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Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in the “ON” or “ACC” position and
the selector lever pulled toward you).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is displayed on the in-
strument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and
key removal
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while pulling the selector lever
toward you. (The ignition switch
must be in “ON” or “ACC” position.)
Shift while pulling the
selector lever toward you.
Shift normally. Selector lever
Overdrive switch
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(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The “O/D OFF” indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The “O/D OFF” indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will be on automatically.When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be enabled
because the cruise control is not can-
celled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 159 in this
Section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 310 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
“P” or “N”.
When the front drive control lever is in
“L4” (low −speed position, four −wheel
drive), the driving pattern selector setting
has no effect on gear shift timing. (See
“Four −wheel drive system” on page 147 in
this Section for information of the front
drive control lever.)
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc. Always turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low or when
the front drive control lever is in “L4”
(low
−speed position, four −wheel drive), the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive on.
(See “Four −wheel drive system” on page
147 in this Section for information of the
front drive control lever.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
If the automatic locking operation linked to
shift lever position is set, all doors are
automatically locked when the shift lever
is moved out of “P” position after the
ignition switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion and all the doors are closed. For
details, see “—Automatic door locking and
unlocking functions” on page 16 in Section
1 −2.
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(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Push the overdrive switch. The “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.Tw o −wheel drive models
110 km/h (68 mph)
Four −wheel drive models
Front drive control lever in “H”
(2WD) or “H” (4WD) 110 km/h (68 mph)
Front drive control lever in “L4” 39 km/h (24 mph)
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.
Tw o −wheel drive models
55 km/h (34 mph)
Four −wheel drive models
Front drive control lever in “H”
(2WD) or “H” (4WD) 55 km/h (34 mph)
Front drive control lever in “L4” 10 km/h (5 mph)
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be enabled
because the cruise control is not can-
celled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 159 in this
Section.CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(e) Using the “2” and “L”, positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.