2013 KIA Soul Owner's Manual

535
Driving your vehicle
Good braking practices
Check to be sure the parking brakeis not engaged and the parking
brake indicator light is out before
driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the vehicle is washed. Wet
brakes can be dangerous! Your
vehicle will not stop as quickly if the
brakes are wet. Wet brakes may
cause the vehicle to pull to one
side.
To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action
returns to normal, taking care to
keep the vehicle under control at
all times. If the braking action does
not return to normal, stop as soon
as it is safe to do so and call an
authorized Kia dealer for assis-
tance. Don't coast down hills with the
vehicle out of gear. This is extreme-
ly hazardous. Keep the vehicle in
gear at all times, use the brakes to
slow down, then shift to a lower
gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. Resting your foot on the brake
pedal while driving can be danger-
ous because the brakes might
overheat and lose their effective-
ness. It also increases the wear of
the brake components.
If a tire goes flat while you are driv- ing, apply the brakes gently and
keep the vehicle pointed straight
ahead while you slow down. When
you are moving slowly enough for it
to be safe to do so, pull off the road
and stop in a safe place.WARNING - Tire/wheelsizes
When replacing tires and
wheels, make sure they are the
same size as the original tires
and wheels installed. Driving
with varying tire or wheel sizes
may diminish any supplemental
safety benefits of the VSM sys-
tem.

Driving your vehicle
36
5
If your vehicle is equipped with an
automatic transaxle, don't let your
vehicle creep forward. To avoid
creeping forward, keep your foot
firmly on the brake pedal when the
vehicle is stopped.
Be cautious when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake
and place the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transaxle) or in first or
reverse gear (manual transaxle). If
your vehicle is facing downhill, turn
the front wheels into the curb to
help keep the vehicle from rolling. If
your vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb to help keep the vehicle from
rolling. If there is no curb or if it is
required by other conditions to
keep the vehicle from rolling, block
the wheels. Under some conditions your park-
ing brake can freeze in the
engaged position. This is most like-
ly to happen when there is an
accumulation of snow or ice
around or near the rear brakes or if
the brakes are wet. If there is a risk
that the parking brake may freeze,
apply it only temporarily while you
put the shift lever in P (automatic
transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual transaxle) and block the
rear wheels so the vehicle cannot
roll. Then release the parking
brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade with the accelerator
pedal. This can cause the transaxle
to overheat. Always use the brake
pedal or parking brake.

537
Driving your vehicle
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
The cruise control system allows you
to program the vehicle to maintain a
constant speed without pressing the
accelerator pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 40 km/h (25
mph).
If the cruise control is left on(CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminated), the
cruise control can be switched on
accidentally. Keep the cruise con-
trol system off (CRUISE indicator
light OFF) when the cruise control
is not in use, to avoid inadvertently
setting a speed.
Use the cruise control system only when traveling on open highways
in good weather.
Do not use the cruise control when driving in heavy or varying traffic,
or on slippery (rainy, icy or snow-
covered) or winding roads or over
6% up-hill or down-hill roads.✽ ✽ NOTICE
During normal cruise control opera-
tion, when the SET switch is activat-
ed or reactivated after applying the
brakes, the cruise control will ener-
gize after approximately 3 seconds.
The delay is normal.
To set cruise control speed:
1. Push the CRUISE ON-OFF button
on the steering wheel, to turn the
system on. The CRUISE indicator
light in the instrument cluster will
illuminate.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed, which must be more than 40 km/h
(25 mph).
OAM059010L
WARNING - Misuse
cruise control
Do not use cruise control if the
traffic situation does not allow
you to drive safely at a constant
speed and with sufficient dis-
tance to the vehicle in front.

Driving your vehicle
38
5
3. Push the SET - switch, and
release it at the desired speed.
The SET indicator light in the
instrument cluster will illuminate.
Release the accelerator at the
same time. The desired speed will
automatically be maintained.
On a steep grade, the vehicle mayslow down or speed up slightly whilegoing downhill.
To increase cruise control set
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Push the RES + switch and hold it. Your vehicle will accelerate. Release
the switch at the speed you want.
Push the RES + switch and release it immediately. The cruising speed
will increase by 1.6 km/h (1.0 mph)
each time the RES + switch is oper-
ated in this manner.
To decrease the cruising
speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Push the SET - switch and hold it.
Your vehicle will gradually slow
down. Release the switch at the
speed you want to maintain.
Push the SET - switch and release it immediately. The cruising speed
will decrease by 1.6 km/h (1.0
mph) each time the SET - switch is
operated in this manner.
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539
Driving your vehicle
To temporarily accelerate with
the cruise control on:
If you want to speed up temporarily
when the cruise control is on,
depress the accelerator pedal.
Increased speed will not interfere
with cruise control operation or
change the set speed.
To return to the set speed, take your
foot off the accelerator.
To cancel cruise control, do
one of the following:
Press the brake pedal.
Press the clutch pedal with a man-ual transaxle.
Shift into N (Neutral) with an auto- matic transaxle.
Push the CANCEL switch located on the steering wheel.
Decrease the vehicle speed lower than the memory speed by 20
km/h (12 mph).
Decrease the vehicle speed to less than approximately 40 km/h (25
mph).
Each of these actions will cancelcruise control operation (the SETindicator light in the instrument clus-ter will go off), but it will not turn thesystem off. If you wish to resumecruise control operation, push theRES + switch located on your steer-ing wheel. You will return to your pre-viously preset speed.
OAM059014L

Driving your vehicle
40
5
To resume cruising speed at
more than approximately 40
km/h (25 mph):
If any method other than the
CRUISE ON-OFF switch was used
to cancel cruising speed and the sys-
tem is still activated, the most recent
set speed will automatically resume
when the RES + switch is pushed.
It will not resume, however, if the
vehicle speed has dropped below
approximately 40 km/h (25 mph).
To turn cruise control off, do
one of the following:
Push the CRUISE ON-OFF button
(the CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster will go off).
Turn the ignition off.
Both of these actions will cancel the cruise control operation. If you wantto resume the cruise control opera-tion, repeat the steps provided in “Toset cruise control speed” on the pre-vious page.
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541
Driving your vehicle
Active ECO operation
Active ECO helps improve fuel effi-
ciency by controlling certain engine
and transaxle system operating
parameters. Fuel efficiency depends
on the driver's driving habit and road
condition. When the Active ECO button is
pressed the ECO indicator (green)
will illuminate to show that the
Active ECO is operating.
When the Active ECO is activated, it will remain on until the Active
ECO button is pressed again.
Active ECO does not turn off when
the engine is restarted. To turn off
Active ECO, press the Active ECO
button again.
If Active ECO is turned off, the sys- tem will return to the normal mode.
Limitation of Active ECO oper-
ation:
If the following conditions occur while
Active ECO is operating, the system
operation is limited even though
there is no change in the ECO indi-
cator.
When the coolant temperature islow: The system will be limited until
engine performance becomes nor-
mal.
When driving up a hill: The system will be limited to gain power when
driving uphill because the engine
torque is restricted.
When using sports mode: The sys- tem will be limited according to the
shift location.
When the accelerator pedal is deeply pressed for a few seconds:
The system will be limited, judging
that the driver wants to speed up.
ACTIVE ECO SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
OAM052062
OAM052061L
■ Type A
■Type B

Driving your vehicle
42
5
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many miles (kilometers) you can get
from a gallon (liter) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a
moderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos-
sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear. Drive at a moderate speed. The
faster you drive the more fuel your
vehicle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, in the highest gear appro-
priate for the conditions, especially
on the highway, is one of the most
effective ways to reduce fuel con-
sumption.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This can increase fuel consumption and
also increase wear on these com-
ponents. In addition, driving with
your foot resting on the brake pedal
may cause the brakes to overheat,
which reduces their effectiveness
and may lead to more serious con-
sequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month. Be sure that the wheels are
aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption.
Keep your vehicle in good condi- tion. For better fuel economy and
reduced maintenance costs, main-
tain your vehicle in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in
section 7. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see sec-
tion 7 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to
corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unneces- sary weight in your vehicle. Weight
reduces fuel economy.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION