Vehicles With Sports Shift

The automatic transmission select lever can be moved to either of the 7 ranges (P, R, N, D, 3, 2, or 1) and also enables switching to sports shift mode (manual mode) by moving the lever laterally from the D range.
To transmit movements of the select lever to the transmission, a push-pull cable is used.
The select lever mechanism has a detent spring and a detent arm. It ensures more precise positioning of the select lever.
In the sports shift mode, the transmission upshifts when the selector lever is moved forward ("+" direction) and downshifts when the lever is moved rearward ("-" direction).

Fig 1: Identifying Select Lever (Vehicles With Sports Shift)
Courtesy of SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.