Economical driving............................................................................. 6-02
Driving, alcohol and drugs.................................................................. 6-02
Safe driving techniques....................................................................... 6-03
Running-in recommendations............................................................. 6-04 Parking brake...................................................................................... 6-07
Parking................................................................................................ 6-08
Steering wheel height adjustment....................................................... 6-09
Inside rear-view mirror....................................................................... 6-09 Outside rear-view mirrors................................................................... 6-10
Ignition switch.....................................................................................6-12 Steering wheel lock............................................................................. 6-13
Starting................................................................................................ 6-13 Diesel particulate filter (DPF)*........................................................... 6-15Manual transmission........................................................................... 6-16Automatic transmission Sports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T............................. 6-19Easy select 4WD*............................................................................... 6-25
Super select 4WD*..............................................................................6-29
Rear differential lock*........................................................................ 6-34 4-wheel drive operation...................................................................... 6-38
Inspection and maintenance following rough road operation............. 6-41
Cautions on handling of 4-wheel drive vehicles................................. 6-41
Limited-slip differential*.................................................................... 6-43
Braking................................................................................................ 6-43
Brake assist system*........................................................................... 6-44
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)*.......................................................... 6-45
Power steering system.........................................................................6-48 Active Stability & Traction Control (ASTC)*....................................6-48
Cruise control*.................................................................................... 6-50 Cargo loads......................................................................................... 6-55Trailer towing......................................................................................6-55Starting and driving
OKTE15E36
Automatic transmissionSports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T E00603200710NOTElDuring running-in period or immediately af-
ter reconnection of the battery cable, there may be a case where gear shifts are not
made smoothly. This does not indicate a faulty transmission.
Gear shifts will become smooth after the transmission has been shifted several times
by the electronic control system.Selector lever operation
E00603301082
The transmission has 4 forward gears (4A/T),
5 forward gears (5A/T) and 1 reverse gear.
The individual gears are selected automati- cally, depending on the position of the gear selector lever, the speed of the vehicle and
the position of the accelerator pedal.
The selector lever has 2 gates; the main gate
(1) and the manual gate (2).NOTEl For information on manual gate operation,
please refer to “Sports mode” on page 6-21.In the main gate, the selector lever has 4 po-
sitions, and is equipped with a lock button
(A) to avoid inadvertent selection of the wrong gear.The lock button must be pushed while the brake pedal is depressed to move
the selector lever.The lock button must be pushed to move the selector lever.
Automatic transmission Sports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T
6-19OKTE15E3Starting and driving6
The lock button need not be pushed to
move the selector lever.WARNINGl If the lock button is always pushed to op-
erate the selector lever, the lever may beaccidentally shifted into the “P” (PARK)
or “R” (REVERSE) position. Be sure not to push the lock button when performing
the operations indicated by
in the illus-
tration.
l Always depress the brake pedal when
shifting the selector lever into a gear from the “P” (PARK) or “N” (NEUTRAL) po-sition.
When beginning to drive, do not shift the
selector lever from the “P” (PARK) or
“N” (NEUTRAL) position while depress-
ing the accelerator pedal, doing so is dan- gerous because the vehicle will “jump”
forward or backward.
When the selector lever cannot
be shifted from the “P” (PARK)
position
When the selector lever cannot be shifted from the “P” (PARK) position to another po-
sition while the brake pedal is pressed and
held down with the ignition switch at the
“ON” position, the battery may be flat or the shift-lock mechanism may be malfunction- ing.
Immediately have your vehicle checked by
an authorized MITSUBISHI MOTORS deal-
er.
If you need to move the vehicle, shift the se- lector lever as follows. 1. Make sure the parking brake is applied.
2. Stop the engine if it is running.
3. Depress the brake pedal with the right
foot.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ACC”
position.
5. Insert a straight blade (or minus) screw-
driver in the shiftlock release hole (A).
Shift the selector lever to the “N” (NEU-
TRAL) position while pressing the straight blade (or minus) screwdriver down.Selector lever position indica-
tor
E00603500885
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, the current position of the se- lector lever is indicated by the indicator (A)
shown on the instrument cluster {i.e. “P” (PARK), “R” (REVERSE), “N” (NEU-
TRAL), “D” (DRIVE)}.
Selector lever positions (Main
gate)
E00603800729
“P” PARK
This position locks the transmission to pre- vent the vehicle from moving. The engine
can be started in this position.
“R” REVERSE
This position is to back up.
Automatic transmission Sports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T
6-20OKTE15E3Starting and driving6
CAUTIONlNever shift into the “P” (PARK) or “R”
(REVERSE) position while the vehicle is in motion to avoid transmission damage.
“N” NEUTRAL
At this position the transmission is disengag-
ed. It is the same as the neutral position on aM/T , and should only be used when the vehi-
cle is stationary for an extended length of time during driving, such as in a traffic jam.
WARNINGl Never move the selector lever to the “N”
(NEUTRAL) position while driving. A se-rious accident could occur since you could
accidentally move the lever into the “P” (PARK) or “R” (REVERSE) position or
you will lose engine braking.
l On a gradient the engine should be star-
ted in the “P” (PARK) position, not in the “N” (NEUTRAL) position.
l Always keep your right foot on the brake
pedal when shifting into or out of “N” (NEUTRAL), to minimize the risk of loss
of control.
“D” DRIVE
This position is for normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a suitable
gear ratio for your speed and acceleration.
CAUTIONl Never shift into the “D” (DRIVE) position
from the “R” (REVERSE) position while the
vehicle is in motion to avoid transmission damage.Sports mode
E00603901323
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in mo-
tion, sports mode is selected by gently push-ing the selector lever from the “D” (DRIVE)
position into the manual gate (A). To return to “D” range operation, gently push the selec-tor lever back into the main gate (B).
In sports mode, gear shifts can be made rap-
idly simply by moving the selector lever backward and forward. In contrast to a man- ual transmission, the sports mode allows gear shifts with the accelerator pedal depressed.SHIFT UPSHIFT DOWN
+ (SHIFT UP)
Push the lever forward once to shift up
one gear.
- (SHIFT DOWN)
Pull the lever backward once to shift
down one gear.
CAUTIONl In sports mode, the driver must execute up-
ward shifts in accordance with prevailingroad conditions, taking care to keep the en-
gine speed below the red zone.
Automatic transmission Sports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T
6-21OKTE15E3Starting and driving6
CAUTIONlBy rapidly moving the selector lever back-
ward (SHIFT DOWN) twice, it is possible to
skip one gear, i.e., 3 rd
to 1 st
, 4 th
to 2 nd
or 5 th
to 3 rd
. Since sudden engine braking and/or
rapid acceleration can cause a loss of trac-
tion, downshifts must be made carefully in
accordance with the vehicle’s speed.NOTEl In sports mode, only the 4 or 5 forward gears
can be selected. To reverse or park the vehi- cle, move the selector lever to the “R” (RE-VERSE) or “P” (PARK) position as re-quired.
l To maintain good running performance, the
transmission may refuse to perform an up- shift when the selector lever is moved to the
“+ (SHIFT UP)” position at certain vehicle speeds. Also, to prevent over-revving of the
engine, the transmission may refuse to per- form a downshift when the lever is moved to
the “- (SHIFT DOWN)” position at certain vehicle speeds.
l In sports mode, downward shifts are made
automatically when the vehicle slows down.
When the vehicle stops, 1st
gear is automati-
cally selected.NOTEl When driving away on a slippery road, push
the selector lever forward into the “+(SHIFT UP)” position. This causes the trans-
mission to shift into the 2 nd
gear which is
better for smooth driving away on a slippery
road. Push the selector lever to the “-
(SHIFT DOWN)” side to shift back to the 1 st
gear.Sports mode indicator
E00612300498
In sports mode, the currently selected posi- tion is indicated by the indicator (A) shown
on the instrument panel.
When a malfunction occurs in
the automatic transmission
E00615100152
When the selector lever position
indicator blinks
E00615200238
When the selector lever position indicator blinks while you are driving, there could be a
malfunction in the automatic transmission
system.
orthroughor
Automatic transmission Sports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T
6-22OKTE15E3Starting and driving6
CAUTIONlIf the selector lever position indicator blinks
while you are driving, it is likely that a safe-
ty device is operating because of a malfunc-
tion in the automatic transmission. We rec-
ommend you to have your vehicle inspected as soon as possible.
l The selector lever position indicator warning
function does not operate with the selector
lever in the “P” (PARK), “R” (REVERSE) or “N” (NEUTRAL) position.When the A/T (automatic trans-
mission) fluid temperature warning lamp comes on
E00615300141
The automatic transmission fluid temperature
warning lamp comes on when the automatic
transmission fluid temperature becomes ab- normally high. Normally the warning lamp
comes on when the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position, and then will go out af-
ter a few seconds.
CAUTIONl If the lamp comes on, reduce the engine
speed and stop the vehicle in a safe area.Then set the selector lever to the “P”
(PARK) position and idle the engine until
the warning lamp goes off. When the warn- ing lamp goes off, resume normal driving. If
the warning lamp does not go off, we recom- mend you to have your vehicle inspected.Operation of the automatic
transmission
E00604200528
CAUTIONl Before selecting a gear with the engine run-
ning and the vehicle stationary, fully depress
the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from
creeping.
The vehicle will begin to move as soon as the gear is engaged, especially when the en- gine speed is high, at fast idle or with the airconditioning operating, the brakes should
only be released when you are ready to drive
away.
l Depress the brake pedal with the right foot at
all times.
Using the left foot could cause driver move- ment delay in case of an emergency.
l To prevent sudden acceleration, never race
the engine when shifting from the “P”
(PARK) or “N” (NEUTRAL) position.
Automatic transmission Sports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T
6-23OKTE15E3Starting and driving6
CAUTIONlOperating the accelerator pedal while the
other foot is resting on the brake pedal will affect braking efficiency and may cause pre-
mature wear of brake pads.
l Use the selector lever in the correct shift po-
sition in accordance with driving conditions.Never coast downhill backward with the
driving shift position {“D” (DRIVE) or
sports mode} or coast forward with the “R” (REVERSE) position.
The engine stops and the brake pedal effort or the steering wheel handling weight in-creasing could lead to an accident.
l Do not race the engine with brake pedal
pressed when the vehicle is stationary.
This can damage the automatic transmission.Passing acceleration
E00604500329
To gain extra acceleration in “D” (DRIVE)
position, push the accelerator to the floor.The automatic transmission will automatical- ly downshift.
NOTEl In “Sports mode”, downshifts do not take
place when the accelerator is depressed all
the way to the floor.Waiting
E00604600304
For short waiting periods, such as at traffic
signals, the vehicle can be left in gear and held stationary with the service brake.
For longer waiting periods with the engine
running, place the selector lever in the “N” (NEUTRAL) position..CAUTIONl Never hold the vehicle stationary on a hill
using the accelerator pedal (without using the brake pedal). Always apply the parking
brake and/or service brakes.
l Unexpected acceleration may occur if the se-
lector lever is in a position other than “P”
(PARK) or “N” (NEUTRAL). Prior to mov-
ing off after having stopped the vehicle, make sure that the selector lever is in the
“D” (DRIVE) position.Parking
E00604700262
To park the vehicle, first bring it to a com-
plete stop, fully engage the parking brake,and then move the selector lever to the “P”
(PARK) position.
If you are going to leave the vehicle unatten-
ded, always switch off the engine and remove the ignition key.
NOTEl On a slope, be sure to apply the parking
brake before moving the selector lever to the
“P” (PARK) position. If you move the selec- tor lever to the “P” (PARK) position before applying the parking brake, it may be diffi-
cult to disengage the selector lever from the
“P” (PARK) position when next you drive the vehicle, requiring application of a strong
force to the selector lever to move from the
“P” (PARK) position.When the automatic transmis-
sion makes no speed change
E00604800683
If the transmission does not change speeds
while driving, or your vehicle does not pick up enough speed when starting on an uphillslope, it may be that there is something un-
usual happening in the transmission, causing a safety device to activate. We recommendyou to have your vehicle checked as soon as
possible. 1. If your vehicle has difficulty moving up-
hill, shift the selector lever into 2 nd
gear
of the “Sports mode”.
This method might not work depending
on the type of transmission malfunction.
2. Once the vehicle is moving on a level
road, move the selector lever back to“D” (DRIVE).
Automatic transmission Sports Mode 4A/T, 5A/T
6-24OKTE15E3Starting and driving6
lBe sure that the driving speed does not
exceed the maximum speed for trailer
operation.
l To prevent shocks from the overrun
brake, depress the brake pedal lightly at first and then more strongly.
l To make full use of engine braking,
change to a lower gear before descend-
ing a slope.
l The body, brakes, clutch, and chassis
will be under additional strain when
towing a trailer.
l The heavier weight and higher rolling
and air resistance will increase fuel con- sumption.
Additional precautions for vehi-
cles equipped with an automatic
transmission
The 2 nd
gear (in “Sports mode”) is recom-
mended on slopes or at low speed. Use the 1 st
gear (in “Sports mode”) in mountainous areas
in order to make better use of engine braking and to assist the brake system. However, be
sure that the speed does not exceed the maxi- mum speed limit for the selected gear.
Trailer towing
6-58OKTE15E3Starting and driving6