Ford 2001 Mercury Cougar Owner's Manual page 166

Driving
Deactivate D (Overdrive) when:
• driving with a heavy load.
• towing a trailer up or down steep
hills.
• additional engine braking is
desired.
To return to D (Overdrive) mode,
press the transaxle control switch.
The O/D OFF message in the
instrument cluster will extinguish.
Every time the vehicle is shut off
and restarted, you must press the
transaxle control switch to cancel
overdrive operation if driving in
overdrive is not desired.
2 (Second)
Use 2 (Second) to start up on
slippery roads or to provide
additional engine braking on
downgrades.
1 (First)
Use 1 (Low) to provide maximum
engine braking on steep
downgrades. Upshifts can be made
by shifting to 2 (Second) or to
D (Overdrive). Selecting 1 (Low) at
higher speeds causes the transaxle
to shift to a lower gear, and will
shift to 1 (Low) after the vehicle
decelerates to the proper speed.