Deactivating passenger
side airbags: front
airbag and side bag for
pelvis, chest and
shoulders protection
(Side bag)
If a child must be carried on the front
seat in a rear facing child restraint
system, deactivate the passenger side
front airbag and side bag for pelvis,
chest and shoulder protection (Side
bag).
With airbags deactivated, a warning
light
lights up on the instrument
panel in the trim located above the
internal rearview mirror fig. 122.
122A0K0660
141
When the airbag deploys it emits a
small amount of dust: the dust is
harmless and does not indicate the
beginning of a fire. The dust may irritate
the skin and eyes however: in this
case, wash with neutral soap
and water.
Airbag checking, repair and
replacement must be carried out at an
Alfa Romeo Dealership.
If the car is scrapped, have the airbag
system deactivated at an Alfa Romeo
Dealership.
Pretensioners and airbags are deployed
in different ways, according to the
type of impact. Failure to deploy of one
of the devices does not necessarily
indicate a system malfunction.
90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) 97) 98) 99)
WARNING
90) Do not hook rigid objects to the
coat hooks and to the support
handles.
91) Do not rest your head, arms or
elbows on the door, windows or
the area in which the window bag
is located to avoid possible injury
during inflation.
92) Never lean your head, arms and
elbows out of the window.
93) If the
warning light does not
switch on when the key is turned
to MAR-ON, or stays on while
driving (on some versions
together with a message on the
display) there may be a fault in the
restraint systems. In this case,
airbags or pretensioners may not
be activated in the case of an
accident or (in a lesser number of
cases) they may be activated
incorrectly. Before proceeding,
contact an Alfa Romeo Dealership
to have the system checked
immediately.94) Do not travel holding objects on
your lap, opposite the breast,
holding a pipe, pencil, etc. in your
lips. Airbag deployment after a
collision could cause serious
damage/injury.
95) If the car has been subject to
theft, attempted to theft,
vandalism or flooding, have the
airbag system checked by an Alfa
Romeo Dealership.
145
96) When the ignition key is in and
turned in the MAR-ON position
and the engine is off, the airbags
may deploy if the car is crashed
by another moving vehicle.
Therefore, even if the car is
stationary, when an active
passenger airbag is fitted, DO
NOT install rear facing child
restraint systems on the front
passenger seat. Deployment of
the airbag following an impact
could cause fatal injuries to the
child. Therefore, always
deactivate the passenger airbag
when a rear facing child restraint
system is installed on the front
passenger seat. The front
passenger seat must also be
positioned back as far as possible
in order to avoid the child
restraint system from coming into
contact with the dashboard.
Immediately reactivate the
passenger airbag as soon as the
child restraint system has been
removed. Also remember that,
if the key is turned to STOP, none
of the safety devices (airbags or
pretensioners) will be deployed in
the event of a collision. Non-
deployment in such cases does
not indicate a system malfunction.97) When the ignition key is turned
to MAR-ON, the
warning light
turns on (front airbag on
passenger's side enabled) and
blinks for a few seconds to remind
that the passenger airbag will
activate in the event of a collision.
Then it turns off.
98) The front airbags deploy in the
event of more severe collisions
than those required for deploying
the pretensioners. When the
impact is between the two
deployment thresholds, it is
normal that pretensioners only are
engaged.
99) The airbag does not replace seat
belts, but increases their
efficiency. Because front airbags
are not deployed for low-speed
crashes, side collisions, rear-end
shunts or rollovers, occupants are
protected, in addition to any side
bags, only by their seat belts,
which must therefore always be
fastened.
146
SAFETY
STARTING THE
ENGINE
PROCEDURE FOR
PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒engage the handbrake and place the
gear lever in neutral;
❒fully depress the clutch pedal,
without touching the accelerator;
❒turn the ignition key to AVV and
release it as soon as the engine
starts.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
100) 101)
102)
16) 17) 18)
❒If the engine does not start at the first
attempt, return the ignition key to
STOP before repeating the starting
procedure.
❒If, when the ignition key is at
MAR-ON, the
instrument panel
warning light (or the symbol on the
display) stays on together with the
warning light, turn the key to
STOP and then back to MAR-ON. If
the warning light (or the symbol on
the display) remains on, try with
the other keys provided with the car.
Contact an Alfa Romeo Dealership
if the engine still does not start.❒Never leave the ignition key at MAR
when the engine is stopped.
PROCEDURE FOR DIESEL
VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
19)
❒engage the handbrake and place the
gear lever in neutral;
❒turn the ignition key to MAR-ON: the
warning lights
andon the
instrument panel will turn on (for
versions/markets, where provided);
❒wait for the warning lights to switch
off;
❒fully depress the clutch pedal,
without touching the accelerator;
❒turn the ignition key to AVV as soon
as warning light
switches off.
Waiting too long will waste the
heating work carried out by the glow
plugs. Release the key as soon as
the engine starts.
WARMING UP THE
ENGINE JUST AFTER IT
HAS STARTED
Proceed as follows:
❒drive off slowly, letting the engine turn
at medium speed without
accelerating abruptly;❒do not demand full performance at
first. It is advisable to wait until the
engine coolant temperature indicator
starts moving.
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition key to STOP while the
engine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a demanding drive,
before turning the engine off you should
let it idle so that the temperature in the
engine compartment decreases.
WARNING
100) It is dangerous to run the
engine in enclosed areas. The
engine takes in oxygen and
releases carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide and other toxic gases.
101) The brake servo is not active
until the engine is started, so
you would need to apply much
more force than usual to the
brake pedal.
102) Do not start the engine by
pushing, towing or driving
downhill. These manoeuvres may
damage the catalytic converter.
148
STARTING AND DRIVING
IMPORTANT
16) In the first period of use, we
recommend not to demand
maximum performance from the
car (for instance excessive
accelerations, extended travel at
maximum speed, sudden braking,
etc.).
17) With the engine off, do not leave
the key in the ignition switch on
MAR-ON to prevent draining
the battery.
18) A quick burst on the accelerator
before turning off the engine
serves absolutely no practical
purpose; it wastes fuel and is
especially damaging to
turbocharged engines.
19) If the
warning light flashes
for about 1 minute after starting
or during prolonged cranking, this
indicates a fault in the glow plug
preheating system. If the engine
starts, you may use the car
normally, but should contact an
Alfa Romeo Dealership as soon as
possible.
PARKING
Always remove the ignition key when
leaving the car.
When parking and leaving the car,
proceed as follows:
❒engage a gear (1st gear if parked
uphill or reverse if facing downhill)
and leave the wheels turned;
❒stop the engine and engage the
handbrake.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a
stone if the car is parked on a steep
slope.
On versions equipped with Alfa TCT
transmission, before releasing the brake
pedal, wait for letter P to be displayed.
IMPORTANTNEVERleave the car
with the gearbox in neutral (or, on
versions equipped with Alfa TCT
transmission, before placing the gear
lever at P).
HANDBRAKE
To engage it, pull lever A fig. 126
upwards until the car is secured.
When the handbrake is engaged and
the ignition key is at MAR-ON, the
warning light will switch on in the
instrument panel.To release it, raise lever A slightly, hold
down button B and lower the lever:
the
warning light on the instrument
panel switches off.
103) 104)
IMPORTANT Carry out these
manoeuvres with the brake pedal
pressed.
IMPORTANT For cars equipped with a
front armrest, lift it up to ensure that
it does not interfere with the action of
the handbrake.
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149
WARNING
103) Never leave children
unattended in the car. Always
remove the key from the ignition
device when leaving the car and
take it with you.
104) The car must be locked after a
few clicks of the parking brake: if
this is not so, contact an Alfa
Romeo Dealership to have it
adjusted. Always park the car
safely as indicated by the
Highway Code and as described
above.
USING THE
GEARBOX
To engage the gears, press the clutch
pedal fully and shift the gear lever
into one of the required positions (the
diagram for gear engagement is shown
on the knob of the lever
105)).
To engage the 6thgear, operate the
lever by pressing it towards the right in
order to avoid engaging the 4th gear
by mistake. The same applies to the
shift from 6
thto 5thgear.20)
To engage reverse gear (R) from the
neutral position, lift up ring A fig. 127
and simultaneously move the lever
to the left and then forwards.
IMPORTANT Reverse can only be
engaged when the car is completely
stationary.
WARNING
105) Press the clutch pedal fully to
change gears correctly. It is
therefore essential that there is
nothing under the pedals: make
sure the mats are lying flat and do
not get in the way of the pedals.
IMPORTANT
20) Do not drive with your hand
resting on the gear lever as the
force exerted, even if slight, could
lead over time to premature wear
of the gearbox internal
components.
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150
STARTING AND DRIVING
In both cases, if the described
conditions and times are not respected,
the ignition key will be automatically
locked.
To remove the key, turn it to MAR-ON
and then to STOP.
IMPORTANT If the battery is flat and the
ignition key is engaged, the latter is
locked in position. To remove the key
manually, pull up the handbrake and
insert the screwdriver supplied in the
hole under the dashboard fig. 133
pressing slightly, until the key is
removed.MOVING THE CAR
To move the car, from P press the
brake pedal and, using the button on
the gear lever, move the lever to the
desired position (D, R or "Sequential
mode").
The display will show the gear
engaged.
When the brake pedal is released, the
car starts moving forwards or
backwards, as soon as the manoeuvre
is activated ("creeping" effect). The
accelerator should not be pressed in
this case.
IMPORTANT The inconsistency
between the speed actually engaged
(shown on the display) and the position
of the gear lever is indicated by the
letter corresponding to the position of
the lever flashing on the trim (also
accompanied by an acoustic signal).
This condition should not be interpreted
as an operational fault, but simply as a
request by the system to repeat the
manoeuvre.
IMPORTANT With engine running and
car stationary, in "Sequential mode",
the request for engaging 2
ndgear is not
accepted by the system (whether the
brake pedal is pressed or not).If, with 1
stgear or reverse (R) engaged,
the following conditions occur:
❒road slope over 5%;
❒clutch overheated;
❒engine torque constant for a given
period (e.g. if the car hits the
pavement or is parked downhill/
uphill);
car movement is achieved by pressing
the accelerator pedal.
IMPORTANT With handbrake released
and brake pedal released, engine at
idling speed and gear lever in position
D, R or sequential, pay the utmost care
because the car can move even
without the operation of the accelerator
pedal. This condition can be used
with the car on a level surface during
tight parking manoeuvres using the
brake pedal only.
AUTOMATIC DRIVING
MODE
D can be selected from sequential
operation in any driving conditions.
In automatic driving mode, the best
ratio is selected by the electronic
transmission control unit depending on
speed, engine load (accelerator pedal
position) and gradient of the road.
133A0K0254
154
STARTING AND DRIVING
WARNING
106) Using the levers incorrectly
(levers pushed towards the
dashboard, see fig. 137) could
break them.
107) Never leave children
unattended in the car. Always
remove the ignition key when
leaving the car and take the key
with you.
108) The Launch control function is
only available in Dynamic mode.
Regardless of what is explicitly
indicated in the description of
these modes, the ESC and ASR
systems are deactivated during
operation of the Launch Control
function. This means that vehicle
dynamic control is the sole
responsibility of the driver.
Therefore pay the utmost
attention when using the Launch
Control. Take into account traffic
and road surface conditions and
during manoeuvres make sure
there is enough room in the area
concerned.
SAVING FUEL
Here are some suggestions which can
help you to save fuel and lower harmful
emissions.
GENERAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Checks and adjustments should be
carried out in accordance with the
“Scheduled Servicing Plan” (see
chapter “Maintenance and care”).
Tyres
Check the tyre pressures at least once
every four weeks: if the pressure is
too low, consumption levels increase as
resistance to rolling is higher.
Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with an overloaded boot.
The weight of the car and its
arrangement greatly affect fuel
consumption and stability.Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack
from the roof after use. These
accessories lower aerodynamic
penetration and adversely affect
consumption levels. When transporting
particularly large objects, use a trailer
if possible.
Electrical devices
Use the electrical devices only for the
necessary amount of time. The heated
rear window, additional headlights,
screen wipers and heater fan require a
considerable amount of energy;
increasing the current uptake increases
fuel consumption (by up to +25% in
an urban cycle).
Climate control system
Using the climate control system will
increase consumption: use the air vents
when the temperature outside permits.
Devices for
aerodynamic control
The use of non-certified devices for
aerodynamic control may adversely
affect air drag and fuel consumption.
158
STARTING AND DRIVING