3–51
Before Driving
Driving Tips
Floor Mat
We recommend the use of Genuine
Mazda fl oor mats.
WARNING
Make sure the fl oor mats are hooked on
the retention pins to prevent them from
bunching up under the foot pedals:
Using a fl oor mat that is not secured is
dangerous as it will interfere with the
accelerator and brake pedal operation,
which could result in an accident.
Do not install two fl oor mats, one on top
of the other, on the driver's side:
Installing two fl oor mats, one on top
of the other, on the driver's side is
dangerous as the retention pins can
only keep one fl oor mat from sliding
forward.
Loose fl oor mat(s) will interfere with
the foot pedal and could result in an
accident.
If using an all-weather mat for winter
use always remove the original fl oor
mat.
When setting a fl oor mat, position the fl oor
mat so that its grommets are inserted over
the pointed end of the retention posts.
Rocking the Vehicle
WARNING
Do not spin the wheels at more than
56 km/h (35 mph), and do not allow
anyone to stand behind a wheel when
pushing the vehicle:
When the vehicle is stuck, spinning the
wheels at high speed is dangerous.
The spinning tire could overheat and
explode. This could cause serious
injuries.
CAUTION
Too much rocking may cause engine
overheating, transaxle failure, and tire
damage.
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand or mud, depress the accelerator
slightly and slowly move the shift lever
from D to R.
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3–63
Before Driving
Towing
Passing
Plan well ahead to pass other vehicles, and provide plenty of room before changing lanes.
Crosswinds from passing vehicles, especially larger ones, and the effects of rough roads will
affect handling.
If swaying occurs, fi rmly grip the steering wheel and reduce speed immediately, but
gradually.
Steer straight ahead. If no extreme correction of steering or braking is made, the
combination of less speed and fi rm steering will result in stability.
Backing up
Backing a vehicle with a trailer requires practice and patience. Back slowly, and have a
helper outside at the rear of the trailer to reduce the risk of an accident.
To turn the trailer, place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and turn it in the
direction you want the trailer to go. Make only slight movements to prevent sharp or
prolonged turning.
Ascending a hill
Shift into a lower gear to reduce the possibility of overloading or overheating the engine, or
both.
Descending a hill
Shift into a lower gear and use engine compression as a braking effect.
WARNING
Always use lower gears to reduce speed:
Holding the brake pedal down too long or too frequently is dangerous as it could cause
the brakes to overheat and lose power, resulting in loss of control and a serious accident.
Use lower gears to help reduce speed. Pull off the road and allow brakes to cool down
whenever braking performance feels reduced.
Overheated engine
The extra weight of the trailer may strain the engine on hot days and on long or steep
upgrades.
If the temperature gauge indicates overheating, turn off the air conditioner, drive safely
to the side of the road, park off the right-of-way and wait for engine to cool. Refer to
Overheating on page 7-24 .
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4–16
When Driving
Instrument Cluster and Display
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge (Without Multi-information
Display)
Displays the engine coolant temperature.
The white gauge indicates that the engine
coolant temperature is low, and the red
gauge indicates that the engine coolant
temperature is high and overheating.
CAUTION
If the engine coolant temperature
gauge indicator fl ashes, there is a
possibility of overheating. Park the
vehicle in a safe place immediately
and take appropriate measures. If the
vehicle continues to be driven, it could
cause damage to the engine.
Refer to Overheating on page 7-24 .
NOTE
The temperature unit (Centigrade/
Fahrenheit) of the engine coolant gauge
display changes in conjunction with
the temperature unit of the outside
temperature display.
Refer to Personalization Features on
page 9-11 .
During normal driving, the engine
coolant temperature stabilizes at
100 °C (210 °F) or less, and the gauge
indicates a range lower than 100 °C
(210 °F).
If the engine load increases and the
engine coolant temperature exceeds
100 °C (210 °F), the gauge indicates the
engine coolant temperature.
Fuel Gauge (Without Multi-
information Display)
The fuel gauge shows approximately
how much fuel is remaining in the tank
when the ignition is switched ON. We
recommend keeping the tank over 1/4 full.
Full
1/4 Full
Empty
If the low fuel warning light illuminates or
the fuel level is very low, refuel as soon as
possible.
Refer to Warning Indication/Warning
Lights on page 4-32 .
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4–24
When Driving
Instrument Cluster and Display
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge
Displays the engine coolant temperature.
The blue gauge indicates that the engine
coolant temperature is low, and the red
gauge indicates that the engine coolant
temperature is high and overheating.
CAUTION
If the high engine coolant temperature
warning light (red) turns on, there is
a possibility of overheating. Park the
vehicle in a safe place immediately
and take appropriate measures. If the
vehicle continues to be driven, it could
cause damage to the engine.
Refer to Overheating on page 7-24 .
NOTE
The temperature unit (Centigrade/
Fahrenheit) of the engine coolant gauge
display changes in conjunction with
the temperature unit of the outside
temperature display.
Refer to Personalization Features on
page 9-11 .
During normal driving, the engine
coolant temperature stabilizes at 100
°C (210 °F) or less, and the gauge
indicates a range lower than 100 °C
(210 °F).
If the engine load increases and the
engine coolant temperature exceeds 100
°C (210 °F), the gauge indicates the
engine coolant temperature.
Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge shows approximately
how much fuel is remaining in the tank
when the ignition is switched ON. We
recommend keeping the tank over 1/4 full.
Full
1/4 Full
Empty
If the fuel level is low, (
) and ( ) turn an
amber color. Refuel as soon as possible.
Refer to Taking Action on page 7-38 .
NOTE
After refueling, it may require some
time for the indicator to stabilize. In
addition, the indicator may deviate
while driving on a slope or curve since
the fuel moves in the tank.
The display indicating a quarter or less
remaining fuel has more segments to
show the remaining fuel level in greater
detail.
The direction of the arrow ( ) indicates
that the fuel-fi ller lid is on the left side
of the vehicle.
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4–47
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Driving Tips
WARNING
Do not let the vehicle move in a
direction opposite to the direction
selected by the selector lever:
Do not let the vehicle move backward
with the selector lever in a forward
position, or do not let the vehicle
move forward with the selector lever
in the reverse position. Otherwise, the
engine may stop, causing the loss of
the power brake and power steering
functions, and make it diffi cult to
control the vehicle which could result
in an accident.
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle will
shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
NOTE
The accelerator pedal may initially feel
heavy as it is being depressed, then feel
lighter as it is depressed further. This
change in pedal force aids the engine
control system in determining how
much the accelerator pedal has been
depressed for performing kickdown,
and functions to control whether or not
kickdown should be performed.
While the selector lever is in the M
position and the TCS is turned off,
manual shift mode does not switch
to automatic shift mode even if the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed. Operate the selector lever.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the
load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release the brake pedal while gradually
accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift to
lower gears, depending on load weight and
grade steepness. Descend slowly, using the
brakes only occasionally to prevent them
from overheating.
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4–66
When Driving
Brake
Brake System
Foot Brake
This vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
use.
Should power-assist fail, you can stop by
applying greater force than normal to the
brake pedal. But the distance required to
stop will be greater than usual.
WARNING
Do not coast with the engine stalled or
turned off , fi nd a safe place to stop:
Coasting with the engine stalled or
turned off is dangerous. Braking will
require more eff ort, and the brake's
power-assist could be depleted if
you pump the brake. This will cause
longer stopping distances or even an
accident.
Shift to a lower gear when going down
steep hills:
Driving with your foot continuously on
the brake pedal or steadily applying
the brakes for long distances is
dangerous. This causes overheated
brakes, resulting in longer stopping
distances or even total brake failure.
This could cause loss of vehicle
control and a serious accident. Avoid
continuous application of the brakes.
Dry off brakes that have become
wet by driving slowly, releasing the
accelerator pedal and lightly applying
the brakes several times until the brake
performance returns to normal:
Driving with wet brakes is dangerous.
Increased stopping distance or the
vehicle pulling to one side when
braking could result in a serious
accident. Light braking will indicate
whether the brakes have been aff ected.
CAUTION
Do not drive with your foot held on the
brake pedal. Doing so could result in the
following:
The brake parts will wear out more
quickly.
The brakes can overheat and
adversely aff ect brake performance.
Always depress the brake pedal with
the right foot. Applying the brakes with
the unaccustomed left foot could slow
your reaction time to an emergency
situation resulting in insuffi cient braking
operation.
Wear shoes appropriate for driving in
order to avoid your shoe contacting
the brake pedal when depressing the
accelerator pedal.
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