2016 SUBARU BRZ Owners Manual

176 2-1. Driving procedures
■Selecting a driving mode
By pressing the driving pattern selector switch the following
modes can be selected to suit driving and usage conditions:
Normal mode
Sport mode
The “SPORT” indicator comes on.
Use sport mode for sporty driving or when driving in mountainous
regions with lots of curves.
Snow mode
The “SNOW” indicator comes on.
Use snow mode for accelerating and driving on slippery road surfaces
such as snow.
To cancel sport mode or snow mode, press the same side of the switch
again.

177 2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Manual mode driving
To enter manual mode, shift the select lever to the M position.
While the upshift/downshift indicator light is illuminated, gears can be
selected by operating the select lever or paddle shift levers, allowing
you to drive in the gear of your choosing.
Even if upshifting operations are performed, if vehicle speed is too low for
the requested gear, the gear will not change.
Upshift indicator
Downshift indicator
Upshifting (+)
Downshifting (-)
Each time the select lever or
paddle shift levers are operated,
the gear changes up or down
one gear and the selected gear,
“1” through “6”, will be set.
The selected gear, from “1” to “6”,
and “M” will be displayed on the
shift position and shift range indi-
cator.
When in manual mode, the gear will not change unless the select
lever or paddle shift levers are operated.
However, even when in manual mode, the gears will be automatically
changed in the following situations:
●When vehicle speed drops (downshift only).
●When engine oil temperature is high and engine speed rises close
to the red zone.

178 2-1. Driving procedures
■When moving the select lever out of P
If the select lever is pushed sideways before the brake pedal is depressed,
select lever operation may not be possible. Depress the brake pedal before
shifting the select lever out of P.
■Downshifting restrictions warning buzzer
If downshifting operations are performed at a vehicle speed by which down-
shifting is not possible (when downshifting will cause the engine speed to
enter the red zone), a buzzer will sound to warn the driver that downshifting
cannot be performed.
■When driving with cruise control activated
Downshifting can be performed even when using cruise control. After down-
shifting, the set speed continues. (oP. 177, 179)
■Sport mode
●In sport mode, lower gears are used and gears change at a higher
engine speed.
●If sport mode is changed to while the select lever is in the M position, the
“SPORT” indicator will come on but sport mode controls will not be car-
ried out. Shift the select lever to the D position.
●Sport mode cannot be changed to when driving with cruise control acti-
vated.
■Snow mode
To prevent slipping, 1
st gear cannot be selected when in snow mode.
■Sport mode and snow mode automatic deactivation
In the following situations, the driving mode is automatically deactivated:
●When the engine is turned off after driving in sport mode or snow mode.
●When cruise control is activated while driving in sport mode.
■If the select lever cannot be shifted from P
oP. 396

179 2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
■Automatic gear selection when the vehicle is stopped
When the vehicle is idling at high rpm in order to warm up, and the vehicle is
on a slippery road, the transmission may automatically shift to 2
nd gear for
stopping and starting off.
■
Temporary manual mode driving
Temporary manual mode driving will be deactivated and normal D position
driving will be returned to in the following situations:
●When driving for longer than the set time (the set time differs according
to driving conditions).
●When the vehicle comes to a stop.
●When the accelerator pedal is continually depressed for longer than the
set time.
●When the accelerator pedal is fully, or near-fully, depressed.Temporary manual mode driving can be
changed to by operating the paddle shift
levers while the select lever is in the D
position.
When this occurs, the selected gear and
“D” are displayed on the shift position and
shift range indicator.
(When engine speed rises close to the
red zone, upshifting will be automatically
performed.)

180 2-1. Driving procedures
■Adaptive control
In order to realize smoother driving while driving in D position, an appropri-
ate gear is automatically selected by limiting upshifting and performing
downshifting operations according to driver operations and driving condi-
tions.
●When driving uphill, prevents unnecessary upshifting and downshifting.
●When driving downhill, downshifting is performed at engine speeds
higher than usual.
●When driving on curves, prevents upshifting even when accelerating.
●When the brake pedal is depressed firmly, downshifting is automatically
performed, fully utilizing engine braking.
●When the accelerator pedal is suddenly released, prevents upshifting.
Adaptive control operates automatically when the select lever is in the D
position. (The function is canceled when the paddle shift levers are operated
or the select lever is shifted to the M position.)
WARNING
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
Be careful of downshifting and sudden acceleration, as this could result in
the vehicle skidding to the side or spinning.
■To prevent incorrect operation
Do not attach items such as accessories to the paddle shift levers.
Doing so may unintentionally move the paddle shift levers.

181
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Manual Transmission

: If equipped
■Shifting the shift lever
Fully depress the clutch pedal before operating the shift lever, and
then release it slowly.
■Shifting the shift lever to R
Shift the shift lever to R while
lifting up the ring section.

182 2-1. Driving procedures
Shift position indicator
The selected shift position will be
displayed on the multi-informa-
tion display.
The selected shift position will not
appear in the following situations:
• When the shift lever is in neu-
tral.
• When the vehicle speed is 6
mph (10 km/h) or less (except
when the shift lever is in R).
• When the clutch pedal is
depressed.
The default setting of the indicator
is off. The indicator can be turned
on/off. (
oP. 190)
Shift-up indicator
To help enable fuel-efficient driv-
ing, the shift-up indicator flashes
3 times to indicate upshift timing.
The default setting of the indicator
is off. The indicator can be turned
on/off. (
oP. 190)

183 2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■To prevent damage to the transmission
●Do not lift up the ring section except when shifting the lever to R.
●Shift the shift lever to R only when the vehicle is stationary and the clutch
pedal is fully depressed.
●Do not shift the shift lever without
depressing the clutch pedal.