2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS tow

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.
Unlocking and opening doors from
the inside
! The side windows will not open/close if the
batter yisd ischarged or if the side windows
have iced up. It will then not be possible to
close the door. Do not attempt to forc et he
door closed. You could otherwise damage the
door or the side window.
You can open ad oor from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked.
If the vehicle has previously been locked from
the outside, opening ad oor from the inside will
trigger the anti-theft alarm system. Switc ho ff
the alarm ( Y
page 64).
X
Pull door handle D .
If the door is locked, lockin gk no b C pops up.
The door is unlocked and can be opened.
When ad oor is opened, the side window on that
side opens slightly. When the door is closed, the
side window closes again.
Centrally locking and unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle from
the inside. For example, you can unlock the
front-passenger door from the inside or lock the
vehicle before you pull away. X
To unlock: press button C .X
To lock: press button D .
If the front-passenger door is closed, the vehi-
cle locks.
The central lockin gb utton does not lock or
unlock the fuel filler flap or the stowage com-
partmen tint he center console.
You cannot unlock the vehicle centrally from the
inside if the vehicle has been locked with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO.
You can open ad oor from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked.
If al ocked door is opened from the inside, the
previous unlock status of the vehicle will be
taken into consideration if: R
the vehicle was locked using the lockin gb ut-
ton for the central locking, or R
if the vehicle was locked automatically
The vehicle will be fully unlocked if it had previ-
ously been fully unlocked. If only the driver's
door had been previously unlocked, only the
door which has been opened from the inside is
unlocked.
Automatic locking feature Doors 71
Opening and closing Z

X
To deactivate: press and hol db ut ton C for
abou tf iv es econds unti lat one sounds.X
To activate: press and hol db ut ton D for
abou tf iv es econds unti lat one sounds.
If yo up ress one of the two buttons and do not
hea rat one, the relevant setting ha sa lr eady
been selected.
The vehicl eisl oc ked automaticall yw he nt he
ignition is switched on and the wheels are turn-
ing.
Yo uc ould therefore lock yoursel fo ut if:R
the vehicl eisb ei ng pushed.R
the vehicl eisb ei ng towed.R
the vehicl eisonar olle rd yn amometer.
Yo uc an also switch the automatic locking func-
tio nona nd off using the on-board computer
( Y
page 173).
Unlocking/lockin gt he driver's door
using the mechanical key
i If yo uw an ttoc entrall yl oc kt he vehicl eu si ng
the mechanical key ,b egin by pressing the
locking button for the interio rl oc king mech-
anism whil et he driver's door is open. Then
lock the driver's door using the mechanical
key.
X
To unlock: turn the mechanical key counter-
clockwise as far as it will go to position G .X
To lock: turn the mechanical key clockwise as
far as it will go to position G .
If yo uu se the mechanical key to unlock and
open the driver's door, the anti-thef ta la rm sys-
tem will be triggered .S witch off the alarm
( Y
page 64). Trunk
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If objects, luggage or load sa re not secured or
not secured sufficiently ,t hey could slip ,t ip
ove rorbef lung around and thereb yh it vehicle
occupants. There is ar is kofi njury ,p ar ticu-
larly in the event of sudden braking or as ud -
de nc hange in direction.
Alway ss tor eo bj ects so tha tt hey canno tb e
flung around .S ecure objects, luggage or
load sa gain st slipping or tipping before the
journey.
! The trunk li ds wi ng su pwar ds when opened.
Therefore, make sure tha tt her eiss uf ficient
clearance above the trunk lid.
! Onl yc lose the trunk once the roo fisl owere d
completely. Otherwise, yo uc ould damag et he
roof.
If yo uc lose the trunk li db ef ore the roo fi s
lowered completely, the loading ai ds wi tch
lights up and aw ar ning tone sounds.
The opening dimensions of the trunk li dc an be
found in the "Vehicle data" section
( Y
page 295).
Do not leave the SmartKey in the trunk. You
could otherwise lock yoursel fo ut .
The trunk li dc an be: R
opened/close df rom outside R
opene da ut omaticall yf rom outsideR
locked separately R
opene dw it ht he emergency release button R
unlocke dw it ht he mechanical key
Yo us houl dp referabl yp la ce luggage or load si n
the trunk.72
Trunk
Opening and closing

Make sure that the roof and rear window are
clean and dry before opening the roof. Other-
wise, water or dirt could enter the vehicle inte-
rior or trunk.
Opening and closing using the roof
switch
Important safety notes
G WARNING
When opening or closing the roof, body parts
could be trapped by, for example, the roof
mechanism, trunk lid or side windows. There
is ar isk of injury.
When raising or lowering the roof, make sure
that no body parts are in the vicinity of moving
components. If someone becomes trapped,
release the button.
For safety reasons, you can only open or close
the roof when the vehicle is stationary.
! Operating the roof while pulling away: R
Observe the following traffic carefully. R
Do not drive faster than 25 mph (40 km/h). R
Avoid abrupt braking and swerving maneu-
vers.
Do not operate the roof when cornering, driv-
ing on uneven surfaces or during strong
winds. The vehicle may otherwise be dam-
aged.
i If the traffic condition sm ean that you have
to drive off while opening/closing the roof,
the procedure which was started while sta-
tionary can be continued at speeds of up to
approximately 25 mph (40 km/h). Opening and closing X
Vehicles without semi-automatic trunk
partition: close the trunk partition
( Y
page 79). X
Close the trunk lid ( Y
page 72).X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock. X
Open the cover in the lower center console.
Roof switch C is located under the cover. X
To open :p ull roof switch C until the entire
roof is stowed away in the trunk.
The Vario-Roof in Operation
message
appears in the multifunction display .O nce the
opening procedure is complete, the message
disappears and at one sounds.
All of the side windows open.
If you operate the roof switch and the Trunk
Partition Open message appears in the
multifunction display ,t he trunk partition is
not closed correctly. X
Close the trunk partition. X
To close: press and hold soft-top switch C
until the soft top is fully closed.
The Vario-Roof in Operation
message
appears in the multifunction display .O nce the
opening procedure is complete, the message
disappears and at one sounds.
All of the side windows open. X
To close all side windows, pull the switch
under the cover of the center console
( Y
page 75).78
Roof
Opening and closing

Operating AIRGUIDE X
To fold out AIRGUIDE: turn disc C in the
direction of the arrow towards the middle of
the vehicle to the stop. X
Repeat with disc D .X
To fold in AIRGUIDE: turn discs C and D
back behind the roll bar to the stop.
Discs C and D can also be used independently
of each other ,e .g. when you are driving without
ap assenger.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL
General notes MAGIC SKY CONTROL is ap anorama roof, the
transparenc yofw hich can be changed by apply-
ing electrical voltage.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL can be switched between
darkened and transparent states.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL darken sa utomatically
after as hort period when you turn the SmartKey
to position

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

D Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to D
whil ed riving .T he automatic trans-
mission could otherwis ebed am -
aged.
No powe rist ransmitted fro mt he
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake peda lw il la llow
yo utom ov et he vehicl ef reely, e.g .t o
push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty: shift
the transmission to position D if
the vehicl eisind an ge rofs kidding,
e.g .oni cy roads.
! Coasting in neutral \\ may
cause damage to the drive train.
: Drive
The automatic transmission changes
gear automatically. All forward gears
ar ea vailable.
Driving tips
Changin gg ea rThe automatic transmission shifts throug ht he
individual gear sa ut omaticall yw he nitisint rans-
mission position [ .T hi sa ut omatic gear shift-
ing behavio risd et ermine db y:R
the selecte dd rive programR
the positio noft he accelerator pedalR
the roa ds peed
Accelerator peda lp ositionYour style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear: R
little throttle :e ar ly upshiftsR
mor et hrottle :l at eu ps hifts Kickdown Use kickdow nf or maximum acceleration. X
Depres st he accelerator peda lb eyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to al ower
gear depending on the engine speed. X
Eas eo ff the accelerator peda lo nce the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Drive programs
Drive program C( Co mfort)In urba nt raffi ca nd stop-start traffic, drive pro-
gram C is recommended.
Driv ep rogram C is characterized by the follow-
ing: R
the vehicl ed elivers comfortable, economical
handling characteristics. R
the vehicl ep ulls away mor eg en tly in forward
and revers eg ears ,u nless the accelerator
peda lisd ep resse df ully.R
the vehicl eh as improved driving stability, for
exampl eons lipper yr oa ds ur faces.R
optima lf ue lc onsumption resulting fro mt he
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
The vehicl eisd riven in the lo we ngine speed
range and the wheels ar el es sl ik el ytos pi n.R
th es us pension exhibits comfortabl ed am ping
settings (adaptive damping system onl yi n
vehicles with AMG RIDE CONTROL sports
suspension). R
the steering exhibits comfortabl es teering
characteristics.
Drive program S( Sp ort)Driv ep rogram S is characterized by the follow-
ing: R
the vehicl ee xhibits sporty driving character-
istics. R
the vehicl ep ulls away in first gear. R
the automatic transmission shifts up later.
The fuel consumption possibl yb ei ng higher
as ar esul toft he later automatic transmission
shift points.Automati ct ransmission 125
Driving an dp arking Z

Do not us eD istance Assist DISTRONI Co nr oads
with stee pg radients.
As Distance Assist DISTRONI Ct ransmits radar
waves ,itc an resemble the rada rd et ectors of
the responsibl ea ut horities. Yo uc an refer to the
relevant chapte rint he Operator' sM an ua li f
questions ar ea sk ed abou tt his.
i USA only: Thi sd ev ic eh as been approved by
the FCC as a" Vehi cula rR adar System" .T he
rada rs ensor is intende df or us einana ut o-
motive rada rs ys tem only. Removal ,t amper-
ing ,ora lt ering of the devic ew il lv oi da ny war-
ranties, and is not permitted by the FCC .D o
not tampe rw it h, alter, or us eina ny non-
approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to thi sd ev ice
could voi dt he user' sa ut hority to operate the
equipment.
i Canad ao nly: Thi sd ev ic ec omplies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operatio ni s
subject to the following two conditions:
1. Thi sd ev ic em ay not cause interference,
and
2. Thi sd ev ic em us ta ccep ta ny interference
received, including interferenc et ha tm ay
cause undesired operatio noft he device.
Removal ,t ampering, or altering of the device
will voi da ny warranties, and is not permitted.
Do not tampe rw it h, alter, or us eina ny non-
approved way.
Any unau thorized modification to thi sd ev i ce
could voi dt he user' sa ut hority to operate the
equipment.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cd oe sn ot react to:R
people or animals R
stationar yo bj ects on the road, e.g .s topped
or parked vehicles R
oncomin gv ehicles and crossing traffic
As ar esult, Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cm ay
neithe rg iv ew ar nings nor intervene in such
situations. There is ar is kofana ccident.
Alway sp ay carefu la ttentio ntot he traffi cs it -
uatio na nd be ready to brake. G WARNING
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cc anno ta lway s
clearly identify othe rr oa du se rs and complex
traffi cs it uations.
In such cases, Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cm ay :R
give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle R
neithe rg iv eaw ar ning nor intervene R
accelerate or brake unexpectedly
There is ar is kofana ccident.
Continu etod rive carefull ya nd be ready to
brake, especially if Distance Pilo tD ISTRONIC
warns you.
G WARNING
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cb rakes your vehicle
with up to 50% of the maximum possible
deceleration. If thi sd ec eleratio ni sn ot suffi-
cient, Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ca le rts you
with av isua la nd acoustic warning. There is a
ris kofana ccident.
Apply the brakes yoursel fint hese situations
and try to take evasive action.
! When Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cort he
HOLD functio ni sa ctivated ,t he vehicle
brakes automaticall yinc ertain situations.
To avoi dd amag etot he vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ca nd the HOLD
functio nint he following or similar situations: R
when towing the vehicle R
in the car wash
If yo uf ai ltoa dapt your drivin gs tyle ,D istance
Pilo tD ISTRONI Cc an neithe rr educe the ris ko f
an accident nor override the laws of physics.
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cc anno tt ake into
account road, weather or traffi cc onditions. Dis-
tance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ciso nl yana id .Y ou are
responsibl ef or the distance to the vehicl ei n
front, for vehicl es peed, for braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.Driving system s 141
Dr ivi ng an dp arking Z

HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the drive rint he
following situations: R
when pulling away, especially on steep slopes R
when maneuvering on steep slopes R
when waiting in traffic
The vehicl eisk ept stationary without the driver
having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancele da nd the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator peda ltop ul la way.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away
despite being braked by the HOLD function if: R
there is am alfunction in the system or in
the voltag es upply.R
the HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator peda lort he brake
pedal, e.g. by av ehicl eo ccupant.R
the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuse sh ave
been tampere dw ith.R
the battery is disconnected
There is ar isk of an accident.
If you wis htoe xit the vehicle, alway st urn off
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
! When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoi dd amage 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
Deactivating the HOLD function ( Y
pag e1 48). Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if all of the
following conditions are fulfilled: R
the vehicl eiss tationary. R
the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function. R
the driver's door is closed or you rs eat bel ti s
fastened. R
the electric parking brake is released. R
the transmission is in position [ , ^ or \\ .R
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions are
met. X
Depress the brake pedal. X
Quickly depress the brake peda lf urther
until C appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake peda lt he first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivatin gt he HOLD functionThe HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if: R
you depress the accelerator and the trans-
mission is in position [ or ^ .R
you shift the transmission to position ] .R
you apply the brakes again with ac ertain
amount of pressure until HOLD disappears
from the multifunction display. R
you secure the vehicl eu sing the electric park-
ing brake. R
you activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC.
i After at ime, the electric parking brake
secure st he vehicl ea nd relieves the service
brake.148
Driving systems
Driving and parking