There are several different positions for the shift lever.

P (Park): This position locks the rear wheels. It is the best position to use when starting the engine because the vehicle cannot move easily.

Caution: It is dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set. The vehicle can roll.

Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is running unless you have to. If you have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be injured. To be sure the vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly level ground, always set the parking brake and move the shift lever to P (Park). See Shifting Into Park .

Be sure the shift lever is fully in P (Park) before starting the engine.

The vehicle has an automatic transmission shift lock control system. You have to fully apply the regular brakes first and then press the shift lever button before you can shift from P (Park) when the vehicle is running. If you cannot shift out of P (Park), ease pressure on the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way into P (Park) as you maintain brake application. Then press the shift lever button and move the shift lever into another gear. See Shifting Out of Park .

R (Reverse): Use this gear to back up.

Notice: Shifting to R (Reverse) while the vehicle is moving forward could damage the transmission. The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only after the vehicle is stopped.

To rock the vehicle back and forth to get out of snow, ice, or sand without damaging the transmission, see If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow .

N (Neutral): In this position, the engine does not connect with the wheels. To restart when you are already moving, use N (Neutral) only. Also, use N (Neutral) when the vehicle is being towed. Use N (Neutral) if the vehicle must be moved with the engine off for short distances. Please see Towing Your Vehicle .

Caution: Shifting into a drive gear while the engine is running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or objects. Do not shift into a drive gear while the engine is running at high speed.

Notice: Shifting out of P (Park) or N (Neutral) with the engine running at high speed may damage the transmission. The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Be sure the engine is not running at high speed when shifting the vehicle.

D (Drive): This position is for normal driving. It provides the best fuel economy for the vehicle. If you need more power for passing and you are:

Downshifting the transmission in slippery road conditions could result in skidding, see "Skidding" under Loss of Control .

Notice: Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in one place on a hill using only the accelerator pedal may damage the transmission. The repair will not be covered by the vehicle warranty. If you are stuck, do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.

Maximum engine speed is limited to protect driveline components from improper operation.

Driver Shift Control (DSC)

The Driver Shift Control (DSC) feature lets you manually control the operation of the transmission.

To use this feature, move the shift lever from the D (Drive) position to the left and into the driver shift control gate.

The Sport Automatic Mode is selected by moving the shift lever into the DSC area without shifting towards the + (plus) or - (minus) symbols. While in the Sport Automatic Mode, the transmission computer determines when the vehicle is being driven in a competitive manner. It then selects and holds the transmission in lower gears giving more noticeable upshifts for sportier vehicle performance. Once you shift to the + (plus) or - (minus) controls, the driver manual gear selection is activated. A + (plus) symbol appears on the shift console above the D (Drive) indicator and minus symbol appears below the indicator. The Head-Up Display (HUD) also displays the requested gear, though the actual upshift or downshift could be delayed until the engine speed is correct for that gear.

The requested gear displays on the HUD until the next time you upshift or downshift. The gear selected and shown in the HUD is one of a number of gears available. The vehicle does not upshift beyond the chosen gear. The actual gear that the vehicle shifts to depends on a combination of the driver-requested gear range, vehicle speed and throttle position.

Notice: If you drive the vehicle at high RPMs without upshifting while using Driver Shift Control (DSC), you could damage the vehicle. Always upshift when necessary while using DSC.

If you do not upshift as the engine approaches the red line on the engine RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) gage, the engine speed is controlled to limit the engine RPM.

Not all manual downshift requests will be allowed by the transmission. To prevent excessive engine RPMs, each gear has a maximum vehicle speed associated with it. Any downshift request above this speed is not allowed by the transmission.

If shifting is prevented for any reason, the current gear flashes multiple times in the Driver Information Center (DIC), indicating that the transmission has not shifted gears.

Some automatic downshifts can occur to maintain minimum engine speed. This only happens if the vehicle is left in too high of a gear for the vehicle's speed. For example, if you have been driving in sixth gear range and come to a stop without manually downshifting, the transmission automatically downshifts to first gear and displays first gear on the HUD. As you begin to drive and accelerate, the transmission remains in first gear until the driver selects an upshift.

DSC can be used while using cruise control, but transmission shifting is different while the cruise control is on. This is not a malfunction and is necessary to let proper operation of the cruise control.

To return to fully automatic operation, move the shift lever to the right and back into D (Drive).

When accelerating the vehicle from a stop in snowy and icy conditions, you may want to shift into second gear. A higher gear allows you to gain more traction on slippery surfaces.

In higher gears, on the XLR only, an automatic downshift occurs if you press the accelerator pedal to the floor. This feature provides adequate acceleration capabilities if you forget to downshift manually. Tap the shifter forward and the vehicle upshifts.