Transmission – Geartronic
Geartronic: manual shifting (+S–)
To shift gears manually, move the gear selector to the side from D toward +S–. The +S– symbol in the instrument panel will change from white to orange and the number of the gear currently being used (1, 2, 3, etc.) will be displayed (see the following illustration)1.
- To return to automatic shifting mode from +S–, move the gear selector to the side toward D.
Gear shift indicator*
This option indicates when to shift up or down to help conserve fuel. A white arrow will appear above or below the number of the current gear to prompt the driver to shift up or down.
While driving
- If you select the manual shifting position while driving, the gear that was being used in the Drive position will also initially be selected in the manual shifting position.
- Move the gear selector forward (toward +) to shift to a higher gear or rearward (toward –) to shift to a lower gear.
- If you hold the gear selector toward "–", the transmission will downshift one gear at a time and will utilize the braking power of the engine. If the current speed is too high for using a lower gear, the downshift will not occur until the speed has decreased enough to allow the lower gear to be used.
- If you slow to a very low speed, the transmission will automatically shift down.
Shiftlock: Neutral (N)
If the gear selector is in the N position and the vehicle has been stationary for at least 3 seconds (irrespective of whether the engine is running) then the gear selector is locked.
In order to move the gear selector from N to another gear position, the brake pedal must be depressed and the ignition must be in at least position II, see Ignition modes.
Geartronic: steering wheel paddles*
In addition to the manual gearshift function using the gear selector, this option makes it possible to manually shift gears from the steering wheel.
"–": Shift down to a lower gear.
"+": Shift up to a higher gear.
In order to shift gears with the paddles, they have to first be activated. The gear selector can be in either the D or S position.
Activating the paddles:
- Pull either paddle toward the steering wheel and release it; the D in the instrument panel will change to the number of the gear currently being used.
Shifting gears:
- Pull the paddle toward the steering wheel and release it.
Deactivating the paddles:
- Hold the "+" paddle for approximately 3 seconds.
Note
If the gear selector was in D when paddle shifting was activated (D changed to the number of the gear being used), the transmission will automatically revert to D after approximately 5 seconds if the paddles are not used to shift gears.
This will not occur:
- during active driving (e.g., on a winding road, while accelerating, etc)
- if the gear selector was in S when the paddles were activated
If the transmission reverts to D, the paddles will have to be reactivated (pull either paddle toward the steering wheel and release it) before they can be used to shift gears again.
The paddles can also be manually deactivated by pulling both paddles toward the steering wheel and holding them until the gear number shown in the instrument panel changes to D.
Geartronic: Sport mode (S)3
This transmission mode provides sportier shifting characteristics and enables a more active driving style by making it possible to drive at higher rpm in each gear before shifting up. The engine also responds faster when the accelerator pedal is pressed.
To access Sport mode from Drive (D), move the gear selector to the left. The transmission will not switch to manual shifting mode until the gear selector is moved forward or rearward toward + or –.
Sport mode can be selected any time.
Note
- On vehicles equipped with Sport mode, the transmission symbol in the main instrument panel will change from D to S when the gear selector is moved to the manual shifting mode. If the gear selector is moved toward "+" or "-", the number of the gear currently being used will be displayed, see Information displays – introduction.
- Please be aware that using Sport mode may result in a slight decrease in fuel economy. Driving in D can help improve fuel economy.
Geartronic: starting on slippery surfaces
Selecting 3rd gear in Geartronic’s manual shifting mode can help provide better traction when starting off on slippery surfaces. To do so: