5-19
Driving your vehicle
The Ecoshift dual clutch transmis-sion gives the driving feel of a man-
ual transmission, yet provides the
ease of a fully automatic transmis-
sion. Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, the gear shifting can
sometimes be felt and heard on the
Ecoshift dual clutch transmission,as the actuators engage the clutchand the gear is selected.
The Ecoshift dual clutch transmis- sion can be thought of as an auto-
matically shifting manual transmis-
sion. When D (Drive) is selected,
the transmission will automaticallyshift through the gears similar to a
conventional automatic transmis-sion.
The Ecoshift dual clutch transmis- sion incorporates a dry-type dual
clutch mechanism, which allows for
better acceleration performanceand increased fuel efficiency while
driving. But it differs from a con-
ventional automatic transmission in
that it does not incorporate a
torque converter. Instead, the tran-
sition from one gear to the next is
managed by clutch slip, especially
at lower speeds. As a result, shifts are sometimes
more noticeable, and a light vibra-
tion can be felt as the transmissionshaft speed is matched with the
engine shaft speed. This is a nor-mal condition of the Ecoshift dual
clutch transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers torque more directly and provides
a direct-drive feeling which may
feel different from a conventional
automatic transmission. This may
be more noticeable when launch-
ing the vehicle from a stop or when
traveling at low, stop-and-go vehi-
cle speeds.
When rapidly accelerating from a lower vehicle speed, the engine
rpm may increase dramatically asa result of clutch slip as the
Ecoshift dual clutch transmission
selects the correct gear. This is a
normal condition.
When accelerating from a stop on an incline, press the accelerator
smoothly and gradually to avoid
any shudder feeling or jerkiness.
5
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-
ing areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle 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, and place the ignition
switch in the LOCK/OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occurif these precautions are not
followed.
Do not use engine braking
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle mayslip causing an accident.
WARNING
