Driving your vehicle
10 5
Starting the 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. Depress the
brake and clutch pedal fully.
Automatic transaxle / Ecoshift dual
clutch transmission- 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 depressing
the accelerator.
WARNING
• Never press the engine start/stop
button while the vehicle is in
motion. This would result in loss
of directional control and braking
function, which could cause an
accident.
• 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 Ecoshift dual clutch transmis-
sion, set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement may occur if these
precautions are not taken.
• Never reach for the engine
start/stop button, or any other
controls through the steering
wheel while 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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
• Do not place any movable objects
around the driver’s seat as they
may move while driving, interfere
with the driver and lead to an
accident.
• While driving, if you push the
ENGINE START/ STOP button, the
warning buzzer sounds for 1 sec-
ond.
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).
511
Driving your vehicle
5. Do not wait for the engine to warm up
while the vehicle remains stationary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)• Even if the smart key is in the vehicle,
but it is not close to the driver’s seat
area, then the engine may not start.
• When the engine start/stop button is in
the ACC or ON position, if any door is
open, the system checks for the smart
key. If the smart key is not in the vehi-
cle, and if all doors are closed, the
chime will sound for about 5 seconds.
Keep the smart key in the vehicle,
when using the ACC position or if the
vehicle engine is on.
✽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
you are not able to replace the fuse,
you can start the engine by pressing
the engine start/stop button for 10 sec-
onds with the engine start/stop button
in the ACC mode. Always depress the
brake pedal and clutch pedal (if
equipped) before starting the engine.WARNING
The engine will start by pressing
the engine start/stop button, only
when the smart key is in the vehi-
cle. Never allow children or any per-
son who is unfamiliar with the vehi-
cle to touch the engine start/stop
button or related parts.
CAUTION
If the engine stalls while 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 while the vehi-
cle is still moving and press the
engine start/stop button in an
attempt to restart the engine.
OFS050010
Driving your vehicle
12 5
CAUTION
Do not press the engine start/stop
button for more than 5 seconds
except when the stop lamp fuse is
disconnected.
513
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.
To shift gears, press the clutch pedal
down fully, select the desired gear with
the gearshift lever, and release the clutch
pedal slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an igni-
tion lock switch, the engine will not start
when starting the engine without
depressing the clutch pedal.
The shift lever must be returned to the
neutral position before shifting into R
(Reverse). The button (1) located at the
bottom front of the shift knob must be
pressed and held in while moving the
shift lever to the R (Reverse) 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)
OMD050009
The shift lever can be moved into any
of the forward gears without pressing
the button (1).
You should press the button (1) when
moving the shift lever into reverse.
OFS053067
The shift lever can be moved without
pulling up the ring (1).
The ring (1) must be pulled up while
moving the shift lever.
■Type A■Type B
Driving your vehicle
14 5
• 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 in the neutral posi-
tion and release the clutch. Depress the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R (Reverse) gear position.
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, and shifted into R
(Reverse) on a downhill.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these pre-
cautions are not followed in the
order identified.
CAUTION
• To avoid premature clutch wear
and damage, do not drive with
your foot resting on the clutch
pedal. Also, do not use the clutch
to hold the vehicle stopped on a
hill, while 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.
• 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.
CAUTION
• When downshifting from fifth gear
to fourth gear, caution should be
taken not to inadvertently press
the shift lever sideways in such a
manner that the second gear is
engaged. Such a drastic down-
shift may cause the engine speed
to increase to the point that the
tachometer will enter the red-
zone. Such over-revving of the
engine and transaxle may possi-
bly cause engine damage.
• Do not downshift more than 2
gears or downshift the gear when
the engine is running at high
speed (5,000 RPM or higher). Such
a downshifting may damage the
engine, clutch and the transaxle.
• When shifting between 5
thand 6th
gear, you should always push the
gear level all the way to the right.
You could otherwise shift unin-
tentionally into 3
rdor 4thgear and
damage the transaxle.
515
Driving your vehicle
Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed all the
way to the floor before shifting, then
released slowly. The clutch pedal should
always be fully released while driving. Do
not rest your foot on the clutch pedal
while driving. This can cause unneces-
sary 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
It is important to downshift when you
must slow down in heavy traffic or while
driving up or down steep hills.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration.
When the vehicle is traveling 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.
• Do not "ride" the brakes. This can
cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. 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
R (Reverse). The transaxle can be
damaged if you do not.
• 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 reenter 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 limits.
• Avoid depressing the brake and
accelerator pedals simultaneous-
ly. If both pedals are depressed
simultaneously, the brake system
will override the accelerator and
the vehicle speed will reduce.
517
Driving your vehicle
For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to a
forward or reverse gear.Transaxle ranges
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the front
wheels from rotating.
WARNING
• 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.
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 a hill, do not
hold the vehicle with engine
power. Use the service 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) while 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.
519
Driving your vehicle
✽NOTICE
• 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 6 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.
• In sports mode, downshifts are made
automatically when the vehicle slows
down. When the vehicle stops, 1st gear
is automatically selected.
• In sports mode, when the engine rpm
approaches the red zone, the transaxle
shifts automatically to a higher gear.
• To maintain the required levels of vehi-
cle performance and safety, the system
may not execute certain gearshifts
when the shift lever is operated.
• When accelerating from a stop on a
slippery road, push the shift lever for-
ward into the +(up) position. This
causes the transaxle to shift into the
2nd gear which is better for smooth
driving on a slippery road. Push the
shift lever to the -(down) side to shift
back to the 1st gear.
Paddle shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when the
shift lever is in the D position or the
sports mode.
The paddle shifter can operate when the
vehicle speed is more than 6.2 mph
(10km/h).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear and the system
changes from D (Drive) mode you used
to sports mode.If the vehicle speed is lower than 6.2 mph
(10km/h), if you depress the accelerator
pedal for more than 7 seconds, if you
shift the shift lever from D to sport mode
and shift it from sports mode to D again
or if you hold the paddle shifter [+] lever
over 1 second, the system will change
from sports mode to D (Drive) mode you
used.
With the shift lever in the sport mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear.✽NOTICE
If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle shifters
at the same time, you can't shift gears.
OFS052018N