What does the M gear in a manual-automatic transmission mean?
1 Answers
M gear is the manual mode of a manual-automatic transmission. In this gear, shifting can be done like in manual transmission vehicles, with upshifting at high speeds and downshifting at low speeds. When using the manual shifting mode, you need to switch the gear lever to the M position. While driving, you can directly shift into the M gear. Shifting can be done by simply moving the gear lever, using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, or pressing the shift buttons. When climbing a long steep slope, the driver can switch to manual mode and engage the 1st gear. This keeps the vehicle in a low gear, preventing frequent gear changes, which makes climbing more powerful and also protects the transmission. When descending a long slope, the driver should also use manual mode to keep the transmission in a low gear, which helps control the speed without prolonged braking, avoiding overheating and reduced braking performance. Advantages of manual-automatic vehicles: Faster braking and stopping: When the vehicle is traveling at high speed and requires urgent braking, using manual downshifting can slow the vehicle down as quickly as possible. This is easier to master and operate in manual mode, allowing the vehicle to stop faster. Faster cornering: Normally, when taking a corner, the driver first applies the brakes to slow down before entering the corner, then accelerates when exiting. By switching to manual-automatic mode before entering the corner and downshifting to use engine braking to control speed, the driver can smoothly and safely exit the corner with just a light press of the accelerator. Faster overtaking: When overtaking, switching from D gear to manual mode and performing two consecutive downshifts increases the engine speed and torque. With a light press of the accelerator, the vehicle can overtake easily and quickly.