2004 Toyota Solara Owners Manual - Page 140

'04 Solara_U (L/O 0402) (b) Normal driving 1. Start the engine as instructed in "How to start the engine" on page 248 in Section 3. The transmission must be in "P" or "N". 2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to "D". When the lever is in the "D" position, the automatic transmission system will select the most suitable gear for running conditions such as normal cruising, hill climbing, etc. Always use the "D" position for better fuel economy and quieter driving. If the engine coolant temperature is low, the transmission will not shift into the overdrive gear even in the "D" position. (c) Using engine braking To use engine braking, you can downshift the transmission as follows: CAUTION Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface. Abrupt shifting could cause the vehicle to spin or skid. (d) Using "2" and "L" positions The "2" and "L" positions are used for strong engine braking as described previously. With the selector lever in "2" or "L", you can start the vehicle in motion as with the lever in "D". With the selector lever in "2", the vehicle will start in first gear and automatically shift to second gear. With the selector lever in "L", the transmission is engaged in first gear. D Shift into the "3" position. The transmission will downshift to third gear. D Shift into the "2" position. The transmission will downshift to second gear when the vehicle speed drops down to or lower than 107 km/h (66 mph), and stronger engine braking will be enabled. D Shift into the "L" position. The transmission will downshift to first gear when the vehicle speed drops down to or lower than 53 km/h (32 mph), and maximum engine braking will be enabled. When the cruise control is being used, even if you down shift from "D" to "3", engine braking will not be enabled because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see "Cruise control" on page 155 in this Section. CAUTION Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while shifting. 3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting. 140 2004 SOLARA from Feb. '04 Prod. (OM33640U)