Subaru Legacy Outback 2008 Owner's Manual page 294

! N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalled
engine.
In this position the wheels and transmis-
sion are not locked. In this position, the
transmission is neutral; the vehicle will roll
freely, even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or foot brake is on.
Avoid coasting with the transmission
neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine brak-
ing effect.
NOTE (3.0-liter models only)
To protect the engine while the "N"
position is selected, the engine is
controlled such that the engine speed
does not become too high even if the
accelerator pedal is pressed hard.
NOTE
If the selector lever is in the "N"
position when you stop the engine for
parking, you may not subsequently be
able to move it to the "R" and "P"
positions. If this happens, turn the
ignition switch to the "ON" position.
You will then be able to move the
selector lever to the "P" position.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
selector lever in the "N" (neutral)
position. Engine braking has no
effect in this condition and the risk
of an accident is consequently in-
creased.
! D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into
a suitable gear from 1st to 5th according to
the vehicle speed and the acceleration
you require.
When more acceleration is required in this
position, press the accelerator pedal fully
to the floor and hold that position. The
transmission will automatically downshift
to 4th, 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you
release the pedal, the transmission will
return to the original gear position.
To use the manual mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate
then move it toward the "M+" and "M−"
ends.
! While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to
4th or 5th gear is prevented from taking
place when the accelerator is released.
Starting and operating
This minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accel-
erating again. This prevents repeated
upshifting and downshifting resulting in a
smoother operation of the vehicle.
NOTE
The transmission may downshift to 2nd
or 1st gear, depending on the way the
accelerator pedal is pressed to accel-
erate the vehicle again.
! While going down a hill
When you are descending a hill or any
other slope while braking with the "S#"
mode selected, the transmission may
downshift to 4th or 3rd gear depending
on how hard you depress the brake pedal,
causing engine braking to work. Reacce-
leration for a short time will cause the
transmission to upshift normally.
NOTE
. A 5th-to-4th automatic downshift will
not occur at speeds above 126 km/h (78
mph) and a 4th-to-3rd automatic down-
shift will not occur at speeds above 86
km/h (53 mph).
. Automatic downshifts to 4th or 3rd
may occur even when driving on a level
road depending on conditions, such as
how hard you depress the brake pedal.
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