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 can be easily accomplished.
WARNING
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.
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 1 (first) or R (Reverse) gear.
NOTICE
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 before:
-- Starting the engine
The engine will not start without depressing the clutch pedal.
-- Shifting into gear, up shifting to the next higher gear, or down shifting to the next lower gear.
When releasing the clutch pedal, release it slowly. The clutch pedal should always be fully released while driving.
CAUTION
To prevent unnecessary wear or damage to the clutch:
Downshifting
Down shift to a lower gear when slowing down in heavy traffic or driving up a steep hill to prevent high engine loads.
Also, downshifting reduces the chance of stalling and helps reaccelerate the vehicle when you need to increase your speed.
When the vehicle is going downhill, downshifting helps maintain safe speed by providing engine braking (brake power from the engine) and results in less wear on the brakes.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the engine, clutch and transmission:
Vehicle Identification Number (vin)
Frame number