MERCEDES-BENZ SLS AMG GT ROADSTER 2015 C197 Owner's Manual

!
Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature. The oper-
ating temperature has been reached when
the engine oil temperature displayint he
on-board computer's AMG menu no longer flashes.
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling awayons lippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
! During
acold start with low engine oil
temperatures (below 32 ‡) (0 †), the max- imum engine speed is restricted in order toprotect the engine. To protect the engine
and maintain smooth engine operation,
avoid driving at full throttle when the
engine is cold. Key positions
KEYLESS-GO start function You can switch the engine on and off with the
Start/Stop button. For this, the SmartKey
must be inside the vehicle. The Start/Stop
button is located in the center console and is
illuminated when the vehicle is unlocked.
Pressing the Start/Stop button several times
in succession corresponds to the different
key 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, the engine starts immedi-
ately.
If there is aSmartKey in the ignition lock, this
takes precedence over the KEYLESS-GO start
function. X
Position 0:ifStart/Stop button 0043has not
yet been pressed, this corresponds to the
SmartKey being removed from the ignition.
X Position 1:press Start/Stop button 0043.
You can now activate the windshieldw ip-
ers, for example.
If you press Start/Stop button 0043twice when
in this position and the driver's door is open,
the power supplyisd eactivated again.
X Position 2(ignition): press Start/Stop but-
ton 0043twice.
The power supplyiss witched off againif:
R you press Start/Stop button 0043once when
in this position
R the driver's door is open
SmartKey You can also start the vehicle with the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
The ignition lock is located in the rear stow-
age space of the center console. Driving
119Driving and parking Z

005A
To remove the SmartKey
0047 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windshield wipers
0048 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
0049 To start the engine
i The SmartKey can be turned in the igni-
tion lock even if it is not the correc tSmart-
Key for the vehicle. The ignition is not
switched on. The engine cannot be started. Starting the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they could:
R open the doors, thus endangerin gother
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shiftin gthe automatic transmission out of
park position P
R Start the engine.
There is arisk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alway stake the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There is ar isk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine runnin ginenclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation. i
Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
Starting procedure with the Start/Stop
button i
The Start/Stop button can be used to
start the vehicle without inserting the
SmartKey into the ignition lock. You merely
need to carry the SmartKey on your person.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Press the Start/Stop button once
(Y page 119).
The engine starts.
Starting procedure with the SmartKey If the Start/Stop button is inoperative, you
can also start the vehicle using the SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 3in the igni-
tion lock (Y page 119) and release it as
soon as the engine is running. Pulling away
AMG SPEEDSHIF TDCT 7-speed sports
transmission G
WARNING
If the engine speed 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,
alway sfirmly depress the brake pedal and do
not simultaneously accelerate.
i It is only possible to shift the transmission
from position Pto the desired position, if:
R the engine is runnin gand
R you depress the brake pedal
Only then is the parking lock released. If the
brake pedal is not depressed, the E-SELECT 120
DrivingDriving and parking

lever can still be moved but the parking lock
remain sengaged.
X Depress the brak epedal and keep it
depressed.
X Use the E-SELECT lever to shift the trans-
missio ntoposition Dor R.
X Release the brak epedal.
X Carefully depres sthe accelerator pedal.
The electric parking brak eisautomatically
released (Y page 133).
i The vehicle lock
scentrally onc eyou have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down. The automatic door lock can
also be deactivated (Roadster only).
Hill start assist Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away
on ahill. It holds the vehicle for ashor ttime
after you have removed your foot fro mthe
brak epedal. This gives you enough tim eto
mov eyour foot fro mthe brak epedal to the
accelerator pedal and depres sitbeforethe
vehicle begin storoll. G
WARNING
After ashor ttime, hill star tassist will no lon-
ger brak eyour vehicle and it could roll away.
There is arisk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly mov eyour foot fro mthe
brak epedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
X Take your foot off the brak epedal.
i Onc
eyou have taken your foot off the
brak epedal, the vehicle is held for around
one second.
X Pull away.
Hill start assist is not active if: R you are pulling away on alevel road or on a
downhill gradient.
R the transmission is in position N.R
the vehicle is secured with the electric
parking brake.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning. AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports
transmission Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engag etransmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is ar isk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depres sthe brak epedal and do
not simultaneously accelerate. E-SELECT selector lever
Overview of transmission positions 005D
Park position with parking lock
005E Revers egear
005C Neutral
005B Drive
! If the engine speed is too high or if the
vehicle is rolling, do not shift the transmis- sion directly from Dto R,f rom Rto Dor
directly to P.
Do not open the driver's door while the
vehicle is in motion. At low speeds in trans-
missio nposition Dor R,p ark position Pis
otherwise engaged automatically. AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission
121Driving and parking Z

The transmission could be damaged.
i The E-SELECT lever alway
sreturn stoits
original position.
The curren ttransmission position P,R, Nor
D appears in the transmission position dis-
play in the multifunction display.
If you wish to select atransmission position or
to disengage park position P,the engine must
be running.
Engaging parkp osition P
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Press the Pbutton in the center console.
i Park position Pis disengaged if you:
R depress the brake pedal and
R push the E-SELECT lever forwards or
back to the first point of resistance
The transmission shifts to neutral N.
To shift directly from Pto R:
X Depress the brake pedal and push the
E-SELECT lever forwards past the first
point of resistance.
To shift directly from Pto D:
X Depress the brake pedal and push the
E-SELECT lever back past the first
point of resistance.
Engaging parkp ositionPautomatically
Park position is engaged automatically in the following circumstances:
R if you switch off the engine using the Start/
Stop button and open the driver's or front- passenger door.
R if you remove the SmartKey from the igni-
tion lock.
R if you open the door while traveling at low
speed in transmission position Dor R. Shifting to neutral N
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the E-SELECT lever forwards or back
to the first point of resistance.
i If you move the E-SELECT lever to
N
before switchin goff the engine, the trans-
mission remains in Nfor approximately
30 minutes. If you open the driver's or
front-passenger door during this period,
the transmission automatically shifts to P.
The transmission remains in Nif:
R the SmartKey is in the ignition lock and
R you use the E ‑SELECT lever to shift the
transmission to Nbefore switchin gthe
engine off
This still applies if you open the driver's or
front-passenger door.
Further information is available in the "Car
wash" section (Y page 223).
Engaging reverse gear R X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the E-SELECT lever forward past the
first point of resistance.
Shifting to transmission position D
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the E-SELECT lever back past the first
point of resistance. 122
AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sportst
ransmissionDriving and parking

Transmission position and driv
epro-
gram display
Display in transmission position sP,R
and N 0043
Transmission position: currentl yselect ed
transmission positio nisd isplayed in
inverted colors
0044 Driv eprogram (C/S/S+/M)
In additio ntodrive program 0044being shown
in the multifunctio ndisplay ,the currently
selecte ddrive progra misindicated in red on
the drive progra mselecto rswitch.
Display when in transmission position D 0043
Transmission position
0044 Gear
0087 Driv eprogram (C/S/S+)
If yo uhaver estricted the shift range ,the
transmission positio nand the selected shift
range ,e.g.D 3, ar eshown at position 0043.Display when in transmission position D
and manua ldriv ep rogram M 0043
Gear
0044 Driv eprogram Transmission positions
0045 Park position
Do not shift the transmission into
position
Punles sthe vehicl eissta-
tionary. The parking lock should
not be used as abrake when park-
ing .Alway sapply the electronic
parking brake in additio ntothe
parking lock in order to secur ethe
vehicle.
In the event of amalfunctio nofthe
vehicle's electronics ,the transmis-
sion ma yloc kinp osition P.
Hav ethe vehicl eelectronics
checked at aquali fied specialist
workshop ,e.g.ana uthorized
Mercedes-Benz Center, immedi-
ately. 0046 Revers
egear
Onl yshift the transmission to R
when the vehicl eisstationary. AM
GS PEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed spor ts transmission
123Driving andparking Z

0044 Neutral
No powe
ristransmitted fro mthe
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allo wyou
to mov ethe vehicl efreely, e.g .to
push it.
Do not shift the transmission to N
whil edriving. Th etransmission
could otherwis ebedamaged.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
onl yshift the transmission to posi-
tion Nif the vehicl eisindangerof
skidding ,e.g.oni cy roads. 003A Drive
Th
et ransmission shifts into drive
programs (C/S/S+) automatically.
All forward gear sareavailable. Changin
ggear
Th et ransmission shifts into individual gears
automatically. This is determine dby:
R drive position D
R the selected drive progra m(C/S/ S+ )
R the positio nofthe accelerator pedal
R the roa dspeed
R as hift range restriction, if selected
Th es hift points primarily depend on:
R the positio nofthe accelerator pedal
Little throttle :early upshifts; high throttle:
late upshifts
R the drivin gdynamics
Ad ynamic drivin gstyle with high longitudi-
nal and latera lacceleratio ndelays the shift
points to highe rengine speeds. Driving tips
Double-clutc hfunction When shifting down, the double-clutch func-
tio
nisa ctive regardles softhe currently
selected drive program. Th edouble- clutch functio
nreduce sthe load change reactio non
the drive axle. Th esound generated by the
double-clutch functio nand its characteristics
depend on the drive progra mselect ed.
Kickdown i
Kickdown is not availabl
einmanualdrive
program M.
Use kickdow nfor maximum acceleration.
X In the automatic drive programs, depress
the accelerator peda lbeyond the pressure
point.
Depending on the selected drive program,
the transmission shifts to the lowest gear
permissibl etogiveo ptima lacceleration. Drive program selector
With the drive progra mselect or switch ,you
can choose fro marange of different trans-
mission configurations or select the RACE
STAR Tdrive mode. Drive pro-
gram Characteristic
C
Controlled
Efficiency Comfort-oriented
,opti-
mum-economy engine
and transmission settings S
Sport Sporty engine and trans-
mission settings
S+
SportPlus Extremel
ysporty engine
and transmission settings 124
AM
GS PEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed spor ts transmissionDriving andparking

Drive pro-
gram Characteristic
M
Manual Manual gear shifting
Driving mode
RS
RACE
START Optimal vehicl
eaccelera-
tion from astandstill X
Tur ndrive progra mselector switch 0043until
th ed esire ddrive progra misshown in the
multifunction display.
i In addition to th
edrive progra mbeing
shown in th emultifunction display, th ecur-
rentl yselected drive progra misindicated
in red on th edrive progra mselector switch.
i RS
canno tbeselected during normal driv-
ing. Fo rfurther information on RACE
START ,see (Y page 125). Steering wheel paddle shifters
In transmissio nposition D,you can use the
steerin gwhee lpaddl eshifters to restrict or
derestric tthe transmissio nshift range. One
of th eautomati cdrive programs C,Sand S+
mus tbes elected in order to do so.
In manual drive program M,you need to
chang egear yourself usin gthe steerin gwheel
paddl eshifters .The transmissio nshift sdown
automatically at low engin espeeds.
i In manual drive program
M,thetransmis-
sio ns hift and response times are signifi-
cantl yshorter wit hsportier and more
aggressive gear changes. 0043
Leftsteerin gwhee lpaddl eshifter
(DOWN): shift down/restric tshift range
0044 Righ tsteerin gwhee lpaddl eshifter (UP):
shift up/derestric tshift range RACE START
RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from astandin gstart under suitable high-grip
roa dsurfac econditi ons.
RACE START is intended solely fo ractivation
on dedicated rac ecircuits.
Conditions for activation You can activat
eRACE START if:
R thed oors are closed.
R thee ngineisr unning and th eenginea nd
transmissio nare at operating temperature.
(Y page 160)
R SPORT handlin gmodeiss witched on.
(Y page 56)
R thes teerin gwhee lisint hestraight-ahead
position.
R thev ehicl eiss tationary and th ebrake
pedal is depressed (lef tfoot).
R thet ransmissio nisset to D. AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission
125Driving andpark ing Z

Activating RACE START
X
Depress th ebrak epedal wit hyour lef tfoot
and keep it depressed.
X Turn th edrivep rogram selector switch
clockwise (Y page 124) until the RSindi-
cator on th eswitch lights up in red.
The multifunction display shows th emes-
sage RACES TART
RAC ES TART Confirm: Paddle
Confirm: Paddle
UP
UP Cancel :Paddle DOWN
Cancel :Paddle DOWN.
i If th
econditi onsfor activation are no tful-
filled, RACE START is canceled. The RACE
RACE
START
START Not
NotPossible
Possible message appear sin
th em ultifunction display.
X To cancel: pull theleft-han dsteering wheel
paddle shifte r(DO WN )(Ypage 125).
The multifunction display shows the RACE
RACE
START Canceled
START Canceled message.
X To confirm: pull theright-hand steering
whee lpaddle shifte r(UP) (Y page 125).
The RACES TART Available Depress
RAC ES TART Available Depress
gas pedal
gas pedal message appear sinthemulti-
function display.
i If you do no
tdepress th eaccelerator
pedal within afew seconds, RACE START is
canceled. The multifunction display shows
the RACES TART Canceled
RAC ES TART Canceled message.
X Full ydepress th eaccelerato rpedal.
The engin espee disi ncreased.
The RACES TART Releas ebrake to
RAC ES TART Releas ebrake to
start
start message appear sinthemultifunc-
tion display.
i If you do no
trelease th ebrak epedal
within afew seconds, RACE START is can-
celed. The multifunction display shows the
RAC ES TART Canceled
RAC ES TART Canceled message.
X Tak eyour foo toff th ebrak epedal while
keepin gthe accelerato rpedal fully
depressed.
The vehicl epulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The RACE RACE START
START Active
Active message appears
in th emultifunction display.
RACE START is deactivated when th evehicle
reaches aspee dofa pproximately 30 mph (50 km/h). Drive program
S+is activated.
SPORT handlin gmoder emain sswitched on.
RACE START is deactivated immediately if
you release th eaccelerato rpedal during
RACE START or if any of th eactivation condi-
tion sare no longer fulfilled .The RACE RACE START
START
Not Possible
Not Possible orRAC ES TART Canceled
RAC ES TART Canceled
message appear sinthemultifunction dis-
play.
i If RACE START is used repeatedly within a
short period of time, it is only available
again after th evehicl ehas been driven a
certain distance. Automati
cdrive program
Drive program Cis characterized by th efol-
lowing:
R comfort-oriented engin eand transmission
settings
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
th et ransmission shifting up sooner
R thev ehicl epullin gaway mor egentl yin
forward and revers egears, unless the
accelerato rpedal is depressed fully
R increased sensitivity. This improve sdriving
stabilit yonslippery road surfaces, for
example
R thet ransmission shifting up sooner; This
result sinthevehicl ebeingd riven at lower
engin espeeds and th ewheels bein gless
likely to spin
Drive programs Sand S+are characterized by
th ef ollowing:
R sport yenginea nd transmission settings
R thet ransmission shifting up later and shift-
ing down dynamically
R as aresult of th elater transmission
upshifts, th efuel consumption may be
higher
R ifap eriod of dynamic driving is followed by
an extended phas ewithac onstant accel-
erator pedal position ,the vehicl eshifts up 126
AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports trans
missionDriving andparking

to
ah ighe rgear. This optimize sfue lcon-
sumption
If ag entle driving style is adopted in auto-
matic drive programs C/S/S+ ,the drive pro-
gra ms etting sareadjusted to optimize fuel
consumption. Depending on the operating
conditions ,the transmission shifts to ahigher
gear. Shift ranges
Introduction In certai
ndriving situations, it is recom-
mended tha tyou restrict the shift range .The
se ts hift range appear sinthe instrument clu-
ster's multifunctio ndisplay ( Ypage 123). The
transmission onl yshifts to the gear displayed
in the instrument cluster.
When the maximum engine spee disreached,
the transmission shifts up agearint he auto-
matic programs C/S/S+ .Gearrestrictio nis
correspondingl yincrease dbyone gear. Driving situation
0040
Th
eb raking effect of the engine can
be utilized in thi sposit ion 0038
Yo
uc an us ethe braking effect of
the engine on downhil lgradients
and for driving:
R on steep mountai nroads
R in mountainou sterrain
R in arduou sconditions 0037
To us
ethe braking effect of the
engine on extremel ysteep downhill
gradients and on long downhill
stretches Derestrictin
gthe shift range/shifting
up X
Pull the righ tsteering whee lpaddl e(UP).
Th es hift range is derestricted .Ifyouare
driving in manua ldrive program M,the
transmission shifts up to the next gear. Restrictin
gthe shift range/shifting
down X
Pull the left steering whee lpaddl e(DOWN).
Th et ransmission shifts down one gear and
restricts the shift range to thi sgear.
If the engine spee dinmanuald rive pro-
gram Mis too high ,itisnot possibl etoshift
down. If yo upullt he left-hand steering
whee lpaddl eshifter (DOWN)
(Y page 128), the two red segments in the
instrument cluste rflash.
Clearin gthe shift rang erestriction X
Pull the right-hand steering whee lpaddle
shifter (UP) unti lthe numbe rfor the gear
disappears fro mthe multifunctio ndisplay.
or X Use the E-SELEC Tlever to shift the trans-
mission to position D.
Th et ransmission shifts fro mthe current
shift range directly to D.
Selecting the ideal shift range X
Pull the left-hand steering whee lpaddle
shifter repeatedly unti lthe functio nisa cti-
vated.
Depending on the selected drive program,
the transmission shifts to agearw hich
allows idea lacceleratio nand deceleration.
To do this, the transmission shifts down
one or mor egears. Manual driv
eprogram
i In manua
ldrive program M,the transmis-
sion shift and response times ar esignifi-
cantly shorter with sportier and more
aggressive gear changes.
In manua ldrive program M,younee dto
change gear yourself using the steering wheel
paddle shifter s(Ypage 125). Th etransmis-
sion onl yshifts down automaticall yatlow
engine speeds depending on the respective
gear. AM
GS PEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed spor ts transmission
127Driving andparking Z

!
In manual drive program
M,the transmis-
sion does not shift up automaticallye ven
when the engine limiting speed for the cur-
rent gear is reached. When the engine lim- iting speed is reached, the fuel supplyisc ut
to prevent the engine from overrevving.
Alwaysm ake sure that the engine speed
does not reach the red area of the tachom- eter and observe the upshift indicator.
There is otherwise arisk of engine damage.
X To activate the manual drive program:
turn the drive program selector switch until M appears in the instrument cluster's mul-
tifunction display.
M lights up in red on the drive program
selector switch.
X To deactivate the manual drive pro-
gram: turn the drive program selector
switch and select another drive program.
Upshift indicator The upshift indicator is
afour-stage display
designed to assist you in sporty driving. The upshift indicator allows you to recognize
the ideals hift point for dynamic acceleration.
White segments 0043and yellow segment 0044
light up in succession from left to right.
When red segments 0087light up and the "up"
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play,t he ideals hift point has been reached:
X Shift up using the right-hand steering wheel
paddles hifter (UP) as quickly as possible.
The vehicle shifts up to the next gear. i
If you continue to increase the engine
speed without shifting up in time, the fuel
supplyiss hut off to protect the engine. This
results in abruptly reduced acceleration.
Display for downshift override You cannot shift down with the left steering
wheel paddles hifter if the engine speed is too
high due to adownshift. If you then pull the
left steering wheel paddles hifter, both red
segments 0087light up briefly. AMG button (SETUP)
With the AMG button, you can call up and
store adefaultd rive program setting and the
defaults uspension tuning. X
To store: press and hold AMG button 0043
until you hear atone.
X To call up: press AMG button 0043.
The stored drive program is selected.
X To display: briefly press AMG button 0043.
The multifunction displays hows the SETUP
in the AMG menu (Y page 160). Refueling
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Fuel is highly flammable. If you handle fuel
incorrectly, there is arisk of fire and explo-
sion. 128
RefuelingDriving and parking