2-2
You will find many safety precautions
and recommendations throughout
this section, and throughout this man-
ual. The safety precautions in this sec-
tion are among the most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of accidents. Air bags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with air bags,
ALWAYS make sure you and your
passengers wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly.
Restrain All Children
All children under age 13 should ride
in your vehicle properly restrained in
a rear seat, not the front seat. Infants
and small children should be
restrained in an appropriate child
restraint. Larger children should use
a booster seat with the lap/shoulder
belt until they can use the seat belt
properly without a booster seat.
Air Bag Hazards
While air bags can save lives, they can
also cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them, or
who are not properly restrained. Infants,
young children, and shorter adults are
at the greatest risk of being injured by
an inflating air bag. Follow all instruc-
tions and warnings in this manual.
Driver Distraction
Driver distraction presents a serious
and potentially deadly danger, espe-
cially for inexperienced drivers. Safety
should be the first concern when
behind the wheel and drivers need to
be aware of the wide array of potential
distractions, such as drowsiness,
reaching for objects, eating, personal
grooming, other passengers, and
using cellular phones.
Drivers can become distracted when
they take their eyes and attention off
the road or their hands off the wheel to
focus on activities other than driving. To
reduce your risk of distraction or get-
ting into an accident:
• ALWAYS set up your mobile devices
(i.e., MP3 players, phones, naviga-
tion units, etc.) when your vehicle is
parked or safely stopped. ONLY use your mobile device
when allowed by laws and when
conditions permit safe use. NEVER
text or email while driving. Most
countries have laws prohibiting
drivers from texting. Some coun-
tries and cities also prohibit drivers
from using handheld phones.
NEVER let the use of a mobile
device distract you from driving.
You have a responsibility to your
passengers and others on the road
to always drive safely, with your
hands on the wheel as well as your
eyes and attention on the road.
Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also occur
at lower speeds. Never drive faster than
is safe for current conditions, regard-
less of the maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe
Condition
Having a tire blowout or a mechanical
failure can be extremely hazardous. To
reduce the possibility of such prob-
lems, check your tire pressures and
condition frequently, and perform all
regularly scheduled maintenance.
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Safety system of your vehicle
5-30
Driving your vehicle
The dual clutch transmission
adopts a dry-type dual clutch,
which is different from the torque
converter of the automatic trans-
mission. It shows better accelera-
tion performance and increased
fuel efficiency while driving but ini-
tial launch might be little bit slower
than the automatic transmission.
As a result, gear shifts are some-
times more noticeable than a con-
ventional automatic transmission
and a light vibration during launch-
ing can be felt as the transmission
speed is matched with the engine
speed. This is a normal condition of
the dual clutch transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers
torque more directly and provides
a direct-drive feeling which may
feel different from a conventional
automatic transmission with a
torque converter. This may be
more noticeable when launching
the vehicle from a stop or when
traveling at low, stop-and-go vehi-
cle speeds.
When rapidly accelerating at a low
vehicle speed, the engine rpm may
increase highly depending on the
vehicle's driving condition. For a smooth uphill launch,
depress the accelerator pedal
smoothly depending on the current
conditions.
If you release your foot from the
accelerator pedal at low vehicle
speed, you may feel strong engine
braking, which is similar to manual
transmission.
When driving downhill, you may
use Sports Mode or press the pad-
dle shifters (if equipped) to down-
shift to a lower gear in order to con-
trol your speed without using the
brake pedal excessively.
When you turn the engine on and
off, you may hear clicking sounds
as the system goes through a self-
test. This is a normal sound for the
dual clutch transmission.
During the first 1,600 km (1,000
miles), you may feel that the vehi-
cle may not be smooth when accel-
erating at low speed. During this
break-in period, the shift quality
and performance of your new vehi-
cle is continuously optimized.To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-
ing areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle into
D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver's
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position, then set the parking
brake, and place the ignition
switch in the LOCK/OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
Do not use aggressive engine
braking (shifting from a high-
er gear to a lower gear) on
slippery roads. This could
cause the tires to slip and may
result in an accident.
WARNING
5-120
Driving your vehicle
Information
The Smart Cruise Control system
may not operate temporarily due to:
• Electrical interference
• Modifying the suspension
• Differences of tire abrasion or tire
pressure
• Installing different type of tires
Information
This device complies with Industry
Canada RSS-210 standard.
Operation is subject to the following
three conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
2. This device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
3. Changes or modifications not
expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could
void the user's authority to operate
the device.
Information
Radio frequency radiation exposure
information:
This equipment complies with RSS
radiation exposure limits set forth for
an uncontrolled environment.
This equipment should be installed
and operated with minimum distance
of 20 cm (8 in.) between the radiator
(antenna) and your body.
This transmitter must not be co-locat-
ed or operating in conjunction with
any other antenna or transmitter.
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Keep a safe distance accord-
ing to road conditions and
vehicle speed. If the vehicle to
vehicle distance is too close
during a high-speed driving, a
serious collision may result.
Always maintain sufficient
braking distance and deceler-
ate your vehicle by applying
the brakes if necessary.
The Smart Cruise Control sys-
tem cannot recognize a
stopped vehicle, pedestrians or
an oncoming vehicle. Always
look ahead cautiously to pre-
vent unexpected and sudden
situations from occurring.
Vehicles moving in front of
you with a frequent lane
change may cause a delay in
the system's reaction or may
cause the system to react to a
vehicle actually in an adjacent
lane. Always drive cautiously
to prevent unexpected and
sudden situations from occur-
ring.
Always be aware of the select-
ed speed and vehicle to vehi-
cle distance. The driver
should not solely rely on the
system but always pay atten-
tion to driving conditions and
control your vehicle speed.
The Smart Cruise Control sys-
tem may not recognize com-
plex driving situations so
always pay attention to driv-
ing conditions and control
your vehicle speed.
5-124
Driving your vehicle
W WI
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The severe weather conditions of
winter quickly wear out tires and
cause other problems. To minimize
winter driving problems, you should
take the following suggestions:
Snow or Icy Conditions
You need to keep sufficient distance
between your vehicle and the vehicle
in front of you.
Apply the brakes gently. Speeding,
rapid acceleration, sudden brake
applications, and sharp turns are
potentially very hazardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine
braking to the fullest extent. Sudden
brake applications on snowy or icy
roads may cause the vehicle to skid.
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it
may be necessary to use snow tires.
Always carry emergency equipment.
Some of the items you may want to
carry include tow straps or chains, a
flashlight, emergency flares, sand, a
shovel, jumper cables, a window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, cover-
alls, a blanket, etc.
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehi-
cle, make sure to use radial tires of
the same size and load range as the
original tires. Mount snow tires on all
four wheels to balance your vehicle’s
handling in all weather conditions.
The traction provided by snow tires
on dry roads may not be as high as
your vehicle's original equipment
tires. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.
Information
Do not install studded tires without
first checking local, country and
municipal regulations for possible
restrictions against their use.
Winter Precautions
Use high quality ethylene glycol
coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in chapter 7. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
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Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle’s
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your
vehicle may be adversely affect-
ed.
WARNING
5-128
Driving your vehicle
Tire Loading Information Label
OJS058145N
■Type A
OJS058148N
■Type D
OJS058146N
■Type B
OJS058149N
■Type E
OJS058147N
■Type C
OJS058150N
■Type F
The label located on the driver's door sill gives the original tire size, cold tire pressures recommended for your
vehicle, the number of people that can be in your vehicle and vehicle capacity weight.