
11 8
Fuel gauge
15C004
The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of fuel remaining in the tank
when the ignition switch is on.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
If the fuel level approaches “E” or the low
fuel level warning light comes on, fill the
fuel tank as soon as possible.
On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the fuel gauge
needle may fluctuate or the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.If the fuel tank is completely empty, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact  your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
It is not a malfunction even if the needle
of the fuel gauge returns to “E” when the
ignition switch is turned to the “START”
position.The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle points to the red zone or
higher, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop
−and− go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
Engine coolant temperature
gauge  

136
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 “ON” position.
(a) Normal driving1. Start the engine as  instructed  in “How to  start  the engine”  on page 236. The
transmission must be in “P” or “N”.
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 use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. If  the engine
coolant temperature is low, the transmis-
sion will not  shift into the overdrive gear
even in the “D” position.
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.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking,  you  can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the “4” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to fourth gear
and engine braking will be enabled.
Shift into the “3” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to third gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than following speed for third
gear, and more powerful  engine braking
will be enabled. Four
–wheel drive control lever
  in “H” 124 km/h (77 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . 
Four
–wheel drive control lever
  in “L” 49 km/h (31 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . 
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than following speed for sec-
ond gear, and more powerful engine
braking will be enabled.
Four
–wheel drive control lever
  in “H”  83 km/h (52 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . 
Four
–wheel drive control lever
  in “L” 33 km/h (21 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . 
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than following speed for “L”
position and maximum engine braking
will be enabled.
Four
–wheel drive control lever
  in “H”  43 km/h (27 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . 
Four
–wheel drive control lever
  in “L”  17 km/h (11 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . 
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift from “D”  to “4”,
engine braking will not be enabled be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 142.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to skid or
spin. 

137
(c) Using “3”, “2” and “L” positions
The “3”, “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as  described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “3”, “2” or “L”,
you can start the vehicle in motion as
with the lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “3” and “2”, the
vehicle will start in first gear and automat-
ically shift to third or  second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.NOTICE
Be careful not to over-rev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
km/h (mph)
 Transmission  Transfer L H
4 67 (42) 165 (102) . . . . . . . 
3 48 (30) 118 (73) . . . . . . . 
2 33 (20)  81 (50) . . . . . . . 
L 19 (12)  47 (29) . . . . . . . 
 Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“3”, “2” or “L” position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-
sion damage from overheating. To
prevent such damage, “4” position
should be used in hill climbing or
hard towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving. 

138
(e) Parking1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake  lever up  fully  to securely apply  the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal  pressed down, shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
If the four–wheel drive control is in the
“N” position while the selector lever  is in
the “P” position, the transmission will
damage and the wheels will not lock.
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into “P” position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical damage
and loss of vehicle control may re-
sult.
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between fourth gear and ov-
erdrive gears when climbing a gentle
slope, shift the selector lever to the “4”
position. Be sure to shift the selector
lever to the “D” position immediately
afterward.
When towing a trailer, in order  to main-
tain engine braking efficiency,  do not
use overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on  the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal  or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.
(g) Driving in “PWR” (Power) mode
In the “PWR” mode, the transmission is
shifted up and down at a higher  vehicle
speed than in the Normal mode and a
more powerful acceleration is achieved. To
set the “PWR” mode, push in the driving
pattern selector button. The “PWR” mode
indicator light comes on.
For ordinary driving, Toyota recommends
using the Normal mode to improve fuel
economy.
(h) Driving in “2nd STRT” (second start) mode
In the “2nd STRT” (Second start) mode,
the transmission system shifts up from
second gear. Use this mode when starting
your vehicle in sand, mud, ice or snow.
To set the “2nd STRT” mode, push the
“2nd” button. In the “2nd STRT” mode, the
“2nd STRT” indicator light comes on.
The “PWR” mode is automatically can-
celled when you push the “2nd” button. 

230 Vehicle load limits include total load
capacity, seating capacity, towing ca-
pacity and cargo capacity. Follow the
load limits shown below.
Total load capacity: 
545 kg (1200 lb.)
Total load capacity means combined
weight of occupants, cargo and lug-
gage. Tongue load is included when
trailer towing.
Seating capacity: Total 8 (Front 2, Rear 6)
Seating capacity means the maximum
number of occupants whose esti-
mated average weight is 68 kg (150
lb.) per person. Depending on the
weight of each person, the seating ca-
pacity given may exceed the total
load capacity.
NOTICE
Even if the number of occupants
are within the seating capacity,
do not exceed the total load ca-
pacity.
Towing capacity: 2948 kg (6500 lb.)
Towing capacity means the maximum
gross trailer weight (trailer weight plus
its cargo weight) that your vehicle is
able to tow.
Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or de-
crease depending on the size (weight)
and the number of occupants. For de-
tails, see “Capacity and distribution”
that follows.
CAUTION
Do not apply the load more than
each load limit. That may cause
not only damage to the tires, but
also deterioration to the steering
ability and braking ability, which
may cause an accident.
When stowing cargo and luggage in
or on the vehicle, observe the follow-
ing:
 Put cargo and luggage in the lug-
gage compartment when at all
possible. Be sure all items are se-
cured in place.
 Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far
forward as possible helps maintain
the balance.
 For better fuel economy, do not
carry unneeded weight.
CAUTION
To prevent cargo and l uggage
from sliding forward during
braking, do not stack anything
in the luggage compartment
higher than the seatbacks.
 Do not place anything on the
flattened seat or it may slide
forward during braking.
Veh icle lo ad limit s Cargo and luggage—
—Stowage precautions 

2324. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example,
if the “XXX” am ount equals 1400
lbs. and there will be five 150 lb.
passengers in your vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400–750 (5x150)=650 lbs).
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not
safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity calcu-
lated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail- er, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your ve-
hicle.
For details about trailer towing, see
page 241.
Total load capacity Cargo
capacity
EXAMPLE ON YOUR VEHICLE
In case that 2 people with the com-
bined weight of 166 kg (366 lb.) are
riding in your vehicle with the total
load capacity of 545 kg (1200 lb.), the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity will be as follows:
545 kg – 166 kg = 379kg.
(1200 lb. – 366 lb. = 834 lb.)
From this condition, if 3 more passen-
gers with the combined weight of 176
kg (388 lb.) get on , the av ailable car-
go and luggage load will be reduced
as follows: 379 kg – 176 kg = 203 kg.
( 834 lb. – 388 lb. = 446 lb. )
As shown in the above example, if the
number of occupants increases, the
cargo and luggage load equaling the
combined weight of occupants who
got on later must be reduced. In other
words, if the incr
ease in the number
of occupants causes the excess of
the total load capacity (combined
weight of occupants plus cargo and
luggage load), you have to reduce the
cargo and luggage on your vehicle.
For details about total load capacity,
see “Vehicle load limits” on page 230. 

235
STARTING AND DRIVING
Before starting the engine236
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
How to start the engine 236
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . 
Tips for driving in various conditions 237
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Off −road driving precautions 238
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Winter driving tips 240
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . 
Dinghy towing 241
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . . 
Trailer towing 241
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . . 
How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer, too 249
. . . . . . . . . 
SECTION 3 

241
NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute as washer fluid be-
cause it may damage your vehicle’s
paint.
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
“P” and block the front wheels. Do not
use the parking brake, or snow or water
accumulated in and around  the parking
brake mechanism may freeze, making it
hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under  your fenders
can make steering difficult.  During bad
winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer-
gency equipment.
Some of the things you might put  in the
vehicle are tire chains, window scraper,
bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
Dinghy towing
30c001a
Your vehicle is not designed to be
dinghy towed (with four wheels on the
ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four
wheels on the ground. This may
cause serious damage to your vehicle.
Trailer towing
Your vehicle is designed primarily as a
passenger−and− load− carrying vehicle. Tow-
ing a trailer will have an adverse effect on
handling, performance, braking, durability
and driving economy (fuel consumption,
etc.). Your safety and satisfaction depend
on the proper use of  correct equipment
and cautious driving habits. For your safe-
ty and the safety of others, you must not
overload your vehicle or trailer. Ask your
local Toyota dealer  for further details be-
fore towing.
WEIGHT LIMITS
Before towing, make sure the total trail-
er weight, gross combination weight,
gross vehicle weight, gross axle weight
and trailer tongue load are all within
the limits.
The total trailer weight and tongue load
can be measured with platform scales
found at a highway weighing station, build-
ing supply company, trucking company,
junk yard, etc.