Embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for a motor vehicle, the system being operable in an automatic mode selection condition in which the system is configured to select automatically an appropriate system operating mode from a plurality of operating modes whereby the system assumes operation in said system operating mode, the system being further operable to activate an automatic progress control function in which a speed of the vehicle over terrain is controlled automatically by the system, wherein when the system is in the automatic mode selection condition the system is configured to allow the automatic progress control function to be activated only when the system is operating in one of a subset of one or more system operating modes.