2000 Mercury Cougar Owner Guide 1st Printing - Page 154

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 startĆup 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. 154