●Make sure the area around the vehicle is
clear.
● Check fluid levels such as engine oil, cool-
ant, brake fluid, and windshield-washer fluid
as frequently as possible, or at least when-
ever you refuel.
● Check that all windows and lights are clean.
● Visually inspect tires for their appearance
and condition. Also check tires for proper
inflation.
● Check that all doors are closed.
● Position seat and adjust head
restraints/headrests.
● Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
● Fasten seat belts and ask all passengers to
do likewise.
● Check the operation of warning lights when
the ignition switch is placed in the ON posi-
tion. For additional information, refer to
“Warning lights, indicator lights and audible
reminders” in the “Instruments and controls”
section of this manual. 1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever to P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) . P (Park) is recommended.
The INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid
System is designed not to operate if
the shift lever is in any of the driving
positions.
3. Depress the brake pedal and push the igni- tion switch to start the hybrid system. The
READY to drive indicator will illuminate on
the meter.
When starting the hybrid system at
very low outside temperatures, the
READY to drive indicator light will flash
and it may take longer for the READY
to drive indicator light to illuminate.
When the READY to drive indicator
light is flashing, it cannot be shifted
out of P (Park) .
NOTE:
Do not start the vehicle in the N (Neutral)
position (cold conditions only) . ● The hybrid system may not start even with
the READY to drive indicator light illumi-
nated. Once the READY to drive indicator
light is illuminated you may begin driving the
vehicle. NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential 12-volt battery
discharge and potential no-start conditions
such as:
1. Installation or extended use of elec-
tronic accessories that consume bat-
tery power when the engine is not run-
ning (Phone chargers, GPS, DVD
players, etc.) .
2. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/or
only driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to be
charged to maintain 12-volt battery health.
REMOTE HYBRID START (if so
equipped)
Vehicles started with the remote hybrid start re-
quire the ignition switch to be placed in the ON
position before the shift lever can be moved from
the P (Park) position. To place the ignition switch
to the ON position, follow the steps: 1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is on you.
2. Apply the brake.
3. Press the ignition switch once to the ON position.
BEFORE STARTING THE INFINITI
DIRECT RESPONSE HYBRID SYSTEM STARTING THE INFINITI DIRECT
RESPONSE HYBRID SYSTEM
Starting and driving5-17
For additional information, refer to “INFINITI Intel-
ligent Key” in the “Pre-driving checks and adjust-
ments” section of this manual.CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE
TRANSMISSION (CVT)
WARNING
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse) , D (Drive) , or M
(Manual shift mode) . Always depress
the brake pedal until shifting is com-
pleted. Failure to do so could cause you
to lose control and have an accident.
● Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward or
reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
● Do not downshift abruptly on slippery
roads. this may cause a loss of control.
● Never shift to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is re-
versing. This could cause an accident or
damage the transmission.
● Except in an emergency, do not shift to
the N (Neutral) position while driving.
Coasting with the transmission in the N
(Neutral) position may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
CAUTION
To avoid possible damage to your vehicle,
when stopping the vehicle on an uphill
grade, do not hold the vehicle by depress-
ing the accelerator pedal. The foot brake
should be used for this purpose.
The CVT in your vehicle is electronically con-
trolled to produce maximum power and smooth
operation.
The recommended operating procedures for this
transmission are shown on the following pages.
Follow these procedures for maximum vehicle
performance and driving enjoyment.
Engine power may be automatically re-
duced to protect the CVT if the engine
speed increases quickly when driving on
slippery roads or while being tested on
some dynamometers.
Starting the vehicle
1. After starting the hybrid system, fully de- press the foot brake pedal before moving the
shift lever out of the P (Park) position.
This CVT is designed so that the foot
brake pedal must be depressed before
shifting from P (Park) to any driving
position while the ignition switch is in
the ON position.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE
5-18Starting and driving
The shift lever cannot be moved out of
the P (Park) position and into any of
the other positions if the ignition
switch is placed in the LOCK, OFF or
ACC position while the ready light illu-
minates.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and move the shift lever to a driving position.
3. Release the parking brake and foot brake pedal and then gradually start the vehicle in
motion.
WARNING
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive) position.
Always depress the brake pedal until
shifting is completed. Failure to do so
could cause you to lose control and
have an accident.
● Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward or
reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
● Do not downshift abruptly on slippery
roads. This may cause a loss of control. ●
Never shift to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is re-
versing. This could cause an accident or
damage the transmission.
CAUTION
● To avoid possible damage to your ve-
hicle, when stopping the vehicle on an
uphill grade, do not hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose.
● Except in an emergency, do not shift to
the N (Neutral) position while driving.
Coasting with the transmission in the N
(Neutral) position may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
Shifting
Press the button while depressing the
brake pedal
Press the button to shift
Shift without pressing button
After starting the hybrid system, fully depress the
brake pedal, press the shift lever button and
move the shift lever from the P (Park) position to
any of the desired shift positions.
LSD2358
Starting and driving5-19
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the shift lever is
in any position while the hybrid system is
not running. Failure to do so could cause
the vehicle to move unexpectedly or roll
away and result in serious personal injury
or property damage.
CAUTION
Use the P (Park) or R (Reverse) position
only when the vehicle is completely
stopped.
P (Park)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use the
P (Park) position only when the vehicle is
completely stopped
Use the P (Park) shift lever position when the
vehicle is parked or when starting the hybrid
system. Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped. The brake pedal must be de-
pressed and the shift lever button pushed
in to move the shift lever from N (Neutral) or
any drive position to P (Park) . Apply the
parking brake. When parking on a hill, apply the
parking brake first, then move the shift lever into
the P (Park) position. R (Reverse)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use the
R (Reverse) position only when the vehicle
is completely stopped.
Use the R (Reverse) position to back up. Make
sure the vehicle is completely stopped before
selecting the R (Reverse) position. The brake
pedal must be depressed and the shift lever
button pushed in to move the shift lever
from P (Park) , N (Neutral) or any drive po-
sition to R (Reverse) .
N (Neutral)
Neither forward nor reverse gear is engaged. The
hybrid system can be started in this position.
D (Drive)
Use this position for all normal forward driving.
Manual shift mode
When the shift lever is in the manual shift gate,
the transmission is ready for the manual shift
mode. Shift ranges can be selected manually by
moving the shift lever up or down. To cancel
manual shift mode, return the shift lever to the D
(Drive) position. The transmission returns to au-
tomatic driving mode. When the shift lever is shifted from D (Drive) to
the manual shift gate with the vehicle stopped or
while driving, the transmission enters the manual
shift mode. Shift ranges can be selected manu-
ally. In the manual shift mode, the shift range is
displayed on the position indicator in the meter.
When shifting the shift lever to the manual shift
gate, the position indicator displays 1 (1st) up to
7 (7th) depending on vehicle speed.
Shift ranges up or down one by one as follows:
1⇔
2⇔ 3⇔ 4⇔ 5⇔ 6⇔ 7
7 (7th)
Use this position for all normal forward driving at
highway speeds.
6 (6th) and 5 (5th)
Use this position when driving up long slopes, or
for engine braking when driving down long
slopes.
4 (4th) , 3 (3rd) and 2 (2nd)
Use these positions for hill climbing or engine
braking on downhill grades.
1 (1st)
Use this position when climbing steep hills slowly
or when driving slowly, or for maximum engine
braking on steep downhill grades.
5-20Starting and driving
5. Push the shift lever button and move the shiftlever to the N (Neutral) position while hold-
ing down the shift lock release. The vehicle
may be moved to the desired location. Re-
place the removed shift lock release cover
after the operation.
If the shift lever cannot be moved out of the P
(Park) position, have the CVT system checked as
soon as possible. It is recommended that you visit
an INFINITI retailer for this service.
WARNING
If the shift lever cannot be moved from the
P (Park) position while the engine is run-
ning and the brake pedal is depressed, the
stop lights may not work. Malfunctioning
stop lights could cause an accident injur-
ing yourself and others.
Accelerator downshift
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the accel-
erator pedal to the floor. This shifts the transmis-
sion down into a lower gear, depending on the
vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid temperature
protection mode. If the fluid temperature be-
comes too high (for example, when climbing
steep grades in high temperatures with heavy
loads, such as when towing a trailer) , engine
power and, under some conditions, vehicle
speed will be decreased automatically to reduce
the chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelerator
pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed may be
limited.
Fail-safe
When the fail-safe operation occurs, the CVT will
not be shifted into the selected driving position.
If the vehicle is driven under extreme con-
ditions, such as excessive wheel spinning
and subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe
system may be activated. The Malfunction
Indicator Light (MIL) may come on to indi-
cate the fail-safe mode is activated. For
additional information, refer to “Malfunc-
tion Indicator Light (MIL)” in the “Instru-
ments and controls” section of this manual.
This will occur even if all electrical circuits
are functioning properly. In this case, place
the ignition switch in the OFF position and wait for 10 seconds. Then place the ignition
switch back in the ON position. The vehicle
should return to its normal operating con-
dition. If it does not return to its normal
operating condition, have the transmission
checked and repaired, if necessary. It is
recommended that you visit an INFINITI
retailer for this service.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature protec-
tion mode or fail-safe operation occurs,
vehicle speed may be gradually reduced.
The reduced speed may be lower than
other traffic, which could increase the
chance of a collision. Be especially careful
when driving. If necessary, pull to the side
of the road at a safe place and allow the
transmission to return to normal opera-
tion, or have it repaired if necessary.
5-22Starting and driving
WARNING
●Be sure the parking brake is fully re-
leased before driving. Failure to do so
can cause brake failure and lead to an
accident.
● Do not release the parking brake from
outside the vehicle.
● Do not use the shift lever in place of the
parking brake. When parking, be sure
the parking brake is fully engaged.
● To help avoid risk of injury or death
through unintended operation of the
vehicle and /or its systems, do not leave
children, people who require the assis-
tance of others or pets unattended in
your vehicle. Additionally, the tempera-
ture inside a closed vehicle on a warm
day can quickly become high enough to
cause a significant risk of injury or
death to people and pets. To engage:
Firmly depress the parking brake.
To release: 1. Firmly apply the foot brake.
2. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) position.
3. Firmly depress the parking brake pedal and it will release.
4. Before driving, be sure the brake warning light goes out. Four driving modes can be selected by using the
drive mode selector switch, STANDARD,
SPORT, ECO and SNOW.
NOTE:
● When the drive mode select switch selects a
mode, the mode may not switch quickly. This
is not a malfunction.
● Select the STANDARD mode center for nor-
mal driving.
LSD0158
Drive mode select switch
LSD2671
PARKING BRAKE INFINITI DRIVE MODE SELECTOR
Starting and driving5-23
WARNING
Failure to follow the warnings and instruc-
tions for proper use of the LDW system
could result in serious injury or death.
The LDW system will operate when the vehicle is
driven at speeds of approximately 45 mph
(70 km/h) and above, and only when the lane
markings are clearly visible on the road.
The LDW system warns the driver with a warning
light and chime that the vehicle is beginning to
leave the driving lane. The LDW system monitors the lane markers on
the traveling lane using the camera unit
1lo-
cated above the inside mirror. When the camera
unit detects that the vehicle is traveling close to
either the left or the right of the traveling lane, the
LDW indicator light on the instrument panel
blinks in orange and a warning chime sounds.
LSD2696LSD2701
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING (LDW)
(if so equipped)
5-26Starting and driving
LDW SYSTEM OPERATION
The LDW system provides a lane departure
warning function when the vehicle is driven at
speeds of approximately 45 mph (70 km/h) and
above and the lane markings are clear. When the
vehicle approaches either the left or the right side
of the traveling lane, a warning chime will sound
and the LDW indicator light on the instrument
panel will blink to alert the driver.
The warning function will stop when the vehicle
returns inside of the lane markers.
The LDW system is not designed to warn under
the following conditions.● When you operate the lane change signal
and change traveling lanes in the direction of
the signal. (The LDW system will become
operable again approximately 2 seconds af-
ter the lane change signal is turned off.)
● When the vehicle speed lowers to less than
approximately 45 mph (70 km/h).
● When the BSI activates an audible warning
or when the brakes are automatically applied
by the system.
After the above conditions have finished and the
necessary operating conditions are satisfied, the
LDW functions will resume.
LSD2550
Starting and driving5-27