2017 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

Starting and operating/Manual transmission
NOTE
.This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules and with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) This
device may not cause harmful inter-
ference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference received, in-
cluding interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party respon-
sible for compliance could void the
user ’s authority to operate the equip-
ment and void warranty.
. To comply with the FCC RF expo-
sure compliance requirements, no
change to the antenna or the device is
permitted. Any change to the antenna
or the device could result in the device
exceeding the RF exposure require-
ments and void user ’sauthorityto
operate the device.Manual transmission
This manual transmission is a completely
synchromesh, 6-forward-speed and 1-re-
verse-speed transmission.
The shift pattern is shown on the shift
lever knob.
1) Slider
You must raise the slider and hold it in that
position before you can move the shift
lever to the “R”position.
To change gears, fully depress the clutch
pedal, move the shift lever, and gradually
let up on the clutch pedal.
If it is difficult to shift into gear, put the
transmission in neutral, release the clutch
pedal momentarily, and then try again.
7-22

WARNING
.Do not drive the vehicle with the
clutch disengaged (i.e., when the
clutch pedal is depressed) or
with the shift lever in the neutral
position. Engine braking has no
effect in either of these condi-
tions and the risk of an accident
is consequently increased.
. Do not engage the clutch (i.e.,
release the clutch pedal) sud-
denly when starting the vehicle.
By doing so the vehicle might
unexpectedly accelerate or the
transmission could malfunction.
CAUTION
Shift into reverse ONLY when the
vehicle has completely stopped. It
may cause damage to the transmis-
sion to try shifting into reverse when
the vehicle is moving.
& Shifting speeds
! Recommended shifting speeds
The best compromise between fuel econ-
omy and vehicle performance during
normal driving is ensured by shifting up
at the speeds listed in the following table.
Shift up mph (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40)
3rd to 4th 40 (64)
4th to 5th 45 (72)
5th to 6th 50 (80)
!
Maximum allowable speeds
The following table shows the maximum
speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear. The tachometer ’s needle will
enter the red area if these speeds are
exceeded.
With the exception of cases where sudden
acceleration is required, the vehicle
should not be driven with the tachometer ’s
needle inside the red area. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
excessive engine wear and poor fuel
economy.
Gear mph (km/h)
1st 29 (48)
2nd 54 (88)
WARNING
When shifting down a gear, ensure
that the vehicle is not travelling at a
speed exceeding the Maximum Al-
lowable Speed for the gear which is
about to be selected. Failure to
observe this precaution can lead to
engine over-revving and this in turn
can result in engine damage.
In addition, sudden application of
engine brakes when the vehicle is
travelling on a slippery surface can
lead to wheel locking; as a conse-
quence, control of the vehicle may
be lost and the risk of an accident
increased.
NOTE
Never exceed the posted speed limit.
Starting and operating/Manual transmission
–CONTINUED –7-23

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
&Driving tips
CAUTION
If the accelerator and brake pedals
are depressed at the same time,
driving torque may be restrained.
This is not a malfunction.
Do not drive with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal and do not use the clutch to
hold your vehicle at a standstill on an
upgrade. Either of those actions may
cause clutch damage.
Do not drive with your hand resting on the
shift lever. This may cause wear on the
transmission components.
When it is necessary to reduce vehicle
speed due to slow traffic, turning corners,
or driving up steep hills, downshift to a
lower gear before the engine starts to
labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the
transmission to 5th, 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear
as necessary; this helps to maintain a safe
speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking
effect. Remember, if you “ride”(over use)
the brakes while descending a hill, they
may overheat and not work properly. The engine may, on rare occasions, knock
when the vehicle rapidly accelerates or
rapidly pulls away from a standstill. This
phenomenon is not an indication of a
problem in your vehicle.
Continuously variable trans-
mission
The continuously variable transmission is
electronically controlled and provides an
infinite number of forward speeds and 1
reverse speed. For some models, it also
has a manual mode or an
“L ” position.
WARNING
Do not shift from the “P ” or “N ”
position into the “D ” or “R”position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle
to jump forward or backward.
CAUTION
. Shift into the “P ” or “R”position
only after the vehicle is comple-
tely stopped. Shifting while the
vehicle is moving may cause
damage to the transmission.
. Do not race the engine for more
than 5 seconds in any position
except the “N ” or “P ” position
when the brake is applied or
when chocks are used in the
wheels. This may cause the
transmission fluid to overheat.
7-24

.Never move the vehicle rearward
by inertia with the select lever set
in a forward driving position or
move the vehicle forward by
inertia with the select lever set
in the “R ” position. Doing so may
result in an unexpected accident
or malfunction.
. Avoid shifting from one of the
forward driving positions into the
“ R ” position or vice versa until
the vehicle has completely
stopped. Such shifting may
cause damage to the transmis-
sion.
. When parking the vehicle, first
securely apply the parking brake
and then place the select lever in
the “P ” position. Avoid parking
for a long time with the select
lever in any other position as
doing so could result in a dead
battery.
NOTE
. When the engine coolant tempera-
ture is still low, the transmission will
upshift or downshift at higher engine
speeds than when the coolant tempera-
ture is sufficiently high in order to
shorten the warm-up time and improve driveability. The gearshift timing will
automatically shift to the normal timing
after the engine has warmed up.
.
Immediately after transmission fluid
is replaced, you may feel that the
transmission operation is somewhat
unusual. This results from invalidation
of data which the on-board computer
has collected and stored in memory to
allow the transmission to shift at the
most appropriate times for the current
condition of your vehicle. Optimized
shifting will be restored as the vehicle
continues to be driven for a while.
. When driving a CVT model under
continuous heavy load conditions such
as when towing a camper or climbing a
long, steep hill, the engine speed or the
vehicle speed may automatically be
reduced. This is not a malfunction. This
phenomenon results from the engine
control function maintaining the cool-
ing performance of the vehicle. The
engine and vehicle speed will return to
a normal speed when the engine is able
to maintain the optimum cooling per-
formance after the heavy load de-
creases. Driving under a heavy load
must be performed with extreme care.
Do not try to pass a vehicle in front
when driving on an uphill slope while
towing. .
The continuously variable transmis-
sion is a chain type system that
provides superior transmission effi-
ciency for maximum fuel economy. At
times, depending on varying driving
conditions, a chain operating noise
may be heard that is characteristic of
this type of system.
& Select lever
Type A
1) Select lever button
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED –
7-25

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
Type B
1) Select lever button1) Models with“L ” position
2) Models with manual mode
: With the brake pedal depressed, shift while pressing the select lever
button in.
: Shift while pressing the select leverbutton in.
: Shift without pressing the select lever button.
The select lever has four positions, “P”,
“R ”,“N ”,“D ”and it also has an “L”or “M”
gate.
! P (Park)
This position is for parking the vehicle and
starting the engine. In this position, the
transmission 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 ”F 7-30.
! 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
7-26

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
you require. Also, while driving up and
down a hill, the transmission assists and controls the driving performance and
engine braking while corresponding to
the road grade.
When more acceleration is required in the
“
D ” position, depress the accelerator
pedal fully to the floor and hold that
position. The transmission will automati-
cally downshift. In this case, the transmis-
sion will operate lik e a conventional
automatic transmission. When you re-
lease the pedal, the transmission will
return to the original gear position.
For models with manual mode, if one of
the shift paddles behind the steering
wheel is operated while driving in the “D”
position, the transmission will temporarily
switch to the manual mode. In this mode,
you can shift into any gear position using
the shift paddles. For details about the
manual mode, refer to “Selection of
manual mode” F7-27. Once the vehicle
speed stabilizes, the transmission will
switch from the manual mode back to
the “D”position for normal driving.
& Selection of manual mode (if
equipped)
Type A
Type B
With the vehicle either moving or station-
ary, move the select lever from the “D”
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED –7-27

Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
position to the“M”position to select the
manual mode.
Select lever/gear position indicator (type
A)
1) Upshift indicator
2) Downshift indicator
3) Gear position indicator
Select lever/gear position indicator (type
B)
1) Upshift indicator
2) Downshift indicator
3) Gear position indicator
When the manual mode is selected, the
gear position indicator and upshift indica-
tor and/or downshift indicator on the
combination meter illuminate.
The gear position indicator shows the
currently selected gear in the following
range.
. 1st-to-8th-gear range (when the Sport
Sharp (S#) mode is selected (if equipped))
. 1st-to-6th-gear range (in other situa-
tions)
The upshift and downshift indicators show
when a gear shift is possible. When the upshift indicator
“
”illuminates, upshift-
ing is possible. When the downshift
indicator “
”illuminates, downshifting is
possible. When both indicators illuminate,
upshifting and downshifting are both pos-
sible. When the vehicle stops (for exam-
ple, at traffic signals), the downshift
indicator turns off.
Gearshifts can be performed using the
shift paddle behind the steering wheel.
To upshift to the next higher gear position,
pull the shift paddle that has “+”indicated
on it. To downshift to the next lower gear
position, pull the shift paddle that has “–”
indicated on it.
To deselect the manual mode, return the
select lever to the “D”position from the “M”
position.
7-28

CAUTION
Do not place or hang anything on
the shift paddles. Doing so may
result in accidental gear shifting.
NOTE
Please read the following points care-
fully and bear them in mind when using
the manual mode.
.If you attempt to shift down when
the engine speed is too high, i.e., when
a downshift would push the tachometer
needle beyond the red zone, beeps will
be emitted to warn you that the down-
shift is not possible.
. If you attempt to shift up when the
vehicle speed is too low, the transmis-
sion will not respond.
. You can perform a skip-shift (for
example, from 4th to 2nd) by operating
the shift paddle twice in rapid succes-
sion.
. The transmission automatically se-
lects 1st gear when the vehicle stops
moving.
. If the temperature of the transmis-
sion fluid becomes too high, the “AT
OIL TEMP ”warning light on the combi-
nation meter will illuminate. Immedi-
ately stop the vehicle in a safe location and let the engine idle until the warning
light turns off.
.
For models with SI-DRIVE, by select-
ing Sport Sharp (S#) mode, upshifting
will not occur automatically. According
to the road conditions, shift change
manually so that the tachometer needle
does not enter the red zone. Also, if the
engine revolutions reach the specified
number, the fuel supply will be cut. In
this case, perform shift up operation.
& Selection of “L ” (if equipped)
Type A
Type B
“L ” is for using engine braking when going
down a hill, etc. To select this mode, move
the select lever from the “D”position to the
“L ”position.
Type A combination meter
Starting and operating/Continuously variable transmission
–CONTINUED –
7-29