
8-4Driving tips
Periodic inspections
To keep your vehicle in the best conditionat all times, always have the recom-mended maintenance services listed inthe maintenance schedule in the“War-ranty and Maintenance Booklet”per-formed at the specified time or mileageintervals.
Driving in foreign countries
When planning to use your vehicle inanother country:
.Confirm the availability of the correctfuel. Refer to“Fuel requirements”F7-2.
.Comply with all regulations and re-quirements of each country.
Driving tips for AWD models
WARNING
.Always maintain a safe drivingspeed according to the road andweather conditions in order toavoidhaving an accident on asharp turn, during sudden brak-ing or under other similar condi-tions.
.Always use the utmost care indriving–overconfidence be-cause you are driving an All-Wheel Drive model could easilylead to a serious accident.
.When replacing a tire, you mustuse a tire that is of the same size,circumference, speed symboland load index as the originaltires listed on the tire placard.Using tires of other sizes, cir-cumferences or constructionsmay result in severe mechanicaldamage to the drive train of yourvehicle and may affect ride,handling,braking, speedometer/odometer calibration, and clear-ance between the body and tires.It also may be dangerous andlead to loss of vehicle control.

.You must install four tires that areof the same size, circumferences,construction, manufacturer,brand (tread pattern), degree ofwear, speed symbol and loadindex. Mixing tires of other sizes,circumferences or constructionsmay result in severe mechanicaldamage to the drive train of yourvehicle and may affect ride,handling, braking and speed-ometer/odometer calibration. Italso may be dangerous and leadto loss of vehicle control.
CAUTION
If you use a temporary spare tire toreplace a flat tire, be sure to use theoriginaltemporary spare tire storedin the vehicle. Using other sizes mayresult in severe mechanical damageto the drive train of your vehicle.
All-Wheel Drive distributes the enginepower to all four wheels. AWD modelsprovidebetter traction when driving onslippery, wet or snow-covered roads andwhen moving out of mud, dirt or sand. Byshifting power between the front and rearwheels, SUBARU AWD can also provideadded traction during acceleration, andadded engine braking force during decel-eration.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehiclemay handle differently than an ordinarytwo wheel drive vehicle and it containssome features unique to AWD. For safetypurposes as well as to avoid damagingthe AWD system, you should keep thefollowing tips in mind.
.An AWD model is better able to climbsteeper roads under snowy or slippery
conditions than a two wheel drive vehicle.There is little difference in handling,however, during extremely sharp turns orsudden braking. Therefore, when drivingdown a slope or turning corners, be sureto reduce your speed and maintain anample distance from other vehicles.
.Always check the cold tire pressurebefore starting to drive. The recom-mended tire pressure is provided on thetire placard, which is located under thedoor latch on the driver’s side.
.There are some precautions that youmust observe when towing your vehicle.For detailed information, refer to“Towing”F9-14.
Driving tips8-5

8-10Driving tips
vior can cause the wheels to lock, possiblyleading to loss of vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) en-hances your vehicle’sbrakingperfor-mance on snowy and icy roads. Forinformation about braking on slipperysurfaces, refer to“ABS (Anti-lock BrakeSystem)”F7-20 and“Vehicle DynamicsControl system”F7-23.
!Wiper operation when snowing
Before driving in cold weather, make surethe wiper blades are not frozen to thewindshield or rear window. If the wiperblades are frozen to the windshield or rearwindow, use the defroster with the airflowcontrol button in the“”position and thetemperature control dial set for maximumwarmth until the wiper blades are com-pletely thawed out. The wiper deicer ishelpful to thaw the windshield wiperblades. To thaw out the rear wiper blade,use the rear window defogger.
When driving in snow, if frozen snow startsto stick on the surface of the windshielddespite wiper operation, use the defrosterwith the airflow control button in“”andthe temperature control dial set for max-imum warmth. After the windshield getswarmed enoughto melt the frozen snowon it, wash it away using the windshieldwasher.
Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents thewiper from working effectively. If snow isstuck on the wiper arm, pull off the road toa safe place, then remove it. If you stopthe vehicle at road side, use the hazardwarning flasher to alert other drivers.
We recommend use of non-freezing typewiper blades (winter blades) during theseasons in which you could have snowand freezing temperatures. Blades of thistype givesuperior wiping performance insnowy conditions. Be sure to use bladesthat are suitable for your vehicle.
CAUTION
During high-speed driving, non-freezing type wiper blades may notperformas well as standard wiperblades. If this happens, reduce thevehicle speed.
NOTE
When the season requiring non-freez-ing type wiper blades is over, replacethem with standard wiper blades.
&Corrosion protection
Refer to“Corrosion protection”F10-4.
&Snow tires
WARNING
.When replacing original tires withwinter (snow) tires, make sureyou use only tires of the samesize, circumference, speed sym-bol and load index as the originaltires listed on the tire placard.Using tires of other sizes orconstructions may affect speed-ometer/odometer calibration andclearance between the body andtires. It also may be dangerousand lead to loss of vehicle con-trol.
.You must install four winter tiresthat are of the same size, circum-ferences,construction, manufac-turer, brand (tread pattern), de-gree of wear, speed symbol andload index. Mixing tires of othersizes, circumferences or con-structions may result in severemechanical damage to the drivetrain of your vehicle and mayaffect ride, handling, braking andspeedometer/odometer calibra-tion. It also may be dangerousand lead to loss of vehicle con-trol.

11-26Maintenance and service
the direction mark facing forward.
&Tire rotation
Vehicles equipped with 4 non-unidirec-tional tires1) Front
Vehicles equipped with unidirectional tires1) Front
Tire wear varies from wheel to wheel. Tomaximize the life of each tire and ensurethat the tires wear uniformly, it is best torotate the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000km). Move the tires to the positions shownin the illustration each time they arerotated.
Replace any damaged or unevenly worntire at the time of rotation. After tirerotation, adjust the tire pressures andmake sure the wheel nuts are correctlytightened.
After driving approximately 600 miles(1,000 km), check the wheel nuts againand retighten any nut that has becomeloose.
&Tire replacement
The wheels and tires are important andintegral parts of your vehicle’s design;they cannot be changed arbitrarily. Thetires fitted as standard equipment areoptimally matched to the characteristicsof the vehicle and were selected to givethe best possible combination of runningperformance, ride comfort, and servicelife. It is essential for every tire to have asize and construction matching thoseshown on the tire placard and to have aspeed symbol and load index matchingthose shown on the tire placard.
Usingtires of a non-specified size detractsfrom controllability, ride comfort, brakingperformance, speedometer accuracy andodometer accuracy. It also creates incor-rect body-to-tire clearances and inappro-priately changes the vehicle’sgroundclearance.
All four tires must be the same in terms ofmanufacturer, brand (tread pattern), con-struction, and size. You are advised toreplace the tires with new ones that areidentical to those fitted as standard equip-ment.
For safe vehicle operation, SUBARUrecommends replacing all four tires atthe same time.

WARNING
.When replacing a tire, you mustuse a tire that is of the same size,circumference, speed symboland load index as the originaltires listed on the tire placard.Using tires of other sizes, cir-cumferences or constructionsmay result in severe mechanicaldamage to the drive train of yourvehicle and may affect ride,handling, braking, speedometer/odometer calibration, and clear-ance betweenthe body and tires.It also may be dangerous andlead to loss of vehicle control.
.You must install four tires that areof the same size, circumference,construction, manufacturer,brand(tread pattern), degree ofwear, speed symbol and loadindex. Mixing tires of differenttypes, sizes or degrees of wearcan result in damage to thevehicle’spowertrain.Useofdifferent types or sizes of tirescan also dangerously reducecontrollability and braking per-formance and can lead to anaccident.
.Use only radial tires. Do not use
radial tires together with beltedbias tires and/or bias-ply tires.Doing so can dangerously re-duce controllability, resulting inan accident.
&Wheel replacement
When replacing wheels due, for example,to damage, make sure the replacementwheels match the specifications of thewheels that are fitted as standard equip-ment. Replacement wheels are availablefrom SUBARUdealers.
WARNING
Use only those wheels that arespecified for your vehicle. Wheelsnot meeting specifications couldinterfere with brake caliper opera-tion and may cause the tires to rubagainst the wheel well housing dur-ing turns. The resulting loss ofvehicle control could lead to anaccident.
Aluminum wheels
.Aluminum wheels can be scratchedand damaged easily. Handle them care-fully to maintain their appearance, perfor-mance, and safety.
.When any of the wheels are removedand replaced for tire rotation or to changea flat tire, always check the tightness ofthe wheel nuts after driving approximately600 miles (1,000 km). If any nut is loose,tighten it to the specified torque.–For the wheel nut tightening torque,refer to“Tires”F12-8.–For the wheel nut tightening proce-dure, refer to“Changing a flat tire”F9-6..Never apply oil to the threaded parts,wheel nuts, or tapered surface of thewheel.
.Never let the wheel rub against sharpprotrusions or curbs.
.When wheel nuts, balance weights, orthe center cap is replaced, be sure toreplace them with genuine SUBARU partsdesigned for the specific wheel.
Maintenance and service11-27

Map light........................................................... 6-3, 11-43Maximum load limits................................................... 8-21Meters and gauges...................................................... 3-5Mirrors...................................................................... 3-38Moonroof.................................................................. 2-25Multi function display.................................................. 3-24
NNew vehicle break-in driving.......................................... 8-2
OOdometer.................................................................... 3-6Oil filter..................................................................... 11-8Oil levelEngine.................................................................. 11-7Front differential gear............................................ 11-15Rear differential gear............................................. 11-16Oilpressure warning light............................................ 3-13On-road and off-road driving...................................... 9, 8-6OutsideMirror defogger...................................................... 3-43Mirrors.................................................................. 3-42Temperature indicator............................................. 3-23Overhead console........................................................ 6-8Overheating engine.................................................... 9-14
PParkingBrake................................................................... 7-28Brake stroke......................................................... 11-20Light.................................................................... 11-38
Light switch........................................................... 3-32Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29Periodic inspections..................................................... 8-4Petrol fuel................................................................... 7-2PowerDoor locking switch.................................................. 2-7Outlets.................................................................. 6-10Outside mirrors...................................................... 3-42Seat....................................................................... 1-3Steering................................................................ 7-18Steering fluid................................................ 11-16, 12-7Windows............................................................... 2-21Precautions against vehicle modification................ 1-28, 1-72Preparing to drive........................................................ 7-7Printed antenna........................................................... 5-2
RRearAir conditioner......................................................... 4-9Combination lights................................................ 11-39Differential gear oil........................................ 11-16, 12-6Gate............................................................. 2-24, 9-18Gate light...................................................... 6-3, 11-41Turn signal light.................................................... 11-39Rear differentialOil temperature warning light................................... 3-13Rear Seat Entertainment............................................. 5-29Rear view camera...................................................... 6-21Rear windowDefogger button..................................................... 3-37Wiper and washer switch......................................... 3-35
Index14-7