
.Fuel system damage or driveability
problems which result from the use of
improper fuel are not covered under the
SUBARU Limited Warranty. & Fuel filler lid and cap
! Refueling
Only one person should be involved in
refueling. Do not allow others to approach
the area of the vehicle near the fuel filler
pipe while refueling is in progress.
Be sure to observe any other precautions
that are posted at the service station.
1. To open the fuel filler lid, pull the lid
release lever up. The lever is on the floor
at the left of the driver ’s seat.
2. Open the fuel filler lid.
WARNING
Before opening the fuel filler cap,
first touch the vehicle body or a
metal portion of the fuel pump or similar object to discharge any
static electricity that may be present
on your body. If your body is carry-
ing an electrostatic charge, there is
a possibility that an electric spark
could ignite the fuel, which could
burn you. To avoid acquiring a new
static electric charge, do not get
back into the vehicle while refueling
is in progress.
1) Open
2) Close
3. Remove the fuel filler cap by turning it
slowly counterclockwise. Starting and operating
7-5
– CONTINUED –

7-6Starting and operating
WARNING
. Gasoline vapor is highly flam-
mable. Before refueling, always
first stop the engine and close all
vehicle doors and windows.
Make sure that there are no
lighted cigarettes, open flames
or electrical sparks in the adja-
cent area. Refueling must be
performed outside. Quickly wipe
up any spilled fuel.
. When opening the cap, grasp it
firmly and turn it slowly to the
left. Do not remove the cap
quickly. Fuel may be under pres-
sure and spray out of the fuel
filler neck, especially in hot
weather. If you hear a hissing
sound while you are removing
the cap, wait for the sound to
stop and then slowly open the
cap to prevent fuel from spraying
out and creating a fire hazard.
. When refueling, insert the fuel
nozzle securely into the fuel filler
pipe. If the nozzle is lifted or not
fully inserted, its automatic stop-
ping mechanism may not func-
tion, causing fuel to overflow the
tank and creating a fire hazard.
. Stop refueling when the auto- matic stop mechanism on the
fuel nozzle activates. If you con-
tinue to add fuel, temperature
changes or other conditions
may cause fuel to overflow from
the tank and create a fire hazard.
4. Stop filling the tank after the fuel filler
pump automatically turns off. Do not add
any more fuel.
CAUTION
Make sure that the cap is tightened
until it clicks to prevent fuel spillage
in the event of an accident.
5. Put the cap back on, turn it clockwise
until you hear a clicking noise. Be certain
not to catch the tether under the cap whiletightening.
6. Close the fuel filler lid completely. If
you spill any fuel on the painted surface,
rinse it off immediately. Otherwise, the
painted surface could be damaged. NOTE
.
You will see the “”sign in the fuel
gauge. This indicates that the fuel filler
door (lid) is located on the right side of
the vehicle.. If the fuel filler cap is not tightened
until it clicks or if the tether is caught
under the cap, the CHECK ENGINE
warning light/malfunction indicator
lamp may illuminate. Refer to the“ Warning and indicator lights ”section
located in chapter 3.
CAUTION
. Never add any cleaning agents to
the fuel tank. The addition of a
cleaning agent may cause da-

NOTE
Engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid,
washer fluid and other fluid levels
should be checked daily, weekly or at
fuel stops.Starting the engine &
Manual transmission vehicle
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and ac- cessories.
3. Depress the clutch pedal to the floor
and shift the shift lever into neutral. Hold
the clutch pedal to the floor while starting
the engine. The starter motor will only
operate when the clutch pedal is pressed
fully to the floor.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position and check the operation of the
warning and indicator lights. Refer to the“ Warning and indicator lights ”section in
chapter 3.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter motor
continuously for more than 10 sec-
onds. If the engine fails to start after
operating the starter for 5 to 10
seconds, wait for 10 seconds or
more before trying again.
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START ”
position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediately
after the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, perform the following procedure.
(1) Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”position and wait for at least
10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the
ignition switch to the “START ”position
while depressing the accelerator pedal
slightly (approximately a quarter of the
full stroke). Release the accelerator
pedal as soon as the engine starts.
(2) If this fails to start the engine, turn
the ignition switch back to the “LOCK ”
position and wait for at least 10
seconds. Then fully depress the accel-
erator pedal and turn the ignition
switch to the “START ”position. If the
engine starts, quickly release the
accelerator pedal.
(3) If this does not start the engine,
turn the ignition switch again to the“ LOCK ”position. After waiting for 10
seconds or longer, turn the ignition
switch to the “START ”position without
depressing the accelerator pedal.
(4) If the engine still refuses to start,
contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
for assistance. Starting and operating
7-9
– CONTINUED –

7-10Starting and operating
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator
lights have gone off after the engine has
started. The fuel injection system auto-
matically lowers the idle speed as the
engine warms up.
NOTE (2.5 L non-turbo models)
To protect the engine while the shift
lever is in the neutral position, the
engine is controlled so that the engine
speed may not become too high even if
the accelerator pedal is depressedhard. &Automatic transmission ve- hicle
CAUTION
If you restart the engine while the
vehicle is moving, shift the selector
lever into the “N ” position. Do not
attempt to place the selector lever of
a moving vehicle into the “P ” posi-
tion.
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and ac- cessories.
3. Shift the selector lever to the “P ”or “N ”
position (preferably “P ” position). The
starter will only operate when the select lever is at the
“P ”or “N ”position.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position and check the operation of the
warning and indicator lights. Refer to the“ Warning and indicator lights ”section in
chapter 3.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter motor
continuously for more than 10 sec-
onds. If the engine fails to start after
operating the starter for 5 to 10
seconds, wait for 10 seconds or
more before trying again.
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START ”
position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediately
after the engine has started.
If the engine does not start, perform the
following procedure.
(1) Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK ”position and wait for at least
10 seconds. After checking that the
parking brake is firmly set, turn the
ignition switch to the “START ”position
while depressing the accelerator pedal
slightly (approximately a quarter of the
full stroke). Release the accelerator
pedal as soon as the engine starts.
(2) If this fails to start the engine, turn the ignition switch back to the
“LOCK ”
position and wait for at least 10
seconds. Then fully depress the accel-
erator pedal and turn the ignition
switch to the “START ”position. If the
engine starts, quickly release the
accelerator pedal.
(3) If this fails to start the engine, turn
the ignition switch again to the “LOCK ”
position. After waiting for 10 seconds
or longer, turn the ignition switch to the“ START ”position without depressing
the accelerator pedal.
(4) If the engine still refuses to start,
contact your nearest SUBARU dealer
for assistance.
6. Confirm that all warning and indicator
lights have gone out after the engine has
started. The fuel injection system auto-
matically lowers the idle speed as the
engine warms up.
While the engine is warming up, make
sure that the selector lever is at the “P ”or
“ N ”position and that the parking brake is
applied.
NOTE (2.5 L non-turbo and 3.0 L models)
To protect the engine while the selector
lever is in the “P ” or “N ” position, the
engine is controlled so that the engine

speed may not become too high even if
the accelerator pedal is depressedhard.Stopping the engine
WARNING
Do not stop the engine when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause
loss of power to the power steering
and the brake booster, making steer-
ing and braking more difficult. It
could also result in accidental acti-
vation of the “LOCK ”position on the
ignition switch, causing the steering
wheel to lock.
The ignition switch should be turned off
only when the vehicle is stopped and the
engine is idling. Remote engine start system
(dealer option)
WARNING
. Do not remote start a vehicle in
an enclosed environment (e.g.
closed garage). Prolonged opera-
tion of a motor vehicle in an
enclosed environment can cause
a harmful build-up of Carbon
Monoxide. Carbon Monoxide is
harmful to your health. Exposure
to high levels of Carbon Monox-
ide can cause headaches, dizzi-
ness or in extreme cases uncon-
sciousness and/or death.
. Before performing any servicing
of the vehicle, temporarily place
the remote engine start system in
service mode to prevent the
system from unexpectedly start-
ing the engine. Starting and operating
7-11
– CONTINUED –

7-12Starting and operating
&Starting your vehicle
The remote control start system is acti-
vated by pressing the “
”button twice
within 3 seconds on your remote control
transmitter. The system will check certain
pre-conditions before starting, and if all
safety parameters are correct, the engine
will start within 5 seconds. While the
vehicle is operating via remote engine
start, the vehicle ’s power window features
will be disabled. Also, the system has a
timer and will shut down after 15 minutes if
you do not operate the vehicle. Press and
hold the “
”button for 2 seconds again to
turn the vehicle off. If the vehicle ’s starter
cranks but does not start or starts and
stalls, the remote engine start system will
power off then attempt to start the vehicle an additional four times. If the vehicle fails
to start after the additional attempts, the
remote engine start system will abort and
return to a non activated state. &
Remote start safety features
For safety and security reasons, the
system will fail to start and beep the horn
twice or shut down the engine during
remote start operation if any of the
following occur: . The brake pedal is pressed before the
vehicle ignition switch is turned “on ”
. The key was already in the ignition
switch. The engine hood is opened
. The vehicle ’s engine idle speed has
reached a level over 3,000 RPM. The alarm is triggered by opening a
door or the rear gate. NOTE . The security indicator light on the
dashboard will stop flashing while
under remote engine start operation,
but the vehicle is still protected.. If the vehicle is entered during
remote engine start operation, the
system will not record entry in the
alarm history. &
Entering the vehicle while it
is running via remote start
1. Unlock the vehicle doors using the
remote keyless entry system. If the vehi-cle ’s doors are unlocked manually using
the key, the vehicle ’s alarm system will
trigger and the remote engine start system
will turn off. Inserting the key into the
ignition switch and turning it to the “ON ”
position or pressing the unlock button “
”
on the remote keyless entry transmitter
will disarm the alarm system. Refer to the“ Alarm system ”section in chapter 2.
2. Enter the vehicle. Do not press the
brake pedal.
3. Insert the key into the ignition switch
and turn to the “ON ”position. If the ignition
switch is accidentally turned to the“ START ”position, the system ’s “starter
anti-grind ”feature will prevent the starter
from re-cranking.
4. Press the brake pedal. The remote
starter disengages, the vehicle ’s power
window features are re-enabled and the
vehicle will operate normally.
& Entering the vehicle follow-
ing remote engine start shut-down
An alarm trigger may occur if the vehicle is
opened by the remote keyless entry

7-14Starting and operating
feature ON or OFF each time.
7. To exit the remote transmitter and
feature programming mode, turn the igni-
tion switch to the “LOCK ”position, remove
the key from the ignition switch and test
operation of the remote transmitter(s) and
horn confirmation feature. & System maintenance
! Changing the remote control bat- teries
The two 3-volt lithium batteries (model
CR-1220) supplied in your remote control
should last approximately three years,
depending on usage. When the batteries
begin to weaken, you will notice a
decrease in range (distance from the
vehicle that your remote control operates).
Follow the instructions below to change
the remote control batteries.
1. Carefully pry the remote control halves
apart using a small flat-head screwdriver.2. Remove the circuit board from the
bottom half of the case and slide the white
plastic battery holder out from under the
battery tab releasing the batteries. Re-
move the old batteries and replace with
new ones. Be sure to observe the (+) sign

7-16Starting and operating
Shift up mph (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40) 3rd to 4th 35 (56)4th to 5th 45 (73)
! Maximum allowable speeds
WARNING
When shifting down a gear, ensure
that the vehicle is not travelling at a
speed exceeding the Maximum Al-
lowable Speed for the gear which is
about to be selected. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
engine over-revving and this in turn
can result in engine damage.
In addition, sudden application of
engine brakes when the vehicle is
travelling on a slippery surface can
lead to wheel locking; as a conse-
quence, control of the vehicle may
be lost and the risk of an accidentincreased.
The following table shows the maximum
speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear.
Never exceed the speed limit below for each gear position except for brief accel-
eration in an emergency. The tach-ometer
’s needle will enter the red area if
these speeds are exceeded. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
excessive engine wear and poor fuel
economy.
Non-turbo models mph (km/h)
Gear Except
OUTBACK OUTBACK
1st 30 (48) 30 (48)
2nd 50 (81) 52 (82) 3rd 71 (116) 71 (116)
Turbo models mph (km/h)
Gear Except
OUTBACK OUTBACK
1st 32 (52) 32 (52)
2nd 54 (88) 54 (88) 3rd 80 (129) 78 (127)
NOTE
Never exceed posted speed limits. & Driving tips
Do not drive with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal and do not use the clutch to
hold your vehicle at a standstill on an
upgrade. Either of those actions may cause clutch damage.
Do not drive with your hand resting on the
shift lever. This may cause wear on the
transmission components.
When it is necessary to reduce vehicle
speed due to slow traffic, turning corners,
or driving up steep hills, downshift to a
lower gear before the engine starts to
labor. .
On steep downgrades, downshift the
transmission to 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear as
necessary; this helps to maintain a safe
speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking
effect. Remember, if you “ride ”(over use)
the brakes while descending a hill, they
may overheat and not work properly. . The engine may, on rare occasions,
knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-
ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.
This phenomenon does not indicate amalfunction. . A slight reduction in output torque may
occur in the models with a 2.5 L turbo
engine before the engine warms up.