Page 17 of 607
Your vehicle at a glance
62
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OQLE075095/OQLA075109
■ ■THETA 2.4 GDI
❈ The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.
■ ■THETA 2.0 T-GDI 1. Engine coolant reservoir ...................8-27
2. Engine oil filler cap ...........................8-25
3. Brake fluid reservoir ..........................8-31
4. Air cleaner.........................................8-34
5. Fuse box ...........................................8-59
6. Negative battery terminal..................8-41
7. Positive battery terminal ...................8-41
8. Engine oil dipstick .............................8-25
9. Windshield washer fluid reservoir .....8-32 
     
        
        Page 155 of 607
Features of your vehicle
68
4
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
1. Tachometer 
2. Speedometer
3. Engine coolant temperature gauge
4. Fuel gauge
5. LCD display
6. Warning and indicator lights
OQLA045191/OQLA045193
■ ■
Type A
❈The actual cluster in the vehicle may differ
from the illustration.
For more details, refer to the "Gauges" in
this chapter.
■ ■ Type B 
     
        
        Page 157 of 607
Features of your vehicle
70
4
Gauges
Speedometer
The speedometer indicates the
speed of the vehicle and is calibrated
in miles per hour (mph) and/or kilo-
meters per hour (km/h).
Tachometer
The tachometer indicates the
approximate number of engine revo-
lutions per minute (rpm).
Use the tachometer to select the cor-
rect shift points and to prevent lug-
ging and/or over-revving the engine.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge
This gauge indicates the tempera-
ture of the engine coolant when the
ignition switch or Engine Start/Stop
button is ON.
If the gauge pointer moves beyond
the normal range area toward the "H"
position, it indicates overheating that
may damage the engine.
Do not continue driving with an over-
heated engine. If your vehicle over-
heats, refer to “If the Engine
Overheats” in chapter 7.
OQL045184
OQL045183
CAUTION - Red zone
Do not operate the engine with-in the tachometer's RED ZONE.This may cause severe enginedamage.
OQLE045230 
     
        
        Page 158 of 607

471
Features of your vehicle
Fuel Gauge
This gauge indicates the approxi-
mate amount of fuel remaining in the
fuel tank.
✽ ✽NOTICE
• The fuel tank capacity is given in
chapter 9.
• The fuel gauge is supplemented by a low fuel warning light which will
illuminate when the fuel tank is
nearly empty.
• On inclines or curves, the fuel gauge pointer may fluctuate or the
low fuel warning light may come
on earlier than usual due to the
movement of fuel in the tank.✽ ✽ NOTICE
Fuel display may not be accurate if
you are filling in sloping places.
WARNING - Hot radiator
Never remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. The
engine coolant is under pres-
sure and could cause severe
burns. Wait until the engine is
cool before adding coolant to
the reservoir.
OQLE045232
CAUTION- Low fuel
Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel level. Running out offuel could cause the engine tomisfire damaging the catalyticconverter.
WARNING - Fuel gauge
Stop and obtain additional fuel
as soon as possible after the
warning light comes on or when
the gauge indicator comes
close to the E level. Running out
of fuel can expose vehicle occu-
pants to danger. 
     
        
        Page 332 of 607

Driving your vehicle
46
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 8,
“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. 
     
        
        Page 399 of 607

671
Driving your vehicle
When Active ECO is activated:
 The acceleration may slightly bereduced even though you depress
the accelerator fully.
 The air conditioner performance may be limited
 The shift pattern of the automatic transaxle may change.
 The engine noise may get louder.
The above situations are normal
conditions when the Active Eco
System is activated to improve fuel
efficiency. Limitation of Active ECO opera-
tion:
If the following conditions occur while
Active ECO is operating, the system
operation is limited even though
there is no change in the ECO indi-
cator.
 When the coolant temperature is
low:
The system will be limited until
engine performance becomes nor-
mal.
 When driving up a hill: The system will be limited to gain
power when driving uphill because
the engine torque is restricted.
 When using manual mode: The system will be limited accord-
ing to the shift location.
 When the accelerator pedal is deeply depressed for a few sec-
onds:
The system will be limited, judging
that the driver wants to speed up.SPORT mode
SPORT mode focuses on
dynamic driving by auto-
matically adjusting the
steering wheel, engine
and transaxle system.
 When the DRIVE MODE button is pressed and the SPORT mode is
selected, the SPORT indicator
(yellow) will illuminate.
 When the SPORT mode is activat- ed, and the engine start/stop but-
ton is turned off and on it will
change to NORMAL mode. To turn
on the SPORT mode press DRIVE
MODE button again.
- While holding vehicle speed, it maintains the gear and RPM for
some time even though the accel-
erator pedal is not depressed.
- Up-shifting is delayed.
✽ ✽    
NOTICE
In Sport drive mode, the fuel effi-
ciency may decrease.
SPORT 
     
        
        Page 419 of 607
691
Driving your vehicle
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.
WARNING- Tire  tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible. For further information
and tread limits, refer to "Tires
and wheels" in chapter 8. 
     
        
        Page 422 of 607

Driving your vehicle
94
6
 The use of chains may adversely
affect vehicle handling.
 Do not exceed 20 mph (30 km/h) or the chain manufacturer’s recom-
mended speed limit, whichever is
lower.
 Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and other road
hazards, which may cause the
vehicle to bounce.
 Avoid sharp turns or locked-wheel braking.Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in chapter 8. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on
the battery system. Visually inspect
the battery and cables as described
in chapter 8. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
Change to "winter weight" oil
if necessary
In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
chapter 9 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in chapter 8 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.CAUTION- Snow chains
 Chains that are the wrong size or improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brakelines, suspension, body andwheels.
 Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.