Needs to put shift on "R"? I never did this before.

 

Can you be more descriptive in what you are trying to accomplish?

 

The manual says if the car is downhill, you should put shift to 'R'? I never did this before.

 

So you are parking on a hill and wanting to know if you should leave the car in Reverse instead of Park. I would not do this - it is normally advised for manual transmissions as the reverse gear is the lowest ratio and this makes it harder for the car to roll if the parking brake fails. If I park on a steep hill I put the parking brake on first and then put the car in park so that the car does not put tension on the parking pawl in the transmission.

 

I think the manual is just clarifying that if the car is pointed downhill and you put the car in Reverse, the hill assist will function.

 

I too as well do that, put the car in "N" fully engage the E-Brake and let it catch the car, then shift to "P", then when I get back in the car I shift to "R" then disengage the E-Brake.