2014 Seat Ibiza ST Owner's manual

Driving
Applying the handbrake
– Pull the handbrake lever up firmly
››› Fig. 132 .
R el
easing the handbrake
– Pull the lever up slightly and press the re-
lease knob in the direction of the arrow
››› Fig. 132 and guide the handbrake lever
down f

ully ››› .
Always pull the handbrake all the way up, so
there is less risk of driving off with it still en-
gaged ››› .
The handbrake warning lamp  lights up
when the handbrake is applied and the igni-
tion switched on. The warning lamp turns off
when the handbrake is released. WARNING
● Never use the handbrake to stop the vehi-
cle when it is in motion. The braking distance
is considerably longer, because braking is
only applied to the rear wheels. Risk of acci-
dent!
● If the handbrake is only partially released,
this will cause the rear brakes to overheat,
which can impair the function of the brake
system and could lead to an accident. This al-
so causes premature wear on the rear brake
pads. CAUTION
Always apply the handbrake before you leave
the vehicle. Put it in 1st gear as well. Parking
The handbrake should always be firmly ap-
plied when the vehicle is parked.
Always note the following points when park-
ing the vehicle:
– Use the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
– Apply the handbrake.
– Put it in 1st gear.
– Switch the engine off and remove the key
from the ignition. Turn the steering wheel
slightly to engage the steering lock.
– Always take you keys with you when you
leave the vehicle ››› .
Additional notes on parking the vehicle on
gradients:
Turn the steering wheel so that the vehicle
rolls against the kerb if it started to roll.
● If the vehicle is parked facing downhill,
turn the front wheels so that they point to-
wards the kerb . ●
If the vehicle is parked facing uphill, turn
the fr ont

wheels so that they point away from
the kerb
.
● Secure the vehicle as usual by applying the
handbrake firmly and putting it in 1st gear. WARNING
● Take measures to reduce the risk of injury
when you leave your vehicle unattended.
● Never park where the hot exhaust system
could ignite inflammable materials, such as
dry grass, low bushes, spilt fuel etc.
● Never allow vehicle occupants to remain in
the vehicle when it is locked. They would be
unable to open the vehicle from the inside,
and could become trapped in the vehicle in
an emergency. In the event of an emergency,
locked doors will delay assistance to vehicle
occupants.
● Never leave children alone in the vehicle.
They could set the vehicle in motion, for ex-
ample, by releasing the handbrake or the
gearbox lever.
● Depending on weather conditions, it may
become extremely hot or cold inside the vehi-
cle. This can be fatal. Hill driving assistant*
This function is only included in vehicles with
ESC.
»
127
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Operation
The hill driving assistant helps the driver to
move off and upward on a hill when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
The system maintains brake pressure for ap-
proximately two seconds after the driver
takes his foot off the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from lurching backward when it is
started. During these 2 seconds, the driver
has enough time to release the clutch pedal
and accelerate without the vehicle moving
and without having to use the handbrake,
making start-up easier, more comfortable
and safer.
These are the basic operation conditions:
● being on a ramp or hill/slope,
● doors closed,
● vehicle completely stationary,
● engine running and foot on the brake,
● besides having a gear engaged or being in
neutral for manual gear change and with the
selector lever at position S,
D or R for an au-
tomatic gearbox.
This system is also active when reversing up-
hill. WARNING
● If you do not start the vehicle immediately
after taking your foot off the brake pedal, the
vehicle may start to roll back under certain conditions. Depress the brake pedal or use
the hand brake immediately.
●
If the engine stalls, depress the brake ped-
al or use the hand brake immediately.
● When following a line of traffic uphill, if you
want to prevent the vehicle from rolling back
accidentally when starting off, hold the brake
pedal down for a few seconds before starting
off. Note
The Official Service or a specialist workshop
can tell you if your vehicle is equipped with
this system. Manual gearbox
Driving with a manual gearbox Read the additional information carefully
›››  page 19
Certain versions of the model may include a
6-speed manual gearbox, and its diagram is
shown on the gearbox lever.
The reverse gear can only be engaged when
the car is stationary. When the engine is run-
ning and before engaging this gear, wait
about 6 seconds with the clutch pressed
down thoroughly in order to protect the gear-
box. The reverse lights switch on when the reverse
gear is selected and the ignition is on. WARNING
● When the engine is running, the vehicle
will start to move as soon as a gear is engag-
ed and the clutch released.
● Never select the reverse gear when the ve-
hicle is in motion. Risk of accident. Note
● Do not rest your hand on the gear lever
while driving. The pressure of your hand
could cause premature wear on the selector
forks in the gearbox.
● When changing gear, you should always
depress the clutch fully to avoid unnecessary
wear and damage.
● Do not “slip” the clutch to hold the vehicle
on a hill. This causes premature wear and
damage to the clutch.
● Do not leave your foot on the clutch pedal;
although the pressure may seem insignifi-
cant, it can cause the premature wear of the
clutch plate. Use the foot rest when you do
not need to change gear. 128

Driving
Automatic gearbox* Gearbox programmes Read the additional information carefully
›››  page 20
The automatic gearbox has got two gearbox
programmes.
Selecting the normal programme
– Put the selector lever into position D.
Selecting the sport programme – Put the selector lever into position S.
If you select the normal programme, D
, you
w i
ll drive in the economy mode, i.e. the pro-
gramme is designed to reduce fuel consump-
tion. The gearbox changes up into a higher
gear as soon as possible and down into a
lower gear as late as possible.
If you select the sport programme, S, you will
drive in a s

porty mode, i.e. a programme in
which shifts into high gears are postponed in
order to use the full power of the engine. Selector lever lock
Fig. 133
Automatic gearbox Fig. 134
Automatic gearbox: instrument pan-
el display. The selector lever lock in position P or N pre-
vents gears from being engaged inadvertent-
ly, which would cause the vehicle to move.
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
– Switch the ignition on. –
Hold the brake pedal pressed down and at
the same time, hold the selector lever lock
on the left of the selector lever also press-
ed down.
The warning lamp 
on the instrument panel
lights

up when the brake pedal should be ap-
plied. This is essential when the selector lev-
er is taken from the P or N positions.
Level lock only engages with the vehicle sta-
tionary at a speed of up to 5 km/h (3 mph).
At speeds of over 5 km/h (3 mph) the selec-
tor lever lock is automatically deactivated in
position
N.
The selector lever lock is not engaged if the
selector lever is moved quickly through posi-
tion
N (e.g. when shifting from R to D). This
makes it possible, for instance, to “rock” the
vehicle backwards and forwards if it is stuck
in snow or mud. The selector lever lock en-
gages automatically if the brake pedal is not
depressed and the lever is in position N for
more th

an about 1second.
129
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Operation
Driving a car with an automatic
gearbox Fig. 135
Automatic gearbox The gearbox changes gear ratios automatical-
ly as the vehicle moves.
Starting
– Start the engine with the selector lever in
position P
or N.
Driving – Press and hold the brake pedal.
– Holding down the lock button (button on
the selector lever), select R or D
.
– Release the lever and wait a little for the
gearbox to engage the gear (a slight move-
ment can be felt).
– Release the brake and press the accelerator
››› . Stopping briefly
– If stopping for a short time, keep the vehi-
cle stationary by pressing the foot brake
hard to prevent the vehicle moving back-
wards on a slope or “creeping” forwards,
e.g. at traffic lights. The selector lever does
not need to be put into the positions P or N
f or thi

s.
– Do not press the accelerator.
Parking
– Press and hold the brake pedal until the ve-
hicle comes to a standstill ››› .
– Apply the handbrake.
– By pressing the lock button down, move
the selector lever to P
and release the lock
b

utton.
Driving up and down hills
– Press the selector lever from position “D”
to the right into the tiptronic selector gate.
– Lightly press the selector lever back to
change down.
Holding the car on a hill – The brake must be always pressed down to
prevent the vehicle from “rolling back-
wards” ››› . Do not try to prevent the vehi-
cle from “rolling backwards” by increasing
the engine speed while a range of gears is
selected. Starting the vehicle up hills
– Apply the handbrake.
– With a selected gear, accelerate slowly and
at the same time, release the handbrake.
The steeper the slope, the lower the needed
gear. This increases the braking effect of the
engine. For example, when driving down a
very steep slope in third gear. If the engine
brake effect is not enough, the vehicle will
speed up. The automatic gearbox automati-
cally changes up to prevent the engine over-
revving. Use the foot brake to reduce speed
and change into 3rd gear using Tiptronic*
››› .
Your vehicle has an automatic interlock
which prevents the selector lever from being
put into a position for driving forwards or in
reverse from positions P or N
if the brake
ped

al is not depressed.
The ignition key cannot be removed unless
the selector lever is in position P
.
Control lamp “Pressing brake pedal” 
When the warning lamp next to the selector
lever lights up, press the brake pedal. This is
necessary when the automatic gearbox selec-
tor lever is moved out of positions P
or N. A
text message or instructions to perform nec-
essary operations may appear on the instru-
ment panel.
130

Driving
WARNING
● As a driver, you should never leave your ve-
hicle if the engine is running and a gear range
is engaged. If you have to leave your vehicle
while the engine is running, you must apply
the parking brake and put the selector lever
in position P.
● If the engine is running and if D or R is en-
gaged, you will need to hold the car on the
foot brake. The car will creep forward as the
power transmission is not fully interrupted
even when the engine is idling.
● Never accelerate when moving the selector
lever or you may cause an accident.
● Never move the selector lever to R or P
when driving. Risk of accident!
● Before driving down a long, steep slope, it
is advisable to reduce speed and change into
a lower gear.
● If you stop the vehicle up hill, always hold
the foot brake strongly depressed down to
stop it from rolling back.
● Never allow the brake to rub and do not use
the brake pedal too often or for long periods.
Constant braking will cause the brakes to
overheat and will considerably reduce the
brake effect. This increases the braking dis-
tance and could cause the brake system to
fail.
● Never allow the car to roll down a gradient
with the gear in neutral N, or in selector lever
position D, even if the engine is not running. CAUTION
● If you stop the vehicle up hills, do not at-
tempt to stop it from rolling back by depress-
ing the accelerator when a gear has been se-
lected. Otherwise, the automatic gearbox
may overheat causing damage. Pull the hand-
brake up or fully depress the brake pedal to
prevent the vehicle from rolling away.
● If you allow the vehicle to roll when the en-
gine is not running, or with the selector lever
in position N, a lack of lubrication in the auto-
matic gearbox will damage it. Changing gear in tiptronic mode*
Fig. 136
Changing gear with Tiptronic. Fig. 137
Steering wheel with paddle levers
for automatic gearbox. The Tiptronic system allows the driver to se-
lect gears manually.
General information about driving in tiptronic
mode
Changing gear with the selector lever
– Press the selector lever from position D to
the right int
o the tiptronic selector gate.
– Lightly press the selector lever forward
››› Fig. 136 + to change up to a higher
gear.
– Lightly press the selector lever backward
››› Fig. 136 - to change down to a lower
gear.
Changing gear with the steering wheel
paddle levers* – Press the right paddle lever + towards the
steering wheel to change up ››› Fig. 137 .
»
131
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Operation
– Press the left paddle lever - towards the
steering wheel to change down ››› Fig. 137.
Using the paddle levers on the steering
wheel, you can access manual driving mode
regardless of the pre-selected driving mode.
General information about driving in
tiptronic mode
When accelerating, the automatic gearbox /
DSG automatic gearbox goes into a higher
gear a little before the engine reaches its
maximum permitted revolutions.
If a lower gear is selected, the automatic
gearbox / DSG automatic gearbox will only
change down when the engine cannot go
over its maximum permitted revolutions.
If “tiptronic” is selected whilst the vehicle is
in motion and the automatic gearbox / DSG
automatic gearbox is in third gear and selec-
tor lever position D
, “tiptronic” mode will
then al
so be in third gear.
Changing gears in the normal or sport
programme using the steering wheel paddle
levers
If the paddle levers ››› Fig. 137 are used in
the normal

or sport programme, the system
switches temporarily to “tiptronic” mode. To
exit “Tiptronic” mode again, press the right
paddle lever + towards the steering wheel
for approximately one second. You will also leave “tiptronic” mode if the paddle levers
are not moved for a certain time. Note
● The gear paddle levers on the steering
wheel can be operated with the selector lever
in any position and with the vehicle in mo-
tion. Selector lever positions
Fig. 138
Automatic gearbox: instrument pan-
el display. Selector lever positions
The selected gear is displayed on the side of
the selector lever and on the instrument pan-
el display. The currently selected gear for the
automatic gearbox will also be shown on the
display.Tiptronic gear indicator
If the automatic gearbox is shifted manually,
the selected gears are shown on the screen.
P - parking lock
When the selector lever is in this position,
the driven wheels are locked mechanically.
Position P on the lever must only be selected
if the vehicle is stationary.
To move selector lever from position P, the
locking button on the selector lever handle
must be pressed and the brake pedal de-
pressed at the same time while the ignition is
switched on.
To put the selector lever in position
P, simply
pr e

ss the lock button down and, if necessary,
depress the brake pedal down.
R - Reverse gear
The reverse gear is engaged in this position.
Reverse gear must be engaged only when the
vehicle is stationary and the engine is idling.
To move the selector lever to position R,
press the lock button down and, at the same
time, press the brake pedal down, with the
ignition switched on.
With the selector lever in position R and the
ignition sw

itched on the following occurs:
● Reverse lights light up.
132

Driving
● The air conditioner automatically changes
the air recirculation mode.
● The wiper starts if the windscreen washer is
on.
● The parking distance warning system*
switches on.
N - Neutral (idling)
If this position is selected, the gearbox is in
neutral. Power is not transmitted to the
wheels and the engine does not have a brak-
ing function.
Never use the N
position to drive down a long
hi
ll. There is no engine braking and the
brakes are subjected to excessive stain.
You could damage the automatic gearbox if
you drive down hills with the gearbox lever in
position
N and the engine switched off.
D - Drive (forward)
In this position the gearbox automatically
changes to a lower or higher gear, according
to the engine's requirements, the driving
style and speed. The braking effect of the en-
gine when driving downhill is very limited
when the selector is in this position. The in-
strument panel display shows the selected
gear as well as the selector lever in position
D.
When trav
elling at speeds lower than 5 km/h
(3 mph) or when the vehicle is stationary, press the brake pedal to change the selector
lever from position N to position D.
S

- Standard driving position (Sport
programme)
When the selector lever is in position S
, it will
automatically change up into a higher gear
later, and change down into a low gear, if
compared with position D. This way, it is pos-
sible to take full advantage of the engine re-
serve power, depending on the engine de-
mand, driving style and speed. The braking
effect of the engine when driving downhill is
very limited. On the instrument panel display
the selected gear is shown as well as the se-
lector lever to position
S.
To select gear range S
, press the lock button
on the selector lever. WARNING
Observe the safety warnings ››› in Driving a
car with an automatic gearbox on page 131.
● If the

vehicle moves with no control, an ac-
cident and serious injury may occur. WARNING
Never switch the engine off until the vehicle
is stationary. You could lose control of your
vehicle. This could cause an accident and se-
rious injury.
● The airbags and belt tensioners do not
work when the ignition is switched off. ●
The brake servo does not work with the en-
gine off. You need more force to stop the vehi-
cle.
● Power steering does not work when the en-
gine is not running. That is why it is much
more difficult to turn the steering wheel.
● Never remove the key from the ignition if
the vehicle is in motion. The steering lock
could suddenly engage, and you would not be
able to steer the vehicle. CAUTION
If you allow the vehicle to move when the en-
gine is switched off or with the selector lever
in position “N”, take your foot off the acceler-
ator and wait until the engine starts idling
before returning to position “D”. Kick-down feature
This feature allows maximum acceleration.
If you press the accelerator down thoroughly,
the gearbox automatically changes down, de-
pending on speed and engine speed, into a
lower gear to take full advantage of give the
vehicle maximum acceleration.
The gearbox does not change gear until the
engine reaches the maximum determined en-
gine speed for the gear.
»
133
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Operation
WARNING
You could lose control of the vehicle if you ac-
celerate on slippery road surfaces. Risk of se-
rious injury.
● Be particularly careful when using the kick-
down features on slippery road surfaces. With
a fast acceleration, the vehicle could lose
traction and skid.
● You should use the kick-down feature only
when traffic and weather conditions allow it
to be used safely. Gear-change indicator
3 Valid for vehicles: with a manual gearbox
The recommended gear for saving fuel is in-
dicated on the dash screen of certain vehi-
cles during driving.DisplayMeaning

The optimal gear is selected.

Changing to a higher gear is recommended.

Changing to a lower gear is recommended.
Information regarding the “cleanliness” of
the diesel particulate filter
The exhaust system manager detects that the
diesel particulate filter is nearly saturated
and contributes to self-cleaning by recom-
mending the optimal gear. For this purpose, it might be necessary to drive momentarily
with a high rpm
››› page 59. WARNING
The gear change indicator is only an auxiliary
function and in no case should be a substi-
tute for careful driving.
● The responsibility of choosing the correct
gear depending on the situation (e.g. over-
taking, driving up or down a slope or towing a
trailer) lies with the driver. For the sake of the environment
Selecting the correct gear can help to save
fuel. Note
The recommended gear display is switched
off when the clutch pedal is pressed. Run-in and economical driving
Running in a new engine The engine needs to be run in over the first
1,500 km.
Up to 1000 kilometres
– Do not drive at speeds of more than 2/3
the maximum speed. –
Do not accelerate hard.
– Avoid high engine revolutions.
– Do not tow a trailer.
From 1000 to 1500 kilometres (600 to 900
miles) – Speeds can be gradually increased to the
m ax

imum road speed or maximum permis-
sible engine speed (rpm).
During its first few hours of running, the in-
ternal friction in the engine is greater than
later on, when all the moving parts have bed-
ded in. For the sake of the environment
If the engine is run in gently, its life will be in-
creased and its oil consumption reduced. Running in tyres and brake pads
New tyres should be run-in carefully for the
first 500 km (300 miles). New brake pads
should be run-in carefully for the first
200 km.
During the first 200 km, you can compensate
for the reduced braking effect by applying
more pressure to the brake pedal. In case of
a sharp braking, the braking distance will be
longer with new brake pads than with brake
pads which have been run-in.
134