warning tone also sounds.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.Cruise Control
--- mphA condition for activating cruise control has not been fulfilled.
You have tried to store a speed below 20 mph (30 km/h), for
example.XIf conditions permit, drive faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) and
store the speed.XCheck the activation conditions for cruise control
( Y page 156).
Tires
GWARNING
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You may
lose control of the vehicle. Continued driving with a flat tire will cause excessive heat build-up
and possibly a fire.
GWARNING
Follow recommended tire inflation pressures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires wear excessively and/or unevenly, adversely affect
handling and fuel economy, and are more likely to fail from being overheated.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires can adversely affect handling and ride comfort, wear
unevenly, increase stopping distance, and result in sudden deflation (blowout) because they are
more likely to become punctured or damaged by road debris, potholes etc.
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and M SolutionsTire pressures
will be displayed
after driving a
few minutesThe tire pressure monitor is measuring the tire pressure.XDrive on.
The tire pressures appear in the multifunction display after you
have been driving for a few minutes.Tire Press. Monitor
InoperativeThe tire pressure monitor is faulty.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.Tire Press. Monitor
Inoperative No
Wheel SensorsThe wheels mounted do not have a suitable tire pressure sensor.
The tire pressure monitor is deactivated.XMount wheels with suitable tire pressure sensors.
The tire pressure monitor is activated automatically after driving
for a few minutes.222Display messagesOn-board computer and displays

ProblemPossible causes/consequences and M Solutions!
The yellow ABS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running. A
warning tone also
sounds.GRisk of accident
EBD is faulty. Therefore, ABS, BAS, BAS PLUS, ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
,
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake, the HOLD function and hill start assist are
unavailable, for example.
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.XDrive on carefully.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.$ (USA only)
J (Canada only)
֌!
The red brake warning
lamp, the yellow ESP ®
and ESP ®
OFF warning
lamps and the yellow
ABS warning lamp are
lit while the engine is
running.GRisk of accident
ABS and ESP ®
are faulty. Therefore, BAS, BAS PLUS, EBD, PRE-
SAFE ®
Brake, the HOLD function and hill start assist are also
unavailable, for example.
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.XDrive on carefully.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.÷
The yellow ESP ®
warning lamp flashes
while the vehicle is in
motion.GRisk of accident
ESP ®
or traction control has intervened because there is a risk of
skidding or at least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
XWhen pulling away, only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary.XEase off the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is in motion.XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.XDo not deactivate ESP ®
.
For exceptions, see: ( Y page 58).Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster231On-board computer and displaysZ