Cadillac 2013 Escalade Owner Manual M page 259

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. If you need more
power for overtaking, and you are:
Going less than about 55 km/h
(35 mph), push the accelerator
pedal about halfway down.
Going about 55 km/h (35 mph)
or more, push the accelerator all
the way down.
By doing this, the vehicle shifts
down to the next gear and has more
power.
D (Drive) can be used when towing
a trailer, carrying a heavy load,
driving on steep hills, or for off-road
driving. You may want to shift the
transmission to a lower gear
selection if the transmission shifts
too often.
Downshifting the transmission in
slippery road conditions could result
in skidding, see Skidding under
Loss of Control on page 9 4.
The vehicle has a shift stabilisation
feature that adjusts the transmission
shifting to the current driving
conditions in order to reduce rapid
upshifts and downshifts. This shift
stabilisation feature is designed to
determine, before making an
upshift, if the engine will be able to
maintain vehicle speed by analysing
things such as vehicle speed,
throttle position and vehicle load.
If the shift stabilisation feature
determines that a current vehicle
speed cannot be maintained, the
transmission does not upshift and
instead holds the current gear. In
some cases, this may appear to be
a delayed shift, however the
transmission is operating normally.
Driving and Operating
The vehicle's transmission uses
adaptive shift controls that
compares key shift parameters to
pre-programmed ideal shifts stored
in the transmissions computer. The
transmission constantly makes
adjustments to improve vehicle
performance according to how the
vehicle is being used, such as with
a heavy load or when temperature
changes. During this adaptive shift
controls process, shifting may feel
different as the transmission
determines the best settings.
When temperatures are very cold,
the Hydra-Matic® 6L80 automatic
transmission's gear shifting may be
delayed providing more stable shifts
until the engine warms up. Shifts
may be more noticeable with a cold
transmission. This difference in
shifting is normal.
M (Manual Mode): This position
lets drivers select the range of gears
appropriate for current driving
conditions. See Driver Shift Control
(DSC) under Manual Mode on
page 9 28.
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