Continued417
uuBefore Driving uDriving Preparation
Driving
• Store or secure all items on board properly.
u Carrying too much cargo, or improperly storing it, can affect your vehicle's
handling, stability, sto pping distance, and tires, and make it unsafe.
2Maximum Load Limit P. 419
•Do not pile items higher than the seat height.
u They can block your view and may be thrown forward in the event of sudden
braking.
• Do not place anything in the front seat footwells. Make sure to secure the floor
mat.
u An object or unsecured floor mat can in terfere with your brake and accelerator
pedal operation while driving.
• If you have any animals on board, do not let them move around in the vehicle.
u They may interfere with driving and a crash could occur.
• Securely close and lock all doors and the trunk.
2 Locking/Unlocking the Doors from the Inside P. 116
•Adjust your seating position properly.
u Adjust the head restraint, too.
2Adjusting the Seats P. 148
2 Adjusting the Head Restraints P. 151
•Adjust the mirrors and steering wh eel properly for your driving.
u Adjust them while sitting in the proper driving position.
2 Adjusting the Mirrors P. 146
2 Adjusting the Steering Wheel P. 145
■Interior Checks1Interior Checks
The headlight aim is set by the factory, and does not
need to be adjusted. Howeve r, if you regularly carry
heavy items in the trunk or tow a trailer, have the
aiming readjusted at a de aler or by a qualified
technician.
421Continued
Driving
Towing a Trailer
Towing Preparation
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if you carefully observe the load limits, use the proper
equipment, and follow the towing guidelin es. Check the load limits before driving.
■Total trailer weight
Maximum allowable weight of the trailer,
cargo, and everything in or on it must not
exceed 1,000 lbs (450 kg). Towing loads in
excess of this can seriously affect vehicle
handling and performance and can damage
the engine and drivetrain.
■Tongue load
The weight of the tongue with a fully loaded
trailer on the hitch should be approximately
10% of the total trailer weight.
• Excessive tongue load reduces front tire
traction and steering control. Too little
tongue load can make the trailer unstable
and cause it to sway.
• To achieve a proper tongue load, start by
loading 60% of the load toward the front
of the trailer and 40% toward the rear.
Readjust the lo ad as needed.
■Towing Load Limits1Towing Load Limits
Check if all loads are within limits at a public scale.
If a public scale is not av ailable, add the estimated
weight of your cargo load to the weight of your
trailer (as quoted by th e manufacturer), and the
tongue load.
Break-in Period
Avoid towing a trailer duri ng your vehicle's first 600
miles (1,000 km).
Never exceed the gross weight ratings.
Gross weight information 2 Vehicle Specifications P. 568, 570
3WARNING
Exceeding any load limit or improperly
loading your vehicle and trailer can cause a
crash in which you can be seriously hurt or
killed.
Check the loading of your vehicle and
trailer carefully before starting to drive.
Total Load
To ngue LoadTongue Load
431
uuWhen Driving uPrecautions While Driving
Driving
Precautions While Driving
Avoid driving in deep water and on flooded roads. This can damage the engine or
driveline, or cause electrical component failure.
If there is a strong impact with something under the vehicle, stop in a safe location.
Check the underside of the vehicle for damage or any fluid leaks.
*1: Models with the smart entry system have an ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an
ignition switch.
■In Rain
■Other Precautions
1 Precautions While Driving
NOTICE
Do not operate the shift lever while pressing the
accelerator pedal. You could damage the
transmission.
If the ignition switch is turned to ACCESSORY
( q*1
while driving, the engine will shut down and all
steering and brake power a ssist functions will stop,
making it difficult to control the vehicle.
Do not put the shift lever in
( N, as you will lose
engine braking (and acce leration) performance.
During the first 600 miles (1,000 km) of operation,
avoid sudden acceleration or full throttle operation so
as to not damage the engine or powertrain.
Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles (300 km).
You should also follow this when the brake pads are
replaced.
NOTICE
If you repeatedly turn the steering wheel at an
extremely low speed, or hold the steering wheel on
the full left or right position for a while, the electric
power steering (EPS) system heats up. The system
goes into a protective mode, and limits its
performance. The steering wheel becomes harder
and harder to operate. Once the system cools down,
the EPS system is restored.
Repeated operation under these conditions can
eventually damage the system.
Continued437
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
Use the paddle shifters to change between 1st and 7th speeds without removing
your hands from the steering wheel. The transmission switches to the 7-speed
manual shift mode when you pull a paddle shifter while driving. This mode is useful
when engine braking is needed.
■When the shift lever is in (D:
The shift mode goes into the 7-speed ma nual shift mode temporarily, and the
number is displayed in the shift indicator.
The 7-speed manual shift mode is canceled automatically if you drive at constant
speed or accelerate, and the number in the shift indicator goes off.
You can cancel this mode by pulling the
(+ paddle shifter for a few seconds.
The 7-speed manual shift mode is especial ly useful when reducing the vehicle speed
temporarily before making a turn.
■When the shift lever is in (S:
The shift mode goes into the 7-speed manual shift mode. The M indicator and the
speed number are displayed in the shift indicator. As the vehicle speed slows down,
the transmission automatically shifts down accordingly. When the vehicle comes to
a stop, it automatically shifts down into 1st.
If the vehicle speed increases and the engi ne speed reaches near the tachometer’s
red zone, the transmission automatically shifts up.
You can only pull away in 1st speed.
When canceling the 7-speed manual shift mode, move the shift lever from
(S to
(D. When the 7-speed manual sh ift mode is canceled, the M indicator and shift
indicator go off.
■7-Speed Manual Shift Mode1 7-Speed Manual Shift Mode
To improve fuel economy, the transmission may shift
up to a higher speed than the seventh under certain
circumstances. In this case, the number in the shift
indicator remains as 7.
In the 7-speed manual shif t mode, the transmission
shifts up or down by opera ting either paddle shifter
under the following conditions:
Shift Up: The engine sp eed reaches the lowest
threshold of the higher speed position.
Shift Down: The engine sp eed reaches the highest
threshold of the lower speed position.
When the engine speed reaches near the
tachometer’s red zone, the transmission shifts up
automatically.
When the engine speed reaches the lowest threshold
of the selected speed positi on, the transmission shifts
down automatically.
Operating the paddle shifte rs on slippery surfaces
may cause the tires to lock up. In this case, the 7-
speed manual shift mode is canceled and goes back
to the normal D driving mode.
445
uuWhen Driving uCruise Control*
Continued
Driving
Cruise Control*
Maintains a constant vehicle speed without having to keep your foot on the
accelerator. Use cruise con trol on freeways or open roads where you can travel at a
constant speed with little ac celeration or deceleration.1Cruise Control*
It may not be possible to maintain a constant speed
when driving uphill or downhill.
When not using cruise control:
Turn off cruise control by pressing the CRUISE
button.
While in the ECON mode, it may take relatively more
time to accelerate to maintain the set speed.
When the engine speed slows down, try to
downshift.
You can maintain the set sp eed if you change gear
within five seconds.
3WARNING
Improper use of the cruise control can lead
to a crash.
Use the cruise control only when traveling
on open highways in good weather.
Manual transmission models
When to use
■Shift positions for cruise control:
In ( D or (S Always keep sufficient distance
between you and the vehicle in
front of you.
Automatic transmission/CVT models
■Vehicle speed for cruise control:
Desired speed in a range above
roughly 25 mph (40 km/h) ~
How to useCRUISE MAIN
is on in the
instrument panel.
Cruise control is ready to use.■Press the CRUISE button on
the steering wheel.
* Not available on all models
447
uuWhen Driving uCruise Control*
Driving
Increase or decrease the vehicle speed using the RES/+ or –/SET buttons on the
steering wheel.
• Each time you press the button, the vehicl e speed is increased or decreased by
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
• If you keep the button pressed, the vehicl e speed increases or decreases until you
release it. This speed is then set.
To cancel cruise control, do any of the
following:
•Press the CANCEL button.
• Press the CRUISE button.
• Depress the brake pedal.
• Depress the clutch pedal for five seconds or
more.
The CRUISE CONTROL indicator goes off.
■To Adjust the Vehicle Speed1To Adjust the Vehicle Speed
You can set the vehicle speed using the –/SET button
on the steering wheel when adjusting the speed with
the accelerator and brake pedals.
■To Cancel
To decrease speed
To increase speed
1 To Cancel
Resuming the prior set speed:
After cruise control has be en canceled, you can still
resume the prior set speed by pressing the RES/+
button while driving at a speed of at least 25 mph
(40 km/h) or more.
You cannot set or resume in the following situations:
•When vehicle speed is less than 25 mph (40 km/h)•When the CRUISE button is turned off
At vehicle speeds of 22 m ph (35 km/h) or less, cruise
control is canceled automatically.
CRUISE
Button
CANCEL
Button
448
uuWhen Driving uAdaptive Cruise Control (ACC)*
Driving
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)*
Helps maintain a constant vehicle speed and a set following distance behind a
vehicle detected ahead of yours, without you having to keep your foot on the brake
or the accelerator.1 Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)*
Important Reminder
As with any system, there are limits to ACC. Use the
brake pedal whenever necessary, and always keep a
safe distance between your vehicle and other
vehicles.
The radar sensor for ACC is shared with FCW
(Forward Collision Warning). 2 Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
* P. 456
3WARNING
Improper use of ACC can lead to a crash.
Use ACC only when traveling on open
highways in good weather.
3WARNING
ACC has limited braking capability.
When your vehicle speed drops below
22 mph, ACC will au tomatically cancel
and no longer will apply your vehicle's
brakes.
Always be prepared to apply the brake
pedal when conditions require.
When to use
■Vehicle speed for adaptive cruise control:
Desired speed in a range above roughly 25
mph (40 km/h) ~
■Shift positions for adaptive cruise control:
In ( D or (S
The radar sensor is inside the front
grille on the right side.
How to use
■Press the MAIN button on
the steering wheel. ACC is on in the multi-
information display.
Adaptive cruise control is
ready to use.
* Not available on all models
Continued451
uuWhen Driving uAdaptive Cruise Control (ACC)*
Driving
■There is no vehicle ahead
Your vehicle cruises at the set speed.
■A vehicle ahead is within ACC range and going slower than the set speed
Your vehicle slows down, and maintains the same speed as the speed of the vehicle
ahead to maintain the set following distance.
■A vehicle ahead is within ACC ra nge and going at a steady speed
Your vehicle follows the vehicle ahead of it, keeping a constant distance, without
going beyond the set speed.
■A vehicle ahead goes out of range
ACC accelerates your vehicle to th e set speed, and then maintains it.
■When you depress the accelerator pedal
You can temporarily increase the vehicle speed . In this case, there is no audible or
visual alerts even if a vehicle is in ACC range.
ACC stays on unless you cancel it. Once you release the accelerator pedal, the
system resumes the set speed.
1 When in Operation
Limitations
Be aware that ACC has limitations. For example, it is
not designed to operate wh en a vehicle ahead of
yours is going slower than 13 mph (20 km/h) or is
parked. Smaller vehicles, such as motorcycles, may
also be difficult for the sy stem to detect depending
on their size.
You must always be prepar ed to use the brake pedal
to maintain a safe distan ce with other vehicles.
ACC may momentarily apply brakes or sound an alert
if there is a vehicle or building adjacent to your
vehicle and:
•You make a sudden turn or are driving on a narrow
road.
•You abruptly move the steering wheel.•Your vehicle is unusuall y positioned within your
lane (e.g., at a slight diag onal to the lane direction).