Driving your vehicle
4 5
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside
mirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
• Check the condition of the tyres.
• Check under the vehicle for any
sign of leaks.
• Be sure there are no obstacles
behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, with the exact interval
depending on the fluid. Further
details are provided in section 7,
“Maintenance”.
Before starting
• Close and lock all doors.
• Position the seat so that all con-
trols are easily reached.
• Adjust the inside and outside
rearview mirrors.
• Be sure that all lights work.
• Check all gauges.
• Check the operation of warning
lights when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position.
• Release the parking brake and
make sure the brake warning light
goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are
familiar with your vehicle and its
equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
All passengers must be proper-
ly belted whenever the vehicle
is moving. Refer to “Seat belts”
in section 3 for more informa-
tion on their proper use.
WARNING
Driving whilst distracted can
result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol, that may lead to an acci-
dent, severe personal injury,
and death. The driver’s primary
responsibility is in the safe and
legal operation of a vehicle, and
use of any handheld devices,
other equipment, or vehicle sys-
tems which take the driver’s
eyes, attention and focus away
from the safe operation of a
vehicle or which are not permis-
sible by law should never be
used during operation of the
vehicle.
57
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engineWARNING - Ignition key
• Never turn the ignition switch
to LOCK or ACC whilst the
vehicle is moving. This would
result in loss of directional
control and braking function,
which could cause an acci-
dent.
• The anti-theft steering column
lock is not a substitute for the
parking brake. Before leaving
the driver’s seat, always make
sure the shift lever is engaged
in 1st gear for the manual
transaxle or P (Park) for the
automatic transaxle, set the
parking brake fully and shut
the engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movement
may occur if these precau-
tions are not taken.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Never reach for the ignition
switch, or any other controls
through the steering wheel
whilst the vehicle is in motion.
The presence of your hand or
arm in this area could cause a
loss of vehicle control, an
accident and serious bodily
injury or death.
• Do not place any movable
objects around the driver’s
seat as they may move whilst
driving, interfere with the driv-
er and lead to an accident.
WARNING
• Always wear appropriate
shoes when operating your
vehicle. Unsuitable shoes
(high heels, ski boots,etc.)
may interfere with your ability
to use the brake, accelerator
and 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
normal. The vehicle may sud-
denly move if the brake padel
is released when the rpm is
high.
Driving your vehicle
8 5
✽ NOTICE - Throttle resist-
ance mechanism
(if equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with a
throttle resistance mechanism in the
accelerator pedal, it prevents you
from driving at full throttle uninten-
tionally by making the driver
require increased effort to depress
the accelerator pedal. However, if
you depress the pedal more than
approximately 80%, the vehicle can
be at full throttle and the accelerator
pedal will be easier to depress. This
is not a malfunction but a normal
condition.
Starting the petrol engine
1.Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2.Manual Transaxle -Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the
clutch pedal and brake pedal
depressed whilst turning the igni-
tion switch to the start position.
Automatic Transaxle -Place the
transaxle 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.
3.Turn the ignition switch to START
and hold it there until the engine
starts (a maximum of 10 seconds),
then release the key.
It should be started without
depressing the accelerator pedal.
4.Do not wait for the engine to warm
up whilst the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
CAUTION
If the engine stalls whilst you
are in motion, do not attempt to
move the shift lever to the P
(Park) position. If traffic and
road conditions permit, you may
put the shift lever in the N
(Neutral) position whilst the
vehicle is still moving and turn
the ignition switch to the START
position in an attempt to restart
the engine.
CAUTION
• Do not engage the starter for
more than 10 seconds. If the
engine stalls or fails to start,
wait 5 to 10 seconds before re-
engaging the starter. Improper
use of the starter may damage
it.
• Do not turn the ignition switch
to the START position with the
engine running. It may dam-
age the starter.
59
Driving your vehicle
Starting the diesel engine
To start the diesel engine when the
engine is cold, it has to be pre-heat-
ed 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
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the
clutch pedal and brake pedal
depressed whilst turning the igni-
tion switch to the start position.
Automatic Transaxle -Place the
transaxle 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.
3.Turn the ignition switch to the ON
position to pre-heat the engine.
Then the glow indicator light will
illuminate.
4.If the glow indicator light goes out,
turn the ignition switch to the
START position and hold it there
until the engine starts (a maximum
of 10 seconds), then release the
key.
✽ NOTICE
If the engine does not start within 10
seconds after the preheating is com-
pleted, turn the ignition key once
more to the LOCK position for 10
seconds, and then to the ON posi-
tion, in order to preheat again.
Starting and stopping the engine for
turbocharger intercooler
1.Do not race or accelerate the
engine immediately after starting.
If the engine is cold, idle for sever-
al seconds before sufficient lubri-
cation is ensured in the tur-
bocharger unit.
2.After high speed or extended driv-
ing, requiring a heavy engine load,
run the engine on idle condition
about 1 minute before turning it off.
This idle time will allow the tur-
bocharger to cool prior to shutting
the engine off.
CAUTION
Do not turn off the engine imme-
diately after it has been subject-
ed to a heavy load. Doing so
may cause severe damage to
the engine or turbo charger unit.
W-60 Glow indicator light
513
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engineWARNING
• Never press the engine
start/stop button whilst the
vehicle is in motion. This
would result in loss of direc-
tional control and braking
function, which could cause
an accident.
• The anti-theft steering column
lock is not a substitute for the
parking brake. Before leaving
the driver's seat, always make
sure the shift lever is engaged
in P (Park), set the parking
brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement
may occur if these precau-
tions are not taken.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Never reach for the engine
start/ stop button or any other
controls through the steering
wheel whilst the vehicle is in
motion. The presence of your
hand or arm in the area could
cause loss of vehicle control,
an accident and serious bodi-
ly injury or death.
• Do not place any movable
objects around the driver's
seat as they may move whilst
driving, interfere with the driv-
er and lead to an accident.
WARNING
• Always wear appropriate
shoes when operating your
vehicle. Unsuitable shoes
(high heels, ski boots,etc.)
may interfere with your ability
to use the brake, accelerator
and clutch pedal.
• 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
normal. The vehicle may sud-
denly move if the brake padel
is released when the rpm is
high.
Driving your vehicle
14 5
✽ NOTICE - Throttle resist-
ance mechanism
(if equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with a
throttle resistance mechanism in the
accelerator pedal, it prevents you
from driving at full throttle uninten-
tionally by making the driver
require increased effort to depress
the accelerator pedal. However, if
you depress the pedal more than
approximately 80%, the vehicle can
be at full throttle and the accelerator
pedal will be easier to depress. This
is not a malfunction but a normal
condition.
Starting the petrol engine
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 -Place the
transaxle 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 depress-
ing the accelerator pedal.
5.Do not wait for the engine to warm
up whilst the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
Starting the diesel engine
To start the diesel engine when the
engine is cold, it has to be pre-heat-
ed 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
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the
clutch pedal and brake pedal
depressed whilst pressing the
engine start/stop button to the
START position.
Automatic Transaxle -Place the
transaxle 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.
Driving your vehicle
18 5
• During cold weather, shifting may
be difficult until the transaxle lubri-
cant has warmed up. This is nor-
mal and not harmful to the
transaxle.
• If you've come to a complete stop
and it's hard to shift into 1 (First) or
R (Reverse), put the shift lever in
neutral position and release the
clutch. Press the clutch pedal back
down, and then shift into 1 (First)
or R (Reverse) gear position.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 traf-
fic 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.
• 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.
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 1
(First) gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill
grade, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill grade.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement can occur if
these precautions are not fol-
lowed 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 acci-
dent when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch
pedal whilst the parking brake
is released and the shift lever
not in the neutral position.
• Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.
519
Driving your vehicle
Using the clutch
The clutch pedal should be
depressed 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 driving. This can cause unnec-
essary 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.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or whilst driving up steep hills,
downshift 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 vehi-
cle 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 mal-
function. Instead, when you are
driving down a long hill, slow down
and 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 control of your vehicle.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse). The transaxle can
be damaged if you do not. To shift
into R (Reverse), depress the
clutch, move the shift lever to neu-
tral, wait three seconds, then shift
to the R (Reverse) position.
CAUTION
When operating the clutch
pedal, depress the clutch pedal
down fully. If you don’t depress
the clutch pedal fully, the clutch
may be damaged or noise may
occur.