Get Starting and Operating -> 7-7. Continuously Variable Transmission Guide for Subaru Outback SUV Sixth Generation (2020-2025)

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

7-7. Continuously Variable

Transmission

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WARNING

Do not shift from the “P” or “N”

position into the “D” or “R” position

while depressing the accelerator

pedal. This may cause the vehicle

to lurch forward or backward.

CAUTION

. Observe the following precau-

tions. Failure to observe these

precautions could cause damage

to the transmission.

– Shift into the “P” or “R” posi-

tion only after the vehicle has

completely stopped.

– Do not shift from the “D”

position into the “R” position

or vice versa until the vehicle

has completely stopped.

. Do not race the engine for more

than 5 seconds in any position

except the “N” or “P” position

when the brake is applied or

when chocks are used in the

wheels. This may cause the

transmission fluid to overheat.

. Never move the vehicle rearward

by inertia with the select lever set

in a forward driving position or

move the vehicle forward by

inertia with the select lever set

in the “R” position. Doing so may

result in an unexpected accident

or malfunction.

. When parking the vehicle, first

securely apply the parking brake

and then place the select lever in

the “P” position. Do not park for a

long time with the select lever in

any other position as doing so

could result in a dead battery.

& Continuously Variable Trans-

mission Features

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The continuously variable transmission is

electronically controlled and provides an

infinite number of forward speeds and 1

reverse speed. It also has a manual mode.

NOTE

. When the engine coolant tempera-

ture is still low, the transmission will

shift at higher engine speeds than

when the coolant temperature is suffi-

ciently high in order to shorten the

warm-up time and improve driveability.

The gearshift timing will automatically

shift to the normal timing after the

engine has warmed up.

. Immediately after transmission fluid

is replaced, you may feel that the

transmission operation is somewhat

unusual. This results from invalidation

of data which the on-board computer

has collected and stored in memory to

allow the transmission to shift at the

most appropriate times for the current

condition of your vehicle. Optimized

shifting will be restored as the vehicle

continues to be driven for a while.

. When driving under continuous hea-

vy load conditions such as towing a

camper or climbing a long, steep hill,

the engine speed, vehicle speed and air

conditioning system cooling perfor-

mance may automatically be reduced.

This is not a malfunction. This phenom-

enon results from the engine control

function maintaining the cooling per-

formance of the vehicle. The engine

and vehicle speed will return to a

normal speed when the engine is able

to maintain the optimum cooling per-

formance after the heavy load de-

creases. Driving under a heavy load

must be performed with extreme care.

Do not try to pass a vehicle in front

when driving on an uphill slope while

towing.

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Starting and Operating

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

. The continuously variable transmis-

sion is a chain type system that pro-

vides superior transmission efficiency

for maximum fuel economy. At times,

depending on varying driving condi-

tions, a chain operating noise may be

heard that is characteristic of this type

of system.

. Place the shift boot to the original

position after it is lifted. If the select

lever is operated with the shift boot in

the rolled up position, the shift boot

may have tension and it may disturb the

select lever operation.

& Select Lever

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1) Select lever button

: With the brake pedal depressed, shift

while pressing the select lever button in

: Shift while pressing the select lever

button in

: Shift without pressing the select lever

button

The select lever has four positions, “P”,

“R”, “N”, “D” and also has a manual gate for

using the manual mode.

NOTE

. For some models, to protect the

engine while the select lever is in the

“P” or “N” position, the engine is

controlled so that the engine speed

may not become too high even if the

accelerator pedal is depressed hard.

. When you change the select lever

position, make sure to move the select

lever firmly to the selected position.

! P (Park)

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This position is for parking the vehicle and

starting the engine. In this position, the

transmission is mechanically locked to

prevent the vehicle from rolling freely.

When you park the vehicle, first apply the

parking brake, then shift into the “P”

position. Do not hold the vehicle with only

the mechanical friction of the transmission.

To shift the select lever from the “P” to any

other position, you should depress the

brake pedal fully then move the select

lever. This prevents the vehicle from

lurching when it is started.

! R (Reverse)

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This position is for backing the vehicle. To

shift from the “N” to “R” position, stop the

vehicle completely then move the lever to

the “R” position while pressing the select

lever button in.

When the ignition switch has been turned

to the “ACC” position, the movement of the

select lever from the “N” to “R” position is

only possible by depressing the brake

pedal. For details, refer to “Shift Lock

Function” �P371.

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

! N (Neutral)

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This position is for restarting a stalled

engine. In this position, the transmission is

neutral, meaning that the wheels and

transmission are not locked. Therefore,

the vehicle will roll freely, even on the

slightest incline unless the parking brake

or foot brake is applied.

Avoid coasting with the transmission in

neutral. Engine braking has no effect in

this condition.

WARNING

Do not drive the vehicle with the

select lever in the “N” (neutral)

position. Engine braking has no

effect in this condition and the risk

of an accident is consequently in-

creased.

! D (Drive)

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This position is for normal driving. The

transmission shifts automatically and con-

tinuously into a suitable gear according to

the vehicle speed and the acceleration you

require. Also, while driving up and down a

hill, the transmission assists and controls

the driving performance and engine brak-

ing while corresponding to the road grade.

When more acceleration is required in “D”

position, depress the accelerator pedal

fully to the floor and hold that position. The

transmission will automatically downshift.

In this case, the transmission will operate

like a conventional automatic transmis-

sion. When you release the pedal, the

transmission will return to the original gear

position.

If one of the shift paddles behind the

steering wheel is operated while driving in

the “D” position, the transmission will

temporarily switch to the manual mode.

In this mode, you can shift to any gear

position using the shift paddles. For details

about the manual mode, refer to “Selection

of Manual Mode” �P373. Once the

vehicle speed stabilizes, the transmission

will switch from the manual mode back to

the “D” position for normal driving.

! While climbing a grade

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When driving up a hill, undesired upshift is

prevented from taking place when the

accelerator is released. This minimizes

the chance of subsequent downshifting to

a lower gear when accelerating again. This

prevents repeated upshifting and down-

shifting resulting in a smoother operation

of the vehicle.

NOTE

The transmission may downshift, de-

pending on the way the accelerator

pedal is depressed to accelerate the

vehicle again.

& Shift Lock Function

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The shift lock function helps prevent the

improper operation of the select lever.

. The select lever cannot be operated

unless the ignition switch is turned to the

“ON” position and the brake pedal is

depressed.

. The select lever cannot be moved from

the “P” position to any other position before

the brake pedal is depressed. Depress the

brake pedal first, and then operate the

select lever.

. Only the “P” position allows you to turn

the key from the “ACC” position to the

“LOCK” position and remove the key from

the ignition key cylinder (models without

“keyless access with push-button start

system”).

. Only the “P” position allows you to turn

the push-button ignition switch to the

“OFF” position (models with “keyless

access with push-button start system”).

. If the ignition switch is turned to the

“ACC” position while the select lever is in

the “N” position, the select lever may not

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Starting and Operating

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

be moved to the “P” position without

depressing the brake pedal and pressing

the select lever button.

! Shift lock release

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If the select lever cannot be operated, turn

the ignition switch back to the “ON”

position, then move the select lever to

the “P” position with the select lever button

pressed and the brake pedal depressed.

If the select lever does not move after

performing the above procedure, check

and confirm the following and release the

shift lock accordingly.

. When the select lever cannot be

shifted from “P” to “N”:

Refer to “Shift lock release using the shift

lock release portion” �P372.

. When the select lever cannot be

shifted from “N” to “R” or “P”:

Place the ignition switch in the “ACC”

position, then move the select lever to the

“P” position with the brake pedal de-

pressed.

If the select lever still does not move, refer

to “Shift lock release using the shift lock

release portion” �P372.

If the shift lock cannot be released without

using the shift lock release button in the

above cases, there may be a malfunction

in the shift lock system or the vehicle

control system.

Contact a SUBARU dealer for an inspec-

tion as soon as possible.

! Shift lock release using the shift

lock release portion

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Perform the following procedure to release

the shift lock.

1. Apply the parking brake and stop the

engine.

1) Hole

2. Turn over the inner trim of the pocket.

3. Remove the grip portion of the screw-

driver.

4. While depressing the brake pedal,

insert the screwdriver into the hole, press

the shift lock release portion using the

screwdriver, and then move the select

Continuously Variable Transmission

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

lever.

If the select lever does not move after

performing the above procedure, the shift

lock system may be malfunctioning. Con-

tact a SUBARU dealer for an inspection as

soon as possible.

& Selection of Manual Mode

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With the vehicle either moving or station-

ary, move the select lever from the “D”

position to the “M” position to select the

manual mode.

1) Upshift indicator

2) Downshift indicator

3) Gear position indicator

When the manual mode is selected, the

gear position indicator and upshift indica-

tor and/or downshift indicator on the

combination meter illuminate. The gear

position indicator shows the currently

selected gear in the 1st-to-8th gear range.

The upshift and downshift indicators show

when a gearshift is possible. When the

upshift indicator “

” is on, upshifting is

possible. When the downshift indicator

“

” is on, downshifting is possible. When

both indicators are on, upshifting and

downshifting are both possible. When the

vehicle stops (for example, at traffic

signals), the downshift indicator turns off.

Gearshifts can be performed using the

shift paddle behind the steering wheel.

To upshift to the next higher gear position,

pull the shift paddle that has “+” indicated

on it. To downshift to the next lower gear

position, pull the shift paddle that has “−”

indicated on it.

To deselect the manual mode, return the

select lever to the “D” position from the “M”

position.

While driving with the select lever in the “D”

position, if you change gears by operating

the shift paddle, the gear position indicator

light illuminates and shows the current

gear condition.

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Continuously Variable Transmission

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Starting and Operating

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北米Model "A2620BE-A" EDITED: 2022/ 4/ 25

CAUTION

Do not place or hang anything on the

shift paddles. Doing so may result in

accidental gear shifting.

NOTE

Please read the following points care-

fully and bear them in mind when using

the manual mode.

. If you attempt to shift down when the

engine speed is too high, i.e., when a

downshift would push the tachometer

needle beyond the red zone, beeps will

be emitted to warn you that the down-

shift is not possible.

. If you attempt to shift up when the

vehicle speed is too low, the transmis-

sion will not respond.

. You can perform a skip-shift (for

example, from 4th to 2nd) by operating

the shift paddle twice in rapid succes-

sion.

. The transmission automatically se-

lects 1st gear when the vehicle stops

moving.

. If the temperature of the transmis-

sion fluid becomes too high, the “AT

OIL TEMP” warning light will illuminate.

Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe

place and let the engine idle until the

warning light turns off.

& Driving Tips

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NOTE

If the accelerator and brake pedals are

depressed at the same time, driving

torque may be restrained. This is not a

malfunction.

. On a road surface where there is a risk

of wheelspin (for example, a snow- or

gravel-covered road), you can pull away

from a standstill safely and easily by first

selecting the 2nd gear of the manual

mode.

. Always apply the foot or parking brake

when the vehicle is stopped in the “D” or

“R” position.

. Make sure to apply the parking brake

when parking your vehicle. Do not hold the

vehicle with only the transmission.

. Do not keep the vehicle in a stationary

position on an uphill grade by using the “D”

position. Use the brake instead.

. The engine may, on rare occasions,

knock when the vehicle rapidly acceler-

ates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill.

This phenomenon does not indicate a

malfunction.

7-8. SI-DRIVE (If Equipped)

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SI-DRIVE (SUBARU Intelligent Drive)

works to maximize engine performance,

control and efficiency.

This system consists of two modes:

Intelligent (I) and Sport Sharp (S#). By

operating the SI-DRIVE switches, the

character of the power unit changes.

& Intelligent (I) Mode

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! For smooth, efficient performance

driving

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The linear acceleration characteristic of

the Intelligent (I) mode is ideal for normal

driving usage.

The Intelligent (I) mode provides well-

balanced performance with greater fuel

SI-DRIVE

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Starting and Operating -> 7-7. Continuously Variable Transmission for Your Subaru Outback SUV Sixth Generation (2020-2025)

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