2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class Owner's Manual

For DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you, the radar
sensor system must be operational.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 20 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h). If a vehicle is driving in front of
you, it operates in the speed range between
0 mph (0 km/h) and 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients.
As DISTRONIC PLUS transmits radar waves, it
can resemble the radar detectors of the
responsible authorities. You can refer to the
relevant chapter in the Operator's Manual if
questions are asked about this.
iUSA only: This device has been approved
by the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System".
The radar sensor is intended for use in an
automotive radar system only. Removal,
tampering, or altering of the device will void
any warranties, and is not permitted by the
FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment.
iCanada only: This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and
2. This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
ca

use undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the
device will void any warranties, and is not
permitted. Do not tamper with, alter, or use
in any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS does not react to:
Rpeople or animals
Rstationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop- ped or parked vehicles
Roncoming and crossing traffic
As a result, DISTRONIC PLUS may neither give
warnings nor intervene in such situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot always clearly iden-
tify other road users and complex traffic sit-
uations.
In such cases, DISTRONIC PLUS may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
Rneither give a warning nor intervene
Raccelerate or brake unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, in particular when warned to do so by
DISTRONIC PLUS.
GWARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle with up to 40% of the maximum braking force. If this
braking force is insufficient, DISTRONIC PLUS
warns you visually and audibly. There is a risk
of an accident.
In such cases, apply the brakes yourself and
try to take evasive action.
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations.
Driving systems183
Driving and parking
Z

To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style,
DISTRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk
of accident nor override the laws of physics.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take into account
the road, traffic and weather conditions.
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time and for staying in your lane.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
Rwhen there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow
vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else covering the sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for
example, in parking garages
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehi- cle in front, DISTRONIC PLUS may unexpect-
edly accelerate the vehicle to the stored
speed. This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a filter lane
or an exit lane
Rbe so high when driving in the right-hand
lane that you overtake vehicles in the left-
hand lane
Rbe so high when driving in the left-hand lane
that you overtake vehicles in the right-hand
lane
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
Cruise control lever
:
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
;To set the specified minimum distance
=To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
?To store the current speed or a lower
speed
ATo deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS; storing,
maintaining and calling up a speed
Important safety notes
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations.
184Driving systems
Driving and parking

To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
In order to activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up
to two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
Ryour vehicle must not be secured by the
electric parking brake.
RESP®must be activated.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Rthe hood must be closed.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift fromPto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door must be closed.
Rthe vehicle must not skid.
Activating
Cruise control lever
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards you ;, up :or down =.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :to the pressure point for a higher speed, or down
=
for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced.
or
XTo adjust the speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :past
the pressure point for a higher speed, or
down =for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
When driving at speeds below 20 mph
(30 km/h) , you can only activate DISTRONIC
PLUS if the vehicle in front has been detected
and is shown in the multifunction display. If
the vehicle in front is no longer detected and
displayed, for example because it has
changed lanes, DISTRONIC PLUS is deactiva-
ted. You will hear a warning tone if this is the
case.
iIf you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC
PLUSPassivemes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
The set distance to a slower-moving vehicle
in front will then not be maintained. You will
be driving at the speed you determine by
the position of the accelerator pedal.
Driving systems185
Driving and parking
Z

Pulling away and driving
Cruise control lever
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless your vehicle is stationary.
XIf the vehicle in front pulls away:remove
your foot from the brake pedal.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ;, up :or down =.
or
XAccelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its
speed to that of the vehicle in front.
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.
It maintains the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk
of a collision, you will be warned visually and acoustically. DISTRONIC PLUS cannot pre-
vent a collision without your intervention. An
intermittent warning tone will then sound and
the distance warning lamp will light up in the
instrument cluster. Brake immediately in
order to increase the distance from the vehi-
cle in front, or take evasive action, provided it
is safe to do so.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a faster-moving
vehicle in front, it increases the driving speed.
However, the vehicle is only accelerated up to
the speed you have stored. Changing lanes
If you wish to move into the overtaking lane
(for left-hand-drive vehicles, the passing lane
is the left-hand lane), DISTRONIC PLUS
assists you if:
Ryou are driving faster than 40 mph
(60 km/h)
RDISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the dis-
tance to a vehicle in front
Ryou switch on the appropriate turn signal
RDISTRONIC 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 dis-
tance between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front becomes too small.
Stopping
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, even if it is braked
only by DISTRONIC PLUS, it could roll away if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
RDISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated
with the cruise control lever, e.g. by a vehi-
cle occupant or from outside the vehicle.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected.
Rthe accelerator pedal has been depressed, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
Deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS (Ypage 189).
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. After a time, the electric parking brake
186Driving systems
Driving and parking

secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, 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:
Rthe driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
Rthe engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
Ra system malfunction occurs.
Rthe power supply is not sufficient.
If a malfunction occurs, then the transmission
may also be shifted into position Pautomat-
ically.
Storing the current speed or calling up the
last stored speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
Cruise control lever
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 a speed
Cruise control lever
Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to
the speed set.
XTo adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :to the
Driving systems187
Driving and parking
Z

pressure point for a higher speed or
down;for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced.
XTo adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up :past
the pressure point for a higher speed or
down ;for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced.
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 func-
tion, 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
(
Ypage 189).
Make sure that you maintain a sufficiently
safe distance from the vehicle in front. Adjust
the distance to the vehicle in front if neces-
sary.
Cruise control lever
XTo increase: turn control=toward ;.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
XTo decrease: turn control=toward :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
DISTRONIC PLUS displays in the instru-
ment cluster
Displays in the speedometer
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or
two segments ;in the set speed range light
up.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front,
segments ;between speed of the vehicle in
front =and stored speed :light up.
iFor design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS.
188Driving systems
Driving and parking

Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vate d
:Vehicl ein front, if detecte d
;Distanceindicator, curren tdistanc eto
th evehicl ein fron t
=Specified minimum distanc eto th evehi-
cle in front; adjustable
?Own vehicl e
XSelectth eAssistanc eGraphi cfunction
usin gth eon-boar dcomputer
(
Ypage 231).
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is activa -
te d
:Vehicl ein front, if detecte d
;Specified minimum distanc eto th evehi-
cle in front; adjustable
=Own vehicl e
?DISTRONIC PLU Sactivated
XSelec tth eAssistanc eGraphi cfunction
usin gth eon-boar dcomputer
(
Ypage 231). You will initially see th
estore dspeed fo r
about fiv eseconds when you activat e
DISTRONIC PLUS.
Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
GWARNIN G
DISTRONIC PLU Sis deactivated and release s
th ebrakes if th evehicl eis slowed down to a
speed belo w20 mph (30km/h )by th esystem,
provided that DISTRONIC PLU Sdoe sno t
detec t avehicl edirectl yin front. At this point,
th edriver mus tapply th ebrakes in order to
slo wdown further and bring th evehicl eto a
standstill.
Cruis econtrol lever
There are several ways to deactivat e
DISTRONIC PLUS:
XBriefly press th ecruise control lever for-
ward s:.
or
XBrake ,unless th evehicl eis stationary
Whe nyou deactivat eDISTRONIC PLUS, you
will see th eDISTRONIC
PLU SOffmessage in
th emultifunction display fo rapproximately
fiv eseconds.
iThe last speed store dremain sstore duntil
you switch of fth eengine.
iDISTRONIC PLU Sis no tdeactivated if you
depress th eaccelerato rpedal .If you accel-
erat eto overtake ,DISTRONIC PLU S
adjust sth evehicle's speed to th elast
speed store dafter you hav efinished over-
taking.
Driving systems18 9
Driving an d parking
Z

DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
Ryou engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake
Ryou are driving slower than 15 mph
(25 km/h) and there is no vehicle in front,
or if the vehicle in front is no longer detec-
ted
RESP®intervenes or you deactivate ESP®
Rthe transmission is in theP,R or Nposition
Ryou pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door is open
Rthe vehicle has skidded
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. You will see the
DISTRONIC PLUS Off
message in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS
General 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.
Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect vehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle
may brake unexpectedly or late. Vehicles traveling on a different line
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles
traveling on a different line. The distance to
the vehicle in front will be too short.
Other vehicles changing lanes
DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle
will be too short.
Narrow vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in front on the edge of the road,
190Driving system
s
Driving an d parking