2012 Cadillac CTS Owner Manual - Page 286

9-30 Driving and Operating M (Manual Mode): This position allows the driver to select the range of gears appropriate for current driving conditions. See Driver Shift Control (DSC) later in this section. Notice: Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in one place on a hill using only the accelerator pedal may damage the transmission. If you are stuck, do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place. Vehicles with DSC may either use the shift lever or the tap shift controls on back of the steering wheel to manually shift the automatic transmission. To use the DSC feature using the shift lever: 1. Move the shift lever to the right from D (Drive) to M (Manual Mode). The vehicle will be in sport mode and will shift automatically if the shift lever is not moved forward or rearward. The transmission may remain in a gear longer than it would in the normal driving mode based on braking, throttle input, and vehicle lateral acceleration. SPORT MODE will be displayed in the DIC momentarily. 2. To go from sport mode to DSC, move the shift lever forward to upshift or rearward to downshift. D (Drive): This position is for normal driving. It provides the best fuel economy. If you need more power for passing, and you are: . Going less than 55 km/h (35 mph), push the accelerator pedal about halfway down. Going about 55 km/h (35 mph) or more, push the accelerator all the way down. The transmission will shift down to a lower gear and have more power. . Downshifting the transmission in slippery road conditions could result in skidding; see "Skidding" under Loss of Control on page 9￿5 When the CTS￿V is in D (Drive), the first forward gear automatic shift after start will be from 1 (First) gear. Following starts will begin in 2 (Second) gear. When in M (Manual Mode), the vehicle will start in 1 (First) gear every time. Manual Mode Driver Shift Control (DSC) or Tap Shift Notice: Driving with the engine at a high rpm without upshifting while using Driver Shift Control (DSC), could damage the vehicle. Always upshift when necessary while using DSC.