Page 209 of 387

Controls, Safety, Instruments
209
Stowing load in the vehicle
Warning!
Danger of injury.
An unsecured or incorrectly positioned cargo
can slip out of place or endanger the vehicle
occupants during braking, direction changes
or in accidents.
Never transport objects which are not se-
cured.
fAlways transport cargo in the cargo area, nev-
er in the passenger compartment (e.g. on or in
front of the seats).
fSupport the cargo on the seat backrests when-
ever possible. Always lock the backrests into
place.
fPlace the cargo behind unoccupied seats
whenever possible.
fStow heavy objects as close to the front of the
cargo area as possible, with lightweight ob-
jects behind them.
fThe cargo must never project over the top
edge of the seat backrest.
fAlways protect the passenger compartment
with a luggage safety net and a luggage
compartment cover.
Do not drive with objects on top of the luggage
compartment cover.fIf the rear seats are not occupied, the back-
rests can be additionally secured with the safe-
ty belts. Simply cross the outer safety belts
and insert each into the opposite buckle.
fMake sure that the load cannot damage the
heating filaments of the rear window and the
TV antenna of the side window.
Luggage net
fLuggage must be stowed completely covered
by the luggage net.
The luggage net can prevent only lightweight
objects from slipping.
Tie-down belts
fDo not use elastic belts or straps to tie down
a load.
fDo not place belts and straps over sharp edg-
es.
fObserve the directions for use and information
for the tie-down equipment.
fUse only belts with a tear strength of at least
1543 lbs. (700 kg) and a maximum width of
1in. (25mm).
fCross the belts over the load.Driving
fThe car's handling changes depending on the
vehicle load. Adapt your driving style to the
changed driving behavior.
fDo not exceed the maximum gross weight and
the axle load.
fPlease observe the chapter “WEIGHTS” on
Page 372.
fNever drive with the rear window or rear lid
open.
Exhaust gases can enter the passenger
compartment.
fAdapt the tire pressure to the load.
fPlease observe the chapter “TIRE PRESSU-
RES, COLD” on Page 370.
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210
Controls, Safety, Instruments
Towing a trailer
Warning!
Driving with a trailer
fAlways observe the permissible towing capac-
ity, vertical coupling load and rear-axle load.
Please observe the chapter “WEIGHTS” on
Page 372.
fWhen connected, the trailer must always be
horizontal behind the towing vehicle. If neces-
sary, use a trailer with an adjustable drawbar.
fWhen the vehicle is driven in the mountains, the
engine output decreases as altitude increases.
The maximum weights stated are the values at
sea level. The total weight of the car-trailer
combination must therefore be reduced by
10% for each increment of 3,280 ft.
(1,000 meters) altitude. A fractional increment
counts as the full 3,280 ft (1,000 meters).
Please take this into consideration when plan-
ning your route.Distributing the load
fDistribute the load in the trailer so that heavy
objects are as close to the axle as possible.
Always safeguard all objects against slipping
and tie them down securely.
fYou should make the best possible use of the
trailer coupling's rated vertical coupling load
when loading the trailer, but never exceed it.
Tire pressure
fSelect the vehicle tire pressure for full load
when towing a trailer.
fPlease observe the chapter “TIRE PRESSU-
RES, COLD” on Page 370.
fCheck the tire pressure of the trailer's wheels
according to the manufacturer's instructions.Door mirrors
fIf the width of the trailer obstructs your view of
the traffic behind the trailer, you must have ad-
ditional door mirrors fitted.
Headlights, lights
fCheck whether the plug of the trailer is
plugged into the towing vehicle and whether all
lights function.
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Controls, Safety, Instruments
211
Driving with a trailer
When towing a trailer you must under all
circumstances adapt your speed to prevailing
road and driving conditions. Never exeed a speed
of 50 mph (80 km/h). Towing in excessive
speed can result in loss of control.
fCarefully and gradually familiarize yourself with
the handling and braking behavior of the car-
trailer combination.
fDo not drive with the towing vehicle empty and
the trailer loaded.
If this unfavorable combination is unavoidable,
please drive especially slowly.
fBear in mind the different vehicle handling and
size in situations such as braking, parking,
cornering and overtaking, etc.
fThe driving stability of the car-trailer combina-
tion worsens as the speed increases. There-
fore, drive especially slowly on downhill
stretches and in the case of unfavorable road
and weather conditions (such as wind).
fDrive in an appropriately low gear on downhill
stretches in order to make use of the engine
braking effect.fSlow down immediately if the trailer starts to
sway. Do not countersteer; brake if necessary.
Never attempt to straighten out the car-trailer
combination by accelerating.
fActivate Low Range when moving off on steep
slopes.
fUnder no circumstances may people, animals
or objects be in the space between the trailer
and the towing vehicle when the vehicle is
moving.
fWhen reversing, bear in mind that ParkAssist is
not active.
Maintenance note
fPlease take into consideration that driving with
a trailer places markedly greater stress on all
vehicle components. Expert inspection and
maintenance after every use are indispensable
prerequisites for proper functioning and safety.
Page 212 of 387
212
Controls, Safety, Instruments
Page 213 of 387
Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
213 Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
Tiptronic S ................................................. 214
Selector Lever Positions ............................. 215
Driving Programs for On-Road and Off-Road
Driving ...................................................... 222
Power-Transmission and Running-Gear
Control Systems ........................................ 227
Off-Road Driving ......................................... 236
Air Suspension with Level Control and
Height Adjustment ...................................... 244
Porsche Active Suspension
Management (PASM) .................................. 247
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214
Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
Tiptronic SThe Porsche Tiptronic is a six-speed transmission
and features an “automatic” and a “manual” gear-
shift mode.
In automatic selection mode (selector lever po-
sition D), gear changing is automatic.
Depending on the driving program, you can
change temporarily from automatic to manual
mode using the rocker switches on the steering
wheel.
In manual selection mode (selector lever
position M), you change gear using the rocker
switches on the steering wheel or by pushing the
selector lever forward or back.
You can change between selector lever positions
D and M as you wish while driving.
Note on operation
Take care not to operate the rocker switches on
the steering wheel inadvertently, thereby trigger-
ing undesired gear changes.
Changing the selector lever positionThe selector lever is locked with the ignition key
withdrawn.
The selector lever can be moved from position P
or N only with:
– The ignition switched on
– The brake pedal pressed and
– The release button pressedRelease button
The release button (arrow) on the front side of the
selector lever prevents unintentional gear chang-
es.
The release button must be pressed when shifting
to position R or P.
The selector lever cannot be operated in the event
of an electrical fault.
fPlease observe the chapter “SELECTOR LE-
VER EMERGENCY RELEASE” on Page 221.
StartingThe engine can be started only in selector lever
position P or N with the brake pedal pressed.Moving offfSelect the desired position for moving off
(D, M or R) only when the engine is idling and
when depressing the brake pedal.
fSince the car creeps when in gear, do not re-
lease the brake until you want to move off.
fAfter selecting a gear, do not accelerate until
you can feel that the gear is engaged.
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Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
215
Selector lever positionIndicator for selector lever position and
engaged gearWhen the engine is running, the selector lever po-
sition and engaged gear are indicated.If there is a fault in the transmission:
– All gear indicators light up
– The transmission no longer shifts.
fHave the fault rectified immediately at your au-
thorized Porsche dealer.
Selector Lever PositionsP – Parking lockIn selector lever position P, the driven wheels are
mechanically locked.
fEngage parking lock only when vehicle is
stationary.
fEngage parking lock after applying the park-
ing brake and release it before releasing the
parking brake.
fAlways apply the parking brake before leaving
the vehicle.
The ignition key can be withdrawn only in selector
lever position P.R – ReversefSelect reverse only if car is stationary and the
brake is applied.N – NeutralSelector lever position N must be selected for
towing or in car washes, for example.
fSelect the desired position for moving off
(D, M or R) only when the engine is idling and
when depressing the brake pedal.
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216
Shifting Gear, Traction Systems
D - Automatic selection mode (in the road
driving program)The functions of selector lever positions D and M
differ in the on-road program, High Range, and in
the off-road program, Low Range.
fUse selector lever position D for “normal” driv-
ing.
The gears are shifted automatically according
to the accelerator position and speed.
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and on
the resistance (e.g. uphill), the gear-changing
points are shifted towards higher or lower engine-
speed ranges. Movement of the accelerator,
driving speed, longitudinal and lateral acceleration
and the road profile all have an influence on the
gear-changing characteristic.
When PSM is switched off, transmission gear
changes are done at higher engine speeds.
Unwanted upward shifts, e.g. before corners, are
prevented by swiftly releasing the accelerator ped-
al.
Depending on lateral acceleration, upward chang-
es on corners are not made until the engine-speed
limit is reached.
During braking, and depending on the amount of
deceleration, the Tiptronic changes down earlier.
For subsequent cornering, the right gear is en-
gaged when pressure is applied to the brakes be-
fore the corner.The corner is taken in the right gear, and when you
accelerate out of the corner you do not have to
change down.
Moving off
In 2nd gear, the vehicle moves off with the throttle
only slightly open. Move off in 1st gear with the
throttle open wider or when the engine is cold.
When PSM is switched off, the car generally
moves off in 1st gear.
Shifting gear on the steering wheel
By shifting gear with the rocker switches on the
steering wheel, you can temporarily change from
automatic selection mode D to manual selection
mode M.
Advantages
– Shifting down before corners and on entering
built-up areas.
– Shifting down on downward slopes (engine
braking).
– Shifting down for brief spurts of acceleration.
– Selecting 1st or 2nd gear for moving off.
The manual selection mode remains engaged:
– For cornering (depending on the lateral accel-
eration) and overrunning,
– When the vehicle is stationary (e.g. at a junc-
tion).The system leaves manual selection mode:
– automatically after around 8 seconds
(unless car is cornering, overrunning or
stationary),
– if you depress the accelerator to kickdown.
Temporary change-down
Precondition
– Speed is higher than approx. 33 mph
(54 km/h).
fDepress accelerator quickly.
The Tiptronic changes temporarily to the sport-
iest gear-changing map, i.e. to the highest pos-
sible gear-changing points. Correspondingly,
the transmission shifts down immediately by
one, two or three gears.
Ending the function
fRelease the accelerator markedly (by approx.
25%).