2000 MITSUBISHI CARISMA sport mode

Starting and driving
Running-in recommendations 5–2. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel selection 5–3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Filling the fuel tank 5–3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Catalytic converter 5–5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Economical driving 5–6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tr ailer towing 5–7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ignition switch 5–9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting 5–12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manual transmission 5–14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission INVECS–II 4A/T,
Sports Mode 4A/T
(Intelligent & Innovative Vehicle Electronic
Control System II) 5–16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operation of the automatic transmission
INVECS-II 5–23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake 5–25. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking 5–26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Braking 5–27. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Anti–lock brake system (ABS)* 5–28. . . . . . . . . . . .
Steering wheel height adjustment 5–30. . . . . . . . . .
Power steering system 5–31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inside rear-view mirror 5–31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outside rear-view mirror 5–31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manual remote-controlled outside rear-view
mirrors* 5–32. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Electric remote–controlled outside
rear–view mirrors* 5–32. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Traction control (TCL)* 5–34. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auto–speed (cruise) control* 5–36. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–2
Running-in
recommendations
EA01AMKi
During the running-in period for the first
1,000 km, it is advisable to drive your new
vehicle using the following precautions as a
guideline to aid long life as well as future
economy and performance.
(1) Do not race the engine at high speeds.
(2) Avoid rapid starting, accelerating, brak-
ing and prolonged high-speed running.
(3) Keep to the running-in speed limit
shown below.
Please note that the legal speed limits
displayed must be adhered to.
(4) Do not exceed loading limits.
(5) Refrain from towing a trailer.
Ve h i c les with manual transmissionkm/h
Speed limit
DrivePetrol-powered vehicleDiesel-range
130016001800
(GDI)powered
vehicle
1st25353025
2nd50606045
3rd80909070
4th105120120100
5th130150155135
Vehicles with automatic trans-
mission INVECS-II 4A/T
km/h
Drive rangeSpeed limitDrive range1600
“L” (LOW)30
“2” (SECOND)70
“3” (THIRD)105
“D” (DRIVE)120
Ve h i c les with automatic trans-
mission INVECS-II
Sport Mode 4A/T
km/h
Drive rangeSpeed limit
1st30
2nd80
3rd120
4th130

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–9
(6) The heavier weight and higher rolling
and air resistance will increase fuel con-
sumption.
Additional precautions for vehicles
equipped with an automatic
transmission
The “2” position (INVECS–II 4A/T) or 2nd
gear (INVECS–II Sport Mode 4A/T) is re-
commended on slopes or at low speed. Use
the “L” position (INVECS–II 4A/T) or 1st gear
(INVECS–II Sport Mode 4A/T) in mountain-
ous areas in order to make better use of en-
gine braking and to assist the brake system.
However, be sure that the speed does not
exceed the maximum speed limit for the se-
lected gear.
For maximum speed of the vehicles
equipped with INVECS–II 4A/T, refer to the
description of the “Possible driving speed”
on page 5–24.Vehicles with automatic transmission
I21A070a
Ignition switchEI21AAGe
1-The engine is stopped, and the steer-
ing wheel is locked. The key can only
be inserted and removed only when
the switch is in this position.
2-The engine is stopped, but the radio,
cigarette lighter and other electrical
devices can be operated.
3-The engine is running and all the ve-
hicle’s electrical devices can be oper-
ated.
4-The starter motor operates. After the
engine has started, release the key
and it will automatically return to the
“ON” position.
Vehicles with manual transmission
I21A031a

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–16
Changing gearsEI03CMKg
Always use care to change the gear with the
vehicle speed matched to the engine speed.
Proper shifting will improve fuel economy
and prolong engine life.
Avoid shifting down at high speed, as this
may cause excessive engine speed (on ve-
hicles with a tachometer, the tachometer
needle into the red zone) and damage the
engine.
Economical driving speedThe following shift points are recommended
to assist fuel economy. The driver may vary
these points to suit driving conditions and
load.
km/h
Petrol-powered
vehiclesDiesel-powered
vehicles
Drive
range
130016001800
(GDI)
Medium
perfor-
mance
engineHigh
perfor-
mance
engine
1st to 2nd3035252520
2nd to
3rd5065505035
3rd to 4th8090808060
4th to 5th11 012510511 085
Possible driving speedkm/h
DrivePetrol-powered vehiclesDiesel-Driverange130016001800
(GDI)powered
vehicles
1st40505035
2nd75959070
3rd12013514011 0
4th160185185150
5th gear is an overdrive ratio and its use re-
duces engine speed below that of the 4th
gear. Use 5th gear whenever vehicle speed
allows, for maximum fuel economy.
Automatic transmission
INVECS–II 4A/T, Sports Mode
4A/T
(Intelligent & Innovative
Vehicle Electronic Control
System II)
EI04AXV
Designed for optimum control and equipped
with adaptive control capabilities, the elec-
tronically controlled transmission optimally
matches gear shifts to almost all driving and
road conditions.
CAUTION
This system is strictly intended to
provide supplementary functions.
When travelling downhill under cer-
tain conditions or immediately after
starting off when the automatic trans-
mission is cold, no automatic shift-
down may be made. The driver should
shiftdown to a lower gear to use en-
gine braking. Try to drive safely at all
time.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–17
NOTE
During running–in period or immediately
after reconnection of the battery cable, there
may be a case where gearshifts are not
made smoothly. This does not indicate a
faulty transmission.
Gearshifts will become smooth after the
transmission has been shifted several times
by the electronic control system.
I04A235a
Selector lever operation
Except for vehicles with Sports modeThe transmission has 4 forward gears and 1
reverse gear.
The individual gears are selected automati-
cally, depending on the position of the gear
selector lever, the speed of the vehicle and
the position of the accelerator pedal.
The selector lever has 7 positions, and is
equipped with a lock button (A) to avoid inad-
vertent selection of the wrong gear.
Button must be pushed and brake
pedal must be depressed to move
the lever
Button must be pushed to move the
lever.
Button need not be pushed to move
the lever.
I04B008a
Vehicles with Sports modeThe transmission has 4 forward gears and 1
reverse gear.
The individual gears are selected automati-
cally, depending on the position of the gear
selector lever, the speed of the vehicle and
the position of the accelerator pedal.
The selector lever has 2 gates; the main gate
(1) and the manual gate (2).
NOTE
For information on manual gate operation,
please refer to “Sports mode (Vehicles with
Sports mode)” on page 5–22.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–19
Except for vehicles with Sports mode
I04A229a
Indicator lamps
A- Selector lever position indicator lamp
B- “N” indicator lamp
The indication lamps in the instrument panel
are for indication the selector lever position
and one of them will be illuminated when the
ignition is switched “ON”.
I04A257a
Vehicles with Sports mode
CAUTION
If the “N” (NEUTRAL) indicator lamp
in the selector lever position indicator
flashes while you are driving, there
could be a malfunction in the auto-
matic transmission. (If the selected
lever position is in the “P” (PARK),
“R” (REVERSE) or “N” (NEUTRAL)
position, the indicator lamp does not
flash.) Identify and rectify the problem
in accordance with the following pro-
cedure.
CAUTION
[The “N” indicator lamp flashes rapid-
ly (twice per second)]
The automatic transmission fluid is
overheating.
Park your vehicle in a safe place but
do not turn off the engine. Move the
selector lever to the “P” (PARK) posi-
tion and open the bonnet. Keep the
engine idling.
After a while, move the selector to the
“D” position and confirm that the “N”
indicator lamp stops flashing. It is safe
to continue driving if the “N” indicator
lamp no longer flashes.
Be sure to carry out this check with
the selector lever in the all forward
position except for “P” (PARK), “R”
(REVERSE) or “N” (NEUTRAL). The
“N” indicator lamp warning function
operates only in these positions.
If the “N” indicator lamp continues
flashing or flashes intermittently,
have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized MITSUBISHI dealer.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–21
3 - THIRD/2 - SECOND
(Except for vehicles with Sports
mode)
This position is for extra power when driving
up moderately steep hills, and for engine
braking when descending moderately steep
gradients.
L - LOW
(Except for vehicles with Sports
mode)
This position is for driving up very steep hills
and for engine braking at low speeds when
descending steep gradients.
WARNING
This position can be used for maxi-
mum engine braking.
Be very careful not to shift into “L”
suddenly. Sudden engine braking
may cause the tyres to skid.
Select this position according to the
road conditions and vehicle speed.
I04J053a
A/T mode changeover switch
(Except for vehicles with Sports
mode)
EI04JADa
Two drive modes, “AUTO” and “HOLD”, can
be selected.
Each time you press the switch, the “AUTO”
and “HOLD” modes will switch alternately.
When the “HOLD” mode is selected, the
“HOLD” indicator illuminates on the instru-
ment panel.
AUTOSelect this position for normal driving.
In this position, your vehicle runs with econ-
omical fuel consumption when the acceler-
ator pedal is depressed moderately, and
runs powerfully when the pedal is depressed
heavily.
I04J020a
HOLDSelect the “HOLD” mode when starting your
vehicle on a slippery road surface for
example snow, and the vehicle will start
smoothly.
If you start your vehicle with the selector
lever in other than the “L” position, the ve-
hicle starts in 2nd gear.
When the vehicle speed reaches between
20 to 50 km/h, the gear is fixed in the highest
gear of the selected lever position.
(For example, if you select “D” position, the
vehicle starts in 2nd gear. As the vehicle
speed increases, the gear is shifted up and
when the vehicle speed exceeds approxi-
mately 50 km/h, the gear enters the 4th and
held in the 4th.) Therefore, you can drive like
driving the vehicle with manual transmission
by fully using the selector lever positions.
In the “HOLD” mode, depressing the accel-
erator pedal fully also causes the kick-down
operation.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–22
I04S040a
Sports mode
(Vehicles with Sports mode)
EI04S-Oa
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in mo-
tion, sports mode is selected by pushing the
selector lever from the “D” (DRIVE) position
into the manual gate (A). To return to “D”
range operation, push the selector lever
back into the main gate (B).
In sports mode, gear shifts can be made
rapidly simply by moving the selector lever
backwards and forwards. In contrast to a
manual transmission, the sports mode al-
lows gear shifts with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
+ (UP): Push the lever forward once to shift
up one gear.
– (DOWN): Pull the lever backwards once to
shift down one gear.
CAUTION
(1) Upward shifts do not take place
automatically in sports mode.
The driver must execute upward
shifts in accordance with prevail-
ing road conditions, taking care
to keep the engine speed below
the red zone.
(2) By rapidly moving the selector
lever backwards (DOWN) twice, it
is possible to skip one gear, i.e.,
3rd to 1st or 4th to 2nd. Since
sudden engine braking and/or
rapid accelera-tion can cause a
loss of traction, however, down-
shifts must be made carefully in
accordance with the vehicle’s
speed.
NOTE
(1) In sports mode, only the 4 forward gears
can be selected. To reverse or park the
vehicle, move the selector lever to the
“R” (REVERSE) or “P” (PARK) position
as required.
(2) To maintain the required levels of ve-
hicle performance and safety, the sys-
tem may not execute certain gear shifts
when the selector lever is operated,
such as 4th gear at low speed.
(3) In sports mode, downward shifts are
made automatically when the vehicle
slows down. When the vehicle stops,
1st gear is automatically selected.
(4) When driving away on a slippery road,
push the selector lever forward into the
+(UP) position. This causes the trans-
mission to shift into the 2nd gear which
is better for smooth driving away on a
slippery road. Push the selector lever to
the – (DOWN) side to shift back to the
1st gear.
(5) Move the selector lever gently between
the manual and main gates and be-
tween positions in the manual gate.
Undue force could damage the selector
lever.