Driving your vehicle
5
Before driving.........................................................5-3
Before entering the vehicle ...........................................5-3
Before starting...................................................................5-3
Ignition switch ........................................................5-5
Key ignition switch ............................................................5-5
Engine Start/Stop button ................................................5-9
Manual transaxle .................................................5-19
Manual transaxle operation .........................................5-19
Good driving practices ...................................................5-21
Automatic transaxle ............................................5-23
Automatic transaxle operation ....................................5-24
Parking ...............................................................................5-28
Good driving practices ...................................................5-28
Braking system.....................................................5-30
Power brakes ...................................................................5-30
Disc brakes wear indicator ...........................................5-31
Rear drum brakes ...........................................................5-31
Parking brake ...................................................................5-31
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) ....................................5-34
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)................................5-36
Vehicle Stability Management......................................5-40
Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) ....................................5-41
Good braking practices..................................................5-42
Cruise control .......................................................5-43
Cruise control operation................................................5-43
Special driving conditions ...................................5-48
Hazardous driving conditions.......................................5-48
Rocking the vehicle ........................................................5-48
Smooth cornering ...........................................................5-49
Driving at night ................................................................5-49
Driving in the rain ...........................................................5-50
Driving in flooded areas ................................................5-50
Highway driving ...............................................................5-51
Winter driving .......................................................5-52
Snow or icy conditions ..................................................5-52
Winter precautions .........................................................5-54
Vehicle weight ......................................................5-56
Overloading.......................................................................5-56
Key ignition switch
(if equipped)
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5-5
Driving your vehicle
5OIB054010
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH, take the fol-
lowing precautions:
NEVER allow children or any
person who is unfamiliar with
the vehicle to touch the igni-
tion switch or related parts.
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement can occur.
NEVER reach through the
steering wheel for the ignition
switch, or any other control,
while the vehicle is in motion.
The presence of your hand or
arm in this area may cause a
loss of vehicle control result-
ing in an accident.
WARNING
NEVER turn the ignition
switch to the LOCK or ACC
position while the vehicle is in
motion except in an emer-
gency. This will result in the
engine turning off and loss of
power assist for the steering
and brake systems.
(Continued)
(Continued)
This may lead to loss of direc-
tional control and braking
function, which could cause
an accident.
Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in 1st gear (for
manual transaxle vehicle) or P
(Park, for automatic transaxle
vehicle) position, apply the
parking brake, and turn igni-
tion switch to the LOCK posi-
tion.
Unexpected vehicle move-
ment may occur if these pre-
cautions are not followed.
WARNING
5-7
Driving your vehicle
5
Starting the engine Starting the gasoline engine
Vehicle with manual transaxle:
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Make sure the shift lever is in neu-
tral.
3. Depress the clutch and brake ped-
als.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the
START position. Hold the key
(maximum of 10 seconds) until the
engine starts and release it.Vehicle with automatic transaxle:
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Make sure the shift lever is in P
(Park).
3. Depress the brake pedal.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the
START position. Hold the key
(maximum of 10 seconds) until the
engine starts and release it.
Always wear appropriate
shoes when operating your
vehicle. Unsuitable shoes,
such as high heels, ski boots,
sandals, flip-flops, etc., may
interfere with your ability to
use the brake, accelerator and
clutch pedals.
Do not start the vehicle with the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle can move and lead
to an accident.
Wait until the engine rpm is
normal. The vehicle may sud-
denly move if the brake padel
is released when the rpm is
high.
WARNING
5-8
Driving your vehicle
Information
• Do not wait for the engine to warm
up while the vehicle remains station-
ary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
• Always start the vehicle with your
foot on the brake pedal. Do not
depress the accelerator while start-
ing the vehicle. Do not race the
engine while warming it up.
Starting the diesel engine
To start the diesel engine when the
engine is cold, it has to be pre-heat-
ed before starting the engine and
then have to be warmed up before
starting to drive.
Vehicle with manual transaxle:
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. Make sure the shift lever is in neu-
tral.
3. Depress the clutch and brake ped-
als.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
position to pre-heat the engine.
The glow indicator light ( ) will
illuminate.
5. When the glow indicator light ( )
goes out, turn the key ignition
switch to the START position. Hold
the key (maximum of 10 seconds)
until the engine starts and release
it.Information
If the engine does not start within 10
seconds after preheating is completed,
turn the ignition switch once more to
the LOCK position and wait for 10
seconds. Then turn the ignition switch
to the ON position in order to preheat
the engine again.
ii
5-10
Driving your vehicle
NEVER press the Engine
Start/Stop button while the
vehicle is in motion except in
an emergency. This will result
in the engine turning off and
loss of power assist for the
steering and brake systems.
This may lead to loss of direc-
tional control and braking
function, which could cause
an accident.
Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position, set the parking
brake, press the Engine
Start/Stop button to the OFF
position, and take the Smart
Key with you. Unexpected
vehicle movement may occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
(Continued)
WARNING
To turn the engine off in an
emergency:
Press and hold the Engine
Start/Stop button for more than
two seconds OR Rapidly press
and release the Engine
Start/Stop button three times
(within three seconds).
If the vehicle is still moving, you
can restart the engine without
depressing the brake pedal by
pressing the Engine Start/Stop
button with the shift lever in the
N (Neutral) position.
(Continued)
NEVER reach through the
steering wheel for the Engine
Start/Stop button or any other
control while the vehicle is in
motion. The presence of your
hand or arm in this area may
cause a loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident.
WARNING
To reduce risk of serious injury
or death, NEVER allow children
or any person who is unfamiliar
with the vehicle to touch the
Engine Start/Stop button or
related parts. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur.
WARNING
5-15
Driving your vehicle
5
Starting the engine Information
• The engine will start by pressing the
Engine Start/Stop button, only when
the smart key is in the vehicle.
• Even if the smart key is in the vehi-
cle, if it is far away from the driver,
the engine may not start.
• When the Engine Start/Stop button
is in the ACC or ON position, if any
door is open, the system checks for
the smart key. If the smart key is not
in the vehicle, the " " and "KEY
OUT" indicator will blink, and the
warning "Key not in vehicle" will
come on, and if all doors are closed,
the chime will also sound for about 5
seconds. Keep the smart key in the
vehicle when in the ACC position or
if the vehicle engine is ON.
Starting the gasoline engine
Vehicle with manual transaxle:
1. Always carry the smart key with
you.
2. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
3. Make sure the shift lever is in neu-
tral.
4. Depress the clutch and brake ped-
als.
5. Press the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton.i
Always wear appropriate
shoes when operating your
vehicle. Unsuitable shoes,
such as high heels, ski boots,
sandals, flip-flops, etc., may
interfere with your ability to
use the brake, accelerator and
clutch pedals.
Do not start the vehicle with the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle can move and lead
to an accident.
Wait until the engine rpm is
normal. The vehicle may sud-
denly move if the brake pedal
is released when the rpm is
high.
WARNING
5-16
Driving your vehicle
Vehicle with automatic transaxle:
1. Always carry the smart key with
you.
2. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
3. Make sure the shift lever is in P
(Park).
4. Depress the brake pedal.
5 Press the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton.
Information
• Do not wait for the engine to warm
up while the vehicle remains station-
ary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
• Always start the vehicle with your
foot on the brake pedal. Do not
depress the accelerator while start-
ing the vehicle. Do not race the
engine while warming it up.
Starting the diesel engine
To start the diesel engine when the
engine is cold, it has to be pre-heat-
ed before starting the engine and
then have to be warmed up before
starting to drive.
Vehicle with manual transaxle:
1. Always carry the smart key with
you.
2. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
3. Make sure the shift lever is in neu-
tral.
4. Depress the clutch and brake ped-
als.
5. Press the Engine Start/Stop but-
ton.
6. Continue depressing the brake
pedal until the glow indicator light
( ) goes out.
7. When the glow indicator light ( )
goes out, the engine will start.Information
If the Engine Start/Stop button is
pressed while the engine is pre-heat-
ing, the engine may start.
i
i
5-19
Driving your vehicle
5
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears. The transaxle is fully synchro-
nized in all forward gears so shifting
to either a higher or a lower gear is
easily accomplished.To shift to R (Reverse), make sure
the vehicle has completely stopped,
and then move the shift lever to neu-
tral before moving into R (Reverse).
When you've come to a complete
stop and it's hard to shift into 1st gear
or R (Reverse):
1. Put the shift lever in neutral and
release the clutch pedal.
2. Depress the clutch pedal, and
then shift into first or R (Reverse)
gear.
Information
During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant
has warmed up.
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OGC054021
The shift lever can be moved without
pressing the button (1).
The button (1) must be pressed while
moving the shift lever.
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in 1st gear when the vehicle
is parked on a uphill and in R
(Reverse) on a downhill, set the
parking brake, and place the
ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF
position. Unexpected vehicle
movement may occur if these
precautions are not followed.
WARNING