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517
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If the smart key battery is weak or
the smart key does not work cor-
rectly, you can start the engine by
pressing the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton with the smart key in the direc-
tion of the picture above.
OMD054013L
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519
Driving your vehicle
Using the clutch
The clutch pedal should be
depressed all the way to the floor
before:
- Starting the engine
The engine will not start without
depressing the clutch pedal.
- Shifting
When releasing the clutch pedal,
release it slowly. The clutch pedal
should always be released while
driving.
Downshifting
Downshift when you must slow down
in heavy traffic or drive up a steep hill
to prevent engine load.
Also, downshifting reduces the
chance of stalling and can accelerate
when you need to increase your
speed again.
When the vehicle is going downhill,
downshifting helps maintain safe
speed by providing brake power from
the engine and enables less wear on
the brakes.CAUTION
To prevent unnecessary wear or
damage to the clutch:
Do not rest your foot on the
clutch pedal while driving.
Do not hold the vehicle with
the clutch on an incline, while
waiting for the traffic light, etc.
Always depress the clutch
pedal down fully to prevent
noise or damage.
Do not start with the 2nd (sec-
ond) gear engaged except
when you start on a slippery
road.
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Driving your vehicle
20 5
Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gear
and coast down a hill. This is
extremely dangerous.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can
cause the brakes and related parts
to overheat and malfunction.
When you are driving down a long
hill, slow down and shift to a lower
gear. 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 control of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you shift into R
(Reverse) to prevent damage to
the transaxle. 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
may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accidentCAUTION
To prevent damage to the
engine, clutch and transaxle:
When downshifting from 5th
gear to 4th gear, be careful not
to inadvertently push the shift
lever sideways engaging the
2nd gear. A drastic downshift
may cause the engine speed
to increase to the point the
tachometer will enter the red-
zone.
Do not downshift more than
two gear at a time or down-
shift the gear when the engine
is running at high speed
(5,000 RPM or higher).
WARNING
Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a higher gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.
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Driving your vehicle
The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park).
To shift from P (Park), you must
depress firmly on the brake pedal
and make sure your foot is off the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot shift the lever out of P
(Park), see “Shift-Lock Release” on
page 5-26.
The shift lever must be in P (Park)
before turning the engine off.
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
After the vehicle has stopped,
always make sure the shift
lever is in P (Park), apply the
parking brake, and turn the
engine off.
Do not use the P (Park) posi-
tion in place of the parking
brake.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R
(Reverse); you may damage the
transaxle if you shift into R
(Reverse) while the vehicle is in
motion.
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Driving your vehicle
24 5
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart
a stalled engine. Shift into P (Park) if
you need to leave your vehicle for
any reason.
Always depress the brake pedal
when you are shifting from N
(Neutral) to another gear.
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position.
The transaxle will automatically shift
through a 6-gear sequence, provid-
ing the best fuel economy and
power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or driving uphill, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle
will automatically downshift to the
next lower gear (or gears, as appro-
priate).
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, sports mode is selected by
pushing the shift lever from the D
(Drive) position into the manual gate.
To return to D (Drive) range opera-
tion, push the shift lever back into the
main gate.
WARNING
Do not shift into gear unless
your foot is firmly on the
brake pedal. Shifting into gear
when the engine is running at
high speed can cause the
vehicle to move very rapidly.
You could lose control of the
vehicle.
Do not drive with the shift
lever in N (Neutral). The
engine brake will not work
and lead to an accident.OMD054012 + + + +
( ( ( (
U U U U
P P P P
) ) ) )
- - - -
( ( ( (
D D D D
O O O O
W W W W
N N N N
) ) ) )
Sports mode
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525
Driving your vehicle
In Sports Mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to select the desired range
of gears for the current driving condi-
tions.
+ (Up) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
- (Down) : Pull the lever backwards
once to shift down one
gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Only the six forward gears can be
selected. To reverse or park the
vehicle, move the shift lever to the
R (Reverse) or P (Park) position as
required.
• Downshifts are made automatical-
ly when the vehicle slows down.
When the vehicle stops, 1st gear is
automatically selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches
the red zone the transaxle will
upshift automatically.
(Continued)(Continued)
• If the driver presses the lever to
+ (Up) or - (Down) position, the
transaxle may not make the
requested gear change if the next
gear is outside of the allowable
engine rpm range. The driver
must execute upshifts in accor-
dance with road conditions, taking
care to keep the engine rpms
below the red zone.
• When accelerating from a stop on
a slippery road, push the shift
lever forward into the + (Up) posi-
tion. This causes the transaxle to
shift into the 2nd gear which is
better for smooth driving on a
slippery road. Push the shift lever
to the - (Down) side to shift back to
the 1st gear.
Shift-lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transaxle has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the transaxle
from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park)
into R (Reverse):
1.Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2.Start the engine or place the igni-
tion switch in the ON position.
3.Move the shift lever.
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Driving your vehicle
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake,
and place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle.
Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever from P
(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P
(Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Do not move the shift lever to N
(Neutral) when driving. Doing so
may result in an accident because
of a loss of engine braking and the
transaxle could be damaged.
Do not drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light, but
consistent pedal pressure can
result in the brakes overheating,
brake wear and possibly even
brake failure.
When driving in sports mode, slow
down before shifting to a lower gear.
Otherwise, the lower gear may not
be engaged if the engine RPM is
outside of the allowable range.
WARNING
When you stay in the vehicle
with the engine running, be
careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. The engine or exhaust
system may overheat and start
a fire.
The exhaust gas and the
exhaust system are very hot.
Keep away from the exhaust
system components.
Do not stop or park over flam-
mable materials, such as dry
grass, paper or leaves. They
may ignite and cause a fire.
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Driving your vehicle
Power brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted
brakes that adjust automatically
through normal usage.
If the engine is not running or is
turned off while driving, the power
assist for the brakes will not work.
You can still stop your vehicle by
applying greater force to the brake
pedal than typical. The stopping dis-
tance, however, will be longer than
with power brakes.
When the engine is not running, the
reserve brake power is partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is applied. Do not pump the brake
pedal when the power assist has
been interrupted.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain steering con-
trol on slippery surfaces.
BRAKING SYSTEM
WARNING
Take the following precautions:
Do not drive with your foot
resting on the brake pedal.
This will create abnormal high
brake temperatures, exces-
sive brake lining and pad
wear, and increased stopping
distances.
When descending a long or
steep hill, shift to a lower gear
and avoid continuous applica-
tion of the brakes. Applying
the brakes continuously will
cause the brakes to overheat
and could result in a tempo-
rary loss of braking perform-
ance.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Wet brakes may impair the
vehicle’s ability to safely slow
down; the vehicle may also
pull to one side when the
brakes are applied. Applying
the brakes lightly will indicate
whether they have been
affected in this way. Always
test your brakes in this fash-
ion after driving through deep
water. To dry the brakes, light-
ly tap the brake pedal to heat
up the brakes while maintain-
ing a safe forward speed until
brake performance returns to
normal. Avoid driving at high
speeds until the brakes func-
tion correctly.