
Driving your vehicle
86
Manual Transaxle
To start the vehicle, keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed, and
make sure the engine RPM is within
normal range (under 1000 rpm). After
checking, shift the transaxle shift lever
to the desired position.
Unlock the parking brake, and take
your foot off the clutch pedal. Then,
lightly depress the accelerator pedal
and slowly start the vehicle.
4.Do not wait for the engine to warmup while the vehicle remains sta-
tionary.
Start driving at moderate engine
speeds. (Steep accelerating and
decelerating should be avoided.) 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. Stopping manual transaxle vehicles
1. After safely parking the vehicle,
press the clutch pedal and brake
pedal at the same time.
2. While depressing the clutch pedal and brake pedal at the same time,
shift the transaxle lever to ‘N’.CAUTION- Starter
If the engine stalls while you arein motion, do not attempt tomove the shift lever to the P(Park) position. If traffic androad conditions permit, you mayput the shift lever in the N(Neutral) position while thevehicle is still moving and turnthe ignition switch to the STARTposition in an attempt to restartthe engine.
WARNING- Steering
wheel
Never reach for any controls
through the steering wheel
while the vehicle is in motion.
The presence of your hand or
arm in this area could cause a
loss of vehicle control.

Driving your vehicle
14
6
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 for-
ward gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on
the shift knob. The transaxle is fully
synchronized in all forward gears
so shifting to either a higher or a
lower gear is easily accomplished.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while shifting, then release it slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an
ignition lock switch, the engine will
not start when starting the engine
without depressing the clutch
pedal. (if equipped)
In order to start the vehicle, slowly
let go of the fully depressed clutch
pedal. Then, push the accelerator
pedal to start.
The gearshift lever must be returned to the neutral position
before shifting into R (Reverse).
The ring (1) located immediately
below the shift knob must be pulled
upward while moving the shift lever
to the R (Reverse) position. (if
equipped)
Make sure the vehicle is complete-
ly stopped before shifting into R(Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
OJD053058
The ring (1) must be pushed while
moving the shift lever. The shift lever can be moved without
pushing the ring (1).
CAUTION - Downshifting
When downshifting from 5 (Fifth) gear to 4 (Fourth) gear,caution should be taken not toinadvertently move the shiftlever sideways in such a man-ner that second gear isengaged. Such a drasticdownshift may cause theengine speed to increase tothe point that the tachometerwill enter the red-zone. Suchoverreving of the engine maypossibly cause engine andtransaxle damage.
Do not downshift more than 2 gears or downshift the gearwhen the engine is running athigh speed (5,000 RPM orhigher). Such a downshiftingmay damage the engine,clutch and the transaxle.
(Continued)

Driving your vehicle
16
6
Using the clutch
The clutch should be pressed 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 par-
tially 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.
*1): Half clutch?
A condition where the clutch is half-
engaged and sliding. It may occur when
the clutch pedal is partially depressed
(not fully depressed), or vehicle power is
transferred to the clutch before the pedal
is fully let go.
CAUTION
If half-clutch*1)driving style is
adopted, or driver’s foot is placed on the pedal while driv-ing, the clutch may be dam-aged or worn out prematurely.
While parking on a steep grade, do not use half clutchmethod to park the vehicle. Itwill cause premature wear ofthe clutch disc.
While driving at fast speed, do not abruptly shift to lowspeed. It may lead to engineand transaxle damage.
(Continued)
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may
move and cause a serious
accident when starting the
engine without depressing
the clutch pedal while the
parking brake is released and
the shift lever not in the neu-
tral position.
WARNING
Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slippery
roads. The vehicle may slip
causing an accident.

Driving your vehicle
20
6
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal and the lock release but-ton when shifting from N (Neutral) toa forward or reverse gear.
When stopped on an incline, do not
hold the vehicle with the engine
power. Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
Transaxle 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 transaxle and pre-
vents the drive 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.CAUTION- Transaxle
To avoid damage to yourtransaxle, do not accelerate theengine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on. The transaxle may bedamaged if you shift into P(Park) while the vehicle is inmotion.
WARNING- Leaving the
Vehicle
To avoid unexpected or sudden
vehicle movement, never leave
your vehicle if the transmission
is not locked in the P (Park)
position and the parking brake
is fully engaged. 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.

621
Driving your 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.- 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.
CAUTION- Shifting
Always come to a complete stopbefore shifting into or out of R(Reverse); you may damage thetransaxle if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rockingthe vehicle” explained in thissection.
CAUTION
With the exception of parking in neutral gear, always parkthe vehicle in [P] (Park) forsafety and engage the parkingbrake.
Before parking in [N] (Neutral) gear, first make sure the park-ing ground is level and flat. Donot park in [N] gear on anyslopes or gradients.
If parked and left in [N], thevehicle may move and causeserious damage and injury.

623
Driving your vehicle
In sports mode, the driver mustexecute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions, taking care to
keep the engine speed below the
red zone.
In sports 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 sports mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehi-
cle 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 auto-
matically. To maintain the required levels of
vehicle 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.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 ignitionswitch 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.

Driving your vehicle
24
6
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.
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.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.
OPS053010

627
Driving your vehicle
The dual clutch transmission canbe thought of as an automatically
shifting manual transaxle. It gives
the driving feel of a manual
transaxle, yet provides the ease of
a fully automatic transaxle.
When D (Drive) is selected, the transmission will automatically shift
through the gears similar to a con-
ventional automatic transaxle.
Unlike a traditional automatic
transaxle, the gear shifting can
sometimes be felt and heard as the
actuators engage the clutches and
the gears are selected.
The dual clutch transmission adopts a dry-type dual clutch,
which is different from the torque
converter of the automatic
transaxle. It shows better accelera-
tion performance and increased
fuel efficiency while driving but ini-
tial launch might be little bit slower
than the automatic transaxle.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death:
ALWAYS check the surround-ing areas near your vehicle for
people, 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 posi-
tion. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur
if this procedure is not fol-
lowed.
Do not use engine braking (shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip causing an accident.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to yourtransaxle, do not try to acceler-ate in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.