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184
Driving and the Environment
Shifting gears correctly
The gear you must shift into depends on the terrain. Choosing the correct gear contrib-
utes to safe driving. In particular if you do not have much experience driving off-road,
it is always better, before negotiating a difficult stretch of the road, to pause and reflect
on which gear to engage. Your experience will tell you which gear is the best for certain
sections of the terrain.
Basically:
When the gear or the driving stage has been properly selected, it is unnecessary to
slow down the vehicle on a downhill section using the footbrake as in most cases the
engine braking power is sufficient.
Depress the accelerator only as much as is necessary. A too great acceleration may
lead to the wheels spinning and thus results in the loss over the control of the vehicle.
Manual gearbox
If you are driving through difficult terrain, on no account use the clutch or change
the gear. When the clutch is depressed, the vehicle may come to a standstill because
of the increased grip of all the tyres of the vehicle (e.g. in the mud, in deep sand or on
a slope). Once the vehicle has come to a standstill, it may be difficult or even impos-
sible to start off under these conditions.
When negotiating a steep downhill section or a steep uphill section, always shift
into the 1st or 2nd gear.
On a soft or slippery ground, you must drive at the appropriate speed and you
must select the highest possible gear for this.
Automatic gearbox
Select the selector lever position
page 121.
While in the Tiptronic mode, select the selector lever position
driving through mud, sand, water or hilly sections of terrain page 123.
When negotiating a steep downhill section or a steep uphill section, select the
A
selector lever position
while in the Tiptronic mode.
1
On a soft or slippery ground, you must drive at the appropriate speed and you
must select the highest possible driving stage.
A
for normal flat stretches of terrain
D
A
A
or
3
2
Driving over rough and smooth
– Switch on the Off-road mode page 170.
– Drive at walking speed over rocky passages.
– If it is not possible to drive around a stone, gently drive onto the stone with one of
the front wheels and then drive over it slowly.
WARNING
Observe the important guidelines page 179.
Caution
On no account drive over large objects (such as pieces of rock or tree stumps),
neither in the middle nor on one side. When driving over objects which are larger than
the ground clearance, the chassis and its components can get damaged. Your vehicle
could break down far away from any assistance.
Even objects that are smaller than the existing ground clearance can come into
contact with the underbody of the vehicle and can lead to damage or failure of the
if you are
vehicle. This applies especially when there is a hollow or soft ground in front or behind
the object or if you drive too fast over the object and thus the vehicle is deflected.
For the sake of the environment
Leaking engine oil and brake fluid pollute the environment and contaminate the
bodies of water. The disposal e.g. of engine oil soaked soil can be costly.
Fig. 157 Observe the ground clearance
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