Automatic Gearbox - Renault Clio Handbook

AUToMATIC TRANSMISSIoN
Driving in automatic mode
Put lever 1 into position D.
In most road conditions you will en-
counter, you will not need to touch your
lever again: the gears will change au-
tomatically at the right time and at the
most suitable engine speed because
the automatic system takes into ac-
count the vehicle load and road contour
and adjusts itself to the particular driv-
ing style you have chosen.
Economical driving
When driving, always leave the lever
in position D, keeping the accelerator
pedal lightly depressed to ensure auto-
matic gear changes at a lower engine
speed.
Accelerating and overtaking
Depress the accelerator pedal firmly
and fully (so that it goes beyond the
kickdown point).
This will enable you to change down
to the optimum gear within the
engine range.
2.30
(2/3)
Driving in manual mode
With the selection lever 1 in position D,
move the lever to the left. Shifting the
lever repeatedly allows you to change
gears manually:
– to move down through the gears,
push the lever forwards;
– to move up through the gears, push
the lever backwards.
The gear selected is displayed on the
instrument panel.
Special cases
In certain driving conditions (for exam-
ple, engine protection, operation of the
Electronic Stability Programme: the au-
tomatic system may change gear auto-
matically.
Likewise, to prevent incorrect manoeu-
vres, a gear change may be refused by
the automatic system: in this case the
gear display flashes for a few seconds
as a warning.
Special circumstances
– If the bends and road surface do
not allow you to stay in automatic
mode (e.g. in the mountains), we
recommend that you change to
manual mode. This will prevent the
automatic gearbox from changing
gear repeatedly when climbing, and
permit engine braking on long de-
scents.
– In cold weather, start the engine
and wait a few seconds before
moving the selector lever from posi-
tion P or N and engaging it in D or R
to prevent the engine stalling.
– Vehicles not fitted with traction
control: on a slippery surface or
surface with a low level of adhesion,
change to manual mode and select
second gear (or even third) before
starting the engine to avoid wheel-
spin when accelerating.
In very cold weather, the system
may prevent the gears from being
shifted in manual mode until the
gearbox reaches the right tempera-
ture.