2016 SUBARU LEGACY transmission

Starting and operating/Manual transmission
Shift up mph (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40)
3rd to 4th 40 (64)
4th to 5th 45 (72)
5th to 6th50 (80)
!Maximum allowable speeds
WARNING
When shifting down a gear, ensure
that the vehicle is not travelling at a
speed exceeding the Maximum Al-
lowable Speed for the gear which is
about to be selected. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
engine over-revving and this in turn
can result in engine damage.
In addition, sudden application of
engine brakes when the vehicle is
travelling on a slippery surface can
lead to wheel locking; as a conse-
quence, control of the vehicle may
be lost and the risk of an accident
increased.
The following table shows the maximum
speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear. The tachometer’s needle willenter the red area if these speeds are
exceeded.
With the exception of cases where sudden
acceleration is required, the vehicle
should not be driven with the tachometer’s
needle inside the red area. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
excessive engine wear and poor fuel
economy.
mph (km/h)
Gear Legacy Outback
1st 30 (49) 30 (48)
2nd 57 (92) 56 (90)
3rd
Legal speed limit
(Posted limit speed) 4th
5th
6th
NOTE
Never exceed posted speed limits.
&Driving tips
Do not drive with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal and do not use the clutch to
hold your vehicle at a standstill on an
upgrade. Either of those actions may
cause clutch damage.
Do not drive with your hand resting on the
shift lever. This may cause wear on thetransmission components.
When it is necessary to reduce vehicle
speed due to slow traffic, turning corners,
or driving up steep hills, downshift to a
lower gear before the engine starts to
labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the
transmission to 5th, 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear
as necessary; this helps to maintain a safe
speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking
effect. Remember, if you“ride”(over use)
the brakes while descending a hill, they
may overheat and not work properly.
The engine may, on rare occasions, knock
when the vehicle rapidly accelerates or
rapidly pulls away from a standstill. This
phenomenon does not indicate a problem.
7-24

Continuously variable trans-
mission
The continuously variable transmission is
electronically controlled and provides an
infinite number of forward speeds and 1
reverse speed. It also has a manual mode.
WARNING
Do not shift from the“P”or“N”
position into the“D”or“R”position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle
to lurch forward or backward.
CAUTION
.Shift into the“P”or“R”position
only after the vehicle is comple-
tely stopped. Shifting while the
vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission.
.Do not race the engine for more
than 5 seconds in any position
except the“N”or“P”position
when the brake is applied or
when chocks are used in the
wheels. This may cause the
transmission fluid to overheat.
.Do not shift from the“D”positioninto the“R”position or vice
versa until the vehicle has com-
pletely stopped. Such shifting
may cause damage to the trans-
mission.
.When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the select lever in
the“P”position. Do not park for
a long time with the select lever
in any other position as doing so
could result in a dead battery.
NOTE
.When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, the transmission will
upshift to higher engine speeds than
when the coolant temperature is suffi-
ciently high in order to shorten the
warm-up time and improve driveability.
The gearshift timing will automatically
shift to the normal timing after the
engine has warmed up.
.Immediately after transmission fluid
is replaced, you may feel that the
transmission operation is somewhat
unusual. This results from invalidation
of data which the on-board computer
has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the currentcondition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
.When driving under continuous hea-
vy load conditions such as towing a
camper or climbing a long, steep hill,
the engine speed or the vehicle speed
may automatically be reduced. This is
not a malfunction. This phenomenon
results from the engine control func-
tion maintaining the cooling perfor-
mance of the vehicle. The engine and
vehicle speed will return to a normal
speed when the engine is able to
maintain the optimum cooling perfor-
mance after the heavy load decreases.
Driving under a heavy load must be
performed with extreme care. Do not
try to pass a vehicle in front when
driving on an uphill slope while towing.
.The continuously variable transmis-
sion is a chain type system that
provides superior transmission effi-
ciency for maximum fuel economy. At
times, depending on varying driving
conditions, a chain operating noise
may be heard that is characteristic of
this type of system.
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED–7-25

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
&Select lever
1) Select lever button
: With the brake pedal depressed, shift
while pressing the select lever button
in
: Shift while pressing the select lever
button in
: Shift without pressing the select lever
button
The select lever has four positions,“P”,
“R”,“N”,“D”and also has a manual gate
for using the manual mode.
NOTE
For some models, to protect the engine
while the select lever is in the“P”or
“N”position, the engine is controlled
so that the engine speed may not
become too high even if the accelerator
pedal is depressed hard.!P (Park)
This position is for parking the vehicle and
starting the engine. In this position, the
transmission is mechanically locked to
prevent the vehicle from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first apply the
parking brake, then shift into the“P”
position. Do not hold the vehicle with only
the mechanical friction of the transmis-
sion.
To shift the select lever from the“P”to any
other position, you should depress the
brake pedal fully then move the select
lever. This prevents the vehicle from
lurching when it is started.
!R (Reverse)
This position is for backing the vehicle. To
shift from the“N”to“R”position, stop the
vehicle completely then move the lever to
the“R”position while pressing the select
lever button in.
When the ignition switch has been turned
to the“LOCK”/“OFF”position, movement
of the select lever from the“N”to“R”
position is possible for a limited time
period by depressing the brake pedal,
and then it becomes impossible. For
details, refer to“Shift lock function”F7-27.
7-26

!N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalled
engine. In this position, the transmission is
neutral, meaning that the wheels and
transmission are not locked. Therefore,
the vehicle will roll freely, even on the
slightest incline unless the parking brake
or foot brake is applied.
Avoid coasting with the transmission in
neutral. Engine braking has no effect in
this condition.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
select lever in the“N”(neutral)
position. Engine braking has no
effect in this condition and the risk
of an accident is consequently in-
creased.
NOTE
If the select lever is in the“N”position
when you stop the engine for parking,
you may not subsequently be able to
move it to the“R”and“P”positions. If
this happens, turn the ignition switch to
the“ON”position. You will then be able
to move the select lever to the“P”
position.!D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving. The
transmission shifts automatically and con-
tinuously into a suitable gear according to
the vehicle speed and the acceleration
you require. Also, while driving up and
down a hill, the transmission assists and
controls the driving performance and
engine braking while corresponding to
the road grade.
When more acceleration is required in“D”
position, depress the accelerator pedal
fully to the floor and hold that position. The
transmission will automatically downshift.
In this case, the transmission will operate
like a conventional automatic transmis-
sion. When you release the pedal, the
transmission will return to the original gear
position.
To use the manual mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate.
!While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift is
prevented from taking place when the
accelerator is released. This minimizes
the chance of subsequent downshifting to
a lower gear when accelerating again.
This prevents repeated upshifting and
downshifting resulting in a smoother op-
eration of the vehicle.
NOTE
The transmission may downshift, de-
pending on the way the accelerator
pedal is depressed to accelerate the
vehicle again.
&Shift lock function
The shift lock function helps prevent the
improper operation of the select lever.
.The select lever cannot be operated
unless the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON”position and the brake pedal is
depressed.
.The select lever cannot be moved from
the“P”position to any other position
before the brake pedal is depressed.
Depress the brake pedal first, and then
operate the select lever.
.Only the“P”position allows you to turn
the key from the“ACC”position to the
“LOCK”position and remove the key from
the ignition key cylinder (models without
“keyless access with push-button start
system”).
.Only the“P”position allows you to turn
the push-button ignition switch to the
“OFF”position (models with“keyless
access with push-button start system”).
.If the ignition switch is turned to the
“LOCK”/“OFF”position while the select
lever is in the“N”position, the select lever
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED–7-27

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
may not be moved to the“P”position after
a period of time. Therefore, move the
select lever to the“P”position with the
brake pedal depressed soon after the
ignition switch is turned to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”position.
!Shift lock release
If the select lever cannot be operated, turn
the ignition switch back to the“ON”
position then move the select lever to the
“P”position with the select lever button
pressed and brake pedal depressed.
If the select lever does not move after
performing the above procedure, perform
the following steps.
.When the select lever cannot be
shifted from“P”to“N”:
Refer to“Shift lock release using the shift
lock release portion”F7-28.
.When the select lever cannot be
shifted from“N”to“R”,“P”:
Within 60 seconds after placing the igni-
tion switch in the“ACC”position, move the
select lever to the“P”position with the
select lever button pressed and brake
pedal depressed.
If you must perform the above procedure,
the shift lock system (or the vehicle control
system) may be malfunctioning. Contact aSUBARU dealer for an inspection as soon
as possible.
If the select lever does not move after
performing the above procedure, refer to
“Shift lock release using the shift lock
release portion”F7-28.
!Shift lock release using the shift
lock release portion
Perform the following procedure to release
the shift lock.
1. Apply the parking brake and stop the
engine.
2. Open the lid of the pocket.
1) Hole
3. Turn over the inner trim of the pocket.
4. Remove the grip portion of the screw-
driver.
7-28

5. While depressing the brake pedal,
insert the screwdriver into the hole, press
the shift lock release portion using the
screwdriver, and then move the select
lever.
If the select lever does not move after
performing the above procedure, the shift
lock system may be malfunctioning. Con-
tact a SUBARU dealer for an inspection
as soon as possible.
&Selection of manual mode
With the vehicle either moving or station-
ary, move the select lever from the“D”
position to the“M”position to select the
manual mode.
1) Upshift indicator
2) Downshift indicator
3) Gear position indicator
When the manual mode is selected, the
gear position indicator and upshift indica-
tor and/or downshift indicator on the
combination meter illuminate. The gear
position indicator shows the currently
selected gear in the 1st-to-6th gear range.
The upshift and downshift indicators show
when a gearshift is possible. When the
upshift indicator“
”is on, upshifting is
possible. When the downshift indicator
“
”is on, downshifting is possible. When
both indicators are on, upshifting and
downshifting are both possible. When the
vehicle stops (for example, at traffic
signals), the downshift indicator turns off.
Gearshifts can be performed using the
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED–7-29

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
shift paddle behind the steering wheel.
To upshift to the next higher gear position,
pull the shift paddle that has“+”indicated
on it. To downshift to the next lower gear
position, pull the shift paddle that has“–”
indicated on it.
To deselect the manual mode, return the
select lever to the“D”position from the“M”
position.
While driving with the select lever in the
“D”position, if you change gears by
operating the shift paddle, the gear posi-
tion indicator light illuminates and shows
the current gear condition.
CAUTION
Do not place or hang anything on
the shift paddles. Doing so may
result in accidental gear shifting.
NOTE
Please read the following points care-
fully and bear them in mind when using
the manual mode.
.If you attempt to shift down when
the engine speed is too high, i.e., when
a downshift would push the tachometer
needle beyond the red zone, beeps will
be emitted to warn you that the down-
shift is not possible.
.If you attempt to shift up when the
vehicle speed is too low, the transmis-
sion will not respond.
.You can perform a skip-shift (for
example, from 4th to 2nd) by operating
the shift paddle twice in rapid succes-
sion.
.The transmission automatically se-
lects 1st gear when the vehicle stops
moving.
.If the temperature of the transmis-
sion fluid becomes too high, the“AT
OIL TEMP”warning light will illuminate.
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe
place and let the engine idle until thewarning light turns off.
&Driving tips
.On a road surface where there is a risk
of wheelspin (for example, a snow- or
gravel-covered road), you can pull away
from a standstill safely and easily by first
selecting the 2nd gear of the manual
mode.
.Always apply the foot or parking brake
when the vehicle is stopped in the“D”or
“R”position.
.Always apply the parking brake when
parking your vehicle. Do not hold the
vehicle with only the transmission.
.Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary
position on an uphill grade by using the
“D”position. Use the brake instead.
.The engine may, on rare occasions,
knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-
ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.
This phenomenon does not indicate a
malfunction.
.A slight reduction in output torque may
occur in the models with a 3.6 L engine
before the engine warms up.
7-30

!Electronic parking brake system
warning
CAUTION
If the brake system warning light
turns on, the electronic parking
brake system may be malfunction-
ing. Immediately stop your vehicle
in the nearest safe location and
contact your SUBARU dealer.
If a malfunction occurs in the electronic
parking brake system, the brake system
warning light turns on. Refer to“Electronic
parking brake system warning”F3-20.
&Parking tips
When parking your vehicle, always per-
form the following items.
.Apply the parking brake.
.For MT models, place the shift lever in
the“1”(1st) for upgrade or“R”(Reverse)
for a downgrade.
.For CVT models, place the select lever
in the“P”(Park) position.
Never rely on the transmission alone to
hold the vehicle.
When parking on a hill, always turn the
steering wheel as described here. When
the vehicle is headed up the hill, the front
wheels should be turned away from the
curb.
When facing downhill, the front wheelsshould be turned into the curb.
Starting and operating/Parking your vehicle7-47