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STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition to STOP while the engine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you should allow
the engine to “catch its breath” before turning it off by
letting it idle to allow the temperature in the engine
compartment to fall.PARKING
Proceed as follows:
❒stop the engine and engage the handbrake;
❒engage a gear (first if the car is faced uphill or
reverse if it is faced downhill) and leave the wheels
steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone if the car is
parked on a steep slope.
Do not leave the ignition key at MAR to prevent
draining the battery. Always remove the key when you
leave the car.
Never leave children unattended in the car. Always
remove the ignition key when leaving the car and take
it out with you.
A quick burst on the accelerator before turning off the engine does not serve any practical purpose at
all. It wastes fuel and is damaging, particularly to turbo-charged engines.
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HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is located on the left of the front seat.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards until the car cannot be moved. Four or
five clicks are generally enough when the car is on level ground while
nine or ten may be required if the car is on a steep slope or laden.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, contact Fiat Dealership to have the
handbrake adjusted.
When the handbrake lever is pulled up and the ignition key is at MAR the
instrument panel warning light
xwill come on.
To release the handbrake:
❒Slightly lift the handbrake and press release button (A).
❒Keep button pressed in and lower the lever. Warning light
xwill go
out.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out this operation to prevent the
car from moving accidentally.
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USING THE MANUAL GEARBOX
To engage gears, press down the clutch and shift the gear lever into one
of the positions shown (the diagram is also shown on the gear lever
knob).
To engage reverse (R), wait until the car has stopped and, from neutral
move the gear lever to the right and back.
IMPORTANT The car can only be put into reverse gear when it has
stopped moving completely. With the engine running, before engaging the
reverse, wait at least 2 seconds with the clutch pedal fully down to
prevent damaging and grating the gears.
P0E0243m
Do not drive with your hand resting on the gear lever as the force exerted, even if slight, could lead
over time to premature wear on the gearbox internal components.
To change gears properly you must push the clutch pedal fully down. It is therefore
essential that there is nothing under the pedals: make sure mats are lying flat and
do not get in the way of the pedals.WARNING
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CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS
Here are some suggestions which may help you to
keep the running costs of your car down and lower
the amount of toxic emissions released into the
atmosphere.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Have checks and adjustments carried out in
accordance with the “Service schedule”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routinely at an
interval of no more than 4 weeks: if the pressure is
too low, consumption levels increase as resistance to
rolling is higher.
Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with too much luggage stowed in the
boot. The weight of the car (especially when driving in
town) and its trim greatly affects consumption and
stability.Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack from the roof as
soon as they are no longer used. These accessories
lower air penetration and adversely affect
consumption levels. When needing to carry
particularly voluminous objects, preferably use a
trailer.
Electric devices
Use electric devices only for the amount of time
needed. Rear heated window, additional headlights,
windscreen wipers and heater fan need a considerable
amount of energy, therefore increasing the
requirement of current increases fuel consumption (up
to +25% in the urban cycle).
Climate control
The air conditioner is an additional load which greatly
affects the engine leading to higher consumption (on
average up to +20%). When the temperature outside
the vehicle permits it, use the air vents where possible.
Aerodynamic accessories
The use of non-certified aerodynamic items may
adversely affect air drag and consumption levels.
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DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car at a standstill or
at idle or high speed: under these conditions the
engine warms up much more slowly, increasing
electrical consumption and emissions. It is therefore
advisable to move off immediately, slowly, avoiding
high speeds. This way the engine will warm faster.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traffic lights or
before switching off the engine. This and also double
declutching is absolutely pointless on modern cars and
also increase consumption and pollution.
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic and road allow,
use a higher gear. Using a low gear to obtain brilliant
performance increases consumption.
In the same way improper use of a high gear increases
consumption, emissions an engine wear.
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increases with speed.
Keep speed as constant as possible and avoid
superfluous braking and accelerating, which cost in
terms of both fuel and emissions.Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the revs will greatly
affect consumption and emissions: acceleration should
be gradual and should not exceed the maximum
torque.
CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts do not allow
the engine to reach optimum operating temperature.
This results in a significant increase in consumption
levels (from +15 to +30% on the urban cycle) and
emission of harmful substances.
Traffic situations and road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied to situations
with heavy traffic, for example in queues with frequent
use of the lower gears or in cities with many traffic
lights. Also winding mountain roads and rough road
surfaces adversely affect consumption.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (e.g. level crossings) the
engine should be switched off.
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TOWING TRAILERS
IMPORTANT NOTES
For towing caravans or trailers the car must be fitted
with a certified tow hook and an adequate electric
system. Installation should be carried out by
specialised personnel who release a special document
for circulation on the road.
Install any specific and/or additional rear-view mirrors
in accordance with the Highway Code.
Remember that when towing a trailer, steep hills are
harder to climb, the braking spaces increase and
overtaking takes longer depending on the overall
weight.Engage a low gear when driving downhill, rather than
constantly using the brake.
The weight the trailer exerts on the car tow hook
reduces by the same amount the actual vehicle loading
capacity.
To make sure the maximum towable weight is not
exceeded, account should be taken of the fully laden
trailer, including accessories and personal belongings.
Do not exceed the speed limits of the country you are
driving in. In any case do not exceed 100 km/h.
WARNINGThe ABS system with which the car may be fitted does not control the trailer
braking system.
Under no circumstances should the vehicle brake system be altered to control the
trailer brake. The trailer braking system must be fully independent of the vehicle’s
hydraulic system.WARNING
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INSTALLING THE TOW HOOK
The towing device should be fastened to the body by
specialised personnel according to any additional
and/or integrative information supplied by the
Manufacturer of the device.
Have installation carried out at Fiat Dealership.
The towing device must meet current regulations with
reference to 94/20/EC Directive and subsequent
amendments.
For any version the towing device used must match
the towable weight of the car on which it is to be
installed.
For the electric connection a unified connector should
be used which is generally placed on a special bracket
normally fastened to the towing device, and a special
ECU for external trailer light control shall be installed
on the car.
When fitting the trailer, parking sensors are
deactivated.For the electrical connection, a 7 pin 12VDC
connection is to be used (CUNA/UNI and ISO/DIN
Standards). Follow the instructions provided by the car
manufacturer and/or the tow hitch manufacturer.
An electric brake should be supplied directly by the
battery through a cable with a cross section of no less
than 2.5 mm
2.
IMPORTANT Electric brake or other device shall be
used with running engine.
In addition to the electrical branches, the car’s electric
system can only be connected to the supply cable for
an electric brake and to the cable for an internal light,
though not above 15W.
For connections, use the preset control unit with
battery cable no less than 2.5 mm
2.
The two hitches are shown on the following pages.
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F0E0192m
ASSEMBLY DIAGRAM
The tow hook structure must be fastened in the points
shown by the symbol (
Ø) using 6 M8 screws and 6
M10 screws.
Anchorage points 1 are to be fitted with spacers Ø 25
x 6 mm.
The internal plates 5 shall have a minimum thickness of
5 mm, the external plates 2, 3 and 4 shall have a
minimum thickness of 5 mm.
The person installing the tow hook must attach, at the
same height as the ball, a plate (well in sight) of
suitable size and material, on which is written:
MAXIMUM LOAD ON BALL: 70 kg.
After fitting, screw holes shall be sealed to prevent
exhaust gas inlet.
Rear wheel axle
loaded
Standard
ball
coupling