Driving Your Vehicle
6-38
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.
•  Apply engine braking during 
deceleration by using the paddle 
shifter (manual shift mode) and 
manually selecting a lower gear.
•  Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration, 
sudden brake applications, and sharp 
turns to prevent skids.
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.
NOTICE
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.
However, avoid running the engine 
continuously at high rpm, doing so may 
damage the AWD system.
 Information
•  When using Snow Tires, mount them 
on all four wheels.
•  When using Snow Tires, mount them 
on all four wheels.
•  When using AutoSock
®
 (fabric snow 
chain), install them on the rear tires.
For more information on Snow Tires and 
Tire Chains, refer to "Winter Driving" in 
this chapter.
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
 - Do not change gear while driving 
downhill. Select gear before driving 
downhill.
 - Drive slowly using engine braking 
while driving downhill.
 - Drive straight as possible.
 WARNING
Exercise extreme caution driving up or 
down steep hills. The vehicle may flip 
over depending on the grade, terrain, 
water and mud conditions.