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Driving your vehicle
12 5
Starting the engineStarting the petrol engine
(if equipped)
1. Carry the smart key or leave it inside
the vehicle.
2. Make sure the parking brake is firmly
applied.
3.Manual Transaxle- Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed
whilst starting the engine.
Automatic Transaxle/Continuously
Variable Transaxle- Place the shift
lever in P (Park). Depress the brake
pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when
the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)
position.
4. Press the engine start/stop button.
It should be started without depressing
the accelerator.
5. Do not wait for the engine to warm up
whilst the vehicle remains stationary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and decel-
erating should be avoided.)
Starting the diesel engine
(if equipped)
To start the diesel engine when the
engine is cold, it has to be pre-heated
before starting the engine and then have
to be warmed up before starting to drive.
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2.Manual Transaxle- Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the into
Neutral. Keep the clutch pedal and
brake pedal depressed whilst pressing
the engine start/stop button to the
START position.
Automatic transaxle / Dual clutch
transmission- Place the shift lever in
P (Park). Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when the
shift lever is in the N (Neutral) position.
WARNING
• Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots, sandals, etc.) may inter-
fere with your ability to use the
brake and accelerator pedals and
the clutch pedal (if equipped).
• Do not start the vehicle with the
accelerator pedal depressed. The
vehicle can move and lead to an
accident.
• Wait until the engine rpm is nor-
mal. The vehicle may suddenly
move if the brake pedal is
released when the rpm is high.
WARNING
People with medical devices such
as implanted pacemakers or car-
diac defibrillators should not carry
the smart key near their heart. The
smart key system may affect the
operation of such implanted med-
ical devices. Failure to do so may
result in interference with the med-
ical device, which could result in
serious injury.
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Driving your vehicle
3. Press the engine start/stop button
whilst depressing the brake pedal.
4. Continue depressing the brake pedal
until the illuminated glow indicator
goes off. (approximately 5 seconds)
5. The engine starts running when the
glow indicator goes off.
✽ NOTICE
If the engine start/stop button is pressed
once more whilst the engine is pre-heat-
ing, the engine may start.
Precautions for starting and stopping tur-
bocharged engines
1. Do not race or accelerate the engine
immediately after starting.
If the engine is cold, idle for several
seconds before sufficient lubrication is
ensured in the turbocharger unit.
2. After high speed or extended driving,
requiring a heavy engine load, idle the
engine about 1 minute before turning it
off.
This idle time will allow the tur-
bocharger to cool prior to turn off the
engine.• Even if the smart key is in the vehicle,
if it is far away from you, the engine
may not start.
• When the engine start/stop button is in
the ACC position or above and a door
is opened, the system checks for the
smart key. If the smart key is not in the
vehicle, the " " indicator will blink or
the warning "Key is not in vehicle" will
illuminate on the LCD display. And if all
doors are closed, the chime will sound
for 5 seconds. The indicator or warning
will turn off whilst the vehicle is moving.
Always have the smart key with you.
WARNING
The engine will start, only when the
smart key is in the vehicle.
Never allow children or any person
who is unfamiliar with the vehicle
touch the engine start/stop button
or related parts.CAUTION
Do not turn off the engine immedi-
ately after it has been subjected to
a heavy load. Doing so may cause
severe damage to the engine or tur-
bocharger unit.
W-60 Glow indicator light
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Driving your vehicle
14 5
✽ NOTICE
• If the battery is weak or the smart key
does not work correctly, you can start
the engine by pressing the engine
start/stop button with the smart key.
• When the stop lamp fuse is blown, you
can't start the engine normally.
Replace the fuse with a new one. If it
is not possible, you can start the
engine by pressing the engine start/
stop button for 10 seconds whilst it is
in the ACC position. The engine can
start without depressing the brake
pedal. But for your safety always
depress the brake pedal before start-
ing the engine.
CAUTION
Do not press the engine start/ stop
button for more than 10 seconds
except when the stop lamp fuse is
blown.
CAUTION
If the engine stalls whilst the vehi-
cle is in motion, do not attempt to
move the shift lever to the P (Park)
position. If the traffic and road con-
ditions permit, you may put the shift
lever in the N (Neutral) position
whilst the vehicle is still moving
and press the engine start/stop but-
ton in an attempt to restart the
engine.
ORB055007R
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Driving your vehicle
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift
knob. The transaxle is fully synchronized
in all forward gears so shifting to either a
higher or a lower gear is easily accom-
plished.
Press the clutch pedal down fully whilst
shifting, then release it slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an igni-
tion key lock switch, the engine will not
start without depressing the clutch pedal,
(if equipped). The gearshift lever must be
returned to the neutral position before
shifting into R (Reverse). Push the button
located immediately below the shift knob
and pull the gearshift lever to the left suf-
ficiently, and then shift into the reverse
(R) gear position.
Make sure the vehicle
is completely stopped before shifting into
R (Reverse).
Never operate the engine with the
tachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION
• When downshifting from fifth
gear to fourth gear, caution
should be taken not to inadver-
tently press the gear shift lever
sideways in such a manner that
second gear is engaged. Such a
drastic downshift may cause the
engine speed to increase to the
point that the tachometer will
enter the red-zone. Such over-
revving of the engine may possi-
bly cause engine damage.
• Do not downshift more than 2
gears at a time or downshift a
gear when the engine is running
at a high speed (5,000 RPM or
higher). Such a downshift may
damage the engine, clutch and
the transaxle.
ORB051001N
The button (1) must be pulled up whilst
moving the shift lever. The shift lever can be moved without
pulling the button (1).
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• During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant is
warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transaxle.
• If you've come to a complete stop and
it's hard to shift into 1st or R(Reverse),
leave the shift lever at N(Neutral) posi-
tion and release the clutch. Press the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R(Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be pressed all the way
to the floor before shifting, then released
slowly. The clutch pedal should always be
fully released whilst driving. Do not rest
your foot on the clutch pedal whilst driv-
ing. This can cause unnecessary wear.
Do not partially engage the clutch to hold
the vehicle on an incline. This causes
unnecessary wear. Use the foot brake or
parking brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch pedal
rapidly and repeatedly.
CAUTION
• To avoid premature clutch wear
and damage, do not drive with
your foot resting on the clutch
pedal. Also, don’t use the clutch
to hold the vehicle stopped on an
uphill grade, whilst waiting for a
traffic light, etc.
• Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as this
can result in premature wear of
the transaxle shift forks.
WARNING
• Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Then
make sure the transaxle is shifted
into 1st gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill grade,
and shifted into R (Reverse) on a
downhill grade. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are not
followed in the order identified.
• If your vehicle has a manual
transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may move
and cause a serious accident
when starting the engine without
depressing the clutch pedal
whilst the parking brake is
released and the shift lever not in
the N(Neutral) position.
• Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip caus-
ing an accident.
CAUTION
• When operating the clutch pedal,
press the clutch pedal down fully.
If you don’t press the clutch pedal
fully, the clutch may be damaged
or noise may occur.
• To prevent possible damage to
the clutch system, do not start
with the 2nd (second) gear
engaged except when you start
on a slippery road.
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Driving your vehicle
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or whilst driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labour.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is travelling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
Good driving practices
• Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
• Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause
them to overheat and malfunction.
Instead, when you are driving down a
long hill, shift to a lower gear. When
you do this, engine braking will help
slow down the vehicle.
• Slow down before shifting to a lower
gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
• Slow down when you encounter cross
winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift into
reverse. The transaxle can be dam-
aged if you do not. To shift into reverse,
depress the clutch, move the shift lever
to neutral, wait three seconds, then
shift to the reverse position.
• Exercise extreme caution when driving
on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.WARNING
• Always buckle-up! In a collision,
an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when corner-
ing or turning.
• Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
• The risk of rollover is greatly
increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
• Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to re-enter the roadway.
• In the event your vehicle leaves
the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
• Never exceed posted speed lim-
its.
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Driving your vehicle
18 5
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 4 (6*) for-
ward gears and one reverse gear. The
individual gears are selected automati-
cally, depending on the position of the
shift lever.
* : if equipped
✽NOTICE
The first few shifts on a vehicle, if the
battery has been disconnected, may be
somewhat abrupt. This is a normal con-
dition, and the shifting sequence will
adjust after shifts are cycled a few times
by the TCM (Transaxle Control
Module) or PCM (Powertrain Control
Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
ORB050004R
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
The selector lever can be shifted freely. Depress the brake pedal when shifting.
(If your vehicle is installed with a shift lock system)
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Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to a
forward or reverse gear.Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift lever position when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the drive
wheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
• Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, before
shifting a car into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movement
can occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order iden-
tified.
• Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip caus-
ing an accident.
CAUTION
• To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate the
engine in R (Reverse) or any for-
ward gear position with the
brakes on.
• When stopped on an incline, do
not hold the vehicle stationary
with engine power. Use the serv-
ice brake or the parking brake.
• Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P
(Park) into D (Drive), or R
(Reverse) when the engine is
above idle speed.
WARNING
• Shifting into P (Park) whilst the
vehicle is in motion will cause the
drive wheels to lock which will
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
• Do not use the P (Park) position
in place of the parking brake.
Always make sure the shift lever
is latched in the P (Park) position
and set the parking brake fully.
• Never leave a child unattended in
a vehicle.