2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS parking brake

Where possible, avoid spinnin gt he drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery roads.
You could otherwise damage the drive train.
Key positions
SmartKey
Z
To remove the SmartKeyG
Power supply for some consumers, such as
the windshield wipersH
Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive positionI
To start the engine
i The SmartKey can be turned in the ignition
lock even if it is not the correct SmartKey for
the vehicle. The ignition is not switched on.
The engine cannot be started.
KEYLESS-GO
General notes Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO are equipped with a
SmartKey featuring an integrated KEYLESS-GO
start function and ad etachable Start/Stop but-
ton.
The Start/Stop button must be inserted in the
ignition lock and the SmartKey must be in the
vehicle.
When you insert the Start/Stop button into the
ignition lock, the system needs approximately
two seconds recognition time. You can then use
the Start/Stop button.
Pressing the Start/Stop button several times in
succession corresponds to the differen tk ey
positions in the ignition lock. This is only the
case if you are not depressing the brake pedal. If you depress the brake pedal and press the
Start/Stop button ,t he engine start si mmedi-
ately.
Ac heck which periodically establishes ar adio
connection between the vehicle and the Smart-
Key determines whether av alid SmartKey is in
the vehicle. This occurs ,f or example, when
starting the engine.
To start the vehicle without actively using the
SmartKey: R
the Start/Stop button must be inserted in the
ignition lock. R
the SmartKey must be in the vehicle. R
the vehicle must not be locked with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO ( Y
page 65).
Do not keep the SmartKey: R
with electronic devices, e.g. am obile phone
or another SmartKey. R
with metallic objects, e.g. coins or metal foil. R
inside metallic objects, e.g. am etal case.
This can impair the functionality of the KEY-
LESS-GO key.
If you lock the vehicle with the SmartKey's
remot ec ontrol or with KEYLESS-GO, after a
short time: R
you will not be able to switch on the ignition
with the Start/Stop button. R
you will not be able to start the engine with the
Start/Stop button until the vehicle is
unlocked again.
The engine can be switched off while the vehicle
is in motion by pressing and holding the Start/
Stop button for three seconds. This function
operates independently of the ECO start/stop
automatic engine switch-off function.
Key positions with KEYLESS-GO
C
Start/Stop button
D
Ignition lock116
Driving
Driving and parking

As soo na st he ignition is switched on, al lt he
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster light
up .F urther informatio nons it uations where an
indicator lamp either fails to go ou ta fte rs tarting
the engine or lights up whil ed riving
( Y
page 204).
If Start/Stop button C ha sn ot ye tb ee n
pressed, thi sc orrespond stot he key being
remove df rom the ignition.X
To switc hont he power supply: press
Start/Stop button C once.
The powe rs uppl yiss wi tched on. Yo uc an now
activate the windshield wipers, for example.
The powe rs uppl yiss wi tched off agai ni f:R
the driver's door is opene da ndR
yo up ress Start/Stop button C twice when
in thi sp ositionX
To switc hont he ignition: press Start/Stop
button C twice.
The ignition is switched on.
If yo up ress Start/Stop button C once when
in thi sp osit ion, the ignition is switched off
again.
Removing the Start/Sto pb uttonYo uc an remove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock and start the vehicl easn ormal
using the SmartKey. X
Remove Start/Stop button C from ignition
lock D .
Yo udon ot have to remove the Start/Stop but-
ton from the ignition lock when yo ul eave the
vehicle. Yo us hould, however, always take the
SmartKe yw it hy ou when leaving the vehicle. As
long as the Sma rtKe y isint h
e vehicle:R
the vehicl ec an be started using the Start/
Stop button R
the electrically powered equipment can be
operated
Starting the engine
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If children ar el ef tu nsupervised in the vehicle,
they could: R
operate the vehicle's equipment. Additionally, children could set the vehicl ei n
motion if, for example, they: R
release the parking brake R
shift the automatic transmission ou tofp ar k
position P R
start the engine
There is ar is kofana ccident and injury.
Never leav ec hildren or animals unattended in
the vehicle.
Whe nl eavi ng the vehicle, always take the
SmartKe yw it hy ou and lock the vehicle. This
also applie stom obil ep hones if the "Digital
Ca rK ey in smartphone "f un ctio ni sa ctivated
via the Mercedes me connect we ba pp .
G WARNING
Combustion engine se mi tp oiso nou se xhaust
gases such as carbo nm onoxide. Inhaling
thes ee xhaus tg as es lead stop oiso ning. There
is ar is koff ata li njury .T herefore neve rl eave
the engine running in enclose ds paces with-
ou ts uf ficient ventilation.
G WARNING
Flammabl em at erial si ntroduced through
environmenta li nfluence or by animals can
ignite if in contact with the exhaus ts ys tem or
parts of the engine tha th ea tu p. There is ar isk
of fire.
Carry ou tr egular checks to make sure that
ther ea re no flammabl ef oreig nm at erial si n
the engine compartment or in the exhaust
system.
During ac ol ds tart, the engine runs at higher
speed stoe nabl et he catalytic converter to
reach its operating temperature .T he sound of
the engine ma yc hange during thi st ime.
Automati ct ransmission X
Depres st he brake peda la nd kee pi t
depressed. X
Shift the transmission to position ] .
Transmission positio nd is play ] is shown in
the multifunctio nd is play.Driving 117
Driving an dp arking Z

drive program, regardless of the display in the
multimedia system display.
In urban traffic and stop-start traffic, drive pro-
gram C is recommended.
Available drive programs:
C Comfort Comfortable and economi-
cal driving characteristics
S Sport Sport yd riving characteris-
tics
S+ Sport Plus Particularly sport yd riving
characteristics
I Individual Individual settings
E Economy Particularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
( Y
page 125).
Automatic transmission
Important safet yn otes
G WARNING
If the engin es peed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position D or R ,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
ar isk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position D or R ,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do
not simultaneously accelerate.
G WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position N when you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is ar isk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parkin gp osition P .P reven tt he parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake. Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions
! If the engin es peed is too high or the vehicle
is in motion ,don ot shift the automatic trans-
mission directly from [ to ^ ,f rom ^ to [
or directly to ] .
Do not open the driver' sd oor while the vehi-
cle is in motion .Atl ow speeds in transmission
position [ or ^ ,o therwise park position ]
is engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
]
Park position ^
Reverse gear \\
Neutral [
Drive
The selector lever always return stoi ts original
position .T he curren tt ransmission position ] ,
^ , \\ or [ is shown in the transmission posi-
tion display in the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
All vehicles (except for Mercedes-AMG
SLC 43)
C
Transmission position
D
Gear

The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display.
Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
C
Transmission positionD
Drive program
The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display.
Engaging par kp osition P
X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal. X
Press button C .
Engaging par kp osition Pa utomaticallyPark position ] is automatically engaged if:R
you switch off the engine using the SmartKey
and remove the SmartKey R
you switch off the engine using the SmartKey
or using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door R
you open the driver's door when the vehicle is
stationary or when driving at av ery low speed
and the transmission is in position [ or ^
Under certain conditions, the automatic trans-
mission shifts automatically to transmission
position ] if the HOLD function or Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC is activated. Observe the infor-
mation on the HOLD function ( Y
page 148) and
on Distance Pilot DISTRONIC ( Y
page 144). Engaging reverse gear R
! Only move the automatic transmission to
^ when the vehicle is stationary. X
Depress the brake and keep it pressed. X
Push the selector lever forwards past the first
point of resistance.
The ECO start/sto pf unction is not available
when reverse gear is engaged. Further informa-
tion on the ECO start/sto pf unction
( Y
page 119).
Shifting to neutral N
G WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could: R
operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they: R
release the parking brake R
shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P R
start the engine
There is ar isk of an accident and injury.
Never leave children or animals unattended in
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, alway st ake the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. This
also applies to mobile phones if the "Digital
Car Key in smartphone" function is activated
via the Mercedes me connect web app. X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal. X
Push the selector lever forwards or back to
the first point of resistance.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position ^ or [ ,t he automatic trans-
mission shifts to \\ automatically.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the driv-
er's door or the front-passenger door or remove
the SmartKey from the ignition, the automatic
transmission shifts to ] automatically.
With KEYLESS-GO: if you then open the driver's
or front-passenger door, the automatic trans-
mission shifts to ] automatically.Automatic transmission 123
Driving and parking Z

If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral \\ ,e .g. when having the vehi-
cle cleaned in an automatic car wash with a
towing system: X
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
Start/Stop button from the ignition lock. X
Insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock. X
All vehicles: switch the ignition on.X
Depress the brake peda la nd keep it
depressed. X
Engage neutral \\ .X
Release the brake pedal. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Switch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
Engaging drive positio nDX
When the vehicle is stationary ,d epres st he
brake pedal. X
Push the selector lever back past the first
point of resistance. Transmission positions E Park position
This prevents the vehicle from rolling
awa yw hen stopped.
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tion E ( Y
page 122) when the
vehicle is stationary .T he parking lock
shoul dn ot be used as ab rake when
parking. Alway sa ppl yt he electronic
parking brake in addition to the park-
ing lock in order to secure the vehi-
cle.
If the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock, the transmission is
locked.
The automatic transmission shifts to
E automatically: R
when the SmartKey is removed
from the ignition lock R
when the engine is switched off
with the transmission in position
F or : and one of the doors
is opened
In the event of am alfunction of the
vehicle's electronics, the transmis-
sion may lock in position E .H ave
the vehicle electronics checked
immediately at aq ualifie ds pecialist
workshop.
F Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tion F when the vehicle is sta-
tionary.124
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake. X
Appl yt he electri cp ar king brake.X
Shif tt he transmission to position ]
( Y
page 123).X
With the SmartKe y: turn the SmartKey to
position

Applyin ga ut om aticallyThe electric parking brak eisa utomatically
applie dw hen th et ra nsmission is in position ]
and : R
th ee ng in eiss witched off orR
th ed river is no tw earing as eat belt and th e
driver's door is opened
To preven tt he electric parking brak ef ro mb ein g
automatically applied, pull handle C .
The electric parking brak eisa lso engage da uto -
matically if: R
Distanc eP ilo tD ISTR ONI Cb ring st he vehicl e
to as ta ndstill orR
th eH OL Df unction is keepin gt he vehicl es ta -
tionary
In addition ,atl east on eoft he followin gc ondi -
tion sm us tbef ulfilled :R
th ee ng in eiss witched offR
th ed river is no tw earing as eat belt and th e
driver's door is opened R
there is as ystem malfunctionR
th ep owe rs upply is insufficien tR
th ev ehicl eiss ta tionary for al engthy period
The red I (US Ao nl y) or $ (Canada only)
indicator lamp in th ei nstrumen tc luste rl ights
up.
The electric parking brak eisn ot automatically
engage dift he engin eiss witched off by th eE CO
start/sto pf unction .
Releasing automatically The electric parking brak eisr elease da utomat -
ically when all of th ef ollowin gc onditi on sa re
fulfilled :R
th ee ng in eisr unnin gR
th es eat belt tongue is engage dint he belt
buckl eR
th et ra nsmission is in position [ or ^ and
you depress th ea ccelerato rp edal or shif t
from position ] to [ or ^R
if th et ra nsmission is in position ^ ,t he trunk
lid mus tbec losed If th es eat belt tongue is no te ng age dint he seat
belt buckle, th ef ollowin gc onditi on sm us tb e
fulfilled : R
th ed river's door is closed R
you mov et he transmission out of position ]
or you hav ep reviously driven at as pee d
abov e2m ph (3 km/h) R
if th et ra nsmission is in position ^ ,t he trunk
lid mus tbec losed
When th ee lectric parking brak eisr eleased,
th e $ indicator lamp goes out in th ei nstru-
men tc luster.
Eme rg ency braking The vehicl ec an also be braked during an emer-
gency by usin gt he electric parking brake. X
Whil ed riving, push handle C of th ee lectric
parking brake.
The vehicl eisb raked for as lon gast he handle
of th ee lectric parking brak eisp ressed. The
longer th ee lectric parking brak eh andle is
depressed, th eg reate rt he braking force .
During braking : R
aw arning tone sounds R
th e Releas eP arkin gB rake message
appear s R
th er ed I (US Ao nl y) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp in th ei nstrumen tc luste r
flashes
When th ev ehicl eh as been braked to as ta nd -
still, th ee lectric parking brak eise ng aged.
Pa rk ing th ev ehicle for al ong periodIf you leav et he vehicl ep arked for longer than
four weeks, th eb attery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leav et he vehicl ep arked for longer than six
weeks, th ev ehicl em ay suffer damag easa
result of lack of use. X
Visit aq ualified specialist workshop and see k
advice .
i You can obtain information about trickle
chargers from aq ualified specialist work-
shop. Parking 133
Driving and parking Z

Drivin gt ip s
General notes
Important safet yn otes
G WARNING
If you switch of ft he ignition whil ed riving,
safety-relevant function sa re only available
wit hl imitations, or no tata ll. Thi sc ou ld affect,
fo re xa mple, th ep owe rs te erin ga nd th eb rake
boostin ge ffect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake .T here is ar is k
of an accident.
Do no ts witch of ft he ignition whil ed riving.
G WARNING
If you operat em ob ile communication equip -
men tw hen driving, you may be distracted
from th et ra ffic situation .Y ou could also los e
contro loft he vehicle. There is ar is kofa n
accident.
Only operat et hi se quipmen tw hen th ev ehicle
is stationary.
Observ et he lega lr equirements fo rt he country
in whic hy ou are driving. Some jurisdiction sp ro -
hibi tt he driver from usin gam ob ile phone whil e
drivin gav ehicle.
If you mak eac al lw hil ed riving, always use
hands-free mode. Only operat et he telephon e
when th et ra ffic situation permits. If you are
unsure ,p ull over to as af el ocation and stop
befor eo peratin gt he telephone.
Bear in min dt ha tatas peed of only 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), th ev ehicle cover sa
distanc eo f4 4f t( approximately 14 m) per sec-
ond.
Drive sensibly –s ave fuelObserve the following tips to save fuel: R
The tires should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tire pressure. R
Remove unnecessary loads. R
Warm up the engin eatl ow engin es peeds.R
Avoid frequen ta cceleration or braking.R
Observe the servic ei ntervals in the Mainte-
nanc eB ooklet or in the servic ei nterval dis- play. Have all the maintenanc ew ork carried in
accordance with Daimler AG regulations.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffic and in hilly ter-
rain.
Drinking and driving
G WARNING
Drinkin ga nd driving and/or takin gd rugs and
driving are very dangerous combinations.
Even as mall amount of alcohol or drugs can
affect your reflexes, perceptions and judg-
ment.
The possibility of as erious or even fatal acci-
dent is greatly increased when you drink or
take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or tak-
ing drugs.
Emission control
G WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is ar isk of fatal injury. Therefor en ever leave
the engin er unning in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficien tv entilation.
Certain engin es ystems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous component sine xhaust
fumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance with the
manufacturer's specifications .A lways have
work on the engin ec arried out at aq ualified
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use an authorized Mercedes-
Ben zC enter for this purpose. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related systems
must be carried out at aq ualified specialist
workshop.
The engin es ettings must not be changed under
any circumstances. Furthermore, all specific
servic ew ork must be carried out at regular
intervals and in accordance with the Mercedes-
Ben zs ervic er equirements. Details can be found
in the Maintenance Booklet.134
Driving tips
Driving and parking