
511
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engine
1. Carry the smart key or have it
inside the vehicle.
2. Make sure the parking brake is
firmly applied.
3.Manual Transaxle- Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Depress the
brake and clutch pedal fully.
Automatic Transaxle- Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine
when the shift lever is in the N
(Neutral) position.
WARNING
Except in an emergency situa-
tion, never press the engine
start/stop button while the
vehicle is in motion. This may
result in loss of directional
control and braking function,
which could cause an accident.
Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is engaged in 1st
gear for the manual transaxle
or P (Park) for the automatic
transaxle, set the parking
brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement
may occur if these precau-
tions are not taken.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Never reach for the engine
start/stop button, or any other
controls through the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in
motion. The presence of your
hand or arm in this area could
cause a loss of vehicle con-
trol, an accident and serious
bodily injury or death.
Do not place any movable
objects around the driver’s
seat as they may move while
driving, interfere with the driv-
er and lead to an accident.
WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels,
ski boots, etc.) may interfere
with your ability to use the
brake, accelerator and clutch
pedal (if equipped).

Driving your vehicle
12 5
4. Press the engine start/stop button.
5. In extremely cold weather (below -
18°C / 0°F) or after the vehicle has
not been operated for several
days, let the engine warm up with-
out depressing the accelerator.
Whether the engine is cold or
warm, it should be started without
depressing the accelerator. If the smart key is in the vehicle,
but it is not close to the driver’s
seat area, then the engine may not
start.
When the engine start/stop button
is in the ACC or ON position, if any
door is open, the system checks
for the smart key. If the smart key is
not in the vehicle, and if all doors
are closed, the chime will sound for
about 5 seconds. Keep the smart
key in the vehicle, when using the
ACC position or if the vehicle
engine is on.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• If the battery is weak or the smart
key does not work correctly, you
can start the engine by pressing
the engine start/stop button with
the smart key.
• When the stop lamp fuse is blown,
you can't start the engine normal-
ly. Replace the fuse with a new one.
If you are not able to replace the
fuse, you can start the engine by
pressing the engine start/stop but-
ton for 10 seconds with the engine
start/stop button in the ACC mode.
Always depress the brake pedal
and clutch pedal (if equipped)
before starting the engine.
WARNING
The engine will start by press-
ing the engine start/stop button,
only when the smart key is in
the vehicle. Never allow chil-
dren or any person who is unfa-
miliar with the vehicle to touch
the engine start/stop button or
related parts.
OGD051006CAUTION
If the engine stalls while you are
in motion, do not attempt to
move the shift lever to the P
(Park) position. If traffic and
road conditions permit, you may
put the shift lever in the
N(Neutral) position while the
vehicle is still moving and press
the engine start/stop button in
an attempt to restart the engine.

515
Driving your vehicle
During cold weather, shifting may
be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant is warmed up. This is normal
and not harmful to the transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop
and it is difficult to shift into 1st or
R (Reverse), leave the shift lever in
the neutral position and release the
clutch. Depress the clutch pedal
and then shift into 1st or R
(Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed all
the way to the floor before shifting,
then released slowly. The clutch
pedal should always be fully
released while driving. Do not rest
your foot on the clutch pedal while
driving. This can cause unnecessary
wear. Do not partially engage the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an
incline. This causes unnecessary
wear. Use the foot brake or parking
brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch
pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Downshifting
It is important to downshift when you
must slow down in heavy traffic or
while driving up or down steep hills.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration.
When the vehicle is traveling down
steep hills, downshifting helps main-
tain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake
fully and shut the engine off.
Then make sure the transaxle is
shifted into 1st gear when the
vehicle is parked on a level or
uphill grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed in
the order identified.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch
wear and damage, do not
drive with your foot resting on
the clutch pedal. Also, do not
use the clutch to hold the
vehicle stopped on an uphill
grade while waiting for a traf-
fic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as
this can result in premature
wear of the transaxle shift
forks.
(Continued)
(Continued)
When operating the clutch
pedal, press the clutch pedal
fully.
If you don't press the clutch
pedal fully, the clutch may be
damaged.

Driving your vehicle
16 5
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.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This can
cause them to overheat and mal-
function. 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 control of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse). The transaxle can
be damaged if you do not. 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 colli-
sion, an unbelted occupant is
significantly more likely to be
seriously injured or killed than
a properly belted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering 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
limits.

517
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 6 for-
ward speeds and one reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically, depending on the
position of the shift lever.
To move the shift lever from the P
(Park) position, the brake pedal must
be depressed and the lock release
button must be pressed.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The first few shifts on a new vehicle,
may be somewhat abrupt. This is a
normal condition, and the shifting
sequence will adjust after shifts are
cycled a few times by the TCM
(Transaxle Control Module) or
PCM (Powertrain Control Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
OGD051011
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button (1) when shifting, if your vehicle
is equipped shift lock system.
The shift lever can be shifted without depressing the lock release button (1).
The lock release button (1) must be depressed while moving the shift lever.

Driving your vehicle
18 5
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal when shifting from N
(Neutral) to a forward or reverse gear.Transaxle ranges
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). This
position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the drive wheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a car into D
(Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position; then set the parking
brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement
can occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order
identified.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate
the engine in R (Reverse) or
any forward gear position with
the brakes on.
When stopped on an incline,
do not hold the vehicle sta-
tionary with engine power.
Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
Do not shift from N (Neutral)
or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R
(Reverse) when the engine is
above idle speed.

519
Driving your vehicle
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transaxle will automati-
cally shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades,
depress the accelerator fully, at
which time the transaxle will auto-
matically downshift to the next lower
gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive).
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, except as explained in
“Rocking the vehicle” in this
section.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion will cause
the drive wheels to lock which
may cause you to lose control
of the vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) posi-
tion in place of the parking
brake. Always make sure the
shift lever is latched in the P
(Park) position and set the
parking brake fully.
Never leave a child unattend-
ed in a vehicle.
CAUTION
The transaxle may be damaged
if you shift into P (Park) while
the vehicle is in motion.

Driving your vehicle
20 5
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.
In sports mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.
Up (+) : Push the lever forward
once to shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards
once to shift down one
gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• In sports mode, the driver must
execute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions.
• In sports mode, only the 6 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.
• In sports mode, downshifts are
made automatically when the
vehicle slows down. When the
vehicle stops, 1st gear is automati-
cally selected.
• In sports mode, when the engine
rpm approaches the red zone, the
transaxle will upshift automatically.
• To maintain the required levels of
vehicle performance and safety,
the system may not execute cer-
tain gearshifts when the shift lever
is operated.
• When accelerating from a stop on a
slippery road, push the shift lever
forward into the +(up) position.
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) or N (Neutral) into R
(Reverse) unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park) or
N (Neutral) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
WARNING
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (Park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in
or around the car.
OGD051013
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Sports mode