Autostick (Six-Speed Automatic Transmission); Operation - Jeep Compass 2015 Operating Information Manual

CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for
any other reason with the transmission in
NEUTRAL can cause severe transmission
damage. Refer to "Recreational Towing" in
"Starting And Operating" and "Towing A Dis-
abled Vehicle" in "What To Do In Emergen-
cies" for further information.
DRIVE (D)
This range should be used for most city and
highway driving. It provides the best fuel
economy. The DRIVE position provides opti-
mum driving characteristics under all normal
operating conditions.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs
(such as when operating the vehicle under
heavy loading conditions, in hilly terrain, travel-
ing into strong head winds, or while towing
heavy trailers), use the AutoStick shift control
(refer to "AutoStick (CVT)" in this section for
further information) to select a lower gear ratio.
Under these conditions, using a lower gear ratio
160
will improve performance and extend transmis-
sion life by reducing excessive shifting and heat
buildup.
During sustained high speed driv-
ing or trailer towing up long grades
on hot days, the automatic trans-
mission oil may become too hot. If
this happens, the transmission
overheat indicator light will come on, and the
vehicle will slow slightly until the transmission
cools down enough to allow a return to the
requested speed. This is done to prevent trans-
mission damage due to overheating. If the high
speed is maintained, the overheating may reoc-
cur, as before, in a cyclic fashion.
AUTOSTICK (SIX-SPEED
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
AutoStick is a driver-interactive transmission
feature providing manual shift control, giving
you more control of the vehicle. AutoStick al-
lows you to maximize engine braking, eliminate
undesirable upshifts and downshifts, and im-
prove overall vehicle performance. This system
can also provide you with more control during
passing, city driving, cold slippery conditions,
mountain driving, trailer towing, and many other
situations.

Operation

When the shift lever is in the DRIVE position,
the transmission will operate automatically,
shifting between the six available gears. To
engage AutoStick, simply tap the shift lever to
the right or left (+/-) while in the DRIVE position.
Tapping (-) to enter AutoStick mode will down-
shift the transmission to the next lower gear,
while using (+) to enter AutoStick mode will
retain the current gear. When AutoStick is ac-
tive, the current transmission gear is displayed
in the instrument cluster.
In AutoStick mode, the transmission will shift up
or down when the driver moves the shift lever to
the right (+) or left (-), unless an engine lugging
or overspeed condition would result. It will re-
main in the selected gear until another upshift or
downshift is chosen, except as described
below:
• The transmission will automatically upshift
when necessary to prevent engine over-
speed.