When to Use the S and L Gears in Honda CR-V?
3 Answers
S gear is the sport mode, used when overtaking. L gear is the low gear, used when climbing slopes or descending on snowy or icy roads. The following is an introduction to the automatic transmission gears of the Honda CR-V: 1. P: Parking gear, starting gear. When the car is parked and not in use, the gear is in this position, and the wheels are mechanically locked to prevent rolling. 2. R: Reverse gear. As the name suggests, this gear is used when reversing. 3. N: Neutral gear. This gear is used when temporarily stopping the car. 4. D: Drive gear, manual mode. In this gear, the transmission will automatically switch between 1st and 5th gears based on speed and throttle conditions. 5. S: Sport mode. When this gear is engaged, the gears can be freely switched, but the shift timing is delayed, keeping the engine at high RPM for a period to increase the car's power. However, this gear will result in higher fuel consumption. 6. L: Low gear. The transmission will stay in 1st gear without shifting up, which can be used in situations like slopes, and it also provides some braking function when descending.
I've been driving this CR-V for three years, and I use the S mode most often when overtaking on highways. Normally, driving in D mode feels a bit sluggish, but when climbing hills or needing to quickly pass a truck, switching to S mode makes an immediate difference—the tachometer jumps up, the engine sound becomes noticeably deeper, and you can clearly feel the stronger acceleration. I remember once overtaking on a mountain road curve; S mode helped me instantly create distance, completing the pass half a second faster than expected. As for L mode, it truly proved its worth on the winding roads of Zhangjiajie. During a continuous 3 km downhill stretch, I shifted to L mode and released the throttle, and the speed was firmly locked at around 40 km/h without needing to brake at all. On the return trip, encountering muddy roads during heavy rain, starting in L mode was also much more stable than in D mode, with no tire slippage. These two modes are hardly useful in the city, but in special road conditions, they really are a safety net for driving.
Driving the CR-V on the Sichuan-Tibet line really made me appreciate the usefulness of the S and L gears. When crossing a 4,000-meter-high mountain pass, the power noticeably dropped, but shifting to S gear and revving the engine up to 4,500 RPM allowed me to climb despite the altitude sickness. The L gear became a lifesaver on the 72 Hairpin Turns of the Nujiang River: I used L gear for the entire 20-minute downhill stretch, relying on the engine braking effect to control speed—even the brake discs were only slightly warm to the touch. I also use L gear for steep garage ramps in the city, especially on rainy days when tires need better grip. Recently, I discovered a lesser-known trick: using L gear for precise creeping speed control when parking is more accurate than D gear. Once, I accidentally bumped into S gear in traffic, and the sudden lurch forward gave me a scare. Avoid using L gear for highway cruising, though—it revs too high, harming the engine and wasting fuel.
