2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS transmission

R
the suspensio ne xhibits fir md am ping set-
ting s( vehicle sw it ha dapt ive damping system
or AMG sports suspension). R
the steering exhibits sporty steering charac-
teristics.
Drive program S+ (Sport Plus) Drive program S+ is characterized by the fol-
lowing: R
the vehicl ee xhibits particularly sporty driving
characteristics. 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. R
the suspensio ne xhibits particularly firm
damping setting s( vehicle sw it ha dapt ive
damping syste morA MG sports suspension).R
the steering exhibits sporty steering charac-
teristics. R
the ECO start/sto pf un ctio ni sn ot available.
Drive program I( In dividual)In drive program I the following propertie soft he
drive progra mc an be selected:R
the drive (engine and transmission manage-
ment) R
the suspensio n( vehicle sw it ha dapt ive damp-
ing syste morA MG sports suspension)R
the steering R
the availability of the ECO start/sto pf un ction
Informatio na bout configurin gd rive program I
with the multimedia syste mc an be found in the
Digita lO pe rator' sM an ual.
Drive program E( Econom y)Drive program E is characterized by the follow-
ing: R
the vehicl ee xhibits comfortable, economical
handling characteristics. R
the vehicl ep ulls away mor eg en tly in forward
and revers eg ears ,u nles st he accelerator
peda lisd ep resse df ully.R
the vehicl eh as improved drivin gs tability, for
exampl eons lipper yr oa ds ur faces.R
optimal fuel consumption resulting fro mt he
automatic transmission shiftin gups ooner. Th ev ehicl eisd riven in the lo we ngine speed
range and the wheels ar el es sl ik el ytos pi n.R
the suspensio ne xhibits comfortabl ed am ping
setting s( vehicle sw it ha dapt ive damping sys-
tem or AMG sports suspension). R
durin gd ec eleration, the engine is disconnec-
ted fro mt he drive train. Th ev ehicl eu se s
kinetic energy and consumes less fuel (coast-
ing mode). R
the steering exhibits comfortabl es teering
characteristics.
Manual gear shifting
General notes Yo uc an change gear yourself using the steering
whee lp addl es hifters. Th et ransmission must be
in position [ to do this.
Depending on which steering whee lp addl e
shifter is pulled ,t he automatic transmission
immediatel ys hifts into the next gear down or
up ,ifp er mitted.
To us em an ua ls hifting, yo uh av et wo options:R
temporary setting R
permanent setting
If yo ua ctivate manua lg ears hifting, the multi-
functio nd isplay will sho wt he current gear
instea doft ransmission position [ .
If manua lg ears hiftin gisd ea ctivated ,t he gears
will be selected automatically.
Temporary setting
X
To activate: shift the selector lever to [ .X
Pull steering whee lp addl es hifter C or D .
The temporary setting is active for ac ertain
amount of time. Under certai nc onditions ,t he
minimum amount of tim eise xtended, e.g .int he126
Automati ct ransmission
Driving an dp arking

case of latera la cceleration, during overrun
mod eorw he nd riving on stee pt errain.X
To deactivate: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter D and hol ditinp la ce.
or X
Use the lever to switch the transmission posi-
tion.
or X
Use the DYNAMI CS ELECT button to change
the drive program.
Permanen ts et tingX
To activate: shift the selector lever to [ .X
Press button C .X
To deactivate: press button C .
Shiftin gg ea rs
Al lv ehicle s( exce pt for Mercedes-AMG
SLC 43)
X
To shift up: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter D .
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear. If the maximum engine speed in the currently
engaged gea risr eached and yo uc ontinu et o
accelerate ,t he automatic transmission auto-
matically shifts up in order to prevent engine
damage. X
To shift down: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter C .
The automatic transmission shifts dow nt o
the next gear.
Automati cd ow ns hifting occurs whe nc oast-
ing.
If the engine were to excee dt he maximum
engine speed whe ns hifting down, the auto-
mati ct ransmission protects against engine
damag ebyn ot shifting down.
Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
! If manual gearshifting is permanently acti-
vated, the automatic transmission doe sn ot
shift up automaticall ye ve nw he nt he engine
limiting speed for the current gea risr eached.
Whe nt he engine limiting speed is reached,
the fue ls up pl yisc ut to prevent the engine
from overrevving. Alway sm ake sure that the
engine speed doe sn ot reach the red are ao f
the tachometer .T here is otherwise ar is ko f
engine damage.
X
To shift up: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter D .
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear. X
To shift down: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter C .
The automatic transmission shifts dow nt o
the next gear.
Automati cd ow ns hifting occurs whe nc oast-
ing.
If the engine were to excee dt he maximum
engine speed whe ns hifting down, the auto-Automatic transmission 127
Drivin ga nd parking Z

matic transmission protects against engine
damage by not shifting down.
Shift recommendation All vehicles (except for Mercedes-AMG
SLC 43)
The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style .T he rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display. X
Shift to recommended gear D according to
gearshift recommendation C when shown in
the multifunction display of the instrument
cluster.
Mercedes-AMG SLC 43 The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style .T he rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display. X
Shift to recommended gear D according to
gearshift recommendation C when shown in
the multifunction display of the instrument
cluster.
Kickdown X
For maximu ma cceleration, depress the
accelerator peda lb eyond the pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to al ower
gear depending on the engine speed. X
Shift back up once the desired speed is
reached.
During kickdown, you cannot shift gears using
the steering whee lp addle shifters.
If you apply full throttle, the automatic trans-
mission shifts up to the next gear when the
maximu me ngine speed is reached. This pre-
vents the engine from overrevving.128
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Problems with the transmission Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The transmission has
problems shifting gear. The transmission is losing oil. X
Have the transmission checked at aq ualified specialist workshop
immediately.
The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no lon-
ger changes gear. The transmission is in emergency mode.
It is only partly possible to engage the gears, or the transmission is in
position \\ . X
Stop the vehicle. X
Shift the transmission to position ] .X
Switch off the engine. X
Wait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine. X
Shift the transmission to position [ or ^ .X
Have the transmission checked at aq ualified specialist workshop
immediately.
Refueling
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Fuel is highly flammable. If you handle fuel
incorrectly, there is ar isk of fire and explo-
sion.
You must avoid fire, open flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Switch off the engine
and, if applicable, the auxiliary heating before
refueling.
G WARNING
Fuel is poisonous and hazardous to health.
There is ar isk of injury.
You must make sure that fuel does not come
into contact with your skin, eyes or clothing
and that it is not swallowed. Do not inhale fuel
vapors. Keep fuel away from children.
If you or others come into contact with fuel,
observe the following: R
Wash away fuel from skin immediately
using soap and water. R
If fuel comes into contact with your eyes,
immediately rinse them thoroughly with clean water. Seek medical assistance with-
out delay. R
If fuel is swallowed, seek medical assis-
tance without delay .Don ot induce vomit-
ing. R
Immediately change out of clothing which
has come into contact with fuel.
G WARNING
Electrostatic buildu pc an create sparks and
ignite fuel vapors. There is ar isk of fire and
explosion.
Always touch the vehicle body before opening
the fuel filler flap or touching the fuel pump
nozzle. Any existing electrostatic buildu pi s
thereby discharged.
Do not get into the vehicle again during the refu-
eling process. Otherwise, electrostatic charge
could build up again.
! Do not use diesel to refuel vehicles with a
gasoline engine. Do not switch on the ignition
if you accidentally refuel with the wrong fuel.
Otherwise, the fuel will enter the fuel system.
Even small amounts of the wrong fuel could
result in damage to the fuel system and the
engine. Notify aq ualified specialist workshop
and have the fuel tank and fuel lines drained
completely. Refueling 129
Driving and parking Z

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 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.
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 could ente rt he vehicle interio r
or engin ec om partment. It can then damage
th ee ng ine's or automatic transmission' s
electronic components. It can also be sucke d
in by th ee ng ine's air intake connection and
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 \\ .
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 special attention to road condi-
tion sw hen temperature sa re around freezin g
point.
Fo rm or ei nformat ion on drivin gw it hs no w
chains, see ( Y
page 262).
Fo rm or ei nformat i on on drivin gw i t hs ummer
tires ,s ee ( Y
page 262).
Observ et he note sint he "Winte ro peration "s ec -
tion ( Y
page 262).
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 e
brake syste ma nd prevents th eb rake sf ro m
overheatin ga nd wearin gt oo quickly.
Use cruise contro lo nl yifr oa da nd traffic con-
dition sm ak eita ppropriat etom aintain as te ady138
Driving systems
Driving an dp arking

Changing lanes If when driving on multilane roads you wish to
change to th eo vertakin gl ane ,D istance Pilot
DISTRONIC support sy ou if:R
you are driving faster than 45 mph (70 km/ h)R
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ci sm ai ntaining the
distance to av ehicl einf rontR
yo us wi tch on the appropriate tur ns ig nalR
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cd oe sn ot currently
detect ad an ge rofc ollision
If these conditions ar ef ul filled ,y ou rv ehicl ei s
accelerated .A cceleratio nw il lbei nterrupte di f
changing lanes take st oo long or if the distance
between your vehicl ea nd the vehicl einf ront
become st oo small.
i When yo uc hange lanes ,D istance Pilot
DISTRONI Cm onitors the left lane (o nl ef t-
hand-driv ev ehicles) or the right lane (o nr ight-
hand-driv ev ehicles).
Stopping
G WARNING
If yo ul eave the vehicl ew he nitiso nl yb ei ng
braked by Distance Pilo tD ISTRONIC, it could
rol la wa yi f:R
there is am al functio nint he system or in
the voltag es upply.R
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ci ss wi tched off
using the cruis ec ontro ll ev er ,e .g .b yav ehi-
cle occupant or fro mo ut side the vehicleR
the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses ar et am-
pered with. R
the battery is disconnected R
the vehicl eisa ccelerated ,e .g .b yav ehicle
occupant.
There is ar is kofana ccident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ca nd secur et he
vehicl ea gain st rolling away.
Furthe ri nformatio nond ea ctivating Distance
Pilo tD ISTRONI C( Y
page 146).
If Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cd et ects tha tt he
vehicl einf ront is stopping, it brakes your vehicle
unti litiss tationary. Once your vehicl eiss tationary, it remains sta-
tionar ya nd yo udon ot nee dtod ep ress the
brake.
i After at ime ,t he electri cp ar kin gb rake
secures the vehicl ea nd relieves the service
brake.
i Depending on the specifie dm inimu md is -
tance ,y ou rv ehicl ew il lc ome to as tandstil la t
as uf ficient distance behind the vehicl ei n
front. The specifie dm i nimu md is tance is set
using the contro lont he cruis ec ontro ll ev er.
When Distance Pilo tD ISTRONI Cisa ctivated,
the transmission is shifted automaticall yt o
position ] if: R
the driver's sea tb el tisn ot fastened and the
driver's door is open. R
the engine is switched off ,u nless it is auto-
maticall ys wi tched off by the ECO start/stop
function.
The electri cp ar kin gb rake secures the vehicle
automaticall yifD istance Pilo tD ISTRONI Ci s
activated when the vehicl eiss tationar ya nd:R
as ys tem malfunctio no ccurs.R
the powe rs uppl yisn ot sufficient.
If am al functio no ccurs, the transmission may
also shift to position ] automatically.
Settin gas peedKee pinm in dt ha titm ay take ab rief moment
unti lt he vehicl eh as accelerated or braked to
the spee ds et. X
To adjus tt he se ts peed in 1m ph incre-
ments (1 km/ hi ncrements): briefly press
the cruise control lever up C to the pressure
point for ah igher speed, or down D for a
lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up or down, the last speed stored is increased
or reduced. X
To adjust th es et speed in 5m ph incre-
ment s( 10 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up C past the
pressur ep oint for ah igher speed, or down D
for al ower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is pressed
up or down, the last speed stored is increased
or reduced.144
Driving systems
Driving and parking