light SUZUKI XL7 2007 2.G Workshop Manual

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78J00-03E
Choose one of the available settings and
press the set/reset button while it is dis-
played on the DIC to select it.
APPROACH LIGHTING
This feature allows you to select whether
or not to have the exterior lights turn on
briefly during low light periods after unlock-
ing the vehicle using the RKE transmitter.
Press the vehicle information button until
APPROACH LIGHTING appears on the
DIC display. Press the set/reset button to
access the settings for this feature. Then
press the vehicle information button to
scroll through the following settings:
OFF:
The exterior lights will not turn on when
you unlock the vehicle with the RKE
transmitter.
 ON (default):
If it is dark enough outside, the exterior
lights will turn on briefly when you unlock
the vehicle with the RKE transmitter.
The lights will remain on for 20 seconds
or until the lock button on the RKE trans-
mitter is pressed, or the vehicle is no
longer off. Refer to “Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation” in
“Keys” in the “Features and Controls”
section for more information.
 NO CHANGE:
No change will be made to this feature.
The current setting will remain.Choose one of the available settings and
press the set/reset button while it is dis-
played on the DIC to select it.
CHIME VOLUME
This feature allows you to select the vol-
ume level of the chime.
Press the vehicle information button until
CHIME VOLUME appears on the DIC dis-
play. Press the set/reset button to access
the settings for this feature. Then press the
vehicle information button to scroll through
the following settings:
 NORMAL (default):
The chime volume will be set to a normal
level.
 LOUD:
The chime volume will be set to a loud
level.
 NO CHANGE:
No change will be made to this feature.
The current setting will remain.
Choose one of the available settings and
press the set/reset button while it is dis-
played on the DIC to select it.
REMOTE START
If your vehicle has this feature, it allows
you to turn the remote start off or on. The
remote start feature allows you to start the
engine from outside of the vehicle using
your RKE transmitter. Refer to “Remote
Vehicle Start” under “Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation” in “Keys”in the “Features and Controls” section for
more information.
Press the vehicle information button until
REMOTE START appears on the DIC dis-
play. Press the set/reset button to access
the settings for this feature. Then press the
vehicle information button to scroll through
the following settings:
OFF:
The remote start feature will be disabled.
 ON (default):
The remote start feature will be enabled.
 NO CHANGE:
No change will be made to this feature.
The current setting will remain.
Choose one of the available settings and
press the set/reset button while it is dis-
played on the DIC to select it.
FACTORY SETTINGS
This feature allows you to set all of the per-
sonalization features back to their factory
default settings.
Press the vehicle information button until
FACTORY SETTINGS appears on the DIC
display. Press the set/reset button to
access the settings for this feature. Then
press the vehicle information button to
scroll through the following settings:
 RESTORE ALL (default):
The personalization features will be set
to their factory default settings.

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2) Press the MENU button to display the
radio setup menu.
3) Press the pushbutton under the AUTO
VOLUM label on the radio display.
4) Press the pushbutton under the desired
Speed Compensated Volume setting
(OFF, Low, Med, or High) to select the
level of radio volume compensation.
The display times out after approxi-
mately 10 seconds. Each higher setting
allows for more radio volume compen-
sation at faster vehicle speeds.
Finding a Station
BAND:
Press this button to switch between AM,
FM, or XM
TM (if equipped). The display
shows the selection.
(Tune):
Turn this knob to select radio stations.
SEEK :
Press the right or left SEEK arrow to go to
the next or to the previous station and stay
there.
To scan stations, press and hold either
SEEK arrow for a few seconds until a beep
sounds. The radio goes to a station, plays
for a few seconds, then goes to the next
station. Press either SEEK arrow again to
stop scanning.
The radio only seeks and scans stations
with a strong signal that are in the selected
band. (Information) (XM
TM Satellite Radio
Service, MP3, and RDS Features):
Press the information button to display
additional text information related to the
current FM-RDS or XMTM station, or MP3
song. A choice of additional information
such as: Channel, Song, Artist, and CAT
may appear. Continue pressing the infor-
mation button to highlight the desired label,
or press the pushbutton positioned under
any one of the labels and the information
about that label is displayed.
When information is not available, No Info
displays.
Storing a Radio Station as a Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up their
radio station favorites while the vehicle is
parked. Tune to your favorite stations using
the presets, favorites button, and steering
wheel controls (if equipped). Refer to
“Defensive Driving” in “Your Driving, the
Road, and Your Vehicle” in the “Driving
Your Vehicle” section.
FAV (Favorites):
A maximum of 36 stations can be pro-
grammed as favorites using the six push-
buttons positioned below the radio station
frequency labels and by using the radio
favorites page button (FAV button). Press
the FAV button to go through up to six
pages of favorites, each having six favorite
stations available per page. Each page of
favorites can contain any combination of
AM, FM, or XM
TM (if equipped) stations. Tostore a station as a favorite, perform the
following steps:
1) Tune to the desired radio station.
2) Press the FAV button to display the
page where you want the station
stored.
3) Press and hold one of the six pushbut-
tons until a beep sounds. Whenever
that pushbutton is pressed and
released, the station that was set,
returns.
4) Repeat the steps for each pushbutton
radio station you want stored as a favor-
ite.
The number of favorites pages can be
setup using the MENU button. To setup the
number of favorites pages, perform the fol-
lowing steps:
1) Press the MENU button to display the
radio setup menu.
2) Press the pushbutton located below the
FAV 1-6 label.
3) Select the desired number of favorites
pages by pressing the pushbutton
located below the displayed page num-
bers.
4) Press the FAV button, or let the menu
time out, to return to the original main
radio screen showing the radio station
frequency labels and to begin the pro-
cess of programming your favorites for
the chosen amount of numbered
pages.

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Setting the Tone
(Bass/Midrange/Treble)
BASS/MID/TREB
(Bass, Midrange, or Treble):
To adjust bass, midrange, or treble, press
the tune knob until the tone control labels
appear on the display. Continue pressing
to highlight the desired label, or press the
pushbutton positioned under the desired
label. Turn the tune knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to adjust the highlighted
setting. You can also adjust the highlighted
setting by pressing either the SEEK, FWD
(forward), or REV (reverse) button until the
desired levels are obtained. If a station’s
frequency is weak, or if there is static,
decrease the treble.
To quickly adjust bass, midrange, or treble
to the middle position, press the pushbut-
ton positioned under the BASS, MID, or
TREB label for more than two seconds. A
beep sounds and the level adjusts to the
middle position.
To quickly adjust all tone and speaker con-
trols to the middle position, press the tune
knob for more than two seconds until a
beep sounds.
EQ (Equalization):
Press this button to select preset equaliza-
tion settings.
To return to the manual mode, press the
EQ button until Manual displays or start tomanually adjust the bass, midrange, or tre-
ble by pressing the tune knob.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
BAL/FADE (Balance/Fade):
To adjust balance or fade, press the tune
knob until the speaker control labels
appear on the display. Continue pressing
to highlight the desired label, or press the
pushbutton positioned under the desired
label. Turn the tune knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to adjust the highlighted
setting. You can also adjust the highlighted
setting by pressing either the SEEK, FWD,
or REV button until the desired levels are
obtained.
To quickly adjust balance or fade to the
middle position, press the pushbutton posi-
tioned under the BAL or FADE label for
more than two seconds. You will hear a
beep and the level will be adjusted to the
middle position.
To quickly adjust all speaker and tone con-
trols to the middle position, press the tune
knob for more than two seconds until a
beep sounds.
Finding a Category (CAT) Station
CAT (Category):
The CAT button is used to find XM
TM sta-
tions when the radio is in the XM
TM
mode.
To find XM
TM channels within a desired
category, perform the following:1) Press the BAND button until the XM
TM
frequency is displayed. Press the CAT
button to display the category labels on
the radio display. Continue pressing the
CAT button until the desired category
name is displayed.
2) Press either of the two buttons below
the desired category label to immedi-
ately tune to the first XM
TM station
associated with that category.
3) Turn the tune knob, press the buttons
below the right or left arrows displayed,
or press the right or left SEEK buttons
to go to the next or previous XMTM sta-
tion within the selected category.
4) To exit the category search mode,
press the FAV button or BAND button to
display your favorites again.
Undesired XM
TM categories can be
removed through the setup menu. To
remove an undesired category, perform the
following:
1) Press the MENU button to display the
radio setup menu.
2) Press the pushbutton located below the
XM CAT label.
3) Turn the tune knob to display the cate-
gory you want removed.
4) Press the pushbutton located under the
Remove label until the category name
along with the word Removed displays.
5) Repeat the steps to remove more cate-
gories.

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Playing the Radio
(Power/Volume):
Press this knob to turn the system on and
off.
Turn this knob clockwise or counterclock-
wise to increase or decrease the volume.
Speed Compensated Volume (SCV):
The radio has Speed Compensated Vol-
ume (SCV). While SCV is on, the radio vol-
ume automatically adjusts to compensate
for road and wind noise as driving speed
changes. That way, the volume level
should sound about the same as you drive.
To activate SCV:
1) Set the radio volume to the desired
level.
2) Press the MENU button to display the
radio setup menu.
3) Press the pushbutton under the AUTO
VOLUM (volume) label on the radio dis-
play.
4) Press the pushbutton under the desired
SCV setting (OFF, Low, Med (medium),
or High) to select the level of radio vol-
ume compensation. The display times
out after approximately 10 seconds.
Each higher setting allows for more
radio volume compensation at faster
vehicle speeds.Finding a Station
BAND:
Press this button to switch between AM,
FM, or XM
TM (if equipped). The display
shows the selection.
(Tune):
Turn this knob to select radio stations.
SEEK :
Press the left or right SEEK arrow to go to
the next or to the previous station and stay
there.
To scan stations, press and hold either
SEEK arrow for a few seconds until a beep
sounds. The radio goes to a station, plays
for a few seconds, then goes to the next
station. Press either SEEK arrow again to
stop scanning.
The radio seeks and scans stations only
with a strong signal that are in the selected
band.
(Information) (XM
TM Satellite Radio
Service, MP3, and RDS Features):
Press the information button to display
additional text information related to the
current FM-RDS or XMTM station, or MP3
song. A choice of additional information
such as: Channel, Song, Artist, and CAT
(category) could appear. Continue press-
ing the information button to highlight the
desired label, or press the pushbutton
positioned under any one of the labels and
the information about that label is dis-
played.When information is not available, No Info
displays.
Storing a Radio Station as a Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up their
radio station favorites while the vehicle is
parked. Tune to your favorite stations using
the presets, favorites button, and steering
wheel controls, if the vehicle has them.
Refer to “Defensive Driving” in “Your Driv-
ing, the Road, and Your Vehicle” in the
“Driving Your Vehicle” section.
FAV (Favorites):
A maximum of 36 stations can be pro-
grammed as favorites using the six push-
buttons positioned below the radio station
frequency labels and by using the radio
favorites page button (FAV button). Press
the FAV button to go through up to six
pages of favorites, each having six favorite
stations available per page. Each page of
favorites can contain any combination of
AM, FM, or XM
TM (if equipped) stations. To
store a station as a favorite, perform the
following steps:
1) Tune to the desired radio station.
2) Press the FAV button to display the
page where you want the station
stored.
3) Press and hold one of the six pushbut-
tons until a beep sounds. Whenever
that pushbutton is pressed and
released, the station that was set,
returns.

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4) Repeat the steps for each pushbutton
radio station you want stored as a favor-
ite.
The number of favorites pages can be
setup using the MENU button. To setup the
number of favorites pages, perform the fol-
lowing steps:
1) Press the MENU button to display the
radio setup menu.
2) Press the pushbutton located below the
FAV 1-6 label.
3) Select the desired number of favorites
pages by pressing the pushbutton
located below the displayed page num-
bers.
4) Press the FAV button, or let the menu
time out, to return to the original main
radio screen showing the radio station
frequency labels and to begin the pro-
cess of programming your favorites for
the chosen amount of numbered
pages.Setting the Tone
(Bass/Midrange/Treble)
BASS/MID/TREB
(Bass, Midrange, or Treble):
To adjust bass, midrange, or treble, press
the tune knob until the tone control labels
display. Continue pressing to highlight the
desired label, or press the pushbutton
positioned under the desired label. Turn
the tune knob clockwise or counterclock-
wise to adjust the highlighted setting. If a
station’s frequency is weak or if there is
static, decrease the treble.
To quickly adjust bass, midrange, or treble
to the middle position, press the pushbut-
ton positioned under the BASS, MID, or
TREB label for more than two seconds. A
beep sounds and the level adjusts to the
middle position.
To quickly adjust all tone and speaker con-
trols to the middle position, press the tune
knob for more than two seconds until a
beep sounds.
EQ (Equalization):
Press this button to choose bass and tre-
ble equalization settings designed for dif-
ferent types of music. The choices are pop,
rock, country, talk, jazz, and classical.
Selecting MANUAL or changing bass or
treble, returns the EQ to the manual bass
and treble settings.
Unique EQ settings can be saved for each
source.If the radio has a Bose
® audio system, the
EQ settings are either MANUAL or TALK.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
BAL/FADE (Balance/Fade):
To adjust balance or fade, press the tune
knob until the speaker control labels dis-
play. Press the pushbutton positioned
under the desired label. Turn the tune knob
clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust the
highlighted setting. The highlighted setting
can also be adjusted by pressing either the
SEEK, FWD (forward), or REV (reverse)
button until the desired levels are obtained.
To quickly adjust balance or fade to the
middle position, press the pushbutton posi-
tioned under the BAL or FADE label for
more than two seconds. A beep sounds
and the level adjusts to the middle position.
To quickly adjust both the balance and
fade to the middle position at one time,
press the tune knob for more than two sec-
onds until a beep sounds.

3-56 INSTRUMENT PANEL
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(Eject):
Press this button to eject a CD or DVD. If a
CD or DVD is ejected, but not removed, the
player automatically pulls it back in after 15
seconds.
If loading and reading of a CD cannot be
completed, because of an unknown for-
mat, etc., and the disc fails to eject, press
and hold the CD eject button for more than
five seconds to force the disc to eject.
DVD-V (Video) Display Buttons
Once a DVD-V is inserted, the radio dis-
play menu shows several tag options for
DVD playing. Press the pushbuttons
located under any desired tag option dur-
ing DVD playback. See the tag options
listed below for more information.
The rear seat passenger can navigate the
DVD-V menus and controls through the
remote control. Refer to “Remote Control”,
under “Rear Seat Entertainment System”
in this section for more information. The
Video Screen automatically turns on when
the DVD-V is inserted into the DVD slot.
/ (Play/Pause):
Press either the play or pause icon dis-
plays on the radio system, to toggle
between pausing or restarting playback of
a DVD. If the forward arrow is showing on
display, the system is in pause mode. If the
pause icon is showing on display, the sys-
tem is in playback mode. If the DVD screen
is off, press the play button to turn the
screen on. Some DVDs begin playing after the pre-
views have finished, although there might
be a delay of up to 30 seconds. If the DVD
does not begin playing the movie automati-
cally, press the pushbutton located under
the play/pause symbol tag displayed on
the radio. If the DVD still does not play,
refer to the on-screen instructions, if avail-
able.
(Stop):
Press this button to stop playing, rewind-
ing, or fast forwarding a DVD.
(Enter):
Press this button to select the choices that
are highlighted in any menu.
(Menu):
Press this button to access the DVD menu.
The DVD menu is different on every DVD.
Use the pushbuttons located under the
navigation arrows to navigate the cursor
through the DVD menu. After making a
selection press the enter button. This but-
ton only operates when using a DVD.
Nav (Navigate):
Press this button to display directional
arrows for navigating through the menus.
(Return):
Press this button to exit the current active
menu and return to the previous menu.
This button operates only when a DVD is
playing and a menu is active.DVD-A (Audio) Display Buttons
Once a DVD-A is inserted, radio display
menu shows several tag options for DVD
playing. Press the pushbuttons located
under any desired tag option during DVD
playback. See the tag options listed below
for more information. The rear seat opera-
tor can navigate the DVD-A menus and
controls through the remote control. Refer
to “Remote Control”, under “Rear Seat
Entertainment System” in this section for
more information. The Video Screen does
not automatically power on when the DVD-
A is inserted into the DVD slot. It must be
manually turned on by the rear seat occu-
pant through the remote control power but-
ton.
/ (Play/Pause):
Press either the play or pause icon dis-
plays on the radio system, to toggle
between pausing or restarting playback of
a DVD. If the forward arrow is showing on
display, the system is in pause mode. If the
pause icon is showing on display, the sys-
tem is in playback mode.
Group :
Press this button to cycle through musical
groupings on the DVD-A disc.
Nav (Navigate):
Press this button to display directional
arrows for navigating through the menus.
(Audio Stream):
Press this button to cycle through audio
stream formats located on the DVD-A disc.

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Push the power button to turn on the head-
phones. An indicator light located on the
headphones will illuminate. If the light does
not illuminate, the batteries may need to be
replaced. See “Battery Replacement” later
in this section for more information. Switch
the headphones to Off when not in use.
The infrared transmitters are located at the
rear of the RSE overhead console. The
headphones will shut off automatically to
save the battery power if the RSE system
is shut off or if the headphones are out of
range of the transmitters for more than
three minutes. If you move too far forward
or step out of the vehicle, the headphones
will lose the audio signal.
The headphones will automatically turn off
after four hours of continuous use.
To adjust the volume on the headphones,
use the volume control located on the right
side.
For optimal audio performance, the head-
phones must be worn correctly. The sym-
bol L (Left) will appear on the upper left
side, above the ear pad and should be
positioned on the left ear.
The symbol R (Right) will appear on the
upper right side, above the ear pad and
should be positioned on the right ear.
If the remote control becomes lost or dam-
aged, a new universal remote control can
be purchased. If this happens, make surethe universal remote control uses a code
set of Toshiba
®.
The foam ear pads attached to the head-
phones may become worn or damaged if
they are not handled or stored properly. If
the foam ear pads do become damaged or
worn out, the pads can be replaced sepa-
rately from the headphone set. It is not
necessary to replace the complete head-
phone set. The headphone replacement
foam ear pads can be ordered in pairs.
See your dealer for more information.
Battery Replacement
To change the batteries, do the following:
1) Turn the screw with a coin or screw
driver to loosen, then slide open the
battery door located on the left side of
the headphones.
2) Replace the two batteries in the com-
partment. Make sure that they are
installed correctly, using the diagram on
the inside of the battery compartment.
3) Replace the battery door and tighten
the door screw.If the headphones are to be stored for a
long period of time, remove the batteries
and keep them in a cool, dry place.
Audio/Video (A/V) Jacks
1676611
The A/V jacks are located on the rear of
the floor console. The A/V jacks allow
audio or video signals to be connected
from an auxiliary device such as a cam-
corder or a video game unit to the RSE
system. Adapter connectors or cables may
be required to connect the auxiliary device
to the A/V jacks. Refer to the manufac-
turer’s instructions for proper usage.
The A/V jacks are color coded to match
typical home entertainment system equip-
ment. The yellow jack (A) is for the video
input. The white jack (B) is for the left audio
input. The red jack (C) is for the right audio
input.
CAUTION
Do not store the headphones in heat
or direct sunlight. This could damage
the headphones and repairs will not
be covered by your warranty. Keep
the headphones stored in a cool, dry
place.

3-70 INSTRUMENT PANEL
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Remote Control
To use the remote control, aim it at the
transmitter window at the rear of the RSE
overhead console and press the desired
button. Direct sunlight or very bright light
may affect the ability of the RSE transmit-
ter to receive signals from the remote con-
trol. If the remote control does not seem to
be working, the batteries may need to be
replaced. See “Battery Replacement” later
in this section. Objects blocking the line of
sight may also affect the function of the
remote control.
If a CD or DVD is in the Radio DVD slot,
the remote control power button can be
used to turn on the video screen display
and start the disc. The radio can also turn
on the video screen display. Refer to
“Radio with CD and DVD (MP3)” in this
section for more information.Remote control buttons
1523717
(Power):
Press this button to turn the video screen
on and off.
(Illumination):
Press this button to turn the remote control
backlight on. The backlight will automati-
cally time out after seven to ten seconds if
no other button is pressed while the back-
light is on.
(Title):
Press this button to return the DVD to the
main menu of the DVD. This function may
vary for each disc.
(Main Menu):
Press this button to access the DVD menu.
The DVD menu is different on every DVD.
Use the up, down, left, and right arrow but-
tons to move the cursor around the DVD
menu. After making a selection press theenter button. This button only operates
when using a DVD.
, , , (Menu Navigation
Arrows):
Use the arrow buttons to navigate through
a menu.
(Enter):
Press this button to select the choice that
is highlighted in any menu.
(Display Menu):
Press this button to adjust the brightness,
screen display mode (normal, full, or
zoom), and display the language menu.
(Return):
Press this button to exit the current active
menu and return to the previous menu.
This button will operate only when the dis-
play menu or a DVD menu is active.
(Stop):
Press this button to stop playing, rewind-
ing, or fast forwarding a DVD. Press this
button twice to return to the beginning of
the DVD.
(Play/Pause):
Press this button to start playing a DVD.
Press this button while a DVD is playing to
pause it. Press it again to continue playing
the DVD.
When the DVD is playing, depending on
the radio, you may be able to do slow play
by pressing the pause button then pressing
the fast forward button. The DVD will con-
CAUTION
Storing the remote control in a hot
area or in direct sunlight can damage
it, and the repairs will not be covered
by your warranty. Keep the remote
control stored in a cool, dry place.

3-74 INSTRUMENT PANEL
78J00-03E
(Seek):
Press the seek arrow to go to the next
radio station while in AM, FM, or XM (if
equipped). Press this button to go to the
next track or chapter while sourced to the
CD/DVD slot.
Radio ReceptionXM
TM Satellite Radio Service
XMTM Satellite Radio Service gives digital
radio reception from coast-to-coast in the
48 contiguous United States, and in Can-
ada.
You may experience interference with sat-
ellite radio signals, while driving near tall
buildings or through hilly areas, causing
the sound to fade in and out. In addition,
driving or standing under heavy foliage,
bridges, garages, or tunnels may cause
loss of the XM
TM signal for a period of time.
The radio screen may display NO XM to
indicate interference.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater
than for FM, especially at night. The longer
range can cause station frequencies to
interfere with each other. For better radio
reception, most AM radio stations will
boost the power levels during the day, and
then reduce these levels during the night.
Static can also occur when things like
storms and power lines interfere with radio
reception. When this happens, try reducing
the treble on your radio.FM
FM stereo will give the best sound, but FM
signals will reach only about 10 to 40 miles
(16 to 65 km). Tall buildings or hills can
interfere with FM signals, causing the
sound to fade in and out.
Care of Your CDs and DVDsHandle CDs carefully. Store them in their
original cases or other protective cases
and away from direct sunlight and dust.
The CD player scans the bottom surface of
the disc. If the surface of a CD is damaged,
such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the
CD does not play properly or not at all. If
the surface of a CD is soiled, take a soft,
lint free cloth or dampen a clean, soft cloth
in a mild, neutral detergent solution mixed
with water, and clean it. Make sure the
wiping process starts from the center to
the edge.
Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while
handling it; this could damage the surface.
Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges
or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.Care of the CD and DVD PlayerThe use of CD lens cleaners for CDs is not
advised, due to the risk of contaminating
the lens of the CD optics with lubricants
internal to the CD mechanism.
Multi-Band AntennaThe multi-band antenna is located on the
roof of your vehicle. This type of antenna is
used with the AM/FM radio and the XM
TM
Satellite Radio Service System. Keep this
antenna clear of snow and ice build up for
clear radio reception.
If your vehicle has a sunroof, the perfor-
mance of the radio system may be affected
if the sunroof is open.
The roof rack crossrails may cause inter-
ference with the radio reception if items are
kept in the rear most position. Keep objects
that have been loaded on the roof of the
vehicle at least one foot (0.31 meter) away
from the antenna. Make sure the multi-
band antenna is not obstructed.

4-3 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
There is something else about drinking
and driving that many people do not know.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a
person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spi-
nal cord, or heart. This means that when
anyone who has been drinking – driver or
passenger – is in a crash, that person’s
chance of being killed or permanently dis-
abled is higher than if the person had not
been drinking.Control of a VehicleYou have three systems that make your
vehicle go where you want it to go. They
are the brakes, the steering, and the accel-
erator. All three systems have to do their
work at the places where the tires meet the
road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on
snow or ice, it is easy to ask more of those
control systems than the tires and roadcan provide. That means you can lose con-
trol of your vehicle.
Adding non-Suzuki accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. Refer to
“Accessories and Modifications” in “Ser-
vice” in the “Service and Appearance
Care” section.
BrakingRefer to “Brake System Warning Light” in
“Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators” in
the “Instrument Panel” section.
Braking action involves perception time
and reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the
brake pedal. That is perception time. Then
you have to bring up your foot and do it.
That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-
fourths of a second. But that is only an
average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and eyesight all
play a part. So do alcohol, drugs, and frus-
tration. But even in three-fourths of a sec-
ond, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/
h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a
lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances
vary greatly with the surface of the road,whether it is pavement or gravel; the con-
dition of the road, whether it is wet, dry, or
icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount
of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some peo-
ple drive in spurts – heavy acceleration fol-
lowed by heavy braking – rather than
keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake.
The brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. The brakes will wear
out much faster if you do a lot of heavy
braking. If you keep pace with the traffic
and allow realistic following distances, you
will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer
brake life.
If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while
you are driving, brake normally but do not
pump the brakes. If you do, the pedal may
get harder to push down. If the engine
stops, you will still have some power brake
assist. But you will use it when you brake.
Once the power assist is used up, it may
take longer to stop and the brake pedal will
be harder to push.
Adding non-Suzuki accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. Refer to
“Accessories and Modifications” in “Ser-
vice” in the “Service and Appearance
Care” section.
WARNING
Drinking and then driving is very dan-
gerous. Your reflexes, perceptions,
attentiveness, and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of
alcohol. You can have a serious – or
even fatal – collision if you drive after
drinking. Please do not drink and
drive or ride with a driver who has
been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or
if you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.