Driving your vehicle
Downshifting
Good driving practices
WARNING
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or while driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labor.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is traveling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
• Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
• Always buckle-up! In a collision,
an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
• Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause
them to overheat and malfunction.
Instead, when you are driving down a
long hill, slow down and shift to a lower
gear. When you do this, engine braking
will help slow down the vehicle.
• Avoid high speeds when corner-
ing or turning.
• Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
This vehicle is geared for improved fuel
economy and may need to be driven in a
lower gear when driving up hills or into
high winds. Using top gear is best for fuel
economy, but you should use the best
gear for the road conditions.
• Slow down before shifting to a lower
gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
• The risk of rollover is greatly
increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
• Slow down when you encounter cross
winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
• Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to reenter the roadway.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift into
reverse. The transaxle can be dam-
aged if you do not.To shift into reverse,
depress the clutch, move the shift lever
to neutral, then shift to the reverse
position.
• In the event your vehicle leaves
the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
• Never exceed posted speed lim-
its.
• Exercise extreme caution when driving
on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.
5 9
English 
