Subaru Legacy Outback 2006 Owner's Manual page 281

7-16
Starting and operating
In this position, the transmission is me-
chanically locked to prevent the vehicle
from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first set the
parking brake fully, then shift into the "P"
position. Do not hold the vehicle with only
the transmission.
To shift the selector lever from the "P" to
any other position, you should depress the
brake pedal fully then move the selector
lever. This prevents the vehicle from
lurching when it is started.
R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from the "N" to "R" position, stop
the vehicle completely then move the le-
ver to the "R" position.
N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalled en-
gine.
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 neu-
tral.
During coasting, there is no engine brak-
ing effect.
NOTE
If the selector lever is in the "N" posi-
tion when you stop the engine for park-
ing, 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.
Do not drive the vehicle with the se-
lector lever in the "N" (neutral) posi-
tion. Engine braking has no effect in
this condition and the risk of an ac-
cident is consequently increased.
D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into
a suitable gear from 1st to 4th 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 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to
the original gear position.
To use the "SPORT" mode, move the le-
ver from this position into the manual gate.
To use the manual mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate
then move it toward the "+" and "–" ends.
While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to
4th gear is prevented from taking place
when the accelerator is released. This
minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accel-
erating again. This prevents repeated up-
shifting 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 ac-
celerate the vehicle again.
While going down a hill
When you are descending a hill or any
other slope while braking with the
"SPORT" mode selected, the transmis-
sion may downshift to 3rd or 2nd gear de-
pending on how hard you depress the
brake pedal, causing engine braking to
work. Reacceleration for a short time will
cause the transmission to upshift normal-
ly.