Driving your vehicle
4 5
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside
mirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
• Check the condition of the tires.
• Check under the vehicle for any
sign of leaks.
• Be sure there are no obstacles
behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, with the exact interval
depending on the fluid. Further
details are provided in Chapter 7,
“Maintenance”.
Before starting
• Close and lock all doors.
• Position the seat so that all con-
trols are easily reached.
• Buckle your seat belt.
• Adjust the inside and outside
rearview mirrors.
• Be sure that all lights work.
• Check all gauges.
• Check the operation of warning
lights when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position.
• Release the parking brake and
make sure the brake warning light
goes off.
For safe operation, be sure you are
familiar with your vehicle and its
equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING- Distracted
driving
Focus on the road while driving.
The driver's primary responsi-
bility is in the safe and legal
operation of the vehicle. Use of
any hand held devices, other
equipment or vehicle systems
that distract the driver should
not be used during vehicle
operation.
Driving your vehicle
6 5
Illuminated ignition switch
(if equipped)
Whenever a front door is opened, the
ignition switch will illuminate for your
convenience, provided the ignition
switch is not in the ON position. The
light will go off immediately when the
ignition switch is turned on. It will
also go off after about 30 seconds
after the door is closed.
Ignition switch position
LOCK
The steering wheel locks to protect
against theft. (If equipped)
The ignition key can be removed only
in the LOCK position. When turning
the ignition switch to the LOCK posi-
tion, push the key inward at the ACC
position and turn the key toward the
LOCK position.The anti-theft steering column lock is
not a substitute for the parking brake.
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always make sure the shift lever is
engaged in 1st gear for the manual
transaxle or P (Park) for the auto-
matic transaxle, set the parking
brake fully and shut the engine off.
KEY POSITIONS
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511
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engine with an
ignition key (if equipped)
1.Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2.Manual Transaxle -Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the
clutch pedal and brake pedal
depressed while turning the igni-
tion switch to the start position.
Automatic Transaxle / Dual
clutch transmission -Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when
the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)
position.
3.Turn the ignition switch to START
and hold it there until the engine
starts (a maximum of 10 seconds),
then release the key.
It should be started without
depressing the accelerator.
4.Do not wait for the engine to warm
up while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.)
If the engine stalls while the vehicle
is in motion, do not attempt to move
the shift lever to the P (Park) posi-
tion. If traffic and road conditions per-
mit, you may put the shift lever in the
N (Neutral) position while the vehicle
is still moving and turn the ignition
switch to the START position in an
attempt to restart the engine.
STARTING THE ENGINE
WARNING- Proper
footwear
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots, sandals, etc.) may inter-
fere with your ability to use the
brake and accelerator pedals.
CAUTION- Starter
Do not engage the starter for
more than 10 seconds. If the
engine stalls or fails to start,
wait 5 to 10 seconds before re-
engaging the starter. Improper
use of the starter may damage
it.
Driving your vehicle
12 5
Starting the engine with a
smart key (if equipped)
1.Carry the smart key or leave it
inside the vehicle.
2.Make sure the parking brake is
firmly applied
3.Place the transaxle shift lever in P
(Park).
4.Press the ENGINE START/STOP
button while depressing the brake
pedal.
5.In extremely cold weather (below
0°F / -18°C) or after the vehicle has
not been operated for several days,
let the engine warm up without
depressing the accelerator.Whether the engine is cold or warm,
it should be started without depress-
ing the accelerator.
• Even if the smart key is in the vehi-
cle, but is far away from you, the
engine may not start.
• When the ENGINE START/STOP
button is in the ACC position or
above, if any door is opened, the
system checks for the smart key. If
the smart key is not in the vehi-
cle,the
“ ” or “” indicator will
blink or the warning "Key not in
vehicle" will illuminate on the LCD
display. And if all doors are closed,
the chime will sound for 5 seconds.
The indicator or warning will turn
off while the vehicle is moving.
Always have the smart key with
you.
The engine will start only when the
smart key is in the vehicle.
KEY
OUT
WARNING- Unintended
vehicle movement
Never leave the smart key in the
vehicle with children or vehicle
occupants who are unfamiliar
with the vehicle operation.
Pushing the ENGINE START/
STOP button while the smart
key is in the vehicle may result
in unintended engine activation
and/or unintended vehicle
movement.
515
Driving your vehicle
Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed all
the way to the floor before shifting,
then released slowly. The clutch
pedal should always be fully
released while driving. Do not rest
your foot on the clutch pedal while
driving. This can cause unnecessary
wear. Do not partially engage the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an
incline. This causes unnecessary
wear. Use the foot brake or parking
brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch
pedal rapidly and repeatedly.WARNING- Manual
transaxle
Before leaving the driver's seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Do not use
the P position in place of the
parking brake.
Always make sure the shift
lever is latched in the P position
and set the parking brake fully.
Unexpected and sudden vehicle
movement can occur if these
precautions are not followed.WARNING- Using the
clutch
• Depress the clutch pedal as far
as possible. Be aware not to
apply the pedal again before it
returns to the normal position.
If the pedal is repeatedly
depressed before returning to
its normal position, the clutch
system might be damaged.
• Do not overload the vehicle.
Starting or driving a vehicle in
this situation generates too
much frictional heat to the
clutch disk which might cause
damage to the clutch cover
and disk.
• When starting the vehicle or
driving backwards, releasing
the clutch pedal too soon
after shifting the lever might
turn off the engine and lead to
an accident.
Driving your vehicle
18 5
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal when shifting from N
(Neutral) to a forward or reverse
gear.When stopped on an upgrade, do not
hold the vehicle with engine power.
Use the service brake or the parking
brake.
Transaxle ranges
The indicator light in the instrument
cluster displays the shift lever posi-
tion when the ignition switch is in the
ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the front wheels from rotating.
Shifting into P (Park) while the vehi-
cle is in motion will cause the drive
wheels to lock which will cause you
to lose control of the vehicle.R (Reverse)
Use this position to drive the vehicle
backward.
N (Neutral)
The wheels and transaxle are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
CAUTION -Transaxle
To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate the
engine in R (Reverse) or any for-
ward gear position with the
brakes on. The transaxle may be
damaged if you shift into P
(Park) while the vehicle is in
motion.
WARNING- Automatic
Transaxle
Before leaving the driver's seat,
always make sure the shift lever
is engaged in P (Park), set the
parking brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement may
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
CAUTION -Shifting
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into or out of R
(Reverse); you may damage the
transaxle if you shift into R
(Reverse) while the vehicle is in
motion, except when “Rocking
the Vehicle” explained in this
section.
519
Driving your vehicle
- Parking in N (Neutral) gear
Follow below steps when parking
and you want the vehicle to move
when pushed.
1.After parking your vehicle, step on
the brake pedal and move the shift
lever to [P] with the ignition button in
[ON] or while the engine is running.
2.If the parking brake is applied
unlock the parking brake.
3.While pressing the brake pedal,
turn the ignition button [OFF].
- For smart key equipped vehicles,
the ignition switch can be moved
to [OFF] only when the shift lever
is in [P].
4.Change the gear shift lever to [N]
(Neutral) while pressing the brake
pedal and pushing [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] button or inserting,
pressing down a tool (e.g. flathead
screw-driver) into the [SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE] access hole at the same
time. Then, the vehicle will move
when external force is applied.D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transaxle will automati-
cally shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades,
depress the accelerator fully, at
which time the transaxle will auto-
matically downshift to the next lower
gear.CAUTION
• With the exception of parking
in neutral gear, always park the
vehicle in [P] (Park) for safety
and engage the parking brake.
• Before parking in ?N?
(Neutral) gear, first make sure
the parking ground is level and
flat. Do not park in [N] gear on
any slopes or gradients.
If parked and left in [N], the
vehicle may move and cause
serious damage and injury.
Driving your vehicle
22 5
Shift-lock override
(with smart key system)
If the shift lever cannot be moved
from the P (Park) position into the R
(Reverse) position with the brake
pedal depressed, continue depress-
ing the brake, then do the following:
1. Carefully remove the cap covering
the shift-lock access hole (1).
2. Insert screwdriver into the access
hold and press down on the
screwdriver.
3. Move the shift lever.
4. Have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer immediately.
Ignition key interlock system
(if equipped)
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.
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.
• Slow down before shifting to a
lower gear. Otherwise, the lower
gear may not be engaged.
• Always use the parking brake. Do
not depend on placing the
transaxle in P (Park) to keep the
vehicle from moving.
• Optimum vehicle performance and
economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
Moving up a steep grade from a
standing start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D
(Drive). Select the appropriate gear
depending on load weight and steep-
ness of the grade, and release the
parking brake. Depress the accelera-
tor gradually while releasing the
service brakes.
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