Lights and Visibility51
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Visibility
Rear window heater
– Press switch ⇒fig. 42 to switch on the rear window heater.
The rear window heater only operates when the engine is running. An indicator light in the switch is illuminated when the rear window heater is switched on.
The rear window heater switches off automatically after 20 minutes. If you press the switch once again, the rear window heater is switched on permanently - the automatic deactivation is thus deactivated.
For the sake of the environment
You should switch off the rear window heater as soon as the rear window is clear. The reduced current consumption will have a favourable effect on fuel economy ⇒ page 155, “Saving electricity”.
Sun visors
Using the sun visors can contribu te to increasing road safety.
You can pull the sun visor for the driver or front passenger out of the fixture and swivel it toward the door in the direction of the arrow ⇒fig. 43.
A vanity mirror*, which is provided with a cover, is located in the sun visor on the front passenger side. Push the cover in direction of arrow .
WARNING
The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy-ment area of the head airbags if any ob jects, such as ball-point pens etc. are attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head airbag is deployed.
Fig. 42 Switch for rear window heater
Fig. 43 Sun visor: swivel-ling out
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Seats and Stowage56
Seats and Stowage
Front seats
Basic information
The front seats have a wide range of different settings and can thus be matched to the physical characteristics of the driver and front passenger. Correct adjustment of the seats is particularly important for
•safely and quickly reaching the controls,
•a relaxed, fatigue-free body position,
•achieving the maximum protection offere d by the seat belts and the airbag system.
The chapters which follow describe the procedure which you should adopt for adjusting the seats.
WARNING
•Never transport more occupants than the maximum seating in the vehicle.
•Each occupant must correctly fasten the seat belt belonging to the seat. Children must be fastened ⇒page 134, “Transporting children safely” with a suitable restraint system.
•The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being driven - never place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces of the seats. This is particularly important for the front seat passenger. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!
•It is important for the driver and front passenger to maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from th e steering wheel or dash panel. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to prop- erly protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints must always also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
•Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects may get behind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre. You would then no longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or accelerate.
Adjusting the front seats
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever ⇒fig. 48 up and push the seat into the desired posi-
tion.
– Release the lever and push the seat further until the lock is heard
to engage.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 48 Controls at seat
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Seats and Stowage57
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Adjusting height of seat*
– Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever upwards.
– Lower the seat if required by pushing or pumping lever down-
wards.
Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
– Relieve any pressure on the backrest (do not lean on it) and turn the
handwheel to adjust the angle of the backrest.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the upper point of the steering wheel can be easi ly reached with slightly bent arms.
WARNING
•Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk of injury!
•Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without care can lead to bruises or injuries.
•The backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!
Head restraints
Best protection is achieved if the top edge of the head restraint is at the
same level as the uppe r part of your head.
Adjusting the height of a head restraint
– Grasp the side of the head restraint with both hands and push the
head restraint in the direction of axle of the metal guide rods, in the
direction of arrow ⇒fig. 49 to the top or to the bottom.
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Fig. 49 Adjusting head restraint
Fig. 50 Removing a head restraint
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Seats and Stowage61
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Pedals
You should use only footmats which do not obstruct the movement of the pedals and have an anti-slip protection.
We recommend only to use footmats from Škoda genuine accessories offered by your Škoda dealer.
Operation of the pedals must not be hindered!
WARNING
•Greater pedal distances may be needed when there is a fault in the brake system.
•Do not place any footmats or other additional floor coverings in the area of the pedals in order to ensure that all the pedals can be fully depressed and are able to return unobstructed to their initial position - risk of accident!
•There must be no objects on the floor which could roll under the pedals. You would then no longer be able to apply the brakes, operate the clutch or accelerator - risk of accident!
luggage compartment
Loading the luggage compartment
Please observe the following in the inte rest of having good handling char-
acteristics of your vehicle:
– Distribute the items of luggage as evenly as possible.
– Place heavy objects as far forward as possible.
– Attach the items of luggage to the lashing eyes or the safety net*
⇒ page 62.
In the event of an accident, there is such a high kinetic energy which is produced by small and light objects that they can caus e severe injuries. The magnitude of the
kinetic energy depends on the speed at wh ich the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the object. The speed at which the vehicle is travelling is in this case the more significant factor.
Example: In the event of a frontal collision at a speed of 50 km/h, an unsecured object with a weight of 4.5 kg produces an energy, which corresponds to 20 times its own weight. This means that it results in a weight of approx. 90 kg. You can imagine the injuries that can occur, if this “bullet” is flying through the interior compartment and hits an occupant.
WARNING
•Store the objects in the luggage compartment and attach them to the lashing eyes.
•Loose objects in the passenger co mpartment can be thrown forward during a sudden manoeuvre or in case of an accident and can injure the occupants or other oncoming traffic. This risk is still increased, if the objects which are flying around are hit by a deployed airbag. In this case, the objects which are thrown back can injure the occupants - hazard.
•Please note that the handling properties of your vehicle may be affected when transporting heavy objects as a result of the displacement of the centre of gravity. The speed and style of driving must be adjusted accord- ingly.
•The items carried in the luggage compartment should be stored in such a way that no objects are able to slip forward if there are any sudden driving or braking manoeuvres under taken - risk of injury!
•When transporting fastened objects which are sharp and dangerous in the luggage compartment enlarged by folding the rear seats forward or removing the rear seats, ensure the safety of the passengers transported on the other rear seats ⇒page 116, “Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats”.
•If the rear seats next to the folded forward seat are occupied, ensure maximum safety, e.g. by placing the goods to be transported in such a way that a folding back of the seat is prevented in case of a rear collision.
•Never drive with the boot lid fully opened or slightly ajar otherwise exhaust gases may get into the interior of the vehicle - risk of poisoning!
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Seats and Stowage71
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Front seat armrest with storage compartment*
Fold the armrest
– Press the lower button on the end face of the armrest ⇒fig. 74 in
order to fold the armrest. Fold th e armrest forwards and release the
button.
Opening stowage compartment
– The armrest includes a stowage compartment. The storage compart-
ment is unlocked by pressing the upper button and then can be
opened to the top.
Note
The moving space of the arms can be restricted if the armrest is folded down. In city traffic the armrest should not be folded down.
Storage compartment in the front doors
A bottle holder is located in the area of the storage compartment for the front doors.
WARNING
Use the area ⇒fig. 76 of the storage compartment only for storing objects which do not project so that the effectiveness of the side airbag is not impaired.
Fig. 74 Armrest: Storage compartment
Fig. 75 Opening stowage compartment
Fig. 76 Stowage compartment in door panel
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Starting-off and Driving86
Starting-off and Driving
Setting steering wheel position*
You can set the height and the forward/back position of the steering
wheel to the desired position.
– Adjust the driver seat ⇒page 56.
– Pull the lever below the steering column ⇒fig. 88 down ⇒.
– Set the steering wheel to the desired position (concerning height and
forward/back position).
– Then push the lever up against the steering column until it locks into
place.
WARNING
•You must not adjust the steering wh eel when the vehicle is moving!
•The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering wheel ⇒fig. 89. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
•For s afe ty re a so ns t he le ve r m ust al wa y s b e fi rm ly pus he d up to a voi d the steering wheel alteri ng its position unintentionally when driving - risk of accident!
•If you adjust the steering wheel furthe r towards the head, you will reduce the protection offered by the driver airb ag in the event of an accident. Check that the steering wheel is aligned to the chest.
•When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel firmly in the 12 o'clock position or in another way (e.g. in the middle of the steering wheel or at the inner steering wheel edge). In such cases, injuries to the arms, the hands and the head can occur when the driver airbag is deployed.
Fig. 88 Adjustable steering wheel: Lever below steering column
Fig. 89 Safe distance to steering wheel
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Communication110
you with details about the technical possibilities for retrofitting of mobile tele- phones and radio transmitters.
Operation of mobile phones or two-way radio systems may interfere with func- tioning of the electronic systems of your vehicle. The reasons for this may be:
•no external aerial,
•external aerial incorrectly installed,
•transmission power gr eater than 10 watts.
You should therefore not operate a mobile phone or two-way radio system inside the vehicle without the use of an external aerial, or with an external aerial which has been incorrectly installed.
You should also be aware of the fact that only an external aerial makes it possible to achieve the optimal range of such equipment.
WARNING
•If a mobile phone or two-way radio sy stem is operated inside the vehicle without using an external aerial, or with an external aerial which has been incorrectly installed, the result can be excessive electromagnetic fields which may cause harm to your health.
•Please always pay full attention to the traffic situation around you!
•You must not install two-way radio systems, mobile phones or mounts on the covers of the airbags or within the immediate deployment range of airbags. This might result in injuries to the occupants in the event of an acci-dent!
Note
Please also refer to the operating instru ctions of the mobile phones and two-way radio systems.
Input AUX-IN*
The input for external audio sources AUX-IN is located on the right next to the hand- brake and is marked with . This input serves for connecting external audio sources (e.g. portable mp3 player) to the your radio system. The input AUX-IN* is only available in combination with a radio installed in the factory. The description on how to operate AUX-IN* can be found in the relevant operating instructions of the radio.
Note
If an external audio source is connected via AUX-IN*, which has a separate power supply, this can lead to an interference of the audio signals.
CD changer*
Operating the CD changer*
Fig. 104 The CD changer
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Passive Safety113
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Safety
Passive Safety
Basic information
Driving the safe way
Passive safety measures reduce the risk of injury in accident situa-
tions.
In this section you will find important inform ation, tips and notes on the subject of passive safety in your vehicle. We ha ve combined everything here which you should be familiar with, for example, regarding seat belts, airbags, child seats and safety of children. It is therefore importan t, in particular, to comply with the notes and warnings in this section for your own interest and in the interest of those trav- elling with you.
WARNING
•This chapter contains important information on how to use the vehicle for the driver and his occupants. You will find further information on safety, which concerns you and those travelling with you, in the following chapters of this Owner's Manual.
•The complete on-board literature should always be in the vehicle. This applies in particular, if you rent out or sell the vehicle.
Safety equipment
The safety equipment is part of the occupant protection and it can
reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.
“Do not put at risk” your safety and the safety of those travelling with you . In the event of an accident, the safety equipmen t can reduce the risk of injuries. The following list contains part of th e safety equipment in your vehicle:
•three-point seat belts for all the seats,
•belt force limiter for front seats,
•belt tensioner for front seats,
•seat belt height adjuster for front seats,
•front airbag for the driver and the front seat passenger*
•side airbags*,
•head airbags*,
•anchoring points for child seat using the “ISOFIX” system,
•anchoring points for child seat using the “Top Tether” system,
•head restraint adjustable for height,
•adjustable steering column.
The specified safety equipment works toge ther, in order to optimally protect you and those travelling with you in accident situations. The safety equipment does not protect you or the people travelling with you, if you or your occupants adopt an incorrect seated position or the equipmen t is not correctly adjusted or used.
Fo r t h i s re a s o n y o u w i l l b e p ro v i d e d w i th i n fo rm a ti o n o n w hy t h i s e q u i p m e nt i s v e r y important, how it protects you and the o ccupants, what should be observed when using the equipment and how you and the pe ople travelling with you can make full use of the existing safety equipment. This Owner's Manual contains important warning notes, which you and those travelli ng with you should pay attention to in order to reduce a risk of injury.
Safety concerns everybody!
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