
7-34Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle
CAUTION
Never drive while the parking brake 
is set because this will cause un-
necessary wear on the brake lin-
ings. Before starting to drive, always
make sure that the parking brake
has been fully released.
& Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always per-
form the following items. . Apply the parking brake firmly.
. Put the shift lever in “1 ” (1st) for an
upgrade or “R ” (Reverse) for a down-
grade. 
Never rely on the transmission alone to 
hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn the 
steering wheel. When the vehicle is
headed up the hill, the front wheels should
be turned away from the curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheels 
should be turned into the curb.
WARNING
. Never leave unattended children
or pets in the vehicle. They could 
accidentally injure themselves or
others through inadvertent op-
eration of the vehicle. Also, on
hot or sunny days, the tempera-
ture in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to
cause severe or possibly fatal
injuries to people.
. Do not park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags, as
they may burn easily if they come
near hot engine or exhaust sys-
tem parts.
. Be sure to stop the engine if you
take a nap in the vehicle. If
engine exhaust gas enters the
passenger compartment, occu- 
pants in the vehicle could die 
from carbon monoxide (CO) con-
tained in the exhaust gas.
CAUTION
If your vehicle has a front under- 
spoiler and rear underspoiler (both
optional), pay attention to blocks   

printed on the tire placard. The 
tire placard is located on the
bottom of driver’s door pillar.
If all of four tires are not the same
for items (a) to (h), there is a
possibility that serious mechan-
ical damage could occur to the
drive train of your car, and affect
the following. — Ride
— Handling
— Braking
— Speedometer/Odometer
calibration— Clearance between the body
and tires
It also may be dangerous and 
lead to loss of vehicle control,
and it can lead to an accident.
CAUTION
If you use a temporary spare tire to 
replace a flat tire, be sure to use the
original temporary spare tire stored
in the vehicle. Using other sizes may
result in severe mechanical damage
to the drive train of your vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive distributes the engine 
power to all four wheels. AWD models
provide better traction when driving on
slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand.
By shifting power between the front and
rear wheels, SUBARU AWD can also
provide added traction during acceleration
and added engine braking force duringdeceleration. 
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle 
may handle differently than an ordinary
two wheel drive vehicle and it contains
some features unique to AWD. For safety
purposes as well as to avoid damaging 
the AWD system, you should keep the 
following tips in mind. . An AWD model is better able to climb
steeper roads under snowy or slippery conditions than a two wheel drive vehicle. 
There is little difference in handling,
however, during extremely sharp turns or
sudden braking. Therefore, when driving
down a slope or turning corners, be sure
to reduce your speed and maintain an
ample distance from other vehicles. .
Always check the cold tire pressure
before starting to drive. The recom- 
mended tire pressure is provided on the
tire placard, which is located under the
door latch on the driver ’s side.
. Frequent driving of an AWD model
under hard-driving conditions such as
steep hills or dusty roads will necessitate
more frequent replacement of the follow- 
ing items than that specified in “Mainte-
nance schedule ”F 11-3.
– Engine oil
– Brake fluid
– Rear differential gear oil
– Manual transmission oil
. There are some precautions that you
must observe when towing your vehicle. 
For detailed information, refer to “Towing ”
F 9-12.
Driving tips/Driving tips for AWD models8-5  

Rear tie-down hooks:
The rear tie-down hooks are located near 
each of the jack-up reinforcements.
WARNING
Use the rear tie-down hooks only for 
downward anchoring. If they are
used to anchor the vehicle in any
other direction, cables may slip off
the hooks, possibly causing a dan-
gerous situation. &
Using a flat-bed truck
This is the best way to transport your 
vehicle. Use the following procedures to
ensure safe transportation. 
1. Shifttheshiftleverintothe “1st ”
position.
2. Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.
3. Secure the vehicle onto the carrier 
properly with safety chains. Each safety
chain should be equally tightened and
care must be taken not to pull the chains
so tightly that the suspension bottoms out.
CAUTION
If your vehicle has a front under- 
spoiler and rear underspoiler (both
optional), be careful not to scrape
them when placing the vehicle on
the carrier and when removing the
vehicle from the carrier.
& Towing with all wheels on the ground
1. Release the parking brake and put the 
transmission in the neutral position. 
2. The ignition switch should be in the “Acc ”position while the vehicle is being
towed. 
3. Take up slack in the towline slowly to 
prevent damage to the vehicle.
In case of emergency/Towing9-15
– CONTINUED –    

Maintenance schedule....................................... 11-3
Maintenance precautions ................................... 11-3
Before checking or servicing in the engine compartment .................................................... 11-4
When checking or servicing in the engine compartment .................................................... 11-4
When checking or servicing in the engine compartment while the engine is running .......... 11-5
Engine hood ....................................................... 11-5
Engine compartment overview .......................... 11-6
Turbo models except STI .................................... 11-6
STI..................................................................... 11-7
Engine oil ............................................................ 11-8
Checking the oil level ......................................... 11-8
Changing the oil and oil filter .............................. 11-9
Recommended grade and viscosity .................. 11-10
Synthetic oil ..................................................... 11-10
Cooling system ................................................ 11-11
Cooling fan, hose and connections ................... 11-11
Engine coolant ................................................. 11-12
Air cleaner element .......................................... 11-13
Replacing the air cleaner element ..................... 11-13
Spark plugs ...................................................... 11-14
Recommended spark plugs .............................. 11-14
Drive belts ........................................................ 11-15
Manual transmission oil .................................. 11-16
Checking the oil level ....................................... 11-16
Recommended grade and viscosity .................. 11-16
Rear differential gear oil .................................. 11-17
Recommended grade and viscosity .................. 11-17Power steering fluid
........................................ 11-17
Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-17
Recommended fluid ......................................... 11-18
Brake fluid ........................................................ 11-18
Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-18
Recommended brake fluid ............................... 11-19
Clutch fluid ....................................................... 11-19
Checking the fluid level .................................... 11-19
Recommended clutch fluid ............................... 11-20
Brake booster .................................................. 11-20
Brake pedal ...................................................... 11-21
Checking the brake pedal free play .................. 11-21
Checking the brake pedal reserve distance....... 11-21
Clutch pedal ..................................................... 11-21
Checking the clutch function ............................ 11-21
Checking the clutch pedal free play .................. 11-22
Hill start assist system .................................... 11-22
Replacement of brake pad and lining ............ 11-22
Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings ....... 11-23
Parking brake stroke ....................................... 11-23
Tires and wheels .............................................. 11-24
Types of tires ................................................... 11-24
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (if equipped) ...................................................... 11-24
Tire inspection ................................................. 11-25
Tire pressures and wear .................................. 11-26
Wheel balance ................................................. 11-28
Wear indicators ............................................... 11-28
Tire rotation direction mark .............................. 11-29
Tire rotation ..................................................... 11-29
Maintenance and service
11 

11-6Maintenance and service/Engine compartment overview
Engine compartment overview &Turbo models except STI1) Power steering fluid reservoir
(page 11-17)
2) Manual transmission oil level gauge (MT) (page 11-16)
3) Clutch fluid reservoir (page 11-19) 
4) Brake fluid reservoir (page 11-18) 
5) Fuse box (page 11-38) 
6) Battery (page 11-37) 
7) Windshield washer tank (page 11-31) 
8) Engine oil filler cap (page 11-8) 
9) Engine coolant reservoir (page 11-12) 
10) Engine oil level gauge (page 11-8)
11) Radiator cap (page 11-12) 
12) Air cleaner case (page 11-13)  

11-16Maintenance and service/Manual transmission oil
Manual transmission oil &Checking the oil level
NOTE 
For STI models, there is no transmis- 
sion oil level gauge. Consult your
SUBARU dealer to check the oil level.
Except STI
Check the oil level monthly. 
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and 
stop the engine. 
2. Pull out the level gauge, wipe it clean, 
and insert it again.
1) Upper level 
2) Lower level
3. Pull out the level gauge again and 
check the oil level on it. If it is below the
lower level, add oil through the level
gauge hole to bring the level up to the
upper level.
CAUTION
Be careful not to spill manual trans- 
mission oil when adding it. If oil
touches the exhaust pipe, it may
cause a bad smell, smoke, and/or a
fire. If oil gets on the exhaust pipe,
be sure to wipe it off. &
Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base 
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. For details, refer to“ Manual transmission and rear differential
gear oil ”F 12-6.   

Rear differential gear oil 
There is no rear differential gear oil level 
gauge. To check the rear differential gear
oil level, we recommend that you consult
your SUBARU dealer for inspection. &Recommended grade and viscosity
Each oil manufacturer has its own base 
oils and additives. Never use different
brands together. For details, refer to“ Manual transmission and rear differential
gear oil ”F 12-6. Power steering fluid &
Checking the fluid level
The power steering fluid expands greatly 
as its temperature rises; the fluid level
differs according to fluid temperature.
Therefore, the reservoir tank has two
different checking ranges for hot and cold fluids. 
Check the power steering fluid level 
monthly. 
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface, 
and stop the engine.
2. Check the fluid level of the reservoir tank. 
When the fluid is hot after the vehicle has 
been run: Check that the oil level isbetween “HOT MIN ”and “HOT MAX ”on
the surface of the reservoir tank. 
When the fluid is cool before the vehicle is 
run: Check that the oil level is between“ COLD MIN ”and “COLD MAX ”on the
surface of the reservoir tank. 
3. If the fluid level is lower than the 
applicable “MIN ”line, add the recom-
mended fluid as necessary to bring the
level between the “MIN ”and “MAX ”line.
If the fluid level is extremely low, it may
indicate possible leakage. Consult your
SUBARU dealer for an inspection.
Maintenance and service/Rear differential gear oil11-17
– CONTINUED –   

12-6Specifications/Specifications
!Manual transmission and rear differential gear oil
Oil grade API classification GL-5
SAE viscosity No. and 
applicable temperature
Oil capacity Manual transmission oil
5-speed 3.7 US qt (3.5 liters, 3.1 Imp qt) 
6-speed 4.3 US qt (4.1 liters, 3.6 Imp qt)
Rear differential gear oil STI models 1.1 US qt (1.0 liter, 0.9 Imp qt)Others
0.8 US qt (0.8 liter, 0.7 Imp qt)
For the checking procedures or other details, refer to “Manual transmission oil ”F 11-16 or “Rear differential gear oil ”F 11-17.