2016 Hyundai Sonata Owner's Manual

5-19
Driving your vehicle
The Dual Clutch Transmission givesthe driving feel of a manual trans-
mission, yet provides the ease of a
fully automatic transmission. Unlike
a traditional automatic transmission,
the gear shifting can be felt (and
heard) on the dual clutch transmis-
sion
- Think of it as an automaticallyshifting manual transmission.
- Shift into Drive range and get fully automatic shifting, similar to a
conventional automatic transmis-
sion.
Dual clutch transmission adopts dry-type dual clutch, which is differ-
ent from torque converter of auto-
matic transmission, and shows bet-
ter acceleration performance dur-
ing driving. But, initial launch might
be little bit slower than Automatic
Transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers torque and provides a direct driv-
ing feeling which may feel different
from a conventional automatic
transmission with a torque convert-
er. This may be more noticeable
when starting from a stop or low
vehicle speed. When rapidly accelerating at low
vehicle speed, engine could rev at
high rpm depending on vehicle
drive condition.
For smooth launch uphill, press down the accelerator pedal
smoothly depending on the current
conditions.
If you release your foot from the accelerator pedal at low vehicle
speed, you may feel strong engine
brake, which is similar to manual
transmission.
When driving downhill, you may use Sports Mode and press the
paddle shifters to downshift to a
lower gear in order to control your
speed without using the brake
pedal excessively.
When you turn the engine on and off, you may hear clicking sounds
as the system goes through a self
test. This is a normal sound for the
Dual Clutch Transmission.
5
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-
ing areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle into
D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position, then set the parking
brake, and place the ignition
switch in the LOCK/OFF posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if these precautions are not
followed.
Do not use engine braking
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip causing an accident.
WARNING

5-20
To hold the vehicle on a hill usethe foot brake or the parking
brake. If the vehicle is held by
applying the accelerator pedal
on a hill the clutch and trans-
mission will be overheated
resulting in damage.
At this time, a warning message
will appear on the LCD display
and you may feel a vibration.
(Continued)(Continued)
If the clutch becomes overheat-
ed by excessive use of the
clutch to hold on a hill, you may
notice a shudder feeling and a
blinking display on the instru-
ment cluster. When this occurs,
the clutch is disabled until the
clutch cools to normal tempera-
tures. If this occurs, pull over to
a safe location, shift into P
(Park) and apply the foot brake
for a few minutes.
If the LCD warning is active, the foot brake must be applied.
Ignoring the warnings can lead to damage to the transmission.
If the display continues to blink, for your safety, contact an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer and
have the system checked.
(Continued)(Continued)
Under certain conditions such
as repeated launch on steep
grades, the clutch in the trans-
mission could overheat. When
the clutch is overheated, the
safe protection mode engages. If
the safe protection mode
engages, the gear position indi-
cator on the cluster blinks with a
chime sound. At this time, a
warning message will appear on
the LCD display and driving may
not be smooth.
(Continued)
NOTICE
Driving your vehicle
OLF054455NOLF054456N/OLF054457N

5-21
Driving your vehicle
(Continued)If you ignore this warning, the
driving condition may become
worse. To return the normal driv-
ing condition, stop the vehicle
and apply the foot brake for a
few minutes before driving off.
Gear shifts may be more notice- able than a conventional auto-
matic transmission. This is a
normal characteristic of this
type of dual clutch transmis-
sion.
Always come to a complete stop before shifting into D (Drive) or
R (Reverse). The indicator in the instrument clus-
ter displays the shift lever position
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park).
To shift from P (Park), you must
depress firmly on the brake pedal
and make sure your foot is off the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot shift the lever out of P
(Park), see “Shift-Lock Override” on
page 5-25.
The shift lever must be in P (Park)
before turning the engine off.
5
Shifting into P (Park) while the
vehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
After the vehicle has stopped,
always make sure the shift
lever is in P (Park), apply the
parking brake, and turn the
engine off.
Do not use the P (Park) posi-
tion in place of the parking
brake.
WARNING

5-22
R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transmission are not
engaged.
Use N (Neutral) if you need to restart
a stalled engine, or if it is necessary
to stop with the engine ON. Shift into
P (Park) if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason.
Always depress the brake pedal
when you are shifting from N
(Neutral) to another gear.
D (Drive)
This is the normal driving position.
The transmission will automatically
shift through a seven-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or driving uphill depress
the accelerator pedal further until
you feel the transmission downshift
to a lower gear.
The DRIVE MODE switch, located
on the shift lever console, allows the
driver to switch from NORMAL mode
to SPORT or ECO mode.
For more information, refer to
"Drive Mode Integrated Control
System" later in this chapter.
Driving your vehicleAlways come to a complete
stop before shifting into or out
of R (Reverse); you may dam-
age the transmission if you shift
into R (Reverse) while the vehi-
cle is in motion.
CAUTION
Do not shift into gear unless
your foot is firmly on the brake
pedal. Shifting into gear when
the engine is running at high
speed can cause the vehicle to
move very rapidly. You could
lose control of the vehicle and
hit people or objects.
WARNING

5-23
Driving your vehicle
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, sports mode is selected by
pushing the shift lever from the D
(Drive) position into the manual gate.
To return to D (Drive) range opera-
tion, push the shift lever back into the
main gate.In Sports Mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to select the desired range
of gears for the current driving condi-
tions.
+ (Up) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
- (Down) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear.
Information
• Only the seven forward gears can beselected. To reverse or park the
vehicle, move the shift lever to the R
(Reverse) or P (Park) position as
required.
• Downshifts are made automatically when the vehicle slows down. When
the vehicle stops, 1st gear is auto-
matically selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches the red zone the transmission will
upshift automatically.
(Continued)(Continued)
• If the driver presses the lever to
+ (Up) or - (Down) position, the
transmission may not make the
requested gear change if the next
gear is outside of the allowable
engine rpm range. The driver must
execute upshifts in accordance with
road conditions, taking care to keep
the engine rpms below the red zone.
• When accelerating from a stop on a slippery road, push the shift lever
forward into the + (Up) position.
This allows the transmission to shift
into the 2nd gear which is better for
smooth driving on a slippery road.
Push the shift lever to the - (Down)
side to shift back to the 1st gear.
i
5
OLF054013
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)

5-24
Driving your vehicle
Paddle Shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when
the shift lever is in the D (Drive) posi-
tion or Sports Mode.
With the shift lever in the D posi-
tion
The paddle shifter will operate when
the vehicle speed is more than
6 mph (10 km/h).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear and the
system changes from automatic
mode to manual mode.
The system changes from manual
mode to automatic mode:
When the vehicle speed is lowerthan 6 mph (10 km/h)
If you depress the accelerator pedal for more than 5 seconds
If you move the shift lever from Sports Mode to D (Drive)
With the shift lever in the sports
mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear.
Information
If the [+] and [-] paddle shifters are
pulled at the same time, gear change
may not occur.
i
OLF054014N

5-25
Driving your vehicle
5
Shift-Lock System
For your safety, the automatic trans-
mission has a shift-lock system
which prevents shifting the transmis-
sion from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transmission from P
(Park) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or place the igni-tion switch in the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
Shift-Lock Override
If the shift lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) position into R (Reverse)
position with the brake pedal
depressed, continue depressing the
brake, and then do the following:
1. Place the ignition switch in the LOCK/OFF position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Carefully remove the cap (1) cov- ering the shift-lock override
access hole.
4. Insert a tool (e.g. flathead screw- driver) into the access hole and
press down on the tool. 5. Move the shift lever.
6. Remove the tool from the shift-
lock override access hole then
install the cap.
If you need to use the shift-lock over-
ride, have your vehicle inspected by
an authorized HYUNDAI dealer
immediately.
OLF054015N

5-26
Driving your vehicle
Parking
Always come to a complete stop and
continue to depress the brake pedal.
Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position, apply the parking brake,
and place the ignition switch in the
LOCK/OFF position. Take the Key
with you when exiting the vehicle.
Good Driving Practices
Never move the shift lever from P(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other
position with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the shift lever into P (Park) when the vehicle is in
motion.
Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you attempt to shift
into R (Reverse) or D (Drive).
Do not move the shift lever to N (Neutral) when driving. Doing so
may result in an accident because
of a loss of engine braking and the
transmission could be damaged.
Do not drive with your foot resting on the brake pedal. Even light, but
consistent pedal pressure can
result in the brakes overheating,
brake wear and possibly even
brake failure.
Depressing both accelerator and brake pedals at the same time can
trigger logic for engine power
reduction to assure vehicle decel-
eration. Vehicle acceleration will
resume after the brake pedal is
released. When driving in Sports Mode, slow
down before shifting to a lower
gear. Otherwise, the lower gear
may not be engaged if the engine
rpms are outside of the allowable
range.
Always apply the parking brake when leaving the vehicle. Do not
depend on placing the transmis-
sion in P (Park) to keep the vehicle
from moving.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be
especially careful when braking,
accelerating or shifting gears. On a
slippery surface, an abrupt change
in vehicle speed can cause the
drive wheels to lose traction and
may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator.
When you stay in the vehicle
with the engine running, be
careful not to depress the accel-
erator pedal for a long period of
time. The engine or exhaust
system may overheat and start
a fire.
The exhaust gas and the
exhaust system are very hot.
Keep away from the exhaust
system components.
Do not stop or park over flam-
mable materials, such as dry
grass, paper or leaves. They
may ignite and cause a fire.
WARNING