2021 SUBARU FORESTER Getting Started Guide

Illumination Brightness
When the light controls are on (in
the
,, or “AUTO”
position), and ambient light is low,
rotating the illumination
brightness dial on the instrument
panel upward will make the
instrument panel illumination
brighter. When the dial is fully
rotated upward (dots aligned), the
instrument panel illumination
stays at full brightness. Rotating
the dial downward dims the
instrument panel illumination.
When the ambient light is bright,
the illumination brightness is set
to the maximum regardless of the position of the control dial.
Daytime Running Lights
The daytime running lights automatically turn on when the engine is running, the parking
brake is released, the select lever is out of the “P” position, and the light switch is set to
Off, “AUTO”, or “
”. Always turn on the headlights when it’s dark outside by rotating
the dial to the “
” or “AUTO” position.
TURN SIGNALS
Push fully up for the right turn signal and fully
down for left turn signal. Your Subaru also has
a one-touch lane changer feature: push slightly
up and release to signal a right lane change or
push slightly down and release to signal a left
lane change.
Illumination Brightness Dial
CONTROLS
31

WINDSHIELD WIPERS
To turn on the wipers, press the wiper control
lever down one position for intermittent, two
positions for low speed, or three positions for
high speed. When the lever is in the
intermittent position, rotate the dial to adjust
the operating interval of the wipers. To turn the
wipers off, return the lever to the “OFF”
position. For a single wipe, move the lever up
from the “OFF” position.
Pull the lever toward you to wash the
windshield. The washer will spray and the wipers will operate while you pull the lever.
REAR WINDOW WIPER
Rotate the end of the lever up one position for
intermittent, or two positions for continuous
operation.
When the lever in is the intermittent position,
the wiper operates at intervals corresponding
with vehicle speed. When you move the select
lever to the “R” position, the wiper will switch
to continuous operation. It will return to
intermittent when you move the select lever
out of “R”.
Rotate the dial up from the continuous operation position or down from the “OFF” position
to spray washer fluid. The washer will spray until you release the dial, then return to the
previous position and resume operation.
Rear-vision Camera Washer
To help keep your vision clear, your Subaru
comes equipped with a Rear-vision Camera
Washer. To clean the Rear-vision Camera,
simply use the rear window washer.
For more information, about the Rear
Vision Camera and Rear Vision Camera
Washer, please refer to page 93 or your
Owner’s Manual.
CONTROLS
32

OVERHEAD CONSOLE
1SOS Emergency
Assistance:Press the red
“SOS” button to connect
with a SUBARU STARLINK
®
Customer Care Advisor
(subscription required). Press
and hold the button for
about two seconds to cancel
the call.
For more information,
please refer to page 75 or
the SUBARU STARLINK
®
Safety and Security Owner’s
Manual.
2Enhanced Roadside Assistance:Press the blue “i” button to connect with a
SUBARU STARLINK
®Roadside Assistance Provider (subscription required). Press
and hold the button for about two seconds to cancel the call.
For more information, please refer to page 75 or the SUBARU STARLINK®Safety
and Security Owner’s Manual.
3Automatic Illumination:When the switch is in the “DOOR” position, the map lights
illuminate when any door is opened, the doors are unlocked using the remote keyless
entry system or keyless access function, or the ignition is turned from “ON” or “ACC”
to “LOCK”/“OFF”.
4Lane Departure Warning OFF Switch:Press and hold this switch for two seconds to
turn off Lane Departure Warning and Lane Sway Warning. Press and hold the switch
again for two seconds to turn the systems back on.
For more information, please refer to page 92 or the EyeSight®Owner’s Manual.
5Power Moonroof Switch:Operate this switch to open and close moonroof.
For more information, please refer to page 20 or the Owner’s Manual.
6Pre-Collision Braking System OFF Switch:Press and hold this switch for two
seconds to turn off the Pre-Collision Braking System and Pre-Collision Throttle
Management. Press and hold the switch again for two seconds to turn the systems
back on.
For more information, please refer to page 92 or the EyeSight®Owner’s Manual.
7Map Lights:Press a map light to turn it on or off.
CONTROLS
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COMBINATION METER
1Speedometer
2Trip meter and odometer3Fuel gauge
4Tachometer
WARNING AND INDICATOR LIGHTS
Red lights indicate immediate attention is required. Some examples are:
Seatbelt
warningDoor
openBrake system
Yellow lights indicate caution. Some examples are:
Low fuelEngine oil
level warning
lightTire pressure
warning light
Green and blue lights are for information. Some examples are:
Headlight
indicator
lightCold coolant
temperatureHigh beam
indicator
light
GAUGES AND WARNING LIGHTS
34

IGNITION SWITCH
The ignition switch has four positions:
LOCK/OFF:You can only insert or remove the key in this position.
ACC (Accessory):Provides power to the radio and accessory power outlets.
ON:All electrical systems are available. The key returns to this position after starting the
engine.
START:Turn the key to this position to start the engine.
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH(if equipped)
Each time you press the ignition switch without
depressing the brake pedal, the ignition position will
change as follows: ACC, ON, OFF.
ACC (Accessory):Provides power to the radio and
accessory power outlets. Orange indicator illuminates.
ON:All electrical systems are available. Orange
indicator illuminates.
OFF:Power off and indicator off.
STARTING THE VEHICLE
Without Push-button Ignition
To start the engine:
1. Make sure the select lever is in the “P” position.
2. Using the key, turn the ignition switch to “START”.
NOTE: Do not depress the accelerator pedal. Release the key as soon as the engine
starts.
With Push-button Ignition
To start the engine:
1. Sit in the driver’s seat with the access key fob.
2. Make sure the select lever is in the “P” position.
3. Depress the brake pedal.
4. When the Engine START/STOP button indicator turns green, briefly press and release
the Engine START/STOP button.
OPERATING THE VEHICLE
35

DRIVING THE VEHICLE
Automatic Transmission Shift Mode
The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
is electronically controlled and provides two
different driving modes: normal and manual or
normal and low.
Normal Mode
When the select lever is in the “D” (Drive)
position, the transmission is in normal shift
mode. The select lever position indicator in the
Combination Meter Display (CMD) shows “D”
and the transmission automatically shifts into a
suitable forward gear.
Manual Mode(if equipped)
In manual mode, you select the desired gear
position to obtain necessary acceleration and engine braking. Move the select lever left
from the “D” position into the “M” position to select manual mode. The gear position
indicator in the Combination Meter Display (CMD) shows the currently selected gear.
Arrow-shaped indicators show when upshifting or downshifting is available. To shift, use
the paddle shift control switches behind the steering wheel.
Low Mode(if equipped)
Low Mode is for using engine braking when going down hill, etc. Moving the select lever
left into the “L” position from the “D” (Drive) position causes the transmission to change
into Low Mode. The shift position indicator shows “L” as the selected gear.
CVT Select Lever
OPERATING THE VEHICLE
36

Paddle Shift Control Switches(if equipped)
You can shift gears using the
paddle shift control switches. To
upshift to the next higher gear,
pull the “+” paddle on the right
toward you. To downshift to the
next lower gear, pull the “–”
paddle on the left toward you.
You can temporarily shift gears
even when the select lever is in
the “D” position by pulling either
the “+” or “–” paddle toward you.
Once vehicle speed stabilizes, the
transmission will switch back to
normal mode.
SI-DRIVE
Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive) has
2 possible mode combinations: Intelligent (I)
and Sport (S) or Intelligent (I) and Sport Sharp
(S#). Each mode is designed for different types
of driving:
Intelligent:
The Intelligent (I) mode provides well balanced performance with greater fuel efficiency and
smooth driveability without stress. Power delivery is moderate during acceleration for
maximum fuel efficiency.
Sport:
The Sport (S) mode provides the engine power desired by those who want to make the
driving experience their own personal adventure.
Sport Sharp:
The Sport Sharp (S#) mode offers an exhilarating level of engine performance and control.
The throttle becomes more responsive regardless of the engine speed. Delivering
maximum driving enjoyment, this mode is ideal for driving on twisting roads and for
merging or overtaking other vehicles on the freeway with confidence.
SI-Drive Switches
OPERATING THE VEHICLE
37

AUTO START–STOP
The Auto Start-Stop system is designed to automatically stop and restart the engine when
the vehicle is stationary for a short period of time after the engine has warmed up (while
waiting for a traffic light or in a traffic jam, for example). The system operates in order to
reduce fuel consumption, exhaust emissions, and undesired idling noise.
Auto Start-Stop System
ON/OFF
If the Auto Start-Stop OFF switch
is pressed, operation of the Auto
Start-Stop system will be
disabled.
NOTE: The system will default to
ON once the vehicle has been
shut off.
The Auto Start-Stop indicator light on the combination meter illuminates in
yellow when the system is disabled. If the switch is pressed once more, the
Auto Start-Stop system will reactivate, and the Auto Start-Stop indicator light
will turn off.
System Operation
So that it can be used safely and comfortably, the Auto Start-Stop system is designed to
constantly monitor vehicle conditions, the environment inside and outside the vehicle, as
well as driver operations, in order to control stopping and restarting the engine.
After the vehicle has been completely stopped by depressing the brake pedal
with the select lever in the “D” position, the engine will be automatically
stopped and the green indicator will illuminate in the combination meter.
If you release the brake pedal with the select lever kept in the “D” position, the
engine will be automatically restarted. The indicator light will turn off when the system
restarts the engine.
There are several operating conditions for this system to operate as intended.
For more information, please refer to the Owner’s Manual.
Auto Start-Stop Switch
OPERATING THE VEHICLE
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