2016 SUBARU IMPREZA Owners Manual

Driving tips/Off road driving
Off road driving
WARNING
.Always maintain a safe driving
speed according to the road and
weather conditions in order to
avoid having an accident on a
sharp turn, during sudden brak-
ing or under other similar condi-
tions.
. Always use the utmost care in
driving –overconfidence be-
cause you are driving an All-
Wheel Drive model could easily
lead to a serious accident.
& Except Crosstrek models
Your AWD vehicle is neither a conven-
tional off-road vehicle nor an all terrain
vehicle. It is a passenger car designed
primarily for on-road use. The AWD
feature gives it some limited off-road
capabilities in situations in which the
driving surface is relatively level, obstruc-
tion-free and otherwise similar to on-road
driving conditions. Operating it under other
than those conditions could subject the
vehicle to excessive stress which might
result in damage not eligible for repair under warranty.
If you do take your SUBARU off road, you
should review the common sense precau-
tions in the next section (applicable to the
Crosstrek models) for general guidance.
But please keep in mind that your vehi-
cle
’s off-road capabilities are more limited
than those of the Crosstrek models.
Never attempt to drive through pools and
puddles, or roads flooded with water.
Water entering the engine air intake or
the exhaust pipe or water splashing onto
electrical parts may damage your vehicle
and may cause it to stall.
& Crosstrek models
CAUTION
Frequent driving of an AWD model
under hard-driving conditions such
as rough roads or off roads will
necessitate more frequent replace-
ment of the following items than that
specified in the maintenance sche-
dule described in the “Warranty and
Maintenance Booklet ”.
. Engine oil
. Brake fluid
. Manual transmission oil (MT
models) .
Continuously variable transmis-
sion fluid (CVT models)
. Front differential gear oil (CVT
models)
Remember that damage done to
your SUBARU while operating it
off-road and not using common
sense precautions such as those
listed here is not eligible for war-
ranty coverage.
Because of the AWD feature and higher
ground clearance, you can drive your
SUBARU on ordinary roads or off-road.
But please keep in mind that an AWD
SUBARU is a passenger car and is
neither a conventional off-road vehicle
nor an all-terrain vehicle. If you do take
your SUBARU off-road, certain common
sense precautions such as those in the
following list should be taken.
! Before driving
. Make certain that you and all of your
passengers are wearing seatbelts.
. Carry some emergency equipment,
such as a towing rope or chain, a shovel,
wheel blocks, first aid kit and cell phone or
citizens band radio.
. Secure all cargo carried inside the
vehicle and make certain that it is not
piled higher than the seatbacks. During
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sudden stops or jolts, unsecured cargo
could be thrown around in the vehicle and
cause injury. Do not pile heavy loads on
the roof. Those loads raise the vehicle’s
center of gravity and make it more prone
to tip over.
. Never equip your vehicle with tires
larger than those specified in this manual.
! During driving
General precautions:
. Drive carefully. Do not take unneces-
sary risks by driving in dangerous areas or
over rough terrain.
. Slow down and employ extra caution at
all times. When driving off-road, you will
not have the benefit of marked traffic
lanes, banked curves, traffic signs and
the like.
. Do not drive across steep slopes.
Instead, drive either straight up or straight
down the slopes. A vehicle can much
more easily tip over sideways than it can
end over end. Avoid driving straight up or
down slopes that are too steep.
. Avoid sharp turning maneuvers, espe-
cially at higher speeds.
. Do not grip the inside or spokes of the
steering wheel. A bad bump could jerk the
wheel and injure your hands. Instead,
drive with your fingers and thumbs on
the outside of the rim. .
Do not drive or park over or near
flammable materials such as dry grass or
fallen leaves, as they may burn easily. The
exhaust system is very hot while the
engine is running and right after the
engine stops. This could create a fire
hazard.
Precautions when driving under espe-
cially dangerous situations:
. If driving through water, such as when
crossing shallow streams, first check the
depth of the water and the bottom of the
stream bed for firmness and ensure that
the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly
and cross the stream without stopping.
The water should be shallow enough that
it does not reach the vehicle’ s under-
carriage. Water entering the engine air
intake or the exhaust pipe or water
splashing onto electrical parts may da-
mage your vehicle and may cause it to
stall. Never attempt to drive through
rushing water; regardless of its depth, it
can wash away the ground from under
your tires, resulting in possible loss of
traction and even vehicle rollover.
. If you must rock the vehicle to free it
from sand or mud, depress the accelerator
pedal slightly and move the shift lever/
select lever back and forth between “1”/
“D ”and “R”repeatedly. Do not race the
engine. For the best possible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to
free the vehicle.
.
When the road surface is extremely
slippery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and CVT). For
CVT models, refer to “Selection of manual
mode ”F 7-26.
! After driving
. Always check your brakes for effec-
tiveness immediately after driving in sand,
mud or water. Do this by driving slowly
and stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat
that process several times to dry out the
brake discs and brake pads.
. After driving through tall grass, mud,
rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there
is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones,
sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such matter from
the underbody. If the vehicle is used with
these materials trapped or adhering to the
underbody, a mechanical breakdown or
fire could occur.
. Wash the vehicle’ s underbody after off-
road driving. Suspension components are
particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they
need to be washed thoroughly.
Driving tips/Off road driving8-7

Driving tips/Winter driving
Winter driving
&Operation during cold
weather
! Maintenance
Carry some emergency equipment, such
as a window scraper, a bag of sand,
flares, a small shovel and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold
temperatures reduce battery capacity.
The battery must be in good condition to
provide enough power for cold winter
starts.
It normally takes longer to start the engine
in very cold weather conditions. Use an
engine oil of a proper grade and viscosity
for cold weather. Using heavy summer oil
will make it harder to start the engine.
Keep the door locks from freezing by
squirting them with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage
or separate the rubber weather strips
around the door. If the door is frozen,
use hot water to melt the ice, and after-
wards thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that con-
tains an antifreeze solution. Do not use
engine antifreeze or other substitutes
because they may damage the paint of the vehicle.
SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid con-
tains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the following
table.
Washer Fluid Con-
centration Freezing Temperature
30% 10.48F( −12 8C)
50% −48F( −20 8C)
100% −49
8F( −45 8C)
In order to prevent freezing of washer
fluid, check the freezing temperatures in
the table above when adjusting the fluid
concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with
a different concentration from the one
used previously, purge the old fluid from
the piping between the reservoir tank and
washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in
the piping is too low for the outside
temperature, it may freeze and block the
nozzles.
CAUTION
. Adjust the washer fluid concen-
tration appropriately for the out-
side temperature. If the concen-
tration is inappropriate, sprayed
washer fluid may freeze on the
windshield and obstruct your
view, and the fluid may freeze in
the reservoir tank.
. State or local regulations on
volatile organic compounds may
restrict the use of methanol, a
common windshield washer anti-
freeze additive. Washer fluids
containing non-methanol anti-
freeze agents should be used
only if they provide cold weather
protection without damaging
your vehicle’ s paint, wiper blades
or washer system.
! Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any
snow or ice from your shoes because that
could make the pedals slippery and
driving dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before
driving, check that the accelerator pedal,
brake pedal, and all other controls operate
smoothly.
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Clear away ice and snow that has
accumulated under the fenders to avoid
making steering difficult. During severe
winter driving, stop when and where it is
safe to do so and check under the fenders
periodically.
!Parking in cold weather
WARNING
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust
gases under your vehicle. Keep
snow clear of the exhaust pipe and
from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the engine
running.
CAUTION
.Do not use the parking brake
when parking for long periods in
cold weather since it could freeze
in that position.
. When the vehicle is parked in
snow or when it snows, raise the
wiper blades off the glass to
prevent damage to them.
. When the vehicle has been left
parked after use on roads heavily
covered with snow, or has been
left parked during a snowstorm, icing may develop on the brake
system, which could cause poor
braking action. Check for snow
or ice buildup on the suspension,
disc brakes and brake hoses
underneath the vehicle. If there
is caked snow or ice, remove it,
being careful not to damage the
disc brakes and brake hoses and
ABS harness.
When parking for long periods in cold
weather, you should observe the following
tips.
1. For MT models, place the shift lever in
the “1”or “R”position. For CVT models,
place the select lever in the “P ”position.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to
prevent the vehicle from moving.
! Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in
the fuel system and the risk of its freezing,
use of an antifreeze additive in the fuel
tank is recommended during cold weather.
Use only additives that are specifically
designed for this purpose. When an
antifreeze additive is used, its effect lasts
longer if the tank is refilled whenever the
fuel level reaches half empty.
If your SUBARU is not going to be used for an extended period, it is best to have
the fuel tank filled to capacity.
&
Driving on snowy and icy
roads
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid
sudden braking, abrupt acceleration, high-
speed driving, and sharp turning when
driving on snowy or icy roads.
Always maintain ample distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you
to avoid the need for sudden braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the
engine brake effectively to control the
vehicle speed. (Shift into a lower gear
when necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such beha-
vior can cause the wheels to lock, possibly
leading to loss of vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) en-
hances your vehicle ’s braking perfor-
manceonsnowyandicyroads.For
information on braking on slippery sur-
faces, refer to “ABS (Anti-lock Brake
System) ”F 7-32 and “Vehicle Dynamics
Control system ”F 7-34.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control on
slippery roads such as snowy or icy
roads. This may cause loss of
Driving tips/Winter driving
–CONTINUED –8-9

Driving tips/Winter driving
vehicle control.
CAUTION
Avoid prolonged continuous driving
in snowstorms. Snow will enter the
engine’s intake system and may
hinder the airflow, which could re-
sult in engine shutdown or even
breakdown.
! Wiper operation when snowing
Before driving in cold weather, make sure
the wiper blades are not frozen to the
windshield or rear window.
If the wiper blades are frozen to the
windshield or rear window, perform the
following procedure.
. To thaw the windshield wiper blades,
use the defroster with the airflow selection
in “
”and the temperature set for
maximum warmth until the wiper blades
are completely thawed. Refer to “Climate
control ”F 4-1.
. If your vehicle is equipped with a wiper
deicer, use it. It is helpful to thaw the
windshield wiper blades. Refer to “Defog-
ger and deicer ”F 3-108.
. To thaw the rear wiper blade, use the
rear window defogger. Refer to “Defoggerand deicer
”F 3-108.
When driving in snow, if frozen snow starts
to stick on the surface of the windshield
despite wiper operation, use the defroster
with the airflow selection in “
”and the
temperature set for maximum warmth.
After the windshield gets warmed enough
to melt the frozen snow on it, wash it away
using the windshield washer. Refer to
“ Windshield washer ”F 3-98.
Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents the
wiper from working effectively. If snow is
stuck on the wiper arm, pull off the road to
a safe place, then remove it. If you stop
the vehicle at road side, use the hazard
warning flasher to alert other drivers.
Refer to “Hazard warning flasher ”F 3-8.
We recommend use of non-freezing type
wiper blades (winter blades) during the
seasons you could have snow and freez-
ing temperatures. Blades of this type give
superior wiping performance in snowy
conditions. Be sure to use blades that
are suitable for your vehicle.
CAUTION
During high-speed driving, non-
freezing type wiper blades may not
perform as well as standard wiper
blades. If this happens, reduce the vehicle speed.
NOTE
When the season requiring non-freez-
ing type wiper blades is over, replace
them with standard wiper blades.
&
Corrosion protection
Refer to “Corrosion protection ”F 10-4.
& Snow tires
WARNING
. When replacing or installing win-
ter tire(s), all four tires must be
the same for following items.
(a) Size
(b) Circumference
(c) Speed symbol
(d) Load index
(e) Construction
(f) Manufacturer
(g) Brand (tread pattern)
(h) Degrees of wear
For the items (a) to (d), you must
obey the specification that is
printed on the tire placard. The
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tire placard is located on the
driver’s door pillar.
If all of four winter tires are not
the same for items (a) to (h),
serious mechanical damage
could occur to the drive train of
your car, and affect the following.
— Ride
— Handling
— Braking
— Speedometer/Odometer
calibration
— Clearance between the body
and tires
It also may be dangerous and
lead to loss of vehicle control,
and it can lead to an accident.
. Do not use a combination of
radial, belted bias or bias tires
since it may cause dangerous
handling characteristics and lead
to an accident.
Your vehicle is equipped with “all season
tires ”as original equipment, which are
designed to provide an adequate measure
of traction, handling and braking perfor-
mance in year-round driving. In winter, it
may be possible to enhance performance
through use of tires designed specifically for winter driving conditions.
When you choose to install winter tires on
your vehicle, be sure to use the correct tire
size and type. You must install four winter
tires that are of the same size, construc-
tion, brand and load range and you should
never mix radial, belted bias or bias tires
since this may result in dangerous hand-
ling characteristics. When you choose a
tire, make sure that there is enough
clearance between the tire and vehicle
body.
Remember to drive with care at all times
regardless of the type of tires on your
vehicle.
&
Tire chains
CAUTION
Tire chains cannot be used on your
vehicle because of the lack of
clearance between the tires and
vehicle body.
NOTE
When tire chains cannot be used, use
of another type of traction device (such
as spring chains) may be acceptable if
use on your vehicle is recommended
by the device manufacturer, taking into account tire size and road conditions.
Follow the device manufacturer
’s in-
structions, especially regarding max-
imum vehicle speed.
To help avoid damage to your vehicle,
drive slowly, readjust or remove the
device if it is contacting your vehicle,
and do not spin your wheels. Damage
caused to your vehicle by use of a
traction device is not covered under
warranty.
Make certain that any traction device
you use is an SAE class S device, and
use it on the front wheels only. Always
use the utmost care when driving with
a traction device. Overconfidence be-
cause you are using a traction device
could easily lead to a serious accident.
& Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand, or mud, depress the accel-
erator pedal slightly and move the shift
lever/select lever back and forth between
“1 ”/ “D ”and “R ”repeatedly. Do not race the
engine. For the best possible traction,
avoid spinning the wheels when trying to
free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely
slippery, you can obtain better traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission
Driving tips/Winter driving
–CONTINUED –8-11

Driving tips/Loading your vehicle
in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and CVT
models).
If your vehicle is a CVT model, for
information about holding the transmission
in the 2nd position, refer to“Selection of
manual mode ”F 7-26.Loading your vehicle
WARNING
. Never allow passengers to ride
on a folded rear seatback, in the
trunk or in the cargo area. Doing
so may result in serious injury.
. Never stack luggage or other
cargo higher than the top of the
seatback because it could tumble
forward and injure passengers in
the event of a sudden stop or
accident. Keep luggage or cargo
low, as close to the floor as
possible.
WARNING
. When you carry something inside
the vehicle, secure it whenever
you can to prevent it from being
thrown around inside the vehicle
during sudden stops, sharp turns
or in an accident.
. Do not pile heavy loads on the
roof. These loads raise the vehi-
cle ’s center of gravity and make it
more prone to tip over.
. Secure lengthy items properly to
prevent them from shooting for-
ward and causing serious injury
during a sudden stop.
. Never exceed the maximum load
limit. If you do, some parts on
your vehicle can break, or it can
change the way your vehicle
handles. This could result in loss
of control and cause personal
injury. Also, overloading can
shorten the life of your vehicle.
. Do not place anything on the rear
shelf behind the rear seatback
(for 4-door) or the extended car-
go area cover (for 5-door). Such
items could tumble forward in the
event of a sudden stop or a
collision. This could cause ser-
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ious injury.
CAUTION
Do not carry spray cans, containers
with flammable or corrosive liquids
or any other dangerous items inside
the vehicle.
NOTE
For better fuel economy, do not carry
unneeded cargo.
&Vehicle capacity weight
Vehicle placard
The load capacity of your vehicle is
determined by weight, not by available
cargo space. The maximum load you can
carry in your vehicle is shown on the
vehicle placard attached to the driver ’s
side door pillar. It includes the total weight
of the driver and all passengers and their
belongings, any optional equipment such
as a trailer hitch, roof rack or bike carrier,
etc., and the tongue load of a trailer.
& GVWR and GAWR (Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating and
Gross Axle Weight Rating)
Certification label
The certification label attached to the
bottom of driver ’s side door pillar shows
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) and
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating).
The GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) must
never exceed the GVWR. GVW is the
combined total of weight of the vehicle,
fuel, driver, all passengers, luggage, any
optional equipment and trailer tongue
load. Therefore, the GVW changes de-
pending on the situation. The GVWR
equals Curb Weight (actual weight of your
vehicle –including standard equipment,
fluids, emergency tools and spare tire
Driving tips/Loading your vehicle
–CONTINUED –8-13