The shift lever is located on the center console between the front seats.

There are several different positions for the shift lever.

P (Park): This position locks the rear wheels. It is the best position to use when you start the engine because the vehicle cannot move easily.

Caution: It is dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set. The vehicle can roll.

Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is running unless you have to. If you have left the engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly. You or others could be injured. To be sure the vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly level ground, always set the parking brake and move the shift lever to P (Park). See Shifting Into Park . If you are pulling a trailer, see Towing a Trailer .

Make sure the shift lever is fully in P (Park) before starting the engine. The vehicle has an automatic transmission shift lock control system. You must fully apply the regular brakes first and then press the shift lever button before you can shift from P (Park) when the ignition key is in ON/RUN. If you cannot shift out of P (Park), ease pressure on the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way into P (Park) as you maintain brake application. Then press the shift lever button and move the shift lever into another gear. See Shifting Out of Park.

Notice: Shifting to R (Reverse) while the vehicle is moving forward could damage the transmission. The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only after the vehicle is stopped.

R (Reverse):  Use this gear to back up. At low vehicle speeds, R (Reverse) can be used to rock the vehicle back and forth to get out of snow, ice, or sand without damaging your transmission. See If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow for additional information.

N (Neutral): In this position, the engine does not connect with the wheels. To restart when the vehicle is already moving, use N (Neutral) only. You can also use N (Neutral) when the vehicle is being towed.

Caution: Shifting into a drive gear while the engine is running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your foot is firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or objects. Do not shift into a drive gear while the engine is running at high speed.

Notice: Shifting out of P (Park) or N (Neutral) with the engine running at high speed may damage the transmission. The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Be sure the engine is not running at high speed when shifting the vehicle.

D (Drive): This position is for normal driving. It provides the best fuel economy. If you need more power for passing, and you are:

Downshifting the transmission in slippery road conditions could result in skidding, see Skidding under Loss of Control

While in D (Drive), the CTS-V vehicle's first forward gear automatic shift after starting the vehicle will be from 1 (First). Afterwards, the CTS-V vehicles will always start in 2 (Second) gear. While in M  (Manual Mode), for increased performance, the vehicle will start in 1 (First) gear.

M (Manual Mode): This position allows the driver to select the range of gears appropriate for current driving conditions. If the vehicle has this feature, 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.

Driver Shift Control (DSC)

Notice: If you drive the vehicle at high RPMs without upshifting while using Driver Shift Control (DSC), you could damage the vehicle. Always upshift when necessary while using DSC.

Driver Shift Control (DSC) allows you to shift an automatic transmission similar to a manual transmission. To use the DSC feature:

1. Move the shift lever to the right from D (Drive) to M (Manual Mode).

Once in M (Manual Mode), if you do not move the shift lever forward or rearward, the vehicle will be in sport mode. When you are in sport mode the vehicle will still shift automatically. 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. The vehicle will remain in sport mode if the shift lever is not moved. Sport mode will shift automatically but remain in a gear longer then it would in normal driving mode based on braking and acceleration.

2. Press the shift lever forward to upshift or rearward to downshift.

The tachometer display on the instrument panel cluster will show which gear the vehicle is in. The number indicates the requested gear range when moving the shift lever forward or rearward. See Speedometer and Odometer for more information on the odometer.

CTS-V vehicles use tracer lights around the outside of the tachometer as a performance up-shift light. These tracers flash to indicate when to shift to the next higher gear to avoid the engine speed limit. See Tachometerfor more information.

While using the DSC feature, the vehicle will have firmer, quicker shifting. You can use this for sport driving or when climbing or descending hills, to stay in gear longer, or to down shift for more power or engine braking.

The transmission will only allow you to shift into gears appropriate for the vehicle speed and engine Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). The transmission will not automatically shift to the next lower gear if the engine RPM is too high, nor to the next higher gear when the maximum engine RPM is reached.

If shifting is prevented for any reason, the currently selected gear will flash multiple times, indicating that the transmission has not shifted gears.

While in the DSC mode, the CTS automatic transmission will automatically downshift when the vehicle comes to a stop. This will allow for more power during take-off.

The CTS-V automatic transmission will not automatically downshift on hard acceleration when in DSC mode.

When accelerating your vehicle from a stop in snowy and icy conditions, you may want to shift into second gear. A higher gear ratio allows you to gain more traction on slippery surfaces.

Tap Shift

To use Tap Shift, the shift lever must be in Manual Mode. Vehicles with this feature have switches on the back of the steering wheel. Tap the left switch to downshift, and the right switch to upshift.

The tachometer display on the instrument panel cluster will show which gear the vehicle is in and a number indicating the requested gear range when moving the shift lever forward or rearward. See Speedometer and Odometer for more information on the odometer.

CTS-V vehicles use tracer lights around the outside of the tachometer as a performance up-shift light. These tracers flash to indicate when to shift to the next higher gear to avoid the engine speed limit. See Tachometerfor more information.

While using the Tap Shift feature, the vehicle will have firmer, quicker shifting for increased performance. You can use this for sport driving or when climbing or descending hills, to stay in gear longer, or to down shift for more power or engine braking.

The transmission will only allow you to shift into gears appropriate for the vehicle speed and engine Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). The transmission will not automatically shift to the next lower gear if the engine RPM is too high, nor to the next higher gear when the maximum engine RPM is reached.

If shifting is prevented for any reason, the currently selected gear will flash multiple times, indicating that the transmission has not shifted gears.

While in the Tap Shift mode, the transmission will not automatically downshift on hard acceleration.

When accelerating your vehicle from a stop in snowy and icy conditions, you may want to shift into second gear. A higher gear ratio allows you to gain more traction on slippery surfaces.