Subaru 2009 Impreza - Manual (Page 244)

7-24
Starting and operating
The selector lever has four positions, “P”,
“R”, “N”, “D” and also has manual gate for
using
“SPORT” mode or manual mode.
! P (Park)
This position is for parking the vehicle and
starting the engine.
In this position, the transmission is me-
chanically locked to prevent the vehicle
from rolling freely.
When you park the vehicle, first set the
parking brake fully, then shift into the
“P”
position. Do not hold the vehicle with only
the transmission.
To shift the selector lever from the “P” to
any other position, you should depress the
brake pedal fully then move the selector
lever. This prevents the vehicle from
lurching when it is started.
! R (Reverse)
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.
When the ignition switch has been turned
to the
“LOCK” position, movement of the
selector lever from the “N” position to the
“R” position is possible for a limited time
period by depressing the brake pedal, and
then it becomes impossible. For details,
refer to “Selector lever reverse inhibiting
function ” F7-25.
! N (Neutral)
This position is for restarting a stalled
engine.
In this position the wheels and transmis-
sion are not locked. In this position, the
transmission is neutral; 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.
During coasting, there is no engine brak-
ing effect.
NOTE
If the selector lever is in the “N”
position when you stop the engine for
parking, you may not subsequently be
able to move it to the
“R” and “P”
positions. If this happens, turn the
ignition switch to the
“ON” position.
You will then be able to move the
selector lever to the
“P” position.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
selector 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)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically shifts into
a suitable gear from 1st to 4th according to
the vehicle speed and the acceleration
you require.
When more acceleration is required in this
position, depress the accelerator pedal
fully to the floor and hold that position. The
transmission will automatically downshift
to 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you release
the pedal, the transmission will return to
the original gear position.
To use the
“SPORT” mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate. To
use the manual mode, move the lever
from this position into the manual gate
then move it toward the
“+” and “−” ends.
! While climbing a grade
When driving up a hill, undesired upshift to
4th gear is prevented from taking place
when the accelerator is released. This
minimizes the chance of subsequent
downshifting to a lower gear when accel-
erating again. This prevents repeated
upshifting and downshifting resulting in a
smoother operation of the vehicle.