ECO mode SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Owner's Guide

5-30 Audio
T Tuning
V Manual tuning
Press the “ ” side of the TUNE/TRACK
button to increase the tuning frequency
and press the tuning button marked “ ”
to decrease it.
Each time the button is pressed, the fre-
quency interval can be changed between
10 kHz in the AM mode and 0.2 MHz in the
FM mode.
If you hold down the “ ” side of the but-
ton, the tuning frequency will increase
continuously, and if you hold down the
“ ” side of the button, the tuning fre-
quency will decrease continuously. Re-
lease the button when your desired fre-
quency is reached. NOTE While you are holding down either side
of the TUNE/TRACK button, the tuning
frequency will not stop changing even
if the frequency of a receivable station
is reached.
V Seek tuning (SEEK)
If you press the “ ” or “ ” side of the
SEEK/SCAN button and release it within
1.5 second, the radio will automatically
search for a receivable station and stop at
the first one it finds. This function may not
be available, however, when radio signals
are weak. In such a situation, perform
manual tuning to sele ct the desired sta-
tion. V Scan tuning (SCAN)
If you press the “ ” or “ ” side of the
SEEK/SCAN button for 1.5 second or
longer, the radio will switch to scan mode.
In this mode, the radio scans through the
radio band until a station is found. The ra-
dio will stop at the st ation for five seconds
while displaying the frequency, after which
scanning will continue until the entire band
has been scanned.
Press the “ ” or “ ” side of the button
again to cancel the scan mode and to stop
on any displayed frequency.
If you hold down the “ ” side of the but-
ton, the radio will scan up the frequency
band (from low frequencies to high fre-
quencies). If you hold down the “ ” side
of the button, the radio will scan down the
frequency band (from high frequencies toTUNE
TRACK 500049
SEEK
SCAN 500232
SEEK
SCAN 500232

5-32 Audio
2. When the “LOAD” indicator flashes, in-
sert the disc. Once you have inserted the
disc, the “LOAD” indicator will go off. The
disc will then be automatically drawn in,
and the player will begin to play back the
first track of the disc.
y To insert more discs in succession, re-
peat Steps 1 and 2. The magazine will be
loaded with discs in the ascending order
of position number.
If you do not insert any disc in 15 seconds
after you have pressed the “LOAD” but-
ton, the player will begin to play back the
first track of the last disc you have insert-
ed.
y The disc indicator steadily lights up if a
disc is already inserted in the correspond-
ing position of the magazine.
y While the player is in the loading mode,
if you press “FM” or “AM” button, the play-
er will enter the standby mode. Press the
“CD” button to start playback. V Inserting a disc in a desired position 0
1. Briefly press the “LOAD” button. If the
magazine in the player has an idle posi-
tion where you can insert a disc, the disc
number indicator associated with the idle
position will blink.
The positions in the magazine the indica-
tor of which steadily lights up are already
loaded with discs. 2. Press the “Disc select” button at the
position where you want to insert a disc.
3. When the “LOAD” indicator flashes, in-
sert the disc. Once you have inserted the
disc, the “LOAD” indicator will go off. The
disc will then be automatically drawn in,
and the player will begin to play the first
track on the disc.
y If you wish to insert another disc, repeat
the procedure beginning with step 1.
If you do not insert any disc in 15 seconds
after you have pressed the “LOAD” but-
ton, the player will begin to play back the
first track of the last disc you have insert-
ed.
y While the player is in the loading mode,
if you press “FM” or “AM” button, the play-
er will enter standby mode. Press the “CD”LOAD 500239123 456 500233

Audio
5-33
– CONTINUED –button to start playback.
V Loading all the magazine (Full disc
loading mode) 0
1. If you continue to press the “LOAD”
button for more than 1.5 seconds, the
player will produce beep sound and will
enter the full disc loading mode.
2. When the disc number indicator and
“ALL LOAD” indicator start flashing, insert
a disc within 15 seconds. If a disc is suc-
cessfully loaded during this period, the
disc number indicator will stop blinking
and will steadily light.
3. When the loading of a disc is complete,
the next disc number indicator will blink.
Then repeat Step 2.
4. When the magazine is filled with discs
by repeating Steps 2 and 3, the player will start playback of the discs, beginning with
the one inserted first.
If you fail to insert any disc during each 15
seconds interval, the full disc loading
mode will be canceled, and the player will
start playback of the disc inserted first.
T How to play back a CD or make a
pause
V When there is no CD inserted:
Insert a CD by referring to “How to insert a
CD(s)”.
When a CD is loaded, the player will start
playback of the CD, beginning with the
first track.
V When there are CDs loaded:
Press a desired one of the “Disc select” buttons the disc number indicator of which
steadily lights up. The player will then start
playback of the selected CD, beginning
with the first track.
If a disc that the player cannot read has
been loaded, the player will eject that disc
and proceed to the next disc.
T To select a song from its beginning
V Forward direction
Briefly press the “ ” side of the TUNE/
TRACK button to skip to the beginning of
the next track/file (track). Each time the
button is pressed, t he indicated track/file
(track) number will increase.
NOTE In an MP3 folder, skipping past the last
track/file (track) will take you back toLOAD 500239
123 456
500233TUNE
TRACK 500056

5-36 Audio
If you accidentally press the button
and cancel the disc/folder repeat-play
mode, press it again to reselect the
disc/folder repeat-play mode.
y The disc/folder repeat-play mode will
be cancelled if you perform any of the
following steps:
y Press the “RPT” button
y Press the “ ” button
y Press the disc select button
y Select the radio mode
y Press the “ ” or “ ” side of
the SEEK/SCAN button
y Turn off the powe r of the audio
equipment.
y Turn the ignition switch to the
“OFF” position.
T Random playback Press the “RPT” button briefly during disc/
folder playback to play all of the tracks/
files (tracks) on the di sc/folder in a random
order. The display will show “RDM”, and
all of the tracks on the disc/folder will be
played in a random order.
To cancel random playback, press the
“RPT” button again for at least 1.5 second.
The “RDM” indication will go off, and the
normal playback mode will be resumed.
NOTE Random playback will be cancelled if
you perform any of the following steps:
y Press the “RPT” button
y Press the “ ” or “ ” side of the
SEEK/SCAN button
y Press the “ ” button
y Press the disc select button
y Select the radio mode
y Turn off the power of the audio
equipment.
y Turn the ignition sw itch to the “OFF”
position. T Auto tuning (scan mode)
The scan mode lets you listen to the first
10 seconds of each track/file (track) in
succession. Press the “ ” side of the
SEEK/SCAN button for 1.5 second or
longer to start scanning upward beginning
with the track/file (track) following the cur-
rently selected one. Press the “ ” side
of the button to start scanning downward
beginning with the track/file (track) pre-
ceding the currently selected one. When
all tracks/files (tracks) in the disk/folder
have been scanned, normal playback will
be resumed. To cancel the scan mode,
press the “ ” or “ ” side of the button
for 1.5 second or longer.
NOTE
The scan mode will be cancelled if youRPTRDM
500241 SEEK
SCAN 500232

Audio
5-37
– CONTINUED –perform any of the following steps:
y Press the “RPT” button
y Press the “ ” or “ ” side of the
TUNE/TRACK button
y Press the “ ” or “ ” side of the
SEEK/SCAN button
y Press the “ ” button
y Press the disc select button
y Select the radio mode
y Turn off the power of the audio
equipment.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF”
position.
T Display selection
If you press the “TEXT” button for 0.5 sec-
ond or longer during playback, the indica-
tion will change to the next one in the fol-
lowing sequence. T Page (track/folder title) scroll
If, having pressed the “TEXT” button to
select track title or folder title display, you
press the “TEXT” button again for less
than 0.5 second, the title will be scrolled
so you can see all of it. You will see eight
characters at a time.
NOTE The display is designed to show titles
for up to eight pages (64 characters in
total). However, it may in some cases
show titles for only up to four pages (32
characters in total). T Folder selection
Press the “ ” side of the SEEK/SCAN
button briefly to se lect the next folder.
Press the “ ” side of the button briefly to
go back to the previous folder. The folder
title will be shown each time you press one
of the buttons.
NOTE y Selecting folders in this way is possi-
ble only within a single disc.
y Only MP3 folders are recognized
when an attempt to select the next or
previous folder is made. If no appropri-
ate folder exists on the disc, pressing
the “ ” or “ ” side of the SEEK/
SCAN button has no effect.TEXT 500242Folder number/file 
(track) number Track title
Folder title
TEXT 500242
SEEK
SCAN 500232

7-2 Starting and operating Starting and operating
Fuel
„ Fuel requirementsT 2.5-liter non-turbo models
The 2.5-liter non-turbo engine is designed
to operate using unleaded gasoline with
an octane rating of 87 AKI or higher.
T 2.5-liter turbo models and 3.0-liter
models
The 2.5-liter turbo engine and 3.0-liter en-
gine are designed to operate using premi-
um unleaded gasoline with an octane rat-
ing of 91 AKI or higher. If premium unlead-
ed gasoline is not available, regular un-
leaded gasoline with an octane rating of
87 AKI or higher may be temporarily used.
For optimum engine performance and
driveability, it is required (for 2.5-liter turbo
models), and recommended (for 3.0-liter
models) that you use premium grade un-
leaded gasoline.
NOTE
Be sure to use premium unleaded gas- oline of 91 AKI or higher for a 2.5-liter
turbo engine model. If other gasoline
(lower than 91 AKI) is used, knocking,
reduced output and poor accelerator
response will result.
T Fuel octane rating
This octane rating is the average of the
Research Octane and Motor Octane num-
bers and is commonly referred to as the
Anti Knock Index (AKI).
Using a gasoline with a lower octane rat-
ing can cause persistent and heavy
knocking, which can damage the engine.
Do not be concerned if your vehicle some-
times knocks lightly when you drive up a
hill or when you accelerate. See your
dealer or a qualified service technician if
you use a fuel with the specified octane
rating and your vehicle knocks heavily or
persistently.
T Unleaded gasoline
The neck of the fuel f iller pipe is designed
to accept only an unleaded gasoline filler
nozzle. Under no circumstances should
leaded gasoline be used because it will
damage the emission control system and
may impair driveability and fuel economy.
T California fuel
If your vehicle was certified to California
Emission Standards as indicated on the underhood tune-up label, it is designed to
optimize engine and emission control sys-
tem performance with gasoline that meets
the clean burning low-sulfur California
gasoline specifications. If you live in any
other state than Calif ornia, your vehicle
will operate on gasoline meeting Federal
specifications. Gasoline sold outside Cali-
fornia is permitted to have higher sulfur
levels, which may affect the performance
of your vehicle’s catalytic converter and
may produce a sulfur exhaust odor or
smell. SUBARU recomm ends that you try
a different brand of unleaded gasoline
having lower sulfur to determine if the
problem is fuel related before returning
your vehicle to an authorized dealer for
service. The CHECK ENGINE warning
light/Malfunction indicator lamp may also
turn on. If this occurs, return to your autho-
rized SUBARU dealer for diagnosis. If it is
determined that the condition is caused by
the type of fuel us ed, repairs may not be
covered by your warranty.
T MMT
Some gasoline contains an octane-en-
hancing additive called MMT (Methylcy-
clopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl). If
you use such fuels, your emission control
system performance may deteriorate and
the CHECK ENGINE warning light/Mal-Use of a fuel which is low in quality
or use of an inappropriate fuel addi-
tive may cause engine damage.

7-10 Starting and operating
The shift pattern is shown on the shift le-
ver knob. When shifting from 5th gear to
reverse gear, first retu rn the shift lever to
the neutral position then shift into reverse
gear.
To change gears, fully depress the clutch
pedal, move the shift lever, and gradually
let up on the clutch pedal.
If it is difficult to shift into gear, put the
transmission in neutral, release the clutch
pedal momentarily, and then try again.
„ Shifting speedsT Recommended shifting speeds
The best compromise between fuel econ-
omy and vehicle performance during nor-
mal driving is ensured by shifting up at the speeds listed in the following table.
T Maximum allowable speeds
The following table shows the maximum speeds that are possible with each differ-
ent gear.
Never exceed the speed limit below for
each gear position except for brief accel-
eration in an emergency. The tachome-
ter’s needle (if so equipped) will enter the
red area if these speeds are exceeded.
Failure to observe this precaution can
lead to excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Non-turbo models
mph (km/h)
Turbo models
mph (km/h)700101 Shift up mph (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40)
3rd to 4th 40 (65)
4th to 5th 45 (73)
When shifting down a gear, ensure
that the vehicle is not travelling at a
speed exceeding the Maximum Al-
lowable Speed for the gear which is
about to be selected. Failure to ob-
serve this precaution can lead to en-
gine over-revving and this in turn
can result in engine damage.
In addition, sudden application of
engine brakes when the vehicle is
travelling on a slippery surface can
lead to wheel locking; as a conse-
quence, control of the vehicle may
be lost and the risk of an accident in-
creased. Gear Except
OUTBACK OUTBACK
1st 30 (48) 30 (48)
2nd 50 (81) 52 (82)
3rd 71 (116) 71 (116)
Gear Except
OUTBACK OUTBACK
1st 32 (52) 32 (52)
2nd 54 (88) 54 (88)
3rd 80 (129) 78 (127)

Starting and operating
7-11
– CONTINUED –Never exceed posted speed limits.
„ Driving tipsDo not drive with your foot resting on the
clutch pedal and do not use the clutch to
hold your vehicle at a standstill on an up-
grade. Either of those actions may cause
clutch damage.
Do not drive with your hand resting on the
shift lever. This may cause wear on the
transmission components.
When it is necessary to reduce vehicle
speed due to slow traffic, turning corners,
or driving up steep hills, downshift to a
lower gear before the engine starts to la-
bor.
y On steep downgrades, downshift the
transmission to 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear as
necessary; this helps to maintain a safe
speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking
effect. Remember, if you “ride” (over use)
the brakes while descending a hill, they
may overheat and not work properly.
y 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
fault.
y A slight reduction in output torque may occur in the models with a 2.5-liter turbo
engine before the engine warms up.
Automatic transmission – 4-
speed The automatic transmission is electroni-
cally controlled and provides 4 forward
speeds and 1 reverse speed. Also, it has
a manual mode and a SPORT mode.
Do not shift from the “P” or “N” po-
sition into the “D ” or “R” position
while depressing the accelerator
pedal. This may cause the vehicle to
jump forward or backward.
y Shift into the “P” or “R” position
only after the vehic le is complete-
ly stopped. Shifting while the ve-
hicle is moving may cause dam-
age to the transmission.
y Do not race the engine for more
than five seconds in any position
except the “N” or “P” position
when the brake is set or when
chocks are used in the wheels.
This may cause the automatic
transmission fluid to overheat.

Starting and operating
7-13
– CONTINUED –NOTE If the selector lever is in the “N” posi-
tion when you stop the engine for park-
ing, 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.
T D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.
The transmission automa tically 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, press the a ccelerator 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 le- ver 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.
V 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 up-
shifting and downshifting resulting in a
smoother operation of the vehicle.
NOTE The transmission may downshift to
2nd or 1st gear, depending on the way
the accelerator pedal is pressed to ac-
celerate the vehicle again.
V While going down a hill
When you are descending a hill or any
other slope while braking with the
“SPORT” mode selected, the transmis-
sion may downshift to 3rd or 2nd gear de-
pending on how hard you depress the
brake pedal, causing engine braking to
work. Reacceleration for a short time will
cause the transmission to upshift normal-
ly. NOTE y A 4th-to-3rd automa tic downshift will
not occur at speeds above 50 mph (80
km/h) and a 3rd-to-2nd automatic
downshift will not occur at speeds
above 24 mph (38 km/h).
y Automatic downshifts to 3rd or 2nd
may occur even when driving on a level
road depending on conditions, such as
how hard you depress the brake pedal.
„ Selector lever reverse inhibit-
ing function This function prevents accidental move-
ment of the selector lever to the “R” posi-
tion while the vehicle is moving.
The function becomes operational when
the vehicle reaches a speed of approxi-
mately 6 mph (10 km/h). Once operation-
al, it prevents the selector lever from being
moved from the “N” position to the “R” po-
sition. When the vehicle speed drops be-
low 6 mph (10 km/h), the function is can-
celed. The selector lever can then be
moved to the “R” and “P” positions.
When the ignition switch has been turned
to the “OFF” position, movement of the se-
lector lever from the “N ” position to the “R”
position is possible for a limited time peri-
od and then becomes impossible. Also,
the selector lever cannot be moved to theDo not drive the vehicle with the se-
lector lever in the “N” (neutral) posi-
tion. Engine braking has no effect in
this condition and the risk of an ac-
cident is consequently increased.

7-14 Starting and operating
“R” position when it has been placed in the
“P” position and then placed again in the
“N” position. When movement of the se-
lector lever from the “N” position to the “R”
position has become impossible, turn the
ignition switch back to the “ON” position
then move the selector lever to the “P” po-
sition. Pressing the se lector lever release
button also makes it possible to move the
selector lever to the “P” position at this
time.
T Selector lever release button
If you inadvertently have turned the igni-
tion switch to the “O FF” position with the
selector lever in the “N” position, proceed
as follows. By referring to the “Shift lock
release” section in this chapter, remove
the shift lock release cover. Then, with the screwdriver inserted into the hole, move
the selector lever to the “P” position. If the
selector lever reverse inhibiting function
fails, have the vehicle inspected by the
nearest SUBARU dealer.
„ Selection of manual mode
With the vehicle either moving or station-
ary, move the selector lever from the “D”
position to the manual gate then move it to
the “+” end or “–” end of the manual gate
to select 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 in the ta-
chometer come on. The gear position indi-
cator shows the curren tly selected gear in
the 1st-to-4th-gear range. The upshift and
downshift indicators show when a gear-
shift is possible. When the upshift indica-
tor “ ” is on, upshifting is possible.
When the downshift indicator “ ” is on,
downshifting is possible. When both indi-
cators are on, upshifting and downshifting
are both possible. When the vehicle stops
(for example, at traffic signals), the down-
shift indicator goes off.700345 7001091
2 3 700308