2008 Subaru Legacy Owner's Manual - Page 257

7-16 Starting and operating 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 labor. . 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. . The engine may, on rare occasions, knock when the vehicle rapidly accelerates or rapidly pulls away from a standstill. This phenomenon does not indicate a malfunction. . A slight reduction in output torque may occur in the models with a 2.5-liter turbo engine before the engine warms up. Manual transmission - 6 speeds (2.5GT spec.B) WARNING Do not drive the vehicle with the clutch disengaged (i.e., when the clutch pedal is depressed) or with the shift lever in the neutral position. Engine braking has no effect in either of these conditions and the risk of an accident is consequently increased. lever knob. & Selecting reverse gear CAUTION Shift into reverse ONLY when the vehicle has completely stopped. It may cause damage to the transmission to try shifting into reverse when the vehicle is moving. 1) Slider The manual transmission is a fully synchromeshed, 6-forward-speed and 1-reverse-speed transmission. The shift pattern is shown on the shift You must raise the slider and hold it in that position before you can move the shift lever to the "R" position. To change gears, fully depress the clutch pedal, move the shift lever, and gradually