MERCEDES-BENZ SLC ROADSTER 2018 Owner's Manual

Important safety notes
GWARNING
If th eengineiss witched off automatically and
you exit th evehicle, th eengineisr estarte d
automatically. The vehicl emay begi nmoving .
Ther eisar iskofa cciden tand injury.
If you wish to exit th evehicle, always tur noff
th ei gnition and secure th evehicl eagainst
rollin gaway.
General notes
:ECO start/sto pdisplay
The ECO start/sto pfunction is activated when -
eve ryou switch on th eengineu singthe Smart -
Key or th eStart/Sto pbutton.
If th eengineh as been switched off automati-
call ybyt heECO start/sto pfunction ,the è
ECO symbol is shown in th emultifunction dis-
play.
Automati cengines witch-off
If thevehicl eisb raked to astandstill wit hthe
transmission in hori,t heECO start/sto p
function switches off th eenginea utomatically.
The ECO start/sto pfunction is operational
when :
Rthei ndicator lamp in th eECO butto nislit
green
Rth eo utside temperature is within th erange
that is suitable for th esystem
Rthee ngineisatn ormaloperating temperature
Rthes et temperature for th evehicl einterior
has been reached
Rth eb attery is sufficientl ycharge d
Rthes ystem detects that th ewindshield is no t
fogged up when th eair-conditioning system is
switched on
Rth eh oodisc losed
Rthed river' sdoor is closed and th edriver' s
seat belt is fastene d All of th
evehicle's systems remain active when
th ee ngineiss toppe dautomatically.
Automatic engin eswitch-off can tak eplacea
maximum of four times in arow (initial stop, then
three subsequen tstops).
The HOLD function can be activated if th e
engin ehas been switched off automatically. It is
then no tneces sarytoc ontin ue applyin gthe
brakes during th eautomatic stop phase. When
you depress th eaccelerato rpedal ,the engin e
start sautomatically and th ebraking effec tof
th eH OLDf unction is deactivated.
Automati cengines tart
The engin estartsa utomatically if:
Ryou switch off th eECO start/sto pfunction by
pressin gthe ECO butto n
Ryou release th ebrak epedal in transmission
position hori and th eHOLDf unction is
no ta ctive
Ryou depress th eaccelerato rpedal
Ryou engage revers egear k
Ryou mov ethe transmission out of position j
Ryou switch to driveprogram S+
Ryou unfasten your seat belt or open th edriv-
er' sd oor
Rthev ehicl estartstor oll
Rth eb rak esystem require sthis
Rth et em perature in th evehicl einterior devi-
ate sfromt heset range
Rthes ystem detects moisture on th ewind-
shield when th eair-conditioning system is
switched on
Rth eb attery's condition of charge is to olow
Shifting th etransmission to position jdoes
no tstart th eengine.
Driving119
Driving and parking
Z

Deactivating or activating theECO
start/stop functionXTo deactivate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;goe sout.
XTo activate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
If indicator lamp ;is off, th eECO start/sto p
function has bee ndeactivated manually or as
th er esult of amalfunction .The engin ewill then
no tbes witched of fautomatically when th evehi-
cl es tops .
Problem switht he engin e
ProblemPossible causes/consequences an dMSolutions
The engin edoesn ot
start .The HOLD function or Distanc ePilotD ISTR ONIC is activated.
XDeactivat ethe HOLD function (Ypage 148) or Distanc ePilot
DISTRONIC (Ypage 146).
XTryt os tart th eenginea gain .
The engin edoesn ot
start .The starter moto r
can be heard.RThere is amalfunction in th eenginee lectronics.
RThere is amalfunction in th efuelsupply.
Before attemptin gtostart th eenginea gain :
XTurnthe SmartKey bac ktoposition uin th eignition lock.
or
XPress th eStart/Sto pbutto nrepeatedly until all indicator lamp sin
th ei nstrument cluster go out .
XTryt os tart th eenginea gain (Ypage 117). Avoid excessivel ylon g
and frequent attempt stostart th eengineast hese will drain th e
battery.
If th eengined oesn otstart after severa lattempts:
XConsult aqualified specialis tworkshop .
The engin edoesn ot
start .You canno thear
th es tarter motor.The on-boar dvoltag eistoolow because th ebattery is to oweak or
discharged.
XJump-start th evehicle (Ypage 253).
If th eengined oesn otstart despit eattempts to jump-start it :
XConsultaqualified specialis tworkshop .
The starter moto rwas exposed to athermal load that was to ohigh.
XAllow th estarter moto rtocooldown fo rapproximately tw ominutes.
XTryt os tart th eenginea gain .
If th eengines till doe snotstart :
XConsult aqualified specialis tworkshop .
120Driving
Driving an dpark ing

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The engine is not running
smoothly and is misfir-
ing.There isamalfunction in the engine electronics or in amechanical
componentoft he engine management system.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic converter
and damage it.
XHave the cause rectified immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
The coolant temperature
gauge shows avalue
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.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 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.
XAt coolant temperatures below 248 ‡(120 †), drive to the nearest
qualified specialist workshop.
XAvoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in moun-
tainou sterrai nand stop-and-go traffic.
DYNAMIC SELEC Tbutton
Use the DYNAMIC SELECT button to change the
drive program. Depending on the drive program selected the following vehicle characteristics
wil lchange:
Rthe drive (engine and transmission manage-
ment)
Rthe suspensionort he adaptive adjustable
damping (only on vehicles with AMG RIDE
CONTROL sports suspension)
Rthe sound of the exhaust system (vehicles
with sports exhaust system)
Rthe steering
Rthe availability of the ECO start/stop function
Each time you start the engine with the Smart-
Key or the Start/Stop button, drive program Cis
activated. For further information about starting
the engine, see (
Ypag e117).
XPress DYNAMIC SELECT button :as many
times as necessary until the desired drive
programiss elected.
The selected drive programa ppears in the
multifunction display. After ashort period of
time, the displayg oes out and the symbol for
the selected drive programa ppears.
In addition, the current drive programs ettings
are displayed briefly in the multimedias ystem
display.
iIn 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 any
DYNAMICS ELECTbutton121
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 Cis recommended.
Available drive programs:
C ComfortComfortable and economi-
cal driving characteristics
SSportSportyd riving characteris-
tics
S+ Sport PlusParticularly sportyd riving
characteristics
I IndividualIndividual settings
E EconomyParticularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
(Ypage 125).
Automatic transmission
Important safetyn otes
GWARNING
If the engin espeed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
ar isk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is arisk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parkin gposition P.Preventt he parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions
!If the engin espeed is too high or the vehicle
is in motion ,donot shift the automatic trans-
mission directly from htok,f romktoh
or directly to j.
Do not open the driver'sd oor while the vehi-
cle is in motion .Atlow speeds in transmission
position hork,o therwise park position j
is engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
jPark position
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
The selector lever always return stoits original
position .The currentt ransmission position j,
k, iorh 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)
:Transmission position
;Gear
=Driv eprogram
122Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display.
Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
:Transmission position
;Drive program
The current transmission position and drive pro-
gram appear in the multifunction display.
Engaging parkp osition P
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
XPress button:.
Engaging parkp ositionPautomatically
Park position jis automatically engaged if:
Ryou switch off the engine using the SmartKey
and remove the SmartKey
Ryou switch off the engine using the SmartKey
or using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door or front-passenger door
Ryou open the driver's door when the vehicle is
stationary or when driving at avery low speed
and the transmission is in position hork
Under certain conditions, the automatic trans-
mission shifts automatically to transmission
position jif the HOLD function or Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC is activated. Observe the infor-
mation on the HOLD function (
Ypage 148) and
on Distance Pilot DISTRONIC (Ypage 144).
Engaging reverse gear R
!Only move the automatic transmission to
k when the vehicle is stationary.
XDepress the brake and keep it pressed.
XPush the selector lever forwards past the first
point of resistance.
The ECO start/sto pfunction is not available
when reverse gear is engaged. Further informa-
tion on the ECO start/sto pfunction
(
Ypage 119).
Shifting to neutral N
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake
Rshift the automatic transmission out of park
position P
Rstart the engine
There is arisk of an accident and injury.
Never leave children or animals unattended in
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, alwayst 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.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
XPush the selector lever forwards or back to
the first point of resistance.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position korh,t he automatic trans-
mission shifts to iautomatically.
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 jautomatically.
With KEYLESS-GO: if you then open the driver's
or front-passenger door, the automatic trans-
mission shifts to jautomatically.
Automatic transmission123
Driving and parking
Z

If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutrali,e.g. when having the vehi-
cle cleaned in an automatic car wash with a
towing system:
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
Start/Stop button from the ignition lock.
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
XAll vehicles: switch the ignition on.
XDepress the brake pedala nd keep it
depressed.
XEngage neutral i.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
Engaging drive positionD
XWhen the vehicle is stationary,d epressthe
brake pedal.
XPush the selector lever back past the first
point of resistance.
Transmission positions
BPark position
This prevents the vehicle from rolling
awa ywhen stopped.
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tion B (
Ypage 122) when the
vehicle is stationary.T he parking lock
shoul dnot be used as abrake when
parking. Alway sappl ythe 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 B automatically:
Rwhen the SmartKey is removed
from the ignition lock
Rwhen the engine is switched off
with the transmission in position
Cor7 and one of the doors
is opened
In the event of amalfunction of the
vehicle's electronics, the transmis-
sion may lock in position B.Have
the vehicle electronics checked
immediately at aqualifieds pecialist
workshop.
CReverse gear
Only shift the transmission into posi-
tion C when the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
124Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

ANeutral
Do not shift the transmission toA
whil edriving .The automatic trans-
mission could otherwis ebedam-
aged.
No powe ristransmitted fromt he
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake peda lwilla llow
yo utom ovet he vehicl efreely, e.g .to
push it or tow it.
If ESP
®is deactivated or faulty: shift
the transmission to position Aif
the vehicl eisindangerofs kidding,
e.g .oni cy roads.
!Coasting in neutral imay
cause damage to the drive train.
7Drive
The automatic transmission changes
gear automatically. All forward gears
ar ea vailable.
Driving tips
Changin ggear
The automatic transmission shifts throug hthe
individual gear sautomaticall ywhenitisint rans-
mission position h.Thisa utomatic gear shift-
ing behavio risdetermine dby:
Rthe selecte ddrive program
Rthe positio nofthe accelerator pedal
Rthe roa dspeed
Accelerator peda lposition
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle :early upshifts
Rmor ethrottle :lat eu pshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdow nfor maximum acceleration.
XDepres sthe accelerator peda lbeyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to alower
gear depending on the engine speed.
XEas eoff the accelerator peda lonce the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Drive programs
Drive program C(Comfort)
In urba ntraffica nd stop-start traffic, drive pro-
gram Cis recommended.
Driv eprogram Cis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicl edelivers comfortable, economical
handling characteristics.
Rthe vehicl epulls away mor egently in forward
and revers egears ,unless the accelerator
peda lisdepressedf ully.
Rthe vehicl ehasimproved driving stability, for
exampl eonslipperyroads urfaces.
Roptima lfue lconsumption resulting fromt he
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
The vehicl eisdriven in the lo wengine speed
range and the wheels ar elesslikel ytos pin.
Rth es uspension exhibits comfortabl edam ping
settings (adaptive damping system onl yin
vehicles with AMG RIDE CONTROL sports
suspension).
Rthe steering exhibits comfortabl esteering
characteristics.
Drive program S(Sport)
Driv eprogram Sis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicl eexhibits sporty driving character-
istics.
Rthe vehicl epulls away in first gear.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.
The fuel consumption possibl ybeing higher
as aresul toft he later automatic transmission
shift points.
Automatict ransmission125
Driving andparking
Z

Rthe suspensionexhibits fir mdamping set-
ting s(vehicle switha dapt ive damping system
or AMG sports suspension).
Rthe steering exhibits sporty steering charac-
teristics.
Drive program S+ (Sport Plus)
Drive program S+is characterized by the fol-
lowing:
Rthe vehicl eexhibits particularly sporty driving
characteristics.
Rthe vehicl epulls away in first gear.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.
The fuel consumption possibl ybeing higher
as aresul toft he later automatic transmission
shift points.
Rthe suspensio nexhibits particularly firm
damping setting s(vehicle switha dapt ive
damping systemorA MG sports suspension).
Rthe steering exhibits sporty steering charac-
teristics.
Rthe ECO start/stopfunctio nisn ot available.
Drive program I(Individual)
In drive program Ithe following propertie softhe
drive progra mcan be selected:
Rthe drive (engine and transmission manage-
ment)
Rthe suspensio n(vehicle switha dapt ive damp-
ing systemorA MG sports suspension)
Rthe steering
Rthe availability of the ECO start/sto pfun ction
Informatio nabout configurin gdrive program I
with the multimedia systemc an be found in the
Digita lOperator' sManual.
Drive program E(Econom y)
Drive program Eis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicl eexhibits comfortable, economical
handling characteristics.
Rthe vehicl epulls away mor egently in forward
and revers egears ,unles sthe accelerator
peda lisdepresse dfully.
Rthe vehicl ehasimproved drivin gstability, for
exampl eonslipperyroads urfaces.
Roptimal fuel consumption resulting fromt he
automatic transmission shiftin gupsooner. Th
ev ehicl eisd riven in the lo wengine speed
range and the wheels ar elesslikel ytos pin.
Rthe suspensio nexhibits comfortabl edam ping
setting s(vehicle switha dapt ive damping sys-
tem or AMG sports suspension).
Rdurin gdeceleration, the engine is disconnec-
ted fromt he drive train. Th evehicl euses
kinetic energy and consumes less fuel (coast-
ing mode).
Rthe steering exhibits comfortabl esteering
characteristics.
Manual gear shifting
General notes
Yo uc an change gear yourself using the steering
whee lpaddl eshifters. Th etransmission must be
in position hto do this.
Depending on which steering whee lpaddl e
shifter is pulled ,the automatic transmission
immediatel yshifts into the next gear down or
up ,ifp ermitted.
To us emanualshifting, yo uhavet wo options:
Rtemporary setting
Rpermanent setting
If yo uactivate manua lgears hifting, the multi-
functio ndisplay will sho wthe current gear
instea doftransmission position h.
If manua lgears hiftin gisd eactivated ,the gears
will be selected automatically.
Temporary setting
XTo activate: shift the selector lever to h.
XPull steering wheelpaddl eshifter :or;.
The temporary setting is active for acertain
amount of time. Under certai nconditions ,the
minimum amount of tim eisextended, e.g .inthe
126Automati ctransmission
Driving an dparking

case of lateralacceleration, during overrun
modeorw hend riving on steept errain.
XTo deactivate:pull steering wheel paddle
shifter ;and holditinp lace.
or
XUse the lever to switch the transmission posi-
tion.
or
XUse the DYNAMI CSELECT button to change
the drive program.
Permanen tsetting
XTo activate: shift the selector lever to h.
XPress button:.
XTo deactivate: press button:.
Shiftinggears
Allv ehicle s(exce pt for Mercedes-AMG
SLC 43)
XTo shift up: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter ;.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear. If the maximum engine speed in the currently
engaged gearisr eached and youcontinu eto
accelerate ,the automatic transmission auto-
matically shifts up in order to prevent engine
damage.
XTo shift down: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter :.
The automatic transmission shifts dow nto
the next gear.
Automati cdowns hifting occurs whe ncoast-
ing.
If the engine were to excee dthe maximum
engine speed whe nshifting down, the auto-
mati ctransmission protects against engine
damag ebynot shifting down.
Mercedes-AMG SLC 43
!If manual gearshifting is permanently acti-
vated, the automatic transmission doe snot
shift up automaticall yevenw hent he engine
limiting speed for the current gearisr eached.
Whent he engine limiting speed is reached,
the fue lsup plyisc ut to prevent the engine
from overrevving. Alway smake sure that the
engine speed doe snot reach the red are aof
the tachometer.T here is otherwisearisko f
engine damage.
XTo shift up: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter ;.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear.
XTo shift down: pull steering wheel paddle
shifter :.
The automatic transmission shifts dow nto
the next gear.
Automati cdowns hifting occurs whe ncoast-
ing.
If the engine were to excee dthe maximum
engine speed whe nshifting down, the auto-
Automatic transmission127
Drivin gand 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.The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
XShift to recommended gear ;according to
gearshift recommendation :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 .The rec-
ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
XShift to recommended gear ;according to
gearshift recommendation :when shown in
the multifunction display of the instrument
cluster.
Kickdown
XFor maximu macceleration, depress the
accelerator pedalb eyond the pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to alower
gear depending on the engine speed.
XShift back up once the desired speed is
reached.
During kickdown, you cannot shift gears using
the steering wheelp addle shifters.
If you apply full throttle, the automatic trans-
mission shifts up to the next gear when the
maximu mengine speed is reached. This pre-
vents the engine from overrevving.
128Automatic transmission
Driving and parking