2014 MERCEDES-BENZ SLS AMG ROADSTER transmission

Useful information
............................118
Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle 118
Driving ............................................... 118
AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed
sports transmission .........................121
AMG button (SETUP) .........................128
Refueling ............................................ 129
Parking ............................................... 131
Driving tips ........................................ 134
Driving systems ................................ 138 117Driving and parking

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional
equipment of your vehicle available at the
time of publication of the Operator's
Manual. Country-specific differences are
possible. Please note that your vehicle may
not be equipped with all features
described. This also applies to safety-
related systems and functions.
i Please read the information on qualified
specialist workshops (Y page 22).Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle
Important safety notes
New brake pads/linings only reach their
optimum braking effect after several hundred
kilometers of driving. Until that time, you may
need to use increased brake pedal pressure
while braking. This also applies after the
brake discs or the brake pads/linings have
been replaced. The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its
performance in the future.
R You should therefore drive at varying
vehicle and engine speeds for the first
1,000 miles (1,500 km).
R Do not drive faster than 85 mph
(140 km/h) for the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km).
R Only allow the engine to reach a maximum
engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
R Avoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full
throttle, during this period. Do not exceed
Ô of the maximum permitted engine speed
for each gear.
R Select the manual drive program Min good
time. R
Do not carry out a RACE START.
R Do not manually shift to a lower gear to
brake the vehicle.
R If possible, do not depress the accelerator
pedal past the point of resistance
(kickdown).
R Only select the shift range limits 3,2or 1
when driving slowly, e.g. in mountainous
terrain.
After 1,000 miles (1,500 km), you can
increase the engine speed gradually and bring
the vehicle to full speed.
i You should also observe these breaking-
in notes if your vehicle's engine or
transmission has been replaced.
i Always observe the respective speed
limits. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the
pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle
is jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another. G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect,
for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving. 118
DrivingDriving and parking

g
To remove the SmartKey
1 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windshield wipers
2 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3 To start the engine
i The SmartKey can be turned in the
ignition lock even if it is not the correct
SmartKey for the vehicle. The ignition is not
switched on. The engine cannot be started. Starting the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R Start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces
without sufficient ventilation. i
Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
Starting procedure with the Start/Stop
button i
The Start/Stop button can be used to
start the vehicle without inserting the
SmartKey into the ignition lock. You merely
need to carry the SmartKey on your person.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Press the Start/Stop button once
(Y page 119).
The engine starts.
Starting procedure with the SmartKey If the Start/Stop button is inoperative, you
can also start the vehicle using the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
X
Turn the SmartKey to position 3in the
ignition lock (Y page 119) and release it as
soon as the engine is running. Pulling away
AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports
transmission G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor
R, the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There
is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do
not simultaneously accelerate.
i It is only possible to shift the transmission
from position Pto the desired position, if:
R the engine is running and
R you depress the brake pedal
Only then is the parking lock released. If the
brake pedal is not depressed, the E-SELECT 120
DrivingDriving and parking

lever can still be moved but the parking lock
remains engaged.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Use the E-SELECT lever to shift the
transmission to position Dor R.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
The electric parking brake is automatically
released (Y page 133).
i The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down. The automatic door lock can
also be deactivated (Roadster only).
Hill start assist Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away
on a hill. It holds the vehicle for a short time
after you have removed your foot from the
brake pedal. This gives you enough time to
move your foot from the brake pedal to the
accelerator pedal and depress it before the
vehicle begins to roll. G
WARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no
longer brake your vehicle and it could roll
away. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
X Take your foot off the brake pedal.
i Once you have taken your foot off the
brake pedal, the vehicle is held for around
one second.
X Pull away.
Hill start assist is not active if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or on
a downhill gradient.
R the transmission is in position N.R
the vehicle is secured with the electric
parking brake.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning. AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports
transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor
R, the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There
is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do
not simultaneously accelerate.
Observe the "Important safety notes" section
on activating/deactivating ESP ®
(Y page 56). E-SELECT selector lever
Overview of transmission positions j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
! If the engine speed is too high or if the
vehicle is rolling, do not shift the
transmission directly from Dto R, from R
to Dor directly to P.
Do not open the driver's door while the
vehicle is in motion. At low speeds in AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission
121Driving and parking Z

transmission position
Dor R, park position
P is otherwise engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
i The E-SELECT lever always returns to its
original position.
The current transmission position P,R, N
or Dappears in the transmission position
display in the multifunction display.
If you wish to select a transmission position
or to disengage park position P, the engine
must be running.
Engaging park position P
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Press the Pbutton in the center console.
i Park position Pis disengaged if you:
R depress the brake pedal and
R push the E-SELECT lever forwards or
back to the first point of resistance
The transmission shifts to neutral N.
To shift directly from Pto R:
X Depress the brake pedal and push the
E-SELECT lever forwards past the first
point of resistance.
To shift directly from Pto D:
X Depress the brake pedal and push the
E-SELECT lever back past the first
point of resistance.
Engaging park position P automatically
Park position is engaged automatically in the
following circumstances:
R if you switch off the engine using the Start/
Stop button and open the driver's or front-
passenger door.
R if you remove the SmartKey from the
ignition lock.
R if you open the door while traveling at low
speed in transmission position Dor R. Shifting to neutral N
X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the E-SELECT lever forwards or back
to the first point of resistance.
i If you move the E-SELECT lever to N
before switching off the engine, the
transmission remains in Nfor
approximately 30 minutes. If you open the
driver's or front-passenger door during this
period, the transmission automatically
shifts to P.
The transmission remains in Nif:
R the SmartKey is in the ignition lock and
R you use the E-SELECT lever to shift the
transmission to Nbefore switching the
engine off
This still applies if you open the driver's or
front-passenger door.
Further information is available in the "Car
wash" section (Y page 223).
Engaging reverse gear R
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the E-SELECT lever forward past the
first point of resistance.
Shifting to transmission position D
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the E-SELECT lever back past the first
point of resistance. 122
AMG SPEE
DSHIFT DCT 7-speed spor ts transmissionDriving and parking

Transmission position and drive
program display
Display in transmission positions P, R
and N :
Transmission position: currently selected
transmission position is displayed in
inverted colors
; Drive program (C/S/S+/M)
In addition to drive program ;being shown
in the multifunction display, the currently
selected drive program is indicated in red on
the drive program selector switch.
Display when in transmission position
D :
Transmission position
; Gear
= Drive program (C/S/S+)
If you have restricted the shift range, the
transmission position and the selected shift
range, e.g. D3, are shown at position :.Display when in transmission position
D and manual drive program M :
Gear
; Drive program Transmission positions
B
Park position
Do not shift the transmission into
position
Punless the vehicle is
stationary. The parking lock should
not be used as a brake when
parking. Always apply the
electronic parking brake in
addition to the parking lock in order
to secure the vehicle.
In the event of a malfunction of the
vehicle's electronics, the
transmission may lock in position
P.
Have the vehicle electronics
checked at a qualified specialist
workshop, e.g. an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center,
immediately. C
Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. AMG SPEEDSHIFT
DCT 7-speed sports transmission
123Driving and parking Z

A
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it.
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. The transmission
could otherwise be damaged.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to
position Nif the vehicle is in danger
of skidding, e.g. on icy roads. 7
Drive
The transmission shifts into drive
programs (C/S/S+) automatically.
All forward gears are available.
Changing gear
The transmission shifts into individual gears
automatically. This is determined by:
R drive position D
R the selected drive program (C/S /S+)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the road speed
R a shift range restriction, if selected
The shift points primarily depend on:
R the position of the accelerator pedal
Little throttle: early upshifts; high throttle:
late upshifts
R the driving dynamics
A dynamic driving style with high
longitudinal and lateral acceleration delays
the shift points to higher engine speeds. Driving tips
Double-clutch function When shifting down, the double-clutch
function is active regardless of the currently
selected drive program. The double-clutch function reduces the load change reaction on
the drive axle. The sound generated by the
double-clutch function and its characteristics
depend on the drive program selected.
Kickdown
i
Kickdown is not available in manual drive
program M.
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration:
X In the automatic drive programs, depress
the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure
point.
Depending on the selected drive program,
the transmission shifts to the lowest gear
permissible to give optimal acceleration. Drive program selector
With the drive program selector switch, you
can choose from a range of different
transmission configurations or select the
RACE START drive mode. Drive
program Characteristic
C
Controlled
Efficiency Comfort-oriented,
optimum-economy engine
and transmission settings S
Sport Sporty engine and
transmission settings
S+
SportPlus Extremely sporty engine
and transmission settings 124
AMG SPEE
DSHIFT DCT 7-speed spor ts transmissionDriving and parking

Drive
program Characteristic
M
Manual Manual gear shifting
Driving mode
RS
RACE
START Optimal vehicle
acceleration from a
standstill
X
Turn drive program selector switch :until
the desired drive program is shown in the
multifunction display.
i In addition to the drive program being
shown in the multifunction display, the
currently selected drive program is
indicated in red on the drive program
selector switch.
i RScannot be selected during normal
driving. For further information on RACE
START, see (Y page 125). Steering wheel paddle shifters
In transmission position D, you can use the
steering wheel paddle shifters to restrict or
derestrict the transmission shift range. One
of the automatic drive programs C,Sand S
+ must be selected in order to do so.
In manual drive program M, you need to
change gear yourself using the steering wheel
paddle shifters. The transmission shifts down
automatically at low engine speeds.
i In manual drive program M, the
transmission shift and response times are
significantly shorter with sportier and more
aggressive gear changes. :
Left steering wheel paddle shifter
(DOWN): shift down/restrict shift range
; Right steering wheel paddle shifter (UP):
shift up/derestrict shift range RACE START
RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start under suitable high-grip
road surface conditions.
RACE START is intended solely for activation
on dedicated race circuits.
Conditions for activation You can activate RACE START if:
R
the doors are closed.
R the engine is running and the engine and
transmission are at operating temperature.
(Y page 161)
R SPORT handling mode is switched on.
(Y page 56)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
R the vehicle is stationary and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot).
R the transmission is set to D. AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission
125Driving and parking Z