Introduction
4
1
A020104AUN
Use of MTBE
We recommend that fuels containing
MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) over
15.0% vol. (Oxygen Content 2.7%
weight) should not be used in your vehi-
cle.
Fuel containing MTBE over 15.0% vol.
(Oxygen Content 2.7% weight) may
reduce vehicle performance and produce
vapor lock or hard starting. A020105AUN
Do not use methanol
Fuels containing methanol (wood alco-
hol) should not be used in your vehicle.
This type of fuel can reduce vehicle per-
formance and damage components ofthe fuel system.
A020106AUN
Gasolines for cleaner air
To help contribute to cleaner air, we rec-
ommend that you use gasolines treated
with detergent additives, which help pre-
vent deposit formation in the engine.
These gasolines will help the engine run
cleaner and enhance performance of theEmission Control System.
A020107AUN
Operation in foreign countries
If you are going to drive your vehicle in
another country, be sure to:
Observe all regulations regarding reg-
istration and insurance.
Determine that acceptable fuel is avail- able. Diesel engine
A020201BUN
Diesel fuel
Diesel engine must be operated only on
commercially available diesel fuel that
complies with EN 590 or comparable
standard. (EN stands for "European
Norm"). Do not use marine diesel fuel,
heating oils, or non-approved fuel addi-
tives, as this will increase wear andcause damage to the engine and fuel
system. The use of non-approved fuels
and / or fuel additives will result in a limi-
tation of your warranty rights.
Diesel fuel of above cetane 51 is used in
your vehicle. If two types of diesel fuel
are available, use summer or winter fuel
properly according to the following tem-
perature conditions.
Above -5°C(23°F) ... Summer type
diesel fuel.
Below -5°C(23°F) ... Winter type diesel fuel.
Watch the fuel level in the tank very care-
fully : If the engine stops through fuel fail-
ure, the circuits must be completely
purged to permit restarting.
CAUTION
Your New Vehicle Limited Warranty may not cover damage to the fuelsystem and any performance prob-
lems that are caused by the use offuels containing methanol or fuelscontaining MTBE (Methyl TertiaryButyl Ether) over 15.0% vol.
(Oxygen Content 2.7% weight.)
325
Safety system of your vehicle
C020300AUN Seat belt precautionsC020306AUN
Infant or small child
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your country. Child
and/or infant seats must be properly
placed and installed in the rear seat. For
more information about the use of these
restraints, refer to “Child restraint sys-
tem” in this section.
✽✽
NOTICE
Small children are best protected from
injury in an accident when properly
restrained in the rear seat by a child
restraint system that meets the require-
ments of the Safety Standards of your
country. Before buying any child
restraint system, make sure that it has alabel certifying that it meets Safety
Standards of your country. The restraint
must be appropriate for your child'sheight and weight. Check the label on
the child restraint for this information.
Refer to “Child restraint system” in thissection.
WARNING
All occupants of the vehicle must wear their seat belts at all times.
Seat belts and child restraintsreduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries for all occupants in the
event of a collision or sudden stop.
Without a seat belt, occupants
could be shifted too close to a
deploying air bag, strike the interior
structure or be thrown from the
vehicle. Properly worn seat belts
greatly reduce these hazards.
Always follow the precautions
about seat belts, air bags and occu-
pant seat contained in this manual.
WARNING
Every person in your vehicle needs
to be properly restrained at all
times, including infants and chil-
dren. Never hold a child in yourarms or lap when riding in a vehi-
cle. The violent forces created dur-
ing a crash will tear the child from
your arms and throw the child
against the interior. Always use a
child restraint appropriate for your
child's height and weight.
FDE ENG 3.QXP 9/3/2010 3:35 PM Page 25
Features of your vehicle
64
4
D191000AFD
Headlight leveling device (if equipped)
To adjust the headlight beam level
according to the number of the passen-
gers and the loading weight in the lug-
gage area, turn the beam leveling switch. The higher the number of the switch
position, the lower the headlight beam
level. Always keep the headlight beam at
the proper leveling position, or headlights
may dazzle other road users.
Listed below are the examples of proper
switch settings. For loading conditions
other than those listed below, adjust the
switch position so that the beam level
may be the nearest as the conditionobtained according to the list.
Loading condition
Driver only
Driver + front passengerFull passengers
(including driver)Full passengers (including
driver) + full trunk loading
(or light trailer loading)
Driver + full trunk loading
(or maximum trailer load-ing)
Switch position
00 1 2 3
OFD040060
OFD040060R
Left-hand drive type
Right-hand drive type
Features of your vehicle
104
4
To use the cargo security screen, pull
the handle backward and insert the
edges into the slots. When not in use, place the cargo securi-
ty screen on the lower portion of thecargo area.
OFD047233
WARNING
Do not place objects on the cargo security screen. Such objects
may be thrown about inside the
vehicle and possibly injure vehi-
cle occupants during an accidentor when braking.
Never allow anyone to ride in the luggage compartment. It is
designed for luggage only.
Maintain the balance of the vehi- cle and locate the weight as far
forward as possible.
CAUTION
Since the cargo security screen
may be damaged or malformed, do
not put the luggage on it when it isused.
OFD047232
FDE ENG 4B.QXP 9/3/2010 4:35 PM Page 104
✽✽NOTICE
If the vehicle is equipped with a sunroof,
be sure not to position cargo onto the
roof rack in such a way that it could
interfere with sunroof operation.(Continued)
Always drive slowly and turn cor- ners carefully when carrying
items on the roof rack. Severe
wind updrafts, caused by passing
vehicles or natural causes, can
cause sudden upward pressure
on items loaded on the roof rack.
This is especially true when car-
rying large, flat items such as
wood panels or mattresses. Thiscould cause the items to fall off
the roof rack and cause damage
to your vehicle or others around
you.
To prevent damage or loss of cargo while driving, check fre-
quently before or while driving to
make sure the items on the roof
rack are securely fastened.
CAUTION
When carrying cargo on the roof
rack, take the necessary precau-
tions to make sure the cargo does not damage the roof of the vehicle.
When carrying large objects on the roof rack, make sure they donot exceed the overall roof length
or width.
WARNING
The following specification is the maximum weight that can be
loaded onto the roof rack.
Distribute the load as evenly as
possible onto the roof rack and
secure the load firmly.
Loading cargo or luggage in
excess of the specified weight
limit on the roof rack may dam-
age your vehicle.
The vehicle center of gravity will be higher when items are loaded
onto the roof rack. Avoid sudden
starts, braking, sharp turns,
abrupt maneuvers or high speeds
that may result in loss of vehicle
control or rollover resulting in anaccident.
(Continued)
ROOF 80 kg (176 lbs.)
RACK EVENLY DISTRIBUTED
4 106
Features of your vehicle
FDE ENG 4B.QXP 9/3/2010 4:35 PM Page 106
5
Before driving / 5-3
Key positions / 5-4
Starting the engine / 5-5
Manual transaxle / 5-8
Automatic transaxle / 5-11
Brake system / 5-17
Cruise control system / 5-27
Economical operation / 5-31
Special driving conditions / 5-33
Winter driving / 5-37
Trailer towing / 5-41
Vehicle weight / 5-49
Driving your vehicle
Driving your vehicle
16
5
E060200AFD Good driving practices
Never move the gear selector lever
from P (Park) or N (Neutral) to any
other position with the acceleratorpedal depressed.
Never move the gear selector lever into "P" when the vehicle is in motion.
Be sure the car is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into R
(Reverse) or D (Drive).
Never take the car out of gear and coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. 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. Otherwise, the lower gear maynot be engaged.
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.
E060203AFD
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 while 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 reenter 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.
531
Driving your vehicle
E100000AFD
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where you
drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how many
miles (kilometers) you can get from a gal-
lon (liter) of fuel. To operate your vehicle
as economically as possible, use the fol-
lowing driving suggestions to help save
money in both fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a moder-ate rate. Don't make "jack-rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts and maintain a
steady cruising speed. Don't race
between stoplights. Try to adjust your
speed to that of the other traffic so you
don't have to change speeds unneces-
sarily. Avoid heavy traffic whenever
possible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you can
avoid unnecessary braking. This also
reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your car uses.
Driving at a moderate speed, especial-
ly on the highway, is one of the most
effective ways to reduce fuel consump-tion. Don't "ride" the brake or clutch pedal.
This can increase fuel consumption
and also increase wear on these com-
ponents. In addition, driving with your
foot resting on the brake pedal may
cause the brakes to overheat, which
reduces their effectiveness and may
lead to more serious consequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pressure.
Incorrect inflation, either too much or
too little, results in unnecessary tire
wear. Check the tire pressures at leastonce a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper alignment can
result from hitting curbs or driving too
fast over irregular surfaces. Poor align-
ment causes faster tire wear and may
also result in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption.
Keep your car in good condition. For better fuel economy and reduced
maintenance costs, maintain your carin accordance with the maintenance
schedule in Section 7. If you drive your
car in severe conditions, more frequentmaintenance is required (see Section
7 for details). Keep your car clean. For maximum
service, your vehicle should be kept
clean and free of corrosive materials. It
is especially important that mud, dirt,
ice, etc. not be allowed to accumulate
on the underside of the car. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel con-
sumption and also contribute to corro-sion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessary weight in your car. Weight reduces fuel
economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting (and not
in traffic), turn off your engine and
restart only when you're ready to go.
Remember, your vehicle does not require extended warm-up. After the
engine has started, allow the engine to
run for 10 to 20 seconds prior to plac-
ing the vehicle in gear. In very cold
weather, however, give your engine a
slightly longer warm-up period.
Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine. Lugging is driving too slowly in toohigh a gear resulting in the engine
bucking. If this happens, shift to a lower
gear. Over-revving is racing the engine
beyond its safe limit. This can be avoid-
ed by shifting at the recommended
speeds.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION