2003 SUBARU IMPREZA Owners Manual

Interior equipment
6-14
Coat hook
The coat hook is attached to the rear left passen-
ger’s hand grip.
CAUTION
Never hang anything on the coat hook that might obstruct the driver ’s view or that could
cause injury in sudden stops or in a collision.And do not hang items on the coat hook thatweigh 2.2 lbs (1 kg) or more. Cargo area cover (if equipped)
The cargo area cover is provided for covering the
cargo area and to protect its contents from direct
sunlight. This cover is detachable to make room for
additional cargo.
Using the cover
To extend the cover, pull the end of the cover out of
the housing, then insert its hooks into the catches as
shown. To rewind it, unhook it from the catches and
it will rewind automatically. You should hold on to the cover and guide it back into the cover housing while

Interior equipment
6-15
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it is rewinding.
WARNING
Do not place anything on the extended cover. Putting excessive weight on the extended
cover can break it and an object on the covercould tumble forward in the event of a sudden
stop or collision. This could cause serious
injury.
To remove the cover
1. Rewind the cover.
2. Pull either sleeve on the end of the cover housing
to shorten the cover ’s length.
3. Take it off the retainer.
4. Store the cover housing under the luggage floor.

Interior equipment
6-16
To install the cover housing
1. Pull either sleeve on the end of the cover housing
to shorten the cover ’s length.
2. Insert the projections located on the both ends of
the sleeve into the recesses of the retainers. Cargo tie-down hooks (if equipped)
The cargo area is equipped with four tie-down
hooks so that cargo can be secured with a cargo
net or ropes.
When using the tie-down hooks, turn them down out
of the storing recesses. When not in use, put the
hooks up into the storing recesses.

Interior equipment
6-17
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CAUTION
The cargo tie-down hooks are designed only for securing light cargo. Never try to secure
cargo that exceeds the capacity of the hooks. The maximum load capacity is 44 lbs (20 kg)per an hook. Under-floor storage compartment (if equipped)
The storage compartment is located under the floor
of the cargo area and can be used to store small
items. To open the lid, pull the tab up.
Hang the hook provided on the under side of the lid
on the rear edge of the roof to keep the lid open. NOTE When storing a flat tire, put the storage tray in the cargo area.

Interior equipment
6-18
CAUTION
Always keep the lids closed while driving to
reduce the risk of injury in the event of sud- den stop or an accident. Do not store spray cans, containers with
flammable or corrosive liquids or any otherdangerous items in the storage compartment.

7
7-1
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Fuel 7-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel requirements 7-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel filler lid and cap 7-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
State emission testing (U.S. only) 7-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preparing to drive 7-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting the engine 7-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manual transmission vehicle 7-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission vehicle 7-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting the engine during cold weather
below –4 °F ( –20 °C) 7-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting a flooded engine 7-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stopping the engine 7-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manual transmission 7-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shifting speeds 7-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving tips 7-13
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Automatic transmission 7-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selector lever for automatic transmission 7-15 . . . .
Shift lock release 7-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear viscous limited slip differential
(LSD) (WRX) 7-21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Power steering 7-21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Braking 7-22
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Braking tips 7-22
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Brake system 7-22
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Disc brake pad wear warning indicators 7-23 . . . . . .
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) 7-23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABS system self-check 7-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABS warning light 7-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parking your vehicle 7-26
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake 7-26
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Parking tips 7-26
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Cruise control (if equipped) 7-28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To set cruise control 7-29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To temporarily cancel the cruise control 7-30 . . . . . .
To turn off the cruise control 7-30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
To change the cruising speed 7-30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Starting and operating

Starting and operating
7-2
Fuel
CAUTION
Use of a fuel which is low in quality or use of an inappropriate fuel additive may cause en- gine damage.
Fuel requirements
2.5 Liter models
The 2.5 Liter engine is designed to operate using
unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 AKI or
higher.
2.0 Liter (turbo) models
The 2.0 Liter turbo engine is designed to operate
using premium unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating of 91 AKI or higher. If premium unleaded gas-
oline is not available, regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 AKI or higher may be tempo-
rarily used. For optimum engine performance and
driveability, it is recommended that you use pre-
mium grade unleaded gasoline.
Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the ResearchOctane and Motor Octane numbers and is com-
monly referred to as the Anti Knock Index (AKI).Using a gasoline with a lower octane rating cancause persistent and heavy knocking, which can
damage the engine. Do not be concerned if your
vehicle sometimes knocks lightly when you drive up a hill or when you accelerate. See your dealer or a
qualified service technician if you use a fuel with thespecified octane rating and your vehicle knocks
heavily or persistently.
Unleaded gasoline
The neck of the fuel filler pipe is designed to acceptonly an unleaded gasoline filler nozzle. Under no
circumstances should leaded gasoline be used be-
cause it will damage the emission control system
and may impair driveability and fuel economy.
Gasoline for California-certified LEV
Your vehicle was certified to California ’s low emis-
sion vehicle (LEV) standards as indicated on the
underhood tune-up label. It is designed to optimize
engine and emission performance with gasoline that
meets the clean burning low-sulfur California gaso-
line specifications. If you live in any other state than
California, your vehicle will operate on gasoline

Starting and operating
7-3
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meeting Federal specifications. Gasoline sold out-
side California is permitted to have higher sulfur lev-
els, which may affect the performance of your ve-
hicle’s catalytic converter and may produce a sulfur
exhaust odor or smell. SUBARU recommends that
you try a different brand of unleaded gasoline hav-
ing lower sulfur to determine if the problem is fuel
related before returning your vehicle to an autho-rized dealer for service.
Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will
help prevent deposits from forming in your engine
and fuel system. This helps keep your engine in
tune and your emission control system working
properly, and is a way of doing your part for cleaner
air. If you continuously use a high quality fuel with
the proper detergent and other additives, youshould never need to add any fuel system cleaning agents to your fuel tank.
Many gasolines are now blended with materials
called oxygenates. Use of these fuels can also help
keep the air cleaner. Oxygenated blend fuels, such
as MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol
(ethyl or grain alcohol) may be used in your vehicle,
but should contain no more than 15% MTBE or 10%
ethanol for the proper operation of your SUBARU. In addition, some gasoline suppliers are now pro-
ducing reformulated gasolines, which are designed
to reduce vehicle emissions. SUBARU approves the
use of reformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains, you should
ask your service station operators if their gasolines
contain detergents and oxygenates and if they have
been reformulated to reduce vehicle emissions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels suited for
your vehicle as explained below.
Fuel should be unleaded and have an octane rat-
ing no lower than that specified in this manual. Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is sometimes
mixed with unleaded gasoline. Methanol can beused in your vehicle ONLY if it does not exceed 5%
of the fuel mixture AND if it is accompanied by suffi-
cient quantities of the proper cosolvents and corro-
sion inhibitors required to prevent damage to the
fuel system. Do not use fuel containing methanolEXCEPT under these conditions.
If undesirable driveability problems are experi-
enced and you suspect they may be fuel related, try
a different brand of gasoline before seeking service
at your SUBARU dealer. Fuel system damage or driveability problems
which result from the use of improper fuel are not