Manual Mode - Cadillac CTS 2018 Owner's Manual

198 DRIVING AND OPERATING

Manual Mode

Tap Shift
Caution
Driving with the engine at a high
rpm without upshifting while using
Tap Shift, could damage the vehicle.
Always upshift when necessary
while using Tap Shift.
Vehicles with Tap Shift have controls
on the back of the steering wheel to
manually shift the automatic
transmission.
To enter Permanent Tap Shift Mode:
1. With the gear lever in D (Drive),
press the M (Manual Mode)
button on the top of the gear
lever. While in Tap Shift Mode,
the M of the PRNDM section of
the instrument cluster will
become highlighted, and the
current gear is indicated.
2. Tap the left control to downshift
and the right control to upshift.
To shift to the lowest available
gear, press and hold the left
control.
3. To exit, press the M (Manual
Mode) button a second time.
With the shift lever in D (Drive) and
not in Permanent Tap Shift Mode, the
tap shift controls will activate a
temporary tap manual shift mode,
allowing the transmission to be
manually shifted. Automatic shifts
return after no manual shifts have
been done for seven to 10 seconds.
The Temporary Tap Shift Mode can
also be deactivated by holding the
right upshift control briefly.
While using Tap Shift, the vehicle will
have firmer, quicker shifting. You can
use this for sport driving or when
climbing or descending hills, to stay in
gear longer or to downshift for more
power or engine braking.
The transmission will only allow you
to shift into gears appropriate for the
vehicle speed and engine revolutions
per minute (rpm). The transmission
will not automatically shift to the next
lower gear if the engine rpm is too
high or to the next higher gear when
the maximum engine rpm is reached.
If shifting is prevented for any reason,
a SHIFT DENIED message will be
displayed in the instrument cluster.
When accelerating the vehicle from a
stop in snowy and icy conditions, it is
suggested to shift into second gear.
A higher gear allows the vehicle to
gain more traction on slippery
surfaces.