
: 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 it also has an“M”gate.
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, thetransmission is mechanically locked to
prevent the vehicle from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first apply the
parking brake firmly, 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”
position 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”F7-28.
!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
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED–7-25

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
&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 ignition switch from the“ACC”position
to the“LOCK”/“OFF”position and remove
the key from the ignition switch.
.If the ignition switch is turned to the
“LOCK”/“OFF”position while the select
lever is in the“N”position, the select lever
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
theignitionswitchbacktothe“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 button”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 a
SUBARU 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 button”F7-28.!Shift lock release using the shift
lock release button
Perform the following procedure to release
the shift lock.
1. Apply the parking brake and turn the
ignition switch to the“LOCK”/“OFF”posi-
tion.
2. Wrap the tip of a flat-head screwdriver
with vinyl tape or a cloth and use it to
remove the shift lock cover. The shift lock
release button is located under the shift
lock cover.
7-28

Starting and operating/Braking
&Power steering system fea-
tures
The vehicle is equipped with an electric
power steering system. When the ignition
switch is turned to the“ON”position, the
power steering warning light on the
combination meter illuminates to inform
the driver that the warning system is
functioning properly. Then, if the engine
started, the warning light turns off to inform
the driver that the steering power assist is
operational.
CAUTION
When the power steering warning
light is illuminated, there may be
more resistance when the steering
wheel is operated. Drive carefully to
the nearest SUBARU dealer and
have the vehicle inspected immedi-
ately.
NOTE
If the steering wheel is operated in the
following ways, the power steering
control system may temporarily limit
the power assist in order to prevent the
system components, such as the con-
trol computer and drive motor, from
overheating..The steering wheel is operated fre-
quently and turned sharply while the
vehicle is maneuvered at extremely low
speeds, such as while frequently turn-
ing the steering wheel during parallel
parking.
.The steering wheel remains in the
fully turned position for a long period
of time.
At this time, there will be more resis-
tance when steering. However this is
not a malfunction. Normal steering
force will be restored after the steering
wheel is not operated for a while and
the power steering control system has
an opportunity to cool down. However,
if the power steering is operated in a
non-standard way which causes power
assist limitation to occur too fre-
quently, this may result in a malfunc-
tion of the power steering control
system.
Braking
&Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. This can cause
dangerous overheating of the
brakes and needless wear on the
brake pads and linings.
!When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the
vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a
result, brake stopping distance will be
longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle
at a safe speed while lightly depressing
the brake pedal to heat up the brakes.
!Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking
in addition to foot braking. When descend-
ing a grade, if only the foot brake is used,
the brakes may start working improperly
because of brake fluid overheating,
caused by overheated brake pads. To
help prevent this, shift into a lower gear to
get stronger engine braking.
!Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly
when a tire is punctured. This could cause
7-30

a loss of control of the vehicle. Keep
driving straight ahead while gradually
reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the
road to a safe location.
&Brake system
!Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit
brake systems. Each circuit works diag-
onally across the vehicle. If one circuit of
the brake system should fail, the other half
of the system still works. If one circuit fails,
the brake pedal will go down much closer
to the floor than usual and you will need to
press it down much harder. And a much
longer distance will be needed to stop the
vehicle.
!Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold
vacuum to assist braking force. Do not
turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”position while driving because that
will turn off the brake booster, resulting in
poor braking power.
The brakes will continue to work even
when the brake booster completely stops
functioning. If this happens, however, you
will have to depress the pedal much
harder than normal and the braking dis-
tance will increase.!Brake assist system
WARNING
Do not be overconfident about the
brake assist. It is not a system that
brings more braking ability to the
vehicle beyond its braking capabil-
ity. Always use the utmost care
when driving regarding vehicle
speed and safe distance.
CAUTION
When you need to brake suddenly,
continue depressing the brake pedal
strongly to bring the effect of the
brake assist.
Brake assist is a driver assistance system.
It assists the brake power when the driver
cannot depress the brake pedal strongly
and the brake power is insufficient.
Brake assist generates the brake power
according to the speed at which the driver
depresses the brake pedal.
NOTE
When you depress the brake pedal
strongly or suddenly, the following
phenomena occur. However, even
though these occur, they do not indi-cate any malfunctions, and the brake
assist system is operating properly.
.You might feel that the brake pedal
is applied by lighter force and gener-
ates a greater braking force.
.You might hear an ABS operating
noise from the engine compartment.
&Disc brake pad wear warning
indicators
The disc brake pad wear warning indica-
tors on the disc brakes give a warning
noise when the brake pads are worn.
If a squeaking or scraping noise is heard
from the disc brakes while braking, im-
mediately have your vehicle checked by
your SUBARU dealer.
Starting and operating/Braking7-31

above-mentioned situations.
NOTE
.When the switch has been pressed
to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system automatically reacti-
vates itself the next time the ignition
switch is turned to the“LOCK”/“OFF”
position and the engine is restarted.
.If the switch is held down for 30
seconds or longer, the indicator light
turns off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system is activated, and the system
ignores any further pressing of the
switch. To make the switch usable
again, turn the ignition switch to the
“LOCK”/“OFF”position and restart the
engine.
.When the switch is pressed to
deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Con-
trol system, the vehicle’s running per-
formance is comparable with that of a
vehicle that does not have a Vehicle
Dynamics Control system. Do not de-
activate the Vehicle Dynamics Control
system except when absolutely neces-
sary.
.Even when the Vehicle Dynamics
Control system is deactivated, compo-
nents of the brake control system may
still activate. When the brake control
system is activated, the Vehicle Dy-namics Control operation indicator
light flashes.
Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec.
models)
Low tire pressure warning light (type A)
Low tire pressure warning light (type B) Starting and operating/Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.–spec. models)
–CONTINUED–
7-37

Hill start assist system
WARNING
.The Hill start assist system is a
device only for helping the driver
to START the vehicle on an uphill
grade. To prevent accidents
when the vehicle is parked on a
slope, be sure to firmly set the
parking brake. When setting the
parking brake, make sure that the
vehicle remains stationary when
the clutch pedal (MT models) and
brake pedal (both MT and CVT
models) are released.
.Do not turn the ignition switch to
the“LOCK”/“OFF”position while
the Hill start assist system is
operating. The Hill start assist
system will be deactivated and
may lead to an accident.
The Hill start assist system is a device to
make the following vehicle operations
easier.
1) Starting forward facing uphill
2) Starting backward facing downhill
A) Brake pedal (both MT models and CVT
models)
B) Clutch pedal (MT models only)
In both these cases, the Hill start assist
system operates under the following con-ditions.
.when the clutch pedal is depressed
while the brake pedal is also depressed
(MT models)
.when the vehicle has stopped with the
brake pedal depressed (CVT models)
Braking power is maintained temporarily
(for approximately 2 seconds) by the Hill
start assist system after the brake pedal is
released. The driver is therefore able to
start the vehicle in the same way as on a
level grade, just using the clutch pedal
(MT models only) and accelerator pedal
(all models).
If the braking power of the Hill start assist
system is insufficient after the brake pedal
is released, apply more braking power by
depressing the brake pedal again.
The Hill start assist system may not
operate on slight grades. Also, the Hill
start assist system does not operate in the
following cases.
Starting and operating/Hill start assist system
–CONTINUED–7-41

Starting and operating/Hill start assist system
.when starting backward facing uphill
.when starting forward facing downhill
.while the parking brake is applied
.while the ignition switch is in the“ACC”
or“LOCK”/“OFF”position
.while the Hill start assist warning light/Hill start assist OFF indicator light is
illuminated
When using the Hill start assist system, a
braking effect may be felt even after the
brake pedal has been released. However,
for MT models, this braking effect should
disappear once the clutch pedal is re-
leased.
CAUTION
The braking power of the Hill start
assist system may not be sufficient
when strong braking power is
needed (e.g., while towing a trailer).
NOTE
A slight jolt may be felt when the
vehicle begins to move forward after
being reversed.
&To activate/deactivate the Hill
start assist system
CAUTION
While the Hill start assist system is
deactivated, when starting on an
uphill grade, braking power is not
maintained if the brake pedal is
released. Start on an uphill grade
by using the parking brake.
You can activate/deactivate the Hill start
assist system according to the following
procedure.
NOTE
If you make an error when performing
any steps in the following procedure,
place the ignition switch in the
“LOCK”/“OFF”position once and then
start over again.
!To deactivate
1. Park your vehicle in a flat and safe
location and apply the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”position.
3. Restart the engine.
7-42

Starting and operating/Cruise control
assist OFF indicator light blinks.
8. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”position. The hill start assist system
has now been deactivated.
NOTE
While the Hill start assist system is
deactivated, the Hill start assist OFF
indicator light blinks.
!To activate
When the procedure to deactivate the Hill
start assist system is performed again, the
system is activated. When the Hill start
assist system is activated, the Hill start
assist OFF indicator light turns off.
&Hill start assist warning light/
Hill start assist OFF indicator
light
Refer to“Hill start assist warning light/Hill
start assist OFF indicator light”F3-22.
Cruise control (if equipped)
NOTE
For models with EyeSight system:
Refer to the Owner’s Manual supple-
ment for the EyeSight system.
Cruise control enables you to maintain a
constant vehicle speed without holding
your foot on the accelerator pedal and it is
operative when the vehicle speed is 25
mph (40 km/h) or more.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control under
any of the following conditions.
These may cause loss of vehicle
control.
.driving up or down a steep grade
.driving on slippery or winding
roads
.driving in heavy traffic
.towing a trailer
NOTE
Make sure the cruise control system is
turned off when the cruise control is
not in use to avoid unintentionally
setting of the cruise control.
&To set cruise control
Cruise control main button
1. Press the cruise control main button.
Cruise control indicator light (type A)
7-44