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445
Features of your vehicle
Normal mode
The normal mode offers medium
steering effort.
Sport mode
The steering wheel becomes heav-
ier. The sport mode is usually used
when driving on the highway.
CAUTION
For your safety, if you pressthe steering mode buttonwhile operating the steeringwheel, but the steering effortwill not change immediately.After operating the steeringwheel, the steering effort willchange automatically to theselected mode.
Use caution when changing the steering mode while driv-ing.
When the electronic power steering is not operating prop-erly, the flex steering wheelwill not work.
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457
Features of your vehicle
Transaxle Shift Indicator
Automatic Transaxle Shift Indicator
(if equipped)
This indicator displays which auto-
matic transaxle shift lever is selected.
Reverse : R
Neutral : N
Sports Mode : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Manual Transaxle Shift Indicator
(if equipped)
This indicator informs which gear is
desired while driving to save fuel.
Shifting up : ▲
2, ▲
3, ▲
4, ▲
5, ▲
6
Shifting down : ▼1,
▼2,
▼3,
▼4,
▼5
OPS043115
OPS046433L
■Type A
■ Type B
OPS046116L
OPS046434L
■Type A
■ Type B
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Driving your vehicle
22
6
D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transaxle will automati-
cally shift through a 6-gear
sequence, providing the best fuel
economy and power.
For extra power when passing anoth-
er vehicle or climbing grades, depress
the accelerator fully, at which time the
transaxle will automatically downshift
to the next lower gear.
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 make gearshifts rapidly.
In contrast to a manual transaxle, the
sports 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.
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
) )
) )
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
) )
) )
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6
The drive mode may be selected
according to the driver’s preference
or road condition.
The system resets to be in the ECO
mode, when the hybrid system is
restarted.
If there is a problem with the instru-
ment cluster, the drive mode will be
in ECO mode and may not change to
NORMAL mode or SPORT mode. The mode changes whenever the
DRIVE MODE button is pressed.
❈
When normal mode is selected, it
is not displayed on the cluster.
ECO mode (Active ECO)
Active ECO helps improve
fuel efficiency by control-
ling certain engine and
transaxle system operat-
ing parameters. Fuel effi-
ciency depends on the
driver's driving habit and
road condition.
button is pressed and
the ECO mode is select-
ed, the ECO indicator
(green) will illuminate to
show that the Active
ECO is operating.
activated, it does not turn
off even though the
engine is restarted again.
To turn off the system,
press the DRIVE MODE
button again.
DRIVE MODE INTEGRATED CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
NORMAL
SPORT ECO
OPS056118
ECO