2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE top

Driving and parking
124
>> Controls.
Reversing the vehicle!
Shift the transmission into reverse gearR
only when the vehicle is stopped in order to
avoid damaging the transmission.
You can drive in reverse gear at a speed of up
to9mph (15km/h).
>Depress the brake pedal.
>Press the release button (

page 122) to
disengage the gear selector lever lock.>Move the gear selector lever to reverse
gearR.
appears in the transmission position
indicator.
>Release the brake pedal.
>Carefully depress the accelerator.
ParkingG
Warning!
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay
or leaves can come into contact with the
hot exhaust system, as these materials
could be ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury or
damage to the drivetrain as a result of
vehicle movement, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle always:
• Keep right foot on the brake pedal.
• Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.
• Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
• Slowly release the brake pedal.
• When parked on an incline, always turn
the front wheels towards the road curb.
• Turn the key in the starter switch to
position0 and remove.
Take the key with you and lock the vehicle
when leaving.G
Warning!
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake servo and
the steering system. In this case, it is
important to keep in mind that a consid

erably higher degree of effort is neces

sary to brake and steer the vehicle.

Driving and parking
>> Controls.
125
>Properly stop and park the vehicle.
>Depress the brake pedal.
>Pull up the parking brake lever as many
notches as possible (

page 125).
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning
lamp; (USA only) or3 (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster comes on.
>Release the brake pedal.
Parking brake
The parking brake serves to secure the vehi

cle against rolling away when it is stationary
or parked.
1
Parking brake lever
2
Release button
>Applying: Pull up parking brake lever
1 as
many notches as possible.
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning
lamp; (USA only) or3 (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster comes on.
> Releasing: Depress the brake pedal.
>Pull up slightly on parking brake lever1
and press release button
2.>Push parking brake lever
1 down as far as
it will go.
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning
lamp; (USA only) or3 (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster goes out.
G
Warning!
Engaging the parking brake while the
vehicle is in motion can cause the rear
wheels to lock up. You could lose control
of the vehicle and cause an accident. In
addition, the vehicle’s brake lights do not
light up when the parking brake is
engaged.P42.20
2346
31
G
Warning!
Getting out of your vehicle with the
transmission not fully engaged in park
positionP is dangerous. When the engine
is shut off and the brakes are released,
the vehicle can be moved freely with the
gear selector lever in all positions ex

cept park position P. Also, when parked
on an incline, park positionP alone may
not prevent your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition
to shifting to park positionP.
When parked on an incline, always turn
the front wheels towards the road curb.

Transmission
>> Controls.
129 Shifting procedure
The transmission selects individual gears
automatically, depending on:
• the gear selector lever
positionD(

page 129)
• the position of the accelerator
(

page 131)
• the vehicle speed
• uphill or downhill grades
Press release button
1 (
page 128) to
disengage the gear selector lever lock when
moving the gear selector lever from
•P toR,N, orD
•R toP
•N toR orP
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine until
the operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extend

ed period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. Otherwise, the the drivetrain could
be damaged, which is not covered by the smart
Limited Warranty.
With manual gearshiftingM selected
(

page 132), you can use the gear selector
lever or steering wheel gearshift control
1
to change the gears manually.
Gear selector lever positions
1 Model passion only.
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position when
the vehicle is parked. Place the
gear selector lever in park
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not
intended to serve as a brake when
the vehicle is parked.
Rather, the driver should always
set the parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in park positionP.
With the key removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in park
positionP.

Transmission
130
>> Controls.The current gear selector lever position
appears in the transmission position indicator
(

page 137).
Effect
í
Reverse gear
Shift into reverse gearR only when
vehicle is stopped.
ë
Neutral position
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle
can be moved freely (pushed or
towed).
Effect
ê
Drive position
The transmission shifts auto

matically.
M
Manual gearshifting
System
controlled automatic gear

shifting is switched off. The driver
has to change the gears manually.
G
Warning!
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in park
positionP is dangerous. When the engine
is shut off and the brakes are released,
the vehicle can be moved freely with the
gear selector lever in all positions ex

cept park position P. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or
capable of preventing your vehicle from
moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition
to shifting to park positionP
(
page 125).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay
or leaves can come into contact with the
hot exhaust system, as these materials
could be ignited and cause a vehicle fire.

Transmission
>> Controls.
131 Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle, earlier upshifting
More throttle, later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
>Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
>Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
>Leave the transmission in gear.
>Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop for a longer period with the
engine idling and/or on a hill:
>Set the parking brake.
>Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
Working on the vehicle
G
Warning!
When leaving the vehicle, always remove
the key from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle,
or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could move the gear selector
lever from park positionP, which could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
G
Warning!
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move the gear selec

tor lever to park positionP. Otherwise
the vehicle could roll away.

Transmission
132
>> Controls. Driving off uphill
Your vehicle has a hill start assist system.
On uphill grades the hill start assist system
maintains the pressure in the brake system
for approximately one second after you have
released the brake pedal. Therefore, you can
start off smoothly without the vehicle moving
immediately after releasing the brake pedal.>Release the brake pedal.
>Apply sufficient pressure to the accelera

tor.
!
After approximately one second, the hill
start assist system stops braking the vehicle,
which then can roll backwards. If you open the
driver’s door within this time, the hill start as

sistance is deactivated and a warning signal
sounds.
i
The hill start assist system is inactive if
you start off with the parking brake set.
Manual gearshiftingWith manual gearshiftingM selected, system

controlled automatic gearshifting is switched
off and you need to change the gears by up

shifting or downshifting manually using the
gear selector lever or the steering wheel
gearshift control
1.
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine until
the operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extend

ed period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. Otherwise, the the drivetrain could
be damaged, which is not covered by the smart
Limited Warranty.
G
Warning!
The hill start assist system is not
designed to function as a parking brake
and does not prevent the vehicle from
moving when parked on an incline.
Always set the parking brake in addition
to shifting to park positionP.1 Model passion only.

Transmission
134
>> Controls. Kickdown
You can use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
>Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
>When you have reached the desired speed,
briefly push the gear selector lever for

ward in the +direction (

page 128).
or
>Pull right shift paddle
3 (
page 133)
towards you.
The transmission shifts to the next higher
gear.
Deactivating manual gearshifting
>Move the gear selector lever to drive
positionD (

page 128).
System
controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched on again.
Emergency operation (limp
home
mode)In this mode only a certain gear or a certain
gear combination can be selected. This mode
is triggered in case of transmission malfunc

tions and enables you driving to the nearest
workshop such as a smart center.
If vehicle acceleration becomes less respon

sive or sluggish or the transmission no longer
shifts, the transmission is most likely operat

ing in limp
home (emergency operation)
mode. The transmission position indicator
flashes and the ¬ symbol appears in the mul

tifunction display (

page 136).
Driving in limp
home mode:
>Move the gear selector lever to drive
positionD (

page 128).
>Continue to drive.
>Have the transmission checked at an autho

rized smart center as soon as possible.
i
It is possible that a gear combination in

cluding the reverse gear can not be selected.
Keep in mind when parking, that reversing the
vehicle might be impossible.
In case of a minor transmission malfunction, it
might be possible to teach
in the transmis

sion in order to restore the normal transmis

sion mode.
i
If the attempt to teach
in the transmission
fails, you cannot continue to drive. Therefore
we strongly recommend that you have the
transmission taught
in at a qualified work

shop or at an authorized smart center.
Teaching
in the transmission system:
>Stop the vehicle in a safe location.
>Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
>Turn off the engine.
>Wait at least 30 seconds before restarting.

Instrument cluster
>> Controls.
137
Reserve fuel indicator
You are driving on reserve fuel if there are no
more than 1.0 US gal (3.78 l) of fuel in the
tank.
If this occurs,
• the fuel pump symbol in the fuel level
display flashes
• the reserve fuel indicator shows the fuel
level in the tank at exactly 0.1 US gal (0.5 l)
Transmission position indicator
The following information is displayed in the
transmission position indicator:
• Current gear selector lever position
• Current engaged gear (when manual
gearshifting selected)i
A flashing
in the display indicates that
the gear selector lever is in position R but the
reverse gear is not engaged. Stop the vehicle
to let the reverse gear engage.When manual gearshifting is selected:
Display
Function

Gear selector lever in park
positionP

Gear selector lever in
positionR (Reverse gear
engaged)

Gear selector lever in neutral
positionN

Gear selector lever in drive
positionD
Display
Function

First gear engaged

Second gear engaged

Third gear engaged

Fourth gear engaged

Fifth gear engaged