And, in principle, this basic knowledge could be limited. But the person is curious and therefore asks the question: why else is the letter S, and sometimes W, next to it? The double key is familiar, first of all, from Mercedes-Benz cars since the seventies of the last century. So the Germans proposed to distinguish between the S-standard and special winter transmission modes. In the latter case, the steps are switched at lower engine speeds, and when starting, the second or third gear is engaged immediately.
Science is small, but the trouble is: car manufacturers did not bother to introduce a single standard for function designation. Thank you, even though the pedals are the same for all cars. It is not surprising that the letter S has become associated with the word Sport. For example, on a SAAB, such a button on the selector knob just … turns off the standard mode, turning the car into a sports one! In this case, during acceleration, switching up is delayed “to the last”, the motor is unscrewed to rpm of maximum power, which allows “starting” to go into the gap. Needless to say, in winter this setting is completely unsuitable, unless you train on a frozen lake in extreme driving. For winter, SAABs have a separate mode - it is indicated by the familiar letter W.
