2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS engine

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

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The engine is not running
smoothly and is misfir-
ing. There is am alfunction in the engine electronics or in am echanical
componen toft he engine management system.X
Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic converter
and damage it. X
Have the cause rectified immediately at aq ualified specialist work-
shop.
The coolant temperature
gauge shows av alue
above 248 ‡( 120 †).
The coolant warning
lamp may also be on and
aw arning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine is no
longer being cooled sufficiently. X
Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down. X
Check the coolant level ( Y
page 235). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
If the coolant level is correct ,t he engine radiator fan may be faulty. The
coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled sufficiently. X
At coolant temperatures below 248 ‡( 120 †), drive to the nearest
qualified specialist workshop. X
Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in moun-
tainou st errai na nd stop-and-go traffic.
DYNAMIC SELEC Tb uttonUse the DYNAMIC SELECT button to change the
drive program. Depending on the drive program
selected the following vehicle characteristics
wil lc hange: R
the drive (engine and transmission manage-
ment) R
the suspensio nort he adaptive adjustable
damping (only on vehicles with AMG RIDE
CONTROL sports suspension) R
the sound of the exhaust system (vehicles
with sports exhaust system) R
the steering R
the availability of the ECO start/stop function
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-
Key or the Start/Stop button, drive program C is
activated. For further information about starting
the engine, see ( Y
pag e1 17). X
Press DYNAMIC SELECT button C as many
times as necessary until the desired drive
progra miss elected.
The selected drive progra ma ppears in the
multifunction display. After as hort period of
time, the displa yg oes out and the symbol for
the selected drive progra ma ppears.
In addition, the current drive progra ms ettings
are displayed briefly in the multimedi as ystem
display.
i In af ew countries, the ECO start/stop func-
tion is deactivated at the factory due to the
available fuel grade. In this case, the ECO
start/stop function is not available in anyDYNAMI CS ELEC Tb utton 121
Driving and parking 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

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

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