2017 KIA Sorento Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Manual mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, manual 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 manual mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.
In contrast to a manual transaxle, the
manual mode allows gearshifts with
the accelerator pedal depressed.
Up (+) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
Down (-) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear. In manual mode, the driver must
execute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions, taking care to
keep the engine speed below the
red zone.
In manual mode, only the 6 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 manual mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehi-
cle slows down. When the vehicle
stops, 1st gear is automatically
selected.
In manual mode, when the engine rpm approaches the red zone shift
points are varied to upshift auto-
matically.
OUMA054009
Manual
mode
+ +
+ +


( (
( (
U U
U U
P P
P P
) )
) )
- -
- -


( (
( (
D D
D D
O O
O O
W W
W W
N N
N N
) )
) )

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Driving your vehicle
To maintain the required levels ofvehicle performance and safety,
the system may not execute cer-
tain gearshifts when the shift lever
is operated.
When driving on a slippery road, push the shift lever forward into the
+(up) position. This causes the
transaxle 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.Paddle shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when
the shift lever is in the D position or
the manual mode. With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter will operate when
the vehicle speed is more than
10km/h (6.2mph).
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear and the
system changes from automatic
mode to manual mode.
When the vehicle speed is lower than
10km/h (6.2mph), if you depress the
accelerator pedal for more than 5
seconds or if you shift the shift lever
from D (Drive) to manual mode and
shift it from manual mode to D (Drive)
again, the system changes from
manual mode to automatic mode.
With the shift lever in the manual 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 cannot
shift the gear.
OUM056200L

Driving your vehicle
18
5
Shift lock system
For your safety, the automatic
transaxle has a shift lock system
which prevents shifting the transaxle
from P (Park) into R (Reverse)
unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift the transaxle from P (Park)
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 chat-
tering noise near the shift lever may
be heard. It is a normal condition. 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 depress-
ing the brake, then do the following:
1.Carefully remove the cap covering
the shift-lock access hole (1).
2.Insert a screwdriver into the access hole and press down on
the screwdriver.
3.Move the shift lever.
4.Have your vehicle inspected by an authorized Kia dealer immediately.WARNING- Shifting from
park
Always fully depress the brake
pedal before and while shifting
out of the P (Park) position into
another position to avoid inad-
vertent motion of the vehicle
which could injure persons in
or around the vehicle.
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519
Driving your vehicle
Ignition key interlock system
The ignition key cannot be removed
unless the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position. Even if the ignition
switch is in the LOCK position, the
key also cannot be removed.
If your vehicle is equipped with
ENGINE START/STOP button, the
button will not change to the OFF
position unless the shift lever is in the
P (Park) position.
Good driving practices
Never move the gear shift leverfrom P (Park) to any other position
with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
Never move the gear 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.
When accelerating from a stop on
a steep hill, the vehicle may have a
tendency to roll backwards.
Shifting the shift lever into 2
(Second Gear) will help prevent
the vehicle from rolling back-
wards.

Driving your vehicle
20
5
Engine power can be delivered to all
front and rear wheels for maximum
traction. AWD is useful when extra
traction is required, such as, when
driving on slippery, muddy, wet, or
snow-covered roads. These vehicles are not designed for
challenging off-road use. Occasional
off-road use such as established
unpaved roads and trails are OK. It is
always important when traveling off-
highway that the driver carefully
reduces the speed to a level that
does not exceed the safe operating
speed for those conditions. In gener-
al, off-road conditions provide less
traction and braking effectiveness
than normal road conditions.
The driver must be especially alert to
avoid driving on slopes which tilt the
vehicle to either side.
These factors must be carefully con-
sidered when driving off-road.
Keeping the vehicle in contact with
the driving surface and under control
in these conditions is always the dri-
ver's responsibility for the safety of
him/herself and his or her passen-
gers.
* AWD : All Wheel Drive
FWD : Front Wheel Drive
ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) (IF EQUIPPED)
OUMA054049
OUMA054010
■Type A
■Type B

521
Driving your vehicle
If the AWD system warning light
( ) illuminates, this indicates that
there is a malfunction in the AWD
system.
If this occurs, have your vehicle
checked by an authorized Kia dealer
as soon as possible.
Tight corner brake effect
Tight corner brake effect is a unique
characteristic of all wheel drive vehi-
cles caused by the difference in tire
rotation of the four wheels and the
zero-degree alignment of the front
wheels and suspension.
Sharp turns at low speeds should be
carried out with caution.WARNING - Off roaddriving
Do not attempt to operate your
vehicle under extreme or chal-
lenging off road driving condi-
tions. Although this vehicle has
off-road capabilities, it was not
designed to be driven off road.

Driving your vehicle
22
5
This mode is used for climbing or descending sharp grades,
off-road driving, driving on sandy and muddy roads, etc., to
maximize traction.
This mode automatically begins to deactivate at speeds above 30 km/h (19 mph) and is shifted to AWD AUTO mode
at speeds above 40 km/h (25 mph). If the vehicle decelerates
to speeds below approximate 40 km/h (25 mph), however,
the transfer mode is shifted into AWD LOCK mode again.
AWD AUTO
(AWD LOCK is
deactivated) (Indicator light is
not illuminated)
All Wheel Drive (AWD) transfer mode selection
Transfer mode Selection button Indicator light Description
When driving in AWD AUTO mode, the vehicle operates sim-
ilar to conventional FWD vehicles under normal operating
conditions. However, if the system determines that there is a
need for the AWD mode, the engine’s driving power is dis-
tributed to all four wheels automatically without driver inter-
vention.
When driving on normal roads and pavement, the vehicle moves similar to conventional FWD vehicles.
AWD LOCK (Indicator light isilluminated)
When the AWD LOCK mode is deactivated, a shock may be felt as the drive power is delivered entirely to the front
wheels. This shock is not a mechanical failure.
CAUTION- Normal road conditions
Do not drive on normal roads for prolonged periods of time with your vehicle locked in the AWD mode.Driving on normal road with AWD LOCK Mode (especially, when cornering) may cause mechanical noise orvibration which may damage your power train.

523
Driving your vehicle
For safe all wheel drive opera-
tion
Do not try to drive in deep standingwater or mud since such conditions
can stall your engine and clog your
exhaust pipes. Do not drive down
steep hills since it requires extreme
skill to maintain control of the vehi-
cle.
When you are driving up or downhills; drive as straight as possible.
Use extreme caution going up or
down steep hills, the grade, terrain
and water/mud conditions may
cause the vehicle to flip.
HILL1HILL2
WARNING- Hills
Proceed with extreme caution
when driving down steep hills.
A slight change in the wheel
angle can destabilize the vehi-
cle. This can cause your vehicle
to suddenly roll without warn-
ing and without time for you to
regain control of your vehicle.