
547
Driving your vehicle
E170600AHME110200AAM-EU
Rocking the vehicle
If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to free
it from snow, sand, or mud, first turn the
steering wheel right and left to clear the
area around your front wheels. Then, shift
back and forth between 1st (First) and R
(Reverse) in vehicles equipped with a
manual transaxle or R (Reverse) and any
forward gear in vehicles equipped with an
automatic transaxle. Do not race the
engine, and spin the wheels as little as
possible. If you are still stuck after a few
tries, have the vehicle pulled out by a tow
vehicle to avoid engine overheating and
possible damage to the transaxle.
CAUTION
Prolonged rocking may cause
engine overheating, transaxle dam- age or failure, and tire damage.
WARNING
Your vehicle is equipped with tires
designed to provide safe ride and
handling capability. Do not use a
size and type of tire and wheel that
is different from the one that is
originally installed on your vehicle.
It can affect the safety and perform-
ance of your vehicle, which could
lead to steering failure or rollover
and serious injury. When replacing
the tires, be sure to equip all four
tires with the tire and wheel of the
same size, type, tread, brand and
load-carrying capacity. If you never-
theless decide to equip your vehi-
cle with any tire/wheel combination
not recommended by Kia for off
road driving, you should not use
these tires for highway driving.
WARNING - Rollover
As with other Sports Utility Vehicle
(SUV), failure to operate this vehi-
cle correctly may result in loss of
control, an accident or vehicle
rollover.
Utility vehicles have a significant- ly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles.
Specific design characteristics (higher ground clearance, nar-
rower track, etc.) give this vehicle
a higher center of gravity than
ordinary vehicles.
A SUV is not designed for corner- ing at the same speeds as con-
ventional vehicles.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more like-
ly to die than a person wearing a
seat belt. Make sure everyone in
the vehicle is properly buckled
up.

Driving your vehicle
48
5
✽
✽
NOTICE
The ESC system (if equipped) should be
turned OFF prior to rocking the vehicle.
E110300AUN
Smooth cornering
Avoid braking or gear changing in cor-
ners, especially when roads are wet.
Ideally, corners should always be taken
under gentle acceleration. If you follow
these suggestions, tire wear will be held
to a minimum.
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Driving at night
Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight, here
are some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as it
may be more difficult to see at night,
especially in areas where there may
not be any street lights.
WARNING- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially
at speeds more than 56 km/h (35
mph). Spinning the wheels at high
speeds when the vehicle is station-
ary could cause a tire to overheat
which could result in tire damage
that may injure bystanders.
OUN056051OCM053010
WARNING
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you
may attempt to rock the vehicle free
by moving it forward and backward.
Do not attempt this procedure if
people or objects are anywhere
near the vehicle. During the rocking
operation the vehicle may suddenly
move forward of backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.

549
Driving your vehicle
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glarefrom other driver's headlights.
Keep your headlights clean and prop- erly aimed on vehicles not equipped
with the automatic headlight aiming
feature. Dirty or improperly aimed
headlights will make it much more diffi-
cult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. You could be
temporarily blinded, and it will take
several seconds for your eyes to read-
just to the darkness.
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Driving in the rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not pre-
pared for the slick pavement. Here are a
few things to consider when driving in the
rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harder tosee and will increase the distance
needed to stop your vehicle, so slow
down.
Keep your windshield wiping equip- ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield. If your tires are not in good condition,
making a quick stop on wet pavement
can cause a skid and possibly lead to
an accident. Be sure your tires are in
good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it eas- ier for others to see you.
Driving too fast through large puddles can affect your brakes. If you must go
through puddles, try to drive through
them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking oper-
ation returns.E110600AUN
Driving in flooded areas
Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
1VQA3003

Driving your vehicle
50
5
E110700AHM
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires which
may result in reduced traction or tire fail-
ure.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tire inflation
pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both the engine coolant and
engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check tires for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tire pressures, refer to “Tires
and wheels” in section 8.
Driving on tires with no or insuffi- cient tread is dangerous. Worn-
out tires can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, injury,
and even death. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible and should never be
used for driving. Always check
the tire tread before driving your
car. For further information and
tread limits, refer to “Tires and
wheels” in section 7.

551
Driving your vehicle
WINTER DRIVING
E120000ASA
Severe weather conditions in the winter
result in greater wear and other prob-
lems. To minimize the problems of winter
driving, you should follow these sugges-
tions:
E120100AUN
Snowy or icy conditions
To drive your vehicle in deep snow, it may
be necessary to use snow tires on your
tires. If snow tires are needed, it is nec-
essary to select tires equivalent in size
and type of the original equipment tires.
Failure to do so may adversely affect the
safety and handling of your vehicle.
Furthermore, speeding, rapid accelera-
tion, sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns are potentially very haz-
ardous practices.
During deceleration, use engine braking
to the fullest extent. Sudden brake appli-
cations on snowy or icy roads may cause
skids to occur. You need to keep suffi-
cient distance between the vehicle in
operation in front and your vehicle. Also,
apply the brake gently.
E120101AUN
Snow tires
If you mount snow tires on your vehicle,
make sure they are radial tires of the
same size and load range as the original
tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels
to balance your vehicle’s handling in all
weather conditions. Keep in mind that the
traction provided by snow tires on dry
roads may not be as high as your vehi-
cle's original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for max-
imum speed recommendations.
Do not install studded tires without firstchecking local, state and municipal regu-lations for possible restrictions againsttheir use.
WARNING- Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent in
size and type to the vehicle's stan-
dard tires. Otherwise, the safety
and handling of your vehicle may
be adversely affected.
1VQA3005

553
Driving your vehicle
E120800AAM
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged position.
This is most likely 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 the parking
brake may freeze, apply it only temporar-
ily while you put the gear shift lever in P
(Park, automatic transaxle) or in first or
reverse gear (manual transaxle) and
block the rear wheels so the vehicle can-
not roll. Then release the parking brake.
E120900AHM
Don't let ice and snow accumu-
late underneath
Under some conditions, snow and ice
can build up under the fenders and inter-
fere with the steering. When driving in
severe winter conditions where this may
happen, you should periodically check
underneath the vehicle to be sure the
movement of the front wheels and the
steering components are not obstructed.
.E121000ASA
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the weath-
er, you should carry appropriate emer-
gency equipment. Some of the items you
may want to carry include, tow straps or
chains, flashlight, emergency flares,
sand, shovel, jumper cables, window
scraper, gloves, ground cloth, coveralls,
blanket, etc.

Driving your vehicle
54
5
E140000AFD
If you are considering towing with your
vehicle, you should first check with your
country's Department of Motor Vehicles
to determine their legal requirements.
Since laws vary the requirements for tow-
ing trailers, cars, or other types of vehi-
cles or apparatus may differ. Ask an
authorized Kia dealer for further details
before towing.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To identify
what the vehicle trailering capacity is for
your vehicle, you should read the infor-
mation in “Weight of the trailer” that
appears later in this section.Remember that trailering is different than
just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling,
durability, and fuel economy. Successful,
safe trailering requires correct equip-
ment, and it has to be used properly.
This section contains many time-tested,
important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your
safety and that of your passengers.
Please read this section carefully before
you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transaxle, wheel assemblies, and
tires are forced to work harder against
the load of the added weight. The engine
is required to operate at relatively higher
speeds and under greater loads. This
additional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing the pulling
requirements.
TRAILER TOWING
CAUTION
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result incostly repairs not covered by yourwarranty. To pull a trailer correctly, follow the advice in this section.WARNING- Towing a trail- er
If you don't use the correct equip-
ment and/or drive improperly, you
can lose control when you pull a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is
too heavy, the brakes may not work
well - or even at all. You and your
passengers could be seriously or
fatally injured. Pull a trailer only if
you have followed all the steps in
this section.
WARNING- Weight limits
Before towing, make sure the total
trailer weight, GCW (gross combi-
nation weight), GVW (gross vehicle
weight), GAW (gross axle weight)
and trailer tongue load are all with-
in the limits.

Driving your vehicle
56
5
E140400AUN
Driving with a trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting out
for the open road, you must get to know
your trailer. Acquaint yourself with the
feel of handling and braking with the
added weight of the trailer. And always
keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now a good deal longer and not
nearly so responsive as your vehicle is
by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch
and platform, safety chains, electrical
connector(s), lights, tires and mirror
adjustment. If the trailer has electric
brakes, start your vehicle and trailer mov-
ing and then apply the trailer brake con-
troller by hand to be sure the brakes are
working. This lets you check your electri-
cal connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally to be
sure that the load is secure, and that the
lights and any trailer brakes are still work-
ing.
E140401AUN
Following distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehi-
cle ahead as you would when driving
your vehicle without a trailer. This can
help you avoid situations that require
heavy braking and sudden turns.
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Passing
You’ll need more passing distance up
ahead when you’re towing a trailer. And,
because of the increased vehicle length,
you’ll need to go much farther beyond the
passed vehicle before you can return to
your lane. Due to the added load to the
engine when going uphill the vehicle may
also take longer to pass than it would on
flat ground.
E140403AUN
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, just move your hand to the left.
To move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly
and, if possible, have someone guide
you.
E140404AUN
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects near
the edge of the road. Avoid jerky or sud-
den maneuvers. Signal well in advance
before turning or lane changes.