STARTING AND DRIVING
Let’s get to the "heart" of the vehicle:
seeing how you can exploit all of its
potential to the full.
We’ll look at how to drive it safely in any
situation, so that it can be a welcome
companion, with our comfort and
our wallets in mind.STARTING THE ENGINE ................. 92
PARKING THE VEHICLE ................. 93
MANUAL GEARBOX ....................... 94
DUALOGIC GEARBOX .................... 95
MODE SELECTOR .......................... 96
DUALDRIVE ELECTRIC POWER
STEERING ...................................... 97
ECO FUNCTION ............................. 98
STOP/START SYSTEM ................... 99
PARKING SENSORS.......................100
REFUELLING THE VEHICLE ...........101
TOWING TRAILERS ........................103
91
WARNING
116)It is dangerous to run the engine in
enclosed areas. The engine takes in
oxygen and releases carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
117)Remember that the brake servo
and power steering are not operational until
the engine has been started, therefore
you need to apply much more force than
usual to the brake pedal and steering
wheel.
118)If the engine fails to start with a gear
engaged, the potentially dangerous
situation due to the fact that the gearbox is
automatically placed in neutral will be
signalled by an acoustic signal.
WARNING
38)If the warning lightflashes for 60
seconds after starting or during an
extended towing period, this indicates a
problem in the glow plug preheating
system. You can use the vehicle as usual if
the engine starts but you should contact
a Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.
39)It is advisable not to demand maximum
performance from your vehicle (e.g.
excessive acceleration, long distances at
maximum rpm, excessively intense braking,
etc.) when it is first used.
40)When the engine is off, do not leave
the key turned to MAR to prevent
unnecessary electrical consumption from
draining the battery.41)Never bump start the engine by
pushing, towing or coasting downhill. This
could cause fuel to flow into the catalytic
converter and damage it beyond repair.
42)There must therefore always be some
petrol in the tank to protect the petrol
pump and to guarantee temporary
switching from LPG or Methane to petrol
operation, if high performance is required.
43)A quick burst on the accelerator
before stopping the engine serves no
practical purpose; it wastes fuel and is
especially damaging to turbocharged
engines.
PARKING THE
VEHICLE
When parking and leaving the car,
proceed as follows:
engage a gear (1st gear if facing
uphill or reverse if facing downhill) and
leave the wheels turned;
stop the engine and engage the
handbrake;
always remove the ignition key.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a
stone if the car is parked on a steep
slope.
On versions equipped with Dualogic
transmission, wait for the letter P to be
displayed before releasing the brake
pedal.
WARNING Never leave the car with the
gearbox in neutral (or, on versions
equipped with Dualogic transmission,
before putting the gear lever in the
P position).
Handbrake
194) 195) 196)
The handbrake lever is located between
the two front seats.
Handbrake engagement: pull lever A
fig. 77 upwards until the vehicle is
braked.
93
Handbrake disengagement: slightly
raise lever A and hold button B
pressed, checking that the
warning
light switches off in the instrument
panel.
WARNING
119)Never leave children unattended in
the car. Always remove the key from the
ignition when leaving the car and take
it with you.
120)The car should be braked after a few
clicks of the lever, if it is not, contact a
Fiat Dealership to have it adjusted.
121)In the case of parking manoeuvres on
roads on a gradient, the front wheels
must be steered towards the pavement
(when parking downhill), or in the opposite
direction if the vehicle is parked uphill.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone if
the car is parked on a steep slope.
MANUAL GEARBOX
122)44)
To engage the gears, press the clutch
pedal fully and put the gear lever into
the required position (the diagram
for gear engagement is shown on the
knob fig. 78).
For 0.9 TwinAir, 0.9 TwinAir Turbo and
1.2 8v 69 HP versions: to engage
reverse R from neutral, raise ring A fig.
78 underneath the knob and, at the
same time, shift the lever to the right
and then backwards.
For version 1.3 16v MultiJet: to engage
reverse R from neutral position, shift
the lever to the right and then back.IMPORTANT Reverse can only be
engaged when the vehicle is completely
stationary. With the engine running,
wait for at least 2 seconds with the
clutch pedal fully pressed before
engaging reverse to prevent damage to
the gears and grating.
IMPORTANT The clutch pedal should
be used only for gear changes. Do
not drive with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal, however lightly. For
versions/markets where provided, the
electronic clutch pedal control could cut
in, interpreting the incorrect driving
style as a fault.
WARNING
122)Depress the clutch pedal fully to
change gear correctly. It is therefore
essential that there is nothing under the
pedals: make sure the mats are lying
flat and do not get in the way of the
pedals.
WARNING
44)Do not drive with your hand resting on
the gear lever as the force exerted, even
if slight, could lead over time to premature
wear of the internal gearbox components.
77F1D0146
78F1D0069
94
STARTING AND DRIVING
DUALOGIC
GEARBOX
(for versions/markets, where provided)
45)
The vehicle can be equipped with an
electronically controlled manual
gearbox known as Dualogic which
allows two operating modes: MANUAL
and AUTO.
GEAR LEVER
The gear lever A fig. 79, located on the
dashboard, is floating multistable type,
i.e. it has three stable positions and
three unstable positions.
The three stable positions correspond
to neutral (N), reverse (R) and the
central position located between the
unstable positions (+) and (-).The unstable positions, in other words
those that are abandoned as soon
as the lever is released, are the
positions for requesting a higher gear
(+), requesting a lower gear (–) and
requesting automatic operating mode
(A/M).
IMPORTANT With the engine started,
any error between the lever position
and the gear actually engaged is
signalled by a buzzer until consistency
is restored.
MANUAL MODE
Proceed as follows:
press the brake pedal and start the
engine;
if AUTO appears on the display,
move the lever A fig. 79 to A/M to
select MANUAL mode;
push gear lever A towards (+) to
engage first gear (if starting from N or
R, simply place the lever in the middle
position) or R to engage reverse;
release the brake pedal and press
the accelerator pedal;
in driving conditions, push lever A of
the gearbox towards (+) to engage
the next gear up or towards (–) to
engage the next gear down.AUTOMATIC MODE
Proceed as follows:
press the brake pedal;
start the engine;
if AUTO does not appear on the
display, move the gear lever A fig. 79 to
A/M to select AUTOMATIC mode;
push the gear lever towards (+) to
engage 1st gear (if starting from N or R,
simply place the lever in the middle
position) or R to engage reverse;
release the brake pedal and press
the accelerator pedal: the gear most
suited to the vehicle speed will be
engaged.
AUTO-ECO OPERATION
To activate the function press the ECO
button fig. 80 on the central tunnel.
The ECO function can be only activated
only with automatic mode active.
79F1D0107
80F1D0108
95
PARKING SENSORS
127)47)
SENSORS
The sensors are located in the rear
bumper fig. 85 and their function is to
detect the presence of any obstacles
near the rear part of the vehicle and
inform the driver, through an
intermittent acoustic signal.
ACTIVATION/
DEACTIVATION
The sensors are automatically activated
when reverse is engaged. As the
obstacle behind the vehicle gets closer,
the acoustic signal becomes more
frequent.OPERATION WITH A
TRAILER
Sensor operation is automatically
deactivated when the trailer's electric
cable plug is fitted in the vehicle's
tow hook socket. The sensors are
automatically reactivated when the
trailer's cable plug is removed.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
When parking, take the utmost care
over obstacles that may be above
or under the sensor.
Objects close to the vehicle are not
detected under certain circumstances
and could therefore cause damage
to the vehicle or be damaged.
The following conditions may influence
the performance of the parking
assistance system:
the presence of ice, snow, mud or
multiple layers of paint on the surface of
the sensor may reduce its sensitivity
and the system performance;
mechanical interference (e.g.
washing the vehicle, rain, strong wind,
hail) may cause the sensor to detect
a non-existent obstacle ("echo
interference");
the presence of ultrasonic systems
(e.g. pneumatic brake systems of
trucks or pneumatic drills) near the
vehicle could alter the signals sent to
the sensor;
the variation in sensor position,
caused by variation in ride (due
to suspension or shock absorber wear),
changing tyres, overloaded vehicle, or
tuning that lowers the vehicle, for
example, may affect parking sensor
system performance;
the presence of a tow hook without
trailer interferes with the correct
operation of the parking sensors. If a
fixed tow hook is installed, the sensors
cannot be used. If the customer installs
a removable tow hook, this must
always be disconnected from
the crossmember whenever the trailer
is not attached to prevent the activation
of the sensors.
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100
STARTING AND DRIVING
Natural Power versions
49)To access filler B fig. 90, open the flap
and undo cap A turning it
counterclockwise.
The profile of filler B for refilling is the
universal type, compatible with Italian
and NGV1 standards. In some
European countries adapters are
considered ILLEGAL (e.g. in Germany).
WARNING
128)Do not apply any object/plug to the
end of the filler which is not provided for
the car. The use of non-compliant
objects/caps could cause a pressure
increase inside the tank, resulting in
dangerous situations.
129)Do not bring naked flames or lit
cigarettes near to the fuel filler: fire risk.
Keep your face away from the fuel filler to
prevent breathing in harmful vapours.130)Do not use a mobile phone near the
refuelling pump: risk of fire.
WARNING
48)For diesel engines, only use diesel fuel
for motor vehicles in accordance with
EN 590 European specifications. The use
of other products or mixtures may damage
the engine beyond repair and
consequently invalidate the warranty, due
to the damage caused. If you accidentally
introduce other types of fuel into the tank,
do not start the engine. Empty the tank.
If the engine has been run for even an
extremely limited amount of time, you must
not only drain the fuel tank, but the rest of
the supply circuit as well.
49)The other plates (provided with the
vehicle documents) show the date when
the first cylinder inspection/test is due.
Methane refuelling stations are not
authorised to refill the cylinders when the
inspection date has expired.
TOWING TRAILERS
131) 132)
IMPORTANT
For towing motorhomes or trailers the
vehicle must be fitted with an approved
tow hook and an adequate electrical
system. Installation must be carried out
by a specialist.
Install any specific and/or additional
door mirrors as specified by the
Highway Code.
Remember that when towing a trailer,
steep hills are harder to climb, braking
distances increase and overtaking
takes longer depending on the overall
weight of the trailer.
Engage a low gear when driving
downhill, rather than constantly using
the brake.
The weight the trailer exerts on the
vehicle tow hook reduces the vehicle's
loading capacity by the same amount.
To make sure that the maximum
towable weight is not exceeded (given
in the vehicle registration document)
account should be taken of the fully
laden trailer, including accessories and
luggage.
Do not exceed the speed limits specific
to each country you are driving in, in
the case of vehicles towing trailers.
In any case, the top speed must not
exceed 100 km/h.
90F1D0110
103
An electric brake (or electric winch)
should be supplied directly by the
battery through a cable with a cross
section of no less than 2.5 mm
2.
In addition to the electrical branches,
the vehicle electrical system can only
be connected to the supply cable for an
electric brake and to the cable for an
internal light for the trailer, not
exceeding 15 W. For connections, use
the preset control unit with a battery
cable with section not less than 2.5
mm
2.
On Panda Cross and Panda 4x4
versions, in the event of prolonged
vehicle use at maximum tow capacity
on slopes, replacing engine oil more
frequently (every 10,000 km) is
advisable.
IMPORTANT The use of auxiliary loads
other than external lights (electric brake,
winch, etc.) must be used with engine
running.
IMPORTANT To install a tow hook
contact a Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
131)The ABS with which the vehicle is
equipped will not control the braking
system of the trailer. Particular caution is
required on slippery roads.
132)Never modify the braking system of
the vehicle to control the trailer brake.
The trailer braking system must be fully
independent of the vehicle’s hydraulic
system.
104
STARTING AND DRIVING
IN AN EMERGENCY
A punctured tyre or a burnt-out bulb?
At times, a problem may interfere
with our journey.
The pages on emergencies can help
you to deal with critical situations
independently and with calm.
In an emergency we recommend that
you call the freephone number found in
the Warranty Booklet.
It is also possible to call the national or
international universal freephone
number to search for the nearest
Dealership.HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS...........106
REPLACING A BULB ......................106
REPLACING FUSES........................112
CHANGING A WHEEL ....................115
“FIX&GO AIRFLAT” KIT ....................118
JUMP STARTING ............................121
FUEL CUT-OFF SYSTEM ................122
TOWING THE VEHICLE ..................123
105