
Do not use the interior lights for
an extended period of time when
the engine is OFF.
It may discharge the battery.
Front
(1) Front map lamp
(2) Front room lamp
Press the button to turn the map
lamp ON. This light produces a
spot beam for your convenience
as a map lamp at night or as a
personal lamp for the driver and
the front passenger. To turn the
lamp OFF, press the button again. DOOR :
The front and rear room lamps are
turned ON for approximately 30
seconds after unlocking the doors
with the smart key, but before
opening a door. When the Engine
Start/Stop Button is in the ACC or
OFF position, and if any door is
opened, the front or rear room
lamp will be ON for approximately
20 minutes. If the door is closed,
the lamps will be turned OFF in 30
seconds.
The front and rear room lamps will
be turned OFF immediately if the
Engine Start/Stop Button is turned
ON with all doors closed.
When the Engine Start/Stop
Button is ON, if any door is
opened, the front or rear room
lamp will be turned ON continu-
ously. If the door is closed, the
lamp will be turned OFF immedi-
ately.
ROOM : Press the button to turn the frontand rear room lamps ON. To turn
the lamps OFF, press the ROOM
button again.
NOTICE
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3-118
Convenient features of your vehicle
Do not use the interior lights
when driving in the dark.
Accidents could happen
because the view may be
obscured by interior lights.
WARNING
OVI045100N

3-136
Convenient features of your vehicle
Air conditioning system operation
tips
When the vehicle is parked underthe direct sunlight in hot weather,
open the windows for a short time
to expel the hot air inside from the
vehicle.
To reduce the dew condensation on the inside of the windows on
rainy or humid days, lower the
humidity inside the vehicle by
operating the A/C system.
During the A/C operation, you may occasionally notice a slight
change in the engine speed, as
the A/C compressor cycles. This is
a normal condition.
Test the A/C system every month only for a few minutes to maximize
the system performance.
After the inside temperature becomes sufficiently cool, change
the air intake control from the air
recirculation mode to the (fresh)
air intake mode.
When operating the A/C system, you may notice clear water drip-
ping (or even puddling) from the
passenger side of the vehicle. This
does not indicate a system failure.
The air recirculation mode of the A/C provides the maximum cool-
ing. However, a prolonged period
of the A/C operation in this mode
may make the air stale inside the
vehicle.
While operating the A/C system, you may occasionally notice the
dew condensation because of the
rapid cooling process and humid
air intake. This does not mean
there is not a system failure.
Climate control air filter
The climate control air filter is
installed behind the glove box to filter
out dust or other pollutants that come
into the vehicle from the outside
through the heating and air condi-
tioning systems.
If dust or other pollutants accumulate
in the filter over a period of time, the
air intake volume may decrease,
resulting in the dew condensation
inside the windshield even when set-
ting in the (fresh) air intake mode. In
this case, have the climate control air
filter replaced by an authorized
EQUUS dealer.
Information
• Replace the filter every 15,000 miles(24,000 km) or once a year. If the car
has been driven in severe conditions
such as dusty or rough roads, more
frequent air conditioner filter
inspections and changes are
required.
• When the air flow rate suddenly decreases, have the system checked
by an authorized EQUUS dealer.
i
1LDA5047
Outside air
Recirculatedair
Climate control
air filter Blower
Evaporator
coreHeater core

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.
B B E
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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

E
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5-7
Driving your vehicle05
Illuminated Engine Start/Stop
Button
Whenever the front door is opened,
the Engine Start/Stop button will illu-
minate for your convenience. The
light will go OFF 30 seconds after the
door is closed.
Engine Start/Stop Button posi-
tion
OFF
To turn OFF the engine, re-press the
turned-ON Engine Start/Stop button,
when the gear shift in P(Park). When
you turn OFF the Engine Start/Stop
button with the gear shift not in
P(Park), the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton will not be turned OFF, but turns
to the ACC position.
Information
When you turn OFF the engine, the
vehicle should be stopped.
ACC(Accessory)
Press the Engine Start/Stop button
when the button is OFF without
depressing the brake pedal.
The electrical accessories are opera-
tive.
If you leave the Engine Start/Stop
button in the ACC position for more
than 1 hour, the battery power will be
automatically turned OFF to prevent
the battery discharge.
ON
Press the Engine Start/Stop button
when the button is in the ACC posi-
tion without depressing the brake
pedal.
Check the warning lights before
starting the engine. Do not leave the
button turned ON for a long time if
the engine is not running to prevent
battery discharge.i
OVI055001N
- Emergency situation
In an emergency situation while
the vehicle is in motion, you can
turn the engine in the OFF or
ACC position, by pressing the
Engine Start/Stop button 2 sec-
onds or longer or by pressing it
3 times successively within 3
seconds. If the vehicle is still
moving, you can restart the
engine without depressing the
brake pedal by pressing the
Engine Start/Stop button with
the shift gear in the N (Neutral)
position.
WARNING

Information
• When the battery is weak, or whenthe Smart Key does not properly
operate, you can start the engine by
pressing the Smart Key onto the
Engine Start/Stop button.
The Smart Key edge near the lock
button should be directly contacted
onto the Engine Start/Stop button.
When you press the Smart Key onto
the Engine Start/Stop button, the
Smart Key should be contacted onto
the button at a right angle.
(Continued)(Continued)
• When the stop light fuse is blown
out, you cannot normally start the
engine. Replace the blown-out fuse
with a new one. If you are not able
to replace the fuse, you can start the
engine by pressing the Smart Key
onto the Engine Start/Stop button
for 10 seconds. The engine can start
without depressing the brake pedal.
However, for your safety, always
depress the brake pedal before
starting the engine.
Do not press the Engine
Start/Stop Button for more than 5
seconds except when the stop
light fuse is disconnected.
NOTICE
i
5-10
Driving your vehicle
OVI055003N
■Type A
OVI055004N
■ Type B

R (Reverse)
Set the shift lever in this position to
drive backwards.
Always completely stop the vehi-
cle before changing the shift lever
to or out of R (Reverse). You may
damage the transmission when
changing the shift lever to R while
driving, except as explained in
"Rocking the Vehicle" in this chap-
ter.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged. The vehicle rolls freely
even on the slightest slope, unless
the parking brake or service brake is
applied.
D (Drive)
This is for the forward driving posi-
tion. The transmission will automati-
cally shift in a 8-gear sequence, pro-
viding the best fuel economy and
power.
For extra power to pass ahead
another vehicle or to climb a slope,
fully depress the accelerator. Then,
the transmission will automatically
downshift to the next lower gear (or
gears, as appropriate).
Information
Always come to a complete stop before
changing the shift lever to D (Drive).
Sports Mode
Whether the vehicle is idle or in
motion, sports mode is selected by
moving the shift lever from D(Drive)
to the manual gate. To return to
D(Drive), push the shift lever back
into the main gate.
In sports mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow rapid gear shifting.
Up (+) : Push the shift lever for-wards once to shift up one
gear.
Down (-) : Pull the shift lever back- wards once to shift down
one gear.
Information
• In sports mode, the driver must exe-cute upshifts in accordance with
road conditions, taking care to keep
the engine speed below the red zone.
• In sports mode, only the 8 forward gears can be selected. To reverse or
park the vehicle, move the shift
lever to the R (Reverse) or P (Park)
position as required.
(Continued)
i
i
NOTICE
5-13
Driving your vehicle05
OVI055010N
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
Sports mode

Power brakes
Your vehicle is equipped with the
power-assisted brakes that automat-
ically adjust themselves in a normal
driving condition.
In the event that the power-assisted
brakes lose power because of a
stalled engine or some other rea-
sons, you can still stop your vehicle
by depressing the brake pedal hard-
er than you do in normal driving. A
braking distance, however, will be
longer.
When the engine is OFF, the reserve
brake power becomes partially
depleted each time the brake pedal
is depressed. Do not repeatedly
depress the brake pedal when the
power brake is automatically set.
Pump the brake pedal only when
necessary to maintain the steering
control on slippery surfaces.
B BR
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5-17
Driving your vehicle05
- Brakes
Do not put your foot on the
brake pedal while driving. This
may abnormally increase the
brake temperatures, wear
down the brake lining/pad,
and increase the braking dis-
tances.
When driving down on a long or steep slope, shift to a lower
gear and avoid depressing the
brakes in a continuous man-
ner. Depressing brakes in a
continuous manner may over-
heat the brakes, resulting in a
temporary loss of braking per-
formance.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Wet brakes may impair thevehicle’s ability to safely slow
down. The vehicle may also be
swerved to one side when the
wet brakes are depressed.
Lightly depress the brakes to
verify whether the brakes are
wet and show the above
symptom. Always test your
brakes in this fashion after
driving through deep water.
To dry the wet brakes, lightly
depress the brakes, while
maintaining a safe driving
speed until the brake perform-
ance returns to normal.
Always confirm the positions of the brake and accelerator,
before driving. If you do not
so, you may be confused and
depress the accelerator
instead of the brake pedal. It
may cause a serious accident.
WARNING

Electric parking brake (EPB)
Applying the parking brake
To set the parking brake, depress the
brake pedal first and then pull the
EPB switch. Make sure that the
brake warning light illuminates.
Releasing the parking brake
To release the EPB, press the EPB
switch as follows:
Turn the Engine Start/Stop ButtonON.
Depress the brake pedal.
Make sure the brake warning light
goes OFF.
To automatically release EPB:
Shift lever in P (Park) With the engine running, depress
the brake pedal and move the shift
lever from P (Park) to R (Rear)/
N (Neutral)/D (Drive).
Shift lever in N (Neutral) With the engine running, depress
the brake pedal and move the shift
lever from N(Neutral) to R (Rear)/
D (Drive).
Depress the accelerator pedal, sat- isfying the following conditions.
1. Run the engine
2. Fasten the driver's seat belt
3. Close the driver's door, engine hood and trunk
4. Shift the gear to R (Rear)/ D (Drive)
Make sure the brake warning light
goes OFF.
5-19
Driving your vehicle05
Do not set the parking brake
while the vehicle is moving
except in an emergency situa-
tion. It may damage the brake
system and lead to an accident.
WARNING
OVI055110N
OVI055109N