steering VAUXHALL ASTRA J 2015.75 Owner's Guide

Driving and operating159Driving and operatingDriving hints............................... 159
Starting and operating ...............160
Engine exhaust .......................... 165
Automatic transmission .............. 167
Manual transmission ..................170
Brakes ........................................ 171
Ride control systems .................174
Driver assistance systems .........179
Fuel ............................................ 210
Trailer hitch ................................ 217Driving hints
Control of the vehicleNever coast with engine not
running (except during Autostop)
Many systems will not function in this
situation ( e.g. brake servo unit, power
steering). Driving in this manner is a
danger to yourself and others. All
systems function during an Autostop,
but there will be a controlled reduction
in power steering assist and vehicle
speed is reduced.
Stop-start system 3 162.
Idle boost
If charging of the vehicle battery is
required due to battery condition, the
power output of the generator must
be increased. This will be achieved by
an idle boost which may be audible.
On vehicles with Uplevel-Combi-
Display, a message appears in the
Driver Information Centre.Pedals
To ensure the pedal travel is
uninhibited, there must be no mats in the area of the pedals.
Steering If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or due to a
system malfunction, the vehicle can
be steered but may require increased
effort.
Control indicator c 3 115.Caution
Vehicles equipped with hydraulic
power steering:
If the steering wheel is turned until it reaches the end of its travel, and
is held in that position for more
than 15 seconds, damage may
occur to the power steering
system and there may be loss of
power steering assist.

160Driving and operatingStarting and operating
New vehicle running-in Do not brake unnecessarily hard for
the first few journeys.
During the first drive, smoke may
occur because of wax and oil
evaporating off the exhaust system.
Park the vehicle in the open for a
while after the first drive and avoid
inhaling the fumes.
During the running-in period fuel and engine oil consumption may be
higher and the cleaning process of the diesel particle filter may take
place more often. Autostop may be
inhibited to allow for charging the
battery.
Diesel particle filter 3 165.Ignition switch positions0=ignition off1=steering wheel lock released,
ignition off2=ignition on, for diesel engine:
preheating3=starting
Retained power off
The following electronic systems can
work until the driver's door is opened
or at the latest for 10 minutes after the
ignition is switched off:
â–  power windows
â–  sunroof
â–  power outlets
Power to the Infotainment system will continue to operate for 30 minutes or
until the key is removed from the
ignition switch, regardless of whether
any door will be opened.
Starting the engine
Manual transmission: operate clutch.
Automatic transmission: operate
brake and move the selector lever to
P or N.

162Driving and operatingStop-start systemThe stop-start system helps to save
fuel and to reduce the exhaust
emissions. When conditions allow, it
switches off the engine as soon as the
vehicle is at a low speed or at a
standstill, e.g. at a traffic light or in a
traffic jam. It starts the engine
automatically as soon as the clutch is depressed. A battery sensor ensures
that an Autostop is only performed if
the vehicle battery is sufficiently
charged for a restart.
Activation
The stop-start system is available as
soon as the engine is started, the
vehicle starts-off and the conditions
as stated below in this section are
fulfilled.Deactivation
Deactivate the stop-start system
manually by pressing eco.
Deactivation is indicated when the
LED in the button extinguishes.
Autostop
If the vehicle is at a low speed or at a standstill, activate an Autostop as
follows:
â–  Depress the clutch pedal.
â–  Set the lever in neutral.
â–  Release the clutch pedal.
The engine will be switched off while
the ignition stays on.
An Autostop is indicated by the
needle at the AUTOSTOP position in
the tachometer.
During an Autostop, the heating and
brake performance will be
maintained.
Caution
The steering assist can be
reduced during an Autostop.

164Driving and operating
â–  The engine temperature is too low.
â–  The charging level of the vehicle battery is below a defined level.
â–  The brake vacuum is not sufficient.
â–  The vehicle is driven at least at walking speed.
â–  The climate control system requests an engine start.
â–  The air conditioning is manually switched on.
If the bonnet is not fully closed, a warning message is displayed in the
DIC.
If an electric accessory, e.g. a
portable CD player, is connected to
the power outlet, a brief power drop
during restart might be noticeable.
Parking9 Warning
â–  Do not park the vehicle on an
easily ignitable surface. The
high temperature of the exhaust system could ignite the surface.
â–  Always apply the parking brake.
Activate the manual parking
brake without pressing the
release button. Apply as firmly
as possible on a downhill slope
or uphill slope. Depress foot
brake at the same time to
reduce operating force.
For vehicles with electric
parking brake, pull switch m for
approx. one second.
The electric parking brake is
applied when control indicator
m illuminates 3 113.
â–  Switch off the engine. â–  If the vehicle is on a level surface or uphill slope, engage
first gear or set the selector lever
to position P before removing
the ignition key. On an uphill
slope, turn the front wheels
away from the kerb.
If the vehicle is on a downhill
slope, engage reverse gear or
set the selector lever to position P before removing the ignitionkey. Turn the front wheels
towards the kerb.
â–  Close the windows and the sunroof.
â–  Remove the ignition key. Turn the steering wheel until the
steering wheel lock is felt to
engage.
For vehicles with automatic
transmission, the key can only
be removed when the selector
lever is in position P.
â–  Lock the vehicle.
â–  Activate the anti-theft alarm system.
â–  The engine cooling fans may run after the engine has been switched
off 3 224.
Caution
After running at high engine
speeds or with high engine loads,
operate the engine briefly at a low load or run in neutral for

176Driving and operating
Deactivation, VXR versionFor very high-performance driving
ESC and TC can be deactivated
separately. The following modes are
selectable:
â–  Press b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates.
â–  Press b twice briefly within
2 seconds: TC is inactive, ESC is
operable without engine power
reduction, k and n illuminate.
â–  Hold b pressed for min.
5 seconds: TC and ESC are
completely inactive, k and n
illuminate.
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
DIC.
On VXR version TC and ESC remain
deactivated even if the vehicle comes into threshold with unstable
driveability.
ESC is reactivated by pressing b
again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Interactive driving system
Flex Ride
Flex Ride driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
â–  SPORT mode: press SPORT, LED
illuminates.
â–  TOUR mode: press TOUR, LED
illuminates.
â–  NORMAL mode: both SPORT and
TOUR are not pressed, no LED
illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and TOUR
mode by pressing the corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode, Flex Ride
networks the following electronic systems:
â–  Continuous Damping Control
â–  Accelerator Pedal Control
â–  Steering Control
â–  Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Driving and operating177
â–  Antilock brake system (ABS) withcornering brake control (CBC)
â–  Automatic transmission
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style:
â–  Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more stiffly to provide better contact with the road surface.
â–  The engine reacts more quickly to the accelerator pedal.
â–  Steering support is reduced.
â–  Shift points of automatic transmission occur later.
â–  With SPORT mode activated, the illumination of main instruments
changes from white to red.
TOUR mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a comfort driving style:
â–  Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more softly.
â–  Accelerator pedal reacts with standard settings.
â–  Steering support is in standard mode.
â–  Shift points of automatic transmission occur in a comfort
mode.
â–  Illumination of main instruments is white.
NORMAL mode
All settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.Drive mode control
Within each manual selected driving
mode SPORT, TOUR or NORMAL,
the Drive Mode Control (DMC)
detects and analyses continuously
the real driving characteristic,
responses by the driver, and the
active dynamic state of the vehicle. If
necessary, the control unit of DMC
automatically changes the settings
within the selected driving mode or,
when recognising greater variations,
the driving mode is changed for the
length of variation.
If, for example, NORMAL mode is selected and DMC detects a sporty
driving behaviour, DMC changes
several settings of the Normal mode
into sporty settings. The DMC
changes to SPORT mode in case of
very sporty driving behaviour.
If, for example, TOUR mode is
selected and whilst driving on a
winding road a sudden hard brake is
necessary, DMC will detect the
dynamic vehicle condition and

178Driving and operating
changes the settings for suspension
to SPORT mode to increase vehicle
stability.
When the driving characteristic or the
dynamic vehicle state returns to
former state, DMC will change the
settings to the preselected driving
mode.
Personalised settings in the
Sport mode The driver can select the functions of
the SPORT mode when SPORT is
pressed. These settings can be
changed in the Settings menu in the
Info-Display. Vehicle personalisation
3 131.
Flex Ride - VXR Version
The VXR Version of Flex Ride system works in the same way as the
standard Flex Ride system with the
difference that the modes have a
more sporty characteristic.
VXR Flex Ride driving system allows
the driver to select between three
driving modes:
â–  VXR mode: press VXR, LED
illuminates.
â–  SPORT mode: press SPORT, LED
illuminates.
â–  NORMAL mode: neither SPORT
nor VXR is pressed, no LED
illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and VXR
mode by pressing the corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode,
VXR Flex Ride networks the following
electronic systems:
â–  Continuous Damping Control
â–  Accelerator Pedal Control
â–  Steering Control
â–  Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
â–  Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC)
NORMAL mode
In NORMAL mode, when neither
SPORT nor VXR is pressed, all
settings of the systems are adapted to standard values.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style.
VXR mode
The drive dynamic characteristics are adapted to high performance
settings.
In this mode, the illumination of main instruments is switched to red.

Driving and operating193
The minimum indicated distance is
0.5 s.
If there is no vehicle ahead or the vehicle ahead is out of range, two
dashes will be displayed: -.- s.
Active Emergency Braking Active emergency braking can help to reduce the damage from crashes with vehicles and obstacles directly
ahead, when a collision can no longer be avoided either by manual braking
or by steering. Before the active
emergency braking applies, the driver
is warned by the forward collision
alert 3 189.
The feature uses various inputs (e.g.
radar sensor, brake pressure, vehicle speed) to calculate the probability ofa frontal collision.
Active emergency braking operates automatically above walking speed,
provided that Auto collision
preparation setting is not deactivated
in the vehicle personalisation menu 3 131.
The system includes: â–  brake preparation system
â–  emergency automatic braking
â–  forward looking brake assist9 Warning
This system is not intended to
replace the driver responsibility of driving the vehicle and looking
ahead. Its function is limited to
supplemental use only. The driver
shall continue to apply the brake
pedal as the driving situation
dictates.
Brake preparation system
When approaching a vehicle ahead
so quickly that a collision is likely, the brake preparation system slightly
pressurises the brakes. This reduces
the response time, when a manual or automatic braking is requested.
The brake system is prepared so that braking can occur more rapidly.
Emergency automatic braking After the brake preparation and just
before the imminent collision, this
function automatically applies limited
braking to reduce the impact speed of
the collision.
Forward looking brake assist
In addition to brake preparation
system and emergency automatic
braking, the forward looking brake
assist function makes the brake assist more sensitive. In this way,
depressing the brake pedal slightly

198Driving and operating
Deactivation
The rear parking assist automatically
switches off when reverse gear is
disengaged.
The front parking assist is deactivated
automatically at a speed above
7 mph.
Manual deactivation is possible by
pressing r or D briefly.
When the system is deactivated, the
LED in the button extinguishes.
Additionally, Park Assist Off pops-up
in the DIC when the system is
deactivated manually.
After a manual deactivation, the front
parking assist is activated again if
r or D is pressed or if reverse
gear is engaged.
Fault In the event of a fault in the system orif the system does not work due to
temporary conditions, e.g. ice
covered sensors, control indicator
r illuminates or a message is
displayed in the DIC.
Vehicle messages 3 125.
Control indicator r 3 115.
Advanced parking assist9 Warning
The driver bears full responsibility
for accepting the parking slot
suggested by the system and the
parking manoeuvre.
Always check the surrounding
area in all directions when using
advanced parking assist.
The advanced parking assist system manoeuvres the driver into a parkingslot by giving instructions in the DIC
and acoustic signals. The driver must
control acceleration, braking, steering and gear shifting.
The system uses the sensors of the
front-rear parking assist in
combination with two additional
sensors on both sides of the front and rear bumper.

200Driving and operating
The parking slot suggestion of the
system is accepted when the vehicle is stopped by the driver within
10 metres after the "Stop" message is given. The system calculates the
optimal route into the parking slot. Then it manoeuvres the driver into the
slot by giving detailed instructions.The instructions in the display show:
â–  A hint when driving faster than 18 mph.
â–  The demand to stop the vehicle, when a parking slot is detected.
â–  The direction of driving during the parking manoeuvre.
â–  The steering wheel position during parking.
â–  For some of the instructions a progress bar is shown.A successful parking manoeuvre is
indicated by the 'End position'
symbol.
Always pay attention to the sound of
the front-rear parking assist.
Continuous sound means that the
distance to an obstacle is less than
approx. 30 cm.
Changing the parking side
The system is configured to detect parking slots by default on the
passenger side. To detect parking
slots on the driver side, switch on turn
indicator to the driver side for the
duration of searching.