Driving181
Safety First
Controls and equipment
Practical tips
Technical Data
Manual gearboxDriving a car with a manual gearboxEngaging the reverse gear
– The vehicle should be stationary with the engine idling. Press the
clutch down thoroughly.
– Place the gear lever into neutral and push the lever downwards.
– Slide the gear lever to the left, and then into the reverse position shown on the gear stick.The reverse gear can only be engaged when the vehicle is stationary. When
the engine is running and before engaging this gear, wait about 6 seconds
with the clutch pressed down thoroughly in order to protect the gearbox.
The reverse lights light up when the reverse gear is selected and the ignition
is on.
WARNING
•When the engine is running, the vehicle will start to move as soon as a
gear is engaged and the clutch released.•Never select the reverse gear when the vehicle is in motion. Risk of acci-
dent.Note
•Do not rest your hand on the gear lever while driving. The pressure of your
hand could cause premature wear on the selector forks in the gearbox.•When changing gear, you should always depress the clutch fully to avoid
unnecessary wear and damage.•Do not hold the car “on the clutch” up hills. This causes premature wear
and damage to the clutch.Automatic gearbox*Introduction
multitronic
®, tiptronic (7-speed gearbox)
Applies to vehicles with multitronic
® gearbox
The vehicle is equipped with an electronically controlled continuously vari-
able transmission (Multitronic
®). Unlike conventional automatics, the gear
ratios are not shifted in fixed steps but are continuously variable. This gives
smoother transmission and makes for better fuel economy.
The gearbox selects the gear ratio and shifts up or down automatically
according to the gear change programmes stored in the control unit
⇒ page 186.
Fig. 153 Detail of the
centre console: gear shift
pattern of a 6-speed
manual gearbox
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Driving
184To move the selector lever to position R, press in the interlock button and at
the same time press the brake pedal. Depending on the model, one or two
reversing lights will come on in selector lever position R (when ignition is
switched on).
N - Neutral (idling)
In this position the gearbox is in neutral ⇒.
D - Drive (forwards)
In this position, the gearbox selects the optimal transmission ratio
depending on the engine load, speed and the dynamic gear regulation
program (DRP).
Press the brake pedal when moving the selector lever from N to D if the
vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 5 km/h ⇒.
Under certain circumstances (e.g. when driving in mountains or towing a
trailer or caravan) it can be advantageous to switch temporarily to Tiptronic
mode ⇒page 187, so that the gear ratios can be selected manually to suit
the driving conditions.
S - Sport position
To drive in sports mode, select the position S. The engine power reserve is
used to its maximum. When accelerating the gear shifts will be noticeable.
Press the brake pedal when moving the selector lever from N to S if the
vehicle is stationary or at speeds below 5 km/h ⇒.
WARNING
•Never move the selector lever to R or P when driving. Failure to do so
could result in an accident.•In selector position D or S the vehicle must always be held with the foot
brake when the engine is running. This is because an automatic gearbox
still transmits power even at idling speed, and the vehicle tends to “creep”.
The throttle must on no account be opened inadvertently (for instance by hand from the engine compartment) when a gear is engaged with the
vehicle stationary. The vehicle could otherwise start moving immediately
(in some cases even if the parking brake is engaged) and possibly cause an
accident.
•To avoid accidents, apply the parking brake and put the selector lever
in position P before opening the bonnet and working on the vehicle with
the engine running. Please observe the important safety warnings
⇒ page 227, “Work in the engine compartment”.Note
•Applies to vehicles with tiptronic gearbox:•If the lever is moved accidentally to N when driving, release the acceler-
ator and let the engine speed drop to idling before selecting D or S again.•For the sake of fuel economy (and the environment), the gearbox ratios on
some models are designed so that maximum speed is only obtained when
the selector lever is at position S.WARNING (continued)
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