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Driving and Driving Safety
D – Off-road mode
The transmission switches to an off-road gear-
changing map.
The gear-changing points are chosen to achieve
the best possible vehicle control on difficult
terrain.
On steep downhill stretches, upshifts are
prevented until average engine speeds are
reached.
When the vehicle is overrunning, upshifts are
prevented until the engine-speed limit is reached.
Shifting gears on the steering wheel
With the shift buttons on the steering wheel, you
can change temporarily from automatic selection
mode
D
to manual mode
M
.
Changing gear using the steering wheel could be
useful in the following situations:
– Shifting down before corners and on entering
built-up areas.
– Shifting down on downward slopes (engine
braking).
– Shifting down for brief spurts of acceleration.
The manual selection mode remains engaged:
– For cornering (depending on the lateral
acceleration) and overrunning.
– When the vehicle is stationary
(e.g. at a junction).
The system leaves manual selection mode:
– automatically after around 8 seconds
(unless cornering or overrunning),
– after driving off.
Kickdown
The kickdown function is active in selector-lever
position
D
and
M
.
f
For optimum acceleration, e.g. when
overtaking, press the accelerator pedal
beyond the full-throttle point (kickdown).
The transmission shifts down depending on the
speed of travel and engine speed.
Upshifts occur at the highest possible engine
speeds.
Information
Unlike in Normal and Sport mode, an automatic
upshift is not performed in manual selection
mode
M
in Off-road mode when the engine-speed
limit is reached.
M – Manual selection mode
The currently engaged gear is retained when you
change from
D
to
M
.
If you change from
M
to
D
, the gear-changing map
suitable for your current driving style is selected
and the appropriate gear is engaged.
The selector lever and the two shift buttons in the
upper steering-wheel spokes let you select the
eight forward gears comfortably and reliably.