2003 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER Owners Manual

962003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
SD16023
“R” indicator blinking
At the same time when turning the igni-
tion switch to the “ON” position and
shifting the selector lever from the “R”
position to the “N” or “S” position.
At the same time when turning the igni-
tion switch to the “OFF” position and
shifting the selector lever from the “R”
to “N” position.
In this case, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position once, then shift the selector
lever again to the “N” position.
Manual transmission
SB16017c
The shift pattern is as shown above.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while
shifting, and then release it slowly. Do not
rest your foot on the pedal while driving,
because it will cause clutch trouble. And
do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle
when stopped on an uphill grade—use the
parking brake.
Recommended shifting speeds
The transmission is fully synchronized and
upshifting or downshifting is easy.
For the best compromise between fuel
economy and vehicle performance, you
should upshift or downshift at the following
speeds: gear
km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (15)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 40 (25)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64 (40) 4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72 (45)
Downshift to the appropriate gear if accel-
eration is needed when you are cruising
below the above downshifting speeds.
Upshifting too soon or downshifting too
late will cause lugging, and possibly ping-
ing. Regularly revving the engine to maxi-
mum speed in each gear will cause ex-
cessive engine wear and high fuel
consumption.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower
traffic, maximum acceleration may be nec-
essary. Make sure you observe the follow-
ing maximum allowable speeds in each
gear: gear km/h (mph)
1 53 (33)
2 88 (55)
3 120 (75)
4 163 (101)
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972003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going
faster than the maximum allowable
speed for the next lower gear.
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.
Parking brake
SB16008
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Pull up the lever. For better hold-
ing power, first depress the brake pedal
and hold it while setting the parking
brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly (1),
press the lock release button (2), and low-
er (3).
To remind you that the parking brake is
set, the parking brake reminder light in
the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off.
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982003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Cruise control
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of engine
performance, although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or
down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snowcovered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.
SB16010
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON
To operate the cruise control, press the
“CRUISE ONOFF” button. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the
instrument panel shows that you can now
set the vehicle at a desired cruising
speed. Another press will turn the system
completely off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the “CRUISE ON
OFF” switch off when not using the
cruise control.
SB16011
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
On vehicles with sequential manual trans-
mission, the gear position must be “5” or
“6” before you set the cruise control
speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the “SET/COAST”
direction and release it. This sets the ve-
hicle at that speed. If the speed is not
satisfactory, tap the lever up for a faster
speed, or tap it down for a slower speed.
Each tap changes the set speed by 1.6
km/h (1.0 mph). You can now take your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
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992003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
If you need acceleration—for example,
when passing—depress the accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the set speed. When you release it, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
CAUTION
While driving with the cruise control
on, do not shift to the “N” position,
as this may cause engine racing or
overrevving.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:a. Pulling the lever in the “CANCEL” direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Shifting upward or downward.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will auto-
matically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will also automatically cancel out. If the preset speed automatically cancels
out other than for the above cases, have
your vehicle checked by your Toyota deal-
er at the earliest opportunity.
RESETTING TO A FASTER SPEED
Push the lever up in the “RES/ACC” direc-
tion and hold it. Release the lever when
the desired speed is attained. While the
lever is held upward, the vehicle will grad-
ually gain speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to ac-
celerate the vehicle and then push the
lever down in the “SET/COAST” direction.
RESETTING TO A SLOWER SPEED
Push the lever down in the “SET/COAST”
direction and hold it. Release the lever
when the desired speed is attained. While
the lever is held down, the vehicle speed
will gradually decrease.
However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then push the
lever down in the “SET/COAST” direction.
RESUMING THE PRESET SPEED
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling
the control lever, by depressing the brake
pedal, or by shifting upward or downward
the selector lever, pushing the lever up in
the “RES/ACC” direction will restore the
speed set prior to cancellation.
However, once the vehicle speed falls be-
low about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset
speed will not be resumed.
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If the “CRUISE” indicator light in the
instrument cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, press the “CRUISE ON
OFF” button to turn the system off and
then press it again to turn it on.
If any of the following conditions then oc-
curs, there is some trouble in the cruise
control system.
The indicator light does not come on.
The indicator light flashes again.
The indicator light goes out after it
comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Toyota
dealer and have your vehicle inspected.
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1002003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
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1012003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Car audio system
Reference102
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Using your audio system 102
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Car audio system operating hints 109
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SECTION 1 8

1022003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
Reference
Z17041
AM·FM radio/cassette player/compact disc
player (with compact disc changer con-
troller)
This section describes some of the basic
features on Toyota audio systems. Some
information may not pertain to your sys-
tem.
Your audio system works when the ignition
key is in the “ACC” or “ON” position.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON AND OFF
Push “PWR·VOL” to turn the audio system
on and off.
Push “AM”, “FM”, “FM1”, “FM2”, “TAPE”,
“DISC” or “LOAD” to turn on that function
without pushing “PWR·VOL”. To turn on
the cassette or compact disc player, a
cassette or compact disc must be loaded
in the player.
You can turn on each player by inserting
a cassette tape or compact disc.
You can turn off each player by ejecting
the cassette tape or compact disc. If the
audio system was previously off, then the
entire audio system will be turned off
when you eject the cassette tape or com-
pact disc. If the another function was pre-
viously playing, it will come on again.
SWITCHING BETWEEN FUNCTIONS
Push “AM”, “FM”, “FM1”, “FM2”, “TAPE”,
“DISC” or “LOAD” if the system is already
on but you want to switch from one func-
tion to another.TONE AND BALANCE
For details about your system’s tone and
balance controls, see the description of
your own system.
Tone
How good an audio program sounds to
you is largely determined by the mix of
the treble, midrange and bass levels. In
fact, different kinds of music and vocal
programs usually sound better with differ-
ent mixes of treble, midrange and bass.
Balance
A good balance of the left and right stereo
channels and of the front and rear sound
levels is also important.
Keep in mind that if you are listening to
a stereo recording or broadcast, changing
the right/left balance will increase the vol-
ume of one group of sounds while de-
creasing the volume of another.
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Using your audio system—
—Some basics

1032003 MR2 from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM17511U)
YOUR RADIO ANTENNA
To lower the power antenna, turn off the
audio system by pushing “PWR·VOL”, or
turn the ignition key to “LOCK”.
YOUR CASSETTE PLAYER
When you insert a cassette, the exposed
tape should face to the right.
NOTICE
Do not oil any part of the player and
do not insert anything other than cas-
sette tapes into the slot, or the tape
player may be damaged.
YOUR COMPACT DISC PLAYER
When you insert a disc, gently push it in
with the label side up. (The player will
automatically eject a disc if the label side
is down.) The player will play from track
1 through the end of the disc. Then it will
play from track 1 again. On models with
the compact disc changer, next disc will
be played from track 1.
NOTICE
Never try to disassemble or oil any
part of the compact disc player. Do
not insert anything other than com-
pact discs into the slot.
The player is intended for use with 12 cm
(4.7 in.) discs only.
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