MERCEDES-BENZ SLK ROADSTER 2012 Owners Manual

To activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the following
conditions must be fulfilled:
R
for vehicles not equipped with a navigation
system, the Becker ®
MAP PILOT must be
connected. See the separate Audio 20
operating instructions.
R the engine must be running. It may take up
to two minutes of driving before DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is ready for use.
R the electric parking brake must be
released.
R ESP ®
must be switched on, but not inter-
vening.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R the bonnet must be closed.
R the driver's door must be closed when you
shift from Pto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
R the frontp assenger door must be closed.
R the vehicle must no tbe skidding.
Activating while driving
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you
can only activate DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehi-
cle in fron thas been detected and is shown
in the multifunction display. If the vehicle in
fron tis no longer detected and displayed,
DISTRONIC PLUS switches off and you will
hear a tone.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?or press it up :or down A.
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
up : or down Auntil the desired speed
is set.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Your vehicle adapts its speed to that of the
vehicle in front, but only up to the desired
stored speed.
i If you do not fully release the accelerator
pedal, the DISTRONIC PLUS inactive message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.T
he set distance to a slower-moving vehicle in front will then not be maintained.
You will be driving at the speed you deter-
mine by the position of the accelerator
pedal.
Activating when driving towards asta-
tionary vehicle
If the vehicle in front of you is stationary, you
can only activate DISTRONIC PLU Sonce your
vehicle is stationary as well.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?or press it up :or down A.
DISTRONIC PLU Sis selected.
i DISTRONIC PLUS can only be activated at
under 30 km/h if a vehicle in front has been
detected. Therefore, the DISTRONIC PLUS
distance display in the instrument cluster
should be activated (Y page 189).
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
up : or down Auntil the desired speed
is set.
i You can use the cruise control lever to set
the stored speed and the control on the
cruise control lever to set the specified
minimum distance (Y page 161).
Pulling away
X If the vehicle in front pulls away: remove
your foot from the brake pedal.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
or
X Accelerate briefly.
Your vehicle pulls away and adapts its
speed to that of the vehicle in front.
Driving
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in front has slowed down, it brakes your vehi-
cle. In this way, the distance you have selec-
ted is maintained. 158
Driving systemsDriving and parking

If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in front is driving faster, it accelerates your
vehicle, but only up to the speed you have
stored. G
WARNING
If you depress the brake, DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated unless yourv ehicle is stationary.
DISTRONIC PLUS then no longer brakes your
vehicle. In such cases, control the distance
from vehicles travelling in fron twith the brake
alone. You could otherwise cause an accident
and thereby injure yourself and others. The
drive rremains fully responsible for the vehi-
cle's distance from other vehicles, the speed
being driven and for braking in good time.
Changing lanes
If you change to the overtaking lane, DIS-
TRONIC PLUS supports you if:
R you are driving faster than 60 km/h.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is maintaining the dis-
tance to a vehicle in front.
R you switch on the respective turn signals.
R DISTRONIC PLUS does not detec tadanger
of collision.
If these conditions are met, your vehicle is
accelerated. Acceleration will be interrupted
if changing lanes takes too long or if the dis-
tance between your vehicle and the vehicle in
fron tbecomes too small.
i When changing lanes, DISTRONIC PLUS
monitors the left lane on left-hand drive
vehicles and the right lane on right-hand
drive vehicles. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid designed to
assist driving.
It is not a substitute for attentive driving. The
driver remains fully responsible for the vehi-
cle's distance from other vehicles, the vehi-
cle's speed and for braking in good time.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to recognise dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
Vehicles with COMAND Online
i The following function is not operational
in all countries.
DISTRONIC PLUS uses additional information
from your navigation system so that it can
adapt to certain traffic situations. This is the
case if, while following a vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS is active and you:
R approach or drive around a roundabout
R approach a T junction
R turn off at a motorway exit
Even if the vehicle in front leaves the detec-
tion range, DISTRONIC PLUS temporarily
maintains the curren tdriving speed and does
not accelerate. This is based on the current
map data in the navigation system. Example
:roundabout
The current speed is maintained:
R approximately 10 seconds before the
roundabout/T junction and approximately
1.5 seconds when driving on a roundabout
R approximately 12 seconds before reaching
a motorway exit and approximately
4s econds after the motorway exit
Afterwards, the vehicle accelerates back to
the set speed you specified.
Stopping G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. Driving systems
159Driving and parking
Z

DISTRONIC PLUS must also never be oper-
ated, activated or deactivated by a passenger
or fro
moutside the vehicle.
DISTRONIC PLUS does not replace the elec-
tric parking brake and must not be used for
parking.
The DISTRONIC PLUS braking effect is can-
celled and the vehicle can start moving if:
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated using the
cruise control lever.
R you accelerate.
R there is a malfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g .bat-
tery failure.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you wish to leave th evehicle or park it,
deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and secure the
vehicle against rolling away.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that the vehicle
in fron tis stopping, it brakes your vehicle until
it is stationary.
Once your vehicle is stationary, it remains
stationary and you do not need to depress the
brake.
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake.
i Depending on the specified minimum dis-
tance, your vehicle will come to a standstill
at a sufficient distance behind the vehicle
in front.T he specified minimum distance is
set using the control on the cruise control
lever. The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if DISTRONIC PLUS is activated
and:
R
the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R the bonnet is opened.
R a system fault occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If the vehicle electronics are malfunctioning,
the multifunction display may also show a
warning message.
Brake immediately X
Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc-
tion display goes out. DISTRONIC PLUS is
deactivated.
Select Park (P) X
Shift the transmission to position Pto pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling away.
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated. The warn-
ing message in the multifunction display
disappears.
The horn will also sound at regular intervals if
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated and you:
R switch the engine off, open the driver's
door and take off your seat belt
R open the bonnet
The sounding of the horn alerts you to the fact
that the vehicle has been parked while DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is still activated. The sound
becomes louder if you attempt to lock the
vehicle. The vehicle is not locked until DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until DISTRONIC
PLUS has been deactivated. 160
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Setting
aspeed X
Press the cruise control lever up :for a
highe rspeed or down Afor a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored. DISTRONIC PLUS
is activated and adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the new speed stored.
X Setting in 1-km/h increments: press the
cruise control lever briefly up :or
down ;to the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea-
ses in 1 km/h increments.
X Setting in 10-km/h increments: press
the cruise control lever briefly up :or
down ;beyond the pressure point.
The last stored speed increases or decrea-
ses in 10 km/h increments.
i DISTRONIC PLUS is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel-
erate to overtake, DISTRONIC PLUS
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the stored speed G
WARNING
Only call up a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and if it is suitable for the current
traffic and driving situation. You can other-
wise endanger yourself or others by uninten-
tionally triggering sudden acceleration or
braking.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you ?.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the curren tspeed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value. Setting the specified minimum distance You can set the specified minimum distance
for DISTRONIC PLUS by varying the time span
between one and two seconds. With this func-
tion, you can set the minimum distance that
DISTRONIC PLUS keeps to the vehicle in
front, dependen tonvehicle speed. You can
see this distance in the multifunction display
(Y page 162). X
To increase: turn control;in direction
=.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a greater
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
X To decrease: turn control;in direc-
tion :.
DISTRONIC PLUS then maintains a shorter
distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front.
i Make sure that you maintain a sufficient
and safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Adjust the distance to the vehicle in fron tif
necessary. Driving systems
161Driving and parking Z

Displaying DISTRONIC PLUS in the
speedometer
When DISTRONIC PLUS is activated, one or
two segments
;in the set speed range light
up.
i Ford esign reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for DISTRONIC PLUS.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects avehicle in front,
segments ;between speed of the vehicle in
front :and stored speed =light up.
Displaying DISTRONIC PLUS in the mul-
tifunction display General notes
In the Assistance menu (Y
page 189) of the
on-board computer, you can select the dis-
tance display.
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is deacti-
vated
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 189).
When DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you
will see the following in the multifunction dis-
play: :
Symbol for activated PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
; Vehicle in front, if detected
= Distance indicator: current distance to
the vehicle in front
? Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
A Own vehicle
Display when DISTRONIC PLUS is activa-
ted
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 189).
You will see the stored speed for about five
seconds when you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
After this time, you will see the following in
the multifunction display while DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated: :
DISTRONIC PLUS activated
; Own vehicle
= Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front; adjustable
? Vehicle in front, if detected 162
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Deactivating DISTRONIC PLUS
There are several ways to deactivate DIS-
TRONIC PLUS:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise contro llever
lights up.
When you deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS, the
DISTRONIC PLUS off message is shown in
the multifunction display for approximately
five seconds.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
DISTRONIC PLUS is automatically deactiva-
ted if:
R you engage the electric parking brake or if
the vehicle is automatically secured with
the electric parking brake.
R you are driving slower than 25 km/h and
there is no vehicle in front, or if the vehicle
in front is no longer detected.
R ESP ®
intervenes or if you deactivate ESP ®
.
R the transmission is in the P,Ror Nposition.
R the vehicle is near a radio telescope facility
(Y page 312). R
you switch off the radar sensor system
(Y page 194).
R you pull the cruise control lever towards
you in order to pull away and the front-
passenger door is open.
R the vehicle has skidded.
If DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated, you will
hear a warning tone. The DISTRONIC PLUS off message is shown in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.
Tips for driving with DISTRONIC PLUS General notes
The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. DISTRONIC PLUS is then
deactivated.
Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend
The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detec
tvehi-
cles when cornering is limited. Your vehicle
may brake unexpectedly or late. Driving systems
163Driving and parking Z

Vehicles travelling on
adifferent line DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles
travelling on a different line. The distance to
the vehicle in fron
twill be too short.
Other vehicles changing lane DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the vehi-
cle cutting in yet. The distance to this vehicle
will be too short.
Narrow vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in front on the edge of the carriage- way, because of its narrow width
.The dis-
tance to the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example, the
detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals
an obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC
PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS may detect vehicles that
are crossing your lane by mistake. Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally. Dynamic handling package
General notes The adjustable suspension system adapts to
the particular driving conditions. Adjustment
depends on your individual selection, i.e.
sports or comfort. Your selection remains 164
Driving systemsDriving and parking

stored even if you remove the key from the
ignition lock.
Sports tuning
The firmer setting of the suspension tuning in
sports mode ensures even better contact
with the road. Select this mode if you want to
experience direct contact with the road sur-
face, when employing a sporty driving style,
e.g. on winding country roads.
X If indicator lamp : is not lit:
press but-
ton ;.
Indicator lamp :lights up. You have selec-
ted the suspension for a sporty driving
style.
Comfort tuning Select comfort mode if you prefer a more
comfortable style of driving.
X
If indicator lamp : is lit:
press but-
ton ;.
Indicator lamp :goes out. You have selec-
ted the suspension for a comfortable driv-
ing style. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R
when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD
function is deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R
the vehicle is stationary.
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R the driver's door is closed or if your seat
belt is fastened.
R the electric parking brake is released.
R the bonnet is closed.
R the selector lever is in position D,Ror Non
vehicles with automatic transmission.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until ë appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again. Driving systems
165Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING
The vehicle's brakes are applied when the
HOLD function is activated. For this reason,
deactivate the HOLD function if the vehicle is
to be set in motion by other means (e.g. in a
car wash or by towing).
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission
is in position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position Pon
vehicles with automatic transmission.
R you apply the brakes again with a certain
amount of pressure until ëdisappears
from the multifunction display.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
i After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake. G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when the HOLD
function is activated.
The HOLD function must never be operated
or deactivated by a passenger or from outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD function does not replace the elec-
tric parking brake and must not be used for
parking.
The braking effect of the HOLD function is
cancelled and the vehicle could roll away if:
R the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator peda lorthe
brake pedal.
R there is a malfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g. bat-
tery failure. R
the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you leave the vehicle or park it, deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activa-
ted and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
R the bonnet is opened.
R a system fault occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If the vehicle electronics are malfunctioning,
the multifunction display may also show a
warning message.
Brake immediately X
Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc-
tion display goes out. This deactivates the
HOLD function.
In vehicles with automatic transmission:
Select Park (P) .
X Move the selector lever to Pto prevent the
vehicle from rolling away.
The HOLD function is deactivated. The
warning message in the multifunction dis-
play disappears.
Ah orn will also sound at regular intervals if
the HOLD function is activated and you:
R switch the engine off, open the driver's
door and take off your seat belt
R open the bonnet
The sounding of the horn alerts you to the fact
that the vehicle has been parked while the
HOLD function is still activated. If you attempt
to lock the vehicle, the tone becomes louder. 166
Driving systemsDriving and parking

The vehicle is not locked until the HOLD func-
tion is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until the HOLD
function has been deactivated. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
PARKTRONIC is only an aid and may not
detect all obstacles. It is not a substitute for
attentive driving.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endanger
yourself and others. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically if
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift to position D,Ror Non vehicles with
automatic transmission
R release the electric parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the frontb umper
and four sensors in the rear bumper. :
Example: sensors in the front bumper,
left-hand side
Range of the sensors General notes
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush
.Otherwise, they may not functio ncor-
rectly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(Y page 257). Side view
Top view Driving systems
167Driving and parking Z