
5-13
Driving your vehicle
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 8-gear sequence, pro-
viding 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, ECO or SNOW mode.
When driving in ice or snow condi-
tions, it is recommended you switch
to SNOW mode. Press the DRIVE
MODE switch for 2~3 seconds until
"SNOW" displays in the center of the
instrument cluster. To cancel SNOW
mode, press the DRIVE MODE
switch one time to select NORMAL
mode.
For more information, refer to
"Drive Mode Integrated Control
System" later in this chapter.
5
Always 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

5-17
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 Engine Start/Stop but-
ton in the 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. Also, 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 Manual mode with
the paddle shifter, 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.
Do not use engine braking (shifting
from a high gear to lower gear) rap-
idly on slippery roads. The vehicle
may slip causing an accident.
5
When you stay in the vehicle
with the engine running, be
careful not to depress the
accelerator 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

5-18
✽ ✽
NOTICE - Kickdown
Mechanism
Use the kickdown mechanism for
maximum acceleration. Depress the
accelerator pedal beyond the pres-
sure point. The automatic transmis-
sion will shift to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
Driving your vehicle
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
ALWAYS wear your seatbelt.
In a collision, an unbelted
occupant is significantly more
likely to be seriously injured
or killed than a properly belt-
ed occupant.
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering 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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Genesis Branded Vehicle rec-
ommends you follow all post-
ed speed limits.
WARNING

5-28
Driving your vehicle
When driving in Manual mode with
the paddle shifter, 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 using the paddle shifter
(manual mode), do not use engine
braking (shifting from a high gear
to lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip caus-
ing an accident.
✽ ✽
NOTICE - Kickdown
Mechanism
Use the kickdown mechanism for
maximum acceleration. Depress the
accelerator pedal beyond the pres-
sure point. The automatic transmis-
sion will shift to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
ALWAYS wear your seatbelt.
In a collision, an unbelted
occupant is significantly more
likely to be seriously injured
or killed than a properly belt-
ed occupant.
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering 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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Genesis Branded Vehicle rec-
ommends you follow all post-
ed speed limits.
WARNING

5-29
Driving your vehicle
5
Using All Wheel Drive (AWD)
The All Wheel Drive (AWD) System
delivers engine power to 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-cov-
ered roads.
If the system determines there is a
need for four wheel drive, the
engine's driving power is distributed
to all four wheels automatically.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• Do not drive in water if the level is
higher than the bottom of the vehi-
cle.
• Shorten your scheduled mainte-
nance interval if you drive in off-
road conditions such as sand, mud
or water (see "Maintenance Under
Severe Usage Conditions" in chap-
ter 7).
• Make sure that an AWD vehicle is
towed by flatbed tow truck.
A AL
LL
L
W
WH
HE
EE
EL
L
D
DR
RI
IV
VE
E
(
(A
AW
WD
D)
)
(
(I
IF
F
E
EQ
QU
UI
IP
PP
PE
ED
D)
)
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH:
Do not drive in conditions that
exceed the vehicles intended
design such as challenging
off-road conditions.
Avoid high speeds when cor-
nering or turning.
Do not make quick steering
wheel movements, such as
sharp lane changes or fast,
sharp turns.
The risk of a rollover is great-
ly increased if you lose con-
trol 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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
In the event your vehicle
leaves the roadway, do not
steer sharply. Instead, slow
down before pulling back into
the travel lanes.
Always drive safely and use
caution when driving an AWD
vehicle.
WARNING
If the AWD warning light ( )
stays on the instrument cluster,
your vehicle may have a mal-
function with the AWD system.
When the AWD warning light
( ) illuminates have your
vehicle checked by an author-
ized retailer of Genesis Branded
products as soon as possible.
WARNING

5-30
Driving your vehicle
For safe AWD operation
Before driving
Make sure all passengers are
wearing seat belts.
Sit upright and adjust the steering
wheel to a position comfortable for
you to drive.
Driving on snow-covered or icy
roads
Start off slowly by applying the
accelerator pedal gently.
Use of snow tires is recommended.
For more information on Snow
Tires refer to "Winter Driving" in
this chapter.
Keep sufficient distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
When approaching a stop sign or
stop light, release the accelerator
pedal to provide engine braking
during deceleration.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent skids.
Driving in sand or mud
Maintain slow and constant speed.
Keep sufficient distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle in front
of you.
Reduce vehicle speed and always
check the road condition.
Avoid speeding, rapid acceleration,
sudden brake applications, and
sharp turns to prevent getting
stuck.
Driving up or down hills
Driving uphill
- Before starting off, check if it is
possible to drive uphill.
- Drive as straight as possible.
Driving downhill
- Do not change gear while driving
downhill. Select gear before driv-
ing downhill.
- Drive slowly and select Manual
Shift Mode to provide engine
braking while driving downhill.
- Drive straight as possible.
When the vehicle is stuck in
snow, sand or mud, avoid run-
ning the engine continuously at
high rpm, doing so may damage
the tires, transmission, differen-
tial or AWD system.
CAUTION
Exercise extreme caution driv-
ing up or down steep hills. The
vehicle may flip depending on
the grade, terrain and water/
mud conditions.
WARNING

5-32
Driving your vehicle
An AWD vehicle should not be tested
on a 2WD roll tester. If a 2WD roll
tester must be used, perform the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Check the tire pressures recom-
mended for your vehicle.
2. Place the rear wheels on the roll
tester for a speedometer test as
shown in the illustration.
3. Release the parking brake.
4. Place the front wheels on the tem-
porary free roller as shown in the
illustration.
ODH057141N
Roll Tester (Speedometer)
Temporary Free Roller
Keep away from the front of the
vehicle while the vehicle is in
gear on the dynamometer. The
vehicle can jump forward and
cause serious injury or death.
WARNING

5-46
Driving your vehicle
ABS is an electronic braking system
that helps prevent a braking skid.
ABS allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time.
Using ABS
To obtain the maximum benefit from
your ABS in an emergency situation,
do not attempt to modulate your
brake pressure and do not try to
pump your brakes. Depress your
brake pedal as hard as possible.
When you apply your brakes under
conditions which may lock the
wheels, you may hear sounds from
the brakes, or feel a corresponding
sensation in the brake pedal. This is
normal and it means your ABS is
active.
ABS does not reduce the time or dis-
tance it takes to stop the vehicle.
Always maintain a safe distance from
the vehicle in front of you.
ABS will not prevent a skid that
results from sudden changes in
direction, such as trying to take a
corner too fast or making a sudden
lane change. Always drive at a safe
speed for the road and weather con-
ditions.ABS cannot prevent a loss of stabili-
ty. Always steer moderately when
braking hard. Severe or sharp steer-
ing wheel movement can still cause
your vehicle to veer into oncoming
traffic or off the road.
On loose or uneven road surfaces,
operation of the anti-lock brake sys-
tem may result in a longer stopping
distance than for vehicles equipped
with a conventional brake system.
The ABS warning light ( ) will stay
on for several seconds after the
Engine Start/Stop button is in the ON
position. During that time, the ABS
will go through self-diagnosis and the
light will go off if everything is nor-
mal. If the light stays on, you may
have a problem with your ABS.
Contact an authorized retailer of
Genesis Branded products as soon
as possible