Vauxhall 2009 Antara, Owner'S Manual

Page: 119 / 236

Driving and operation 115
Kickd own
Dep ress a ccelerator peda l past the
pressure point and hold in position;
below certain speeds, the transmission
shifts down into a lower gea r. Full engine
power is available for acceleration.
When the desired speed is reached, ease
off the acc elerator; the transm ission shifts
up into a higher gear.
For safety reasons, kick down is a vailable in
both automatic and Manual mode.
Engine bra king a ssista nc e
Automatic mode
The automatic transmission autom atically
selects the d riv ing programmes with the
best possible braking effect.
If necessary, lower gears can also be
selected in Manual mode to increase the
braking effect. 1st gear has the greatest
braking effect.
Manua l mode
In order to utilize the engine b ra king effect
when driv ing downhill, select drive range
3 ,
2 or, if necessary, 1 in g ood time.
The bra king action is most effectiv e in drive
ra ng e 1 . If drive ra ng e 1 is selec ted at too
high a sp eed, the tra nsmission remains in
the current gear until the shift p oint for
drive range
1 is reached, e.g. as a result of
deceleration.
Use of the engine brak ing effect, as
op posed to the use of the footbrake when
driving downhill, can extend the life of the
brakes.
Stopping the vehicle
The selector lever can be left in the current
drive range when the engine is running.
In Automatic mode or Manual m ode, once
the vehicle is stationa ry, first gea r eng ages
automatically and the c lutch opens.
In position
R , reverse remains engag ed.
When stopping on gradients, engage
handbrake or d epress brake pedal. Do not
hold the vehicle in place with the
acc elerator.
Switc h off engine if stopping for a leng thy
period , e.g. in traffic jams.