Page 442 of 700

441
uuWhen Driving uPrecautions While Driving
Continued
Driving
Precautions While Driving
Avoid driving in deep water and on flooded roads. This can damage the engine or
driveline, or cause electrical component failure.
If there is a strong impact with something under the vehicle, stop in a safe location.
Check the underside of the vehicle for damage or any fluid leaks.
■In Rain
■Other Precautions
1Precautions While Driving
NOTICE
Do not operate the shift lever while pressing the
accelerator pedal. You could damage the
transmission.
NOTICE
If you repeatedly turn the steering wheel at an
extremely low speed, or hold the steering wheel in
the full left or right position for a while, the electric
power steering (EPS) system heats up. The system
goes into a protective mode, and limits its
performance. The steering wheel becomes harder
and harder to operate. Once the system cools down,
the EPS system is restored.
Repeated operation under these conditions can
eventually damage the system.
If the power mode is set to ACCESSORY while
driving, the engine will shut down and all steering
and brake power assist functi ons will stop, making it
difficult to control the vehicle.
Do not select
( N while driving as you will lose engine
braking (and accelera tion) performance.
During the first 600 miles (1,000 km) of operation,
avoid sudden acceleration or full throttle operation so
as not to damage the engine or powertrain.
Avoid hard braking for the first 200 miles (300 km)
after purchasing your new vehicle or replacing the
brake pads or rotors, to allow for proper break-in.
Page 443 of 700
uuWhen Driving uContinuously Variable Transmission
442
Driving
Continuously Variable Transmission
When the engine runs at higher idle speeds, the creeping force increases.
Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed when stopped.
Quickly depressing the accelerator pedal while driving uphill may cause the
transmission to drop to a lower ratio, unexpectedly increasing vehicle speed.
Depress the accelerator pedal carefully, es pecially on slippery roads and curves.
1Precautions While Driving
NOTICE
The following can dama ge the under spoiler:
•Parking the vehicle by a parking block
•Parallel parking along the road shoulder•Driving towards the bottom of a hill
•Driving up or down to a different surface level
(such as a road shoulder)
•Driving on a rutted or bumpy road
•Driving on a road with potholes
■Creeping
■Kickdown
Page 444 of 700
443
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Continued
Driving
Shifting
Change the shift position in accordance with your driving needs.
■Shift positions
Models without paddle shifter
1Shifting
You cannot change the power mode from ON to
VEHICLE OFF unless the shift position is in
(P.
The vehicle may move ve ry slightly even in
(N while
the engine is cold.
Depress the brake pe dal firmly and, when necessary,
apply the parking brake.
Reverse
Used when reversing
Drive
Used for normal driving
Park
Used when parking or starting the
engine
Neutral
Transmission is not locked
Release Button Drive (S)
Used:
●For better acceleration●To increase engine braking●When going up or down hills
Low
●Used to further increase engine braking●Used when going up or down hills
Page 445 of 700

uuWhen Driving uShifting
444
Driving
■Shift Operation1Shift Operation
NOTICE
When you change the shift position from (D to ( R
and vice versa, come to a complete stop and keep the
brake pedal depressed.
Operating the shift lever be fore the vehicle has come
to a complete standstill can damage the transmission.
Use the shift position indicator to check the lever
position before pulling away.
If the transmission system indicator blinks when
driving, in any shift positi on, there is a problem with
the transmission.
Avoid sudden acceleration and have the transmission
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The fuel supply may be cut of f if you drive at engine
speeds in or over the tac hometer’s red zone (engine
speed limit). If this happe ns, you may experience a
slight jolt.
It may not be possible to operate the shift lever if the
brake pedal is applied while the shift lever release
button is held down.
Depress the brake pedal first.
When shifting positions in extremely low
temperatures (-22°F/-30°C), there may be a short
delay before the shift posit ion is displayed. Always
confirm you are in the corr ect shift position before
driving.
Shift Position Indicator
(Transmission System
Indicator)
Depress the brake pedal and press the shift lever release
button to shift.
Shift without pressing the shift lever release button.
Press the shift lever re lease button and shift.
Tachometer’s red zone
Page 446 of 700
445
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Continued
Driving
Shifting
Change the shift position in accordance with your driving needs.
■Shift positions
Models with paddle shifter
1Shifting
You cannot change the power mode from ON to
VEHICLE OFF unless the shift position is in
(P.
The vehicle may move ve ry slightly even in
(N while
the engine is cold.
Depress the brake pe dal firmly and, when necessary,
apply the parking brake.
Reverse
Used when reversing
Drive
Used:
●For normal driving●When temporarily driving in the
7-speed manual shift mode
●When driving in the 7-speed
manual shift mode (when driving
in SPORT mode)
Park
Used when parking or starting the
engine
Neutral
Transmission is not locked
Release Button
Page 447 of 700

uuWhen Driving uShifting
446
Driving
■Shift Operation1Shift Operation
NOTICE
When you change the shift position from (D to ( R
and vice versa, come to a complete stop and keep the
brake pedal depressed.
Operating the shift lever be fore the vehicle has come
to a complete standstill can damage the transmission.
Use the shift position indicator to check the lever
position before pulling away.
If the transmission system indicator blinks when
driving, in any shift positi on, there is a problem with
the transmission.
Avoid sudden acceleration and have the transmission
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The fuel supply may be cut of f if you drive at engine
speeds in or over the tac hometer's red zone (engine
speed limit). If this happe ns, you may experience a
slight jolt.
It may not be possible to operate the shift lever if the
brake pedal is applied while the shift lever release
button is held down.
Depress the brake pedal first.
When shifting positions in extremely low
temperatures (-22°F/-30°C), there may be a short
delay before the shift posit ion is displayed. Always
confirm you are in the corr ect shift position before
driving.
Shift Position Indicator
(Transmission System Indicator)
Press the shift lever release button and shift.
Depress the brake pedal and press the shift lever release
button to shift.
Shift without pressing the shift lever release button.
M
(7-Speed Manual Shift Mode)
Indicator/Shift Indicator
Tachometer’s red zone
Models with A-type meterModels with B-type meter
Page 448 of 700

Continued447
uuWhen Driving uShifting
Driving
Use the paddle shifters to change between 1st and 7th speeds without releasing
your hands from the steering wheel. The transmission switches to the 7-speed
manual shift mode when you pull a paddle shifter while driving. This mode is useful
when engine braking is needed.
■When the transmi ssion is in (D:
The shift mode goes into the 7-speed ma nual shift mode temporarily, and the
number is displayed in the shift indicator.
The 7-speed manual shift mode is canceled automatically if you drive at constant
speed or accelerate, and the number in the shift indicator goes off.
You can cancel this mode by pulling the
(+ paddle shifter for a few seconds.
The 7-speed manual shift mode is especial ly useful when reducing the vehicle speed
temporarily before making a turn.
■When the transmi ssion is in (D with SPORT mode:
The shift mode goes into the 7-speed manual shift mode. The M indicator and the
speed number are displayed in the shift indicator. As the vehicle speed slows down,
the transmission automatically shifts down accordingly. When the vehicle comes to
a stop, it automatically shifts down into 1st.
If the vehicle speed increases and the engi ne speed reaches near the tachometer’s
red zone, the transmission automatically shifts up.
You can only pull away in 1st speed.
When canceling the 7-speed manual shift m ode, use the drive mode switch to select
other than SPORT mode or pull the
(+ paddle shifter for a few seconds. When the
7-speed manual shift mode is canceled, the M indicator and shift indicator will turn
off.
■7-Speed Manual Shift Mode1 7-Speed Manual Shift Mode
In the 7-speed manual shif t mode, the transmission
shifts up or down by opera ting either paddle shifter
under the following conditions:
Shift Up: The engine sp eed reaches the lowest
threshold of the higher speed position.
Shift Down: The engine sp eed reaches the highest
threshold of the lower speed position.
When the engine speed reaches near the
tachometer’s red zone, the transmission shifts up
automatically.
When the engine speed reaches the lowest threshold
of the selected speed positi on, the transmission shifts
down automatically.
Operating the paddle shifte rs on slippery surfaces
may cause the tires to lock up. In this case, the 7-
speed manual shift mode is canceled and goes back
to the normal
( D driving mode.
Page 450 of 700
449
uuWhen Driving uECON Button*
Driving
ECON Button*
The ECON button turns the ECON mode on and off.
The ECON mode helps you improve yo ur fuel economy by adjusting the
performance of the engine, transmission and climate control system.
1 ECON Button*
While in the ECON mode, the climate control system
has greater temper ature fluctuation.
Due to emergency brakes operation or driving
conditions, you may not be able to change the mode.
ECON Mode Indicator ECON Button
* Not available on all models