Hammer down and mash your motor - pedal to the metal - Get used to using ALL the gears, constantly shifting to keep first 3 gears at least *close* to peak performance in upper rpm range. And get used to the engine racket, it wont explode.

Those hash marks are NOT redlines. You can grab gears easily 5 mph beyond the shift points without over-revving the engine.

And the 240D performs best if you drop gears no further than 10 mph below shiftpoints..... ie. 4th gear is useless at/below 45 mph. In fact 4th sucks at 55mph when you need high torque for climbing hills or racing around on windey roads. Aint nothin wrong with keeping engine rpm at 55mph in 3rd gear all day long.

Whats killing you on Utah hills is you are probably lugging the engine at low rpm's.

Advice for Utah/Alaska..... bring cartons of cigarettes even if you dont smoke; credit cards and bank debit cards usually offer better currency exchange than what you otherwise get; and less than an ounce of marijuanna is legal in Alaska; at Canada you can get some dynamite hash, openly smoked at nightclubs and saloons - but forget about cossing the border with it.