All Wheel Drive (AWD)

When All Wheel Drive (AWD) is activated, driving forces are distributed appropriately to front and rear wheels. It could improve driving performance by maximizing the driving force of vehicles on severe road conditions such as steep hills, unpaved, slippery, etc.

Advantage of electronic AWD

Improvement of straight stability.
Improvement of driving performance on curve.
Secure stability on severe condition such as wet and sandy roads.
Improvement of energy efficiency from driving mode automatic control.

AWD vehicles can change the engagement status of the motor according to the situation required. Auto changing the driving mode(2WD/AWD) helps improve energy efficiency and driving stability.

To reduce the risk of SERIOUS INJURY or DEATH:

Avoid high speeds when cornering or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of a rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of your vehicle at highway speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the roadway and the driver over steers to reenter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply. Instead, slow down before pulling back into the travel lanes.

Do not drive in water if the level is higher than the bottom of the vehicle.
Check your brake condition once you are out of mud or water. Depress the brake pedal several times as you move slowly until you feel normal braking return.
Shorten your scheduled maintenance interval if you drive in off-road conditions such as sand, mud or water (see "Maintenance Under Severe Usage and Low Mileage Conditions" section in chapter 9).
Always wash your vehicle thoroughly after off road use, especially the bottom of the vehicle.
Be sure to equip the vehicle with four tires of the same size and type.
Make sure that a full time AWD vehicle is towed by a flat bed tow truck.

For safe AWD operation

Before driving

Make sure all passengers are wearing seat belts.
Sit upright and closer to the steering wheel than usual. Adjust the steering wheel to a position comfortable for you to drive.

Driving on snow-covered or icy roads

Start off slowly by applying the accelerator pedal gently.
Use snow tires or tire chains.
Keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
Using regenerative braking helps the steering on the downhill. However, it may be difficult to adjust the vehicle while coasting using regenerative braking, so avoid using the third level of regenerative braking as much as possible.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake applications, and sharp turns to prevent skids.
It is difficult to start again if the vehicle stops on an uphill road. Keep your distance from other vehicles and drive slowly.

When using Snow Tires, mount them on all four wheels.

When using tire chains, install them on the rear tires.

However, driving speed must be below 30 km/h and minimize the driving distance. High-speed or long-term driving with tire chains installed may malfunction or damage the AWD system.

For more details on Snow Tires and Tire Chains, refer to “Winter driving” section later in this chapter.

Driving in sand or mud

Maintain slow and constant speed.
Use tire chains driving in mud if necessary.
Keep sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
Reduce vehicle speed and always check the road condition.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, sudden brake applications, and sharp turns to prevent getting stuck.

When the vehicle is stuck in snow, sand or mud, place a nonslip material under the drive wheels to provide traction OR slowly spin the wheels in forward and reverse directions which causes a rocking motion that may free the vehicle.

Driving up or down hills

Driving uphill
- Before starting off, check if it is possible to drive uphill.
- Drive as straight as possible.
Driving downhill
- Drive straight as possible.

Exercise extreme caution driving up or down steep hills. The vehicle may flip over depending on the grade, terrain, water and mud conditions.

Do not drive across the contour of steep hills. A slight change in the wheel angle can destabilize the vehicle, or a stable vehicle may lose stability if the vehicle stops its forward motion. Your vehicle may roll over and lead to a serious injury or death.

Additional driving conditions

Become familiar with the off-road conditions before driving.
Always pay attention when driving off-road and avoid dangerous areas.
Drive slowly when driving in heavy wind.
Reduce vehicle speed when cornering. The center of gravity of AWD vehicles is higher than conventional 2WD vehicles, making them more likely to roll over when you rapidly turn corners.
Always hold the steering wheel firmly when you are driving off-road.

Do not grab the inside of the steering wheel when you are driving off-road. You may hurt your arm by a sudden steering maneuver or from steering wheel rebound due to an impact with objects on the ground. You could lose control of the steering wheel which may lead to serious injury or death.