5
Before driving / 5-3 Key positions / 5-4
Starting the engine / 5-6Manual transmission / 5-8
Automatic transmission / 5-11Brake system / 5-18
Locking differential / 5-28Economical operation / 5-29Special driving conditions / 5-31
Winter driving / 5-36
Trailer towing (for Europe) / 5-40
Vehicle weight / 5-47
Driving your vehicle
Driving your vehicle
6
5
E040000AUN
E040100AUN
Starting the engine
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Manual Transmission - Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the trans-
mission into Neutral. Keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed
while turning the ignition switch to the
start position.
Automatic Transmission - Place the
transmission shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when
the shift lever is in the N (Neutral) position.
3. Turn the ignition switch to START and hold it there until the engine starts (a
maximum of 10 seconds), then
release the key. 4. In extremely cold weather (below
-18°C / 0°F) or after the vehicle has
not been operated for several days, let
the engine warm up without depress-
ing the accelerator.
Whether the engine is cold or warm, it
should be started without depressing
the accelerator.
E040101AUN
Starting the diesel engine
To start the diesel engine when the engine is cold, it has to be pre-heated
before starting the engine and then have
to be warmed up before starting to drive.
1. Make sure the parking brake is applied.
2. Manual Transmission - Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the trans-
mission into Neutral. Keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed
while turning the ignition switch to the
start position.
Automatic Transmission - Place the
transmission shift lever in P(park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when the
shift lever is in the N(neutral) position.
STARTING THE ENGINE
WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots,etc.) may interfere with yourability to use the brake and acceler-
ator pedal, and the clutch (ifequipped).
CAUTION
If the engine stalls while you are in motion, do not attempt to move the shift lever to the P (Park) position. Iftraffic and road conditions permit, you may put the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position while the vehicle is still moving and turn the ignitionswitch to the START position in an
attempt to restart the engine.
CAUTION
Do not engage the starter for more than 10 seconds. If the engine stallsor fails to start, wait 5 to 10 seconds before re-engaging the starter.Improper use of the starter may
damage it.
Driving your vehicle
8
5
MANUAL TRANSMISSION (IF EQUIPPED)
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Manual transmission operation
The manual transmission has 5 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift
knob. The transmission is fully synchro-
nized in all forward gears so shifting to
either a higher or a lower gear is easilyaccomplished.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while
shifting, then release it slowly.
The gearshift lever must be returned to
the neutral position before shifting into R
(Reverse).
Make sure the vehicle is completely stopped before shifting into R (Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
During cold weather, shifting may be difficult until the transmission lubricant
has warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transmission.
If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st or R(Reverse),
put the shift lever in N(Neutral) position
and release the clutch. Press the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R(Reverse) gear position.
OTQ057004
CAUTION
When downshifting from fifth
gear to fourth gear, cautionshould be taken not to inadver-tently press the gear shift lever
sideways in such a manner that second gear is engaged. Such adrastic downshift may cause the engine speed to increase to the
point that the tachometer will enter the red-zone. Such over-revving of the engine may possi- bly cause engine damage.
Do not downshift more than 2 gears or downshift the gear whenthe engine is running at high speed (5,000 RPM or higher).
Such a downshifting may damage the engine.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear
and damage, do not drive withyour foot resting on the clutch pedal. Also, don’t use the clutchto hold the vehicle stopped on an
uphill grade, while waiting for atraffic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, as this
can result in premature wear of the transmission shift forks.
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59
Driving your vehicle
E050101AUN
Using the clutch
The clutch should be pressed all the way
to the floor before shifting, then released
slowly. The clutch pedal should always be
fully released while driving. Do not rest
your foot on the clutch pedal while driv-
ing. This can cause unnecessary wear.
Do not partially engage the clutch to hold
the car on an incline. This causes unnec-
essary wear. Use the foot brake or park-
ing brake to hold the car on an incline. Do
not operate the clutch pedal rapidly and
repeatedly.
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Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or while driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labor.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is traveling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.E050200AUN Good driving practices
Never take the car out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the car in
gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction.
Instead, when you are driving down a
long hill, slow down and shift to a lower
gear. When you do this, engine braking
will help slow the car.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your car.
Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into reverse.
The transmission can be damaged if
you do not. To shift into reverse,
depress the clutch, move the shift lever
to neutral, wait 3 seconds, then shift to
the reverse position.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Thenmake sure the transmission is
shifted into 1st gear when the
vehicle is parked on a level or
uphill grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these pre-
cautions are not followed in the
order identified.
If your vehicle has a manual transmission not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may moveand cause a serious accident
when starting the engine without
depressing the clutch pedal whilethe parking brake is released and
the shift lever not in theN(Neutral) position.
515
Driving your vehicle
The transmission will not shift to 4th gear
until the O/D system button is pressed
again to release the switch.
When driving down a sloping road with
the transmission in O/D (4th), you can
decrease the vehicle speed without using
the brakes by pressing the O/D button.
When the ignition is switched OFF, O/D OFF mode is automatically cancelled.
O/D OFF Indicator
This indicator light illuminates in the
instrument panel when the O/D mode iscancelled.E060102BTQ Sports mode (if equipped)
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in
motion, sports mode is selected by push-
ing the shift lever from the D (Drive) posi-
tion into the manual gate. To return to D
(Drive) range operation, push the shift
lever back into the main gate.
In sports mode, moving the shift lever
backwards and forwards will allow you to
make gearshifts rapidly. In contrast to a
manual transmission, the sports mode
allows gearshifts with the acceleratorpedal depressed.
Up (+) : Push the lever forward once to
shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one gear.
✽✽NOTICE
519
Driving your vehicle
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Disc brakes wear indicator
Your vehicle has disc brakes.
When your brake pads are worn and new
pads are required, you will hear a high-
pitched warning sound from your front
brakes or rear brakes (if equipped). You
may hear this sound come and go or it
may occur whenever you depress the
brake pedal.
Please remember that some driving con-
ditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when you first apply (or lightly
apply) the brakes. This is normal and
does not indicate a problem with your
brakes.Parking brake E070201AFD
Applying the parking brake
To engage the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and then without pressing
the release button in, pull the parking
brake lever up as far as possible. In addi-
tion it is recommended that when parking
the vehicle on a gradient, the shift lever
should be positioned in the appropriate
low gear on manual transmission vehi-
cles or in the P (Park) position on auto-
matic transmission vehicles.
WARNING
- Brake wear
This brake wear warning sound
means your vehicle needs service.
If you ignore this audible warning,
you will eventually lose braking
performance, which could lead to aserious accident.
CAUTION
To avoid costly brake repairs, do not continue to drive with wornbrake pads.
Always replace brake pads as complete front or rear axle sets.
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake
applied will cause excessive brakepad and brake rotor wear.
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Driving your vehicle
20
5
E070202AFD
Releasing the parking brake
To release the parking brake, first apply
the foot brake and pull up the parking
brake lever slightly. Secondly depress the
release button (1) and lower the parking
brake lever (2) while holding the button. Check the brake warning light by turning
the ignition switch ON (do not start the
engine). This light will be illuminated when
the parking brake is applied with the igni-
tion switch in the START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking brake
is fully released and the brake warning
light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on after
the parking brake is released while engine
is running, there may be a malfunction in
the brake system. Immediate attention is
necessary.
If at all possible, cease driving the vehi-
cle immediately. If that is not possible,
use extreme caution while operating the
vehicle and only continue to drive the
vehicle until you can reach a safe loca-
tion or repair shop.
WARNING
To prevent unintentional move- ment when stopped and leaving
the vehicle, do not use the
gearshift lever in place of the
parking brake. Set the parkingbrake AND make sure the
gearshift lever is securely posi-
tioned in 1st (First) gear or R
(Reverse) for manual transmis-
sion equipped vehicles and in P
(Park) for automatic transmission
equipped vehicles.
Never allow anyone who is unfa- miliar with the vehicle to touch
the parking brake. If the parking
brake is released unintentionally,
serious injury may occur.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully engaged
when parking to avoid inadver-
tent movement of the car whichcan injure occupants or pedestri-ans.
OTQ057009W-75
527
Driving your vehicle
Don't coast down hills with the car outof gear. This is extremely hazardous.
Keep the car in gear at all times, use
the brakes to slow down, then shift to a
lower gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driv-ing can be dangerous because it can
result in the brakes overheating and
losing their effectiveness. It also
increases the wear of the brake com-
ponents.
If a tire goes flat while you are driving, apply the brakes gently and keep the
car pointed straight ahead while you
slow down. When you are moving
slowly enough for it to be safe to do so,
pull off the road and stop in a safe
place. If your car is equipped with an auto-
matic transmission, don't let your car
creep forward. To avoid creeping for-
ward, keep your foot firmly on the
brake pedal when the car is stopped.
Use caution when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake and
place the gear selector lever in P (auto-
matic transmission) or in first or
reverse gear (manual transmission). If
your car is facing downhill, turn the
front wheels into the curb to help keep
the car from rolling. If your car is facing
uphill, turn the front wheels away from
the curb to help keep the car from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to keep
the car from rolling, block the wheels. Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged posi-
tion. This is most likely to happen when
there is an accumulation of snow or ice
around or near the rear brakes or if the
brakes are wet. If there is a risk that the
parking brake may freeze, apply it only
temporarily while you put the gear
selector lever in P (automatic transmis-
sion) or in first or reverse gear (manu-
al transmission) and block the rear
wheels so the car cannot roll. Then
release the parking brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade with the accelerator pedal. This can
cause the transmission to overheat.
Always use the brake pedal or parking
brake.