2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class brake

stop phase. When you depress the accel-
erator pedal, the engine starts automati-
cally and the braking effect of the HOLD
function is deactivated.
Automatic engine start
The engine starts automatically if:
Ryou switch off the ECO start/stop function
by pressing the ECO button
Rin transmission position Dor Nthe brake
pedal is released and the HOLD function is
not active
Ryou depress the accelerator pedal
Ryou engage reverse gear R.
Ryou move the transmission out of position
P
Ryou switch to drive program S,S+ orM
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Ryou unfasten your seat belt or open the
driver's door
Rthe vehicle starts to roll
Rthe brake system requires this
Rthe temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
Rthe system detects moisture on the wind-
shield when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
Rthe battery's condition of charge is too low
iShifting the transmission to position P
does not start the engine.
Deactivating or activating the ECO
start/stop function
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles)
XTo deactivate: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
XTo activate: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
If the indicator lamp on the ECO button is off,
the ECO start/stop function has been deac-
tivated manually or as the result of a mal-
function.
Mercedes-AMG vehicles
XTo deactivate: in drive program C, press
ECO button :.
or
XSwitch to drive program S,S+ orM
(
Ypage 163).
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
XTo activate: press ECO button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
156Driving
Driving and parking

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The coolant tempera-
ture gauge shows a
value above 248 ‡
(120 †). The coolant
warning lamp may also
be on and a warning
tone may sound.The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 539). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
XAt coolant temperatures below 248 ‡ (120 †), drive to the
nearest qualified specialist workshop.
XAvoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-and-go traffic.
Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
GWARNING
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.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions
!If the engine speed is too high or if the
vehicle is rolling, do not shift the transmis-
sion directly from Dto R, from Rto Dor
directly to P.
Do not open the driver's door while the
vehicle is in motion. At low speeds in trans-
mission position Dor R, park position Pis
otherwise engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
jPark position
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
Automatic transmission159
Driving and parking
Z

The selector lever always returns to its origi-
nal position. The current transmission posi-
tionP,R, Nor Dappears in the transmission
position display in the multifunction display.
Engaging park position P
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
XPress the Pbutton in the center console.
iPark position Pis disengaged if you:
Rdepress the brake pedal and
Rpush the selector lever forwards or back
to the first point of resistance
The transmission shifts to neutral N.
Park position Pis engaged automatically and
the electric parking brake applied:
Rif you remove the SmartKey from the igni-
tion lock
Rif you switch off the engine using the Start/
Stop button and open the driver's or front-
passenger door
Rif you open the driver's door while traveling
at low speed in transmission position Dor
R
Under certain conditions, the automatic
transmission shifts automatically to transmis-
sion position Pif the HOLD function or
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Observe the
information on the HOLD function
(
Ypage 192) and on DISTRONIC PLUS
(
Ypage 186).
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only shift the automatic transmission to R
when the vehicle is stationary.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
XPush the selector lever forwards past the
first point of resistance.
The ECO start/stop function is not available
when reverse gear is engaged. Further infor- mation on the ECO start/stop function
(
Ypage 155).
Shifting to neutral N
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
XPush the selector lever forwards or back to
the first point of resistance.
Remaining in neutral N
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart 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.
Using the SmartKey:
RMake sure that the ignition is switched on.
RWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
RShift to neutral N.
RRelease the brake pedal.
RIf the electric parking brake is engaged,
release it.
RSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
160Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

With KEYLESS-GO:
RMake sure that the ignition is switched on.
RWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
REngage park positionP.
RRelease the brake pedal.
RRemove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock.
RInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
RSwitch on the ignition.
RDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
RShift to neutralN.
RRelease the brake pedal.
RIf the electric parking brake is engaged,
release it.
RSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
Shifting to transmission position D
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
XPush the selector lever back past the first
point of resistance.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
Display in transmission positions P, R
and N
:Transmission position: currently selected
transmission position will be highlighted
;Drive program
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: in addition to
drive program ;being shown in the multi-
function display, the currently selected drive program is indicated in red on the drive pro-
gram selector (
Ypage 163).
Display when in transmission position D
:Transmission position
;Gear
=Drive program
When you have selected drive program Eor S,
the transmission position is displayed in posi-
tion :. The selected gear is displayed in
position ;.
Display when in transmission position D
and drive program M
:Gear
;Drive program (M)
Automatic transmission161
Driving and parking
Z

Transmission positions
BPark position
Only shift the transmission into
positionPwhen the vehicle is sta-
tionary (
Ypage 159). The parking
lock should not be used as a brake
when parking. Always apply the
electronic parking brake in addi-
tion to the parking lock in order to
secure the vehicle.
If the SmartKey is removed from
the ignition lock, the transmission
is locked.
The automatic transmission shifts
into Pautomatically:
Rwhen the SmartKey is removed
from the ignition lock
Rwhen the engine is switched off
with the transmission in position
R or Dand one of the doors is
opened
If the vehicle electronics are mal-
functioning, the transmission may
be locked in position P. Have the
vehicle electronics checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist
workshop.
CReverse gear
Only shift the transmission into
position Rwhen the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
ANeutral
Do not shift the transmission to N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake pedal will allow
you to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push it or tow it.
If ESP
®is deactivated or faulty:
shift the transmission only to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!Rolling in neutral Ncan damage
the drive train.
7Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by:
Rthe selected drive program (Ypage 163)
Rthe position of the accelerator pedal
(
Ypage 162)
Rthe road speed
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle: early upshifts
Rmore throttle: late upshifts
162Automatic transmission
Driving an d parking

If manual drive programMhas been deacti-
vated, the automatic transmission shifts into
the automatic drive program that was last
selected, i.e. Eor S.
You can also deactivate manual drive pro-
gram Myourself:
XPull on the right-hand steering wheel pad-
dle shifter and hold it in place (
Ypage 164).
or
XUse the lever to switch the transmission
position.
or
XUse the program selector button to change the drive program (
Ypage 163).
Manual drive program Mis deactivated.
The automatic transmission switches into
the automatic drive program that was last
selected, i.e. Eor S.
Manual drive program
General information
In this drive program, you can permanently
change gear yourself by using the steering
wheel paddle shifters. The transmission must be in position D.
iAs well as this permanent drive program
M, you can also activate temporary drive
program M(
Ypage 165).
Switching on the manual drive program
Manual drive program Mis different from
drive program Swith regard to spontaneity,
responsiveness and smoothness of gear
changes.
You can select manual drive program Mwith
the program selector button or the drive pro- gram selector (Mercedes-AMG vehicles). In
manual drive program M, you can change
gear using the steering wheel paddle shifters
if the transmission is in position D. The selec-
ted gear appears in the multifunction display.
XPress the program selector button
(
Ypage 163) repeatedly until Mappears in
the multifunction display.
XMercedes-AMG vehicles: turn the drive
program selector until Mappears in the
multifunction display (
Ypage 163).
Shifting gears
XTo shift up: pull the right-hand steering
wheel paddle shifter (
Ypage 164).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
XTo shift down: pull on the left-hand steer-
ing wheel paddle shifter (
Ypage 164).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
XMaximum acceleration: pull the left-hand
steering wheel paddle shifter until the
transmission selects the optimum gear for
the current speed.
iIf you brake the vehicle or stop without
shifting down, the automatic transmission
will shift down to a gear that will allow the
vehicle to accelerate or pull away again.
Shift recommendation
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
XShift to recommended gear ;according
to gearshift recommendation :when
shown in the multifunction display of the
instrument cluster.
166Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Problems with fuel and the fuel tank
This section provides descriptions of and solutions to safety-relevant problems. Descriptions
of and solutions to further problems can be found in the Digital Operator's Manual.
ProblemPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
Fuel is leaking from the
vehicle.The fuel line or the fuel tank is faulty.
GWARNING
Risk of explosion or fire.
XTurn the SmartKey to position0immediately and remove it
(
Ypage 151).
XDo not restart the engine under any circumstances.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
Parking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is a risk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rials come into contact with parts of the vehi-
cle which are hot. Take particular care not to
park on dry grassland or harvested grain
fields.
GWARNING
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.
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. 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 unsupervised in the vehicle.
!Always secure the vehicle correctly
against rolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle
or its drivetrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally:
Rthe electric parking brake must be applied.
Rthe transmission must be in position P.
Rthe SmartKey must be removed from the
ignition lock.
Rthe front wheels must be turned towards
the curb on steep uphill or downhill gradi-
ents.
Parking171
Driving and parking
Z

Switching off the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission
XWith the SmartKey: shift the transmission
to position P.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 0in the igni-
tion lock and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.
XWith KEYLESS-GO: press the KEYLESS-
GO Start/Stop button (
Ypage 152).
The engine stops and all the indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.
When the driver's door is closed, this cor-
responds to key position 1. When the driv-
er's door is open, this corresponds to key
position 0(
Ypage 151).
If you try to switch off the engine when the
transmission is not in position P, a message
appears in the multifunction display. A signal
sounds.
iThe engine can be switched off while the
vehicle is in motion by pressing and holding the Start/Stop button for about three sec-
onds. This function operates independently
of the ECO start/stop automatic engine
switch-off function.
Electric parking brake
General notes
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. 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 unsupervised in the vehicle.
The function of the electric parking brake is
dependent on the on-board voltage. If the on-
board voltage is low or there is a malfunction
in the system, it may not be possible to apply
the released parking brake.
XIf this is the case, only park the vehicle on
level ground and secure it to prevent it roll-
ing away.
XShift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
It may not be possible to release an applied
parking brake if the on-board voltage is low or
there is a malfunction in the system. Contact a qualified specialist workshop.
iThe electric parking brake performs a
function test at regular intervals while the
engine is switched off. The sounds that can
be heard while this is occurring are normal.
172Parking
Driving and parking