Driving your vehicle
30 5
• 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 the vehicle to go out of control.
• Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-
tor pedal.
Moving up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start
To move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Depress the
accelerator gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
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 or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.
Do not rev up the engine. This may
cause engine over-heating, trans-
mission damage or failure, and tire
damage.
WARNING
• Always buckle-up! In a collision,
an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when corner-
ing or turning.
• Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
• The risk of rollover is greatly
increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
• Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to reenter the roadway.
• In the event your vehicle leaves
the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
• Never exceed posted speed lim-
its.
Driving your vehicle
32 5
• The Ecoshift dual clutch transmission
gives the 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 Ecoshift dual clutch transmission.
- Think of it as an automatically shifting
manual transmission.
- Shift into Drive range and get fully
automatic shifting, similar to a con-
ventional automatic transmission.
• Ecoshift dual clutch transmission
adopts dry-type dual clutch, which is
different from torque converter of auto-
matic transmission, and shows better
acceleration performance during driv-
ing. But, initial launch might be little bit
slower than Automatic Transmission.
• The dry-type clutch transfers torque
and provides a direct driving feeling
which may feel different from a con-
ventional automatic transmission with
a torque converter. This may be more
noticeable when starting from a stop or
low vehicle speed.
• When rapidly accelerating at low vehi-
cle speed, engine could rev at high
rpm depending on vehicle drive condi-
tion.• For smooth launch uphill, press down
the accelerator pedal smoothly
depending on the current conditions.
• If you release your foot from the accel-
erator 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 Ecoshift dual
clutch transmission.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury
or death:
• ALWAYS check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, 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 position. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movement
can occur if these precautions
are not followed.
• Do not use engine braking (shift-
ing from a high gear to lower
gear) rapidly on slippery roads.
The vehicle may slip causing an
accident.
Driving your vehicle
34 5
Transmission ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
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.
The shift lever must be in P (Park) before
turning the engine off.R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.(Continued)
• Gear shifts may be more notice-
able than a conventional automat-
ic transmission. This is a normal
characteristic of this type of
EcoShift dual clutch transmis-
sion.
• During the first 1,000 miles, you
may feel that the vehicle may not
be smooth when accelerating at
low speed. During this break-in
period, the shift quality and per-
formance of your new vehicle is
continuously optimized.
• Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
• Do not put the shift lever in N
(Neutral) while driving.
WARNING
• 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) position
in place of the parking brake.
CAUTION
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R
(Reverse); you may damage the
transmission if you shift into R
(Reverse) while the vehicle is in
motion.
535
Driving your vehicle
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, provid-
ing the best fuel economy and power.
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or driving uphill depress the
accelerator pedal further until you feel
the transmission downshift to a lower
gear.
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in
motion, sports mode is selected by push-
ing the shift lever from the D (Drive) posi-
tion into the manual gate. To return to D
(Drive) range operation, push the shift
lever back into the main gate.
In sports mode, moving the shift lever
backwards and forwards will allow you to
make gearshifts rapidly.
+ (UP) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
- (DOWN) :Pull the lever backwards
once to shift down one gear.
WARNING
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 vehi-
cle and hit people or objects.
OFS050017 + (UP)
- (DOWN)Sports mode
Driving your vehicle
36 5
DS mode (Drive Sporty)
Ds mode supports the performance
mode for driver. To shift the Ds mode,
shift the transmission to Ds mode which
is center of sports mode. If you shift [+] or
[–] gear, the mode is change to sports
mode. The transmission shift is automat-
ically changed at higher engine speeds
by engine load, your driving style, vehicle
condition.
In Ds mode, while coasting downhill, the
engine does not support the vehicle to
slow down.
In Ds mode, if you control the paddle
shifter, the gear will be changed to sports
mode. If the gear is changed to D (Drive),
the gear will be changed to D (Drive)
mode.✽NOTICE
• In sports mode, the driver must exe-
cute upshifts in accordance with road
conditions, taking care to keep the
engine speed below the red zone.
• In sports mode, only the 7 forward
gears can be selected. To reverse or
park the vehicle, move the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) or P (Park) position
as required.
• In sports mode, downshifts are made
automatically when the vehicle slows
down. When the vehicle stops, 1st gear
is automatically selected.
• In sports mode, when the engine rpm
approaches the red zone shift points
are varied to upshift automatically.
• To maintain the required levels of
vehicle performance and safety, the
system may not execute certain
gearshifts when the shift lever is oper-
ated.
Paddle shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when the
shift lever is in the D position, DS mode
or the sports mode.
The paddle shifter can operate when the
vehicle speed is more than 6.2 mph
(10km/h).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear and the system
changes from D (Drive) mode or DS
mode you used to sports mode.
OFS052018N
537
Driving your vehicle
If the vehicle speed is lower than 6.2 mph
(10km/h), if you depress the accelerator
pedal for more than 7 seconds, if you
shift the shift lever from D to sport mode
and shift it from sports mode to D again
or if you hold the paddle shifter [+] lever
over 1 second, the system will change
from sports mode to D (Drive) mode or
DS mode you used.
With the shift lever in the sport mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once to
shift up or down one gear.
✽NOTICE
• If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle
shifters at the same time, you can't
shift gears.
• When you change the DS mode to
manual mode, by moving the shift
lever [+] or [-] or using the paddle
shifters, if you want to use DS mode
again, move the shift lever to D and
back to sports mode to activate DS
mode.
Shift lock system
For your safety, the EcoShift dual clutch
transmission has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transmission
from P (Park) or N (Neutral) into R
(Reverse) unless the brake pedal is
depressed.
To shift the transmission from P (Park) or
N (Neutral) into R (Reverse):
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine or turn the ignition
switch to the ON position.
3. Move the shift lever.
If the brake pedal is repeatedly
depressed and released with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position, a clicking
noise near the shift lever may be heard.
This is a normal condition.Shift-lock override
If the shift lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) or N (Neutral) position into R
(Reverse) position with the brake pedal
depressed, continue depressing the
brake, then do the following:
1. Carefully remove the cap covering the
shift-lock access hole.
2. Insert a screwdriver into the access
hole and press down on the screwdriv-
er.
3. Move the shift lever.
WARNING
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting out
of the P (Park) position into anoth-
er position to avoid inadvertent
motion of the vehicle which could
injure persons in or around the car.
OFS055016
Driving your vehicle
38 5
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position. If the ignition switch is in any
other position, the key cannot be
removed.
Good driving practices
• Never move the gear shift lever from P
(Park) or N (Neutral) to any other position
with the accelerator pedal depressed.
• Never move the gear shift lever into P
(Park) when the vehicle is in motion.
• Be sure the car is completely stopped
before you attempt to shift into R
(Reverse) or D (Drive).
• Never take the car out of gear and
coast down a hill. This may be
extremely hazardous. Always leave the
car in gear when moving.
• Do not "ride" the brakes. This can
cause them to overheat and malfunc-
tion. Instead, when you are driving
down a long hill, slow down and shift to
a lower gear. When you do this, engine
braking will help slow the car.
• When driving in sports mode, slow
down before shifting to a lower gear.
Otherwise, the lower gear may not be
engaged.
• When parking the vehicle, always
engage the parking brake. Do not
depend on shifting into 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 the vehicle to go out of control.
• Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the accelera-
tor pedal.
539
Driving your vehicle
Moving up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start
To move up a steep grade from a stand-
ing start, depress the brake pedal, shift
the shift lever to D (Drive). Depress the
accelerator gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
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 or backward as it
becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or
objects.
Do not rev up the engine. This may
cause engine over-heating, trans-
mission damage or failure, and tire
damage.
WARNING
• Always buckle-up! In a collision,
an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properly
belted occupant.
• Avoid high speeds when corner-
ing or turning.
• Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
• The risk of rollover is greatly
increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
• Loss of control often occurs if
two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to reenter the roadway.
• In the event your vehicle leaves
the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
• Never exceed posted speed lim-
its.