Cadillac 2009 XLR Owner's Manual page 88

Driver Shift Control (DSC)
The Driver Shift Control (DSC) feature lets you manually
control the operation of the transmission.
The Sport Automatic Mode is selected by moving the
shift lever into the DSC area without shifting towards
the + (plus) or − (minus) symbols. While in the Sport
Automatic Mode, the transmission computer determines
when the vehicle is being driven in a competitive manner.
2-30
To use this feature, move
the shift lever from the
D (Drive) position to the left
and into the driver shift
control gate.
It then selects and holds the transmission in lower gears
giving more noticeable upshifts for sportier vehicle
performance. Once you shift to the + (plus) or − (minus)
controls, the driver manual gear selection is activated.
A + (plus) symbol appears on the shift console above the
D (Drive) indicator and minus symbol appears below the
indicator. The Head-Up Display (HUD) also displays the
requested gear, though the actual upshift or downshift
could be delayed until the engine speed is correct for
that gear.
The requested gear displays on the HUD until the next
time you upshift or downshift. The gear selected
and shown in the HUD is one of a number of gears
available. The vehicle does not upshift beyond the
chosen gear. The actual gear that the vehicle shifts
to depends on a combination of the driver-requested
gear range, vehicle speed and throttle position.
Notice: If you drive the vehicle at high RPMs
without upshifting while using Driver Shift Control
(DSC), you could damage the vehicle. Always upshift
when necessary while using DSC.
If you do not upshift as the engine approaches the red
line on the engine RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) gage,
the engine speed is controlled to limit the engine RPM.