A controller for a motor vehicle (1) has an internal combustion engine (3), a transmission (4), and a cooling device (5) with a coolant (5b) for cooling the internal combustion engine (3), wherein the controller (2) is configured to determine a target minimum rotational speed for the internal combustion engine (3) on the basis of the temperature of the internal combustion engine (3) and/or the temperature of the coolant (5b) and to determine a target gear setting on the basis of the target minimum rotational speed.