2020 KIA OPTIMA transmission

515
Driving your vehicle
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.WARNING- LeavingVehicle
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.
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/15/2019 3:21 PM Page 15

Driving your vehicle
16
5
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. - Parking in N (Neutral) gear
Follow the steps below when parking
and you want the vehicle to move
when pushed.
1.After stopping your vehicle, depress
the 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 Parking Brake) equipped vehicles,
depress the brake pedal with the
ignition button in [ON] or while
the engine is running to disen-
gage the parking brake. If [AUTO
HOLD] function is used while
driving (If [AUTO HOLD] indica-
tor is on in the cluster), press
[AUTO HOLD] switch and [AUTO
HOLD] function will be turned 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 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 thetransmission if you shift into R(Reverse) while the vehicle is inmotion, except when “Rockingthe vehicle” explained in thischapter.
WARNING
With the exception of parking in neutral gear so that you can
push the vehicle, 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 damage or injury.
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/17/2019 4:30 PM Page 16

517
Driving your vehicle
✽ ✽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 button has been turned
[OFF], the EPB (Electronic Parking
Brake) will be engaged automatical-
ly. Therefore, [AUTO HOLD] function
should be turned off before the igni-
tion button is turned off. D (Drive)
This is the normal forward driving
position. The transmission will auto-
matically 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 transmission will
automatically downshift to the next
lower gear.
CAUTION- Starter
If the engine stalls while the
vehicle is in motion, do notattempt to move the shift leverto the P (Park) position. If thetraffic and road conditions per-mit, you may put the shift leverin the N (Neutral) position whilethe vehicle is still moving andpress the engine start/stop but-ton in an attempt to restart theengine.
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/15/2019 3:21 PM Page 17

Driving your vehicle
18
5
Manual mode
Whether the vehicle is stationary or
in motion, manual mode is selected
by pushing the shift lever left from the
D (Drive) position into the manual
gate. To return to D (Drive) range
operation, push the shift lever right
back into the main gate.
In manual mode, moving the shift
lever backwards and forwards will
allow you to make gearshifts rapidly.
In contrast to a manual transmission,
the manual 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.
• In manual mode, the driver must execute upshifts in accordance
with road conditions, taking care to
keep the engine speed below the
red zone.
In manual mode, only the 6 forward gears can be selected. To reverse
or park the vehicle, move the shift
lever to the main gate and then
select R (Reverse) or P (Park)
position as required.
In manual mode, downshifts are made automatically when the vehi-
cle slows down. When the vehicle
stops, 1st gear is automatically
selected.
In manual 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
transmission 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.
OJFA055014
Manual
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
) )
) )
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/15/2019 3:36 PM Page 18

519
Driving your vehicle
Paddle shifter (if equipped)
The paddle shifter is available when
the shift lever is in the D position or
the manual mode.With the shift lever in the D position
The paddle shifter will operate when
the vehicle speed is more than
6.2mph(10km/h).
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
6.2mph(10km/h), if you depress the
accelerator pedal for more than 5
seconds or if you shift the shift lever
from D (Drive) to manual mode and
shift it from manual mode to D (Drive)
again, the system changes from
manual mode to automatic mode.
With the shift lever in the manual mode
Pull the [+] or [-] paddle shifter once
to shift up or down one gear.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
If you pull the [+] and [-] paddle
shifters at the same time, you cannot
shift the gear.
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 igni-
tion 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 and vibration near
the shift lever may be hear, and is a
normal condition. Repeated opera-
tion can cause overheat condition,
and stop operating, until sufficient
cooled down.
OJF058015
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/17/2019 4:30 PM Page 19

Driving your vehicle
22
5
Dual clutch transmission oper-
ation
The dual clutch transmission, is a
manual transmission, that is elec-
tronically controlled and shifted, and
has seven forward speeds and one
reverse speed.
The individual gear speeds are
selected automatically when the shift
lever is in the D (Drive) position.
DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT) (IF EQUIPPED)
OJF055012The shift lever can be shifted freely. Press the lock release button when shifting. Depress the brake pedal and the lock release button when shifting.
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 position.
(Continued)
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/15/2019 3:21 PM Page 22

523
Driving your vehicle
The dual clutch transmission canbe thought of as an automatically
shifting manual transmission. It
gives the driving feel of a manual
transmission, yet provides the
ease of a fully automatic transmis-
sion.
When D (Drive) is selected, the transmission will automatically shift
through the gears similar to a con-
ventional automatic transmission.
Unlike a traditional automatic
transmission, 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 trans-
mission. It shows better accelera-
tion performance and increased
fuel efficiency while driving but ini-
tial launch might be little bit slower
than the automatic transmission.(Continued)
Unexpected and sudden vehi-
cle movement can occur if
these precautions are not fol-
lowed.
Do not use engine braking (rapidly shifting from a high
gear to lower gear) on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip causing an accident.CAUTION
To avoid damage to your transmission, do not try toaccelerate with the shift leverin R (Reverse) or any forwardgear position with the brakeengaged.
When stopped on a slope, do not hold the vehicle with accel-erator pedal. Engage the serv-ice brake or the parking brake.
When in any gear than P, and on an incline, if you release thebrake pedal for more than 3seconds, the vehicle may rollforward or backwards (unlessvehicle hold is ON).
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/15/2019 3:21 PM Page 23

Driving your vehicle
24
5
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 differ-
ent from a conventional automatic
transmission with a torque convert-
er. This may be more noticeable
when launching the vehicle from a
stop or when traveling at low, stop-
and-go vehicle speeds.
When rapidly accelerating at a low vehicle speed, the engine rpm may
increase depending on the vehicle’s
driving condition.
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
transmission.
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
• Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
• Do not put the shift lever in N (Neutral) while driving.
✽ ✽ 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.
JFa PE USA 5.QXP 5/15/2019 3:21 PM Page 24