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Manual transmission operation

The manual transmission has 6 forward gears. The transmission is fully synchronized in all forward gears so shifting to either a higher or a lower gear is easily accomplished

  • Before leaving the driver's seat, always make sure the shift lever is in 1st gear when the vehicle is parked on a uphill and in R (Reverse) on a downhill, set the parking brake, and place the ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF position. Unexpected vehicle movement may occur if these precautions are not followed.

  • When parking on an incline, block the wheels to prevent the vehicle from rolling down.

To shift to R (Reverse), make sure the vehicle has completely stopped, and then move the shift lever to neutral before moving into R (Reverse).

When you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st gear or R (Reverse):

  1. Put the shift lever in neutral and release the clutch pedal.

  2. Depress the clutch pedal, and then shift into first or R (Reverse) gear.

During cold weather, shifting may be difficult until the transmission lubricant has warmed up.

Using the clutch

The clutch pedal should be depressed all the way to the floor before:

  • Starting the engine

    The engine will not start without depressing the clutch pedal.

  • Shifting

    To start your vehicle, slowly release the clutch pedal and depress the accelerator.

When releasing the clutch pedal, release it slowly. The clutch pedal should always be released while driving.

To prevent unnecessary wear or damage to the clutch:

  • Do not rest your foot on the clutch pedal while driving.

  • Do not hold the vehicle with the clutch on an incline, while waiting for the traffic light, etc.

  • Always depress the clutch pedal down fully to prevent noise or damage.

  • Do not start with the 2nd (second) gear engaged except when you start on a slippery road.

  • Depress the clutch pedal all the way and be careful not to depress the pedal again before returning to the upright position after you release the pedal. If you depress the pedal before returning to the original position repeatedly, it may cause the clutch system failure.

  • Do not drive with cargo loaded more than the required loading capacity.

  • Make sure to depress the clutch pedal until the engine starts completely. If you release the clutch pedal before the engine starts completely, the engine may stop.

Downshifting

Downshift when you must slow down in heavy traffic or drive up a steep hill to prevent engine load.

Also, downshifting reduces the chance of stalling and can accelerate when you need to increase your speed again.

When the vehicle is going downhill, downshifting helps maintain safe speed by providing brake power from the engine and enables less wear on the brakes.

To prevent damage to the engine, clutch and transmission:

  • When downshifting from 5th gear to 4th gear, be careful not to inadvertently push the shift lever sideways engaging the 2nd gear. A drastic downshift may cause the engine speed to increase to the point the tachometer will enter the red-zone.

  • Do not downshift more than two gear at a time or downshift the gear when the engine is running at high speed (5,000 RPM or higher). Such a downshifting may damage the engine, clutch and the transmission.