2017 MERCEDES-BENZ SLC-Class Owner's Manual

good time, and for staying in lane. Always adapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather conditions and maintainasafe distance
from the vehicle in front.D rive carefully.
The driving safety systems described only work
as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quate contact between the tires and the road
surface. Pay particular attention to the informa-
tion regarding tires, recommended minimum
tire tread depths etc. in the "Wheels and tires"
section (
Ypage 255).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tires (M+S tires) and if necessary, snow chains.
Only in this way will the driving safety systems
described in this section work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
ABS regulates brake pressure in such away that
the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allows you to continue steering the vehicle when
braking.
The ! ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out when the engine is running.
ABS works from aspeed of about 5mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you
only brake gently.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 54).
GWARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally,f urther driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at aqualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 204) and dis- play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 179).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes:
continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit-
uation is over.
XTo make afull brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions, and functions as a reminder to take extr acare while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information
BAS operates in emergencyb raking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 54).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergencyb raking situation is
increased. There is arisk of an accident.
In an emergencyb raking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Braking
XKeep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergencyb raking situation is over.
ABS prevent sthe wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
Driving safety systems55
Safety
Z

Active BrakeAssist
Gene ralinform ation
iObserv ethe "Importan tsafet ynotes "sec-
tion (Ypage 54).
Active Brake Assis tconsists ofad istanc ewarn-
ing function wit hanautonomous braking func-
tion and Adaptive Brake Assist.
Active Brake Assis tcan help you to minimiz ethe
ris kofac ollision wit hthe vehicl einfrontor
reduce th eeffects of suc hacollision .
If Active Brake Assis tdetects that there is arisk
of collision ,you will be warned visually and
acoustically. If you do no treac ttot hevisual and
audible collision warning ,autonomous braking
can be initiate dincritical situations. If you apply
th eb rak eyourself in acritical situation ,Adap-
tive Brake Assis toftheActive Brake Assis tsys-
te ms upport syou.
Import ant safety notes
In particular, th edetection of obstacles can be
impaire dif:
Rthere is dir tonthesensor soranythin gelse
covering th esensor s
Rthere is snow or heav yrain
Rthere is interferenc ebyother radar source s
Rthere are strongradar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
Ran arrow vehicl eistraveling in front, e.g. a
motorbik e
Ravehicl eistraveling in fron tonadifferentlin e
Rne wv ehicles or after servicing is carrie dout
on th eActiv eBrake Assis tsystem
Observ ethe important safet ynotes in the
"Breaking-in notes" section (
Ypage 114).
Followin gdamag etothefron tend of th evehicle,
hav ethe configuration and operation of th e
radar sensor checke dataqualified specialis t
workshop .This also applie stocollision satslow
speeds wher ethere is no visible damag etothe
fron toft hevehicle.
Activating/deactivating
Active Brake Assis tisautomatically active after
switching on th eignition .
You can activat eordeactivat eActiv eBrake
Assis tusin gthe on-board computer
(
Ypage 171). When deactivated, th edistanc ewarning function and th
eautonomous braking
function are also deactivated.
If Active Brake Assis tisdeactivated, th eæ
symbol appear sintheassistanc egraphic dis-
play.
Distance warning function
Genera linformation
The distanc ewarning function can help you to
minimiz ethe riskofaf ront-end collision wit ha
vehicl eahead or reduce th eeffects of suc ha
collision .Ifthedistanc ewarning function
detects that there is ariskofac ollision ,you will
be warned visually and acoustically.
Important safety notes
iObserv ethe "Importan tsafet ynotes "sec-
tion for drivin gsafet ysystems (Ypage 54) .
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarning function does no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus ,the distanc ewarning function canno t
provid eawarning in all critical situations.
There is ariskofana ccident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and be read ytob rake.
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarning function canno talways
clearly identify objects and comple xtraffic
situations.
In suc hcases, th edistanc ewarning function
may:
Rgiv eanu nnecessary warning
Rnotg iveaw arning
There is ariskofana ccident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and do no trelys olely on th edistanc e
warning function .
56Driving safety systems
Safety

Function
Starting at aspeedofa pproximately 4mph
(7 km/h), th edistanc ewarning function warns
you ifyou rapid ly approachav ehicle in front. An
intermittentw arning tonewillthen sound, and
the · distancewarning lamp willlight up in
th ei nstrumen tcluster.
XBrake immediately inorder to increas ethe
dist ancefromt heveh icle in front.
or
XTakee vasive action,p rovide ditiss afe todo
so.
Due to th enature of th esystem, particularly
co mpli cated but non-critical driving conditions
may also caus ethe system to displayaw arning.
Witht hehelp of th eradar sensor system, the
dist ancewarning function can detect obstacles
that are inthep athofy our veh iclefor an exten-
ded period of time.
Up to aspeedofa pproximately 44 mph
(70 km/ h),t he distance warnin gfunction can
also react to stationary obstacles, such as stop-
ped or parked vehicles.
Autonomous braking function
If the driver does not react to the distance warn-
ing signal in acritical situation, Active Brake
Assis tcan assist with the autonomous braking
function.
If the autonomous brakin gfunction requires a
particularly high brakin gforce, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)
are activated simultaneously.
Vehicles without Distance Pilot DISTRONIC:
the autonomous brakin gfunction is available in
the following speed ranges:
R4-65m ph (7-105 km/ h)for moving objects
R4-31m ph (7-50km/h)for stationary
objects
Vehicles with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC: the
autonomous braking function is available in the
following speedr anges:
R4-124 mph (7 -200 km/h )for moving
objects
R4-31m ph (7-50km/h)for stationary
objects
Due to the nature of the system ,particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may als ocaus ethe Autonomou sBraking Func-
tion to intervene. If the autonomous braking function requires a
particularly high braking force, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)
are activated simultaneousl y(Ypage51).
Adaptive Brake Assist
General information
iObservet he "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypag e54).
With the help of adaptive Brake Assist, the dis-
tance warning signa lcan detect obstacles that
are in the path of you rvehiclef or an extended
period of time.
If adaptive Brake Assist detects arisk of colli-
sion with the vehicl einfront, it calculate sthe
braking force necessary to avoi dacollision. If
you apply the brakes forcefully ,adaptive Brake
Assist wil lautomatically increas ethe braking
force to alevels uitabl efor the traffic conditions.
Adaptive Brake Assist provides braking assis-
tance in hazardouss ituations at speeds above
4m ph (7 km/h) .Itusesrada rsensor technology
to assess the traffic situation.
Up to aspeedofa pproximately 155 mph
(250 km/h) ,adaptive Brake Assist is capable of
reacting to moving objects that have already
been detected as such at least once over the
period of observation.
Up to aspeedofa pproximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), adaptive Brake Assist reacts to sta-
tionary obstacles.
If adaptive Brake Assist demands particularly
high braking force, preventative passenger pro-
tection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)a re activated
simultaneousl y(Ypage51).
XKeep the brake pedald epressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes wil lwork normally again if:
Ryou release the brake pedal.
Rthere is no longe rany dange rofacollision.
Rno obstacle is detected in front of you rvehi-
cle.
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
Driving safety systems57
Safety
Z

Important safety notes
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist canno talways clearly
iden tifyo bject sand co mplextraffic situa-
tions.
In suchc ases, Adaptive Brake Assist can:
Rinterveneu nnecessarily
Rnotintervene
Thereisar iskofana cciden t.
Always pay careful attentio ntothetraff icsit-
uation and beread ytob rake. Terminate the
interventio ninanon-criticaldriving situation.
GWAR NING
Adaptive Brake Assist does no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicle s
Rto crossing traff ic
Rwhen cornering
As aresult, th eAdaptive Brake Assist may not
interveneina llcritical conditions. Thereisa
ris kofana cciden t.
Always pay careful attentio ntothetraff icsit-
uation and beread ytob rake.
Due to th enature of th esystem, particularly
co mpli cated but non-critical driving conditions
may also caus eBrake Assist to intervene.
If adaptive Brake Assist isno tavailab ledue to a
malfunctio nintheradar sensor system, the
brak esystem remains availab le withfull brake
boostin geffect and BA S.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserv ethe "Im portan tsafety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 54).
ESP
®monitors driving stabilit yand traction,i .e.
power transmission between th etires and the
road surface.
If ESP
®detect stha tthe veh icle is deviating from
th ed irection desired bythed river, oneorm ore
wheelsa re braked to stabiliz ethe veh icle.The
engineo utputisalso mod ifiedtok eept he veh i- cle on th
edesired course within physical limits.
ESP
®assists th edriver when pullingaway on
wet or slippery roads. ESP®can also stabilize
th ev ehicle durin gbraking.
ETS (Electronic Traction System)
iObserv ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 54).
ET St raction control is part of ESP
®.
ET Sb rakes th edrivew heelsi ndivid ually if they
spin.T his enables you to pull away and acceler-
ate on slippery surfaces, for example if th eroad
surface is slippery on ones ide.Inaddition,m ore
drivet orque istransferred to th ewheel or
wheelsw itht raction.
ET Sr emains active when you deactivate ESP
®.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®is unab leto
stabilizet hevehicle .Add itionally, further driv-
ing safety systems are deactivate d.This
increases th eriskofs kiddin gand an accident.
Drive on carefully. Hav eESP
®checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
When to wingthe vehicle witht herear axle
raised, observ ethe note sonE SP
®
(Ypage 252).
If the å ESP®OFFw arning lamp lightsu p
continuously, then ESP®is deactivate d.
If the ÷ ESP®warning lamp and the å
ESP®OFFw arning lamp are lit continuously,
ESP®is no ta vailab ledue to amalfunction.
Observ ethe information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 205) and display messagesw hichmay
be shown in thei nstrumen tcluster
(
Ypage 179).
iOnly use wheelsw itht he recommended tire
sizes. Only then willESP®function properly.
Characteristics of ESP®
General information
Ifthe ÷ ESP®warning lamp goes out before
beginnin gthe journey, ESP®is automatically
active.
58Driving safety systems
Safety

If ESP®intervenes, the÷ESP®warning lamp
flashe sinthe instrument cluster.
If ESP
®intervenes:
XDo not deactivate ESP®under any circum-
stances.
XOnly depresst he accelerator pedalasf ar as
necessary when pulling away.
XAdapt you rdriving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle stops
moving. The engine starts automatically when
the driver wants to pul lawa ya gain. ESP
®
remains in its previously selected status, e.g. if
ESP®was deactivated before the engine was
automatically switched off.
Deactivating/activating ESP®(except
SLC 43 AMG)
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 54).
You can select between the following states of
ESP
®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®,E SP®no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle.T here is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Spinning the wheel sresults in acutting action
which providesb etter grip.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
describeda bove no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be abl etostabilize the vehicle if the vehicle starts to skid or
awheel starts to
spin.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheel sfor an
extended period with ESP®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo deactivate: press button:.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
XTo activate: press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Characteristic swhen ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in the
instrument cluster flashes. In such situations,
ESP
®wil lnot stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheel sare abl etospin.
RTraction control is still activated.
RActive Brake Assist is not available and is not
activated even if you brake firmly with assis-
tance from ESP
®
RPRE-SAFE®is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP®inter-
venes.
RESP®still providess upport when you brake
firmly.
Driving safety systems59
Safety
Z

Deactivating/activating ESP (SLC 43®
AMG)
Important safet ynotes
iObserv ethe "Important safet ynotes "sec-
tion (Ypage 54).
You can selec tbetween th efollowin gstate sof
ES P
®:
RESP®is activated.
RSPORT handlin gmodeisa ctivated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
Whe nSPORT handlin gmodeisa ctivated,
there is agreater ris kofskidding and acci-
dents .
Only activat eSPORT handlin gmodeint hesit-
uation sdescribed in th efollowing.
GWARNING
If you deactivat eESP
®,ESP®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle. There is an increase drisk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eESP
®in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing.
In th efollowin gsituations, it may be bette rto
activat eSPORT handlin gmodeord eactivat e
ES P
®:
Rwhen usin gsnowc hains
Rin dee psnow
Ron san dorgrave l
Ron specially designated roads when th evehi-
cle's own oversteering and understeering
characteristics are desire d
Spinning th ewheels result sinacutting action
whic hprovides bette rgrip.
Driving in SPORT handlin gmodeorw ithout
ES P
®require sanextremel yqualified and expe-
rienced driver .
iActivateESP®as soo nasthesituation s
described abov enolonger apply .ESP®will
otherwise no tbeable to stabilize th evehicle if
th ev ehicle start stoskidoraw heelstartst o
spin.
!Avoid spinnin gthe driven wheels fo ran
extended period wit hESP®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage th edrivetrain .
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo activate SPORT handling mode: briefly
press butto n: .
The M SPORT handlin gmodew arnin g
lamp in th einstrument cluster lights up. The
SPORT handling mod e
messageappears in
th em ultifunction display.
XTo deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press butto n:.
The M SPORT handlin gmodew arnin g
lamp in th einstrument cluster goe sout.
XTo deactivate ESP®:press butto n: until
th eå ESP®OF Fw arnin glamp lights up in
th ei nstrument cluster.
The ÷ OFF
messag eappears in th emulti-
function display.
XTo activate ESP®: briefly press butto n:.
The å ESP®OF Fw arnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster goe sout.T he ÷ ESP®
ONmessag eappears in th emultifunction dis -
play.
Characteristics of activate dSPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handlin gmodeisa ctivated and on eor
more wheels start to spin, th e÷ ESP®warn -
in gl amp in th einstrument cluster flashes .ESP®
only stabilize sthe vehicle to alimited degree .
Whe nSPORT handlin gmodeisa ctivated:
RESP®only improves drivin gstability to alimi-
te dd egree .
RTraction contro lisstill activated.
60Driving safetys ystems
Safety

REngine torque is no longerlim ite da nd the
drive wheels ar eabletos pin.
RESP®still provides support when yo ubrake
firmly.
Characteristics when ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivated and one or mor ewheel s
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in the
instrument cluster flashes. In such situations,
ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
If yo udeactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longe rimproves drivin gstability.
REngine torque is no longe rlim ite da nd the
drive wheels ar eabletos pin.
RTractio ncontro lisstill activated.
RActiv eBrake Assist is not availabl eand is not
activated eve nifyoubrake firmly with assis-
tance fromE SP
®
RPRE-SAFE®is no longeravailable, nor is it
activated if yo ubrake firmly and ESP®inter-
venes.
RESP®still provides support when yo ubrake
firmly.
EBD (electroni cbrak eforce distribu-
tion)
General information
EBD monitors and controls the brake pressure
on the rea rwheel stoi mprov edrivin gstability
whil ebraking.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tio nfor drivin gsafety system s(Ypage 54).
GWARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning ,the rea rwheel scan
lock, e.g .under full braking .Thisi ncreases the
ris kofs kidding and an accident.
Yo us houl dtherefore adap tyou rd rivin gstyle
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at aquali fied spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe informatio nregarding indicator and
warning lamps (
Ypage 204 )aswellasd isplay
message s(Ypage 181).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 54).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhance sbraking safety and
offers increased braking comfort. In additio nto
the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE also has
the HOLD functio n(
Ypage 148) and hill start
assist (Ypage 117).
Protectio nagainst theft
Immobilizer
XTo activate with the SmartKey: remove the
SmartKeyf romthe ignition lock.
XTo activate with KEYLESS-GO: switch the
ignition off and open the driver's door.
XTo deactivate: switch on the ignition.
The immobilize rprevents your vehicl efrom
being started withou tthe correct SmartKey.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKeyw ithy ou and lock the vehicle. The
engine can be started by anyone with avalid
SmartKeyt hatislefti nsid ethe vehicle.
iThe immobilize risalwaysdeactivated when
yo us tart the engine.
In the event thatt he engine cannotbes tarted
(yet the vehicle's battery is charged) ,the sys-
tem is not operational .Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCede s(in the USA) or
1-800-387-0100 (i nCanada).
ATA (anti-theft alarm system)
Protectiona gainsttheft61
Safety
Z

XTo arm:lock the vehicl ewitht he SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO.
Indicato rlam p: flashes. The alarm system
is armed afte rapproximately1 5seconds.
XTo disarm: unlock the vehicl ewitht he Smart-
Key or KEYLESS-GO.
Av isua land audibl ealarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed and yo uopen:
Rad oor
Rthe vehicl ewitht he mechanical key
Rthe trunk lid
Rthe hood
Rthe glove box
Rthe stowag espace under the armrest
XTo turn the alarm off with the SmartKey:
press the %or& button on the Smart-
Key.
The alarm is switched off.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
The alarm is switched off.
XTo stopt he alarm using KEYLESS-GO:
grasp the outsid edoorh andle. The SmartKey
must be outsid ethe vehicle.
The alarm is switched off.
or
XPress the Start/Stop button on the dash-
board .The SmartKey must be insid ethe vehi-
cle.
The alarm is switched off.
The alarm is not switched off, eve nifyouclose
the open door thatt riggered it, for example.
iIf the alarm continue sfor more than
30 seconds ,the mbrace emergency cal lsys-
tem automaticall ynotifie sthe Customer
Assistance Center. Thi sisdonee ither by text
message or data connection. The emergency
cal lsystem send sthe message or data provi-
de dt hat:
Ryouh aves ubscribed to the mbrace service.
Rthe mbrace service hasb eena ctivated
properly.
Rthe necessary mobil ephone network is
available.
62Protectiona gainsttheft
Safety