2003 Saab 9-5 Owner's Manual - Page 169

Starting and driving If you move the selector lever from D to L, downchanges will follow a set pattern to avoid damaging the engine or transmission. Manual gear-changing is not recommended on slippery roads. If one of the drive wheels spins excessively, the engine torque will be reduced to avoid damaging the transmission. 169 Adaptive gear-change patterns Adaptive gear-change patterns are selected automatically depending on the engine load and the present temperature of the transmission. The function is available in Normal and Sport modes. The changes occur at a higher engine speed and the car remains in the same gear for longer, if the transmission control module senses that the load has not decreased. These gear-change patterns prevent unnecessary changing up and down, when for example driving up or down long slopes with a trailer or caravan, and to prevent overheating the transmission oil. The adaptive gear-change function is also selected automatically when the transmission oil becomes too hot, to protect the transmission itself from damage and to lower the oil temperature. The adaptive gear-change pattern function is deselected when: • Winter mode is selected. • The engine is switched off. • The load is reduced so much that the function is no longer required. • "Automatic transmission, fault indicator" instrument panel, see page 165. appears on main