steering MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS 2018 User Guide

Correct driver's seat position
G WARNING
You coul dl ose control of your vehicle if you do
th ef ollowin gw hile driving:R
adjust th ed river' ss eat ,h ead restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors R
fasten th es eat belt
Ther eisar is kofana ccident.
Adjust th ed river' ss eat ,h ead restraint ,s te er-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt
before starting th ee ng ine.
X
Observ et he safety guideline sons eat adjust-
men t( Y
page 84).X
Mak es ure that seat

The seats can still be adjusted when there is no
SmartKey in the ignition lock.
G WARNING
When you adjust as eat, you or other vehicle
occupant sc ould become trapped, e.g. on the
seat guide rail. There is ar isk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting as eat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
G WARNING
If the driver's seat is not engaged, it could
move forwards as far as the next catc hd uring
movemen ts uch as braking or abrupt changes
of direction .Asar esult, you would be pushed
against your seat belt by the unsecured driv-
er's seat.
This could cause you to lose control of the
vehicle. The seat belt cannot protec tasi nten-
ded and could result in additional injury.
There is ar isk of an accident and injury.
Before every journey, make sure that the driv-
er's seat is fully engaged.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
( Y
page 43) and "Children in the vehicle"
( Y
page 53).
G WARNING
If the driver's seat is not engaged, it could
move unexpectedly while the vehicle is in
motion .T his could cause you to lose control of
the vehicle. There is ar isk of an accident.
Always make sure that the driver's seat is
engaged before starting the vehicle.
G WARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you or
other vehicle occupant sc ould be trapped and
thereby injured. Children in particular could
accidentally press the electrical seat adjust-
ment button sa nd become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
While moving the seats, make sure that your
hands or other body parts do not get under the
lever assembly of the seat adjustmen ts ys-
tem. G WARNING
If the head restraints are not installed or not
adjusted correctly, they cannot provide pro-
tection as intended. There is an increased risk
of injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the
event of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
G WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do
the following while driving: R
adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steerin gw heel or mirrors R
fasten the seat belt
There is ar isk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt
before starting the engine.
! To prevent damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following notes: R
Do not spill liquids ont ot he seats. Dry the
seats as soon as possible if liquid does get
spilled on the seats. R
If the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. Also, do not use
the seat heating to dry the seats. R
Clean the seat covers as recommended;
see the "Interior care" section. R
Do not transport heavy loads on the seats.
Do not place pointed object sont he seat
cushions such as knives, nails or tools.
Where possible, use the seats only for car-
rying passengers. R
When operating the seat heating, do not
cover the seats with insulating materials,
e.g. blankets ,c oats, bags, protective cov-
ers, child seats or booster seats. R
When the seat heating is switched on, the
seat surface can be damaged as ar esult of
object sb eing placed on the seats; for
example, seat cushions, child seats and
protective covers not approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Seats 85
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

This could result in burns in the immediate
vicinit yoft he air vents. There is ar isk of injury.
Reduce the heater output before it becomes
too hot.
The AIRSCARF function warms the head and
neck area of vehicle occupant sw ith warm air.
The warm air flows out of the holes in the head
restraints.
The three red indicator lamps in the button indi-
cate the heating level you have selected. X
Ensure that the SmartKey is in position H in
the ignition lock. X
To switch on: press button C .
Three red indicator lamps in the button light
up. The blower start supa fter ap reheating
phase of seven seconds. X
Press button C repeatedly until the desired
heating level is set. X
To switch off: press button C repeatedly
until all the indicator lamps go out.
i The blower continues runnin gf or seven sec-
onds to cool down the heating elements.
i If the battery voltage is too low, AIRSCARF
may switch off.
Problems with AIRSCARF AIRSCARF has switched off prematurely or will
not switch on. The vehicle's electrical system
voltage is too low because too many electrical
consumer sa re switched on.X
Switch off electrical consumer st hat you do
not need, such as the rear window defroster
or interior lighting. X
Switch on AIRSCARF again. Steering wheel
Important safety notes
G WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do
the following while driving: R
adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steerin gw heel or mirrors R
fasten the seat belt
There is ar isk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt
before starting the engine.
G WARNING
Children could injure themselves if they
adjust the steerin gw heel. There is ar isk of
injury.
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. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The electrically adjustable steerin gw heel can
still be adjusted when there is no SmartKey in
the ignition lock.
Adjusting the steering wheel man-
ually
G WARNING
If the steerin gw heel is unlocked while the
vehicle is in motion ,itc ould change position
unexpectedly. This could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle. There is ar isk of an
accident.
Before starting off, make sure the steering
wheel is locked. Never unlock the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in motion.88
Steering wheel
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

If somebod yb ecomes trapped:R
press one of the memory function position
buttons, or R
press one of the memory function memory
buttons, or R
move the switch for steering wheel adjust-
ment in the opposite direction to that in
which the steering wheel is moving
The adjustment process is stopped.
G WARNING
If you use openings in the bodywork or
detachable parts as steps, you could: R
slip and/or fall R
damage the vehicle and cause yourself to
fall.
There is ar isk of injury.
Alway su se secure climbing aids, e.g. as uita-
ble ladder.
The EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature makes getting in
and out of you rv ehicle easier.
You can activate and deactivate the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature in the on-board computer
( Y
page 174).
Position of the steering whee lw hen the
EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature is active The steering wheel swings up when you: R
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock R
open the driver's door with KEYLESS-GO in
position 1R
open the driver's door and the SmartKey is in
position

Exterio rm irrors
Adjusting th ee xterio rm irrors
G WARNING
You coul dl ose control of your vehicle if you do
th ef ollowin gw hile driving:R
adjust th ed river' ss eat ,h ead restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors R
fasten th es eat belt
Ther eisar isk of an accident.
Adjust th ed river' ss eat ,h ead restraint ,s te er-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt
before starting th ee ngine.
G WARNING
The exterio rm irror on th ef ront-pa ssenger
side reduces th es iz eoft he image .V isible
object sa re actually closer than they appear.
This mean st ha ty ou coul dm isjudge th ed is-
tance from road user st ra velin gb ehind, e.g.
when changing lane .T her eisar isk of an acci-
dent.
For this reason ,a lways mak es ure of the
actual distanc ef ro mt he road user st ra veling
behin dbyg lancin go ve ry our shoulder.
X
Mak es ure that th eS ma rtKey is in position G
or H in th ei gnition lock.X
Press button C for th el eft exterio rm irror or
button D for th er igh te xterio rm irror.
The indicator lamp in th ec orrespondin gb ut-
to nl ight supinr ed.
The indicator lamp goes out again after some
time. You can adjust th es electe de xterior mirror usin gb utton

via the Mercede smec onnect web app .N ever
leave children unsupervise dint he vehicle.
The memory function can be activated at any
time, e.g. even when the SmartKey is not in the
ignitio nl ock.
With the memory function, you can store up to
three different settings, e.g. for three different
people.
The following settings are stored as as ingle
memory preset: R
position of the seat, backrest and head
restraint R
driver' ss ide :s teering whee lp ositionR
driver' ss ide :p osition of the exterior mirrors
on the driver' sa nd front-passenge rs ides
X
Adjust the seat electrically ( Y
pag e8 6).X
On the driver' ss ide ,a djust the steering wheel
( Y
pag e8 9) and the exterior mirrors
( Y
pag e9 1).X
Press memory button M and one of the stor-
age position buttons 1 , 2 or 3 withi nt hree
seconds.
The settings are stored in the selected preset
position. At one sounds when the settings
have been completed. Calling up as tored setting X
Press and hold the relevant storage position
button 1 , 2 or 3 until the seat, steering wheel
and exterior mirrors are in the stored position.
i The setting procedure is interrupted as soon
as you release the storage position button.94
Memory function
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

X
To switc hont he high-beam headlamps:
turn the light switch to X or X .X
Press the combinatio ns wi tch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of arrow C .
In the X position, the high-bea mh ead-
lamps are onl ys wi tched on when it is dark and
the engine is running.
The blue W indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up when the high-beam
headlamps are switched on. X
To switc ho ff the high-beam headlamps:
move the combinatio ns wi tch back to its nor-
ma lp osition.
The blue W indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goe so ut .
Hazard warning lamps
X
To switc hont he hazard warning lamps:
press button C .
All turn signals flash. If yo un ow switch on a
turn signa lu si ng the combinatio ns wi tch ,o nly
the turn signa ll am pont he corresponding
side of the vehicl ew il lf lash.X
To switc ho ff the hazard warning lamps:
press button C .
The hazard warning lamps automaticall ys wi tch
on if: R
an ai rb ag is deployed orR
the vehicl ed ec elerates rapidly from as peed
of above 45 mph (70 km/h )a nd come stoa
standstill
The hazard warning lamps switch off automati-
cally if the vehicl er eache sas peed of above
6m ph (10 km/h )a gain afte raf ul lb rake appli-
cation.
i The hazard warning lamps stil lo pe rate if the
ignition is switched off. Cornerin gl ig ht functionThe cornering light functio ni mprove st he illu-
minatio noft he roa do ve raw id ea ngle in the
direction yo ua re turning, enabling better visi-
bility in tight bends, for example. The cornering
light functio nc an onl ybea ctivate dw he nt he
low-bea mh eadlamps are switched on.
Active: R
if yo ua re driving at speed sb elow 25 mph
(40 km/h )a nd switch on the turn signa lo r
turn the steering wheel R
if yo ua re driving at speed sb et ween 25 mph
(40 km/h )a nd 45 mph (70 km/h )a nd turn
the steering wheel
The cornering lamp ma yr emai nl it for as hort
time ,b ut is automaticall ys wi tched off afte rn o
more tha nt hre em inutes.
Cornerin gl ig ht functio nw it ht raffi cc ir cle
function:
The cornering light functio ni sa ctivate donb ot h
side sb ef ore entering at raffic circle throug ha n
evaluation of the current GP Sp osition of the
vehicle. It remains active unti la fte rt he vehicle
ha sl ef tt he traffic circle .Int hi sw ay ,p edes trians
crossing the road, for example, are illuminated
by your vehicl eing oo dt ime.
Active light function The active light functio ni sas ys tem tha tm oves
the headlamps according to the steering move-
ments of the front wheels .Int hi sw ay ,r elevant
areas remai ni llum inated whil ed riving .T his
allows yo utor ecognize pedestrians ,c yclists
and animals sooner.
Active: when the lights are switched on.
Vehicles with Lane Keeping Assist: the active
light functio ne valuate st he course of the lane in
which yo ua re driving and pre-emptively con-
trol st he active light function.
Adaptiv eH ighbeam Assist
General notes
Yo uc an us et hi sf unctio ntos et the headlamps
to change between lo wb ea ma nd high beam
automatically. The system recognizes vehicles
with thei rl ig hts on, either approaching from the
opposite direction or traveling in front of yourExterior lighting 97
Lights and windshield wiper s 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

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