2019 KIA SOUL transmission

Driving your vehicle
26
6
Dual clutch transmission oper-
ation
The dual clutch transmission has
seven forward speeds and one
reverse speed.
The individual speeds are selected
automatically in the D (Drive) posi-
tion.
DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT) (IF EQUIPPED)
OPS058008N
+ +
+ +


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


( (
( (
D D
D D
O O
O O
W W
W W
N N
N N
) )
) )
The shift lever can freely operate. Press the shift button while moving the shift lever. Depress the brake pedal and press the shift button while moving the shift lever.
❈ To move the shift lever from/to P (Parking) or between R (Reverse) and D (Drive), you must
depress the brake pedal for the vehicle to stand still.

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.

Driving your vehicle
28
6
As a result, gear shifts are some-
times more noticeable than a con-
ventional automatic transmission
and a light vibration during launch-
ing can be felt as the transmission
speed is matched with the engine
speed. This is a normal condition of
the dual clutch transmission.
The dry-type clutch transfers torque more directly and provides
a direct drive feeling which may
feel different from a conventional
automatic transaxle with a torque
converter. This may be more
noticeable when launching the
vehicle from a stop or when travel-
ing at low, stop-and-go vehicle
speeds.
When rapidly accelerating at low speeds, the engine could rev at a
high rpm depending on the driving
conditions.
For smooth launch uphill, press down the accelerator pedal
smoothly depending on the current
conditions. If you release your foot from the
accelerator pedal at low vehicle
speed, you may feel strong engine
braking, which is similar to manual
transaxle.
When driving downhill, you may use Sports Mode or press the pad-
dle shifters (if equipped) to down-
shift to a lower gear in order to con-
trol your speed without using the
brake pedal excessively.
When you turn the engine on and off, you may hear clicking sounds
as the system goes through a self-
test. This is a normal sound for the
Dual Clutch Transmission.
During the first 1,500 km (1,000 miles), you may feel that the vehi-
cle may not be smooth when accel-
erating at low speed. During this
break-in period, the shift quality
and performance of your new vehi-
cle is continuously optimized.✽ ✽ NOTICE
If your transmission should fail,
your gear shift lever may not move
and the position indicator (D, R, N,
etc.) will blink on the cluster. If this
occurs, have the system checked by
an authorized Kia dealership.

629
Driving your vehicle
DCT warning messages
This warning message is displayed
when vehicle is driven slowly on a
grade and the vehicle detects that
the brake pedal is not applied.Steep grade
Driving up hills or on steep grades:
To hold the vehicle on an incline
use the foot brake or the parking
brake.
When in stop-and-go traffic on an incline, keep some distance ahead
before moving the vehicle forward.
Then hold the vehicle on the incline
with the foot brake.
If the vehicle is held on a hill by applying the accelerator pedal or
by creeping with brake pedal dis-
engaged, the clutch and transmis-
sion may overheat which can result
in damage. At this time, a warning
message will appear on the LCD
display.
If the LCD warning is active, the foot brake must be applied.
Ignoring the warnings can lead to damage to the transmission. Transmission high temperature
Under certain conditions, such as
repeated stop-and-go launches on
steep grades, sudden take off or
acceleration, or other harsh driving
conditions, the transmission clutch
temperatures will increase exces-
sively. Finally the clutch in trans-
mission could be overheated.
OJF055111L
OJF058450L

Driving your vehicle
30
6
When the clutch is overheated, the
safe protection mode engages and
the gear position indicator on the
cluster blinks with a chime. At this
time, “Transmission temp. is high!
Stop safely” warning message will
appear on the LCD display and
driving may not be smooth.
If this occurs, pull over to a safe location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes
and shift the vehicle to P (Park),
and allow the transmission to cool.
If you ignore this warning, the driv- ing condition may become worse.
You may experience abrupt shifts,
frequent shifts, or jerkiness. To
return to the normal driving condi-
tion, stop the vehicle and apply the
foot brake or shift into P (Park).
Then allow the transmission to cool
for a few minutes with engine on,
before driving off.
When possible, drive the vehicle smoothly.
Transmission overheated If the vehicle continues to be driv-
en and the clutch temperatures
reach the maximum temperature
limit, the " Transmission Hot! Park
with engine on" warning will be dis-
played. When this occurs the clutch
is disabled until the clutch cools to
normal temperatures.
The warning will display a time to wait for the transmission to cool.
If this occurs, pull over to a safe location, stop the vehicle with the
engine running, apply the brakes
and shift the vehicle to P (Park),
and allow the transmission to cool.
When the message "Trans cooled. Resume driving.“ appears you can
continue to drive your vehicle.
When possible, drive the vehicle smoothly.
If any of the warning messages in
the LCD display continue to blink, for
your safety, have the system
checked by a professional workshop.
Kia recommends to visit an author-
ized Kia dealer/service partner.
OJF055117L
OJF055115L
OJF055119L

631
Driving your vehicle
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)
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot shift the lever out of P
(Park), see “Shift-Lock Release” in
this chapter.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) while thevehicle is in motion may
cause you to lose control of
the vehicle.
After the vehicle has stopped, always make sure the shift
lever is in P (Park), apply the
parking brake, and turn the
engine off.
When parking on an incline, block the wheels to prevent
the vehicle from rolling down.
For safety, always engage the parking brake with the shift
lever in the P (Park) position
except for the case of emer-
gency parking.
Do not use the P (Park) posi- tion in place of the parking
brake.
CAUTION
-
Holding the Vehicle Using
Accelerator Pedal
Do not attempt to hold yourvehicle on a hill by applying theaccelerator pedal. This cancause your clutch and transmis-sion to be damaged as a resultof overheating.

Driving your vehicle
32
6
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 seven-gear
sequence, providing 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 or ECO mode. (if
equipped)
For more information, refer to “Drive
Mode Integrated Control System”
later in this chapter.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
Always ensure vehicle is stationary,
at a complete stop, before selecting
D (Drive).
WARNING
The transmission will auto-
matically shift through a
seven-gear sequence, provid-
ing the best fuel economy and
power.
For extra power when passing
another vehicle or driving
uphill depress the accelerator
pedal further until you feel the
transmission downshift to a
lower gear.
Do not drive with the shift lever in N (Neutral).
The vehicle will not exhibit
engine braking in N (Neutral).
CAUTION
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.

633
Driving your vehicle
Sports mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, sports 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 Sports Mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to select the desired range
of gears for the current driving condi-
tions.+ (Up) : Push the lever forward once
to shift up one gear.
- (Down) : Pull the lever backwards once to shift down one
gear.
✽ ✽NOTICE
• Only the seven 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.
• Downshifts are made automatical- ly when the vehicle slows down.
When the vehicle stops, 1st gear is
automatically selected.
• When the engine rpm approaches the red zone the transmission will
upshift automatically.
• If the driver presses the lever to + (Up) or - (Down) position, the trans-
mission may not make the request-
ed gear change if the next gear is
outside of the allowable engine rpm
range. The driver must execute
upshifts in accordance with road
conditions, taking care to keep the
engine rpms below the red zone.
OPS053009
Sports 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
) )
) )