Driving your vehicle
16
5
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or whilst driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labour.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is travelling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life. Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction.
Instead, when you are driving down a
long hill, shift to a lower gear. When
you do this, engine braking will help
slow down the vehicle.
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 vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
reverse. The transaxle can be dam-
aged if you do not. To shift into reverse,
depress the clutch, move the shift lever
to neutral, wait three seconds, then
shift to the reverse position.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properlybelted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to re-enter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed lim- its.
Driving your vehicle
22
5
Always use the parking brake. Do not
depend on placing the transaxle in P
(Park) to keep the car from moving.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-tor pedal.
Moving up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start
To move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Select the
appropriate gear depending on load
weight and steepness of the grade, and
release the parking brake. Depress the
accelerator gradually whilst releasing the
service brakes.
WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properlybelted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to re-enter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed lim- its.WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle free
by moving it forward and backward.
Do not attempt this procedure if
people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle. During the rocking
operation the vehicle may suddenly
move forward of backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people orobjects.
Driving your vehicle
28
5
Electronic stability program (ESP) (if equipped)
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
system is designed to stabilize the vehicle
during cornering manoeuvres. ESP
checks where you are steering and where
the vehicle is actually going.
ESP applies the brakes at individual
wheels and intervenes in the engine
management system to stabilize the
vehicle. The Electronic Stability Program (ESP)system is an electronic system designed
to help the driver maintain vehicle control
under adverse conditions. It is not a
substitute for safe driving practices.
Factors including speed, road conditions
and driver steering input can all affect
whether ESP will be effective in
preventing a loss of control. It is still your
responsibility to drive and corner at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a groaning sound from the
brakes, or feel a pulsating sensation in
the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ESP is active.
✽✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehicle
begins to move after the engine is start-
ed. These conditions are normal and
indicate that the Electronic Stability
Program System is functioning proper-
ly.
WARNING
Never drive too fast for the road
conditions or too quickly when cor-
nering. Electronic stability program
(ESP) will not prevent accidents.
Excessive speed in turns, abrupt
manoeuvres and hydroplaning onwet surfaces can still result in seri-
ous accidents. Only a safe and
attentive driver can prevent acci-
dents by avoiding manoeuvres that
cause the vehicle to lose traction.
Even with ESP installed, always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving - including driving at safe
speeds for the conditions.
ORB052009R
529
Driving your vehicle
ESP operation
ESP ON conditionON, ESP and ESP OFF indi-
cator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds,
then ESP is turned on.
after turning the ignition ON
to turn ESP off. (ESP OFF
indicator will illuminate). To
turn the ESP on, press the
ESP OFF button (ESP OFFindicator light will go off).
you may hear a slight ticking
sound. This is the ESP per-
forming an automatic system
self-check and does not indi-
cate a problem. When operating
When the ESP is in operation,
ESP indicator light blinks.
Program is operating proper-
ly, you can feel a slight pulsa-
tion in the vehicle. This is only
the effect of brake control and
indicates nothing unusual.
face with poor traction, the
engine rpm (revolutions per
minute) may not be increased
even if you press the acceler-
ator pedal further. This is tomaintain the stability and
traction of the vehicle and
does not indicate a problem.
ESP operation off
ESP OFF state
press the ESP OFF button (ESP OFF indicator light illu-minates).
to LOCK position when ESP
is off, ESP remains off. Upon
restarting the engine, the
ESP will automatically turn onagain.
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531
Driving your vehicle
Electronic stability control (ESC*) (if equipped) The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system is designed to stabilize the
vehicle during cornering manoeuvres.
ESC checks where you are steering and
where the vehicle is actually going.
ESC applies the brakes at individual
wheels and intervenes with the engine
management system to stabilize the
vehicle.* Some countries use the term ESC
(Electronic stability control) instead of
ESP. Please refer to the term your
country uses. The Electronic Stability Control (ESC)system is an electronic system designed
to help the driver maintain vehicle control
under adverse conditions. It is not a
substitute for safe driving practices.
Factors including speed, road conditions
and driver steering input can all affect
whether ESC will be effective in
preventing a loss of control. It is still your
responsibility to drive and corner at
reasonable speeds and to leave a
sufficient margin of safety.
When you apply your brakes under con-
ditions which may lock the wheels, you
may hear a groaning sound from the
brakes, or feel a pulsating sensation in
the brake pedal. This is normal and it
means your ESC is active.
✽✽
NOTICE
A click sound may be heard in the
engine compartment when the vehicle
begins to move after the engine is start-
ed. These conditions are normal and
indicate that the Electronic Stability
Control System is functioning properly.
ORB052009R
WARNING
Never drive too fast for the road
conditions or too quickly when cor-
nering. Electronic stability control
(ESC) will not prevent accidents.
Excessive speed in turns, abrupt
manoeuvres and hydroplaning onwet surfaces can still result in seri-
ous accidents. Only a safe and
attentive driver can prevent acci-
dents by avoiding manoeuvres that
cause the vehicle to lose traction.
Even with ESC installed, always fol-
low all the normal precautions for
driving - including driving at safe
speeds for the conditions.
Driving your vehicle
32
5
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
ON, ESC and ESC OFF indi-
cator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds,
then ESC is turned on.
for at least half a second after
turning the ignition ON to turn
ESC off. (ESC OFF indicator
will illuminate). To turn theESC on, press the ESC OFF
button (ESC OFF indicatorlight will go off).
you may hear a slight ticking
sound. This is the ESC per-
forming an automatic system
self-check and does not indi-
cate a problem. When operating
When the ESC is in operation,
ESC indicator light blinks.
Control is operating properly,
you can feel a slight pulsation
in the vehicle. This is only the
effect of brake control and indi-
cates nothing unusual.
face with poor traction, the
engine rpm (revolutions per
minute) may not be increased
even if you press the acceler-
ator pedal further. This is tomaintain the stability and
traction of the vehicle and
does not indicate a problem.
ESC operation off
ESC OFF state
press the ESC OFF button (ESC OFF indicator light illu-minates).
to LOCK position when ESC
is off, ESC remains off. Upon
restarting the engine, the
ESC will automatically turnon again.
-
Driving your vehicle
42
5
Highway driving
Tyres
Adjust the tyre inflation pressures to
specification. Low tyre inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tyres.
Avoid using worn or damaged tyres
which may result in reduced traction or
tyre failure.
✽✽
NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tyre infla-
tion pressure shown on the tyres.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both engine coolant and engineoil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tyres can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-den tyre failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check tyres for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tyre pressures, refer to “Tyres
and wheels” in section 8.
Driving on tyres with no or insuf- ficient tread is dangerous. Worn-out tyres can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, injury,
and even death. Worn-out tyresshould be replaced as soon as
possible and should never be
used for driving. Always check
the tyre tread before driving your
car. For further information and
tread limits, refer to “Tyres and
wheels” in section 7.
ONF028001R
Maintenance
46
7
Wheel replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim widthand offset. Tyre traction
Tyre traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tyres, tyres that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. Tyres should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. To reduce the possibility of
losing control, slow down whenever
there is rain, snow or ice on the road.
Tyre maintenance In addition to proper inflation, correct wheel alignment helps to decrease
tyre wear. If you find a tyre is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check thewheel alignment.
When you have new tyres installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tyre life. Additionally, a tyre should
always be rebalanced if it is removedfrom the wheel.Tyre sidewall labeling
This information identifies and
describes the fundamental charac-
teristics of the tyre and also provides
the tyre identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. TheTIN can be used to identify the tyre incase of a recall.
1. Manufacturer or brand name
Manufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling
characteristics, ground clear-
ance, body-to-tyre clearance,
snow chain clearance,speedometer and odometer cal-
ibration, headlight aim and
bumper height.
I030B04JM
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5,6
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