
55
Driving your vehicle
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outsidemirror(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, at 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 out.
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 handled devices, other
equipment or vehicle systems
that distract the drive should
not be used during vehicle
operation.

Driving your vehicle
12
5
When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with the engine
power. Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
Transmission ranges
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). This
position locks the transmission and
prevents the drive wheels from rotat-
ing.
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 transmission are not
engaged. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless
the parking brake or service brakes
are applied.
WARNING- Leaving
Vehicle
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 locked in
the P position and set the park-
ing brake fully. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement can
occur if these precautions are
not followed.
CAUTION- Transmission
To avoid damage to your trans- mission, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on. The transmissionmay be damaged if you shiftinto P (Park) while the vehicle isin motion.
CAUTION- Shifting
Always come to a complete stopbefore shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thetransmission if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rockingthe vehicle” explained in thischapter.

513
Driving your vehicle
- Parking in N (Neutral) gear
Follow below steps when parking
and you want the vehicle to move
when pushed.
1.After stopping your vehicle, depressthe brake pedal and move the trans-
mission shift lever to [P] with the
ignition button in [ON] or while the
engine is running.
2.If the parking brake is applied, release the parking brake.
- For EPB (Electronic ParkingBrake) equipped vehicles,
depress the brake pedal with the
ignition button in [ON] or while the
engine is running to disengage
the parking brake. If [AUTO
HOLD] function is used while
driving (If [AUTO HOLD] indicator
is on in the cluster), press [AUTO
HOLD] switch and [AUTO HOLD]
function should be turn off.
3.While depressing 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 depressing the
brake pedal and inserting, press-
ing 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.✽ ✽ NOTICE
• After the ignition switch has been
turned off, the EPB (Electronic
Parking Brake) cannot be released.
• For EPB (Electronic Parking Brake) equipped vehicles with
[AUTO HOLD] function used
while driving, if the ignition but-
ton has been turned [OFF], the
EPB (Electronic Parking Brake)
will be engaged automatically.
Therefore, [AUTO HOLD] func-
tion should be turned off before
the ignition button is turned off.
WARNING- Parking In
Neutral
With the exception of parking in neutral gear, always park the
vehicle in [P] (Park) for safety
and apply the parking brake.
Before parking in [N] (Neutral) gear, 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 or
injury.

Driving your vehicle
16
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 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
chattering noise & vibration near the
shift lever may be heard. It is a nor-
mal 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. 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 release access
hole.
4. Insert a tool (e.g. flathead screw- driver) into the access hole and
press down on the tool.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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517
Driving your vehicle
5. Move the shift lever.
6. Remove the tool from the shiftlockoverride access hole then install
the cap.
7. We recommend that the system be inspected by an authorized Kia
dealer.
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 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 trans-
mission in P (Park) to keep the
vehicle from moving.
Optimum vehicle performance and economy is obtained by smoothly
depressing and releasing the
accelerator pedal.
✽ ✽ 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.
Moving up a steep grade from astanding start
To move up a steep grade from a
standing start, depress the brake
pedal, shift the shift lever to D
(Drive). Depress the accelerator
gradually while releasing the brake
pedal.

Driving your vehicle
24
5
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.
To shift into D (Drive), depress the
brake pedal and press the
[UNLOCK] button on the shift lever.
Move the shift lever backward.
To shift into D (Drive) from N
(Neutral), you must depress the
brake pedal.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always come to complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive).
- 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 press the [P]
button with the ignition button in
[ON] or while the engine is running.
2.If the parking brake is applied unlock the parking brake.
- For EPB (Electronic ParkingBrake) equipped vehicles, push
the brake pedal with the ignition
button in [ON] or while the engine
is running to disengage the park-
ing brake. If [AUTO HOLD] func-
tion is used while driving (If
[AUTO HOLD] indicator is on in
the cluster), press [AUTO HOLD]
switch and [AUTO HOLD] func-
tion should be turn off.
3.While pressing the brake pedal, turn the ignition button [OFF].
- For smart key equipped vehicles,the ignition switch can be [OFF]
only after pressing the [P] button. 4.Remove the cap-cover and insert a
tool (e.g. flathead screwdriver) into
the access hole and press down on
the tool while depressing the brake
pedal. Then, the gear will change to
the N (Neutral) position. It should be
pressed within 3 minutes after turn-
ing OFF the engine.
✽ ✽ NOTICE
When move the shift lever to
N(Neutral) position, normal
mechanical sound would occur.
CAUTION
For EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) equipped vehicles with[AUTO HOLD] function usedwhile driving, if the ignition but-ton has been turned [OFF], theelectronic parking brake will beengaged automatically.Therefore, [AUTO HOLD] func-tion should be turned off beforethe ignition button is turned off.

525
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽NOTICE
After the ignition switch has been
turned off, the electronic parking
brake cannot be disengaged.
Paddle shifter (Manual mode)
The paddle shifter is available when
the shift lever is in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
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 7km/h (4.3 mph), if you depress
the accelerator pedal for more than 6
seconds (Except drive mode (Sport,
Custom). For more information, refer
to Drive mode integrated control sys-
tem in chapter 5) or if you move the
shift lever to D (Drive) again or if you
pull the [+] paddle shifter more than
1 second, the system changes from
manual mode to automatic mode.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If the [+] and [-] paddle shifters are
pulled at the same time, gear shift
may not occur.
OCK057007L
WARNING
With the exception of parking
in neutral gear, always park
the vehicle in [P] (Park) for
safety and apply the parking
brake.
Before parking in [N] (Neutral) gear, first make sure the park-
ing 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 dam-
age or injury.

Driving your vehicle
44
5
Check the brake warning light by
turning the ignition switch ON (do not
start the engine). This light will be
illuminated when the parking brake is
applied with the ignition switch in the
START or ON position.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off.
If the brake warning light remains on
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running, there
may be a malfunction in the brake
system. Immediate attention is nec-
essary. If at all possible, cease driving the
vehicle immediately. If that is not pos-
sible, use extreme caution while
operating the vehicle and only con-
tinue to drive the vehicle until you
can reach a safe location or repair
shop.
Electronic parking brake (EPB)
(if equipped)
Applying the parking brake
To apply the EPB (electronic parking
brake):
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Pull up the EPB switch.
Make sure the warning light comes
on.
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