Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged
or bottom out and get stuck.
Observe the following rules when driving
along ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with
loose gravel:
RActivate the off-road program
(
Ypage 157).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand
steering wheel paddle shifter.
RDrive slowly.
RWhere ruts are too deep, drive with the
wheels of one side on the center grassy
area, if possible.
Traveling uphill
Approach/departure angle
GWARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
RObserve the warnings for off-road driving
(
Ypage 180).
RFollow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
RBefore driving on extreme uphill and down-
hill gradients, select the off-road program
(
Ypage 157).
RDrive slowly.
RAccelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
RAvoid high engine speeds, except when
driving on sandy and muddy routes with
high driving resistance.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift to a lower gear appropriate
to the gradient.
RUse the left-hand steering wheel paddle
shifter to shift into a lower gear in good time
on long and steep downhill gradients.
Hill start assist will aid you when pulling away
on a hill. For further information about hill
start assist, see (
Ypage 153).
Do not switch to transmission position N
when driving off-road. If you try to brake the
vehicle using the service brake, you could
lose control of the vehicle. If the gradient is
too steep for your vehicle, drive back down in
reverse gear.
Always observe the approach/departure
angle values (
Ypage 384).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability
Always observe the maximum gradient climb- ing ability values (
Ypage 384).
Hilltops
When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immedi-
ately before reaching the brow of the hill.
Make use of the vehicle's own impetus to
travel over the brow.
This style of driving prevents:
Rthe vehicle from lifting off the ground on thebrow of a hill
Rthe vehicle from traveling too quickly downthe other side
Driving downhill
RDrive slowly.
RDo not drive at an angle down steep
inclines. Steer into the line of fall and drivewith the front wheels aligned straight. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and rollover.
RShift to a lower gear using the left-hand
steering wheel paddle shifter before tack-
ling steep downhill gradients.
Driving tips183
Driving and parking
Z
