Subaru Outback 2012 Manual page 296

In this position, the transmission is me-
chanically locked to prevent the vehicle
from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first apply the
parking brake, then shift into the "P"
position. Do not hold the vehicle with only
the transmission.
To shift the select lever from the "P" to any
other position, you should depress the
brake pedal fully then move the select
lever. This prevents the vehicle from
lurching when it is started.
NOTE
To protect the engine while the "P"
position is selected, the engine is
controlled such that the engine speed
may not become too high even if the
accelerator pedal is depressed hard.
! R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle.
To shift from the "N" to "R" position, stop
the vehicle completely then move the
lever to the "R" position.
! N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalled
engine.
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 applied.
Avoid coasting with the transmission
neutral.
During coasting, there is no engine brak-
ing effect.
NOTE
. To protect the engine while the "N"
position is selected, the engine is
controlled such that the engine speed
may not become too high even if the
accelerator pedal is depressed hard.
. If the select lever is in the "N"
position when you stop the engine for
parking, 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 select
lever to the "P" position.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
select lever in the "N" (neutral)
position. Engine braking has no
effect in this condition and the risk
of an accident is consequently in-
creased.
Starting and operating
! D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving. The
transmission automatically shifts into a
suitable gear according to the vehicle
speed and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this
position, depress the accelerator pedal
fully to the floor and hold that position. The
transmission will automatically downshift.
When you release the pedal, the transmis-
sion will return to the original gear posi-
tion.
To use the manual mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate.
NOTE (AT models only)
Automatic downshifts to 4th or 3rd may
occur even when driving on a level
road depending on conditions, such as
how hard you depress the brake pedal.
! While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift is
prevented from taking place when the
accelerator is released. This minimizes
the chance of subsequent downshifting to
a lower gear when accelerating again.
This prevents repeated upshifting and
downshifting resulting in a smoother op-
eration of the vehicle.
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