2013 SUZUKI ALTO Owners Manual

3-10
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
76MH0A057
NOTE:
• If 1st gear cannot be engaged even
though the gearshift lever has been
shifted from the “N” to the “D” position,
the system will re-try shifting automati-
cally. This will take some time, noise
may be heard from the gears, and shift-
ing gear shock may occur. However,
they do not indicate a malfunction.
• The “N” indicator will flash, the depress
brake pedal indicator will come on and a
warning buzzer (long pulse sound) will
sound if any of the following cases
occur;
– If you shift the gearshift lever from the
“N” to the “D” position without depress-
ing the brake pedal
– If the system is unable to re-try shifting
You should depress the brake pedal and
shift the gearshift lever to “N” position,
then shift to “D” again.
3) Release the parking brake and brake
pedal.
4) Depress the accelerator pedal slowly.
WA R N I N G
• While driving the vehicle, do not
shift the gearshift lever to the “N”
position. The engine brake may not
work and you may get involved in
an unexpected accident. If you
return the gearshift lever from “N”
to “D” because of unintended shift-
ing, the gear position will be shifted
according to the current vehicle
speed.
• Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the
engine running. This operation pre-
vents the vehicle from moving due
to unintended activation of the
creeping function.
NOTICE
If the gearshift lever cannot shift into
any position, or the gear is changed
to “N” position automatically when
the vehicle speed becomes less than
10 km/h, there may be a system mal-
function. In this case, ask your MAR-
UTI SUZUKI dealer to inspect the
Auto Gear Shift system as soon as
possible.
NOTICE
Do not operate the system as
described below. The life cycle of the
clutch may be reduced.
• Using the accelerator pedal to hold
the vehicle on an uphill slope with
the gearshift lever in the “D” or “M”
position. If you perform this opera-
tion for a certain period of time, a
warning buzzer will sound.
• Shifting the gearshift lever to the
“D”, “M” or “R” position while rac-
ing the engine.
• Driving at low speed using a high
gear.
• Holding the vehicle on an uphill
slope using the creeping function.
If you perform this operation for a
certain period of time, a warning
buzzer will sound.
NOTICE
Operate your Automated Manual
Transaxle vehicle with one foot only.
driving your automated manual
transaxle vehicle with accelerator
and brake pedals depressed together
will cause overheating of the clutch.

3-11
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Starting off on an uphill/downhill:
Uphill1) Apply the parking brake firmly so that the
vehicle does not roll backwards.
2) Shift the gearshift lever to the “D” posi-
tion while depressing the brake pedal.
Make sure that the gear position indica-
tor in the instrumental cluster displays
1st gear.
3) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal gradually, and
when the vehicle starts to move, release
the parking brake and depress the accel-
erator pedal to start off.
Downhill
1) Depress the brake pedal and shift the
gearshift lever to the “D” position. Make
sure that the gear is in 1st by checking
the gear position indicator.
2) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal slowly. Even if the
accelerator pedal is not depressed, theclutch will be engaged when the vehicle
speed increases.
Using engine braking:
When driving on a downhill slope, down-
shifting is recommended. So you can use
engine braking.
By placing the gearshift lever in the “M”
position, the Manual (M) mode is selected,
and you can shift to a lower gear manually.
For details of downshift operation, refer to
“Upshift and downshift” in the “Manual (M)
mode”.
Manual (M) mode
The gears are not shifted automatically. To
shift the transaxle, the driver must operate
the gearshift lever to the “+” or “–” direc-
tion. As for conventional manual transaxle
vehicles, releasing the accelerator pedal a
little may help the transaxle to shift
smoothly.
Upshift and downshift:
Upshifting
76MH0A058
Pull the gearshift lever to the “+” direction
and release it. Every time the lever is oper-
ated, the transaxle is upshifting 1 step in
the order of 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th
gear.
76MH0A059
NOTICE
On an uphill slope, never hold the
vehicle at a stop using only the accel-
erator pedal or the creeping function.
If you perform this operation for a
certain period of time, a warning
buzzer will sound, and in some cases
the engine will stall. This can also
cause excessive damage to the
clutch.
R
N
D -
M
+

3-12
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Downshifting
76MH0A060
Push the gearshift lever to the “–” direction
and release it. Every time the lever is oper-
ated, the transaxle is downshifted in the
order 5th  4th  3rd  2nd  1st gear.
76MH0A061
The gear position is displayed on the gear
position indicator. The gear position indica-
tor shows the transaxle gear position.
Before starting off, always check the gear
position indicator to make sure that the
transaxle is engaged in 1st or reverse, then
depress the accelerator pedal.
NOTE:
• To downshift smoothly, the engine runs
fast in some cases. This is done inten-
tionally by the system and is not a mal-
function.
• When driving down a hill, downshift and
use the engine braking appropriately. If
necessary, continuous downshifting is
possible. However, if downshifting more
than 3 steps, gear shifting will take more
time.
• When the gear is shifting, a noise can be
heard in some case. This is not a mal-
function.
R
N
D -
M
+
WA R N I N G
• Be careful when accelerating,
upshifting, downshifting or braking
on a slippery surface. Sudden
acceleration or engine braking
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
• To drive down a long or steep hill,
reduce your speed and downshift.
Remember, if you ride the brakes
excessively, they may overheat and
fail.
• While driving the vehicle, do not
shift the gearshift lever to “N” posi-
tion. The engine brake may not
work and you may get involved in
an unexpected accident. If you
return the gearshift lever from “N”
to “M” because of unintended shift-
ing, the gear position will be shifted
according to the current vehicle
speed.
• Do not apply the parking brake
while driving. Otherwise, it could
cause a skid and you may get
involved in an unexpected acci-
dent.

3-13
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Starting off:
1) Start the engine as instructed in “Start-
ing the engine” in this section.
2) With your foot on the brake pedal, shift
the gearshift lever to the “M” position.
When the gearshift lever is shifted to
the “M” position, the gear will be shifted
to 1st. Before starting off, always make
sure that the intended gear is engaged
by checking the gear position indicator,
then depress the accelerator pedal.NOTE:
• If 1st gear cannot be engaged even
though the gearshift lever has been
shifted from the “N” to the “M” position,
the system will re-try shifting automati-
cally. This will take some time, noise
may be heard from the gears, and shift-
ing gear shock may occur. However,
they do not indicate a malfunction.
• The “N” indicator will flash, the depress
brake pedal indicator will come on and a
warning buzzer (long pulse sound) will
sound if any of the following cases
occur;
– If you shift the gearshift lever from the
“N” to the “M” position without
depressing the brake pedal
– If the system is unable to re-try shifting
You should depress the brake pedal and
shift the gearshift lever to “N” position,
then shift to “M” position again a few
seconds later.
3) Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
NOTICE
• If the gearshift lever cannot shift
into any position, or the gear is
changed to “N” position automati-
cally when the vehicle speed
becomes less than 10 km/, there
may be a system malfunction. In
this case, ask your MARUTI SUZUKI
dealer to inspect the Auto Gear Shift
system as soon as possible.
• The manual (M) mode does not
upshift even if the engine speed
reaches the rev-limit.
• The system will not allow shifting up
or down to a gear that would cause
engine over-revving or under-rev-
ving.
• If frequently driving at low speed
using a high gear position, the life
cycle of the clutch may be reduced.
• Frequent downshifting (more than 3
positions consecutively) causes the
reduction of transaxle life.
WA R N I N G
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal or pull up the parking lever
while stopped with the engine run-
ning. These operations prevent the
vehicle from starting due to unin-
tended activation of the creeping
function.
NOTICE
Do not operate the system as
described below. The life cycle of the
clutch may be reduced.
• Using the accelerator pedal to hold
the vehicle on an uphill slope oper-
ation with the gearshift lever in the
“M” or “D” position. If you perform
this operation for a certain period
of time, a warning buzzer will
sound.
• Shifting the gearshift lever to the
“M”, “D” or “R” position while rac-
ing the engine.
• Driving at low speed using a high
gear.
• Stopping on a slope using the
creeping function. If you perform
this operation for a certain period
of time, a warning buzzer will
sound.
NOTICE
Operate your Automated Manual
Transaxle vehicle with one foot only.
driving your automated manual
transaxle vehicle with accelerator
and brake pedals depressed together
will cause overheating of the clutch.

3-14
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Starting off on an uphill/downhill
slope:
Uphill
1) Apply the parking brake firmly so that
the vehicle does not roll backwards.
2) Shift the gearshift lever to the “M” posi-
tion while depressing the brake pedal.
Make sure that the gear position indica-
tor in the instrumental cluster displays
1st gear.
3) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal gradually, and
when the vehicle starts to move,
release the parking brake and depress
the accelerator pedal to start off.
Downhill
1) Depress the brake pedal and shift the
gearshift lever to the “M” position.
Check the gear position indicator to
make sure that the gear is in 1st.
2) Release the brake pedal and depress
the accelerator pedal slowly. Even
though the accelerator pedal is notdepressed, the clutch will be engaged
when the vehicle speed increases.
Backing up
After the vehicle has stopped completely,
depress the brake pedal and shift the gear-
shift lever to the “R” position. Depress the
accelerator pedal slowly as when starting
off in 1st gear. Before backing up, make
sure that reverse gear is selected by
checking the gear position indicator.
76MH0A062
NOTE:
• If reverse gear cannot be engaged even
though the gearshift lever has been
shifted from the “N” to the “R” position,
the system will re-try shifting automati-
cally. This will take some time, noise
may be heard from the gears, and shift-
ing gear shock may occur. However,
they do not indicate a malfunction.
• The “N” indicator will flash, the depress
brake pedal indicator will come on and a
warning buzzer (long pulse sound) will
sound if any of the following cases
occur;
– If you shift the gearshift lever from the
“N” to the “R” position without depress-
ing the brake pedal
– If the system is unable to re-try shiftingYou should depress the brake pedal and
shift the gearshift lever to “N” position,
then shift to “R” position again a few sec-
onds later.
• The system will not allow shifting to the
“R” position if the vehicle speed is over
about 3 km/h. If the gearshift lever is
operated under this condition, the “N”
indicator in the instrument cluster will
blink. However, when the vehicle speed
drops below about 3 km/h, the gear will
be shifted to reverse. Make sure that the
vehicle has stopped completely before
shifting to the “R” position.
Stopping
The vehicle can be stopped by depressing
the brake pedal regardless of the gear
position. This is because the clutch is auto-
matically disengaged to prevent the engine
from stopping.
If the gearshift lever is in the “D” position,
the gear will be downshifted to 1st when
the vehicle stops.
NOTICE
On an uphill slope, never hold the
vehicle at a stop using only the accel-
erator pedal or creeping function. If
you perform this operation for a cer-
tain period of time, a warning buzzer
will sound, and in some cases the
engine will stall. This can also cause
excessive damage to the clutch.
NOTICE
On a downhill slope, never hold the
vehicle at a stop using only the accel-
erator pedal or the creeping function.
If you perform this operation for a
certain period of time, a warning
buzzer will sound, and in some cases
the engine will stall. This can also
cause excessive damage to the
clutch.

3-15
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
If the gearshift lever is in the “M” posi-
tion, the gear will be downshifted to 1st
when the vehicle stops.
Parking
Unlike an automatic transaxle, Automated
manual transaxle does not have a parking
position. The vehicle can be parked with
the gearshift lever in any position.
1) Apply the parking brake firmly and turn
the ignition “ON” position.
2) While depressing the brake pedal, shift
the gearshift lever to the “R” position on
a downhill slope, and to the 1st position
in the drive (D) mode or the “M(1)” posi-
tion in the manual (M) mode on an
uphill slope and confirm the gear posi-
tion by checking the gear position indi-
cator.3) turn the ignition switch to “LOCK” posi-
tion.
NOTE:
• After the ignition switch is turn to “ACC”
or “LOCK” position is stopped, the gear
in the transaxle does not change even if
you shift the gearshift lever in any posi-
tion. Always shift the gearshift lever
before stop the engine.
• Check the transaxle gear position by
looking at the gear position indicator,
then turn the ignition switch off to stop
the engine. Release the brake pedal
after a few seconds.
WA R N I N G
• When stopping, for example, at a
traffic light, be sure to depress the
brake pedal firmly. For your safety,
apply the parking brake, too, when
stopping on a hill.
• When racing the engine, make sure
that the gear is in the “N” position
by checking the gear position indi-
cator. If the accelerator is operated
with the gear in any other position,
the vehicle may move resulting in
an unexpected accident.
• Do not leave your vehicle unat-
tended while the engine is running.
• When leaving the vehicle, stop the
engine and park the vehicle with a
gear engaged. If you need to leave
the vehicle with the engine running,
apply the parking brakes firmly,
and shift the gearshift lever to the
“N” position. Otherwise, the vehi-
cle may move unexpectedly and
may cause an accident.
NOTICE
• On a slope, never hold the vehicle
at a stop using only the accelerator
pedal or the creeping function. If
you perform this operation for a
certain period of time, a warning
buzzer will sound, and in some
cases the engine will stall. This can
also cause excessive damage to
the clutch.
• If the gearshift lever is operated
more than necessary, the system
may not allow operation of the
gearshift lever for a certain period
of time, and the gear may not be
shifted appropriately. Therefore, do
not operate the gearshift lever if not
necessary.
WA R N I N G
• If the gear is not engaged properly
and completely before the ignition
switch is turned off, the vehicle
may not be parked with the gear
engaged. Always confirm the gear
position by checking the gear posi-
tion indicator when parking.
• On a downhill slope, the gear
should be put in reverse, and in 1st
gear on an uphill slope. Otherwise,
the vehicle may move, and cause
an unexpected accident. If the gear
is left in the “N” position, the vehi-
cle cannot be parked with a gear
engaged.

3-16
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Parking cancel
Depress the brake pedal, turn the ignition
switch to the “ON” position, and shift the
gearshift lever to the “N” position. The gear
will be disengaged.
Warning functions
A warning buzzer will sound or the indica-
tor will blink under the following conditions.
The clutch is heated due to excessive
load.
The creeping function is being activated
for a long period of time.
The ignition switch is turned to the “OFF”
position with the gear in 2nd, 3rd, 4th or
5th. In this case, turn the ignition switch
to the “ON” position and shift the gear-
shift lever in the “N” position, shift it to
the “D” or “M” or “R” position, then turn
the ignition switch to “OFF”.
During a stop, the driver’s door is
opened with the gearshift lever in the
“R”, “D” or “M” position while the engine
is running.“N” indicator blinking
When the gear indicator lamp blinks “N”,
you should depress the brake pedal and
shift the gearshift lever to “N” position.
“1st” indicator blinking
When the gear indicator lamp blinks “1st”,
you should depress the brake pedal and
shift the gearshift lever to “N” position, then
shift to “D” or “M” position again a few sec-
onds later.
“R” indicator blinking
When the gear indicator lamp blinks “R”,
you should depress the brake pedal and
shift the gearshift lever to “N” position, then
shift to “R” position again a few seconds
later.
Braking
53M05022
The distance needed to bring any vehicle
to a halt increases with the speed of the
vehicle. The braking distance needed, for
example, at 60 km/h (37 mph) will be
approximately 4 times greater than the
braking distance needed at 30 km/h (19
mph). Start to brake the vehicle when there
is plenty of distance between your vehicle
and the stopping point, and slow down
gradually.
NOTICE
In the above cases, pull over to the
side of the road and stop the engine,
and then ask your MARUTI SUZUKI
dealer to inspect your vehicle. Other-
wise, the clutch disc may get dam-
aged.
EXAMPLE

3-17
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
53MH0-74E
Power-Assisted Brakes
(if equipped)
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes. If
power assistance is lost due to a stalled
engine or other failures, the system is still
fully operational on reserve power and you
can bring the vehicle to a complete stop by
pressing the brake pedal once and holding
it down. The reserve power is partly used
up when you depress the brake pedal and
reduces each time the pedal is pressed.
Apply smooth and even pressure to the
pedal. Do not pump the pedal.
Brake Assist System (if equipped)
When you slam the brakes on, the brake
assist system judges as an emergency
stop and provides more powerful braking
for a driver who cannot hold down the
brake pedal firmly.
NOTE:
If you quickly and forcefully depress the
brakes, you may hear a clicking sound in
the brake pedal. This is normal and indi-
cates that the brake assist system is acti-
vated properly.
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
(if equipped)
ABS will help you avoid skidding by elec-
tronically controlling braking pressure. It
will also help you maintain steering control
when braking on slippery surfaces or when
braking hard.
The ABS works automatically, so you do
not need any special braking technique.
Just push the brake pedal down without
pumping. The ABS will operate whenever itsenses that the wheels are locking up. You
may feel the brake pedal moves a little
while the ABS is operating.
NOTE:
The ABS will not work if vehicle speed is
under about 10 km/h (6mph).
WA R N I N G
If water gets into the brake drums,
brake performance may become poor
and unpredictable.
After driving through water or washing
the underside of the vehicle, test the
brakes while driving at a slow speed
to see if they have maintained their
normal effectiveness. If the brakes are
less effective than normal, dry them
by repeatedly applying the brakes
while driving slowly until the brakes
have regained their normal effective-
ness.
WA R N I N G
Even without reserve power in the
brake system, you can still stop the
vehicle by pressing the brake pedal
harder than normally required. How-
ever, the stopping distance may be
longer.
WA R N I N G
• On some types of loose surfaces
(such as gravel, snow-covered
roads, etc.) the stopping distance
required for an ABS-equipped vehi-
cle may be slightly greater than for
a comparable vehicle with a con-
ventional brake system. With a con-
ventional brake system, skidding
tires are able to “plow” the gravel
or snow layer, shortening the stop-
ping distance. ABS minimizes this
resistance effect. Allow for extra
stopping distance when driving on
loose surfaces.
• On regular paved roads, some driv-
ers may be able to obtain slightly
shorter stopping distances with
conventional brake systems than
with ABS.
(Continued)