2017 MERCEDES-BENZ SLC Owners Manual

C
AccelerationD
Coasting

In addition to driving style, the actual consump-
tion is affected by other factors, such as: R
load R
tire pressure R
cold start R
choice of route R
active electrical consumers
These factors are not include dint he ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving ah igher valu eint he categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant": R
observe the gearshift recommendations. R
drive the vehicle in drive program C or E .
On long journeys at ac onstant speed ,e .g. on the
highway, only the outer area for "constant" will
change.
The ECO display summarizes the driving style
from the start of the journey to its completion.
Therefore, there are more marked changes in
the outer area satt he start of aj ourney. On lon-
ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform am anua lr est
( Y
page 167).
For more information on the ECO display, see
( Y
page 166).
Braking
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If you shift down on as lippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheel sc ould lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on as lippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
! On long, steep gradients, you must reduce
the load on the brakes. To use engine braking,
shift to al owe rg ear in good time. This helps
you to avoid overheating the brakes and wear-
ing them out excessively. When making use of the engine braking
effect, it is possible that ad rive wheel may not
turn for some time, e.g. in the case of sud-
denly changing or slippery road surface con-
ditions. This could cause damage to the drive
train. This type of damage is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Change into al owe rg ear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. This is especially
important if the vehicle is laden.
This also applies if you have activated cruise
control or Distance Pilo tD ISTRONIC.
Heavy and light loads
G WARNING
If you rest you rf oot on the brake peda lw hile
driving, the braking system can overheat. This
increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail .T here is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake peda lasaf ootrest. Never
depres st he brake peda la nd the accelerator
peda latt he same time.
! Depressing the brake peda lc onstantly
results in excessive and premature wea rt o
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to ah eavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicle immediately ,b ut
drive on for as hort while. This allows the airflow
to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads If you have driven for al ong time in heavy rain
withou tb raking, there may be ad elayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You then have to depres st he brake peda lm ore
firmly .M aintai nag reater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on aw et road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whil ep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This wil lw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.136
Driving tips
Driving and parking

Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you driv eons alted roads ,al ayer of salt resi-
due may for mont he brak ed isc sa nd brake
pads. This can result in as ignificantly longer
braking distance. R
In orde rtop revent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to
th et ra ffic conditions.R
Carefully depress th eb rak ep edal and the
beginnin ga nd end of aj ou rney.R
Maintain ag reater distanc etot he vehicle
ahead.
Servicing th eb rakes
! The brak ef luid level may be to ol ow, if:R
if th er ed brak ew arning lamp light supi n
th ei nstrumen tc luster andR
you hear aw arning tone while th ee ngine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brak ef luid level may be to ol ow due to
brak ep ad wear or leaking brak el ines.
Hav et he brak es ystem checked immediately.
Consult aq ualifie ds pecialist workshop to
arrange this.
! As th eE SP ®
system operates automatically,
th ee ngine and th ei gnitio nm ust be switched
off (SmartKey in position 0 or 1 in th ei gnition
lock) if th ee lectric parking brak eisb ein gt es-
ted on ab rak ed ynamometer (maximum
10 seconds).
Brakin gt ri ggered automatically by ESP ®
may
seriously damage th eb rak es ystem.
All check sa nd maintenanc ew ork on th eb rake
system must be carried out at aq ualifie ds pe-
cialis tw orkshop.
Hav eb rak ep ads installe da nd brak ef luid
replaced at aq ualifie ds pecialist workshop.
If th eb rak es ystem has onl yb een subject to
moderat el oads, you should tes tt he functional-
ity of your brakes at regular intervals.
Information on BA S( Brake Assist )( Y
page 55).
Mercedes-Ben zr ecommend st ha ty ou onl yh ave
brak ep ads/linings installe dony our vehicle
whic hh ave been approved for Mercedes-Benz
vehicle sorw hic hc orrespon dtoane quivalent
qualit ys ta ndard. Brake pads/linings whic hh ave not been approved for Mercedes-Ben zv ehicle s
or whic ha re n ot of an equivalent qualit yc ould
affect your vehicle's operatin gs afety.
Mercedes-Ben zr ecommend st ha ty ou onl yu se
brak ef luid that has been specially approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or whic hc orre-
sponds to an equivalent qualit ys ta ndard. Brake
fluid whic hh as not been approved for
Mercedes-Ben zv ehicle sorw hic hisn ot of an
equivalent qualit yc ould affect your vehicle's
operatin gs afety.
High-performance brake system
(Mercedes-Benz SLC 43 AMG) AM Gb rak es ystems are designed for heavy
loads and have component sw ith corresponding
properties. This may lead to noise when braking.
This will depen do n: R
Speed R
Brakin gf orce R
Ambien tc onditions, e.g .t emperature and
humidity
The wear of individual component soft he brake
system, such as th eb rak ep ads/linings or brake
discs, depends on th ei ndividual driving style
and operatin gc onditions.
For this reason, it is impossibl etos ta te am ile-
age that will be valid unde ra ll circumstances. An
aggressiv ed riving style will lead to high wear.
You can obtain mor ei nformatio nont hi sf ro ma
qualifie ds pecialist workshop.
New and replaced brak ep ads and disc so nly
reac ht he ir optimum braking effect after several
hundred kilometers of driving .C ompensate for
this by applyin gg reater force to th eb rak ep edal.
Keep this in mind, and adapt your driving and
braking accordingl yd urin gt hi sb reak-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in correspond-
ingly high brak ew ear. Observe th eb rak es ystem
warning lamp in th ei nstrumen tc luster and note
any brak es ta tus messages in th em ultifunction
display. Especially for high performanc ed riving,
it is important to maintain and have th eb rake
system checked regularly. Driving tips 137
Driving and parking Z

Drivin gonw et road s
Hydroplaning If water has accumulated to ac ertai nd ept ho n
th er oa ds urface, there is ad anger of hydro-
planin go cc urring, eve ni f:R
you drive at low speeds R
th et ir es hav ea dequat et re ad dept h
Fo rt hi sr eason ,int he event of heav yr ain or in
condition sinw hic hh ydroplaning may occur ,
you mus td rive in th ef ol lowin gm anner:R
lowe ry our speedR
avoid rut sR
avoid sudden steerin gm ov ementsR
brake carefully
Drivin gonf looded road s
! Do no td rive through floode da reas. Chec k
th ed ept hofa ny water befor ed rivin gt hrou gh
it .D ri ve slowly through standin gw ater. Oth-
erwise ,w ater may ente rt he vehicle interio ro r
th ee ng in ec om partment. Thi sc an damage
th ee lectronic component sint he engin eo r
th ea utomatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by th ee ng ine's air suction nozzles
and this can cause engin ed amage.
Winte rd ri vin g
G WARNING
If you shift down on as lipper yr oa ds urfac ei n
an attempt to increase th ee ng ine's braking
effect ,t he drive wheels could los et he ir grip.
There is an increase dd anger of skidding and
accidents .
Do no ts hift down fo ra dditional engin eb rak-
in gonas lipper yr oa ds urface.
G DANGER
If th ee xh aus tp ipe is blocke dora dequat e
ventilation is no tp ossible, poisonous gases
suc hasc arbon monoxide (CO) may ente rt he
vehicle. Thi sist he case, e.g. if th ev ehicle
becomes trappe dins no w. There is ar is ko f
fatal injury. If you leav et he engin eort he auxiliar yh eatin g
running ,m ak es ur et he exhaus tp ipe and are a
around th ev ehicle are clear of snow. To
ensur eana dequat es upply of fresh air, ope na
window on th es id eoft he vehicle that is no t
facin gi nt ot he wind.
Hav ey our vehicle winter-proofed at aq ualified
specialis tw orkshop at th eo ns et of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slipper yr oa ds ur -
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration ,s te erin ga nd
braking maneuvers .Don ot use cruise control.
If th ev ehicle threatens to skid or canno tb e
stopped when movin gatl ow speed:X
Shift th et ra nsmissio ntop osition N .
The outsid et em perature indicator is no t
designed to serve as an ice-warnin gd evic ea nd
is therefore unsuitable fo rt ha tp urpose.
Changes in th eo utsid et em perature are dis -
playe da fter as hort delay.
Indicated temperature sj us ta bov et he freezin g
poin tdon ot guarantee that th er oa ds urfac ei s
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges. The vehicle could
skid if you fail to adapt your drivin gs ty le. Always
adapt your drivin gs ty le and drive at as peed to
suit th ep revailin gw eather conditions.
You should pay spe cia l attention to road condi-
ti on sw hen temperature sa re around freezin g
point.
Fo rm or ei nformati on on drivin gw it hs no w
chains, see ( Y
page 257).
Fo rm or ei nformat ion on drivin gw it hs ummer
tires ,s ee ( Y
page 257).
Observ et he note sint he "Winte ro peration "s ec -
tion ( Y
page 257).
Drivin gs ystems
Cruis ec ontro l
General notes
Cruise contro lm aintain sac onstan tr oa ds peed
fo ry ou. It brake sa utomatically in order to avoid
exceedin gt he set speed. On lon ga nd steep
downhill gradients, especially if th ev ehicle is
laden, you mus ts elec tal owe rg ear in goo dt im e.
By doin gs o, you will mak eu se of th eb raking
effect of th ee ng ine. Thi sr elieves th el oad on th e138
Driving systems
Driving an dp arking

brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
dition sm ake it appropriate to maintain as teady
speed for ap rolonged period. You can stor ea ny
road speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safet yn otesIf you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the laws of physics. Cruise control
cannot take int oa ccoun tt he road, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise control is only an
aid. You are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brakin gi n
good time and for staying in lane.
Do not use cruise control: R
in road and traffic condition sw hich do not
allow you to maintain ac onstan ts peed e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads R
on slippery road surfaces .B raking or accel-
eratin gc ould cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid R
when ther eisp oor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
If ther eisac hang eofd rivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
C
Stores the curren ts peed or ah igher speed
D
Storing the curren ts peed or calling up the
last stored speed

Setting as peed
G WARNING
Keep in mind that it may take ab rief moment
until the vehicle has made the necessary
adjustments.
Increase or decrease the set vehicle speed to
av alue that the prevailing road condition sa nd
legal speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden
and unexpected acceleration or deceleration
of the vehicle could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others. X
To adjust the set speed in 1m ph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly press
the cruise control lever up C to the pressure
point for ah igher speed, or down

importan tift he vehicle is laden. By doing so, you
will make use of the braking effect of the engine.
This relieves the load on the brak es ystem and
prevent st he brakes fro mo verheatin ga nd wear-
ing too quickly.
If Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC detect st hat there is
ar isk of ac ollision, you will be warne dv isually
and acoustically. Without your intervention, Dis-
tance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot prevent ac olli-
sion .Ani ntermitten tw arnin gt on ew ill then
sound and the distanc ew arnin gl amp will light
up in the instrumen tc luster. Brak ei mmediately
in order to increase the distanc ef ro mt he vehi-
cle in front ,ort ak ee vasiv ea ction, provided it is
safe to do so.
For Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC operates in the range
betwee n0m ph (0 km/h) and 120 mph
(200 km/h).
Do not use Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC on roads
with steep gradients.
As Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC transmits radar
waves, it can resemble the radar detectors of
the responsible authorities .Y ou can refe rtot he
relevant chapter in the Operator's Manual if
questions are asked about this.
i USA only: This devic eh as been approved by
the FCC as a" Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor is intended for use in an auto-
motive radar system only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of the devic ew ill void any war-
ranties, and is not permitted by the FCC. Do
not tamper with, alter ,oru se in any non-
approved way.
An yu nauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operat et he
equipment.
i Canada only: This devic ec omplies with
RS S-210 of Industr yC anada. Operation is
subject to the followin gt wo conditions:
1. This devic em ay not cause harmful inter-
ference, and
2. This devic em ust accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device
will void any warranties ,a nd is not permitted.
Do not tamper with, alter ,oru se in any non-
approved way. An yu nauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operat et he
equipment.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC does not react to: R
people or animals R
stationar yo bject sont he road, e.g. stopped
or parked vehicles R
oncomin gv ehicles and crossin gt ra ffic
As ar esult ,D istanc eP ilot DISTRONIC may
neither give warnings nor intervene in such
situations .T here is ar isk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
G WARNING
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC cannot always
clearly identify other road users and complex
traffic situations.
In such cases ,D istanc eP ilot DISTRONIC may:R
give an unnecessary warnin ga nd then
brak et he vehicle R
neither give aw arnin gn or interveneR
accelerat eorb rak eu nexpectedly
There is ar isk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, especially if Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC
warns you.
G WARNING
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC brakes your vehicle
with up to 50% of the maximum possible
deceleration. If this deceleratio nisn ot suffi-
cient, Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC alert sy ou
with av isual and acoustic warning. There is a
risk of an accident.
Apply the brakes yourself in these situations
and tr yt ot ak ee vasiv ea ction.
! When Distanc eP ilot DISTRONIC or the
HOL Df unction is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.Driving systems 141
Driving and parking Z

To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations: R
when towing the vehicle R
in the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC can neither reduce the risk of
an accident nor override the laws of physics.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot take into
account road, weather or traffic conditions. Dis-
tanc eP ilot DISTRONIC is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front ,f or vehicle speed, for braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.
Do not use Distance Pilot DISTRONIC: R
in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain ac onstant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads R
on slippery road surfaces. Brakin gora ccel-
erating could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid R
when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may not detect nar-
row vehicles driving in front ,e .g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on ad ifferent line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if: R
there is dirt on the sensors or anything else
coverin gt he sensorsR
there is snow or heavy rain R
there is interferenc ebyo ther radar sourcesR
there are stron gr adar reflections, for exam-
ple, in parking garages
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC no longer detect sa
vehicle in front ,D istance Pilot DISTRONIC may
unexpectedly accelerate to the speed stored.
This speed may: R
be too high if you are driving in af ilter lane or
an exit lane R
be so high when driving in the right-hand lane
that you overtak ev ehicles in the left-hand
lane R
be so high when driving in the left-hand lane
that you overtak ev ehicles in the right-hand
lane
If there is ac hange of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored. Cruise control lever
Cruise control lever
C
Stores the current speed or ah igher speedD
Setting as pecified minimum distance