Mercedes Benz 2003 sl 500 User Manual

Page of 376
168
Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:
Cruise control and Distronic*, with 
which the vehicle can maintain a preset 
speed
ABC with vehicle level control systems, 
with which you can change vehicle sus-
pension characteristics
Parktronic*, which assists the driver 
during parking maneuvers
The driving systems BAS, ABS, SBC, and 
ESP are described in the “Safety” section 
(
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains 
the speed you set for your vehicle. 
Use of cruise control is recommended for 
driving at a constant speed for extended 
periods of time. You can set any speed 
over 20 mph (30 km/h). 
The cruise control function is operated by 
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost 
lever found on the left-hand side of the 
steering column (
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system 
designed to assist the driver during vehicle 
operation. The driver is and must always re-
main responsible for the vehicle speed and 
for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road, 
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.
The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic 
because conditions do not allow safe 
driving at a steady speed.
The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in 
tire traction can result in wheel spin and 
loss of control.
Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this 
particular preset speed.