2019 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS tow

DNeutral
Do not shift the transmission toDwhile driving. The automatictransmission could otherwise bedamaged.
No power is transmitted from theengine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake pedal will allowyou to move the vehicle freely, e.g.to push it or tow it.
If ESP®is deactivated or faulty: shiftthe transmission to positionDifthe vehicle is in danger of skidding,e.g. on icy roads.
!Coasting in neutral\\maycause damage to the drive train.
:Drive
The automatic transmissionchanges gear automatically. Allforward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts through theindividual gears automatically when it is intransmission position[. This automatic gearshifting behavior is determined by:
Rthe selected drive program
Rthe position of the accelerator pedal
Rthe road speed
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle: early upshifts
Rmore throttle: late upshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
XDepress the accelerator pedal beyond thepressure point.The automatic transmission shifts to a lowergear depending on the engine speed.
XEase off the accelerator pedal once thedesired speed is reached.The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Drive programs
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG
vehicles)
Drive program C (Comfort)
Drive programCis characterized by the follow-ing:
Rthe vehicle pulls away more gently inforward and reverse gears, unless the accel-erator pedal is depressed fully.
Rlow fuel consumption resulting from theautomatic transmission shifting up sooner.The vehicle is driven in the low engine speedrange and the wheels are less likely to spin.
Rthe suspension exhibits comfortable damp-ing settings.
Rthe steering exhibits comfortable steeringcharacteristics.
RESP®provides the optimum compromisebetween traction and stability. Further infor-
mation about ESP®(Ypage 66).
iSelect this drive program for difficult roadconditions, e. g. snow and ice or wet roadsurfaces.
Drive program S (Sport)
Drive programSis characterized by the follow-ing:
Rthe vehicle exhibits sporty driving character-istics.
Rthe vehicle pulls away in first gear.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.The fuel consumption possibly being higheras a result of the later automatic transmis-sion shift points.
Rthe suspension exhibits firm damping set-tings.
138Automatic transmission
Driving an d parking

Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle.
!Always secure the vehicle correctly againstrolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle or itsdrivetrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured againstrolling away unintentionally:
Rthe electric parking brake must be applied.
Rthe transmission must be in position].
Rthe SmartKey must be removed from theignition lock.
Rthe front wheels must be turned towards thecurb on steep uphill or downhill gradients.
Switching off the engine
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral positionNwhen you switch off the
engine. The vehicle may roll away. There is a
risk of an accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking positionP. Prevent the parked
vehicle from rolling away by applying the
parking brake.
XApply the electric parking brake.
XShift the transmission to position](Ypage 136).
XWith the SmartKey :turn the SmartKey toposition

Storing or calling up a speed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate
or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an
accident.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If
you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towardsyou

As a result, Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC may neither give warnings nor
intervene in such situations. There is a risk
of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic
situation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
Distance keeping assistant cannot always
clearly identify other road users and com-
plex traffic situations.
In such cases, distance keeping assistant
can:
Raccelerate or brake the vehicle unexpect-
edly
Rintervene unexpectedly
There is a risk of an accident.
Continue to drive carefully and be ready to
brake, especially if distance keeping assis-
tant warns you.
GWARNING
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC brakes
your vehicle with up to 50% of the maximum
possible deceleration. If this deceleration is
not sufficient, Active Distance Assist
DISTRONIC alerts you with a visual and
acoustic warning. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Adjust your speed in these cases and main-
tain sufficient distance.
Apply the brakes yourself and/or take eva-
sive action.
!When Active Distance Assist DISTRONICor the HOLD function is activated, the vehi-cle brakes automatically in certain situa-tions.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivateActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC and theHOLD function in the following or similar sit-uations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC can neitherreduce the risk of an accident if you fail to
adapt your driving style, nor override the lawsof physics. Active Distance Assist DISTRONICcannot take into account road, weather or traf-fic conditions. Active Distance AssistDISTRONIC is only an aid. You are responsiblefor the distance to the vehicle in front, forvehicle speed, for braking in good time and forstaying in your lane.
Do not use Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC:
RIn road and traffic conditions which do notallow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g.in heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-erating could cause the drive wheels to losetraction and the vehicle could then skid
RIn poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rainor snow
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC may notdetect narrow vehicles driving in front, e.g.motorcycles, or vehicles driving in a staggeredformation.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can beimpaired if:
RThere is dirt on the sensors or anything elsecovering the sensors
RThere is snow or heavy rain
RThere is interference by other radar sources
RThere are strong radar reflections, for exam-ple in parking garages
If Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC no longerdetects a vehicle in front, Distance PilotDISTRONIC may unexpectedly accelerate tothe speed stored.
This speed may:
RBe too high if you are driving in a turninglane or an exit lane
RBe so high when driving in the right-handlane that you overtake vehicles in the left-hand lane
RBe so high in the left lane that you passvehicles driving on the right
If there is a change of drivers, advise the newdriver of the speed stored.
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Driving an d parking
Z

ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate
or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an
accident.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If
you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towardsyou

revealed, Active Distance Assist DISTRONICwill not brake for them.
Crossing vehicles
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC may mis-takenly detect vehicles that are crossing yourlane.
If you activate Active Distance AssistDISTRONIC under the following conditions, thevehicle could pull away unintentionally:
Rat traffic lights with crossing traffic, forexample
Rif there is a vehicle in front, after a crossing,with the HOLD function activated
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC with
Active Steering Assist
General notes
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC with ActiveSteering Assist aids you in keeping the vehiclein the center of the driving lane by means ofmoderate steering interventions in a speedrange from 0 - 125 mph (0 - 200 km/h).
It monitors lane markings and vehicles in frontof your vehicle by means of camera systemCat the top of the windshield.
In a speed range from 0 - 37 mph(0 - 60 km/h), Active Steering Assist focuseson the vehicle in front, taking into accountlane markings, e.g. when following vehicles ina traffic jam.
At speeds of more than 37 mph (60 km/h),Active Steering Assist focuses on clear lanemarkings (left and right), only focusing on thevehicle in front if detected lane markings arenot present at speeds of up to 80 mph(130 km/h).
If these conditions are not present, ActiveSteering Assist cannot provide assistance.
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC must beactive in order for the function to be available.
Important safety notes
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC with ActiveSteering Assist can neither reduce the risk ofan accident if you fail to adapt your drivingstyle, nor override the laws of physics. It can-not take into account road, weather or trafficconditions. Active Distance Assist DISTRONICwith Active Steering Assist is only an aid. Youare responsible for the distance to the vehiclein front, for vehicle speed, for braking in goodtime and for staying in your lane.
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC with ActiveSteering Assist does not detect road and traf-fic conditions and does not detect all roadusers. If you are following a vehicle which isdriving towards the edge of the road, yourvehicle could come into contact with the curbor other road boundaries. Be particularlyaware of other road users, e.g. cyclists, thatare directly next to your vehicle.
Obstacles such as traffic pylons on the lane orprojecting into the lane are not detected.
An inappropriate steering intervention, e.g.after intentionally driving over a lane marking,can be corrected at any time if you steerslightly in the opposite direction.
Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC with ActiveSteering Assist cannot continuously keep yourvehicle in lane. In some cases, the steeringintervention is not sufficient to bring the vehi-cle back to the lane. In such cases, you muststeer the vehicle yourself to ensure that itdoes not leave the lane.
Driving systems163
Driving and parking
Z

HOLD function
General notes
The HOLD function can assist the driver in thefollowing situations:
RWhen pulling away, especially on steepslopes
RWhen maneuvering on steep slopes
RWhen waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without thedriver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLDfunction deactivated when you depress theaccelerator pedal to pull away.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the vehicle is only braked using the HOLD
function, the vehicle may roll away in the fol-
lowing situations when you leave the vehi-
cle:
Rif there is a malfunction in the system or
in the voltage supply
Rif the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator pedal or brake
pedal, e.g. by a vehicle occupant
There is a risk of an accident.
Always deactivate the HOLD function and
secure the vehicle against rolling away
before you leave it.
!When Active Distance Assist DISTRONICor the HOLD function is activated, the vehi-cle brakes automatically in certain situa-tions.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivateActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC and theHOLD function in the following or similar sit-uations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function (Ypage 165).
Activation conditions
You can activate the HOLD function if all of thefollowing conditions are fulfilled:
Rthe vehicle is stationary.
Rthe engine is running or if it has been auto-matically switched off by the ECO start/stop function.
Rthe driver's door is closed or your seat beltis fastened.
Rthe electric parking brake is released.
Rthe transmission is in position[,^or\\.
RActive Distance Assist DISTRONIC is deacti-vated
Activating the HOLD function
XMake sure that the activation conditions aremet.
XDepress the brake pedal.
XQuickly depress the brake pedal furtheruntilCappears in the multifunction dis-play.The HOLD function is activated. You canrelease the brake pedal.
iIf depressing the brake pedal the first timedoes not activate the HOLD function, waitbriefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated automati-cally if:
Ryou depress the accelerator and the trans-mission is in position[or^.
Rthe transmission is in position].
Ryou depress the brake pedal again with acertain amount of pressure untilHOLDHOLDdisap-pears from the multifunction display.
Ryou secure the vehicle using the electricparking brake.
Ryou activate Active Distance AssistDISTRONIC.
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Driving and parking
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Under the following circumstances, the rearview camera will not function, or will functionin a limited manner:
Rif the trunk lid is open
Rin heavy rain, snow or fog
Rat night or in very dark places
Rif the camera is exposed to very bright light
Rif the area is lit by fluorescent bulbs or LEDlighting (the display may flicker)
Rif there is a sudden change in temperature,e.g. when driving into a heated garage inwinter
Rif the camera lens is dirty or obstructed.Observe the notes on cleaning(Ypage 275)
Rif the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In thiscase, have the camera position and settingchecked at a qualified specialist workshop.
The field of vision and other functions of therear view camera may be restricted due toadditional accessories on the rear of the vehi-cle (e.g. license plate holder, bicycle rack).
On vehicles with height-adjustable chassis,leaving the standard height can result in inac-curacies in the guide lines, depending on tech-nical conditions.
iThe contrast of the display may be affec-ted by the sudden presence of sunlight orother light sources, e.g. when exiting agarage. Pay particular attention in this situa-tion.
iIf usability is severely restricted, e.g. dueto pixel errors, have the display repaired orreplaced.
Activating/deactivating the rear view
camera
XTo activate:make sure that the SmartKeyis in positionHin the ignition lock.
XMake sure that theActivation by R gearActivation by R gearfunction is selected in the multimedia sys-tem; see the Digital Operator's Manual.
XEngage reverse gear.The multimedia system shows the areabehind the vehicle with guide lines.
The image from the rear view camera isavailable throughout the maneuvering proc-ess.
To deactivate:the rear view camera deacti-vates if you shift the transmission to position], or after driving forwards a short distance.
The inner segments of the warning indicatorare displayed in red if there is a complete sys-tem failure. The indicator lamp in thePARKTRONIC button lights up.
If the system fails at the rear of the vehicle:
Rthe rear segments are shown in red whenbacking up.
Rthe rear segments are hidden when drivingforwards.
Displays in the multimedia system
The rear view camera may show a distortedview of obstacles, show them incorrectly ornot at all. The rear view camera does not showobjects in the following positions:
Rvery close to the rear bumper
Runder the rear bumper
Rin close range above the handle on the trunklid
!Objects not at ground level may appear tobe further away than they actually are, e.g.:
Rthe bumper of a parked vehicle
Rthe drawbar of a trailer
Rthe ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
Rthe rear section of an HGV
Ra slanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.Approach objects no further than the bot-tom-most guideline.
CYellow guide line at a distance of approx-imately 13 ft (4.0 m) from the rear area
DWhite guide line without steering input –vehicle width including the exterior mirrors(static)
180Driving systems
Driving and parking