3-138
Convenient features of your vehicle
For the maximum defrosting effects, set the temperature to be
extreme hot (extreme right) and
set the fan speed in the highest.
When you want warm air near the floor while defrosting or defogging,
set the mode in the floor-defrost
position.
Before driving, clear all snow and ice from the windshield, rear win-
dow, outside rear view mirrors,
and all side windows.
Clear all snow and ice from the hood and air inlet in the cowl grill
to improve heater and defroster
efficiency and to prevent possible
dew condensation on the inside of
the windshield.
Information
If the engine temperature is still cold
after starting, brief warming up of the
engine may be required to warm the
air in the air outlet.
To defog inside windshield
1. Select the desired fan speed.
2. Select the desired temperature.
3. Press the defrost button ( ).
4. The (fresh) air intake mode will beselected automatically.
If the (fresh) air intake mode is not
selected automatically, adjust the
corresponding buttons manually.
If the position is selected, lower
fan speed is adjusted according to
the higher fan speed.
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- Windshield heating
Do not set in the or in the
position when operating the
A/C in extremely humid weath-
er. The difference between the
outside and inside tempera-
tures could cause the dew con-
densation on the outer surface
of the windshield, causing loss
of driver's view, serious injury
or death. In this case, set the
knob or the button in the
position and lower the fan
speed.
WARNING
OVI045122N
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outsidemirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check underneath the vehicle for any leakage sign.
Make sure there are no obstacles behind, when you intend to drive
backwards.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, at exact intervals.
Further details are provided in the
chapter 7, "Maintenance".
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Check the seat position, so all con-trols are easily accessible.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Make sure that all lights operate.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the Engine Start/Stop
button is turned ON.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light
goes OFF.
For safe operation, make sure you
are familiar with your vehicle equip-
ment and operation.
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5-5
Driving your vehicle05
Careless driving may result in a
loss of vehicle control, possibly
leading to an accident, severe
personal injury, and death. The
driver’s primary responsibility
is to drive in the safe and legal
manner. The use of any hand-
held devices, other equipment,
or vehicle systems, which take
the driver’s eyes, attention and
focus away from the safe opera-
tion of a vehicle or which are
not permissible by law, should
never be used in driving.
WARNINGAll passengers must be proper-
ly belted whenever the vehicle
is moving. Refer to "Seat belts"
in chapter 2 for more informa-
tion on the proper usage.
WARNING
Always take a look around your
vehicle for any passers-by,
especially children, before
changing the shift lever to D
(Drive) or R (Reverse).
WARNING
5-6
Driving your vehicle- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
DUI (driving under the influ-
ence) is dangerous. DUI is the
number one contributor to the
highway death toll each year.
Even a small amount of alcohol
will affect your reflexes, percep-
tions and judgment. Driving
under the influence of drugs is
as dangerous as or more dan-
gerous than driving under the
influence of alcohol.
You are much more likely to
have a serious accident if you
drive under the influence of
alcohol or drug. After you drink
alcohol or take drugs, do not
drive. Do not ride in a passen-
ger's seat when a driver drinks
or takes drugs.
Have a designated driver in
your group or call a cab.
WARNING
When you park or pull over the vehicle with the engine
ON, be careful not to depress
the accelerator pedal for a
long period of time. It may
overheat the engine or
exhaust system and cause
fire.
When you make a sudden stop or rapidly turn the steer-
ing wheel, any loose objects
may toss about inside the
vehicle and interfere with the
pedal operation, possibly
causing an accident. Keep all
things in the vehicle safely
stored.
If you are not concentrated while driving, it may cause an
accident. Be careful when
operating controls such as
the audio or heater. It is
always the driver's responsi-
bility to be attentive to the
driving safety.
WARNING
Automatic transmission opera-
tion
The automatic transmission has 8
forward speed levels and 1 reverse
speed level. Vehicle speed is auto-
matically selected, depending on the
shift lever position.
Information
A new vehicle may experience some-
what abrupt movement during the
first few shifts.
Always depress the brake pedalwhen moving the shift lever from N(Neutral) to a forward or reverse gear.
To avoid damage to your trans- mission, do not depress the
accelerator, when the shift lever
is in R (Reverse) or any forward
gear positions, and when the
brake is set.
(Continued)(Continued)
When a vehicle stops on a
slope, do not stop the vehicle
with the engine power.
Set the service brake or the
parking brake.
Do not shift from N(Neutral)/P(Park) to
D(Drive)/R(Reverse), when the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed.
Transmission ranges
The shift lever position is displayed
on the instrument cluster, when the
Engine Start/Stop button is ON.
P (Park)
Always completely stop the vehicle
before moving the shift lever to P
(Park). This locks the transmission
and prevents the drive wheels from
rotating.
NOTICE
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5-12
Driving your vehicle
- Automatic transmission
Always take a look around your vehicle for any passers-
by, especially children, before
moving the shift lever to D
(Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in P (Park). Then,
fully set the parking brake and
turn the engine OFF.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement may occur
when these precautions are
not taken.
WARNING
Moving the shift lever to P(Park), while driving, locks the
drive wheels, possibly result-
ing in your loss of vehicle
control.
Do not set the shift lever in P (Park) instead of setting the
parking brake. Always make
sure the shift lever is latched
in P(Park) position, and the
parking brake is fully set.
Never leave a child unattend- ed in a vehicle.
WARNING
Shift-lock override
When the shift lever cannot be
moved from P(Park)/N(Neutral) to R
(Reverse), while depressing the
brake pedal, keep depressing the
brake, and do the followings:
1.Carefully remove the cover (1) ofthe shift-lock access hole.
2.Insert a screwdriver into the access hole and press it.
3.Move the shift lever.
4.Immediately have your vehicle inspected by an authorized
EQUUS dealer.
Good driving practices
Never move the shift lever fromP(Park)/N(Neutral) to any other
position, while depressing the
accelerator.
Never move the gearshift to P (Park), when the vehicle is in
motion.
Make sure to completely stop the vehicle before moving the shift
lever to R(Reverse)/D(Drive).
Never disengage the gear, while driving down on a slope. This may
be extremely hazardous. Always
engage the gear while driving.
Do not "ride" the brakes. This may cause overheating and malfunc-
tion. Instead, when you drive down
a long slope, slow the vehicle
down, set in Sports Mode, and shift
to a lower gear. Those will help the
engine brake slow the vehicle
down.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear in sports mode.
Otherwise, the lower gear may not
be engaged.
Always set the parking brake. Do not depend on the shift gear in P
(Park) to prevent the vehicle from
moving.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be
careful especially when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed may cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
the vehicle to go out of control.
Optimum vehicle performance and fuel economy are obtained by
smoothly depressing and releasing
the accelerator.
5-15
Driving your vehicle05
OVI055011N
The ESC system is an electronic
system to help the driver maintain
vehicle control in adverse conditions.
It is not a substitute for safe driving
practices. Various factors, including
speed, road conditions and driver's
steering maneuver, affect the ESC
performance in preventing a loss of
control. It is still driver's responsibility
to drive and corner at a proper speed
and to keep a safe distance. When
depressing the brake under condi-
tions, which may lock the wheels,
you may hear a snapping sound and
feel like that from the brake pedal.
This is normal and indicates your
ESC actively operates.
Information
A clicking sound may be heard from
the engine compartment, when the
engine is started and the vehicle
begins to move. This is normal, indi-
cating that the ESC actively operates.
ESC operation
ESC ON condition
When the Engine Start/Stop button
is turned ON, the ESC and the ESC
OFF indicator lights illuminate for
approximately 3 seconds and goes
off, then the ESC is turned on.
When operating
When the ESC operates,
the ESC indicator will flash.
operates, you can feel a
slight pulsation from the
vehicle. This is because of
the brake control, and
does not indicate a prob-
lem.
mud or driving on a slip-
pery road, the engine rpm
may not be increased
even with the accelerator
deeply depressed. This is
to maintain the stability
and traction and does not
indicate a problem.
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5-29
Driving your vehicle05
(1) CRUISE indicator
(2) SET indicator
(3) Set speed
(4) Vehicle-to-vehicle distance
The Smart Cruise Control system
sets your vehicle to maintain a set
speed unless it is not limited by traf-
fic. When the system detects a vehi-
cle in front, the vehicle will automati-
cally slow down the speed to main-
tain a set distance without depress-
ing the accelerator or the brake
pedal.
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5-38
Driving your vehicle
OVI055117N
OVI055300
When the Smart Cruise
Control remains ON(CRUISE
indicator on the instrument
cluster illuminates), the Smart
Cruise Control may be unin-
tentionally activated. Keep the
smart cruise control system
OFF(CRUISE indicator OFF),
when the smart cruise control
is not in use, to avoid inadver-
tently setting the system.
Use the smart cruise control system only when traveling
on open highways in good
weather.
Do not use the Smart Cruise Control, when it may be
unsafe to keep the vehicle at a
constant speed, for instance,
driving in heavy or fluctuating
traffic, driving on slippery
(rainy, icy or snow-covered) or
sharply curving roads, or driv-
ing on a slope of 6 degrees or
above.
Pay particular attention to the driving conditions whenever
using the smart cruise control
system.
Be careful when driving downhill using the smart
cruise control system.
The smart cruise control sys- tem is not a substitute for
your safe driving practices,
but a mere system for your
convenience. It is the driver's
responsibility to always check
the speed and distance to the
vehicle in front.
WARNING
Information
During the normal operation of the
Smart Cruise Control, with the SET
switch activated or reactivated after
applying brakes, the Smart Cruise
Control will energize after approxi-
mately 3 seconds. This delay is nor-
mal.
Smart Cruise Control speed
To set the cruising speed:
1. Press the CRUISE (ONton on the steering wheel to turn
the system ON. The CRUISE indi-
cator on the instrument cluster will
illuminate.
2. Accelerate to a desired speed. (180 km/h) : when there is no
vehicle in front
km/h) : when there is a vehicle in
front 3.Press the SET- switch, and release
it at the desired speed. The SET
indicator, the set speed and the
vehicle-to-vehicle distance on the
LCD display will illuminate.
Release the accelerator. The set
speed will automatically be main-
tained.
When there is a vehicle in front, thespeed may decrease to maintain asafe distance.
On a steep slope, the vehicle mayslow down or speed up slightly, whiledriving uphill or downhill.
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5-39
Driving your vehicle05
OVI055028N
OVI055029N