Volvo XC90 Owner's Manual page 412

STARTING AND DRIVING
The kickdown function
Kickdown can be used when maximum
acceleration is needed, e.g. when passing.
When the accelerator pedal is depressed all
the way to the floor (past the normal full accel-
erator position), the transmission will auto-
matically engage kickdown, i.e. immediately
shift down to a lower gear.
If the accelerator pedal is released from the
kickdown position, the transmission will auto-
matically shift up again.
Safety function
The transmission control module is equipped
with a downshift protection feature to help
prevent the engine from overheating.
In some conditions, the transmission will pre-
vent downshifting/kickdown if this would lead
to such high engine speed (rpm) that the
engine could be damaged. If the driver still
attempts downshifting or kickdown at a high
rpm, nothing will happen and the original gear
will remain selected.
With kickdown, the vehicle can downshift one
or more steps at a time depending on the
engine speed. The vehicle upshifts when the
engine reaches its maximum rpm to prevent
engine damage.
Related information
Automatic transmission (p. 404)
•
7 All Wheel Drive
410
All Wheel Drive (AWD)*
All-wheel drive (AWD 7 ), also called four-
wheel drive, means that power is distributed
to all four wheels, which improves traction.
To achieve the best traction, power is auto-
matically directed to the wheels that have the
best grip. The system continuously calculates
the need for torque to the rear wheels, and
can immediately redistribute up to half of the
engine's torque to the rear wheels.
All-wheel drive also has a stabilizing effect at
higher speeds. In normal driving conditions,
most of the engine's power is directed to the
front wheels. When the vehicle is stationary,
all-wheel drive is always activated in prepara-
tion for maximum traction during acceleration.
All-wheel drive reacts differently depending on
which drive mode is selected.
Related information
Drive modes* (p. 410)
•
Low Speed Control* (p. 423)
•
Transmission (p. 403)
•
Drive modes*
Drive modes affect the vehicle's driving cha-
racteristics in different ways to enhance and
simplify the driving experience in certain
types of situations.
Drive modes enable easy access to the vehi-
cle's many functions and settings in different
driving situations. The following systems are
adapted to help optimize driving characteris-
tics in each drive mode:
Steering
•
Engine/transmission/all-wheel drive*
•
Brakes
•
Pneumatic suspension* and shock absorb-
•
ers
Instrument panel
•
Start/Stop function
•
Climate control settings
•
Select the drive mode that is adapted to the
current driving conditions. Keep in mind that
not all drive modes are available in all situa-
tions.
Available drive modes
When the engine is started, the vehicle will be
in Comfort mode and the start/stop function
will be activated. Drive mode can be changed
once the vehicle is started, e.g. to
* Option/accessory.
Individual