STARTING AND DRIVING Neutral - N Gear shift indicator No gear is engaged when N gear is engaged and no power is transmitted from the engine to the drive wheels. The vehicle can be started when the transmission is in N. VESPER The gear shift indicator in the instrument cluster illuminates R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D (Drive) or P (Park) according to the currently selected gear. After the vehicle is started, the brake pedal must be depressed before shifting from N to another gear. Note! Shift lock Shift lock is an safety feature of automatic transmission. It ensures the gear lever can only be shifted between N or P position when the brake pedal is depressed and the ignition is in mode II.
Drive - D Normal driving gear (automatic transmission). When accelerating/ decelerating in this gear, the transmission can shift gears automatically. The vehicle must be stationary when the gear lever is moved from R to D. Engage the P gear before leaving the vehicle. However, if the vehicle is powered off: ■ P will be deactivated automatically while gear is in R or D. ■ The reminding message Shift to P displays while the gear is in N. Kickdown For smooth shifting and engine performance, the transmission downshifts automatically if the vehicle's speed becomes too low for the selected gear.
To help avoid excessive engine speed that might cause engine damage, the transmission control module has a downshift protection feature that in some situations may prevent a downshift or kickdown. During kickdown, the transmission may shiftdown by one or more gears, depending on the engine's speed. And it will shift up automatically when maximum engine speed is reached for a specific gear. 166