2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class brake

because of its narrow width. The distance to
the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals
an obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS may mistakenly detect
vehicles that are crossing your lane. Activat-
ing DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with
crossing traffic, for example, could cause
your vehicle to pull away unintentionally.
HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
Rwhen pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
Rwhen maneuvering on steep slopes
Rwhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
Rthere is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
Rthe HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automati-
cally in certain situations.
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
Deactivate the HOLD function (
Ypage 192) .
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Activationconditions
You can activat eth eHOLD function if:
Rth evehicl eis stationary
Rth eengin eis runnin gor if it has been auto -
matically switched off by th eECO start /
stop function
Rth edriver' sdoor is closed or your seat belt
is fastene d
Rtheelectric parking brak eis release d
Rthetransmission is in position D,Ror N
RDISTRONI C PLUSis deactivated
Activating the HOLD function
XMakesur ethat th eactivation condition s
are met .
XDepress th ebrak epedal .
XQuickl ydepress th ebrak epedal further
until :HOL D
appear sin th emultifunction
display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release th ebrak epedal .
iIf depressing th ebrak epedal th efirst
time does no tactivat eth eHOLD function ,
wait briefly and then tr yagain .
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
callyif:
Ryou accelerate and th etransmission is in
position Dor R.
Ryou shif tth etransmission to position P.
Ryou apply thebrakes again wit h acertain
amoun tof pressur euntil HOLD
disappear s
from th emultifunction display.
Ryou secure th evehicl eusin gth eelectric
parking brake.
Ryou activat eDISTRONI C PLUS.
iAfter atime, th eelectric parking brak e
secures th evehicl eand relieves th e service
brake.
The electric parking brak eautomatically
secures th evehicl eif th e HO LD function is
activated and :
Rthedriver' sdoor is open and th edriver' s
seat belt is unf astened.
Rtheengin eis switched off ,unless it is auto -
matically switched off by th eECO start/
stop function .
Rasystem malfunction occur s.
Rthepower suppl yis no tsufficient.
If amalfunction occur s,then th etransmission
may also be shifte dint oposition Pautomat -
ically.
RACE START
Import ant safety notes
iObserveth esafet ynote sfor th eSP ORT
handlin gmod e (
Ypage 76) .
RACE START is intended solely for activation
on dedicate drac ecircuit s.
RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start .The precondition for
this is asuitable high-grip road surface.
iRACE START is only available for th e
Mercedes‑ AMG SL 63 .
Conditions for activati on
You can activateRACE START if:
Rth edoor sare closed.
Rth eengin eis runnin gand it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
17 6‡( 80 †). This is the case when the oil
temperature gauge in the multifunction dis-
play stops flashing.
192Driving systems
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RSPORT handling mode is activated.
(
Ypage 76)
Rthe steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position.
Rthe vehicle is stationary and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot).
Rthe transmission is in positionD.
Activating RACE START
XDepress the brake pedal with your left foot
and keep it depressed.
XTurn the drive program selector clockwise
(
Ypage 163) until the RSlamp lights up.
The RACE START Confirm: Paddle UP
Cancel: Paddle DOWNmessage appears
in the multifunction display.
iIf the activation conditions are no longer
fulfilled, RACE START is canceled. The mul-
tifunction display shows the RACE START
Canceledmessage.
XTo cancel: pull the left steering wheel pad-
dle shifter (
Ypage 164).
or
XTo confirm: pull the right steering wheel
paddle shifter (
Ypage 164).
The RACE START Available Depress
gas pedal.message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
iIf you do not depress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is canceled. The RACE START Not
PossibleSeeOperator'sManualmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
XFully depress the accelerator pedal.
The engine speed increases to at least
3,500 rpm.
The RACE START Release brake to
startmessage appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
iIf you do not release the brake pedal
within five seconds, RACE START is can- celed. The multifunction display shows the
RACE START Canceled
message.
XTake your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The
RACE
STARTActivemessage appears
in the multifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when the vehicle
reaches a speed of approximately 30 mph
(Canada: 50 km/h). Drive program S+is acti-
vated. SPORT handling mode remains activa-
ted.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if
you release the accelerator pedal during
RACE START or if any of the activation condi-
tions are no longer fulfilled. The RACE
START
Not Possible See Operator's Manual
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
iIf RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available
again after the vehicle has been driven a
certain distance.
Adaptive Damping System
General notes
The adjustable damping system adapts to the
current driving conditions. The adjustment
depends on whether you have selected Sport
or Comfort mode. Your selection remains
stored even if you remove the SmartKey from
the ignition lock.
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Example: displays in the COMAND display
:
Selection of raised level (Ypage 197)
;Activity of ABC spring struts for roll and
pitching support
=Selected suspension setting, i.e. sporty or
comfortable (
Ypage 198)
?G-FORCE (longitudinal and lateral accel-
eration)
ACurrent vehicle level
PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate
surroundings. You are always responsible for
safe maneuvering, parking and exiting a park- ing space. When maneuvering, parking or
pulling out of a parking space, make sure that
there are no persons, animals or objects in
the area in which you are maneuvering.
!When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, the compressed-air brakes on a
truck or a pneumatic drill could cause
PARKTRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
Rswitch on the ignition
Rshift the transmission to position D,R or N
Rrelease the electric parking brake.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper.
Range of the sensors
General notes
PARKTRONIC does not take objects into con-
sideration that are:
Rbelow the detection range, e.g. people, ani-
mals or objects.
Rabove the detection range, e.g. overhang-
ing loads, truck overhangs or loading
ramps.
:Sensors in the front bumper, left-hand
side (example)
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Z

!If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as curbs slowly and not at a
sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tires.
Active Parking Assist may possibly indicate
parking spaces which are not suitable for
parking, for example:
Rwhere parking or stopping is prohibited
Rin front of driveways or entrances and exits
Ron unsuitable surfaces
Parking tips:
ROn narrow roads, drive as close to the park-
ing space as possible.
RParking spaces that are littered or over-
grown might be identified or measured
incorrectly.
RParking spaces that are partially occupied
by trailer drawbars might not be identified
as such or be measured incorrectly.
RSnowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
RPay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(
Ypage 200) warning messages during the
parking procedure.
RYou can intervene in the steering procedure
to correct it at any time. Active Parking
Assist will then be canceled.
RWhen transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parking Assist.
RNever use Active Parking Assist when snow
chains are installed.
RMake sure that the tire pressures are
always correct. This has a direct influence
on the parking characteristics of the vehi-
cle.
Parking
Important safety notes
Objects located above the height range of
Active Parking Assist will not be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking procedure is calculated, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. In some circumstances, Active Park-
ing Assist may therefore guide you into the
parking space too early.
GWARNING
If there are objects above the detection range, Active Parking Assist may turn prematurely.
You may cause a collision as a result. There is
a risk of an accident.
If there are objects above the detection range,
stop and deactivate Active Parking Assist.
GWARNING
Active Parking Assist merely aids you by inter- vening actively in the steering. If you do not
brake there is a risk of an accident.
Always apply the brakes yourself when
maneuvering and parking.
Detecting parking spaces
Example: detected parking space
Active Parking Assist is switched on automat-ically when driving forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
22 mph (35 km/h). While in operation, the
system independently locates and measures
parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h) you will see parking symbol ;as
a status indicator in the instrument cluster.
When a parking space has been detected, an
arrow towards the right =or the left :also
appears.
By default, Active Parking Assist only displays
parking spaces on the front-passenger side.
Parking spaces on the driver's side are dis-
played as soon as the turn signal on the driv-
er's side is activated. If you wish to park in a
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space on the driver's side, the indicator on
the driver's side must remain on. The turn
signal must remain switched on until you
acknowledge the use of Active Parking Assist
by pressing theabutton on the multi-
function steering wheel.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
Rthat are parallel to the direction of travel
Rthat are at least 59 in (1.5 m) wide
Rthat are at least 40 in (1.0 m) longer than
your vehicle
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 50 ft (15 m) away from it.
Backing up into the parking space
XStop the vehicle when the parking space
symbol shows the desired parking space in
the instrument cluster.
XShift the transmission to position R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
% message appears in the multifunction
display.
XTo cancel the procedure: press the%
button on the multifunction steering wheel
or pull away.
or
XTo park using Active Parking Assist:
press the abutton on the multifunction
steering wheel.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
andBrakeObserveSurroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
XLet go of the multifunction steering wheel.
XBack up the vehicle, being ready to brake at
all times. Do not exceed a maximum speed of approximately 6 mph (10 km/h) when
backing up. Otherwise Active Parking
Assist will be canceled.
iWhen parking in tight spaces, you will
achieve the best results by backing up as far as possible. When doing so, also
observe the PARKTRONIC messages.
XStop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
Additional maneuvering may be required in
tight parking spaces.
The Park Assist Active Select D
ObserveSurroundingsmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
XShift the transmission to position Dwhile
the vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
andBrakeObserveSurroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
iYou will achieve the best results by wait-
ing for the steering procedure to complete
before pulling away.
XDrive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
XStop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
The Park Assist Active Select R
ObserveSurroundingsmessage appears in
the multifunction display.
XDrive forwards and back up according to
the information shown in the multifunction
display.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the Park Assist Finished
message
appears in the multifunction display.
PARKTRONIC continues to be available.
XManeuver if necessary.
XAlways observe the warning messages dis-
played by PARKTRONIC (
Ypage 200).
Parking tips:
ROn narrow roads, drive as close to the park-
ing space as possible.
RParking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incorrectly or not at all.
204Driving systems
Driving and parking

RSnowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
RThe way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. These include the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. In some cases, Active Parking
Assist may guide you too far into a parking
space, or not far enough into it. In some
cases, it may also lead you across or onto
the curb. If necessary, you should cancel
the parking procedure with Active Parking
Assist.
RYou can also engage forward gear prema-
turely. The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far into the parking space. Should a
gear be changed too early, the parking pro-
cedure will be canceled. A sensible parking
position can no longer be achieved from
this position.
Exiting a parking space
Active Parking Assist can only assist you with
exiting a parking space if you have parked the
vehicle using Active Parking Assist.
XStart the engine.
XSwitch on the turn signal on the side facing
the street.
XShift the transmission to position Dor R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
% message appears in the multifunction
display.
XTo cancel the procedure: press the%
button on the multifunction steering wheel or pull away.
or
XTo exit a parking space using Active
Parking Assist: press theabutton on
the multifunction steering wheel.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate
andBrakeObserveSurroundingsmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
XLet go of the multifunction steering wheel.
XReverse the vehicle or drive forwards, being
ready to brake at all times. Do not exceed a
maximum speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h) when exiting a parking space.
Otherwise Active Parking Assist will be can-
celed.
XStop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
XShift the transmission to position Dor Ras
required while the vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction.
iYou will achieve the best results by wait-
ing for the steering procedure to complete
before pulling away.
If you back up after activation, the steering
wheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
XDrive forwards or back up the vehicle, being
ready to brake at all times.
XStop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
XDrive forwards and back up as instructed
by the PARKTRONIC warning displays.
Once you have exited the parking space com-
pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and
the Park Assist Finished
message
appears in the multifunction display. You will
then have to steer and merge into traffic on
your own. PARKTRONIC is still available.
Canceling Active Parking Assist
You can cancel Active Parking Assist at any
time.
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Problems with Night View Assist Plus
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The picture quality of
Night View Assist Plus
has deteriorated.The windshield is fogged up on the inside.
XFold down camera cover (Ypage 547).
XDefrost the windshield (Ypage 144).
The windshield is iced up.
XDe-ice the windshield (Ypage 143).
The windshield wipers are smearing the windshield.
XReplace the wiper blades (Ypage 131).
The windshield is smeared after the vehicle has been cleaned in a
car wash.
XClean the windshield (Ypage 545).
There is windshield chip damage in the camera's field of vision.
XReplace the windshield.
The pedestrian and ani-
mal recognition is not
available.The infrared camera in the radiator grill is dirty.
XUse a soft cloth and water to clean the infrared camera.
Active Driving Assistance package
General notes
The Active Driving Assistance package con-
sists of DISTRONIC PLUS (
Ypage 182), Active
Blind Spot Assist (
Ypage 214) and Active
Lane Keeping Assist (
Ypage 217).
Active Blind Spot Assist
General notes
Active Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor
system to monitor the side areas of your vehi-
cle which are behind the driver. A warning
display in the exterior mirrors draws your
attention to vehicles detected in the moni-
tored area. If you then switch on the corre-
sponding turn signal to change lanes, you will
also receive an optical and audible collision
warning. If a risk of lateral collision is detec-
ted, corrective braking may help you avoid a collision. To support the course-correcting
brake application, Active Blind Spot Assist
also uses the forward-facing radar sensor sys-
tem.
Active Blind Spot Assist supports you from a
speed of approximately 20 mph (30 km/h).
For Active Blind Spot Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must
be operational.
Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid. It may
fail to detect some vehicles and is no substi-
tute for attentive driving.
GWARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist does not react to:
Rvehicles overtaken too closely on the side,
placing them in the blind spot area
Rvehicles which approach with a large speed
differential and overtake your vehicle
214Driving systems
Driving and parking