.Before operating the vehicle, en-
sure that the driver and all pas-
sengers have their seat belts
fastened.
. Always drive with the floor mats
in place as the floor may became
hot.
. Lower your speed when encoun-
tering strong crosswinds. With a
higher center of gravity, your
vehicle is more affected by strong
side winds. Slower speeds ensure
better vehicle control.
. Do not drive beyond the perfor-
mance capability of the tires,
even with AWD engaged.
. For AWD equipped vehicles, do
not attempt to raise two wheels
off the ground and shift the
transmission to any drive or re-
verse position with the engine
running. Doing so may result in
drivetrain damage or unexpected
vehicle movement which could
result in serious vehicle damage
or personal injury.
. Do not attempt to test an AWD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel
dynamometer (such as the dy-
namometers used by some
states for emissions testing), or similar equipment even if the
other two wheels are raised off
the ground. Make sure you inform
test facility personnel that your
vehicle is equipped with AWD
before it is placed on a dynam-
ometer. Using the wrong test
equipment may result in drive-
train damage or unexpected ve-
hicle movement which could
result in serious vehicle damage
or personal injury.
. When a wheel is off the ground
due to an unlevel surface, do not
spin the wheel excessively (AWD
model).
. Accelerating quickly, sharp steer-
ing maneuvers or sudden braking
may cause loss of control.
. If at all possible, avoid sharp
turning maneuvers, particularly
at high speeds. Your vehicle has
a higher center of gravity than a
conventional passenger car. The
vehicle is not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as
conventional passenger cars.
Failure to operate this vehicle
correctly could result in loss of
control and/or a rollover acci-
dent. .
Always use tires of the same type,
size, brand, construction (bias,
bias-belted or radial), and tread
pattern on all four wheels. Install
traction devices on the front
wheels when driving on slippery
roads and drive carefully.
. Be sure to check the brakes im-
mediately after driving in mud or
water. See “Brake system” (P.5-
155) for wet brakes.
. Avoid parking your vehicle on
steep hills. If you get out of the
vehicle and it rolls forward, back-
ward or sideways, you could be
injured.
. Whenever you drive off-road
through sand, mud or water as
deep as the wheel hub, more
frequent maintenance may be
required. See the maintenance
schedule shown in the “9. Main-
tenance and schedules” section.
. Spinning the front wheels on
slippery surfaces may cause the
AWD warning message to display
and the AWD system to automa-
tically switch from the AWD mode
to the 2WD mode. This could
reduce traction. Be especially
careful when towing a trailer
Starting and driving5-13
start the engine.
.The cargo room area is not included in
the operating range but the Intelligent
Key may function.
. If the Intelligent Key is placed on the
instrument panel, inside the glove box
or door pocket, the Intelligent Key may
not function.
. If the Intelligent Key is placed near the
door or window outside the vehicle,
the Intelligent Key may function.
If the battery of the Intelligent Key is
discharged, see “Intelligent Key battery
discharge” (P.5-16).
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
OPERATION
CAUTION
. Do not leave the vehicle for ex-
tended periods of time when the
ignition switch is in the ON posi-
tion and the engine is not run-
ning. This can discharge the
battery.
. Use electrical accessories with
the engine running to avoid dis-
charging the vehicle battery. If
you must use accessories while
the engine is not running, do not use them for extended periods of
time and do not use multiple
electrical accessories at the same
time.
JVS1053X
When the ignition switch is pushed with-
out depressing the brake pedal, the igni-
tion switch will illuminate.
Push the ignition switch center:
.
once to change to ON.
. two times to change to OFF.
When the ignition switch cannot be
placed in the OFF position, proceed as
follows:
1. Push the park button to shift to the P (Park) position.
2. Push the ignition switch. The ignition switch position will change to the ON
position.
Starting and driving5-15
5-16Starting and driving
3. Push the ignition switch again to theOFF position.
The shift position can be shifted from
the P (Park) position if the ignition
switch is in the ON position and the
brake pedal is depressed.
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
POSITIONS
ON (Normal operating position)
The ignition system and the electrical
accessory power activate at this position
without the engine turned on.
The ON position has a battery saver
feature that will place the ignition switch
in the OFF position, if the vehicle is not
running, after some time under the fol-
lowing conditions:
. all doors are closed.
. vehicle is in P (Park) position.
OFF position
The engine is turned off in this position.
Auto ACC position
With the vehicle in the P (Park) position,
the Intelligent Key with you and the
ignition placed from ON to OFF, the radio
can still be used for a period of time, or
until the driver’s door is opened. After a
period of time, functions such as radio,
navigation (if so equipped), and Blue-
tooth® Hands-Free Phone System may
be restarted by turning on the audio
system (see the separate NissanConnect®
Owner’s Manual), or by pushing the UN-
LOCK button on the Intelligent Key for up
to a total of 30 minutes.
EMERGENCY ENGINE SHUT OFF
To shut off the engine in an emergency
situation while driving or when the In-
telligent Key battery is discharged, per-
form the following procedure:
.Rapidly push the push-button ignition
switch 3 consecutive times in less
than 1.5 seconds, or
. Push and hold the push-button igni-
tion switch for more than 2 seconds.
After engine shut-off, open the door to
return to the normal condition.
JVS0404X
INTELLIGENT KEY BATTERY DIS-
CHARGE
If the battery of the Intelligent Key is
discharged, or environmental conditions
interfere with the Intelligent Key opera-
tion, start the engine according to the
following procedure:
1. Push the park button to shift to the P (Park) position.
2. Firmly apply the foot brake.
3. Touch the ignition switch with the Intelligent Key as illustrated. (A chime
will sound.)
4. Push the ignition switch while depres- sing the brake pedal within 10 sec-
onds after the chime sounds. The
engine will start.
After step 3 is performed, when the
ignition switch is pushed without depres-
sing the brake pedal, the ignition switch
position will change to ON.
NOTE:
. When the ignition switch is pushed
to the ON position or the engine is
started by the above procedures, the
“Key Battery Low” warning appears
(on the vehicle information display)
even if the Intelligent Key is inside
the vehicle. This is not a malfunction.
To turn off the warning, touch the
ignition switch with the Intelligent
Key again.
. If the “Key Battery Low” warning
appears, replace the battery as soon
as possible. (See “Intelligent Key
battery replacement” (P.8-20).) .
Make sure the area around the vehicle
is clear.
. Check fluid levels such as engine oil,
coolant, brake fluid, and window
washer fluid as frequently as possible,
or at least whenever you refuel.
. Check that all windows and lights are
clean.
. Visually inspect tires for their appear-
ance and condition. Also check tires
for proper inflation.
. Lock all doors.
. Position seat and adjust head re-
straints/headrests.
. Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
. Fasten seat belts and ask all passen-
gers to do likewise.
. Check the operation of warning lights
when the ignition switch is placed in
the ON position. (See “Warning lights,
indicator lights and audible remin-
ders” (P.2-13).) 1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Confirm that the vehicle is in the P
(Park) position.
The Intelligent Key must be carried
when operating the ignition switch.
3. Push the ignition switch to the ON position. Depress the brake pedal and
push the ignition switch to start the
engine.
To start the engine immediately, push
and release the ignition switch while
depressing the brake pedal with the
ignition switch in any position.
.If the engine is very hard to start inextremely cold weather or when
restarting, depress the accelerator
pedal a little (approximately 1/3 to
the floor) and while holding, crank
the engine. Release the accelerator
pedal when the engine starts.
.If the engine is very hard to startbecause it is flooded, depress the
accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and hold it. Push the ignition
switch to the ON position to start
cranking the engine. After 5 or 6
seconds, stop cranking by pushing
the ignition switch to OFF. After
cranking the engine, release the
accelerator pedal. Crank the engine
with your foot off the accelerator
pedal by depressing the brake
Starting and driving5-17
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE STARTING THE ENGINE
5-18Starting and driving
pedal and pushing the push-button
ignition switch to start the engine.
If the engine starts, but fails to run,
repeat the above procedure.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter for more
than 15 seconds at a time. If the
engine does not start, push the
ignition switch to OFF and wait 10
seconds before cranking again,
otherwise the starter could be da-
maged.
4. Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30
seconds after starting. Do not race the
engine while warming it up. Drive at
moderate speed for a short distance
first, especially in cold weather. In cold
weather, keep the engine running for
a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before
shutting it off. Starting and stopping
the engine over a short period of time
may make the vehicle more difficult to
start.
When the engine is racing with no load
and cold, the engine speed is limited
to about 4,500 rpm. 5. To stop the engine, push the park
button to shift to the P (Park) position,
and push the ignition switch to the
OFF position.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery dis-
charge and potential no-start condi-
tions such as:
1. Installation or extended use of elec-
tronic accessories that consume
battery power when the engine is
not running (Phone chargers, GPS,
DVD players, etc.)
2. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/
or only driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to
be charged to maintain battery health.
REMOTE ENGINE START (if so
equipped)
Vehicles started with the remote engine
start function require the ignition switch
to be placed in the ON position before the
shift position can be shifted from the P
(Park) position. To place the ignition
switch in the ON position, perform the
following steps:
1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is carried with you. 2. Depress the brake pedal.
3. Push the ignition switch once to the
ON position.
For additional information about the
remote engine start function, see “Re-
mote engine start” (P.3-19).
CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANS-
MISSION (CVT)
The CVT in your vehicle is electronically
controlled to produce maximum power
and smooth operation.
The recommended operating procedures
for this transmission are shown on the
following pages. Follow these procedures
for maximum vehicle performance and
driving enjoyment.
Engine power may be automatically
reduced to protect the CVT if the engine
speed increases quickly when driving
on slippery roads or while being tested
on some dynamometers.
WARNING
.Do not depress the accelerator
pedal while shifting from P (Park)
or N (Neutral) to R (Reverse), D
(Drive), or M (Manual shift mode).
Always depress the brake pedal
until shifting is completed. Failure
to do so could cause you to lose
control and have an accident.
. Cold engine idle speed is high, so
use caution when shifting into a
forward or reverse gear before
the engine has warmed up. .
Do not downshift abruptly on
slippery roads. This may cause a
loss of control.
. Never shift to either the P (Park)
or R (Reverse) position while the
vehicle is moving forward and P
(Park) or D (Drive) position while
the vehicle is reversing. This could
cause an accident or damage the
transmission.
. Except in an emergency, do not
shift to the N (Neutral) position
while driving. Coasting with the
transmission in the N (Neutral)
position may cause serious da-
mage to the transmission.CAUTION
.To avoid possible damage to your
vehicle, when stopping the vehi-
cle on an uphill grade, do not hold
the vehicle by depressing the
accelerator pedal. The foot brake
should be used for this purpose.
. Do not hang items on the shift
lever. This may cause an accident
due to a sudden start.
Starting the vehicle
1. After starting the engine, fully depress
the foot brake pedal before attempt-
ing to place the shift position out of
the P (Park) position. This CVT is
designed so that the foot brake
pedal must be depressed before
shifting from P (Park) to any driving
position while the ignition switch is
in the ON position. The shift position
cannot be placed out of the P (Park)
position and into any of the other
positions if the ignition switch is
placed in the OFF position.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and move the shift lever into a driving
position.
3. Release the parking brake, the foot brake pedal, and then gradually start
the vehicle in motion.
CAUTION
.DEPRESS THE FOOT BRAKE PEDAL
- Shifting the shift lever to D
(Drive), R (Reverse) or M (Manual
shift mode) without depressing
the foot brake pedal causes the
vehicle to move slowly when the
engine is running. Make sure the
foot brake pedal is depressed
Starting and driving5-19
DRIVING THE VEHICLE
5-20Starting and driving
fully and the vehicle is stopped
before shifting the shift lever.
. MAKE SURE OF THE SHIFT LEVER
POSITION - Make sure the shift
position is in the desired position
on the vehicle information dis-
play. D (Drive) and M (Manual shift
mode) are used to move forward
and R (Reverse) to back up.
. WARM UP THE ENGINE - Due to the
higher idle speeds when the en-
gine is cold, extra caution must
be exercised when shifting the
shift lever into the driving posi-
tion immediately after starting
the engine.
WAF0556X
Home position (central position)
To move the shift lever,
: Push the buttonto shift.
: Shift without pushing the button.
Shifting
Push the park buttonto shift to the P
(Park) position.
After starting the engine, fully depress the
brake pedal, push the shift lever button
and move the shift lever from the P (Park)
positionto any of the desired shift
positions.
Confirm that the vehicle is in the desired
shift position by checking the shift indi-
cator located on the shift lever or on the vehicle information display.
WARNING
Apply the electronic parking brake if
the shift lever is in any position while
the engine is not running. Failure to
do so could cause the vehicle to
move unexpectedly or roll away and
result in serious personal injury or
property damage.
CAUTION
.
Use the P (Park), R (Reverse) or D
(Drive) position only when the
vehicle is completely stopped.
. When switching to the desired
shift position by operating the
shift lever, check that the shift
lever returns to the central posi-
tion by releasing your hand from
the lever. Holding the shift lever in
a mid-way position may also
damage the shift control system.
. Do not operate the shift lever
while the accelerator pedal is
depressed. This may cause a
sudden start which could result
in an accident.
. The following operations are not
allowed because excessive force
would be applied to the transmis-
sion and this may result in da-
mage to the vehicle:
— Moving the shift lever to the R
(Reverse) position when driv-
ing forward
— Moving the shift lever to the D (Drive) position when rever-
sing
If these operations are at-
tempted, a chime sounds and
the vehicle shifts to the N (Neu-
tral) position.
P (Park):
CAUTION
. To prevent transmission damage,
use the P (Park) position only
when the vehicle is completely
stopped.
. Do not slide the shift lever while
pushing the park button. This
may damage the shift control
system. Use this position when the vehicle is
parked or starting the engine. Always
make sure that the vehicle is completely
stopped before pushing the park button
to engage the P (Park) position. For
maximum safety, the brake pedal must
be depressed before engaging the P
(Park) position. Use this position together
with the electronic parking brake. When
parking on a hill, first depress the brake
pedal, apply the electronic parking brake
and then engage the P (Park) position.
The parking lock should not be used as a
brake when parking. In order to secure
the vehicle, always apply the electronic
parking brake in addition to the parking
lock.
In the event of a malfunction of the
vehicle’s electronics, the transmission
may lock in the P (Park) position. Have
the vehicle’s electronics checked immedi-
ately. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
The P (Park) position is automatically
engaged if:
.
You switch off the ignition switch
. You unfasten the driver’s seat belt and
open the driver side door when the
vehicle is stationary or driving at very
low speed and the transmission is in
the D (Drive) position, the R (Reverse)
position or the N position unless the Neutral hold mode is engaged.
CAUTION
To avoid CVT malfunction, it is re-
commended that you manually
place the shift position in the P (Park)
position under the above conditions.
R (Reverse):
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage,
use the R (Reverse) position only
when the vehicle is completely
stopped.
Use the R (Reverse) position to back up.
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before selecting the R (Reverse)
position. The brake pedal must be de-
pressed and the shift lever button
pushed to move the shift lever from
the home position to R (Reverse). If the
vehicle is placed in the R (Reverse)
position while the vehicle is moving
forward, the chime will sound and the
vehicle will switch into the N (Neutral)
position.
Starting and driving5-21